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Part Twenty-Two: Round two! Lady Slipper steps up to the fight
"Chibiusa-chan?" Princess Serenity inquired softly as Shinzui opened the heavy oaken door. Shinzui smiled and laid a finger to her lips, then pointed into the room where the small pink-haired princess was curled up on the bed, asleep.
A lump formed in Serenity's throat as she gazed at her future child. The Guardians had said that shortly after Orion had taken them into the Music Sphere, the Neo Moon Princess' form had begun to solidify once more, and in a few minutes her condition had stabilized considerably. Shinzui told her that it was her reconciliation with Mamoru that had saved her daughter's life, and as Serenity moved to the little girl's bedside she found herself wondering how she ever could have been willing to give her up.
Serenity felt a warm, comforting hand on her shoulder, and looked up to meet Endymion's eyes. He was smiling warmly at both her and their child, and her heart caught in her throat how could she have ever even considered leaving him? At that moment, with his hand on her shoulder and her daughter's hand in her own, Serenity had never felt more complete or more right. This was her family. These were the people she loved most in the world the people she was fighting to protect. And they were safe, all thanks to Sailor Orion.
Princess Serenity looked over at Shinzui then, her eyes sparkling with tears, and she took a few steps toward her. "Thank you, Shinzui-san," she said quietly, regally. "Thank you so much for not allowing me to give this up."
There it was the queenlike dignity and grace that Shinzui recognized and respected so. In reply, she reached out and accepted Serenity's outstretched hand, and then before the Princess could protest she had dropped to one knee before her, pressing the soft hand to her lips in a kiss of obedience and gratitude. When Shinzui looked up, her own silvery-gray eyes were misty. "Princess you gave me everything I have. You showed me mercy and love when I didn't even understand the meaning of those words. You wouldn't let me give up and I will always be here to do the same for you." She lowered her head again, this time touching Serenity's hand to her forehead. "Always."
At any other time Serenity would have felt awkward with someone showing such obeisance to her, but something felt different about this. Instinctively she knew that this was important to Shinzui; that kneeling to her and showing her devotion meant a lot to her. And so instead of giggling nervously or pulling her hand away, Serenity gently pulled Shinzui to her feet. She wanted to wrap the taller girl in a hug, but she knew that now was not the time for it, and so instead she only smiled.
"Daddy?" Serenity turned around to see the Neo Moon Princess' eyes flutter open, and the girl sat up to reach for Endymion.
Endymion smiled at the child. "Hello, Small Lady. Did you have a good nap?" He sat down on the edge of the bed and the pink-haired girl wriggled into his lap.
She blinked sleepily a few times and looked around her. "Wait where are we?"
"This is the Celestial Hall, Small Lady," Shinzui replied gently. "You were sick, remember? I went to get Sailor Moon and help her make you better, and it worked."
The large russet eyes then came to rest on Serenity, and the Moon Princess felt a sudden knot of apprehension in her chest, recalling the little girl's last words to her: "I hate you. I hate all of you. I hope you all die!" What if she still hadn't forgiven her and the other Senshi for leaving her behind? What if this had been a mistake?
But a moment later all her worries dissolved away, for her future daughter flew off Endymion's lap and went charging towards her with her arms out. "Mommy!" she giggled happily. Serenity's eyes spilled over then as she took the child into her arms, and after a few more giggles, the Neo Moon Princess pulled back to observe her face with childish concern. "Are you crying, Mommy?"
Serenity smiled, a bit uncertainly, through her tears. "I'm I'm not exactly your Mommy yet, Chibiusa-chan. I'm Usagi, remember?"
The little girl froze for a moment as she considered this. But finally she shrugged. "Well, you will be someday, right?" she wanted to know.
Serenity met Endymion's eyes. "Yes. I will," she responded firmly. "Someday I will."
"Good." The small princess nodded with satisfaction.
Princess Serenity's eyes widened a bit at the response. "You mean you don't mind? I mean, having me for a mother. I know I'm klutzy and silly and I eat all your snacks, and I don't take care of you the way that I ought to. And when Lord Narcissus shot you I didn't even move. Are you sure you don't mind having a scaredy-cat for a mommy?"
The pink ponytails bounced and the child giggled again. "Well I'm a scaredy-cat too," she admitted cheerfully. "But we still always get the bad guys, don't we?" Her young face became more serious then. "Besides, my Mommy is the bravest person in the whole universe. When people need her, she's there. My mommy saved Crystal Tokyo and she saved me and she's nice and pretty. Even if she does eat my snacks." The little girl threw her arms around Serenity's neck. "I love you, Usagi-chan."
The Moon Princess' eyes spilled over again as she held her daughter close. "I love you, too," she whispered. Then both of them felt two big, strong arms encircling them as Prince Endymion joined the family moment.
"And I love both my girls," he declared pleasantly, looking down into Serenity's crystal blue eyes. "No one will ever take that away from us."
After a long hug, Small Lady looked around the room. "Hey, where did Shinzui-san go?" she inquired.
The Prince and Princess looked at one another again, and then back at their future daughter. "Uh, Small Lady, there are some things we need to tell you about Shinzui," Endymion began.
Serenity nodded. "Come over here," she said quietly, carrying the little girl back and sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I think we should all sit down for this."
As the newly reunited Moon family began to converse in low tones, Shinzui quietly shut the door. It was important to give them all some time to themselves. Gathering up the skirts of her long white dress in one hand, she headed back down the hall to report to the Guardians. Everything was going to be all right.
The slender woman bowed low as she approached the throne, a hideous contraption fashioned to look like thousands of clawed, grasping hands. The end of her long, rose colored braid coiled into a pile as she bent down, and then slowly drew up again as she stood. "You summoned me, Avatar?"
"I did." The soft cruelty of the voice resonated through the throne room of the Palace. "I understand you had an encounter with that traitorous son of mine."
Lady Slipper flushed a little and nodded. "Yes, your greatness. Orion resumed his true form in order to protect the Sailor Planets."
There was a low, dangerous growl of rage. "He destroyed the Soul Dissolver?"
"Yes, your greatness. And Lord Narcissus is dead."
"It's about time. I was beginning to wonder how long Orion was going to put up with him. I almost eliminated Narcissus myself." The shadowed figure on the throne shifted his weight slightly. "However, the bumbling fool has cost us enough time. The vernal equinox is swiftly approaching. I want the Silver Dagger, in my possession, before those Guardians and their ridiculous little Sacred Child get their hands on it."
Lady Slipper's ice-green eyes narrowed slightly. "Your greatness Orion may have switched sides but he has not lost any of his power. He and the Guardians have always defeated us before. How can we hope to prevail against them this time?"
There was a dark chuckle. "Insolent as always, eh, Lady Slipper? But never fear. There is something different about this lifetime. I can feel it as I feel my own breath. Something is going to happen this time, Lady Slipper something that will change everything. I believe that this time we shall succeed where we have failed. The Posiverse and its Guardians and pitiful Sailor Planets will be wiped out and under our control at last."
The Negaverse woman's eyes lit up at that. "If that is true, Avatar, then I ask that you allow me to take over Narcissus' work at the Doomsday Gate. If we are truly to defeat the Posiverse, I want to have a part in it."
"I had hoped you would say that, Lady Slipper," the Avatar responded with black glee. "Because it is my intention to promote you to Narcissus' position and if you are successful, I will reward you with power beyond your wildest imaginings." He chuckled again. "And I do know how wild your imagination can be."
Lady Slipper bowed once more. "I will not fail you, Avatar," she declared. "I have been developing a strategy which I am certain will lead us to the Dagger in a most efficient manner."
"I thought as much," the Avatar replied calmly. "You always were the entrepeneur, Lady Slipper. So tell me what is this little plan of yours?"
A venomous smile spread over the pretty features. "When Narcissus had the Senshi in the Doomsday Gate, I realized that if the Dagger has been reabsorbed into the blood of a human, the most likely human would be one who possesses great purity, power and strength. Someone like a Sailor Senshi."
The figure on the throne nodded. "That is true."
"Lord Narcissus and I tested two of them, Uranus and Neptune but neither was the carrier."
"That leaves eight," the Avatar surmised, "and we mustn't forget about my dear sweet little counterpart, Sailor ChibiMoon. She might be the carrier as well."
Lady Slipper nodded. "I will check the blood of each of them, one by one, until we find the Dagger. And after that, your greatness the Posiverse is yours for the taking."
There was more soft, cruel laughter from the Avatar. "A reasonable plan, Lady Slipper. But you have forgotten one thing. The Sailor Planets stand together, always. If you seek out one the others are sure to follow. How do you intend to accomplish this testing of their blood without getting yourself killed?"
Lady Slipper gave a giggle of amusement. "Why, it's very simple, your greatness. Orion may be on the other side now, but he could never kill me. I was his wife his new-found purity will not allow him to destroy me. And as for the other Senshi, well, you and I both know that I outpower any one of them."
"Except Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Kamen," the Avatar pointed out.
"By the time that gallant caped hero and his backwards little princess get there, I'll have retrieved the information I needed and be long gone," Lady Slipper declared positively.
"You'd better hope you are right about that, Lady Slipper," the Avatar warned then, his tones no longer amused. "Sailor Moon may be ignorant and childish, but she is the most powerful being in existence even more so than the Guardians of the Balance. With the Imperium Silver Crystal under her command she is a formidable enemy, one that even you could not hope to defeat, Lady Slipper. Do not undersestimate her powers."
Lady Slipper inclined her head in agreement. "Yes, your greatness."
The shadowy figure seated on the throne of hands nodded slowly. "However, I do approve of your plan to capture the Silver Dagger. Go after the Sailor Planets but do it with caution. Tell me which of them shall be your first target?"
Lady Slipper lifted a rose-colored eyebrow. "I thought I would begin with the easiest one of all Sailor Saturn is currently in her infancy and will be no challenge."
The Avatar chuckled. "You really are ambitious, aren't you, Lady Slipper? Going after the most deadly of the Senshi first. But you're right, as she is currently a child she is not likely to be much of a threat. Be wary, however. Saturn has close ties to the others. You may not have much time to accomplish your purpose before her little friends show up."
Lady Slipper bowed again, backed away three steps, then turned and swirled out of the throne room. The Silver Dagger would be theirs, this time. And Orion Orion would finally pay for his betrayal. She'd see to that. Sailor Orion was going to pay dearly.
Haruka ran a hand through her hair and sighed, staring out the window at the falling snow with a dark expression in her gray eyes. This whole new turn of events with Orion was taking a heavy toll. At first, she'd been disgusted to learn of Orion's past; but her disgust had been accompanied by an odd sort of satisfaction. After all, she now had an excuse for the feelings of rage that welled up inside every time she was in Orion's presence. It had been almost a relief to know that her feelings of hate and revulsion were actually justified but now she was questioning herself again.
She knew, deep down, that everything Sailor Orion had shown them in the Music Sphere was true. This was a certainty that she could not get rid of. She could feel it in her own heart and knew that Orion had not been lying to them about her conversion. She had been an enemy; she was not anymore. If anything she was a hero, giving up her life for Sailor Moon's over and over again. Haruka was not sure that even she could say that. She could not remember her previous lifetimes, or her previous deaths she could only hope that she had spent each lifetime serving Sailor Moon as devotedly as Orion had.
But if Orion was no longer an enemy, then why did this intense spite fill her every time she came into contact with her? Haruka didn't understand it. It was a disturbing prospect these feelings were so deep, so instinctual, that Haruka wasn't sure she could control them. They were like a heavy, dark monster lurking inside her head, a beast that she had no power over. Every time she laid eyes on the tall pale-haired Senshi her blood started to heat and she could feel that black monster clawing away at her brain. Haruka was more than willing to acknowledge that she was a warrior and like any true warrior she had experienced the bloodlust and exhilerating, murderous glory that came with a battle. But this hate, this terrifying rage, was more intense and more violent than anything she'd ever felt before. If she didn't know better, she'd call it evil.
The tomboyish blond shook her head again. Something had to be done about this it was obvious that she couldn't avoid Sailor Orion forever. They were going to have to fight together if they hoped to find the Silver Dagger in time. Haruka just prayed that she could hang onto her sanity at least until after the sacrifice, when Orion would be dead and she wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. In the meantime, Haruka would just have to keep on fighting the darkness inside herself, keeping it down and locked up, so that she wouldn't hurt anyone else.
"Haruka?"
She felt Michiru's soft hand on her shoulder, as her teal-haired roommate sat down on the window seat next to her. She tried to smile at her friend, but all she could manage was a tight half-smirk.
"Thinking about Orion again?" Michiru's aqua eyes were soft. Haruka didn't answer; she knew she wouldn't have to. The expression on her face was enough as she returned her gaze to the falling snow. Michiru paused a moment in understanding, and she too turned to look out the window. "It's so pretty out there," she mused softly. "Almost like a dream, so quiet and soft and simple. I think that's what life is supposed to be like for regular people." It was silent for a moment as they both watched the floating white flakes. "People make life so much harder than it is, you know," she continued. "All the bickering and fighting and cruelty they get upset over little things and they have no idea what true evil looks like. So they miss out on the real value of love." Michiru looked back at Haruka again, and reached out to take one of the long-fingered, calloused hands in her own soft white ones. Haruka met her eyes at this touch, and Michiru smiled. "You and I, Haruka we're different from most other people. All the Senshi are. We know what evil looks like. We've stared it in the face. And because of that we also understand how precious things like friendship, life and love really are."
Haruka considered these words for a second, and Michiru smiled gently. "Haruka, Orion spent years of her life in the Negaverse, where things like love and friendship don't even exist. I can't even imagine living like that. And now that she's here now that she's found us, and learned what it means to love and care for someone else, she's been giving everything she has in order to preserve our world from being destroyed. I'm not going to pretend to understand these feelings you have concerning her but maybe if you keep her past in mind those feelings won't be so strong."
Haruka bit her lip to keep from responding. As gentle and helpful as Michiru was trying to be, she was right she didn't understand. These feelings weren't related to anything that she knew about Orion. They were completely independent of knowledge and reason. And that was what worried her. Still, she mustered a smile that she hoped would be more convincing than the first and nodded. "Arigatou, Michiru."
"Can I help you?" The young child-care worker gazed curiously at the beautiful woman who'd just entered the classroom.
"Yes I'm here to pick up Tomoe Hotaru I'm her new nanny." The woman with the long rose-colored braid lifted one hand to remove her sunglasses. A pair of bright sea-green eyes stared down at the teacher, who shifted nervously.
"Um all right. Are you on her pick-up authorization form? And I'll need to see some ID." The woman did not respond, just stared down at the teacher coolly. There was hardness in her eyes that the teacher did not like, and so she fumbled with some of the papers on the desk. "Okay uh if you'll just wait right here I'll go get the director and he can authorize"
"That won't be necessary." The teacher looked up and found her eyes captured by the woman's mesmerizing green ones. In a moment she forgot completely what it was she had been intending to do it felt like a dream or a trance she looked down and vaguely recognized the fact that the woman had a flower held a few inches beneath her nose. The scent was sweet, almost too sweet, and she started to feel a little dizzy. The woman smiled venomously at her. "Now where can I find Tomoe Hotaru?"
"She's out on the playground," the teacher responded numbly.
The rose-haired woman nodded with satisfaction, and the flower between her fingers disappeared. She spun on her heel and left the classroom, and the hapless young teacher sank down into the chair behind the desk, still muttering to herself dazedly. "On the play ground. On the play ground. On the"
Lady Slipper grinned coldly to herself as she stepped out onto the playground. That had been even easier than she'd expected. The children were all busy making snowmen, snow angels and snow forts. Lady Slipper put her sunglasses back on to shield her delicate eyes from the glaring light reflecting off the snow, and scanned the playground until she'd spotted her target.
"Right there," she chuckled softly to herself as her gaze fell on the chubby little dark-haired girl playing in one corner. The child was giggling as she made tiny butterflies out of the snow. Lady Slipper's eyes narrowed as she watched baby Hotaru carefully shape the wings. For a moment the baby's violet eyes were glowing, and then the snow-butterfly suddenly began to move, flying into the air and circling the little girl's head before melting into tiny, crystalline drops. Hotaru clapped her hands happily and set about making another butterfly. Lady Slipper nodded to herself. There was no mistaking it that was Sailor Saturn, all right. Lady Slipper would recognize the signs of the Realm of Health anywhere.
She reached into the pocket of her long mink coat, fingering the small, sharp knife she'd hidden there. "Like taking candy from a baby," the evil woman quipped, and grinned cruelly as she began to advance across the snow.
"Aren't you late?" Centauri prodded gently, watching his mistress as she moved carefully about the kitchen preparing a pot of tea. Shinzui smiled in his direction but did not answer, and the golden retriever shook his head. "You're not going, are you?"
Shinzui shook her head, feeling about in the cupboards for the tea tins. "No. I don't know that they're ready to see me yet. The Prince and Princess are back together and the Moon Family is safe right now that's what's important. I think they should all have a little time to themselves now, to breathe and think things through. When they're ready they'll come to me."
"But Shinzui, surely Chibiusa should not have to miss out on a piano lesson just because Usagi and the others have found out about your past."
Shinzui cocked a pale eyebrow. "How would you feel about receiving a music lesson from a person whom you just learned was your archenemy from another lifetime?" She lifted the tea tins to her face, inhaling the aromas until she located the spicy orange herbal one she'd been searching for. Setting it aside, she began to put the rest of the tins back into the cupboard. "Missing one lesson will not hurt but it could cause greater damage if I were to force my presence upon them before they're ready to see me."
Centauri sighed. Shinzui was always thinking this way that her very existence was a burden to the people she cared for. He wished that there was something he could do to convince her otherwise, but he was only a dog, after all. He might be Shinzui's best friend but he could never replace her fellow soldiers. In a moment, however, his worries were dissolved, because Shinzui's head suddenly snapped up, and a giant smile spread over her face. He knew that smile and sure enough, about a minute later there came a knock at their apartment door.
Shinzui went to the door and opened it. "Princess," she said softly, greeting Usagi. "Small Lady Rei-chan Ami-chan Mako-chan Minako-chan." She nodded to each of the six girls standing in her doorway. "And Luna and Artemis. Please, come in." The girls did not have to ask now how it was she'd recognized all of them without her sight they were becoming more and more acquainted with the astonishing abilities of their blind friend.
"Are you okay, Shinzui-san?" Chibiusa demanded scarcely after she'd entered the room. "How come you didn't come for my lesson today?"
Shinzui smiled, her blind gaze gentle. "I wasn't sure I would be welcome." Chibiusa opened her mouth to protest loudly, but Shinzui shook her head. "Come, all of you. Take a seat. I was just making some tea. Would you like to join me?"
Usagi's eyes grew wider when she saw the plate of small cookies and cakes that Shinzui had prepared. But before she could make a dive for the counter, Rei had seized her wrist and glared at her. Then the dark-haired priestess turned to Shinzui calmly. "We'd like that," she responded, and still holding Usagi's wrist, dragged the ponytailed blond over to the cream-colored couch in Shinzui's living room. Luna followed them, shaking her head at another of her mistress' faults.
"Ow!! Rei-chan!" Usagi protested, and Makoto and Ami exchanged amused glances. Makoto turned towards the blind girl with a nod.
"Tea would be very nice, Shinzui-san," she responded politely, and turned with the others to join Rei and Usagi. Shinzui smiled, and in a minute the teakettle on the stove began to whistle. She went to remove it, and the room was suddenly filled with the sweet, pungent orange aroma as she carefully poured the boiling water over the tea in her teapot. The other girls watched her work with interest it never ceased to amaze them how Shinzui, being blind, could continue to perform normal tasks just as efficiently and easily as a seeing person might. Arranging the teapot, seven Japanese teacups, and three small china bowls onto a tray, Shinzui brought the tea and the plate of cookies over to the low table in the living room.
Once there she did not sit down, but proceeded to pour the tea into the cups, and handed the first cup, along with a large cookie and generous piece of cake, to Usagi with a low, dignified bow. If she hadn't been so serious about it the others would have started giggling. It was a little absurd to them to see Shinzui treating their airheaded, greedy little friend with such intense respect. But now that they knew the story behind it they could not help looking at Shinzui in a new light; no wonder she adored Usagi so. Usagi had saved her from a world of cruelty and betrayal and brought her into theirs. This was something only Usagi would have had the soft-heartedness and compassion to do, and suddenly the situation did not seem quite so absurd. Shinzui served Chibiusa next, and then all the others, with the same grace and hospitality. When she was finished she poured a small amount of tea into one of the bowls on the tray, added a few drops of milk and a spoonful of sugar, and set it down on the white carpeted floor. Centauri walked over and began to drink his tea too, careful not to spill any on the carpet. Shinzui smiled up in Usagi's direction.
"Would Luna and Artemis like some as well?" she inquired sweetly.
Luna's eyebrows flew up as she and Artemis stared at one another. "Well my I don't know," Luna answered in surprise. "I don't believe we've ever taken tea with the girls before." Artemis was nodding in agreement.
Centauri looked up from his bowl and smiled at them. "You should try it," he encouraged. "It's very good."
The two cats exchanged another glance, and then nodded. Shinzui made two more bowls of tea, complete with milk and sugar, and placed them down near Centauri's. Luna and Artemis left their mistress' laps in order to get down from the couch and taste their tea and after the first few licks they both started purring. "Very good, Shinzui-san," Artemis nodded.
"Yes, thank you," Luna affirmed. Shinzui smiled as the two cats went back to drinking their tea and conversing in low tones with Centauri. She straightened up, poured the last of the tea into a cup for herself, and then picked up the teapot, preparing to return to the kitchen and refill it. But Usagi shook her head through a mouthful of crumbs.
"Shinzui-san, wait a little, please. We wanted to talk to you."
Shinzui seemed a bit surprised, but she nodded obediently and sat down on the floor in front of the low table. She was so tall that she was still nearly eye level with Usagi though that didn't really matter since she couldn't see her, anyway. "What is it, Princess?" the blind girl responded, settling herself and picking up her own teacup.
Usagi swallowed her mouthful of cake. "Well, we were talking about the stuff you showed us," she began. "And like you said, we all somehow just know that it's true. And you brought Mamo-chan and I together again."
"So I'm still here," Chibiusa tossed in happily.
"Anyway, Shinzui-san, we just wanted you to know that we're not mad at you anymore we understand now what you did, and we know you're our friend. We want to keep looking for the Dagger with you." Ami spoke up, summarizing everything they'd agreed upon during their last meeting.
The other girls were nodding. "You're a great friend, Shinzui-san," Minako added.
"And a really awesome fighter," Makoto agreed.
"You've been protecting all of us from the beginning, and we would have died in the Doomsday Gate if it weren't for you," said Rei firmly. "We understand know about the past and how you used to be our enemy, but you're on our side now you saved our butts from the Negaverse and from what we understand you've been saving us in every lifetime for much farther back than we can remember."
Usagi grinned then. "You're a cool person, Shinzui-san, and you make really good cake. We want to be your friends again."
The blind girl listened to all of this, and they could see tears in her sightless gray eyes as she smiled at them. "I'm so glad you all feel that way," she replied in that tinkling, silvery voice. "Because I would like, very much, to have you all as my friends."
The other girls nodded and smiled, and Usagi leaned across the table to give Shinzui an enthusiatic, if somewhat awkward, hug. Shinzui accepted the hug with an enormous smile. And then, as Usagi sat back down and they all began to chatter happily, Shinzui picked up the teapot to take it to the kitchen.
All of a sudden there came a crash and the sound of shattering china. The girls in the living room looked up in shock to see Shinzui standing there, the pretty teapot smashed into pieces at her feet. There was an expression of horror on her face. Centauri was by his mistress' side in an instant.
"Shinzui-san, what on earth--?"
The blind girl turned towards the others in the room. "Sailor Saturn is in terrible danger," she declared softly. "We have no time to lose."
"Hotaru-chan?" Chibiusa gasped.
Shinzui rolled up her sleeve, exposing her bracelet, and then looked down at Centauri who nodded back. "Wait, Shinzui-san, we're coming with you," Usagi announced, rising to her feet. The others set their teacups down on the table and produced their henshin pens.
"Mercury Star Power!"
"Mars Star Power!"
"Jupiter Star Power!"
"Venus Star Power!"
"Moon Prism Power!"
"Cosmic Moon Power!"
Then Centauri called out, "Orion Constellation Power!" and the others joined in with him on the last word.
"MAKE UP!!!"
"Hey, who are you?" Lady Slipper was interrupted by one of the childcare workers. With a wave of her hand, she sent a blast of power that knocked the poor woman backwards into one of the snowmen the children were working on. This set up a howl among the children, which Lady Slipper ignored. She'd found her target. She was not going to waste any more time on these pitiful humans. She had just managed to reach the dark haired baby and pick her up when a thunderous voice exploded from the other side of the playground.
"What's going on out here?"
Lady Slipper, with baby Hotaru still in her arms, spun around to see the white haired, ruby-eyed giant glaring at her. She cursed under her breath. She should have known that the infant Saturn would be under the protection of the Guardians. Neophilus' eyes narrowed. He would have recognized Lady Slipper anywhere; she was one of the few Negaverse Senshi that he'd had the displeasure of meeting.
"Lady Slipper. You had better put the child down and leave now."
Lady Slipper leered at him. "Or else what?" she demanded imperiously. "You so much as take one step towards me," she flicked the small knife out of her pocket and held it to the baby's throat. "And I kill her."
Neophilus gave a snort of amusement. "You know as well as I do that it won't make any difference," he reminded her. "Saturn will just be reborn again."
The rose-haired woman cocked an eyebrow. "Ah, but I know you, Guardian Father. You value life too much to throw it away." And with that, she proceeded to draw the sharp little blade along the baby's arm. Hotaru shrieked indignantly as the scarlet line welled up. Lady Slipper produced a fire opal from her pocket, which she then waved over the child's arm but nothing happened. Lady Slipper shrugged. "Well, it's not you," she announced casually, slipping the knife and opal back into her pocket.
Neophilus took another step forward. "Leave the child, or I will destroy you," he declared firmly.
Lady Slipper looked up at him and sneered. "Now didn't I warn you not to come any closer?" she pointed out. "Congratulations, Guardian Father. You just killed this baby." And she pulled the knife out again, aiming for Hotaru's throat.
"Hold it right there!" Lady Slipper spun around, to see the familiar ponytailed, dumpling-headed silhouette posing in the snow. Sailor Moon stepped forward into the light, scowling furiously. "How dare you attack a child, you nasty lady! I am a champion for love and justice a pretty Sailor Soldier Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"
An instant later the forms of Sailors Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus and ChibiMoon had also appeared. And then, from behind her, Lady Slipper heard a familiar tinkling giggle.
"Well, well, my love. I would have expected a little more from you attacking a Sailor Planet. What were you thinking?" Lady Slipper turned to face Sailor Orion, who was standing at Neophilus' side.
"I'm not your love," the Negaverse woman spat out towards her.
Sailor Orion cocked an eyebrow. "You never said a truer word, Lady Slipper. You don't even know what love is."
"I know it makes you weak," Lady Slipper snapped back. "Just look at you, Orion. You used to rule the world and now you're nothing more than a flunky to that little ambitionless brat. It's disgusting."
Sailor Orion giggled again. "And that's why you will never be able to stop underestimating us, Lady Slipper. Because you cannot comprehend how it is that knowing love makes us strong so much stronger than any ambition could ever be. You attack one of us, you attack us all." Then her eyes narrowed, and her tone lost every ounce of playfulness. "However, if you ever call my Princess a brat again I will be forced to cut your tongue out."
Lady Slipper's eyes widened now there was the Orion she remembered. Cold and dangerous. Only problem was, Orion was now on the wrong side. Still, she tightened her grip on the knife in her fingers. "Well, ladies, I suppose you showed up just in time then, hmm? Just in time to watch one of your fellow Sailors die. I'll tell you what, though I'll give you a fighting chance." She extended her arm with the knife still in her hand, and tapped the blade three times with her fingernail. A small, black, oily drop of liquid formed at the end of the knife and fell to the ground, expanding as it went. "If you defeat my jaki, you can keep your precious little Saturn. And if it defeats you Saturn is mine." She gave a venomous laugh as the oily substance began to swell and grow and take shape.
Neophilus turned towards Orion. "Shall I destroy it now?" he wanted to know with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "It wouldn't take much."
But Orion shook her head. "No. In light of recent events, I think we could all use a good fight to clear the air." She grinned. "But if it does look like it's getting the best of us, feel free to step in."
Neophilus nodded and they both turned to watch as the jaki formed itself. Lady Slipper giggled to herself. "I think you'll find my new breed of jaki to be a bit more challenging than Lord Narcissus' incompetent creatures were," she boasted to the Senshi, taking a step back, with baby Hotaru still in her arms. "Have fun!"
Sailor Jupiter growled under her breath. "You bet we will," she muttered, glaring at the ugly, shiny black monster as it finished its development and began searching around for a human to drain. Settling on the sailor-suited soldiers in front of it, the creature licked its swollen lips and took a step forward.
"Human juice!"
"I don't think so, ugly," Sailor Jupiter snarled, and clenched her fist so that the lightning rod on her tiara began to crackle. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" She released the silvery, glittering disc of power towards the jaki. The creature grunted as the attack struck its midsection, but a moment later all the Senshi's mouths dropped open to see Jupiter's disc passing right through the jaki and exiting from the back.
"Watch out, Orion," Neophilus warned, stepping aside as the shimmering electrical energy brushed past his face and finally slammed into the door of the daycare building. Neophilus turned to make sure that all of the children that had been out on the playground were now safely inside, and then he turned back to watch. The jaki did not seem at all disgruntled by Jupiter's attack. In fact, it barely hesitated before continuing to advance on the Senshi.
Lady Slipper watched this attack thoughtfully. Sailor Jupiter's lightning had a brilliant silver sheen to it. I wonder she mused inwardly, with a crafty smile. The Silver Dagger-- it is possible that one who has such a silver power could be the host.
"Burning Mandala!" Sailor Mars cried out. The glowing fiery orbs surrounded her, concentrated themselves, and blasted straight for the evil spirit. But these, too, also merely passed right through it. This time it was Sailor Orion who had to step aside to avoid being struck.
"Venus Lovely Chain!"
"Shine Aqua Illusion!"
"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"
All three attacks, fired at the same time, converged and combined themselves before striking the monster. They still passed through it, but this time the jaki was actually forced to slow down. "That's it, everyone!" Sailor Mercury called to the others as she analyzed the creature with her VR goggles. "Our attacks have more of an effect when we combine them."
The five girls looked at one another and grinned, and then, in unison, called out their attacks once more. This time the five glowing powers converged together, forming a huge beam of light and energy, which enveloped the jaki. "It's working," Sailor Mercury called out, again using her goggles. "Sailor Moon, now!"
Sailor Moon nodded, brandishing the Spiral Heart Moon Rod. Holding it up and concentrating on the power of the Silver Crystal, she began to spin, feeling the sweet pure power flowing through her. "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" she cried out, and as she froze on one knee, the Rod held up above her head, the waves of heart-shaped purifying power streamed from the Rod towards the creature.
There was a collective gasp of disbelief as the power of the Silver Crystal also went directly through the jaki, without harming it at all. Sailor Moon's jaw dropped, and after a moment she began to wail. "No fair, no fair, no fair!! It's supposed to dieeeee!!!"
At this point, Sailor Orion stepped forward with a look of determination on her face. "It's all right, Princess," she said, her musical voice echoing through the white snow-filled playground. "I'll try." With that she summoned her Sphere, which began to glow and pulse with its unearthly peach-colored light. The jaki, attracted by the light, turned towards Orion and began to advance on her instead. Sailor Orion grinned, lifted her fist, and sang out, "Heavenly Symphony!"
The melody filled the playground with its usual cleansing, restorative effects. Lady Slipper grimaced a bit. That sickening sweet purity stuff was enough to make her ill. However, she was not weak enough that a little bit of music would actually have much effect on her other than being a little grossed out, she was perfectly fine. And so was the jaki.
"Sailor Orion, look out!" Venus and ChibiMoon screamed in unison as the jaki just kept right on coming towards her. The creature caught the colossal Sacrificial Soldier by surprise, and gave her a smack across the face that knocked her backwards over the snow, into the children's jungle gym.
"Orion!" Neophilus said with concern, taking a step forward. His ruby eyes glittered as he looked over at Lady Slipper and the jaki. "All right, I've had enough. I'm putting an end to this right now."
"No." Neophilus turned to see Sailor Orion picking herself up out of the snow. She was limping a little, but her silver eyes were sparking fire. "No, Neophilus. We have to do this ourselves. You aren't always going to be here to get us out we have to know that we can fight these things on our own."
Sailor Jupiter yelled across to her, "What about that Mini-Sphere thing you do?"
Orion shook her head. "Too destructive," she called back. "We have a room full of children on the other side of that wall."
Lady Slipper giggled. "So, the Sailor Senshi give up. I guess that means bye, bye, Sailor Saturn." She tightened her grip on the baby's neck.
"Not remotely," came the reply from up above. A single rose flew down to embed itself in the jaki's path, forcing it for a moment to pause its advance on Orion.
Sailor Moon's eyes got starry as she gazed up at the roof of the daycare center. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama," she sighed, thinking to herself how nicely the whiteness of the snow set off her beloved's black tuxedo and cape.
Sailor ChibiMoon also straightened up and cheered, "Tuxedo Kamen-sama!"
Tuxedo Kamen nodded down at both of them, but kept his white-masked gaze on Lady Slipper and the jaki. "The Sailor Senshi of the Posiverse never give up," he declared firmly. "Sailor Moon, Sailor Orion if combined attacks are what effect this creature the most, then the two of you must work together to destroy it."
Orion's face grew thoughtful, and she went to stand next to Sailor Moon. She winked at the much shorter girl. "Come, Princess. Fight with me."
Sailor Moon's eyes grew wide but she held her Moon Rod up. Once again she began to spin, powering up her attack. "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" she called out, and on the last word she thrust the Spiral Heart Moon Rod up into the air, this time touching it to Sailor Orion's Orion Music Sphere. At that same moment, Sailor Orion called out her own attack.
"Heavenly Symphony!!"
The melody that filled the air was different, this time, than the song they were used to. Somehow it had become more powerful, more intense. The purifying power of Sailor Moon's attack was being magnified by Orion's Sphere, and sent out along with the melody, washing over everyone and everything with a power that was so clean and healing that it almost took the other Senshi's breath away. Sailor Moon herself had never experienced anything quite so beautiful as the achingly sweet love and hope washing over her. It was the kind of joy, simple and complete, that brought tears to one's eyes with the passion of it.
This time, Lady Slipper did have to cover her ears. In doing so, she dropped baby Hotaru into the snow. The baby, very happy to be away from her mean captor, wiggled away towards Neophilus. Lady Slipper scarcely noticed, she was so busy trying to block the purity from her ears. She could feel her skin beginning to burn as the cleansing effect of the melody was destroying all the evil in the area, and she knew she couldn't stay much longer. Still, she'd achieved what she'd come for Sailor Saturn was one more Senshi they could strike off the list of possible carriers. She could always return. She turned her head to glare at Sailor Orion.
Orion, noting the effect their combined attack was having on her former Negaverse partner, winked rakishly at Lady Slipper, and gave an enormous grin. She knew precisely what the evil woman was feeling at the moment, and so she also knew that Lady Slipper would be leaving them in approximately one two three
"I'm coming back, you know," Lady Slipper hissed.
Orion cocked an eyebrow. "I'm looking forward to it," she replied mischievously. "We ought to hold these little family reunions more often."
With a final glare, Lady Slipper's form shimmered and then disappeared completely from sight. And as she did so, the jaki gave a horrible hiss, and melted away, just as his predecessors had, into a pool of black, shiny liquid. Sailor Moon, Orion and the others watched with satisfaction as the gooey stuff slowly disappeared, absorbing into the snow until there was nothing left of it.
Neophilus picked Hotaru up from the ground, and Sailor ChibiMoon instantly ran to his side to check on her best friend. She clucked her toungue angrily over the small red cut on the baby's arm, and Hotaru, giggling, tried to imitate the clucking noises herself. As Neophilus and ChibiMoon watched, the cut on the baby's arm seemed to miraculously close itself, and fade away. In a moment there was not a trace of Lady Slipper's knife to be found anywhere on her arm. ChibiMoon stared at the baby wide-eyed, and then looked up at Neophilus, who smiled kindly at her amazement. "Sailor Saturn has influence over the Realm of Health," he explained. "Her powers come from destruction but they also come from healing."
Sailor Orion turned to face Sailor Moon with a bit of amazement on her face. "Princess. That is the first time that you and I have ever combined our attacks, in all the lifetimes we have shared. I did not believe it was possible."
Sailor Moon flashed a brilliant smile. "Everything's possible, Orion," she chirped happily. "And we beat that jaki good. You and me."
Orion had to return the smile; Sailor Moon's smiles were infectious. "Yes, we did."
Sailor Mercury spoke up then. "Sailor Moon, I think we need to call another Scout Meeting to discuss this. It would seem that Lady Slipper is up to something. We need to find out what it is." The other scouts were nodding in agreement, and so Sailor Moon sighed.
"Okay." They were probably right it certainly did seem like Lady Slipper was up to no good. She turned towards Hotaru. "Bye-bye, Hotaru-chan."
"Bye, Hotaru-chan," Sailor ChibiMoon echoed, reluctantly releasing the baby's hand. All the girls followed Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen over the tall wire fence, knowing that it was probably easier to jump the fence than it would be to return through the building where scores of awed little children would be latching onto their legs at every step.
Once they were all safely over the fence, Orion turned towards Neophilus. "I'll meet with you and the other Guardians later to discuss this," she said quietly, and he nodded. Shinzui reached out to ruffle the baby's hair, and then she too was gone.
Neophilus watched the Senshi go, and sighed. There was something disturbingly different about this lifetime he could sense that somehow this time would not end as all the others had before. He could only hope that this would have a happy ending. Because if it didn't but that wasn't worth thinking about. As always, it comes down to the Senshi. Either they will save the Posiverse from disaster once again or there will be no Posiverse left to save. With another sigh he turned, and carried Hotaru inside.
Back to Part Twenty-One
On to Part Twenty-Three
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