Episode 8
A Turn in the Tide
*****************************************************************************
Millela, who was still out of the water grinned and yelled back. "IT'S NOT MY FAULT! They dare'd me to do it!" But the older girl began to climb out of the water, Millela wised up and dashed away yelling. "Don't hurt me!!!" Jeana was out of the pool by now and the two began a wild chase around the garden in which the pool was set.
Siconja wishpered something to Kira and they were out of the pool in a flash, they came back with some of those huge water guns. The kind with extra water barrels strapped on the wearers back. As the pair rounded their side of the pool, they fired. This started all out war as all four girls tried to get the best of each other. This lasted all afternoon and into the evening, then the Saiyan stomuchs called and it was chow time.
*
Welcome to Meta! Capitol of the Dark Planets!. Thats what the sign said, wrote in what seemed to be blood. "Cheerful. This was mom's idea wasn't it?" A tall young boy with silvery blond hair said turning to another man. The second man was shorter and had very white blond hair. His eyes were a icey cold blue, even his skin was pale, nearly white. 'Creepy' was the only thought that ran through the first's mind.
"Yes Prince Aryno, this was the Queen's idea. I thought it might be a joke, but she was rather insistant about this one. Nearly got my ass fried for laughing." The second man sighed staring up at the sign.
The first, now indentified as Aryno, looked at the other with a crooked grin. "Diotmond, when will you learn to keep your mouth shut?" Aryno was about five seconds from bursting out laughing. The one called Diotmond did not seem pleased with that. He was frowning heavily now, he held his silence. "Well then lets go back. Mother was about to throw a fit when I left. I believe it was over you Diotmond. What did you do this time?"
Diotmond looked at his feet and grumbled. "I let the Senshi brats get the Jou Hari." Aryno stared at him and chuckled.
"Well then I'd stay out of sight for a while. And she was so pleased with you last time too!" The young Prince couldn't help but grin at the general as the walked. "So Diotmond, what do you think of mother's obsession with the Royal Senshi? Furthermore, about her obsession with the Jou Ginzuishou and the Sayin Queen?"
Diotmond glanced at his prince, he seemed genuinely interested. "I think her majesty is being rather silly. We're fine the way we are, we don't need that silly crystal to take over the universe. The Sayin Queen is dead, we only need to stop the Senshi from finding her."
Aryno stared at Diotmondm he hadn't thought anyone else believed his mother was being silly. "I agree." Diotmond stared at him in disbelief. "Mother is being very silly. I have no intrest in ruling the universe. It's not as if a dead woman can really challenege her. I don't believe that silly legend those sayins have concoted, she's dead and shes not cmoing back."
Diotmond, of course, didn't believe what he was hearing. This was his prince, born and bred to rule. He was to have the universe screaming for mercy, he had the power. He could take down his own mother if he truely wanted. Damn, he could even blow us all up right now if he wanted to. He was supposed to want to rule, instead here he was, waving his hand at the legend they all feared. That was fine, it was wide belief the prince could stop the Sayin Queen and her crystal. But still. It was the principal of the matter. "My prince does not wish to be King?" His voice was astonished.
Aryno turned towards Diotmond. "I thought it was obvious. When was the last time I took any intrest in mothers plans?"
"Never prince."
"There, you see. I've never wanted to rule. Of course it makes mother very angry, she says she must find someone worthy of her and have another child. Ones whose intrested in the family business."
The pair walked in silence for a while. The drery day was only getting worse as a storm blew up. Lightning streaked across the sky, it didn't seem to bother the two men at all. They were coming up on a large building. It was ugly, to say the least. It looked as if it had once been made out of shimmering black crystal, then something had happened, a fire perhaps. And it had melted, into the ugly thing it was now. "Ugly place isn't it?" Aryno asked, turning his eyes to look at Diotmond.
"Yes prince. Just what I was thinking." Diotmond did not turn his eyes, looking straight ahead. Now that they were back in sight of the palace, he had to use proper protocal. Who knew who was watching. As they entered they went their seperate ways. Diotmond was taking Aryno's advice on minding his own business for a while. Aryno sighed and headed towards the throne room. He'd rather be outside in the drery weather of Meta then spend anymore time then nessicary with his mother. Queen Latifma, his mother, queen of the Dark Planets, was insane. She was legally(by Earth standards) cerifiable as a wacko. A total nutcase, how she became queen he would never know. It was have been the absolute power she possesed, it was the only thing that kept the kingdom toghter, everyone's fear that she would freak out and use that power and tear them all to bits.
He arrived in the dark room, it took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust. Then he saw the nut case herself. Sitting on her throne, toying with something in her hands. She looked up. "Ahh, Aryno. Come see something." She commanded, Aryno didn't believe she knew how to do anything else. He went to her side and she held up what she toying with. I was a small crystal orb. "Look!" she giggled in her mad way and suddenly the orb sprang to life.
Inside thr orb was a image of a huge silver palace. He reconized the picture, this was, or used to be, the Sayin Kingdom. He looked at his mother, his eyes bored. She giggled again and waved her hand in front of it. Another image, the Sayin Queen herself, with her king by her side. Her face was in shadows. "You see my unbelieving son. How could she mask her face, even in images of the past, if her powers were not still alive and out there. If she herself was not still alive and out there. We have not killed her yet." His mother mummered. She waved her hand again, this time the orb revealed four girls. They were asleep, but he could not see any of their faces. "The Senshi my son. But their magic is at work even as they sleep. We cannot see their faces and indentify them. We have to stop them my son. They are dangerously close. Even though they lost that T brat they still have four of the five actual Royal Senshi. The T brat was only a guardian, and not a very good one at that. They might have the fifth any time now."
Aryno tried not to sigh. Why was his mother so obsessed with those Senshi brats. And if she really wanted them dead why did she not send him? He could blow them to bits before they even realized he was there. Of course he didn't really want to blow the Senshi to bits. The leader, Sailorsayin, was quite pretty. He thought about reminding his mother that they were also sayin,just like the queen she wished to destroy. "Yes mother, what do you plan to do?" Aryno said in a resigned voice.
She glared at him angry at his lack of intrest. "Take the next Jou Hari. I've located three in fact, but they will not be easy to take." She waved her hand again to reveal three figures. The first was a lovely goddess, with long blond hair done up into odangos, a crown pearched upon her head. She was dressed in white with wings on her back and crescent moon on her forehead. The second was a tall man with dark hair, dressed in a lavender tuxedo, upon his head with a faint circle with a cross in it. The third and final figure was still a young woman, but more like a young goddess. She was dressed in white and had long pink hair, done up in rabbit ear shapped odangos, upon her forehead there was a crescent moon just like the first figures.
Aryno gasped, her knew who those figures were. "But mother! They are Neo-Queen Serenity, King Endymion and the Neo-Princess, Princess Usa. We have no quarrel with them!"
Latifma made a nnoyed noise and said in her strange way. "They hold the three human Jou Hari, it makes no difference now, they must be releived of those crystals. Do you think I care that they have never caused us trouble. They would side with HER in a instant, you know that. Just because they haven't doesn't mean they wont!"
"Do whatever pleases you mother but leave me out of it!" Aryno nearly snarled and turned, leaving the room. He did not stop or slow even though he heard the crackle of energy behind him, that would seal his fate. The one thing his mother was proud of was that her son was no coward. The fact kept him alive.
As he left and closed the doors behind him, he heard a male voice in the throne room. Hycro. He knew his mother was seeing Hycro, one of her generals. He knew she was trying to conceive another child. It didn't really bother him, just made him uneasy. Who knew what she would do with him when a new prince was born.
*
He was running through a silver city. The city was on fire, and unholy light cast across the palace ahead of him. The palace was the center of the city and was yet untouched by the madness around him. His heart raced, not just with exustion, but with fear, that someone would reach the palace before him. That SHE would reach the palace before him.Only one thought went through his mind as he ran 'Oh God, let them be alright! Love! I'm coming!'
As he got closer he was joined by another man, also running as if his life depended on it. Or rather his wife's life depended on it. The other gave him a nod and a weak smile as they both kept running. They reached the palace, a woman was waiting out front. He long black hair flew out behind her in the super heated wind, her blue eyes panicked. Her face was unclear though and the only feature they could be sure of was a silver circle adorning her forehead. Amoungst the chaos she seemed amazingly serene, her light blue dress flying out behind her. The other man and her came together with a cry, he hugging her close.
All he could think of was his wife and daughter and getting them far away. He knew what this mad queen was after now. She wanted their lives, his wife and daughter. Then an horrible sound filled the area, from behind him two screams of pain echoed throughout the night and a loud cackle roared above their screams.
And then another heart wrenching scream, from in front of him. There at the top of the steps was a tall woman in a lilac dress. Her face was unclear as the first womans face but the golden circle stood out clear as day, and the fact the she was horrified. Her black hair flew around her, held back by the twin buns on her head, hiding what she held in her arms. He reached her in two great bounds and hugged her, and looked back for the first time to see the remains of his friends and the mad queen floating above them.
His eyes met sparkling blue eyes as he looked at his wife, the woman he held. And for the first time he saw what she held in her arms, a dark haired infant. It's hair just growing in and the same golden circle, dull on its forehead. It's eyes were closed and its body was limp, the child was dead. A single tear trickled down his face before and war cry turned him around in a flash.
Flying towards them with her sword pointed straight at his wife's heart was the mad queen. Without a second thought he lept in front of the charge. The blade peirced his heart and his world went dark with the heart wrenching scream of his wife the last sound he heard.
Nicaruagja bolted upright in his bed panting for air. His body was covered in sweat, his eyes wide and frightened. He put and hand to his head and closed his eyes, breathing deep. "What is this dream? Why does it huant me so?!" He looked around his room, everything was fine, nothing was out of place. He took a deep breath and lay back down, still breathing fast and wishpered. "Just a dream. But what does it mean?"
*
Siconja sat on her roof outside her window staring out across the city. He hair blew in the breeze, warm for the time of year. She'd had some sort of horrible nightmare, but about what she couldn't remember. She sighed and stared out at the dimly lite city. The dream, she'd dreamed it before. But the darkly handsome man was all she could remember. What she felt now was nothing compared to the dream, her heart ached. She could feel another, someone else was awake tonight. But why would she be able to feel them, had they awoken from the strange dream as well. The warmth she felt from this presence was incredible. As she stared out at the night sky she mummered one word. "Nicky..."
Across the city the presence Siconja felt mummered something as well. "Ja-chan..."
*
Siconja and Kira were strolling around the Crystal gardens, near the palace. It was a lovely day, the sun was out a shinning, glinting off the tall spires of the Crystal Palace. The girls span and moved throughout the garden, mindless of others, they were simply two teenage girls having fun.
After lunch the pair had somehow wandered into the heart of the gardens were neither of them had eve been before. "Siconja...I've never seen this part of the garden before." Kira said quietly as she gazed around her.
"I haven't either..."Siconja drifted off as she walked. Then before the pair was a grove of cherry trees. And sitting in the grove were two women. At first Siconja and Kira didn't reconize them, but then it hit. These two women were Neo-Queen Serenity and Princess Usa. The two odangoed figures seemed to be talking in quiet voices. Siconja and Kira looked at each other in shock and then began to back away. As they were backing up Siconja triped over a small branch and let out a small cry, which she threw in her hands over her mouth to try and cover up. That in turn made her loose her balance and send her crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
That cuaght the attention of the pair in the grove. Both of them turned to see a very embarressed teenage sayin girls. Serenity cuaght her breath in recongnition when she saw Siconja. It was that girl, Sailorsayin. But who was the other one? Usa mearly blinked at the pair and noticed the girl on her butt had her mothers hairstyle. And both had bangs that fell in the same way as Serenity and Usa's did. The four stared at each other for a while, but Usa was the first to speak. "Who are you?" He clear young voice rang throughout the garden, not a acusation, merly a question.
Siconja finally managed to stutter out. "I'm Siconja-Arora-Farie. And this is Kira-Malina-Sarcose. I'm sorry your mejesty, we were just walking and got a little lost."
Serenity smiled and spoke. "It's alright you did no harm." She waved her arm at her daughter who was about to protest. She smiled serenly again. "Enjoying the gardens? It's a nice day isn't it."
"Yes m'am.." Kira said quietly, still stunned the Queen was speaking to them.
"Haven't I seen you somewhere before Siconja?" She questioned, still smilling lightly.
"I don't..."Siconja started but was cut off by a laugh coming from above. All four heads snapped up in unison to see a bleach blond man in a black uniform standing over them. "Diotmond!" Siconja growled under her breath.
His smirk grew when he saw both Neo-Queen Serenity and Princess Usa together. 'If I get them both at the same time then Queen Latifma will be very pleased and will surely assign me to capture Endymions!' "Get ready to perish!" He yelled and sent a huge bolt of energy at them. Both went into action immediatly. Usa reached for something inside her dress and Serenity crossed her arms and held them out before her making a strange symbol. The dark energy hit them. But when the air cleared of smoke you could see the outline of a energy sheild. Serenity's doing most likely, since it was said that Usa must become Sailor Moon to acsess powers.
Siconja and Kira had went into action nearly immediatly as well. As soon as they saw Usa go for something and Serenity make what looked like defensive movments they were assured that they could take care of themselves at least long enough for them to transform.
So the pair dashed behind the trees and rummaged in their pockets for their henshin lockets. "SAYIN PRISUM POWER!" Siconja yelled feeling her clothing melt away and herself being lifted off the ground, surronded by ribbons.
"VAJIITA PRISUM POWER!" Kira yelled as she too felt her clothes melt away and her body be surronded by ribbons. Within seconds both girls had taken their pose and finished their henshin. Suddenly Kira pulled somethin out of her skirt. It was a small locket with a light blue gem in the center that faded to lilac, around it were three other gems of orange green and yellow.
"What is that?" Siconja asked increduslously.
"It's the communicator. Diamond gave it to me. He says that all of you guys have one too you just don't know it. They'll here something beeping and find it in their pocket." Then she pressed the orange and green gem stones and the locket flipped open. She spoke into the silver circle that appeared there. "Calling Jeana and Millela. Come in." She said in her most serious voice. In about a minute two voices came back in.
"What the hell is this thing and whats going on!" Jeana's voice
"This is really weird, where did this come from?" Millela's voice
"Never mind that. Theres an attack in the Crystal Gardens. We need you two down here pronto. When you get to the front of the garden transform and hold up your pens and yell something along the lines of 'Oozaru Teleport' or 'Kakkarott Teleport'. You'll know what to do when you get here. Just hurry! I'm going now!" Kira said into the locket.
"Alright!"Came their two voices in unison. Then Kira shoved the locket back in her skirt and nodded at Siconja. Both girls burst out of the trees at the same moment to see Serenity trying to protect Usa and herself, the two rather far apart. It wasn't going well, Usa was trying to pull something out of her dress but couldn't get enough time to do it.
Siconja and Kira both had the same idea at the exact same moment. Both took their tiaras off, Siconja holding it to her side and throwing it up and Kira holding it in front of her. "SAYIN TIARA!" Siconja yelled, spinning.
"VAJIITA TIARA!" Kira yelled, also spinning, holding the tiara out in front of her.
"MOONDUST!" Siconja yelled grabbing her tiara and throwing it.
"STARDUST!" Kira yelled flicking her wrist and sending her tiara flying.
The battle cries got the attention of all three combatents. Serenity and Usa cuaght their breath at the two senshi come to their rescue and Diotmond swore. The tiaras combined into one and smashed through Diotmond's weak protective barrier, not intended to ward of senshi attacks. Then Usa saw her chance and yanked what looked like a henshin brooch out of her dress and yelled. "NEO PRINCESS! MAKE-UP!" And in a flash appeared in and sailor fuku that looked like a combination of Sailor Moon's Eternal fuku and Super fuku.
Diotmond did not notice, he was to busy swearing at Sailorsayin and Sailorvajiita. Sailorsayin smirked and opened her mouth to do her speech. "How low to you guys sink? Attacking the Queen and Princess ne? Well I wont allow it!"
Then Sailorvajiita nodded at joined in. "You guys don't have any respect! How dare you attack them!"
Then as Sailorsayin spoke to do her normal speech her mouth started spouting japanese instead of standard. "Ai hikari to seigi no, sailor fuku bishoujo senshi! Sailorsayin! Royal Sayin kawatte! Oshiokyo!" She blinked after she spoke wondering where that came from.
Sailorvajiita blinked and dilvered her speech, in standard. "For Love Hope and Justice, a pretty soldier in a sailor suit! Sailorvajiita! In the name of the Royal Sayins! I punish you!"
Then all of the sudden Usa opend her mouth and then thought better of it. She would let these senshi do their job. Diotmond screamed at them. "Damn you senshi! I'll get what I came for not matter what!" Then he lept straight at Serenity. Siconja jumped to her side and Kira raced to Usa. As Diotmond flew toward them both Serenity adn Sailorsayin cast barriers at the same time, the effect was that of a small explosion. With Diotmonds guard down Sailorsayin flew at him screaming.
"She punded her fists endlessly in his stomuch screaming. "BASTARD! THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR KILLING LITA!" All her pent up rage and sorrow was now released on the object of her fury. He simply blew her away with a black blast. As he righted himself a trickle of blood came from his mouth.
"Bitch!" He groweled and let fly with black energy which formed into a rope around Sailorsayin as it flew at her. She struggled against the power but it was no good. Then he let another blast fly at Sailorvajiita, hitting her as well, just as she was going for her planet wand. With them both captured and at his mercy he returned to the previous task of attacking Serenity and Usa. "ONE!" He yelled and twin crystaline pillars flew up behind Serenity and Usa. But Usa was not to be taken lightly.
She reached for the sky and grabbed a bunch of golden energy and leveling her hand at Diotmond yelling. "Neo Moonlight!" Diotmond took the blast and snarled, sending one of his own back at her. Her form slumpped against the pillar.
Serenity screamed and was about to race to her daughter when Diotmond yelled. "TWO!" And both women were bound to the pillars. But again before he could finish the job another form lunged at him, swinging a sword. Hew dodged just in time and saw a man in a lavender tuxedo, weilding a greta sword. King Endymion.
Sailorsayin struggle against the binds helplessly. She let out a howl of frustration and her entire body began to glow, echoed by a red light coming from her cheast, from the single Jou Hari that was stuck there. He tiara gem began to flash and her body glowed white hot. The tiara shattered leaving a strange sybol glowing there, though it was not clear to anyone else what it looked like. She broke her bounds with ease, still glowing and began to walk toward Diotmond.
Endymion and Diotmond had engaged in battle, but Endymion was the first to notice Sailorsayin. He reconized the figure as the new soldier but the way he was glowig. Something was familier about that light. 'It can't be...Not yet anyhow...She can't be back already. I can't be...' But still he knew that energy and he'd seen it used by only one person. Only by...
Diotmond lunged at Endymion again cuasing him to loose his train of thought. The pair locked swords and both glared at the other. Just then Sailorsayin reached them, she used the energy around her to pull Diotmond away from Endymion. Neither man could clearly see the symbol on her forehead. Diotmond lunged at her but she held out her hand and the red Jou Hari was in it. She clasped her fingers around it and it let out a burst of energy. Diotmond charged again after taking the punishment from the crystals blast.
Sailorsayin clutched the crystal as it let out another blast and a familiar voice filled the air. "Magic Starlight Illusion!" And in another great red flash Diotmond was knocked halfway across the grove. Endymion stared, there was no doubt about it now. He knew who she was.
It was then Sailorvajiita noticed that Sailorkakkarott and Sailoroozaru had arrived but they simply stood there clutching their henshin sticks and glowing orange and green respectivly. It was then the Jou Hari dissapeared from Sailorsayin's grasp and she fell to the ground. The strange light was gone and there was no symbol on her forehead, but her tiara did not reappear. Diotmond was about to luanch another attack on her but as he did a tuxedo clad figure swooped in and got her away just in time.
It was the two Tuxedos, Tuxedo Prince holding Sailorsayin. Tuxedo Knight nodded at him and Prince took off with Sailorsayin. But Diotmond had used their distraction to call out "ONE! TWO!" Again and now had Endymion on a crystal pillar as well.
"OOZARU FIRESTORM!" Oozaru cried out and luanched her attack at him, just as he cried out again.
"THREE!" In a great flash of light and screams from Serenity, Usa, and Endymion three sparkling crystals were before them. Each shapped with a star. Serenity's was pure white, Usa's was shimmering pink, and Endymion's was a dark greenish hued black. Diotmond cackled. "I have retreived three Jou Hari and killed of three threats to Queen Latifma's power! Surely I will regain her favour!" He yelled and lept at the three floating Jou Hari. But Kakarott had also lept for them. Kakkarott managed to reach Serenity's before Diotmond did and snacthed the sparkling white crystal. But Diotmond had captured and dissapeared with Usa's and Endymion's.
They all stood a stared as Serenity, Endymion, and Usa collapsed to the ground. "Quick Vajiita! Use your power!" Oozaru cried.
"But it only works with Sailorsayin!" Vajiita said helplessly. Then the three bodies began to glow. And above each one appeared a six point crystal made of many shards. "Real Heart Crystals! Those aren't Jou Hari!" Then the crystal merged with the royal family, who began to stir.
Tuxedo Knight had already dissapeared and it left the senshi to wonder. What was that about? And where was Sailorsayin?
*Meanwhile
Tuxedo Prince had carried Sailorsayin into another grove of the garden. He lay her down gently in the grass and kneeled over her. That huge release of power had come from...her? That was the power he felt from his drams, the dream hat huanted him every night. And the little red crystal she had held was one of the Jou Hari. He brushed her hair out of her face. His mission was to collect the Jou Hari, not to risk his life to protect hers. So why did he do that? She was jus another obsticle to his acheiving his goal, the Jou Ginzuishou and...the mystery of his birth. When he found the Jou Ginzuishou this queen or princess would be able to tell him about why he was born and to whom.
So why did he feel drawn to this girl? She felt so much like this queen/princess in his dream. But he'd seen already, those cats with them would have known if she was. And then she wouldn't be fighting. He gave into his surging emotions and bent to kiss her. As their lips brushed her felt the energy surge through them both and suddenly a vision came into his mind. He holding the woman from his dreams in simaler way and bending to kiss her. The feelings surigng through the memory...was that what it was... and the ones he felt this moment were the same. Exactly. He seperated from her in astonishment and he saw on her forehead a new tiara nad formed there. It glistened on around the gemstone in it there was a heart shape engraved into the gold. Glinting in the center of the gem seemed to be a silver heart shape as well but he could barely see it.
He shivered a little and stood, she was well hidden by this tree and she would be safe until she woke. But still he lept into the braches above to ensure her safety, and her remained there until she awoke some time later.