By Yohann DeSabrais
a.k.a. Technuma Saturn
Prologue
The most horrible black lightning tore apart the sky of planet
Felicus Four, thick dark clouds hovering in the omnious red
atmosphere brought on by the planet`s imminent destruction.
A single figure floated menacingly over the largest temple of the
Tiger people, standing ready to perform the foulest deed imaginable.
Her golden armor glinted as fires broke out in the surroundings
habitations while the magnificient temple cracked under the
unwithstandable aura of power radiated by the golden queen Galaxia.
Powerful whispers within her soul praised her for every building she
destroyed, each life she took. She was doing what her destiny had
truly meant her to be, it said, and encouraged her to continue her
mindless slaughter of innocent life.
As her laugh echoed, a powerful voice boomed from a lone warrior
who would defy her.
"STOP!!! Your crimes must be punished, monster!" said the hero of
the Felician, a young tiger woman named Sailor Steel Tiger. Her
skimpy metal color outfit revealed a very muscular body, entirely
covered with short stripped fur. Her claws were menacingly sharp,
as were her fangs.
"You dare stand against me, little one? Do you know how many worlds
I have destroyed before yours, how much more holy defenders I have
murdered to do so?" asked Galaxia, her eyes flaring with a power
the likes of which was totally unthinkable.
"Even if my life is the price to pay, you will be destroyed!" growled
Steel Tiger, jumping up in the air in a blur of blue lightning, all
claws out for the invader. "TIGER CLAW BURN!!!" she screamed as she
did.
Lifting a single finger, a raging maelstrom of power was funneled out
of Galaxia`s arm and in a thundrous roar flew towards the leaping
tigress, detonating violently against her chest. She fell to the
ground limply, groaning in pain as she tried to get back to her
feet.
"Impressive." said Galaxia. "I actually had to move to put an end to
your futile effort."
Galaxia landed softly next to the tigress, black lightning hitting
the ground around them both in a deafening explosion. Screams of
pain echoed in the distance from all directions as all life on the
planet was being mercilessly squelched out of existence, leaving
behind only the source of their being, their starseeds.
"Furthermore, you survived an attack that would have killed any being
lesser than a true sailor senshi. You are worthy of being given...
the choice." said Galaxia, her wicked smile giving the tiger soldier
shivers.
"What... choice...?" she mumbled, clutching her bruised ribs with
both arms.
"You can either die here this very instant, your starseed ripped from
your chest in unimaginable pain the likes of which you would not dare
think possible... or you can join me, becoming my loyal servant and
gaining more power than your pityful soul could ever grant you." she
said, outstreching her arm and offering her hand to the wounded
warrior.
She hesitated for several minutes, but the evidence was there for her
eyes to see: her dearly loved homeworld was being torn apart at the
seams, its every inhabitant ruthlessly murdered by this unstoppable
being. Sailor Steel Tiger finally accepted this unholy offer and
reached out for the hand of Galaxia. Before she could touch it,
though, the golden clad being grabbed her wrist in her vise-like
grip. Steel Tiger let out a yelp of pain, partly from the crushing
hand cutting her circulation, but mostly from the energy surge
burning her wrist under Galaxia`s burning touch. Her other wrist
also began burning as well, until a pair of crystal mounted copper
colored bracelets had been formed on her arms, binding her destiny
to her new mistress Galaxia`s as surely as the strongest of shackles.
"You are mine, now, kitty!" purred Galaxia, content with both her
victory and her newly acquired sailor slave.
A single tear rolled on Steel Tiger`s cheek, her form and Galaxia`s
disappearing along with all of the fifty million starseeds of the
now dead planet.
* * *
CYCLES OF LIFE: EPISODE 35
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Shingo, Laurella and Mamoru could hardly believe their eyes at the
sheer amount of food eaten by Usagi and her future daughter Usako.
Having made their way through the largest plate on the menu, they
were now attacking the largest sundaes this side of creation without
showing any sign of being even remotely full.
"They must have eaten their own weight in food since this morning...
and it`s barely twelve o'clock!" whispered Shingo to his sister`s
fiancee.
"Usako is so much like her mother, it`s sometimes scary." he replied
in a hushed tone so that Usagi wouldn`t hear.
Motoki approached their table to give Shingo and Mamoru their bills.
Laurella quickly snatched them out of their hands and giggled. "My
treat today, friends, I have to go through my dad`s weekly allowance
somehow!" she joked. Her friends laughed, except for Mamoru who gave
a discreet sigh of relief. Feeding a pair of Tsukino girls was a
dangerously expensive experience to undergo.
"So what`s on the program on this lovely saturday afternoon?"
wondered Mamoru, only too happy to have some money left in his
wallet.
"Test runs for Haruka at my dad`s personal speedway. He`s been
looking for a motorbike racer to sponsor for a while now, and he`s
thinking about her as his star pilot." replied Laurella.
"This should be fun." said Usako. "I`ll go wash up... be right back."
she said, going up and walking to the girls' room.
It`s at that moment that the people around them began to hush and
whisper, pointing to a table in the far corner of the restaurant.
Lovestruck gazes filled the eyes of the young girls while their
boyfriends' eyes showed obvious jealousy.
"It`s him, I`m sure!" could be heard whispered behind them.
"Are you sure?" asked another voice.
"I`d recognize Kou Seiya ANYWHERE!" said the first one.
The group turned around and saw the young idol singer whose meteoric
rise to stardom had been all the talk in the entertainment industry.
The Three Lights had a romantic pop rock repertoire that simply
appealed to everyone.
Usagi had heard Robin and Minako go on and on about the three cute
guys of that group, Seiya, Taiki and Yaten. She knew what each one
of them looked like by now, as her starstruck friends could drone
on endlessly about their favorite singers for hours on end if
allowed to.
"He`s not that hot." thought Usagi. "He`s cute, but he`s no
Endymion..."
Flipping a few hundred yen coins from his pocket, Seiya got up and
pulled out his shades which he put on in one swift motion. Walking
across the room, all the gazes were upon him, and he could feel it.
He had gotten used to it, although he never really learned to like
it as his agent had suggested he should.
Walking by the senshi table, he stopped for a second sensing a hint
of power. He looked at Usagi while lowering his shades, staring right
at her wide baby blue eyes.
"Hello." politely said Usagi.
"Hey." said Seiya, keeping up his front as a cool guy in total
control of the situation.
"I`m baaaack!" chirped Usako as she made her way back to the table.
Hearing the young girl who was coming behind him, he turned around
and had the biggest shock of his life: in front of him stood the
mirror image of the blonde girl he met just twenty seconds ago,
except that instead of short blonde hair that fell to her shoulders,
she wore her striking scarlet hair in ponytails that reached all the
way down to her tighs, just above her knees.
But most of all, she had an aura of power about her that sent
thunderbolts going through his spine.
"Hello, who`s this?" wondered Usako.
"It`s Kou Seiya, one of the Three Lights... you know, that group
Robin totally freaks over since december?" answered Shingo.
"I`m glad to meet you, Seiya, I`m Usagi`s cousin. My name`s Usako."
Trying to shake off his daze, Seiya blurted out the first thing that
came to his mind. "Your hair, it sorta looks like... odango."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY???" snapped Usako, insulted. "My mother ALWAYS
wore her hair that way!" she said, but then took a quick peek at
Usagi`s current hairstyle. "Well, after she turned into a more
mature woman anyhow." she quickly added. This last remark got
hushed snickers from her friends, except for Usagi who pulled her
tongue to Usako.
Recomposing himself in a flash, Seiya found a quick retort.
"I`ll bet she`s just as goofy looking as you with that hair. See ya
around, Odango!" he snapped, leaving in a hurry before the frustrated
scarlet lady could figure a proper response.
"The NERVE of that guy!!!" she fumed, venting out her anger on the
absent idol singer.
* * *
Everyone in the library had stopped reading when he came in,
fascinated by the tall musician with the long brown ponytail, Kou
Taiki. Armed with his new library card, Taiki took refuge from the
large fan crowds in the silent book archive, enjoying the soothing
tranquility, the only place where one can truly appreciate the
timeless magic of classic litterature.
No one dared move close to him, afraid of disturbing his
concentration. After all, he was known to all his fans as the
intellectual of the Three Lights, and no one would disturb his
quiet thinking...
Turning around the corner out of another row of huge bookcases, a
young girl with short dark blue hair came to him, showing no shyness
or discomfort in front of one of the rising singing stars of the
japanese music scene. Taiki raised his eyes for a moment, giving her
a quick look and then lowering his stare right back to his book
without saying a word.
"Excuse me, I`m looking for the poetry section." asked Ami in a
hushed whisper.
Having noted earlier where that section was, Taiki pointed it with
his finger in silence, not bothering to look at her anymore. He was
beginning to be quite tired of the more relentless fans that were
after him and his brothers, and this one was obviously looking for
any excuse to talk to him, as were all the others. Since the start
of his musical career, he`d been asked countless times similar
questions, all equally inane. He wouldn`t give her the satisfaction
of saying a single word.
"Thank you." she replied, leaving without any further questions or
making flatering comments.
Although he was surprised that she indeed went to the poetry section,
he gave it no further thought as he plunged back into his novel.
* * *
"Geeze, WHERE did I park the car?" thought Kou Yaten as he left the
electronics store that had just finished fixing his CD player. If
the silver haired singing sensation`s brother Seiya had been there,
surely he would have taken a cheap shot at his expensive for
forgetting where he parked... again.
Turning around to go over the street again in case he missed his
car, he bumped into a young woman who was coming fast in his
direction. Staggering backwards, he saw in horror his fully
functional CD player slip out of his fingers and fall to the
ground... until the quick fingers of the girl who bumped into him
snatched it from its horrible fate.
She handed it over to him with a smile. "Here`s your... hey, you`re
Yaten!!!" said Robin, her eyes lighting up with excitment.
"Oh great, another one..." thought Yaten. "Thanks, I was counting on
using it tonight." he replied with a polite smile.
"Ooooh, I simply LOVE your record, the songs all are so magical!!!
So do you sing to someone special, or are you still... available???"
wondered Robin, her curious nature showing through like a flashbulb
in a dark room.
"I suppose you`ll be wanting my autograph, now?" said Yaten, waiting
to get the usual "If you don`t mind taking the time" answer this
question always got.
"What`s that?" wondered Robin, a curious look on her face.
"You know, an autograph... I write my signature in your booklet, or
on your CD or something?"
It became apparent to Yaten that this girl wasn`t playing coy or
being a smart aleck- she was totally clueless right now.
"Why would I want you to do that?" she asked.
At that moment, Robin`s watch alarm rang, reminding her of an
appointment she had taken to see doctor Mizuno regarding possible
seizure relapses.
"Whoa, I have to go, bye Yaten!" she said, running off.
"Man, this girl is a weird one..." thought Yaten. "Almost as if she
fell from another planet or something..."
Then it struck him. If his princess had come from another planet
just recently, isn`t there a good chance that she would be just as
clueless??? DAMN, she had disappeared from view and he had no idea
where she was now!
"I don`t even know her name..." he whispered. Finally finding his
car, he went back home.
* * *
It was almost six o'clock when Taiki finally put his book down and
got up from his reading table to go home. Looking over to the other
side of the huge library, he noticed that Ami was still there, and
was devouring a book of medieval poetry.
The idol singer was amazed that a girl whom he thought was just
another groupie turned out to be the genuine article. She was
cultured, obviously very smart and had the same craving for learning
as he did. She had so much maturity regardless of her young age, she
was indeed very special.
"Don`t waste your time." whispered someone behind him.
"Excuse me?"
"That girl, she`s a genius from my biology class. She`s a real
brainy one, but..."
"But what?" asked Taiki.
"...but she plays for the all girl league, if you catch my drift."
said the young man who then picked up his books and left.
Taiki thought this over. He had a small grin, barely noticeable...
* * *
Within the penthouse atop the "Dusk" building of the Poldzer
Triangle, darkness bathed the owners of the newly completed complex
with a stillness that seeped within one`s soul with a power so black
that only one of equally dark intentions could bear to withstand it.
Crystallite was such a soul.
The evil daughter of Beryl had waited a long time for this moment to
arrive, and much planning went into its preparation. She had subtly
manipulated her husband Aebonite into giving the weak sailor scouts
such a challenge that their soul power would be revealed, ascending
them to the status of sailor senshi. She had in her possession the
cards of Gallagher which she had obtained from the remains of an
escape pod that had taken Sailor Moon back from saturn station beta
after her last battle against the Prime. Most of all, her new ally
had finally arrived.
"Welcome to this world, Black Baron..." she whispered. The darkness
around her shifted slighty, moving to form a humanoid shape which
took a more or less solid form, one whose appearance could barely be
guessed as it gave no reflection of light, rather absorbing it all
around him.
Not even the cold hearted Crystallite could repress a shudder from
the dark presence that came to serve her.
"You know why I summoned you." said Crystallite, trying to keep her
voice from wavering as fear clasped her spirit in its cold clutches.
"Yes..." answered a disembodied voice emanating from the general
surroundings of the shadowy being, although not quite from his exact
location. His appearance kept shifting constantly, yet managed to
keep a general outlook of being somewhat human in form.
"Then you shall begin your mission. Your first task shall be of
replacing Dokuryo as my first in command." explained Crystallite.
"What shall be done of him?" came the cold whisper of the soul
chilling voice.
"I care not what happens of him. Do as you must."
Saying no more, Black Baron bowed politely- or at least seemed to
do so. In a wicked warping of the fabric of reality, the dark shadow
vanished.
Out of a dark corner of the living room emerged the hulking shape of
the lupine beast Fenris Wolfang. Growling at the spot stained by the
black presence, the manwolf sat on the rich leather couch right next
to Crystallite and hugged her in his massive arms.
"I loathe that... that... thing. Must you really do business with
Black Baron, milady?" he asked in a deep voice full of concern.
"I have no other option. My plan is set in motion and there is no
turning back. We must embrace the coming darkness... lest we be
consumed by it!" she replied, laying her head on his chest.
"Then I will follow you into the black pits of hell. I promise you
that." he said, purring as she caressed him in that way he liked so
much.
* * *
"I think I found her!" said Yaten as he blasted into the large
apartment he and his brothers shared. He was overexcited and being
his usual obnoxious self in the two others' view.
"Join the club." said Seiya.
"Apparently, we ALL think we`ve seen her." added Taiki.
"But you don`t get it guys... she looked japanese, yet she wasn`t
japanese at the same time! She must have recognized our message
because she was crazy over our music... and moreover, she was so
amazingly clueless about how this world works that it was like she
arrived from saturn just last year!!!" explained Yaten.
"What`s her name?" wondered Taiki.
"Err... she left in a hurry before she mentionned it."
"Forgot to ask her, didn`t you?" said Seiya, chuckling.
"SHUT UP!" snapped Yaten.
"Well I met a very bright young lady named Ami. She has the
intelligence, grace, culture and maturity of the princess herself!!!
I am convinced that she must be the princess." went on Taiki,
putting down his book on quantum physics.
"And why is THIS genius more likely than any other to be our
princess?" wondered Seiya.
"Remember the rumors regarding the princess, on how she wasn`t
interested in men at all?" said Taiki.
"Oh..."
"And what about this girl you met, Seiya, why should we think it`s
her?" asked Yaten.
"She had this aura of power no human could possess! She also had the
same face as another girl she pretended was her cousin, except that
she had the same long bright red hair as the princess. I just know
that Usako is the girl we`re looking for." said Seiya.
"Tell me something, Seiya..." asked Taiki, twirling his long brown
ponytail. "When you met her, you didn`t act like your usual self?
You didn`t just blurt out the first thing you thought of, now, did
you?"
"Well... I might have..." answered Seiya, looking at the floor.
The other two slapped their foreheads.
"You always do that! What`s your problem?!?" asked Yaten.
"Shut up, okay? We`re not all so nonchalant around girls as SOME
people are!" snapped Seiya.
"What`s THAT supposed to mean?!?" replied Yaten.
"Well, we seem to have a little problem on our hands... three girls,
all likely candidates... I guess we`ll have to follow through to see
which one it is." concluded Taiki.
* * *
Coming back home from his day at the office, Kenji was rather
exhausted. It had been a very long day, and he was looking forward
to spending some time with his family. Speaking of which, it had
taken a turn for the bizarre over the past few months, having
discovered that both his children were reincarnated superbeings from
the past who had saved humanity from total destruction many times
over since their ancient powers had reawakened. Moreover, the little
girl whom he had been somehow manipulated into thinking was his
niece was none other than his own grandaughter from the future.
Pulling into the driveway of his house, he heard a girlish giggle
from behind a tree on his front yard after turning off his car
engine. Curious, he went to the source of the laughter only to see
some pink locks bobbing up and down behind the tree as a little girl
was playing hide and seek with him.
Wait a minute, hadn`t Chibi-Usa matured and turned into a red haired
woman? This made no sense, unless Chibi-Usa had come into the past
from a different point in time BEFORE the dark moon had attacked his
daughter`s kingdom... or was it the dark kingdom who had threatened
the future? He could never tell these two apart.
"Chibi-Usa, is that you?" he said, slowly creeping up on her not to
scare her off.
Turning around the tree, he saw the cutest three year old girl he
had ever seen, with pink hair tied in odango like Ikuko had done for
Usagi, and sparkling red eyes filled with joy. He tried to talk her,
but could only stutter in surprise.
"Chibi... Chibi?" he blurted out.
"Chibi Chibi!!!" repeated the little girl, laughing.
Kenji was at a loss. Who was this little girl? Another one of Usagi`s
daughters??? He took her in his arms and brought her into the house.
Maybe his daughter might be able to give her some answers.
Usagi and Ikuko were first to see the cute toddler as Kenji brought
her in. She elicited looks blending in both confusion, interrogation
and admiration.
"She`s sooooo cuuuuute!" said Usagi, patting her head. The little
girl giggled. "Who is she?"
"I don`t know. She was hiding in front of the house, I thought maybe
you could enlighten us, seeing how you always seem to have answers
for every bizarre occurance in this town." said Kenji who didn`t
know whether to be angry or not.
"Could she be your child, Usagi? Could she be Chibi... I mean Usako`s
sister?" asked Ikuko.
"Not that I know of... what`s her name, anyway?" wondered Usagi.
"Chibi Chibi!!!" repeated the little girl.
"She seems to be called Chibi Chibi... suits her, I think." observed
Kenji.
Usako came from the living room to the lobby, wondering what was
happening. Chibi Chibi immediately bolted out of Kenji`s arms and
ran to Usako, bouncing in her arms and hugging her very hard. She
had the biggest of smiles on her adorable face.
"Usako-mama!!!" she yelled in joy.
"Oooooh boy..." uttered Usako as all the stares in the room were
locked on her.
To be continued...
a.k.a. Technuma Saturn
Prologue
The most horrible black lightning tore apart the sky of planet
Felicus Four, thick dark clouds hovering in the omnious red
atmosphere brought on by the planet`s imminent destruction.
A single figure floated menacingly over the largest temple of the
Tiger people, standing ready to perform the foulest deed imaginable.
Her golden armor glinted as fires broke out in the surroundings
habitations while the magnificient temple cracked under the
unwithstandable aura of power radiated by the golden queen Galaxia.
Powerful whispers within her soul praised her for every building she
destroyed, each life she took. She was doing what her destiny had
truly meant her to be, it said, and encouraged her to continue her
mindless slaughter of innocent life.
As her laugh echoed, a powerful voice boomed from a lone warrior
who would defy her.
"STOP!!! Your crimes must be punished, monster!" said the hero of
the Felician, a young tiger woman named Sailor Steel Tiger. Her
skimpy metal color outfit revealed a very muscular body, entirely
covered with short stripped fur. Her claws were menacingly sharp,
as were her fangs.
"You dare stand against me, little one? Do you know how many worlds
I have destroyed before yours, how much more holy defenders I have
murdered to do so?" asked Galaxia, her eyes flaring with a power
the likes of which was totally unthinkable.
"Even if my life is the price to pay, you will be destroyed!" growled
Steel Tiger, jumping up in the air in a blur of blue lightning, all
claws out for the invader. "TIGER CLAW BURN!!!" she screamed as she
did.
Lifting a single finger, a raging maelstrom of power was funneled out
of Galaxia`s arm and in a thundrous roar flew towards the leaping
tigress, detonating violently against her chest. She fell to the
ground limply, groaning in pain as she tried to get back to her
feet.
"Impressive." said Galaxia. "I actually had to move to put an end to
your futile effort."
Galaxia landed softly next to the tigress, black lightning hitting
the ground around them both in a deafening explosion. Screams of
pain echoed in the distance from all directions as all life on the
planet was being mercilessly squelched out of existence, leaving
behind only the source of their being, their starseeds.
"Furthermore, you survived an attack that would have killed any being
lesser than a true sailor senshi. You are worthy of being given...
the choice." said Galaxia, her wicked smile giving the tiger soldier
shivers.
"What... choice...?" she mumbled, clutching her bruised ribs with
both arms.
"You can either die here this very instant, your starseed ripped from
your chest in unimaginable pain the likes of which you would not dare
think possible... or you can join me, becoming my loyal servant and
gaining more power than your pityful soul could ever grant you." she
said, outstreching her arm and offering her hand to the wounded
warrior.
She hesitated for several minutes, but the evidence was there for her
eyes to see: her dearly loved homeworld was being torn apart at the
seams, its every inhabitant ruthlessly murdered by this unstoppable
being. Sailor Steel Tiger finally accepted this unholy offer and
reached out for the hand of Galaxia. Before she could touch it,
though, the golden clad being grabbed her wrist in her vise-like
grip. Steel Tiger let out a yelp of pain, partly from the crushing
hand cutting her circulation, but mostly from the energy surge
burning her wrist under Galaxia`s burning touch. Her other wrist
also began burning as well, until a pair of crystal mounted copper
colored bracelets had been formed on her arms, binding her destiny
to her new mistress Galaxia`s as surely as the strongest of shackles.
"You are mine, now, kitty!" purred Galaxia, content with both her
victory and her newly acquired sailor slave.
A single tear rolled on Steel Tiger`s cheek, her form and Galaxia`s
disappearing along with all of the fifty million starseeds of the
now dead planet.
* * *
CYCLES OF LIFE: EPISODE 35
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Shingo, Laurella and Mamoru could hardly believe their eyes at the
sheer amount of food eaten by Usagi and her future daughter Usako.
Having made their way through the largest plate on the menu, they
were now attacking the largest sundaes this side of creation without
showing any sign of being even remotely full.
"They must have eaten their own weight in food since this morning...
and it`s barely twelve o'clock!" whispered Shingo to his sister`s
fiancee.
"Usako is so much like her mother, it`s sometimes scary." he replied
in a hushed tone so that Usagi wouldn`t hear.
Motoki approached their table to give Shingo and Mamoru their bills.
Laurella quickly snatched them out of their hands and giggled. "My
treat today, friends, I have to go through my dad`s weekly allowance
somehow!" she joked. Her friends laughed, except for Mamoru who gave
a discreet sigh of relief. Feeding a pair of Tsukino girls was a
dangerously expensive experience to undergo.
"So what`s on the program on this lovely saturday afternoon?"
wondered Mamoru, only too happy to have some money left in his
wallet.
"Test runs for Haruka at my dad`s personal speedway. He`s been
looking for a motorbike racer to sponsor for a while now, and he`s
thinking about her as his star pilot." replied Laurella.
"This should be fun." said Usako. "I`ll go wash up... be right back."
she said, going up and walking to the girls' room.
It`s at that moment that the people around them began to hush and
whisper, pointing to a table in the far corner of the restaurant.
Lovestruck gazes filled the eyes of the young girls while their
boyfriends' eyes showed obvious jealousy.
"It`s him, I`m sure!" could be heard whispered behind them.
"Are you sure?" asked another voice.
"I`d recognize Kou Seiya ANYWHERE!" said the first one.
The group turned around and saw the young idol singer whose meteoric
rise to stardom had been all the talk in the entertainment industry.
The Three Lights had a romantic pop rock repertoire that simply
appealed to everyone.
Usagi had heard Robin and Minako go on and on about the three cute
guys of that group, Seiya, Taiki and Yaten. She knew what each one
of them looked like by now, as her starstruck friends could drone
on endlessly about their favorite singers for hours on end if
allowed to.
"He`s not that hot." thought Usagi. "He`s cute, but he`s no
Endymion..."
Flipping a few hundred yen coins from his pocket, Seiya got up and
pulled out his shades which he put on in one swift motion. Walking
across the room, all the gazes were upon him, and he could feel it.
He had gotten used to it, although he never really learned to like
it as his agent had suggested he should.
Walking by the senshi table, he stopped for a second sensing a hint
of power. He looked at Usagi while lowering his shades, staring right
at her wide baby blue eyes.
"Hello." politely said Usagi.
"Hey." said Seiya, keeping up his front as a cool guy in total
control of the situation.
"I`m baaaack!" chirped Usako as she made her way back to the table.
Hearing the young girl who was coming behind him, he turned around
and had the biggest shock of his life: in front of him stood the
mirror image of the blonde girl he met just twenty seconds ago,
except that instead of short blonde hair that fell to her shoulders,
she wore her striking scarlet hair in ponytails that reached all the
way down to her tighs, just above her knees.
But most of all, she had an aura of power about her that sent
thunderbolts going through his spine.
"Hello, who`s this?" wondered Usako.
"It`s Kou Seiya, one of the Three Lights... you know, that group
Robin totally freaks over since december?" answered Shingo.
"I`m glad to meet you, Seiya, I`m Usagi`s cousin. My name`s Usako."
Trying to shake off his daze, Seiya blurted out the first thing that
came to his mind. "Your hair, it sorta looks like... odango."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY???" snapped Usako, insulted. "My mother ALWAYS
wore her hair that way!" she said, but then took a quick peek at
Usagi`s current hairstyle. "Well, after she turned into a more
mature woman anyhow." she quickly added. This last remark got
hushed snickers from her friends, except for Usagi who pulled her
tongue to Usako.
Recomposing himself in a flash, Seiya found a quick retort.
"I`ll bet she`s just as goofy looking as you with that hair. See ya
around, Odango!" he snapped, leaving in a hurry before the frustrated
scarlet lady could figure a proper response.
"The NERVE of that guy!!!" she fumed, venting out her anger on the
absent idol singer.
* * *
Everyone in the library had stopped reading when he came in,
fascinated by the tall musician with the long brown ponytail, Kou
Taiki. Armed with his new library card, Taiki took refuge from the
large fan crowds in the silent book archive, enjoying the soothing
tranquility, the only place where one can truly appreciate the
timeless magic of classic litterature.
No one dared move close to him, afraid of disturbing his
concentration. After all, he was known to all his fans as the
intellectual of the Three Lights, and no one would disturb his
quiet thinking...
Turning around the corner out of another row of huge bookcases, a
young girl with short dark blue hair came to him, showing no shyness
or discomfort in front of one of the rising singing stars of the
japanese music scene. Taiki raised his eyes for a moment, giving her
a quick look and then lowering his stare right back to his book
without saying a word.
"Excuse me, I`m looking for the poetry section." asked Ami in a
hushed whisper.
Having noted earlier where that section was, Taiki pointed it with
his finger in silence, not bothering to look at her anymore. He was
beginning to be quite tired of the more relentless fans that were
after him and his brothers, and this one was obviously looking for
any excuse to talk to him, as were all the others. Since the start
of his musical career, he`d been asked countless times similar
questions, all equally inane. He wouldn`t give her the satisfaction
of saying a single word.
"Thank you." she replied, leaving without any further questions or
making flatering comments.
Although he was surprised that she indeed went to the poetry section,
he gave it no further thought as he plunged back into his novel.
* * *
"Geeze, WHERE did I park the car?" thought Kou Yaten as he left the
electronics store that had just finished fixing his CD player. If
the silver haired singing sensation`s brother Seiya had been there,
surely he would have taken a cheap shot at his expensive for
forgetting where he parked... again.
Turning around to go over the street again in case he missed his
car, he bumped into a young woman who was coming fast in his
direction. Staggering backwards, he saw in horror his fully
functional CD player slip out of his fingers and fall to the
ground... until the quick fingers of the girl who bumped into him
snatched it from its horrible fate.
She handed it over to him with a smile. "Here`s your... hey, you`re
Yaten!!!" said Robin, her eyes lighting up with excitment.
"Oh great, another one..." thought Yaten. "Thanks, I was counting on
using it tonight." he replied with a polite smile.
"Ooooh, I simply LOVE your record, the songs all are so magical!!!
So do you sing to someone special, or are you still... available???"
wondered Robin, her curious nature showing through like a flashbulb
in a dark room.
"I suppose you`ll be wanting my autograph, now?" said Yaten, waiting
to get the usual "If you don`t mind taking the time" answer this
question always got.
"What`s that?" wondered Robin, a curious look on her face.
"You know, an autograph... I write my signature in your booklet, or
on your CD or something?"
It became apparent to Yaten that this girl wasn`t playing coy or
being a smart aleck- she was totally clueless right now.
"Why would I want you to do that?" she asked.
At that moment, Robin`s watch alarm rang, reminding her of an
appointment she had taken to see doctor Mizuno regarding possible
seizure relapses.
"Whoa, I have to go, bye Yaten!" she said, running off.
"Man, this girl is a weird one..." thought Yaten. "Almost as if she
fell from another planet or something..."
Then it struck him. If his princess had come from another planet
just recently, isn`t there a good chance that she would be just as
clueless??? DAMN, she had disappeared from view and he had no idea
where she was now!
"I don`t even know her name..." he whispered. Finally finding his
car, he went back home.
* * *
It was almost six o'clock when Taiki finally put his book down and
got up from his reading table to go home. Looking over to the other
side of the huge library, he noticed that Ami was still there, and
was devouring a book of medieval poetry.
The idol singer was amazed that a girl whom he thought was just
another groupie turned out to be the genuine article. She was
cultured, obviously very smart and had the same craving for learning
as he did. She had so much maturity regardless of her young age, she
was indeed very special.
"Don`t waste your time." whispered someone behind him.
"Excuse me?"
"That girl, she`s a genius from my biology class. She`s a real
brainy one, but..."
"But what?" asked Taiki.
"...but she plays for the all girl league, if you catch my drift."
said the young man who then picked up his books and left.
Taiki thought this over. He had a small grin, barely noticeable...
* * *
Within the penthouse atop the "Dusk" building of the Poldzer
Triangle, darkness bathed the owners of the newly completed complex
with a stillness that seeped within one`s soul with a power so black
that only one of equally dark intentions could bear to withstand it.
Crystallite was such a soul.
The evil daughter of Beryl had waited a long time for this moment to
arrive, and much planning went into its preparation. She had subtly
manipulated her husband Aebonite into giving the weak sailor scouts
such a challenge that their soul power would be revealed, ascending
them to the status of sailor senshi. She had in her possession the
cards of Gallagher which she had obtained from the remains of an
escape pod that had taken Sailor Moon back from saturn station beta
after her last battle against the Prime. Most of all, her new ally
had finally arrived.
"Welcome to this world, Black Baron..." she whispered. The darkness
around her shifted slighty, moving to form a humanoid shape which
took a more or less solid form, one whose appearance could barely be
guessed as it gave no reflection of light, rather absorbing it all
around him.
Not even the cold hearted Crystallite could repress a shudder from
the dark presence that came to serve her.
"You know why I summoned you." said Crystallite, trying to keep her
voice from wavering as fear clasped her spirit in its cold clutches.
"Yes..." answered a disembodied voice emanating from the general
surroundings of the shadowy being, although not quite from his exact
location. His appearance kept shifting constantly, yet managed to
keep a general outlook of being somewhat human in form.
"Then you shall begin your mission. Your first task shall be of
replacing Dokuryo as my first in command." explained Crystallite.
"What shall be done of him?" came the cold whisper of the soul
chilling voice.
"I care not what happens of him. Do as you must."
Saying no more, Black Baron bowed politely- or at least seemed to
do so. In a wicked warping of the fabric of reality, the dark shadow
vanished.
Out of a dark corner of the living room emerged the hulking shape of
the lupine beast Fenris Wolfang. Growling at the spot stained by the
black presence, the manwolf sat on the rich leather couch right next
to Crystallite and hugged her in his massive arms.
"I loathe that... that... thing. Must you really do business with
Black Baron, milady?" he asked in a deep voice full of concern.
"I have no other option. My plan is set in motion and there is no
turning back. We must embrace the coming darkness... lest we be
consumed by it!" she replied, laying her head on his chest.
"Then I will follow you into the black pits of hell. I promise you
that." he said, purring as she caressed him in that way he liked so
much.
* * *
"I think I found her!" said Yaten as he blasted into the large
apartment he and his brothers shared. He was overexcited and being
his usual obnoxious self in the two others' view.
"Join the club." said Seiya.
"Apparently, we ALL think we`ve seen her." added Taiki.
"But you don`t get it guys... she looked japanese, yet she wasn`t
japanese at the same time! She must have recognized our message
because she was crazy over our music... and moreover, she was so
amazingly clueless about how this world works that it was like she
arrived from saturn just last year!!!" explained Yaten.
"What`s her name?" wondered Taiki.
"Err... she left in a hurry before she mentionned it."
"Forgot to ask her, didn`t you?" said Seiya, chuckling.
"SHUT UP!" snapped Yaten.
"Well I met a very bright young lady named Ami. She has the
intelligence, grace, culture and maturity of the princess herself!!!
I am convinced that she must be the princess." went on Taiki,
putting down his book on quantum physics.
"And why is THIS genius more likely than any other to be our
princess?" wondered Seiya.
"Remember the rumors regarding the princess, on how she wasn`t
interested in men at all?" said Taiki.
"Oh..."
"And what about this girl you met, Seiya, why should we think it`s
her?" asked Yaten.
"She had this aura of power no human could possess! She also had the
same face as another girl she pretended was her cousin, except that
she had the same long bright red hair as the princess. I just know
that Usako is the girl we`re looking for." said Seiya.
"Tell me something, Seiya..." asked Taiki, twirling his long brown
ponytail. "When you met her, you didn`t act like your usual self?
You didn`t just blurt out the first thing you thought of, now, did
you?"
"Well... I might have..." answered Seiya, looking at the floor.
The other two slapped their foreheads.
"You always do that! What`s your problem?!?" asked Yaten.
"Shut up, okay? We`re not all so nonchalant around girls as SOME
people are!" snapped Seiya.
"What`s THAT supposed to mean?!?" replied Yaten.
"Well, we seem to have a little problem on our hands... three girls,
all likely candidates... I guess we`ll have to follow through to see
which one it is." concluded Taiki.
* * *
Coming back home from his day at the office, Kenji was rather
exhausted. It had been a very long day, and he was looking forward
to spending some time with his family. Speaking of which, it had
taken a turn for the bizarre over the past few months, having
discovered that both his children were reincarnated superbeings from
the past who had saved humanity from total destruction many times
over since their ancient powers had reawakened. Moreover, the little
girl whom he had been somehow manipulated into thinking was his
niece was none other than his own grandaughter from the future.
Pulling into the driveway of his house, he heard a girlish giggle
from behind a tree on his front yard after turning off his car
engine. Curious, he went to the source of the laughter only to see
some pink locks bobbing up and down behind the tree as a little girl
was playing hide and seek with him.
Wait a minute, hadn`t Chibi-Usa matured and turned into a red haired
woman? This made no sense, unless Chibi-Usa had come into the past
from a different point in time BEFORE the dark moon had attacked his
daughter`s kingdom... or was it the dark kingdom who had threatened
the future? He could never tell these two apart.
"Chibi-Usa, is that you?" he said, slowly creeping up on her not to
scare her off.
Turning around the tree, he saw the cutest three year old girl he
had ever seen, with pink hair tied in odango like Ikuko had done for
Usagi, and sparkling red eyes filled with joy. He tried to talk her,
but could only stutter in surprise.
"Chibi... Chibi?" he blurted out.
"Chibi Chibi!!!" repeated the little girl, laughing.
Kenji was at a loss. Who was this little girl? Another one of Usagi`s
daughters??? He took her in his arms and brought her into the house.
Maybe his daughter might be able to give her some answers.
Usagi and Ikuko were first to see the cute toddler as Kenji brought
her in. She elicited looks blending in both confusion, interrogation
and admiration.
"She`s sooooo cuuuuute!" said Usagi, patting her head. The little
girl giggled. "Who is she?"
"I don`t know. She was hiding in front of the house, I thought maybe
you could enlighten us, seeing how you always seem to have answers
for every bizarre occurance in this town." said Kenji who didn`t
know whether to be angry or not.
"Could she be your child, Usagi? Could she be Chibi... I mean Usako`s
sister?" asked Ikuko.
"Not that I know of... what`s her name, anyway?" wondered Usagi.
"Chibi Chibi!!!" repeated the little girl.
"She seems to be called Chibi Chibi... suits her, I think." observed
Kenji.
Usako came from the living room to the lobby, wondering what was
happening. Chibi Chibi immediately bolted out of Kenji`s arms and
ran to Usako, bouncing in her arms and hugging her very hard. She
had the biggest of smiles on her adorable face.
"Usako-mama!!!" she yelled in joy.
"Oooooh boy..." uttered Usako as all the stares in the room were
locked on her.
To be continued...