In the remaining days of the twentieth century a great evil attacked the Earth. To combat this evil Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi revealed themselves to the entire world. But this battle had its consequences and the Earth became covered in a blanket of ice and snow. One thousand years later Sailor Moon awakens the world through the power of her Silver Crystal. A great city of crystal had arisen in Tokyo during the darkness. The world now looked to this city and its rulers Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymoin to protect the world. The time is twenty-three years after wakening and a new group of Sailor Senshi is about to emerge.
********
"Gaia what has gotten into you?" Orion asked her.
"What has gotten into me? You ask me that little man. I'll tell you what has gotten into me. I have seen my destiny and that destiny is with my lord Chaos. Soon Chaos will reign once more and you can do nothing to stop me." She told him.
********
"Diana what's going on?" Luna asked her daughter.
"It's Apollo mom. He snuck out yet again." Diana told her.
********
"Why would they be after you?" Danni asked trying to understand the situation.
"They don't like insubordination. I've seen them do some pretty nasty things to those who try to leave. It's real freaky at times." He explained to them.
"They sound more like the Yakuza than a bunch of strays." Eric commented.
********
"Damn you. You don't know what you're getting yourself into." He said.
********
"Oh my god we're not the last ones." She said in complete and utter shock.
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Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training
Part Four: Orion's Warning
********
Orion stared into the eyes of a girl he was positive was a lunar feline. The silvery gray haired girl looked back at him with a look of shock. He could tell she was trying to figure out if he was for real. The comment she made took him by surprise. Weren't there more lunar felines on this planet? Orion intended to get the answer to that question.
"Your brother may be in grave danger." Orion said breaking the silence.
"My brother? What about my baby brother?" she asked still not believing what she saw.
"Are you for real?" the rabbit hair girl wanted to know.
Orion knew he didn't have much time trying to prove his validity. Jumping off the table he quickly shifted into humanoid form and stood before the girls. Orion had green eyes and auburn red hair that hung down to his shoulders. The uniform he wore matched the color of his eyes and had gold buttons and a phaser gun attached to his belt. In humanoid form he had no tail but still retained his crescent.
"Well I guess that answers my question." The pink haired girl said.
"Allow me to introduce myself I am Orion." He said giving a bow at the waist.
"I am pleased to meet you Orion. I am Princess Serenity Lady Serena Usagi Tsukino Chiba of the Moon and Earth Kingdoms. But you can just call me Rini like all my friends do." Rini replied.
"My name's Kari Togashi Princess of Venus and head of Rini's court." Kari told him.
"And my name is Diana their best friend and guardian." Diana added.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all." Orion said.
"What brings you to the Crystal Palace?" Rini asked him.
Orion stopped to think out his answer and pulled out his locket reminding himself of the reason he was on his mission.
"I came here because someone I was following last night happened to come here." He told them.
"Really, who?" Rini asked.
"A male lunar feline with a black tail." Orion replied.
"Apollo? Why were you following my brother?" Diana wanted to know.
"He was seen in the company of a very questionable individual." He said.
"So he was flirting with some girl. He always flirts with some girl." Rini said nonchalantly.
"I don't think you understand. She's connected to a great evil." He tried to explain.
"What kind of evil?" Kari inquired.
Orion gave them only one word for an answer.
"Chaos."
Rini knew she had heard that word used as a name somewhere before. It had something to do with her family history she was certain of it. It also had something to do with the weird behavior around the palace since World Peace Day. Rini was determined to find the answers.
"Oh no it's here and they don't even know it." Rini muttered to herself.
"What's here Rini?" Jenna asked her.
The others had arrived and over heard the conversation.
"Chaos." She told her friends.
"Chaos?" Kerri wondered.
"Look it would be easier if you came with me." She told everyone.
Along the way Rini and Diana got their friends up to speed on the situation.
********
The great library of the Crystal Pace holds thousands upon thousands of books and reference items. It here that any member of the palace staff can come and find a book to read or do some research. Books range from fiction to history. The palace library boasts having the most complete collection of books on mythology from around the world and the Sailor Senshi and the Sailor Wars the library of the Crystal Palace has so many books that they take up three walls from floor to ceiling.
********
Rini began searching through a section of books in one of the immense bookcases. The walls were covered with books. A balcony separated the room into two halves and ran the entire perimeter of the room. Finding one book she needed Rini placed it on a nearby table and began searching once more.
When the second book was found Rini went back to the table where her friends and Orion were seated. Rini thumbed through the two books and opened them to the sections she was looking for. The topics were the same in both books. Rini saw it but the others were a bit confused about her choices in books. They didn't quite see the connection.
"Rini what does a book on Greek Mythology have to do with a book on the history of the Sailor Wars?" Alex asked somewhat confused.
"Plenty. I shall first begin with the Greek Mythology." She said as she picked up the book.
"Chaos he was a being that came before the gods. Some say he was the creator of the Titans and the father of Gaia. Some dispute that claim saying Gaia came after Chaos. If the first claim is true and Chaos is the father of Gaia then he could be considered the grandfather of Zeus."
"The woman your Apollo was with last night her name was Gaia." Orion said sounding distant.
"Hey Rini what does it say about this Gaia chick?" Nikki wanted to know.
"Well it says that Gaia was the wife of Chronos leader of the Titans. She hated Zeus for sending the Titans to Taterous and to get even with the Olympians she committed many acts against them. Two of the most notable were the creation of the Giants and the death of Orion. She had many husbands so I guess she could be a seductress." Rini told them.
"I still don't see what that has to do with the Sailor Wars." Alex said still confused.
"I'm getting to it. Now you all know I went back into the past to do my initial training right. Well shortly after I left for the last time something happened in the past. Three individuals not of this solar system, the Sailor Stars, came to the Earth searching for their princess. You see their star system had been wrecked and ravaged by a nasty individual known as Sailor Galaxia. You see Sailor Galaxia had combated the evils of Chaos and in order to stop him she let the embodiment of disorder and evil enter into her body.
"But something happened and he took over her very being turning her evil. Traveling from one star system to another she destroyed worlds and captured their senshi controlling them by using strange bracelets and taking out their star seeds. Galaxia and her army of Animates came to Earth looking to do just the same but they didn't count on running into Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi. It was the greatest battle they had ever faced. With the help of the Sailor Stars and Galaxia's own heart a little girl called Chibi Chibi they defeated Chaos by spreading his essence throughout the galaxy. That defeat came at a price the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Mask all died." Rini told them.
"Wow." Kari commented.
"So your world has knowledge of Chaos and knows how to defeat him?" Orion asked.
"Yes we do." Danni told him.
Rini stared at the book for a moment and thought about what had been going on in the palace lately. The increased security, the jumpy members of palace intelligence, and the senshi all wanting to practice with their daughters but never telling them why. Rini even thought about the comment Artimes made to Luna the night before. It was the who he was worried about more than the fact that people could even sneak in in the first place.
"They know about this and didn't even bother to tell us." Rini said.
"Don't they trust us?" Annya asked.
"I think they don't want us to ever have to experience death until we're old and gray. No offense there Diana." Kerri told her.
"None taken." Diana replied.
"But we don't even know what we're up against." Michelle reminded the group.
"I do. I know full well what we're up against." Orion told them as he pulled off his locket.
Opening the locket he passed it around to all the girls. Looking at it they began to wonder who the girl in the picture was. The last to see the locket was Diana.
"Who's the girl?" Alex inquired.
"That's Gaia. Remember that face and remember it well." Orion explained.
"I can see why my little brother went gaga over her. She's quite beautiful. So what connection do you have with her?" Diana said handing back the locket.
"She was once my best friend." Orion informed them.
"How can she be a lunar feline when my brother made it clear she wasn't?" Diana probed a bit farther wanting an explanation.
"Because when she became Chaos's loyal follower she gave up who she was and doing that meant giving up the sign of her birth the crescent she once had." Orion began trying to hold back the tears; "She betrayed her ancestors and her people."
********
The senshi gathered once more for another meeting. The subject of the meeting was the same as always Chaos. They were getting tired of waiting for something to happen. They were also getting tired of hiding things from their daughters but they knew it was for the best. They were just plain tired.
The usual tea they had at their meetings was replaced with a good strong coffee. They needed to stay awake and focused. There were too many yawning individuals in the parlor that morning.
"I hate keeping my kids out of the fire room and giving them false reasons why. But last night I didn't have to thanks to Apollo showing up at the temple." Rei said.
"Why was he there?" Luna asked trying not to let them know she knew.
"I guess he was looking to talk to someone." Rei told her.
"So did you find anything in the fire last night?" Mina inquired.
"Nothing. This has me baffled. I should at least get something." Rei replied a bit worried.
"Don't worry about it Setsuna and I haven't gotten anything either." Michiru reassured her.
"That goes the same for me which also means the palace is drawing a blank too." Ami added.
********
Mr. Fugiama was also drinking a good strong brew that morning. Ever since palace intelligence had detected Chaos moving he had been loosing sleep trying to detect the essence once more. Much to his chagrin intelligence had been unable to pick up anything on the scanners. Lady Mercury had politely asked if she could interface her computer with the systems in the control room so that she would know the moment something was detected. She even helped put some extra security measures into the system so the girls wouldn't find out what was going on.
The queen had given him strict orders on that matter. No information concerning Chaos was to leave the control room. And all members of palace intelligence swore by oath not to divulge what they knew and saw in that room. It was hard but they were able to keep things under wraps so far.
The quiet blips and bleeps in the control room were shattered when the door opened and a very angry looking princess stomped into the room. Her court was standing near the door. Mr. Fugiama could tell she was angry about something but he didn't know why. Staring him straight in the eyes the princess began her tirade.
"Alright Fugiama spill it. Tell me what you know about Chaos and don't give me that I have no idea what your talking about routine." She yelled.
"I can't give you that information." He said.
It was at that point Orion and not Rini exploded in anger. Orion grabbed the head of intelligence by the lapels of his jacket and stared down at him.
"Do you have any idea what is at stake here old man? Do you know what you're doing by withholding that information? You've just signed a death warrant for every single being on this planet." Orion said with contempt in his voice.
"H...h...how do you know about Chaos?" Fugiama stuttered in fear.
"I've followed Chaos and his little follower, traitorous wench, to this very planet." He told the Japanese man.
"HE'S HERE?" Fugiama yelled.
"Yes he's here." Rini said calmly.
The entire control room went into a blind panic scrambling to detect anything that remotely resembled Chaos. Orion let Mr. Fugiama, who now feared the wrath of the queen, go so he could rectify his grievous error. A bit calmer than before Orion walked up to one of the control panels and began looking for something that would lead him to Gaia.
"What in Kami's name is he doing?" Fugiama demanded.
"He's trying to help you." Rini said defending lunar feline.
"Damn our records on this world are totally outdated and no good." Orion said pounding his fist on the console before letting loose a string of swear words.
The girls just stared at each other at a loss as what to do.
Diana went over to the console that Orion was using and began working with him the best that she could. Three minutes later the entire room was blaring with the ever-present alarms indicating their target had been found once more.
********
The meeting of the Sailor Senshi was brought to an abrupt halt when Ami's computer began emitting a loud shrill. Everyone in the parlor covered their ears and looked directly at Ami who gave them a why me look. Pulling out the palm top Ami punched a few buttons to silence the shrill before checking what was causing it.
"We need to get to the control room and fast guys." Ami said.
"What? Why?" Serenity wanted to know.
"They've detected Chaos once more. And according to this he slipped in without our knowing it." She explained to them.
"We'd better get there right away." Endymoin told them.
"Great and I thought we were worrying over nothing." Rei muttered.
"Well we aren't anymore." Mina commented.
********
"Can't you shut that thing off." Nikki yelled covering her ears.
"Believe me I'd love too." Orion yelled back.
"Don't worry miss we're working on it." One of the members of intelligence called out.
Nikki began complaining in French so she could throw in a few undetected swear words. It wouldn't look good if one of Rini's court was caught swearing in the palace.
"What did you say young lady?" a now angry Lita yelled to her daughter.
The girls turned around to see their mothers and the king standing at the entrance to the control room. They did not look too pleased to see them there. And to top it off Lita was ready to ground Nikki for the rest of her life.
"Alright young lady you've got some serious explaining to do." Serenity said to her daughter.
"Mom this isn't what you think this is." Rini yelled back.
The alarm system finally stopped wailing and blaring much to the delight of everyone in the room. Serenity stood there glaring at her daughter who answered her glare with a glare of her own. Everyone waited to see who would be the first to explode.
"Holy crap! Does he have a death wish or something?" Diana yelled breaking the silence as she pulled out her GPS receiver that began beeping.
"What's that?" Orion asked her.
"GPS based tracking device. I bugged my brother last night and it looks like he decided to wear the same cufflinks he had on yesterday." She explained showing him the screen.
Rini knew full well what that meant.
"Where'd the little weasel run off to this time?" she wanted to know.
"I don't know but I can certainly bet you I know who he wants to see." Diana told her.
Luna and Artimes thought Diana was talking about the stray cats. Everyone else was a bit confused by her remark because the people he was with last night were now in the control room.
"I knew something like this would happen the way she kissed him last night." Orion commented knowing full well who Diana was referring to.
"SHE WHAT?" Rini and Diana yelled in unison.
"How could he do this? Doesn't he know how dangerous she is? I mean I could care less if she's some ex lunar feline who probably looks great in anything she wears. She's using him as a part of her sick twisted little game." Diana said a mile a minute while pacing the floor.
Kari put two and two together and realized who Apollo's hot babe from the previous night was.
"We gotta do something before the little knucklehead becomes a security risk." She said.
Serenity wondered what her daughter and her friends were talking about and who the strange young man was. She thought she knew everyone in the palace.
"What's going on here?" she demanded to know.
"Sorry mom you won't spill your secret we won't spill ours." Rini said casually.
"Princess this isn't going to help your friend if we act like this." Orion tried to remind her.
"Well then do you mind telling your mother who he is?" Endymoin asked pointing towards Orion.
Orion knew studying the centuries old data was good for something because the more he looked at Rini's parents the more he recognized them as Princess Serenity and Prince Endymoin from his ancestors' accounts of the Moon Kingdom. He knew he had to introduce himself before things got too out of hand.
"Ma'am, your majesty, my name is Orion. It is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of the daughter of the great Queen Serenity." He said with grace and formality.
"How could he have knowledge of the Silver Millennium I thought all the lunar felines died back then except for Luna and Artimes?" Serenity wondered noticing his crescent.
"Not all lunar felines lived in the sol system during the time of Queen Serenity. We lived throughout the entire galaxy and still do to this very day. We were representatives of the Moon Kingdom." Orion explained to her.
"He's right you know Serena." Luna added.
"Then what brings you here and why did you enlist the aid of my daughter and her court?" Serenity asked him.
"Yes and what does this have to do with my son?" Artimes added.
Orion gave them the same one word answer he gave Rini and her friends.
"Chaos."
********
Apollo had to see her again. Once again he snuck out of the palace and was out in the city. This time however he was not going home until he saw the girl of his dreams. Searching far and wide Apollo looked in every back alley and hiding place he knew. He was determined to see her once more.
Running by one of the queen's old haunts Apollo noticed two familiar figures dash into the alleyway one was a member of Big Orange's gang and the other was Gaia in feline form. Apollo ran after them as fast as he could, he needed to know what was going on. He began to wonder if the twins had blabbed to Big Orange about Gaia. If that was the case Apollo was determined to rescue her.
As Apollo followed them into the alleyway he saw the cats cowering in fear. Even Big Orange himself was backing away from Gaia. There was something about this female that intrigued Apollo and made him want her even more. Apollo waited until Big Orange and his gang had scattered every which way before confronting Gaia.
"Well, well if it isn't the lovely Gaia." He said acting like the world's biggest flirt.
"Tiger you found me." She said acting surprised.
"What were you doing with those jerks?" he wanted to know.
"Making a little proposition. I give them what they want in exchange for what I want." She told him as she nuzzled up to him.
"What could they possibly have that you want?" Apollo asked a bit curious.
"Why you of course you silly." She said before licking his mouth.
Apollo shifted to human form hoping she would follow his lead and do the same. He so much wanted to give her a real honest to goodness kiss on the mouth and not some lick and nuzzle feline thing. Catching on to what he was doing Gaia shifted forms and waited to see what he would do next. True to his feelings Apollo initiated the kiss he was longing to give her. Gaia was enjoying her newest plaything.
"Let's get away from this dirty old place and go somewhere better." She suggested when the finally broke the kiss.
"I know just the place." Apollo replied.
Gaia smiled a sinister little grin everything was going according to plan.
********
"Chaos? How do you know about Chaos?" Setsuna wanted to know.
"That was over a thousand years ago." Hotaru commented.
Once again pulling out his locket Orion reminded himself of the real reason why he accepted the mission he was on. He had to start thinking of her as the traitor and not his friend.
"I was sent here to find and dispose of a traitor to our race. Things became complicated when he became involved with the traitor." Orion explained.
"Who Chaos?" Luna pondered.
"No ma'am your son. The entity known as Chaos was a part of the traitor's life before she came here." Orion explained.
"Why did they send you?" Haruka asked.
"I volunteered to go because I know the traitor better than anyone." He told her.
"What makes you the expert?" Rei asked not believing what she was hearing.
"She is my ex best friend." Orion spat out.
Everyone over the age of twenty-two couldn't believe what they were hearing. First they were told the lunar felines were not a dying race. Then they were told that one of them was allied with Chaos. And somehow the girls found out what was going on and they all seemed unfazed, except for Diana, by what they knew. Things were not going the way they hoped they would. They were hoping to keep their children out of this and now they were right in the middle of it.
Diana kept staring at the small GPS screen watching the blip that represented her brother move throughout the city. The blip stopped momentarily and then began moving in the direction of the park not too far from the home the queen grew up in. Diana wondered why Apollo was headed for the park.
"Diana you know there's probably a good chance he didn't go looking for her." Rini said.
"If you saw the look on his face this morning you'd know he wanted to see her again." Diana replied to her best friend.
"He was finally successful with all his flirting huh." Jenna commented.
"Let's just say it has something to do with what's on the forehead." Orion remarked as he went back to the console.
"What has he gotten himself into?" Luna said with a distant sound in her voice.
"Girls we need to talk." Serenity said.
"I need some air. I'm going for a walk." Diana announced.
"Not on your own you're not. I'm going with you." Orion told her.
"Why?" she asked him.
"I saw the way you were looking at that little device of yours and I will not have you chasing after them on your own. It's just not safe out there right now." He explained.
"Well if that's the way you feel then by all means tag along." She retorted.
********
Apollo and Gaia had left the alleyway and found a quite spot in the park under a tree. Apollo wasn't going to blow this one. If she was able to get him out of his obligation to Big Orange then she was worth keeping. Looking into her beautiful blue eyes Apollo began to smile. For the first time in his life he knew what his parents and the king and queen must have felt when they first fell in love. Apollo felt like the happiest creature on the face of the Earth. Little did he know his life was in danger.
Gaia faked her best smile for Apollo. She used the one that got everyone to like her. If the plan her master had was going to work she had to get him to trust her completely and totally. Things were going quite well for her. Apollo was putty in her hands.
"So tiger you never told me about yourself." Gaia said.
"That's because you never asked." He replied pouring on all the charm in the world.
"Well I'm asking."
"What do you want to know?"
"Not much where you're from your hopes and dreams just the basics really."
"Well I've lived here in Crystal Tokyo my whole life. As for my dreams those came true the moment I met you."
He's a bigger phony than I am Gaia thought when Apollo made his remarks.
"So which lovely little spot in town do you call home?" she pressed further.
"See that big building in the center of the city. That's were I live." He pointed out.
This is too good, Gaia thought, he's giving me everything I need to know.
Gaia decided to reward Apollo for all his good work and gave him a deeply passionate kiss, which he returned. If she kept this up she would have all the information she needed before unleashing Chaos onto the world in no time.
********
Diana was in a foul mood. She was determined to give her brother a piece of her mind. And so far the way the morning was going Diana was ready to kill someone. Right now what she needed more than anything was some time alone. She didn't want anyone coddling or babying her.
As she walked down the halls of the palace Diana could hear Orion following her. She didn't want anyone following her especially him. In her mind Diana didn't need a babysitter watching over her. She was an adult capable of taking care of herself not some helpless kitten. The anger welling up inside was too much for her to handle she needed to vent and right now the best target was the man behind her.
"Listen you," Diana yelled as she turned around; "I don't need you following me. I am pretty darn well capable of taking care of myself outside the palace walls."
"I don't doubt that you could it's just that I don't want you doing anything irrational." He said through gritted teeth.
"I think you see me as a complication to your precious little mission." She shot back.
"You're not the complication in my mission you never were. It's your hormone driven little brother that became the bump along the way. Once he got involved all the rules were thrown right out the window." Orion replied trying to hold in all his frustrations.
Diana was even more angry and frustrated than when she left the control room. She didn't want to get into a cat fight with someone she was unsure of. She didn't see him as an enemy she just didn't know him. The one thing she was sure of was the fact that Orion was indeed a lunar feline. It was plain as the crescent on his forehead. Diana continued towards the front gate and Orion continued to follow her.
********
Serenity and the others had left the control room and went to the large conference room in the palace. She needed to know what Rini and her friends knew about the current situation. At the moment she was none too pleased with her daughter. The princess had gone into the control room when she was told not to. And to top it off someone she did not know had been messing around with one of the control panels. Serenity wanted answers and she wanted them now.
"I do not know what has been going on here today but your behavior is totally unacceptable." Serenity said as she rubbed the temples of her forehead.
"What you did was unbecoming of your position." Mina added.
"Oh and you guys withholding information from us is becoming of your position?" Kari challenged them.
"That was for your safety." Lita explained.
"I think we can take care of ourselves mother." Nikki said.
"We know that. It's just that we don't think you're ready to face this yet." Haruka explained.
"But how can we know if we're ready if you won't let us try?" Alex argued.
The room grew deftly silent. Alex did have a valid point. The younger senshi would never know what they were capable of if they didn't get actual combat experience. But their mothers had also made a valid point as well. Without more training they would be bound to make mistakes, mistakes that could cost them their lives. The older senshi knew this better than anyone.
"Look you have a valid argument but we have one too." Lita told them.
"Valid argument, you're just being overprotective." Nikki argued.
"We're not trying to be overprotective." Lita reasoned.
That was the last straw for Nikki. Not wanting to get into any more trouble with the queen Nikki began yelling and swearing in French. Rini, who knew conversational French, couldn't believe what she was hearing. The words coming out of Nikki's mouth were some of the worst ones a child could say in front a parent and vice versa.
"Kami help us. I didn't know she even knew those words." Rini whispered to Kari.
"What in the world did she just say?" Kari wanted to know.
Rini whispered a few things into Kari's ear. Kari got a blank look upon her face when she heard the translation of what Nikki was saying. She couldn't believe Lady Jupiter was allowing her daughter to say half of the things she was saying. In fact, the Lady Jupiter was throwing out some pretty good arguments in French back at her daughter.
The queen was pacing back and forth. She was angry, frustrated, and at a loss as what to do next. The entire situation had gotten out of hand. At the moment one of her best friends and her daughter were going at it in French. The way the morning was going it was going to be one of those days.
"STOP IT!" Serenity yelled at the top of her lungs.
The room grew silent once more and Lita and Nikki turned their attention to their queen. The woman who, a thousand years ago would have began bawling and crying looked seriously angry. She looked like she was ready to tear someone's head off.
"Look at you. Arguing and fighting over who knew what and why. This is getting us nowhere. No wonder your guardian left. Now, we're going to talk this over like rational individuals and come to some sort of solution. Kami willing you actually want to talk to each other." The queen said.
********
Diana walked through the enormous park taking in the sights and sounds. People were everywhere enjoying the beautiful summer morning. Looking out at the lake she could see couples in rented rowboats and paddle boats having a grand time. On the paved paths that wound through the park people were walking, running, and riding bikes. Couples and families were scattered throughout the green space having picnics, flying kites, tossing a ball, and simply relaxing. Diana longed to take part in the recreational fun.
Stopping on a path that overlooked the lake Diana began contemplating her brother's situation. A firm yet gentle hand found its way to her shoulder letting Diana know Orion was still following her. The fresh air had helped to calm her down a bit. Diana surprised Orion when she turned around to face him by actually smiling a bit at him. She had over reacted a bit back in the palace when she yelled at him. Diana needed someone to vent her frustrations on and Orion was the perfect target.
"Look I'm sorry for what I did earlier. It was totally uncalled for. I overreacted to the situation. If I should be yelling at anyone it should be my idiot brother and not you." Diana apologized.
"I accept your apology and understand wholeheartedly how you feel at the moment. I went through some of the same feelings you did." Orion replied.
"You don't understand what's happening here though." Diana began, "Apollo seems to gravitate towards troublemakers. First it was the stray cats and now it's her."
"If things are the way you say they are any direct confrontation will only drive him closer to her. You'll just have to keep reminding him you care for him and will always be there. This is one decision he must make on his own." Orion explained.
"I guess your right."
Diana turned around once more to view the life and activity around the lake. It always made her feel better to take in the natural beauty of the area. Looking around to the other side of the lake Diana saw people playing with toy boats, dogs, and each other. Directly across the lake, however, something caught her eye. Upon getting a better look Diana could see her little brother kissing someone. At first Diana thought nothing of it but when she recognized the woman from the picture Orion had shown them her face went completely ashen and blank.
Great big crocodile tears began streaming down Diana's face when she turned around to face Orion. Leaping into him Diana buried herself in his chest soaking his uniform. As Orion put his arms around the weeping female he saw what had caused her to break down in tears. The sight of Gaia and Diana's brother Apollo kissing across the way made him furious. Orion was determined to put an end to it. He was determined to protect the gentle creature he was holding in his arms.
"We'd better get back to the palace. The sun's at its peak and I'm certain the queen has a lot of questions that need answering. Besides I haven't had a bite to eat all morning." Orion suggested.
Diana looked up at Orion, revealing her tear stained face, and nodded in reply. She didn't want to be around the park any more that day.
********
The princess and the younger senshi were in deep trouble. The queen had given them a lengthy lecture on proper procedure and protocol and restricted their privileges and duties for the next three weeks. The individuals gathered on the terrace were silent as they ate their lunch. Helios decided it was best not to press the situation any further and he had to keep Ian and Eric from teasing the girls. The silence was broken when the sound of boots hitting the brick rang through the air.
The girls turned and saw Diana being supported by Orion. The tears that ran down her face had stopped but they left their mark. The girls wondered what had happened to cause Diana to cry. The boys wondered who her companion was.
"Diana what's wrong?" Rini asked her.
"I don't want to talk about it." Came the soft tired reply.
"Look princess she needs a bit to eat and some rest right now." Orion said protectively.
The girls couldn't believe what they were seeing or hearing.
"Rini who is that guy?" Helios wanted to know.
"Yeah sis spill it." Ian demanded.
"That's Orion he's part of the reason we're in this mess." Rini told them.
Orion led Diana to the large table and helped her to her seat. He then put some fruit, salad, and a sandwich on a plate for her to eat. Diana stared at the food on the plate in front of her. Her usual sparkling blue eyes looked dull and glassy and the bright cheery smile was gone from her face. Orion whispered something in her ear before grabbing a sandwich and heading off to the terrace steps.
"Diana are you going to be alright?" Kerri asked her not expecting an answer.
"I'll be fine once I put this whole awful mess behind me." Diana replied quietly.
Orion had finished his lunch when he came back to the table to check on Diana. Diana sat quietly at the table slowly eating while the others talked up a storm. It pained Orion to see her hurting the way she was. Looking at the delicate young lunar feline made Orion realize he was beginning to have feelings towards her, feelings he hadn't felt in a long time.
*********
The day was quite productive. Gaia had left Apollo asleep on the grass under the tree. Ducking behind the tree she reverted back to feline form and began searching the city. The gang of strays had to be somewhere. They would make the perfect little foot soldiers to serve her master Chaos. They wanted to be able to roam the city without being caught and this was the perfect solution to both their problems.
The twins were heading towards the usual meeting place when Gaia caught sight of them. Following the two mixed breed cats Gaia found the secret hiding place of Big Orange and his goons. The abandoned warehouse was the perfect location of a base of operations. And with the orange tabby and his gang under her control Gaia would bring Chaos onto the world in no time.
Gaia changed back to human form and watched what took place. The cats gathered before Big Orange like loyal followers to a king. They waited for their leader to give the nightly agenda. But before he began the orange tabby caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent.
"There is a stranger among us." He told his followers through the use of a low hiss and growl.
The cats turned to face Gaia who showed no fear. Starring them down for a few minutes Gaia made her position and her power known. It was then that she felt they were ready to hear her out.
"My fellow felines do you not remember who I am. I am the one who told you I could make it so you would never have to worry about being caught by the authorities of this city ever again." she began, "And I have come to do just that. But doing so requires complete loyalty to my master the great and powerful Chaos. With these special devices you will become the most powerful creatures on the face of this planet. All you have to do is give into the will of Chaos."
The strays looked at each other for a moment taking in what Gaia had told them. To be more powerful than the humans would be a dream come true. Big Orange answered for the entire group letting Gaia know they had accepted her offer.
In a matter of minutes all but two of the strays had been turned into what looked like the feline version of werewolves. The snarling hissing mob before her would follow her every word. They are so dumb, Gaia thought. The two she had spared were soon turned into large viscous felines. The twins were now her hunters ready to rip apart anyone that dared to mess with their mistress. Gaia then addressed her new feline army.
"Soldiers of Chaos you have been chosen because you have dark hearts. Our mission is to search this city and find star seeds. Not just any star seeds but sailor star seeds. Our great lord Chaos needs these star seeds if he is going to rule over this puny little planet. Now go, go and spread chaos upon this land."
********
The army of Chaos begins attacking the city. While in search of star seeds Big Orange and his gang attack the Rose Café. It is then that Nikki gets into her first battle with a little help from her mother. Meanwhile, Orion explores his ever-growing feelings towards Diana who starts to have feelings of her own. Next on Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training Part Five: The First Battle.
********
"Gaia what has gotten into you?" Orion asked her.
"What has gotten into me? You ask me that little man. I'll tell you what has gotten into me. I have seen my destiny and that destiny is with my lord Chaos. Soon Chaos will reign once more and you can do nothing to stop me." She told him.
********
"Diana what's going on?" Luna asked her daughter.
"It's Apollo mom. He snuck out yet again." Diana told her.
********
"Why would they be after you?" Danni asked trying to understand the situation.
"They don't like insubordination. I've seen them do some pretty nasty things to those who try to leave. It's real freaky at times." He explained to them.
"They sound more like the Yakuza than a bunch of strays." Eric commented.
********
"Damn you. You don't know what you're getting yourself into." He said.
********
"Oh my god we're not the last ones." She said in complete and utter shock.
********
Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training
Part Four: Orion's Warning
********
Orion stared into the eyes of a girl he was positive was a lunar feline. The silvery gray haired girl looked back at him with a look of shock. He could tell she was trying to figure out if he was for real. The comment she made took him by surprise. Weren't there more lunar felines on this planet? Orion intended to get the answer to that question.
"Your brother may be in grave danger." Orion said breaking the silence.
"My brother? What about my baby brother?" she asked still not believing what she saw.
"Are you for real?" the rabbit hair girl wanted to know.
Orion knew he didn't have much time trying to prove his validity. Jumping off the table he quickly shifted into humanoid form and stood before the girls. Orion had green eyes and auburn red hair that hung down to his shoulders. The uniform he wore matched the color of his eyes and had gold buttons and a phaser gun attached to his belt. In humanoid form he had no tail but still retained his crescent.
"Well I guess that answers my question." The pink haired girl said.
"Allow me to introduce myself I am Orion." He said giving a bow at the waist.
"I am pleased to meet you Orion. I am Princess Serenity Lady Serena Usagi Tsukino Chiba of the Moon and Earth Kingdoms. But you can just call me Rini like all my friends do." Rini replied.
"My name's Kari Togashi Princess of Venus and head of Rini's court." Kari told him.
"And my name is Diana their best friend and guardian." Diana added.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all." Orion said.
"What brings you to the Crystal Palace?" Rini asked him.
Orion stopped to think out his answer and pulled out his locket reminding himself of the reason he was on his mission.
"I came here because someone I was following last night happened to come here." He told them.
"Really, who?" Rini asked.
"A male lunar feline with a black tail." Orion replied.
"Apollo? Why were you following my brother?" Diana wanted to know.
"He was seen in the company of a very questionable individual." He said.
"So he was flirting with some girl. He always flirts with some girl." Rini said nonchalantly.
"I don't think you understand. She's connected to a great evil." He tried to explain.
"What kind of evil?" Kari inquired.
Orion gave them only one word for an answer.
"Chaos."
Rini knew she had heard that word used as a name somewhere before. It had something to do with her family history she was certain of it. It also had something to do with the weird behavior around the palace since World Peace Day. Rini was determined to find the answers.
"Oh no it's here and they don't even know it." Rini muttered to herself.
"What's here Rini?" Jenna asked her.
The others had arrived and over heard the conversation.
"Chaos." She told her friends.
"Chaos?" Kerri wondered.
"Look it would be easier if you came with me." She told everyone.
Along the way Rini and Diana got their friends up to speed on the situation.
********
The great library of the Crystal Pace holds thousands upon thousands of books and reference items. It here that any member of the palace staff can come and find a book to read or do some research. Books range from fiction to history. The palace library boasts having the most complete collection of books on mythology from around the world and the Sailor Senshi and the Sailor Wars the library of the Crystal Palace has so many books that they take up three walls from floor to ceiling.
********
Rini began searching through a section of books in one of the immense bookcases. The walls were covered with books. A balcony separated the room into two halves and ran the entire perimeter of the room. Finding one book she needed Rini placed it on a nearby table and began searching once more.
When the second book was found Rini went back to the table where her friends and Orion were seated. Rini thumbed through the two books and opened them to the sections she was looking for. The topics were the same in both books. Rini saw it but the others were a bit confused about her choices in books. They didn't quite see the connection.
"Rini what does a book on Greek Mythology have to do with a book on the history of the Sailor Wars?" Alex asked somewhat confused.
"Plenty. I shall first begin with the Greek Mythology." She said as she picked up the book.
"Chaos he was a being that came before the gods. Some say he was the creator of the Titans and the father of Gaia. Some dispute that claim saying Gaia came after Chaos. If the first claim is true and Chaos is the father of Gaia then he could be considered the grandfather of Zeus."
"The woman your Apollo was with last night her name was Gaia." Orion said sounding distant.
"Hey Rini what does it say about this Gaia chick?" Nikki wanted to know.
"Well it says that Gaia was the wife of Chronos leader of the Titans. She hated Zeus for sending the Titans to Taterous and to get even with the Olympians she committed many acts against them. Two of the most notable were the creation of the Giants and the death of Orion. She had many husbands so I guess she could be a seductress." Rini told them.
"I still don't see what that has to do with the Sailor Wars." Alex said still confused.
"I'm getting to it. Now you all know I went back into the past to do my initial training right. Well shortly after I left for the last time something happened in the past. Three individuals not of this solar system, the Sailor Stars, came to the Earth searching for their princess. You see their star system had been wrecked and ravaged by a nasty individual known as Sailor Galaxia. You see Sailor Galaxia had combated the evils of Chaos and in order to stop him she let the embodiment of disorder and evil enter into her body.
"But something happened and he took over her very being turning her evil. Traveling from one star system to another she destroyed worlds and captured their senshi controlling them by using strange bracelets and taking out their star seeds. Galaxia and her army of Animates came to Earth looking to do just the same but they didn't count on running into Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi. It was the greatest battle they had ever faced. With the help of the Sailor Stars and Galaxia's own heart a little girl called Chibi Chibi they defeated Chaos by spreading his essence throughout the galaxy. That defeat came at a price the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Mask all died." Rini told them.
"Wow." Kari commented.
"So your world has knowledge of Chaos and knows how to defeat him?" Orion asked.
"Yes we do." Danni told him.
Rini stared at the book for a moment and thought about what had been going on in the palace lately. The increased security, the jumpy members of palace intelligence, and the senshi all wanting to practice with their daughters but never telling them why. Rini even thought about the comment Artimes made to Luna the night before. It was the who he was worried about more than the fact that people could even sneak in in the first place.
"They know about this and didn't even bother to tell us." Rini said.
"Don't they trust us?" Annya asked.
"I think they don't want us to ever have to experience death until we're old and gray. No offense there Diana." Kerri told her.
"None taken." Diana replied.
"But we don't even know what we're up against." Michelle reminded the group.
"I do. I know full well what we're up against." Orion told them as he pulled off his locket.
Opening the locket he passed it around to all the girls. Looking at it they began to wonder who the girl in the picture was. The last to see the locket was Diana.
"Who's the girl?" Alex inquired.
"That's Gaia. Remember that face and remember it well." Orion explained.
"I can see why my little brother went gaga over her. She's quite beautiful. So what connection do you have with her?" Diana said handing back the locket.
"She was once my best friend." Orion informed them.
"How can she be a lunar feline when my brother made it clear she wasn't?" Diana probed a bit farther wanting an explanation.
"Because when she became Chaos's loyal follower she gave up who she was and doing that meant giving up the sign of her birth the crescent she once had." Orion began trying to hold back the tears; "She betrayed her ancestors and her people."
********
The senshi gathered once more for another meeting. The subject of the meeting was the same as always Chaos. They were getting tired of waiting for something to happen. They were also getting tired of hiding things from their daughters but they knew it was for the best. They were just plain tired.
The usual tea they had at their meetings was replaced with a good strong coffee. They needed to stay awake and focused. There were too many yawning individuals in the parlor that morning.
"I hate keeping my kids out of the fire room and giving them false reasons why. But last night I didn't have to thanks to Apollo showing up at the temple." Rei said.
"Why was he there?" Luna asked trying not to let them know she knew.
"I guess he was looking to talk to someone." Rei told her.
"So did you find anything in the fire last night?" Mina inquired.
"Nothing. This has me baffled. I should at least get something." Rei replied a bit worried.
"Don't worry about it Setsuna and I haven't gotten anything either." Michiru reassured her.
"That goes the same for me which also means the palace is drawing a blank too." Ami added.
********
Mr. Fugiama was also drinking a good strong brew that morning. Ever since palace intelligence had detected Chaos moving he had been loosing sleep trying to detect the essence once more. Much to his chagrin intelligence had been unable to pick up anything on the scanners. Lady Mercury had politely asked if she could interface her computer with the systems in the control room so that she would know the moment something was detected. She even helped put some extra security measures into the system so the girls wouldn't find out what was going on.
The queen had given him strict orders on that matter. No information concerning Chaos was to leave the control room. And all members of palace intelligence swore by oath not to divulge what they knew and saw in that room. It was hard but they were able to keep things under wraps so far.
The quiet blips and bleeps in the control room were shattered when the door opened and a very angry looking princess stomped into the room. Her court was standing near the door. Mr. Fugiama could tell she was angry about something but he didn't know why. Staring him straight in the eyes the princess began her tirade.
"Alright Fugiama spill it. Tell me what you know about Chaos and don't give me that I have no idea what your talking about routine." She yelled.
"I can't give you that information." He said.
It was at that point Orion and not Rini exploded in anger. Orion grabbed the head of intelligence by the lapels of his jacket and stared down at him.
"Do you have any idea what is at stake here old man? Do you know what you're doing by withholding that information? You've just signed a death warrant for every single being on this planet." Orion said with contempt in his voice.
"H...h...how do you know about Chaos?" Fugiama stuttered in fear.
"I've followed Chaos and his little follower, traitorous wench, to this very planet." He told the Japanese man.
"HE'S HERE?" Fugiama yelled.
"Yes he's here." Rini said calmly.
The entire control room went into a blind panic scrambling to detect anything that remotely resembled Chaos. Orion let Mr. Fugiama, who now feared the wrath of the queen, go so he could rectify his grievous error. A bit calmer than before Orion walked up to one of the control panels and began looking for something that would lead him to Gaia.
"What in Kami's name is he doing?" Fugiama demanded.
"He's trying to help you." Rini said defending lunar feline.
"Damn our records on this world are totally outdated and no good." Orion said pounding his fist on the console before letting loose a string of swear words.
The girls just stared at each other at a loss as what to do.
Diana went over to the console that Orion was using and began working with him the best that she could. Three minutes later the entire room was blaring with the ever-present alarms indicating their target had been found once more.
********
The meeting of the Sailor Senshi was brought to an abrupt halt when Ami's computer began emitting a loud shrill. Everyone in the parlor covered their ears and looked directly at Ami who gave them a why me look. Pulling out the palm top Ami punched a few buttons to silence the shrill before checking what was causing it.
"We need to get to the control room and fast guys." Ami said.
"What? Why?" Serenity wanted to know.
"They've detected Chaos once more. And according to this he slipped in without our knowing it." She explained to them.
"We'd better get there right away." Endymoin told them.
"Great and I thought we were worrying over nothing." Rei muttered.
"Well we aren't anymore." Mina commented.
********
"Can't you shut that thing off." Nikki yelled covering her ears.
"Believe me I'd love too." Orion yelled back.
"Don't worry miss we're working on it." One of the members of intelligence called out.
Nikki began complaining in French so she could throw in a few undetected swear words. It wouldn't look good if one of Rini's court was caught swearing in the palace.
"What did you say young lady?" a now angry Lita yelled to her daughter.
The girls turned around to see their mothers and the king standing at the entrance to the control room. They did not look too pleased to see them there. And to top it off Lita was ready to ground Nikki for the rest of her life.
"Alright young lady you've got some serious explaining to do." Serenity said to her daughter.
"Mom this isn't what you think this is." Rini yelled back.
The alarm system finally stopped wailing and blaring much to the delight of everyone in the room. Serenity stood there glaring at her daughter who answered her glare with a glare of her own. Everyone waited to see who would be the first to explode.
"Holy crap! Does he have a death wish or something?" Diana yelled breaking the silence as she pulled out her GPS receiver that began beeping.
"What's that?" Orion asked her.
"GPS based tracking device. I bugged my brother last night and it looks like he decided to wear the same cufflinks he had on yesterday." She explained showing him the screen.
Rini knew full well what that meant.
"Where'd the little weasel run off to this time?" she wanted to know.
"I don't know but I can certainly bet you I know who he wants to see." Diana told her.
Luna and Artimes thought Diana was talking about the stray cats. Everyone else was a bit confused by her remark because the people he was with last night were now in the control room.
"I knew something like this would happen the way she kissed him last night." Orion commented knowing full well who Diana was referring to.
"SHE WHAT?" Rini and Diana yelled in unison.
"How could he do this? Doesn't he know how dangerous she is? I mean I could care less if she's some ex lunar feline who probably looks great in anything she wears. She's using him as a part of her sick twisted little game." Diana said a mile a minute while pacing the floor.
Kari put two and two together and realized who Apollo's hot babe from the previous night was.
"We gotta do something before the little knucklehead becomes a security risk." She said.
Serenity wondered what her daughter and her friends were talking about and who the strange young man was. She thought she knew everyone in the palace.
"What's going on here?" she demanded to know.
"Sorry mom you won't spill your secret we won't spill ours." Rini said casually.
"Princess this isn't going to help your friend if we act like this." Orion tried to remind her.
"Well then do you mind telling your mother who he is?" Endymoin asked pointing towards Orion.
Orion knew studying the centuries old data was good for something because the more he looked at Rini's parents the more he recognized them as Princess Serenity and Prince Endymoin from his ancestors' accounts of the Moon Kingdom. He knew he had to introduce himself before things got too out of hand.
"Ma'am, your majesty, my name is Orion. It is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of the daughter of the great Queen Serenity." He said with grace and formality.
"How could he have knowledge of the Silver Millennium I thought all the lunar felines died back then except for Luna and Artimes?" Serenity wondered noticing his crescent.
"Not all lunar felines lived in the sol system during the time of Queen Serenity. We lived throughout the entire galaxy and still do to this very day. We were representatives of the Moon Kingdom." Orion explained to her.
"He's right you know Serena." Luna added.
"Then what brings you here and why did you enlist the aid of my daughter and her court?" Serenity asked him.
"Yes and what does this have to do with my son?" Artimes added.
Orion gave them the same one word answer he gave Rini and her friends.
"Chaos."
********
Apollo had to see her again. Once again he snuck out of the palace and was out in the city. This time however he was not going home until he saw the girl of his dreams. Searching far and wide Apollo looked in every back alley and hiding place he knew. He was determined to see her once more.
Running by one of the queen's old haunts Apollo noticed two familiar figures dash into the alleyway one was a member of Big Orange's gang and the other was Gaia in feline form. Apollo ran after them as fast as he could, he needed to know what was going on. He began to wonder if the twins had blabbed to Big Orange about Gaia. If that was the case Apollo was determined to rescue her.
As Apollo followed them into the alleyway he saw the cats cowering in fear. Even Big Orange himself was backing away from Gaia. There was something about this female that intrigued Apollo and made him want her even more. Apollo waited until Big Orange and his gang had scattered every which way before confronting Gaia.
"Well, well if it isn't the lovely Gaia." He said acting like the world's biggest flirt.
"Tiger you found me." She said acting surprised.
"What were you doing with those jerks?" he wanted to know.
"Making a little proposition. I give them what they want in exchange for what I want." She told him as she nuzzled up to him.
"What could they possibly have that you want?" Apollo asked a bit curious.
"Why you of course you silly." She said before licking his mouth.
Apollo shifted to human form hoping she would follow his lead and do the same. He so much wanted to give her a real honest to goodness kiss on the mouth and not some lick and nuzzle feline thing. Catching on to what he was doing Gaia shifted forms and waited to see what he would do next. True to his feelings Apollo initiated the kiss he was longing to give her. Gaia was enjoying her newest plaything.
"Let's get away from this dirty old place and go somewhere better." She suggested when the finally broke the kiss.
"I know just the place." Apollo replied.
Gaia smiled a sinister little grin everything was going according to plan.
********
"Chaos? How do you know about Chaos?" Setsuna wanted to know.
"That was over a thousand years ago." Hotaru commented.
Once again pulling out his locket Orion reminded himself of the real reason why he accepted the mission he was on. He had to start thinking of her as the traitor and not his friend.
"I was sent here to find and dispose of a traitor to our race. Things became complicated when he became involved with the traitor." Orion explained.
"Who Chaos?" Luna pondered.
"No ma'am your son. The entity known as Chaos was a part of the traitor's life before she came here." Orion explained.
"Why did they send you?" Haruka asked.
"I volunteered to go because I know the traitor better than anyone." He told her.
"What makes you the expert?" Rei asked not believing what she was hearing.
"She is my ex best friend." Orion spat out.
Everyone over the age of twenty-two couldn't believe what they were hearing. First they were told the lunar felines were not a dying race. Then they were told that one of them was allied with Chaos. And somehow the girls found out what was going on and they all seemed unfazed, except for Diana, by what they knew. Things were not going the way they hoped they would. They were hoping to keep their children out of this and now they were right in the middle of it.
Diana kept staring at the small GPS screen watching the blip that represented her brother move throughout the city. The blip stopped momentarily and then began moving in the direction of the park not too far from the home the queen grew up in. Diana wondered why Apollo was headed for the park.
"Diana you know there's probably a good chance he didn't go looking for her." Rini said.
"If you saw the look on his face this morning you'd know he wanted to see her again." Diana replied to her best friend.
"He was finally successful with all his flirting huh." Jenna commented.
"Let's just say it has something to do with what's on the forehead." Orion remarked as he went back to the console.
"What has he gotten himself into?" Luna said with a distant sound in her voice.
"Girls we need to talk." Serenity said.
"I need some air. I'm going for a walk." Diana announced.
"Not on your own you're not. I'm going with you." Orion told her.
"Why?" she asked him.
"I saw the way you were looking at that little device of yours and I will not have you chasing after them on your own. It's just not safe out there right now." He explained.
"Well if that's the way you feel then by all means tag along." She retorted.
********
Apollo and Gaia had left the alleyway and found a quite spot in the park under a tree. Apollo wasn't going to blow this one. If she was able to get him out of his obligation to Big Orange then she was worth keeping. Looking into her beautiful blue eyes Apollo began to smile. For the first time in his life he knew what his parents and the king and queen must have felt when they first fell in love. Apollo felt like the happiest creature on the face of the Earth. Little did he know his life was in danger.
Gaia faked her best smile for Apollo. She used the one that got everyone to like her. If the plan her master had was going to work she had to get him to trust her completely and totally. Things were going quite well for her. Apollo was putty in her hands.
"So tiger you never told me about yourself." Gaia said.
"That's because you never asked." He replied pouring on all the charm in the world.
"Well I'm asking."
"What do you want to know?"
"Not much where you're from your hopes and dreams just the basics really."
"Well I've lived here in Crystal Tokyo my whole life. As for my dreams those came true the moment I met you."
He's a bigger phony than I am Gaia thought when Apollo made his remarks.
"So which lovely little spot in town do you call home?" she pressed further.
"See that big building in the center of the city. That's were I live." He pointed out.
This is too good, Gaia thought, he's giving me everything I need to know.
Gaia decided to reward Apollo for all his good work and gave him a deeply passionate kiss, which he returned. If she kept this up she would have all the information she needed before unleashing Chaos onto the world in no time.
********
Diana was in a foul mood. She was determined to give her brother a piece of her mind. And so far the way the morning was going Diana was ready to kill someone. Right now what she needed more than anything was some time alone. She didn't want anyone coddling or babying her.
As she walked down the halls of the palace Diana could hear Orion following her. She didn't want anyone following her especially him. In her mind Diana didn't need a babysitter watching over her. She was an adult capable of taking care of herself not some helpless kitten. The anger welling up inside was too much for her to handle she needed to vent and right now the best target was the man behind her.
"Listen you," Diana yelled as she turned around; "I don't need you following me. I am pretty darn well capable of taking care of myself outside the palace walls."
"I don't doubt that you could it's just that I don't want you doing anything irrational." He said through gritted teeth.
"I think you see me as a complication to your precious little mission." She shot back.
"You're not the complication in my mission you never were. It's your hormone driven little brother that became the bump along the way. Once he got involved all the rules were thrown right out the window." Orion replied trying to hold in all his frustrations.
Diana was even more angry and frustrated than when she left the control room. She didn't want to get into a cat fight with someone she was unsure of. She didn't see him as an enemy she just didn't know him. The one thing she was sure of was the fact that Orion was indeed a lunar feline. It was plain as the crescent on his forehead. Diana continued towards the front gate and Orion continued to follow her.
********
Serenity and the others had left the control room and went to the large conference room in the palace. She needed to know what Rini and her friends knew about the current situation. At the moment she was none too pleased with her daughter. The princess had gone into the control room when she was told not to. And to top it off someone she did not know had been messing around with one of the control panels. Serenity wanted answers and she wanted them now.
"I do not know what has been going on here today but your behavior is totally unacceptable." Serenity said as she rubbed the temples of her forehead.
"What you did was unbecoming of your position." Mina added.
"Oh and you guys withholding information from us is becoming of your position?" Kari challenged them.
"That was for your safety." Lita explained.
"I think we can take care of ourselves mother." Nikki said.
"We know that. It's just that we don't think you're ready to face this yet." Haruka explained.
"But how can we know if we're ready if you won't let us try?" Alex argued.
The room grew deftly silent. Alex did have a valid point. The younger senshi would never know what they were capable of if they didn't get actual combat experience. But their mothers had also made a valid point as well. Without more training they would be bound to make mistakes, mistakes that could cost them their lives. The older senshi knew this better than anyone.
"Look you have a valid argument but we have one too." Lita told them.
"Valid argument, you're just being overprotective." Nikki argued.
"We're not trying to be overprotective." Lita reasoned.
That was the last straw for Nikki. Not wanting to get into any more trouble with the queen Nikki began yelling and swearing in French. Rini, who knew conversational French, couldn't believe what she was hearing. The words coming out of Nikki's mouth were some of the worst ones a child could say in front a parent and vice versa.
"Kami help us. I didn't know she even knew those words." Rini whispered to Kari.
"What in the world did she just say?" Kari wanted to know.
Rini whispered a few things into Kari's ear. Kari got a blank look upon her face when she heard the translation of what Nikki was saying. She couldn't believe Lady Jupiter was allowing her daughter to say half of the things she was saying. In fact, the Lady Jupiter was throwing out some pretty good arguments in French back at her daughter.
The queen was pacing back and forth. She was angry, frustrated, and at a loss as what to do next. The entire situation had gotten out of hand. At the moment one of her best friends and her daughter were going at it in French. The way the morning was going it was going to be one of those days.
"STOP IT!" Serenity yelled at the top of her lungs.
The room grew silent once more and Lita and Nikki turned their attention to their queen. The woman who, a thousand years ago would have began bawling and crying looked seriously angry. She looked like she was ready to tear someone's head off.
"Look at you. Arguing and fighting over who knew what and why. This is getting us nowhere. No wonder your guardian left. Now, we're going to talk this over like rational individuals and come to some sort of solution. Kami willing you actually want to talk to each other." The queen said.
********
Diana walked through the enormous park taking in the sights and sounds. People were everywhere enjoying the beautiful summer morning. Looking out at the lake she could see couples in rented rowboats and paddle boats having a grand time. On the paved paths that wound through the park people were walking, running, and riding bikes. Couples and families were scattered throughout the green space having picnics, flying kites, tossing a ball, and simply relaxing. Diana longed to take part in the recreational fun.
Stopping on a path that overlooked the lake Diana began contemplating her brother's situation. A firm yet gentle hand found its way to her shoulder letting Diana know Orion was still following her. The fresh air had helped to calm her down a bit. Diana surprised Orion when she turned around to face him by actually smiling a bit at him. She had over reacted a bit back in the palace when she yelled at him. Diana needed someone to vent her frustrations on and Orion was the perfect target.
"Look I'm sorry for what I did earlier. It was totally uncalled for. I overreacted to the situation. If I should be yelling at anyone it should be my idiot brother and not you." Diana apologized.
"I accept your apology and understand wholeheartedly how you feel at the moment. I went through some of the same feelings you did." Orion replied.
"You don't understand what's happening here though." Diana began, "Apollo seems to gravitate towards troublemakers. First it was the stray cats and now it's her."
"If things are the way you say they are any direct confrontation will only drive him closer to her. You'll just have to keep reminding him you care for him and will always be there. This is one decision he must make on his own." Orion explained.
"I guess your right."
Diana turned around once more to view the life and activity around the lake. It always made her feel better to take in the natural beauty of the area. Looking around to the other side of the lake Diana saw people playing with toy boats, dogs, and each other. Directly across the lake, however, something caught her eye. Upon getting a better look Diana could see her little brother kissing someone. At first Diana thought nothing of it but when she recognized the woman from the picture Orion had shown them her face went completely ashen and blank.
Great big crocodile tears began streaming down Diana's face when she turned around to face Orion. Leaping into him Diana buried herself in his chest soaking his uniform. As Orion put his arms around the weeping female he saw what had caused her to break down in tears. The sight of Gaia and Diana's brother Apollo kissing across the way made him furious. Orion was determined to put an end to it. He was determined to protect the gentle creature he was holding in his arms.
"We'd better get back to the palace. The sun's at its peak and I'm certain the queen has a lot of questions that need answering. Besides I haven't had a bite to eat all morning." Orion suggested.
Diana looked up at Orion, revealing her tear stained face, and nodded in reply. She didn't want to be around the park any more that day.
********
The princess and the younger senshi were in deep trouble. The queen had given them a lengthy lecture on proper procedure and protocol and restricted their privileges and duties for the next three weeks. The individuals gathered on the terrace were silent as they ate their lunch. Helios decided it was best not to press the situation any further and he had to keep Ian and Eric from teasing the girls. The silence was broken when the sound of boots hitting the brick rang through the air.
The girls turned and saw Diana being supported by Orion. The tears that ran down her face had stopped but they left their mark. The girls wondered what had happened to cause Diana to cry. The boys wondered who her companion was.
"Diana what's wrong?" Rini asked her.
"I don't want to talk about it." Came the soft tired reply.
"Look princess she needs a bit to eat and some rest right now." Orion said protectively.
The girls couldn't believe what they were seeing or hearing.
"Rini who is that guy?" Helios wanted to know.
"Yeah sis spill it." Ian demanded.
"That's Orion he's part of the reason we're in this mess." Rini told them.
Orion led Diana to the large table and helped her to her seat. He then put some fruit, salad, and a sandwich on a plate for her to eat. Diana stared at the food on the plate in front of her. Her usual sparkling blue eyes looked dull and glassy and the bright cheery smile was gone from her face. Orion whispered something in her ear before grabbing a sandwich and heading off to the terrace steps.
"Diana are you going to be alright?" Kerri asked her not expecting an answer.
"I'll be fine once I put this whole awful mess behind me." Diana replied quietly.
Orion had finished his lunch when he came back to the table to check on Diana. Diana sat quietly at the table slowly eating while the others talked up a storm. It pained Orion to see her hurting the way she was. Looking at the delicate young lunar feline made Orion realize he was beginning to have feelings towards her, feelings he hadn't felt in a long time.
*********
The day was quite productive. Gaia had left Apollo asleep on the grass under the tree. Ducking behind the tree she reverted back to feline form and began searching the city. The gang of strays had to be somewhere. They would make the perfect little foot soldiers to serve her master Chaos. They wanted to be able to roam the city without being caught and this was the perfect solution to both their problems.
The twins were heading towards the usual meeting place when Gaia caught sight of them. Following the two mixed breed cats Gaia found the secret hiding place of Big Orange and his goons. The abandoned warehouse was the perfect location of a base of operations. And with the orange tabby and his gang under her control Gaia would bring Chaos onto the world in no time.
Gaia changed back to human form and watched what took place. The cats gathered before Big Orange like loyal followers to a king. They waited for their leader to give the nightly agenda. But before he began the orange tabby caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent.
"There is a stranger among us." He told his followers through the use of a low hiss and growl.
The cats turned to face Gaia who showed no fear. Starring them down for a few minutes Gaia made her position and her power known. It was then that she felt they were ready to hear her out.
"My fellow felines do you not remember who I am. I am the one who told you I could make it so you would never have to worry about being caught by the authorities of this city ever again." she began, "And I have come to do just that. But doing so requires complete loyalty to my master the great and powerful Chaos. With these special devices you will become the most powerful creatures on the face of this planet. All you have to do is give into the will of Chaos."
The strays looked at each other for a moment taking in what Gaia had told them. To be more powerful than the humans would be a dream come true. Big Orange answered for the entire group letting Gaia know they had accepted her offer.
In a matter of minutes all but two of the strays had been turned into what looked like the feline version of werewolves. The snarling hissing mob before her would follow her every word. They are so dumb, Gaia thought. The two she had spared were soon turned into large viscous felines. The twins were now her hunters ready to rip apart anyone that dared to mess with their mistress. Gaia then addressed her new feline army.
"Soldiers of Chaos you have been chosen because you have dark hearts. Our mission is to search this city and find star seeds. Not just any star seeds but sailor star seeds. Our great lord Chaos needs these star seeds if he is going to rule over this puny little planet. Now go, go and spread chaos upon this land."
********
The army of Chaos begins attacking the city. While in search of star seeds Big Orange and his gang attack the Rose Café. It is then that Nikki gets into her first battle with a little help from her mother. Meanwhile, Orion explores his ever-growing feelings towards Diana who starts to have feelings of her own. Next on Sailor Moon: Senshi in Training Part Five: The First Battle.