Sailor Moon O: Orion's Story

by Merry Shannon

The senshi meet Sailor Orion, a mysterious new Sailor known as the Sacrificial Soldier. Together Orion and the senshi must race against time to find the legendary Silver Dagger in order to save the world from Negaverse invasion. In the process secrets f

14. The Guardians are revealed! The Search f...

Part Fourteen - The Guardians are revealed! The Search for the Silver Dagger

The shiny dark monument, in the center of the deserted snow-covered field, was vibrating once more. The gaping aperture that hung suspended above it seemed a little bigger than it had been before, the edges swelling and retracting slightly as if some unseen force behind it was pushing from the inside, trying to break through. The wind rushed through the grasses with a chilly force, causing small fog-like swirls above the pristine surface of the unbroken snow. But there was no snow on the monument itself; though the stone was several degrees colder than the frozen field. The unnatural silence that always accompanies a snowfall was even more chillingly noticeable in this unoccupied place; and when it was broken, the icy voice that resounded through the stillness was more frigid than the snow itself.
"Why is it, do you suppose, that this one little girl proves to be such a problem? It's a simple mission, really find the Dagger, prevent the Sacred Sacrifice, and lead the Avatar's troops to victory over the Posiverse at last. This shouldn't be so difficult!"
"Why, my dear admiral, are you giving up so soon?" Lady Slipper's sweetly mocking giggle echoed out into the silent white field.
Lord Narcissus growled. "And why is it that you always seem to show up at the worst possible times? What do you want this time, Lady Slipper?"
"Actually, Lord Narcissus, the Avatar sent me to you with a little gift and a message."
"A gift? For me?"
"That's right. Here you go." There was a very strange noise then, halfway between a shriek and a wail with a bit of a choking sound thrown in, as Lady Slipper offered the item to Lord Narcissus. The Negaverse lady giggled again at his reaction. "Why Narcissus, I never realized you could scream at that pitch. What's the matter, you don't like snakes?"
"Get that thing away from me! Why would the Avatar send me that that creature? What am I supposed to do with it?" Lord Narcissus' voice was still remarkably high-pitched.
Lady Slipper's smile could be heard in her tone as she replied innocently, "Why, my dear lord, this is one of Sailor Draco's dearest companions. The Avatar has grown tired of waiting for you to pick off the humans one by one. He wants the Silver Dagger, and he wants it in his hands today. So, he's decided to help you out a bit himself. This darling little fellow-" Narcissus groaned a bit at the reference to the snake, "is going to do most of your work for you. All you have to do is send a jaki to the hospital in Tokyo."
"The hospital?" Lord Narcissus asked. "I don't understand. What's this snake going to do?"
"Bite people, of course, silly," Lady Slipper responded with a laugh. "He was bred by Sailor Draco, for a very specific function. This snake is not poisonous, at least not in the usual sense. The venom it carries is nothing more than a blood thinner with some anti-clotting agentsDraco uses these snakes on the enemies whom he wishes to kill slowly. When this snake bites a human, the human will begin to bleed and never stop bleeding. Unless they wish to die, the humans will have to flock to the hospital. You merely send a jaki to the hospital to observe, and as soon as a sign of the Dagger is spotted, the jaki will attack and retrieve it. The Avatar gets the Dagger, the Sacred Sacrifice is ruined, your neck is saved, and everyone lives happily ever after. That is, of course, assuming that you do not mess this one up like you have in the past."
There was a pause. "Fine, then," Lord Narcissus agreed. "With the Avatar himself stepping in, we'll get that Dagger yet!" There was another pause as the Negaverse admiral seemed to consider the reptile in Lady Slipper's hands. "Uh, I think I'll let you do the honors," he stated a bit uncertainly.
There was another giggle from Lady Slipper, and then the small dark form of a snake slithered from the opening in space, down onto the frozen black monument. "There you are, little fellow," she said. "Go bite lots of those nasty little humans. And if you see any wearing sailor suits bite them twice!" The small snake was only about eight inches long, and the color of coal. It appeared relatively harmless, save for the disturbing gleam in its beady, emerald-colored eyes. The snake wriggled to the edge of the stone, and dropped to the ground, where he struck the snow. The white drifts on either side of him seemed to dissolve instantly, and as the snake slid forward, the snow continued to disappear. A few moments later the snake was out of sight, but there was a long, curving trail left behind, leading from the base of the monument towards the highway that ran into the city.
"By the way, Lady Slipper You said you had a message for me from the Avatar," Lord Narcissus reminded her. "So what did he want you to tell me?"
Lady Slipper's tones were no longer playful. "He says you had better not mess this one up."

"All right, Guardian Brother." The Sacred Child's voice reverberated delicately through the bluish mists that swirled around them. "I have considered what you asked when last we met. Perhaps it would be safe to tell the Sailor Senshi something of what our mission is. But we must remain as discrete as possible."
"Are you certain of this, Child?" This came from Guardian Father, whose majestic tones were laced with concern. "Once the Senshi have been told a few things, they are sure to desire more."
The Child nodded slowly. "Yes, Neophilus, I know this. The Moon Princess and Mercury, in particular, will have many questions which we will be unable to answer, for their own safety's sake. But many of the others are becoming restless, and if they are not told something soon, will begin to take matters into their own hands."
Guardian Friend's whisper echoed against the hissing pipes. "I assume you are speaking of Uranus, Child."
There was a gentle, mournful nod from the girl before them. "I'm afraid I am. Mars and Jupiter, too, are beginning to grow impatient, not knowing what it is they are fighting for. Sailor Pluto is doing her best to encourage their patience, but they are growing frustrated with her as well, as she will not tell them what is happening until I declare that it is time." The Child raised her eyes to the Guardians. "I have spoken with Pluto about this at length, and she agrees with you, Guardian Brother. She also feels that we should be able to reveal the basics of our quest without placing the Senshi in undue danger. And so" there was a sigh, "I think that the time has come to tell the Senshi about the Dagger and the Sacrifice. But we must not, under any circumstances, reveal to them the reasons for the Sacrifice or the history behind it. They are not ready to hear these things, and the Avatar would surely redouble his efforts to destroy them once he discovered that they knew."
Guardian Brother nodded. "I can agree with that, Child. But what are we going to tell the Senshi when they ask us about these things? I don't want to lie to them."
The Child nodded. "That is why I requested that you meet with me here first. We must decide precisely, down to the finest detail, what we will and will not tell the Senshi about the situation. We must have answers ready when they ask us for things that we cannot let them know yet."
The golden-hooded figures before her nodded. "Well said, Child," Neophilus affirmed. "So let's start from the very beginning, shall we?"

"Why did Setsuna-san ask us to meet her here?" Usagi wondered as she gazed around the hospital emergency room with surprise. The stark white waiting room, noisy and full of anxious parents and coughing children, hardly seemed like the ideal place to hold a Scout meeting. Mamoru patted her hand encouragingly, and she smiled back at him.
"And why did she want me to be here, I wonder?" Chibiusa added with a small frown. "I was supposed to have a piano lesson today."
"Maybe Shinzui-san is coming to the meeting too," suggested Minako kindly to the small girl.
Rei looked up as two new figures came through the emergency room's sliding glass doors. "Haruka-san! Michiru-san!" she called to them. "Over here!"
The two older girls made their way over to the seven young people already sitting in one corner of the waiting room, and they took seats on the uncomfortable, scratchy upholstered benches. Mamoru tilted his head to the side as the girls greeted Haruka and Michiru. "So what's going on?" he wanted to know. "Why did Setsuna-san ask us to meet her here?"
Michiru shook her lovely teal waves. "We don't know any more than you do," she answered. "Setsuna-san wouldn't tell us much. Except that this is very important, and it has something to do with Sailor Orion."
Haruka grunted. "Maybe she's finally going to tell us whatever it is that Orion's been hiding," she muttered. "It's about time somebody tells us something about these evil creatures that keep popping up all over Tokyo."
"Oh, good. You're all here." The girls looked up as the young woman approached them, her long forest green hair swinging gently down to her knees. Setsuna was wearing the same lavender suit she always wore, and her garnet-colored eyes brightened slightly as she caught sight of Chibiusa. "Hello, Small Lady."
"Puu!" Chibiusa exclaimed happily, springing up to wrap her little arms around Setsuna's legs.
Haruka rose to her feet. "All right, Setsuna-san. Tell us now. What's all this about Sailor Orion?"
Setsuna smiled at the blond racer, and then at all the other girls. "Come with me," she said gently. "They're waiting for us."
"They?" Ami began, but Setsuna was already heading down the hallway. The girls and Mamoru all got up and followed her quickly. Makoto tried to ask Setsuna another question about who they were going to see, but all she received in response was a smile. The green-haired young woman led them through a maze of corridors, past several other check-in counters and examination rooms and laboratories, and finally they reached a very simple, unadorned door at the very end of a long, narrow hallway. Setsuna knocked lightly on the door.
"Come in." The voice was young, and smiling. Setsuna opened the door, and the group of girls filed into the room. Usagi had to stop short in amazement when she stepped through the door, and clung to Mamoru a bit uncertainly.
"What is this place?" She knew without a doubt that it couldn't possibly be part of Tenth Secondary General Hospital. It was too musty. But musty in an ancient, revered sort of way. And as Usagi turned to look at her friends, she gasped. Each one of them was now wearing the white and gold gown of the princesses of the Silver Millennium, and their Senshi symbols were imprinted clearly on their foreheads. Usagi reached one hand to her own forehead, and realized then that she was also wearing her Moon Princess gown, the sheer gossamer swirling about her bare feet. She turned to Mamoru and her breath caught, for he was now arrayed in the black and silver armor of the Prince of Earth, and his long black cape flashed red here and there underneath as he moved.
"Endymion," she breathed softly. He looked down at her, and his eyes widened.
"Princess Serenity?" He turned to gaze at the remarkable transformations of the other Senshi. "And all the other Planet Princesses what's going on?"
Pluto turned to him, her garnet eyes reflecting the gold sparks from the circles on her gown's bodice. She smiled. "Don't be alarmed, Prince Endymion. You will soon see."
The room they were standing in was enormous, with walls of a sort of pale bluish-lavender stone, and many arched doorways on either side, that seemed to lead out to a sort of promenade, which circled the inner room. The sky was open beyond the promenade, and Serenity could see stars glittering like little jewels pasted into the blackness. There were massive bookshelves lining every wall, and they extended so far above them that Serenity couldn't even make out the top of them she couldn't see the ceiling either, for that matter. It all just seemed to go up and up and up forever until it vanished in the darkness. These bookshelves were all completely filled with books; thick, leatherbound ones that had titles that Serenity couldn't even read because they were written in a myriad of foreign languages. The Princess of Mercury reached out to pull one of these off the shelf in front of her, and she examined it.
"It's written in Latin," she declared with astonishment, opening the front cover. "The Biomedicinal Properties of the Natural World."
"One of my personal favorites." Mercury looked up with surprise at this new voice, and for the first time all the Senshi realized that there were three figures, all in golden cloaks, who stood at the far end of the room. In front of these three there was a large round stone table, upon which lay another Book. This one was open, and its pages were glowing with a soft, swirling golden light that illuminated the entire room. The figure in the center appeared to be rather short, but as he stepped around the table and approached Mercury the Senshi realized that he was at least six feet tall only a couple inches shorter than Prince Endymion himself. There was a deep sapphire-colored brooch at his throat. This figure reached out to take the book from Mercury's princess, and seemed to look it over for a moment before handing it back to here. "Here. Why don't you keep it? I've already read it two hundred and thirty-seven times."
Mercury stared at him in amazement, though she could not see his face because it was shrouded in the shadows of his cloak. She did not know what to say. Another of the golden robed figures stepped forward then, the one who bore a ruby colored brooch. He cleared his throat. "I must apologize for Guardian Brother's lack of propriety." His voice sounded like thunder, it was so authoritative and majestic, and the Senshi all stared at him now in awe. "We have not introduced ourselves."
"Perhaps we ought to change our appearances a bit, friends." This came from the figure who had remained behind the table; he was wearing an amethyst brooch. His voice was so quiet that Usagi wondered how it was possible for them to all hear him so clearly; he sounded like he was whispering and yet the sound filled the entire room.
The first figure nodded in response. "Yes. I believe the Sailor Soldiers will be more comfortable if we are able to speak face to face." For a moment it appeared to the Senshi that the golden robes had come alive around the figures; they swirled and then faded, and a moment later there were three white-haired, jewel-eyed young men standing before them. At least, they appeared young. Serenity was not so sure. There was something about them that seemed familiar to her, like she ought to recognize them but she just couldn't remember where she'd met them before.
"Hey, I know you!" The Neo-Moon Princess called out to the man with the ruby eyes, the one who had such a deep voice. "I see you every week when I visit Hotaru-chan."
"That is correct, Small Lady." The ruby-eyed man bowed to her slightly. "I am Guardian Father, called Neophilus."
The young man next to Mercury smiled, and also made a small bow to the company. "I am Guardian Brother, called Demetrius."
"And I am Guardian Friend," whispered the man with amethyst eyes, "called Oberon." The three white-haired Guardians straightened.
"We are the Guardians of the Balance," the one known as Neophilus told them. "And this is the Library of the Celestial Hall."
The Princess of Uranus stepped forward, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I'm not impressed. Who are you people, and what do you want with us?"
Neophilus smiled at her. "Still the same Uranus, aren't you?" he commented pleasantly. "Don't be alarmed, Princess Uranus. You are here to learn the things you wished to know. Please, all of you, come and sit with us." He indicated the red velvet chairs that were set around the table. The Planet Princesses and Endymion all took seats around the table, with both Serenity and Small Lady holding tight to Endymion. When they were all seated, Demetrius also joined them at the table, and Neophilus began to speak.
"You wish to know what the jaki are, and why they are attacking your people." The Senshi nodded. "The answer to that question is a very long story, much of which cannot be revealed at this time. But we will do our best to explain to you what is happening." Neophilus stretched his hand over the Book, and suddenly the images on the pages began to swirl. The Senshi watched in amazement as pictures began to form. "This is the Book of Balance. In this book is contained the complete record of history, since the dawn of time. Oberon is the keeper of the Book." Princess Serenity leaned forward. She could just make out the image of a golden-robed figure, bending over a Book, writing steadily. "There came a point, shortly after the dawn of time, when the Negaverse was isolated away from this universe. The Negaforce had become too powerful and was intend upon destroying all positive energy in existence. This could not be allowed, and so, with the help of the Book of Balance, we Guardians were able to seal the Negaforce into its own dimension, so to speak." The images on the pages swirled again, so that the Senshi could see the three robed figures, now standing on what appeared to be a roof of some sort. Two were holding a Book up above their heads, while the third was making some sort of sign with his hands. Suddenly, a dense blackness came charging towards them, straight for the glowing Book. The darkness entered the Book with such force that the two Guardians holding it were knocked down. Something glittering and bright seemed to fall from the pages, and the third Guardian, who was wearing a ruby brooch, quickly picked it up and shouted. An intense bright light burst from the glittering object, and Serenity gasped.
"That's the Imperium Silver Crystal!" she exclaimed, still watching as the light from the Crystal enveloped the Book and the two fallen Guardians, creating a seal. She could see the darkness beyond the seal, struggling now to free itself, but it was too late for that.
"Yes, Princess. The Silver Crystal and the Book were able to seal the Negaforce into its own separate universe, where it could no longer attack the positive energy. And so the negative universe became known as the Negaverse, and the positive universe is now called the Posiverse. With the seal in place, we Guardians were able to protect the balance of power between the negative and positive energies." Neophilus shook his head. "But I'm afraid that it did not last. The king of the Negaverse, who calls himself the Avatar, and his son, the Prince of Darkness, were able to construct a Gate between the two universes. They called it the Doomsday Gate, and once it was completed the Negaforce would once again escape from the Negaverse to attack the Posiforce." Princess Neptune's eyes widened as she recognized the new images the Book was displaying for them.
"Uranus, look that's the monument that we saw, when the jaki first appeared. Remember?"
"That black monument, Neptune, is the Altar of Tears. And it was constructed by all of the Sailor Senshi in order to close the Doomsday Gate." Guardian Father took a deep breath. "And that brings us to the matter of the Sacred Child."
"The who?" Princess Jupiter questioned.
Demetrius rose to his feet. "I think I'd better explain this part," he said to Neophilus. The big man nodded, and took a seat at the table. Guardian Brother turned to gaze down at the book, and his sapphire eyes were very sad. "We were desperate to find some way of closing the Doomsday Gate before it could fully be opened. The armies of the Negaforce that had managed to slip through the Gate already had begun to attack various parts of the Posiverse, and the even the Sailor Senshi were overwhelmed by the sheer brute force that the Negaverse had amassed during its isolation. The Doomsday Gate was being built on Earth, because it was the only place in the Posiverse that would allow for a complete breach in the seal placed between the universes. On the vernal equinox, when the moon lies at precisely the right angle to the earth, the power of the seal is at its weakest, and the Gate could be completely opened. The seal would be broken, and the full power of the Negaverse would be set free to wreak havoc upon the Posiverse yet again." The Neo-Moon Princess shuddered and cuddled close to her future father as the Book showed them the possibilities of what the Gate would bring. Endymion put his arm around her, and then put the other around Serenity as she, too, turned her face away from the images of destruction. Even Guardian Brother seemed to have a difficult time watching this, for he hurried on. "It was finally determined that there was only one way to seal the Doomsday Gate before it was fully opened, and that was a sacrifice."
"A sacrifice?" Princess Venus repeated. "What kind of sacrifice?"
"The hardest kind. One of the Sailor Soldiers would have to give up their lives in order to seal the Gate, because only a soul, the essence of humanity itself, would have the power to create a seal that was strong enough." Demetrius sighed. "But it couldn't be just any soul. It had to belong to someone who had power over the Realm of Soul itself, whose purity and strength could not be tarnished by the Negaverse pushing against it. It had to be the soul of someone who had the innocence of a child, to whom purity was sacred. It had to be a Sacred Child." The pages of the Book glowed brightly before them as they were presented with a vision of a girl, dressed all in white, with flowing white hair. She wore a golden belt clasped with some sort of round gem, and there was a small knife in her hands. But the image was too fuzzy to determine her facial features. "The Sacred Child bears more than just the responsibility of the Sacrifice, however. You see, because she is a Senshi, she is reborn every thousand years, just like the rest of you. And each time she is awakened to her identity as a Senshi, her true soul leaves the Gate to reenter her. Because of this, the Sacred Sacrifice must be made again, before the next vernal equinox, in order to prevent the Doomsday Gate from opening. Every single lifetime, this is the cycle that she must endure. Born so that she may die." Guardian Brother's voice broke mournfully at this, and Serenity felt very sorry for him. She stared down intently at the image in the Book, also feeling great pity for the girl in the picture.
"Look, this is a nice story and everything," Uranus declared, rising to her feet impatiently. "But you still haven't told us where Sailor Orion fits into all of this."
"I was getting to that," Demetrius responded gently. Then he turned to the archway behind him, that faced the promenade, and he called out softly. "Child?"
A girl stepped into view. Her hair was pale silver, as pale as the moon, and flowed down to the center of her back. It was parted in the center, with the two front sections plaited into two tiny shimmering braids. The gown she wore had off-the-shoulder sleeves that puffed out and then tapered to her small wrists, trailing long veil-like white material behind them. The golden chain that belted the simple gown was clasped with a peach-colored opal that glimmered and swirled in the light of the Book, and the long, simple skirt fell from her hips in layers and layers of gossamer whiteness. The girl's eyes were brilliantly silver, glistening softly in the pale light. On her forehead, imprinted clearly, was another Senshi symbol that looked like a triangle topped with a curving line, like an archer's bow; it was glowing with a peach-colored light. Uranus' jaw dropped.
"Oh, my lord" Mars whispered.
The Sacred Child approached Serenity, seeming to float rather than walk. She dropped to one knee. "My Princess," she said quietly, the familiar tinkling of her melodical voice filling the room.
Serenity stared at her. "Orion?"
The Child looked up at Serenity with a smile. "Now you know why they call me the Sacrificial Soldier," she stated, her bell-like voice sounding very fragile in this large place. "And this is the reason that I am here. This is the reason that we are fighting the jaki."
Princess Serenity could not find the words to reply, she was so stunned. But it was the future Moon Princess who spoke the question that almost everyone was thinking. "Does this mean you're gonna die, Shinzui-san?"
The Child rose and turned to the pink-haired princess. "Yes, Small Lady. I will die. And I will be born again, just as all of you are."
Jupiter shook her head. "I still don't understand," she declared. "Does this mean that the jaki are here because they're trying to kill you early or something? I mean, why are they drinking people's blood if they're after you?"
The Sacred Child sighed. "To answer that, I must explain the Sacrifice to you." Guardian Brother stood and offered her his seat, which she accepted with a sweet, melancholy smile. Then she turned back to the Senshi. "In order for the Sacred Sacrifice to be effective, there are three things that have to be done precisely right. The first is that the Sacrifice must take place on the Altar of Tears, which is directly beneath the Doomsday Gate. If it were to be performed anywhere else, my soul would have to travel too far and I would not have the strength to seal the Gate. The second requirement," and here she cast her eyes up towards Demetrius, who was standing behind her, "is that the actual blow must be delivered by the one being with the most power over the Soul the Guardian of that aspect of existence. This means that it is Guardian Brother's responsibility to perform the Sacrifice. And then there is the third requirement. The Silver Dagger." The Child indicated the Book before them, and the pages swirled around to show them an image of a small silver knife with an ornately wrought handle and a small ruby embedded into its base. "The Silver Dagger was created at the very first Sacrifice; it is the only weapon that can be used to perform the Sacrifice without permanently damaging my soul. It enables my soul to be separated from my body without losing any of the strength that normally would accompany death; and only with my full strength am I able to reseal the Doomsday Gate, for the influence of the Negaforce is very powerful and not easy to hold back. The Silver Dagger is what the jaki are after."
"You mean, you don't have it?" Princess Venus inquired incredulously of the Guardians. They shook their heads. "Why on earth not? If it's that important, I wouldn't let it out of my sight for a minute!"
The Sacred Child smiled, and her silvery eyes glittered sweetly. "It's not quite that easy, Venus. You see, the Dagger is not just a physical sort of weapon. It also possesses a great amount of life and death energy. When the Sacrifice is performed, that energy is transferred into me, and the Dagger gets reabsorbed, so to speak, into the Posiforce. When I am awakened as Sailor Orion, and the Gate is unsealed again, it is my task as well as the task of the Guardians to locate the Silver Dagger before the vernal equinox, so that the Sacrifice can be performed. The Negaverse also searches for the Dagger, in the hopes that they can prevent the Sacrifice and thus be freed to attack the Posiverse again, full force."
Princess Mercury's eyes lit up. "Wait a minute I think I understand. The jaki have been drinking human blood. That means that the Silver Dagger has been reintroduced into our world in someone's bloodstream, right?"
"Astute as always, Mercury," the Child nodded. "Yes, we believe that the Dagger has been infused into the blood of someone here in Tokyo."
At this point, Uranus had heard enough. "All right then, so now we know," she declared, rising to her feet. "And it's not our problem anymore."
"What do you mean, it's not our problem?" the princess of Mars demanded. "The Negaverse is threatening the earth. That makes it our problem."
Uranus shook her head, and her short sandy locks bounced into her eyes. "It's not our responsibility," she stated flatly, jerking a thumb towards the Sacred Child and her Guardians. "Let them handle it." The princess of Uranus turned and stalked towards the door through which they had entered, which from this side appeared to be an enormous stone archway. Neptune and Pluto rose to follow her, and Serenity watched them go, her mouth hanging open in a small pink O of astonishment.
"Wait Uranus!" Serenity called, but Guardian Friend put a hand on her arm.
"Let them go, Princess. I'm surprised she didn't leave earlier." This was the first time that he had spoken since he'd introduced himself at the beginning of their meeting, and Serenity turned to face him in surprise.
"What do you mean?" she inquired curiously.
Oberon just shook his head, but it was Demetrius who responded to her question. "Just that Uranus has never cared much for Sailor Orion." Serenity saw Oberon shoot the shorter Guardian a warning glance, and she frowned.
"Why not?"
Neophilus cleared his throat. "I'm afraid that we can't go into that at the moment, Princess. There is still much involved here that we have not told you, for the time is not yet right and the danger is too great."
Mercury tilted her head to the side and changed the subject. "Why you?" she asked of the Sacred Child, who turned to look at her in puzzlement. "I mean, why does it have to be you who must always make the Sacrifice? Couldn't one of the other Senshi do it?"
The Child shook her head. "This is another question that I must not answer, Mercury. I'm afraid that there are some things that must remain a mystery for now. It is simply not safe for you to know these things." She sighed. "I only hope that what we have told you will not place you all in undue danger."

The creature watched the incoming patients with greedy eyes, and it licked its swollen lips. It was hungry, but Lord Narcissus had said not to move until some sign of the Dagger had shown up. The evil spirit hissed in frustration. It had been waiting almost two hours, watching the flood of bleeding patients coming through the doors as Sailor Draco's little pet did his job. There must have been hundreds of them but still no sign of the Dagger. The jaki was quickly becoming impatient as its stomach growled. It was cold here, in the little storage closet that the creature had chosen for its hiding place, and it was seriously beginning to consider ignoring its master's wishes and going after some human juice right then and there.
There was a television set in the waiting room of the emergency clinic, and the jaki could hear the news reporters warning the citizens of Tokyo: "People all over the city are flooding the hospitals after having been bitten by what witnesses have described as a small black snake. Doctors have assured us that these bites are not poisonous, however the bleeding caused by these wounds must be treated immediately or there is the danger of death. If you have been bitten, please wrap your wound as well as you can and seek medical attention right away. If you see a snake matching this description , do not attempt to apprehend it yourself. Call pest control immediately. Authorities are uncertain as to how many of these snakes there are, but they do tell us that they are doing everything in their power to bring the situation under control as soon as possible." The monster had to hiss with amusement at this. It knew full well that the 'authorities' would never catch the Negaverse reptile, for they could not find him if he did not wish to be found. The evil spirit looked at the doors of the emergency room, where the lines of people waiting to receive attention extended far out into the snowy streets, and it was amazed that one tiny little snake could effect that many people in the space of a few hours.
Just then, however, a shadow fell across the crack of the closet door, and the jaki shrank back a bit for fear of being spotted. It could hear a young female human's voice, only inches away from the door, and it stepped forward a bit more bravely in order to get a better look. It was a female human, who apparently was pursuing a male human as he strode down the hallway. The jaki knew enough about human behavior to recognize that the male seemed upset about something. Then it heard the female speaking.
"Haruka!" Michiru reached out to take her partner's shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. But the tomboyish blond shrugged her hand off.
"Let's just go home, Michiru. I've had enough of this for one day."
"You can't just walk away from this, Haruka." This was Setsuna's calm, timeless voice, and Haruka's eyes narrowed as she looked up at the garnet-eyed woman approaching them.
"Watch me," she snapped back, her deep tones dangerously soft. The sense of revulsion that she always felt in Orion's presence was still thick around her, and she was finding it difficult to contain her fury. Two days ago, Haruka had begun to hope that perhaps these feelings would dissipate, for she had actually been rather pleased when she came up with the idea of sending Shinzui her trophy from the Christmas races. But the moment that Orion, or rather, the Sacred Child, had stepped into the room, her malevolence had returned just as powerfully as ever. Her emotions of disgust and hatred were completely out of control, and she had to get out of this hospital and away from Sailor Orion before she hurt someone or something.
Setsuna shook her head. "I know that this is very difficult for you. But it is our duty to protect this world. You know that. You can't turn your back on your duty after all this time, regardless of what personal feelings you may have."
"It's not our responsibility," Haruka growled, clenching her fists to keep them by her side. "She brought the danger here she should be the one to take care of it."
Michiru stared at her in shock. "Haruka, I've never heard you talk like this before. You're the one who's always saying how important it is to fulfill our mission, regardless of friendship, hate, or anything else. But it seems like you're letting your feelings about Shinzui affect your determination."
"That's not true!!" Haruka exploded, pounding her fist on the wall so hard that the rough wood left scratches on the side of her hand, which immediately welled up in little scarlet lines along the broken skin. Michiru's eyes widened as she suddenly realized how hard Haruka was struggling to maintain control of her anger. Her partner only hit things when she was trying to keep herself from hitting other people. "If that mincing Little-Miss-Perfect is that anxious to die, I'm not going to argue with her but I'm not going to waste my energy helping her, either. She wants to save this world from destruction? Fine. She can do it without my help."
The scent of the fresh blood on the young male's hand was maddening to the jaki, still crouched in the closet. It could not bear it any longer it was so hungry with a hiss, the monster burst from the closet and latched itself onto Haruka's arm. The long white fangs sunk themselves deep into the hard, muscled flesh of her shoulder, and the racer grunted with surprise and pain.
Michiru cried out as the dark spirit suddenly seemed to appear from nowhere, attacking her partner with a vengeance. She felt Setsuna's hand on her shoulder. "Transform, quickly," the older woman ordered. "I'll go get the others." Michiru nodded as Setsuna spun around and disappeared down the hallway, and the teal-haired girl quickly ducked into the storage closet from which the jaki had just emerged.
Haruka had been caught off guard by the jaki's attack, but she smiled grimly to herself as she regained her footing, and she wrenched one arm around, throwing her entire weight against the creature, smashing the both of them up against the wall. She could vaguely hear the terrified screams of the other patients in the waiting room, but she didn't pay any attention. The jaki hissed its displeasure at being crushed against the wall, and its jaw loosened a bit. This was all Haruka needed. She brought one hard, knuckled fist up and landed a blow to the creature's head, forcing the fangs out of her shoulder. But she held tight to the monster from behind, remembering that the jaki would try to attack her with that black energy-spit stuff that they always did. Just as she managed to get a decent grip, however, she heard Sailor Neptune call out her attack.
"Deep Submerge!"
Haruka was forced to release the monster and dodge out of the way just before the attack reached them in order to avoid being caught in the deluge. The evil spirit was knocked backwards a few steps, but as usual there was not much of an effect upon it. Apparently it decided that a Sailor Soldier was a more attractive target then, because it ignored Haruka and proceeded to send a bolt of crackling negative energy towards Neptune.
"Hey, ugly, I'm not finished with you yet," Haruka muttered, and in spite of her wounded shoulder, she landed a flying kick to the dark creature's backside. It felt really good to be able to take some of her frustration out on the jaki, who deserved it anyway. The evil spirit spun around, eyes glowing yellow and rolling around in its head.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Neptune demanded breathlessly as she recovered from the dodge she'd had to make in order to avoid being struck by the black power. "You're not transformed, Haruka you'll get yourself killed!"
Haruka flashed her another grim smile. "Just working off a little extra energy, Neptune," she grinned, and then rolled to the side as another burst of dark energy sizzled past her. Swinging her leg up, Haruka delivered a quick, hard kick to the creature's leg, and was rewarded with the sound of cracking bone and a howl of pain from the jaki. "Well, what do you know. They're not unbreakable," she commented brightly.
The jaki was furious now, and it opened its mouth to blast Haruka again. Sailor Neptune raised her arms to attack it once more, but she was interrupted.
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
"Burning Mandala!"
"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"
The three attacks from the Soldiers of Lightning, Fire and Soul seemed to combine into one enormous pink flaming bolt of electricity that struck the jaki full force. The evil spirit was stunned for a brief moment, but it did not seem amused in the least as Sailors Jupiter, Mars and ChibiMoon appeared, running down the hallway. They were immediately followed by Sailors Venus, Mercury and Pluto, as well as Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon. And right next to Sailor Moon was Sailor Orion.
"Attacking people in a hospital! You ought to be ashamed of yourself," Sailor Moon declared angrily as she glared at the Negaverse creature. "I will not forgive you for causing pain to people who came here for relief. I am an agent of love and justice, a pretty Sailor Soldier, Sailor Moon. And in the name of the moon, I will punish you!"
The jaki, overwhelmed by the small army of Senshi it now faced, turned and limped on its wounded leg for the door in an attempt to escape. But Haruka and Sailor Neptune blocked its way.
"Going somewhere?" Haruka inquired of the spirit with a snide grin. The jaki hissed angrily and turned to look for another exit, but it was surrounded by Sailor Soldiers now. Sailor Moon looked over at Sailor Orion.
"Why don't you take this one?" she suggested, and Orion nodded.
Stepping forward and summoning her Sphere, the Sacrificial Soldier raised one fist and sang. "Heavenly Symphony!" The familiar beautiful melody burst from the Music Sphere, filling the room. As it played, the evil spirit screeched with frustration. Its negative energy nullified, the jaki slowly melted until there was nothing left of it but a sticky, greasy puddle of black liquid on the hospital's tile floor. After a moment, the puddle had been absorbed away into the floor as though it had never been there at all. The melody of Orion was not finished there, however. It reached out and enveloped the bleeding patients who were lined up outside waiting for their turns; and as the evil influence of the Negaverse snake was irradicated, the people found their wounds healing of their own accord. Not only did the purifying effects of the music stop the bleeding, it actually closed up the injuries so that they disappeared completely. Even the fangmarks on Haruka's shoulder soon healed. But Sailor Orion's expression was concerned as she turned to survey the television screen in the corner of the waiting room, where the newscaster was still delivering reports about the mysterious snakebites.
"This isn't over, yet," she said grimly. "Sailor Jupiter, we're going to need your help."
Jupiter frowned. "What do you mean?"
"That snake she's talking about," Orion responded, jerking her thumb towards the television, "is not unknown to me. I'm certain that it belongs to Sailor Draco."
"Sailor Draco?" Mercury questioned. "Who are all of these other Sailor Senshi you keep mentioning, Orion?"
Sailor Orion shook her head, and her pale hair whispered softly about her ears. "This is another thing that I cannot explain to you," she answered quietly. "For now, you simply must trust me when I tell you that Sailor Draco is a very dangerous person. He possesses power over the Realm of Lightning, just as you do, Sailor Jupiter." She turned to face the green-clad Senshi. "The snake is one of Sailor Draco's pets, and it will be lured by your powers because they are similar to Draco's. The moment that you see it, you must destroy it only an attack from the Realm of Lightning can destroy something forged from that Realm."
Sailor Jupiter lowered her eyebrows. "What do I have to do?" she asked.
"Nothing," Sailor Orion said firmly. "You just used your power a moment ago, which means that the snake is probably already on its way here to find you. Just keep a sharp lookout when it appears, for if you do not destroy it quickly it will have the opportunity to bite more innocent people."
Sailor Moon looked up as Haruka was heading for the door. "Haruka-san! Wait!" she called out, running over to the taller girl and looking up into her face with concern. "Where are you going?"
"Home, where I belong," Haruka answered brusquely. "If you people want to hang out here and wait for some evil reptile to show up, go ahead. But count me out." She spun on her heel and left.
Sailor Moon stared after her with surprise and sorrow. "Haruka-san" she mumbled softly as she watched the blond racer stride away.
Sailor Pluto put a hand on Neptune's shoulder, as the Elegant Soldier's eyes followed her partner out the door. "Go on, Neptune," she said kindly. "We can handle the snake ourselves. I think Haruka needs you more than we do at the moment." Sailor Neptune turned to Pluto and gave her a grateful smile, and then followed Haruka out the door. She did not bother to detransform, since they had a rather large audience of newly-healed patients at the moment.
This audience, as a matter of fact, was quite enthralled with the fact that they had been treated to a visit by the famous Sailor Soldiers, and as they found themselves no longer bleeding or in any danger from the jaki, they became very excited. As Sailor Neptune exited the emergency room, the chattering rose to almost a deafening roar and the crowds surged forward, everyone trying to get the chance to meet one of the Senshi or shake their hands. For a moment, all of the Sailor Scouts were completely lost in the confusion that is, until the thunderous clamoring of their fans was silenced by an earsplitting whistle. Even Tuxedo Mask had to cover his ears, the whistle was so loud. And it immediately got everyone's attention. All eyes turned to Sailor Orion, who had managed to maneuver herself out of the crowd and was now perched upon the medical records counter, her peach-colored bows streaming behind her.
"People of Tokyo, listen to me, please." Her bell-like voice, delicate though it was, carried nicely through the hush in the room. "The Sailor Senshi still have yet another job to perform. The snake that all of you were attacked by must be destroyed, and until it is, you still in danger. Please know that your thanks and well-wishes are certainly appreciated, but at this time it is very important that each of you return to your homes immediately, so that this snake will not have the opportunity to harm any of you again."
There was disappointed murmurings throughout the crowd, but the people began to disperse. None of them wanted to face that little black snake again.There were a few who lingered for as long as they dared, but when they saw that everyone else was gone, they too departed. Even the hospital staff decided that it might perhaps be better for them to relocate to another part of facilities until the Sailor Senshi had ensured the destruction of the snake.
"Let's just hope that no one calls the media while we're waiting," Sailor Mercury worried. "That's all we need trying to destroy a Negaverse creature with cameras flashing in our faces."
"Oh, it wouldn't be that bad," Sailor Mars responded, stars beginning to float in her eyes. "Maybe they'd want to interview us and make us all idols! We could go on tours, and make movies, and record albumswhen we weren't fighting evil, that is," she added quickly, seeing Sailor Pluto's frown.
Venus nodded though, agreeing with Mars. "Hey, I think it would be really cool if they put us on TV. I mean, how many times have we saved the earth from complete annihilation? And we've never gotten credit for it. It might be nice to show everybody in Tokyo how hard we work to keep them all safe."
Jupiter shook her head. "Well I for one don't want to be a Senshi twenty-four hours a day. I mean, I want to have friends who like me for being Makoto, not because I'm a Sailor Scout. Even if I can't live a normal life all the time, it's better than not getting to have one at all."
"Mercury! Look out!" Sailor Orion shouted a warning to the blue Senshi as suddenly, from the air duct over her head, a thin black shape began to extend itself downwards. Mercury looked up to see the snake as it dove for her, and she quickly moved to the side and away from it. All the other Sailor Senshi took a step back as well, and the small dark snake landed on the floor in front of them, its little black tongue flickering in and out. Orion, still perched on the counter, now leapt to the floor, purposely bringing her heels down hard in order to cause vibrations that would attract the creature. Sure enough, the little snake turned his head towards her, and began to wriggle in her direction. Orion looked over at Jupiter. "Sailor Jupiter! Now!" she commanded. Jupiter nodded, and crossed her arms in front of her. Her lightning-rod tiara began to crackle as she gathered her powers.
"Supreme Thunder!" she bellowed, releasing the electrical energy downward at the black snake. Sailor Orion paused for a split second, and then jumped back up onto the records counter just as the sparkling attack reached the spot where her feet had been. It enveloped the little dark reptile, sizzling all over his long, thin body, and making him glow very brightly for a moment. When the glow faded, so did the snake. It was gone.
"That's it?" Sailor Jupiter inquired, almost sounding disappointed. "I thought it would be a little harder than that."
Sailor Orion smiled grimly. "I'm afraid it wasn't as much of a challenge as you were hoping for, Jupiter," she stated. "But don't worry-- before this is finished, you're going to have more challenges than you know what to do with." The other Sailors looked at one another, and then back at Orion, whose expression was now very serious. Sailor Moon opened her mouth to ask a question, and then closed it again, knowing that Orion would probably not give her an answer. She had finally told them some of the information they'd wanted to know and for now, it would have to be enough.

Back to Part Thirteen
On to Part Fifteen
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