Please excuse rotten summary + insert standard disclaimers here. Have fun.
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Darien Chiba walked through the park slowly, enjoying the fresh air and quiet. He lived in a large house with eight others, not to mention two cats, and such peace was seldom to be found. A scowl lit his face briefly when he noticed the tall, pale haired man and blonde woman following him. He dismissed it as soon as it formed, today was too nice to sulk and the pair were at least keeping their distance, giving him the illusion of privacy.
He sighed as he stepped onto a small bridge. He stopped halfway across and leaned against the rail, looking at his reflection in the water. His two shadows situated themselves in the shade of a large, old tree looking like any two lovers enjoying each other's company. His reflection stared back at him, sapphire blue eyes under dishevelled black hair, when he was younger, before he'd met his current housemates, he'd had large gaps in his memory. Through trials and adversary he had filled those gaps in his memory, his friends playing a large role in the recovery of those memories.
Each friend, both male and female, had a place in those missing memories and as he'd found them, or they him, the memories too had been found along with others associated with them. He remembered when the nine of them had gathered together for the first time in eons and he remembered realising that something was missing. Two somethings, two someones. The Moon Princess of course but also Sailor Moon the first of the scouts he'd allied with. One the love of his previous life the other the warrior he'd started to fall for in this one.
He'd known her for less than a month when she told him that she needed to talk to him. They'd dusted the Youma and then he'd turned to leave when she grabbed his arm. He was about to disengage himself gently when she shook her head and pleaded with him to stay and talk with her. Normally he vanished after a fight, knowing she'd have questions and not wanting her to realise that even he didn't have the answers, but when he saw the worry in her eyes he saw that what ever was up was imporant. She led him to a nearby bench in this very park and sat down before beginning to talk. He remembered that conversation very well, it was the last time they ever spoke.
*****
"I don't know how to tell you this," she'd begun, fidgeting nervously, "You know I'm really grateful for all your help and everything..." she trailed off and stood up starting to pace nervously. "You know that I was born to fight for justice, to protect the world from evil an all that, right?"
He'd nodded, now thouroughly confused, he had no idea of what she trying to tell him, "Of course Sailor Moon, just as it's my duty to help you."
She'd smiled at him quickly and stopped pacing. She looked him directly in the eye and powered down right in front of him. He remembered the shock he felt when he'd seen that Sailor Moon was none other that his Meatball head. He knew he'd been gaping with shock and she'd started speaking again before he'd recovered.
"Don't worry, I don't expect you to show me who you are but you see it's as me that I have this problem and I'm afraid it's going to affect you too." she'd knelt in front of him shaking her head when he'd started to speak. "Please don't say anything yet, you see my father's been offered a job overseas and because of these monster attacks he's decided to take it. To keep us all safe he said. We're all moving in three days and there's no way I can stay. That means you'll be the only one here to fight the Negaverse, I'm really sorry but I can't tell them I'm Sailor Moon and even if I did they'd just ground me forever and make sure I could never fight again anyways, they'd think it was too dangerous and there's no way to sneak past them when they're on the look out and if they knew they'd really freak out." she'd stopped for breath then while looking at him anxiously.
He'd been flabbergasted all over again, Serena was Sailor Moon and she was leaving Japan, the implications of her absense were important but the only thing he'd seemed to be able to concentrate on was that she was leaving Japan! In the stunned silence the bushes rustling had seemed unnaturally loud and he'd jumped up ready to fight whatever might threaten them. Instead of some Negaverse monster a small black cat walked towards them.
He'd watched as Serena had picked the cat up and then turned back to him, "This is Luna, she's my Guardian, she'll be able to help you, she found me you see and she says there are other scouts who can fight and help you..." she trailed off, looking miserable. He still hadn't known what to say and hadn't resisted as she'd thrust the cat into his arms, "Listen to her alright? I know she can be kinda bossy sometimes-" the cat had sniffed indignantly then, "but she's a lot of help and... and... I'll miss you both." She'd been about to run away but she'd stopped and turned to him once more.
He'd opened his mouth to say something, anything but she'd silenced him in the most effective way he'd ever encountered. The kiss had gone on forever and only the need to breath pulled him away from her. He had a glimpse of tears running down her face before she ran out of the park and out of his life.
*****
Darien sighed again as he looked into the water, when he'd taken Luna home with him all those years ago she'd started to fill some of the gaps in his memory, after he'd recovered from the shock of her being able to talk. She'd been supprised to find that Serena's hated Darien was also the girl's beloved Tuxedo Mask and after telling him some of the things Serena had said about him, he too had seen the irony. After a uncomfortable silence, both of them realising just how much their lives had changed, Luna had begun to tell him what she remembered of the Sailor Scouts and their mission.
He'd laughed when he saw that she had gaps in her memory just as large as his and when she'd found out why they'd worked together to piece together what they could. His dreams and half-forgotten fragments of memory, her intuition and half remembered shards of knowledge, between them they figured out the truth of the Silver Millenium. Together they'd found the other Sailor Scouts, training them to join the fight against evil. They'd been joined by Luna's fellow Guardian, Artemis, and though their war with the Negaverse seemed to progress well the search for the Moon Princess and the Imperium Silver Crystal remained fruitless. And still they didn't know where he fit in.
With out Sailor Moon the Scouts had been left with out a leader, and he'd been forced to fill the breech but that didn't make him one of them. They were the Moon Princess' guards and he known that, though when she was found he would protect her with his life, he was not one of her subjects. He was something else.
In the end it had taken a duel with one of the Negaverse generals to provide the key. Near death he'd remembered his role in the Moon Kingdom, not that of a servant or guard, nor advisor, warrior or envoy but that of foreign prince. He'd been the prince of Earth who'd stayed on the moon to protect his love the Princess Serenity. With that knowledge came also the information that would help end the war with the Negaverse. With the help of Luna and Artemis he'd recalled enough of his former life to locate the Scout's counterparts, his own protectors.
The four had been captured before the end of the war on the moon, cloned through magic and their duplicates used to betray the Moon. With the Scouts help they had been freed and together they had all gone on to defeat Beryl, Queen of the Negaverse. Through luck and the intervention of the spirit of Queen Serenity they had all survived whole, and relatively unharmed.
That wasn't the only war with the Negaverse they'd all fought over the past ten years. They'd been called upon many times, fighting aliens, evil conquerors, lovestruck madmen... and women. The Scouts had paired off with his Generals, four happy couples, and his loneliness had grown. It was only in his dreams that he felt whole for it was only then that he could be with his half remembered princess or his darling meatball head. Years had gone by and those dreams had never become reality. In all that time they had never found the princess, nor the crystal and Sailor Moon had never returned.
He looked at his two shadows out of the corner of his eye, Marcus Ice and Mina Aino or Malachite and Sailor Venus. A month ago Raye, Sailor Mars, had seen danger in the fire. Danger to him specifically and the Scouts and his Generals had taken to trailing him everywhere. It irritated him no end, but he couldn't stop them. Especially after he'd told them that he'd sensed that Serena had been in desperate trouble at the same time as the fire reading.
They all knew of Serena, of Sailor Moon, and thought that it was so tragic that she'd been taken from him just when he'd found her. They knew he could sense when she was in trouble, almost a year after she'd left he'd blacked in the middle of a conversation. When he'd come to and realised what must have happened he'd had Marcus and Jason, who ran a company which offered such specialised talent, help him try track her down. They'd learned that she and the rest of her family had been attacked while on a cruise, Sailor Moon had dealt with it and she appeared to be living a normal life. He'd remembered Luna telling him of her wish to be a normal girl and had decided to leave her in peace, she would come to them when she was ready.
He'd regretted the decision ever since for that hadn't been the last time she'd been in trouble. Soon after his return to Japan he'd felt her fighting for her life yet again and this time he wasn't able to go in search of her, a new enemy had appeared in Japan and they were all needed there. He could only pray that she was strong enough on her own.
In the two years following, Marcus and Jason had used their business contacts to keep tabs on her family but one day they had all just disappeared. He knew she was still alive but he had no idea where and despite all that he, Marcus, Jason, their employees and their detectives could do she wasn't to be found anywhere. His link to her once told him if she was in danger, if she transformed, if she was hurt or upset but she'd somehow blocked it, at least he hoped it was her, and now he could only tell that she lived.
A month ago though the blocks on the link were blown away by strong blasts of terror and rage. He'd sensed her transform, he'd felt her pain and knew she was in peril but then the blocks had been reformed and any chance he'd had of finding her lost. She was still in trouble, still scared, hurt and terribly angry, he knew it and he knew that something was coming to Japan, something big. They all did, Raye saw it in the fire, Amy's computer emitted unexplainable warnings, Nathan read it in the stars and the rest of them felt it in their bones. What ever was coming was huge, dangerous and knew of them.
It was after something and if it didn't get it Darien was the one who would pay. That was the one thing they all agreed upon, if the dark hunger wasn't satiated then it was royal blood which would be spilled. Darien smiled grimly as he stepped away from the rail, it was the first time they'd all been glad that they hadn't found the Moon Princess, his was the only bloodline available that would satisfy the prophecy. He reached the end of the bridge when he thought of another possible outcome of this new threat, everyone had agreed that Sailor Moon was probably invovled, if the 'dark hunger' was coming to Japan then in all liklihood so would she. That made the trouble worthwhile.
As he walked towards his two guards he wondered what the meatball head was up too now, what was she like, how had she changed. His mood lifted as he contemplated the reunion with the one female he'd found in this lifetime who was never boring... totally unbelievable maybe, but never boring.
*****
On a plane, high over the Pacific Ocean a young women with short black hair dozed in her window seat. Occasionally the passenger next to her would hear her murmer in her sleep and would feel sorry for the girl who had had obviously had little or no sleep recently and what little rest she'd received was disturbed. The girl didn't notice the woman's pity for her brief release from waking troubles had ceased and now she dreamed.
*****
A black haired man, a blue haired woman, a brown haired boy, a blonde girl whose hair was done a style unique to her. Petty squabbling between the boy and girl, "You are such a ditz Serena." "Shut up you little Brat." Happy laughter including the whole family.
A black cat with a crescent moon on her brow, "You are Sailor Moon, fighter for love and justice."
Monsters draining the energy from her friends. Fighting them, mustn't let them win, too much is at stake. A man in a tuxedo and a mask, "You can do it Sailor Moon"
The black haired man, "Sweetheart it's a great opportunity. We'll all be safer there where there are no monsters."
The cat, "I can't go with you Serena, the princess is here and it's here the other scouts will come. You must return to us when you can..."
A monster attacking. But there's never been a monster attack there. You must become Sailor Moon again, it's your duty. Fight on, alone. No Tuxedo Mask to save you. No one to help, ever.
Behind the door was a room covered in blood. The black haired man, the blue haired woman, the teasing boy, all dead. A message, "You're next Sailor Moon."
A dark haired prince, "Happy 18th my love." His gentle touch, his sweet passion, "I will die for you beloved."
A friend talking, "How is it possible? I've never even seen you with a boy." A man, "Give me your money." Six loud shots, her friend lying in a puddle of blood, the man's eyes glowing red, "Die witch."
A doctor, the doctor's corpse lying amidst dozens of others. A new job, the office building burning. Blood, fire, violence, pain.
Pain. A cry. Selene. The doctor laughing, "Give us the crystal Sailor Moon." A scalple descending towards the child. Tears, a glow, pain. The crystal, power, the doctor's face shows horror. "COSMIC MOON POWER!"
Running, hiding, disguises. "We have her. Give us the crystal or she dies." Anger, fear, terror, rage.
*****
The girl starts awake as the woman touches her arm, "Are you OK dear?"
"Uh... yeah..."
"Sorry to wake you dear but you didn't seem to be enjoying your dreams.."
"N... no, thankyou."
"We'll be landing in fifteen minutes, then you should find a hotel and get some real sleep. You look absolutely dreadful my dear, do you have any one waiting for you?"
The girl shakes herself and looks at the woman with a quiet smile, "I'm... expected" she murmers and looked out her window hoping the kindly woman would give her some privacy. The woman opened her mouth to reply but something in the girl's voice stopped her and she decided to mind her own business. Something told her this was way out of her league.
The girl watched the blue waves that lay so far beneath the plane, land could be seen on the horizon. The seatbelt sign started to blink and the pilot's voice could be heard on the speakers, "Good afternoon passengers, we will be arriving right on scheduele. I wish to thank you for flying with Qantas and look forward seeing you in the future. I hope you all enjoy your stays in Tokyo."
*****
Darien entered the enormous house, burdened with this week's groceries, followed by similarily packed Mina and Marcus. "Come and give a hand you lot!" Marcus bellowed, "Or don't expect to eat any of it..."
Two men and a woman appeared in response, the men immediately relieving their friends of their burdens, the woman merely looked at Marcus with a raised eyebrow and then shrugged, "Fine don't share but if I don't eat I don't cook and that means you eat what Mina makes..."
Marcus looked at her in horror, "Surely you wouldn't be that cruel?" he demanded of her in a striken voice, only to burst out laughing when Mina, freed of her burdens, punched him in the arm, hard. "That's not funny you two, if you don't stop picking on my cooking I really will make dinner tonight and then we'll see who's laughing."
Amidst the good natured ribbing a petite, blue haired woman entered the hall quietly followed by her lover. They looked at each other, a signal in that glance, and the brown haired man cleared his throat. "People I think you might all want to get that stuff put away and then suit up, something's starting to happen and we want to be a part of it."
The group quietened down and Darien started issuing orders, "Jason, Nathan, help Lita get this stuff put away and meet us in computer room, Mina find the guardians and Marcus call Raye over." the group started moving and within twenty minutes the eleven of them were gathered in the room that housed the most sophisticated computer currently in existence. It had been created by Jason and Darien with Ami and the Mercury Minicomp's help with the programming. Between the natural genius of the creators and their memories of Silver Millenium technology not even the world's super powers had anything to equal it.
Amy cleared her throat and soon everyone's attention was on her, "What ever we've been expecting has arrived. A concentration of dark energy has been located in the abandoned mall. More distressing is that, although the dark energy is of the highest concentration recorded in the last eight years, it is still growing stronger. At the moment it does not appear to be disturbing its surroundings but at the rate it's growing should it decide to change its mind we will be hard pressed to fight it."
"Any idea of what it is?" Marcus asked in the silence following Amy's little speech.
"I don't have enough data to hypothesise but it's nothing we've ever faced before." Amy answered.
"It's being controlled!" Raye stated decisively and at their confused looks she continued, "What ever it is isn't here by its own will, it would much prefer to have been left alone but now that it's been disturbed only another's will is stopping it from smashing as much of Tokyo as it wants. The fire was able to show me that much but other than that I just got the old warnings of danger."
Darien thought a moment and asked, "If we're going to face it we're going to have to do it soon, but we don't know what it is, who's controlling it or why. We're going to have to scout the whole situation out first... Mina, Raye, Jason and Marcus, you all transform and see what you can find out about it, send anything you find back to us, Artemis you go with them, maybe playing stray cat will help..." The four humans and the white cat were gone in seconds. "Lita, Nate you've both got watch tonight, if the Negaverse tries anything while we're concentrating on this thing they're yours to dust..."
"I always knew you liked us best," Lita joked and Nathan and Darien grinned at her.
"Amy, you and Zac keep analysing what you know and anything the others find out while Luna and I see if the Millenium records we found might help." They nodded and started on their respective tasks.
A couple of hours later, the sun had set and the field agents had yet to discover anything useful about the concentration of dark energy. They hadn't found any sign of a physical manifestation and the only thing about the condemned building that hinted 'Negaverse' was the creepy atmosphere. Suddenly the computer's alarms went haywire, at the same time Raye and Marcus both called in simultaneously, barely getting a syllable out before being cut off. Darien and Luna were jerked out of their researches by Zac's yell and with an order for Luna to inform Lita and Nathan of current events the three transformed into their warrior incarnations and took off.
As they travelled to the site via great leaps Sailor Mercury told her companions what she knew of the new situation.
"The alarms were set off by the sudden presence of a Negaforce general," she gasped out, "In the same instant as his presence registered the dark energy concentration we were monitoring became active."
"We presume that Sailor Mars and Malachite were reporting the physical embodiment of the energy when they were cut off," Zoisite added as the trio aproached the derelict building.
The threesome entered the building cautiously, trying to keep their presence a secret from what ever had managed to take out two Sailor Scouts and two Earth Generals. In a large, open section of the old structure they found their five associates besieged behind a shield of Malachite's construction. A dark shadow was rapidly growing even as they watched and a dark haired man laughed from where he stood on the scond level, well away from the shadow. The shadow was shooting tendrils of darkness out at the defenders as it continued to grow and though they did not penetrate the shield constructed by the First General, it was apparent that this would not be the case for much longer.
Seeing the danger their friends were in Zoisite and Tuxedo Mask barrelled in hoping to cause a distraction which would allow the others to escape while Mercury hung back hoping that she could find a weakness to exploit. As soon as the pair rushed in Malachite dropped his shield and they joined in the struggle. It only took a couple of minutes of combat for Tuxedo Mask, the Scouts and the Generals to realise that they had no chance against the monster on its own let alone when it had the aid of a dark warrior. Sailor Mercury realised this quickly when she was unable to find a weakness in the monster and joined her struggling friends, hoping to gain them enough time to get clear. The Dark General laughed as he saw them battle futilely against a creature which shrugged off their strongest attacks with ease.
"What wimps, I can not believe that you are the infamous warriors that have taken all comers. You cannot possibly be the ones who have thwarted every Negaverse attack against you. Ha! An attack I arranged to destroy a single fighter is getting the better of all of you. At this rate you will all be mere appetisers while the Gorgathon and I wait for the dessert.." and as his laughter rang out across the battle Tuxedo Mask couldn't help but agree with him while wondering what he meant by 'dessert'.
Suddenly a clear voice peirced the clamour, "Oh you needn't wait on my account..."
*****
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Darien Chiba walked through the park slowly, enjoying the fresh air and quiet. He lived in a large house with eight others, not to mention two cats, and such peace was seldom to be found. A scowl lit his face briefly when he noticed the tall, pale haired man and blonde woman following him. He dismissed it as soon as it formed, today was too nice to sulk and the pair were at least keeping their distance, giving him the illusion of privacy.
He sighed as he stepped onto a small bridge. He stopped halfway across and leaned against the rail, looking at his reflection in the water. His two shadows situated themselves in the shade of a large, old tree looking like any two lovers enjoying each other's company. His reflection stared back at him, sapphire blue eyes under dishevelled black hair, when he was younger, before he'd met his current housemates, he'd had large gaps in his memory. Through trials and adversary he had filled those gaps in his memory, his friends playing a large role in the recovery of those memories.
Each friend, both male and female, had a place in those missing memories and as he'd found them, or they him, the memories too had been found along with others associated with them. He remembered when the nine of them had gathered together for the first time in eons and he remembered realising that something was missing. Two somethings, two someones. The Moon Princess of course but also Sailor Moon the first of the scouts he'd allied with. One the love of his previous life the other the warrior he'd started to fall for in this one.
He'd known her for less than a month when she told him that she needed to talk to him. They'd dusted the Youma and then he'd turned to leave when she grabbed his arm. He was about to disengage himself gently when she shook her head and pleaded with him to stay and talk with her. Normally he vanished after a fight, knowing she'd have questions and not wanting her to realise that even he didn't have the answers, but when he saw the worry in her eyes he saw that what ever was up was imporant. She led him to a nearby bench in this very park and sat down before beginning to talk. He remembered that conversation very well, it was the last time they ever spoke.
*****
"I don't know how to tell you this," she'd begun, fidgeting nervously, "You know I'm really grateful for all your help and everything..." she trailed off and stood up starting to pace nervously. "You know that I was born to fight for justice, to protect the world from evil an all that, right?"
He'd nodded, now thouroughly confused, he had no idea of what she trying to tell him, "Of course Sailor Moon, just as it's my duty to help you."
She'd smiled at him quickly and stopped pacing. She looked him directly in the eye and powered down right in front of him. He remembered the shock he felt when he'd seen that Sailor Moon was none other that his Meatball head. He knew he'd been gaping with shock and she'd started speaking again before he'd recovered.
"Don't worry, I don't expect you to show me who you are but you see it's as me that I have this problem and I'm afraid it's going to affect you too." she'd knelt in front of him shaking her head when he'd started to speak. "Please don't say anything yet, you see my father's been offered a job overseas and because of these monster attacks he's decided to take it. To keep us all safe he said. We're all moving in three days and there's no way I can stay. That means you'll be the only one here to fight the Negaverse, I'm really sorry but I can't tell them I'm Sailor Moon and even if I did they'd just ground me forever and make sure I could never fight again anyways, they'd think it was too dangerous and there's no way to sneak past them when they're on the look out and if they knew they'd really freak out." she'd stopped for breath then while looking at him anxiously.
He'd been flabbergasted all over again, Serena was Sailor Moon and she was leaving Japan, the implications of her absense were important but the only thing he'd seemed to be able to concentrate on was that she was leaving Japan! In the stunned silence the bushes rustling had seemed unnaturally loud and he'd jumped up ready to fight whatever might threaten them. Instead of some Negaverse monster a small black cat walked towards them.
He'd watched as Serena had picked the cat up and then turned back to him, "This is Luna, she's my Guardian, she'll be able to help you, she found me you see and she says there are other scouts who can fight and help you..." she trailed off, looking miserable. He still hadn't known what to say and hadn't resisted as she'd thrust the cat into his arms, "Listen to her alright? I know she can be kinda bossy sometimes-" the cat had sniffed indignantly then, "but she's a lot of help and... and... I'll miss you both." She'd been about to run away but she'd stopped and turned to him once more.
He'd opened his mouth to say something, anything but she'd silenced him in the most effective way he'd ever encountered. The kiss had gone on forever and only the need to breath pulled him away from her. He had a glimpse of tears running down her face before she ran out of the park and out of his life.
*****
Darien sighed again as he looked into the water, when he'd taken Luna home with him all those years ago she'd started to fill some of the gaps in his memory, after he'd recovered from the shock of her being able to talk. She'd been supprised to find that Serena's hated Darien was also the girl's beloved Tuxedo Mask and after telling him some of the things Serena had said about him, he too had seen the irony. After a uncomfortable silence, both of them realising just how much their lives had changed, Luna had begun to tell him what she remembered of the Sailor Scouts and their mission.
He'd laughed when he saw that she had gaps in her memory just as large as his and when she'd found out why they'd worked together to piece together what they could. His dreams and half-forgotten fragments of memory, her intuition and half remembered shards of knowledge, between them they figured out the truth of the Silver Millenium. Together they'd found the other Sailor Scouts, training them to join the fight against evil. They'd been joined by Luna's fellow Guardian, Artemis, and though their war with the Negaverse seemed to progress well the search for the Moon Princess and the Imperium Silver Crystal remained fruitless. And still they didn't know where he fit in.
With out Sailor Moon the Scouts had been left with out a leader, and he'd been forced to fill the breech but that didn't make him one of them. They were the Moon Princess' guards and he known that, though when she was found he would protect her with his life, he was not one of her subjects. He was something else.
In the end it had taken a duel with one of the Negaverse generals to provide the key. Near death he'd remembered his role in the Moon Kingdom, not that of a servant or guard, nor advisor, warrior or envoy but that of foreign prince. He'd been the prince of Earth who'd stayed on the moon to protect his love the Princess Serenity. With that knowledge came also the information that would help end the war with the Negaverse. With the help of Luna and Artemis he'd recalled enough of his former life to locate the Scout's counterparts, his own protectors.
The four had been captured before the end of the war on the moon, cloned through magic and their duplicates used to betray the Moon. With the Scouts help they had been freed and together they had all gone on to defeat Beryl, Queen of the Negaverse. Through luck and the intervention of the spirit of Queen Serenity they had all survived whole, and relatively unharmed.
That wasn't the only war with the Negaverse they'd all fought over the past ten years. They'd been called upon many times, fighting aliens, evil conquerors, lovestruck madmen... and women. The Scouts had paired off with his Generals, four happy couples, and his loneliness had grown. It was only in his dreams that he felt whole for it was only then that he could be with his half remembered princess or his darling meatball head. Years had gone by and those dreams had never become reality. In all that time they had never found the princess, nor the crystal and Sailor Moon had never returned.
He looked at his two shadows out of the corner of his eye, Marcus Ice and Mina Aino or Malachite and Sailor Venus. A month ago Raye, Sailor Mars, had seen danger in the fire. Danger to him specifically and the Scouts and his Generals had taken to trailing him everywhere. It irritated him no end, but he couldn't stop them. Especially after he'd told them that he'd sensed that Serena had been in desperate trouble at the same time as the fire reading.
They all knew of Serena, of Sailor Moon, and thought that it was so tragic that she'd been taken from him just when he'd found her. They knew he could sense when she was in trouble, almost a year after she'd left he'd blacked in the middle of a conversation. When he'd come to and realised what must have happened he'd had Marcus and Jason, who ran a company which offered such specialised talent, help him try track her down. They'd learned that she and the rest of her family had been attacked while on a cruise, Sailor Moon had dealt with it and she appeared to be living a normal life. He'd remembered Luna telling him of her wish to be a normal girl and had decided to leave her in peace, she would come to them when she was ready.
He'd regretted the decision ever since for that hadn't been the last time she'd been in trouble. Soon after his return to Japan he'd felt her fighting for her life yet again and this time he wasn't able to go in search of her, a new enemy had appeared in Japan and they were all needed there. He could only pray that she was strong enough on her own.
In the two years following, Marcus and Jason had used their business contacts to keep tabs on her family but one day they had all just disappeared. He knew she was still alive but he had no idea where and despite all that he, Marcus, Jason, their employees and their detectives could do she wasn't to be found anywhere. His link to her once told him if she was in danger, if she transformed, if she was hurt or upset but she'd somehow blocked it, at least he hoped it was her, and now he could only tell that she lived.
A month ago though the blocks on the link were blown away by strong blasts of terror and rage. He'd sensed her transform, he'd felt her pain and knew she was in peril but then the blocks had been reformed and any chance he'd had of finding her lost. She was still in trouble, still scared, hurt and terribly angry, he knew it and he knew that something was coming to Japan, something big. They all did, Raye saw it in the fire, Amy's computer emitted unexplainable warnings, Nathan read it in the stars and the rest of them felt it in their bones. What ever was coming was huge, dangerous and knew of them.
It was after something and if it didn't get it Darien was the one who would pay. That was the one thing they all agreed upon, if the dark hunger wasn't satiated then it was royal blood which would be spilled. Darien smiled grimly as he stepped away from the rail, it was the first time they'd all been glad that they hadn't found the Moon Princess, his was the only bloodline available that would satisfy the prophecy. He reached the end of the bridge when he thought of another possible outcome of this new threat, everyone had agreed that Sailor Moon was probably invovled, if the 'dark hunger' was coming to Japan then in all liklihood so would she. That made the trouble worthwhile.
As he walked towards his two guards he wondered what the meatball head was up too now, what was she like, how had she changed. His mood lifted as he contemplated the reunion with the one female he'd found in this lifetime who was never boring... totally unbelievable maybe, but never boring.
*****
On a plane, high over the Pacific Ocean a young women with short black hair dozed in her window seat. Occasionally the passenger next to her would hear her murmer in her sleep and would feel sorry for the girl who had had obviously had little or no sleep recently and what little rest she'd received was disturbed. The girl didn't notice the woman's pity for her brief release from waking troubles had ceased and now she dreamed.
*****
A black haired man, a blue haired woman, a brown haired boy, a blonde girl whose hair was done a style unique to her. Petty squabbling between the boy and girl, "You are such a ditz Serena." "Shut up you little Brat." Happy laughter including the whole family.
A black cat with a crescent moon on her brow, "You are Sailor Moon, fighter for love and justice."
Monsters draining the energy from her friends. Fighting them, mustn't let them win, too much is at stake. A man in a tuxedo and a mask, "You can do it Sailor Moon"
The black haired man, "Sweetheart it's a great opportunity. We'll all be safer there where there are no monsters."
The cat, "I can't go with you Serena, the princess is here and it's here the other scouts will come. You must return to us when you can..."
A monster attacking. But there's never been a monster attack there. You must become Sailor Moon again, it's your duty. Fight on, alone. No Tuxedo Mask to save you. No one to help, ever.
Behind the door was a room covered in blood. The black haired man, the blue haired woman, the teasing boy, all dead. A message, "You're next Sailor Moon."
A dark haired prince, "Happy 18th my love." His gentle touch, his sweet passion, "I will die for you beloved."
A friend talking, "How is it possible? I've never even seen you with a boy." A man, "Give me your money." Six loud shots, her friend lying in a puddle of blood, the man's eyes glowing red, "Die witch."
A doctor, the doctor's corpse lying amidst dozens of others. A new job, the office building burning. Blood, fire, violence, pain.
Pain. A cry. Selene. The doctor laughing, "Give us the crystal Sailor Moon." A scalple descending towards the child. Tears, a glow, pain. The crystal, power, the doctor's face shows horror. "COSMIC MOON POWER!"
Running, hiding, disguises. "We have her. Give us the crystal or she dies." Anger, fear, terror, rage.
*****
The girl starts awake as the woman touches her arm, "Are you OK dear?"
"Uh... yeah..."
"Sorry to wake you dear but you didn't seem to be enjoying your dreams.."
"N... no, thankyou."
"We'll be landing in fifteen minutes, then you should find a hotel and get some real sleep. You look absolutely dreadful my dear, do you have any one waiting for you?"
The girl shakes herself and looks at the woman with a quiet smile, "I'm... expected" she murmers and looked out her window hoping the kindly woman would give her some privacy. The woman opened her mouth to reply but something in the girl's voice stopped her and she decided to mind her own business. Something told her this was way out of her league.
The girl watched the blue waves that lay so far beneath the plane, land could be seen on the horizon. The seatbelt sign started to blink and the pilot's voice could be heard on the speakers, "Good afternoon passengers, we will be arriving right on scheduele. I wish to thank you for flying with Qantas and look forward seeing you in the future. I hope you all enjoy your stays in Tokyo."
*****
Darien entered the enormous house, burdened with this week's groceries, followed by similarily packed Mina and Marcus. "Come and give a hand you lot!" Marcus bellowed, "Or don't expect to eat any of it..."
Two men and a woman appeared in response, the men immediately relieving their friends of their burdens, the woman merely looked at Marcus with a raised eyebrow and then shrugged, "Fine don't share but if I don't eat I don't cook and that means you eat what Mina makes..."
Marcus looked at her in horror, "Surely you wouldn't be that cruel?" he demanded of her in a striken voice, only to burst out laughing when Mina, freed of her burdens, punched him in the arm, hard. "That's not funny you two, if you don't stop picking on my cooking I really will make dinner tonight and then we'll see who's laughing."
Amidst the good natured ribbing a petite, blue haired woman entered the hall quietly followed by her lover. They looked at each other, a signal in that glance, and the brown haired man cleared his throat. "People I think you might all want to get that stuff put away and then suit up, something's starting to happen and we want to be a part of it."
The group quietened down and Darien started issuing orders, "Jason, Nathan, help Lita get this stuff put away and meet us in computer room, Mina find the guardians and Marcus call Raye over." the group started moving and within twenty minutes the eleven of them were gathered in the room that housed the most sophisticated computer currently in existence. It had been created by Jason and Darien with Ami and the Mercury Minicomp's help with the programming. Between the natural genius of the creators and their memories of Silver Millenium technology not even the world's super powers had anything to equal it.
Amy cleared her throat and soon everyone's attention was on her, "What ever we've been expecting has arrived. A concentration of dark energy has been located in the abandoned mall. More distressing is that, although the dark energy is of the highest concentration recorded in the last eight years, it is still growing stronger. At the moment it does not appear to be disturbing its surroundings but at the rate it's growing should it decide to change its mind we will be hard pressed to fight it."
"Any idea of what it is?" Marcus asked in the silence following Amy's little speech.
"I don't have enough data to hypothesise but it's nothing we've ever faced before." Amy answered.
"It's being controlled!" Raye stated decisively and at their confused looks she continued, "What ever it is isn't here by its own will, it would much prefer to have been left alone but now that it's been disturbed only another's will is stopping it from smashing as much of Tokyo as it wants. The fire was able to show me that much but other than that I just got the old warnings of danger."
Darien thought a moment and asked, "If we're going to face it we're going to have to do it soon, but we don't know what it is, who's controlling it or why. We're going to have to scout the whole situation out first... Mina, Raye, Jason and Marcus, you all transform and see what you can find out about it, send anything you find back to us, Artemis you go with them, maybe playing stray cat will help..." The four humans and the white cat were gone in seconds. "Lita, Nate you've both got watch tonight, if the Negaverse tries anything while we're concentrating on this thing they're yours to dust..."
"I always knew you liked us best," Lita joked and Nathan and Darien grinned at her.
"Amy, you and Zac keep analysing what you know and anything the others find out while Luna and I see if the Millenium records we found might help." They nodded and started on their respective tasks.
A couple of hours later, the sun had set and the field agents had yet to discover anything useful about the concentration of dark energy. They hadn't found any sign of a physical manifestation and the only thing about the condemned building that hinted 'Negaverse' was the creepy atmosphere. Suddenly the computer's alarms went haywire, at the same time Raye and Marcus both called in simultaneously, barely getting a syllable out before being cut off. Darien and Luna were jerked out of their researches by Zac's yell and with an order for Luna to inform Lita and Nathan of current events the three transformed into their warrior incarnations and took off.
As they travelled to the site via great leaps Sailor Mercury told her companions what she knew of the new situation.
"The alarms were set off by the sudden presence of a Negaforce general," she gasped out, "In the same instant as his presence registered the dark energy concentration we were monitoring became active."
"We presume that Sailor Mars and Malachite were reporting the physical embodiment of the energy when they were cut off," Zoisite added as the trio aproached the derelict building.
The threesome entered the building cautiously, trying to keep their presence a secret from what ever had managed to take out two Sailor Scouts and two Earth Generals. In a large, open section of the old structure they found their five associates besieged behind a shield of Malachite's construction. A dark shadow was rapidly growing even as they watched and a dark haired man laughed from where he stood on the scond level, well away from the shadow. The shadow was shooting tendrils of darkness out at the defenders as it continued to grow and though they did not penetrate the shield constructed by the First General, it was apparent that this would not be the case for much longer.
Seeing the danger their friends were in Zoisite and Tuxedo Mask barrelled in hoping to cause a distraction which would allow the others to escape while Mercury hung back hoping that she could find a weakness to exploit. As soon as the pair rushed in Malachite dropped his shield and they joined in the struggle. It only took a couple of minutes of combat for Tuxedo Mask, the Scouts and the Generals to realise that they had no chance against the monster on its own let alone when it had the aid of a dark warrior. Sailor Mercury realised this quickly when she was unable to find a weakness in the monster and joined her struggling friends, hoping to gain them enough time to get clear. The Dark General laughed as he saw them battle futilely against a creature which shrugged off their strongest attacks with ease.
"What wimps, I can not believe that you are the infamous warriors that have taken all comers. You cannot possibly be the ones who have thwarted every Negaverse attack against you. Ha! An attack I arranged to destroy a single fighter is getting the better of all of you. At this rate you will all be mere appetisers while the Gorgathon and I wait for the dessert.." and as his laughter rang out across the battle Tuxedo Mask couldn't help but agree with him while wondering what he meant by 'dessert'.
Suddenly a clear voice peirced the clamour, "Oh you needn't wait on my account..."
*****