Hidden Behind The Mask
By Black Rebellious - a dark Sailor Moon/Gundam Wing cross-over
Rated: R- Drugs, self-torture, death and darkness.
Note: Sailor Moon and Gundam Wing belong to their respective companies and originators. Though I doubt either company would approve of their characters being used like this.
Chapter II
---
Mina stared out the communicator. She'd been holding it since she left and went back to England, always holding it tightly in her hands like it was some lifeline. She never truly thought they would let her get that far away, always praying that one of them would tear down her pitiful walls of finality and force her to remain. Of course none of them had. None of them were in any position to worry about anyone else.
Serena…She was suppose to be the leader of the Sailor Scouts, the one who took care and watched over all of them. The one closest to the princess. That's what Artemis would tell her, when she got homesick or scared. He would tell her that the princess trusted her the most and indeed Serena did. Mina's eyes welled up with tears. A lovely time to think about Artemis, isn't it? she thought bitterly.
"Mina, is everything all right?"
Mina rubbed the coarse sheet against her eyes, wiping away her tears forcefully, and turned to her opening door. Horace, her butler, was looking in worriedly. She smiled the bitterly cheerful smile that felt like plastic wrap against her lips and nodded. "Of course. I just had a bad dream."
"I thought I heard you speaking to someone," he stated in reserved tones, accent bringing out the quality of his words. It was his accent she like best, the soothing way syllables came from his lips.
"I guess I was just talking in my sleep again," Mina sighed and stood from her bed. He looked startled. Ever since she'd come back to find that she was the last remaining member of her family line and thus inherited the family's fortune (a good sized penny, she thought) she'd slept in until nearly ten in the morning, every morning. Not because she was relaxing. Far from it. He had caught her crying in her sleep every night, a sign that worried every butler. Him in particular because he had been her family's butler since he was twenty. He was now nearly fifty and could remember the smiling child Mina's grandmother was before her death. According to Mina, she was the great-great-great-granddaughter of the late Jacquelyn Marie, formerly of Mina's own lineage. Her family's line had been out of touch with the rest of the family after being transferred to Tokyo. Whatever happened to his new Mistress, he was going to find out. And fix, if he could.
Horace shut the door as quietly as he could and set about to make some phone calls. It was going to be a productive morning.
As soon as Horace shut the door, Mina collapsed, holding to her bed as a lifeline against the cold floor. She had made it that way when she came back two weeks ago, taking out the comfortable almost silken carpet and replacing it with plain gray tiles. The chill helped keep her focused in the mornings when the dreams still haunted her mind. Pulling and pushing herself to her feet, Mina stood on shaky knees and walked to her dresser. It was a plain ivory thing but a beauty to behold. Mina dutifully brushed her hair a hundred stroke- more from habit then any conscious thought. She changed from the cotton pajama pants and silky tank top to a fashionable yellow Sunday dress. It was really a yellow skirt connected to a ruffled white shirt with yellow prints on it. The sleeves were sewn off for comfort and Mina glanced at the time. Almost seven in the morning.
She went downstairs, ignoring the massaging feel of the carpet, and ate the small breakfast Horace prepared. Two slices of bread and a plate of bacon and eggs. A glass of orange juice collected dew beside the breakfast. Mina thought it reminded her of some nutritious breakfast from cereal commercials.
Brushing her teeth, Mina walked aimlessly around the rooms. Her estate wasn't too large but it was large enough to don the title of mansion. She was on the first floor. Her bedroom was on the second and the basement made it three stories altogether.
The house was designed like most ordinary home. First floor was the main rooms- the kitchen, the family room, the front room, etc. None were too complex but the house was well furnished. The second floor was her room- the master's bedroom- three guestrooms, Horace's dorm and a closet. Her bedroom had its own walk-in closet and full scale bathroom. Each of the other rooms had a smaller closet and there were two more bathrooms on that level alone. One for company and the other exclusively for Horace. The first floor had a bathroom as well. Her room had large bay windows and a walk out porch only for her but she could see a similar thing for the three guestrooms. Each of the decks connected to the lower deck of the first level and eventually to the ground. The basement was used mostly as storage. A wine cellar and extra food in case of emergency, it also had a room by itself for meditation. Mina found herself drawn to that room most mornings but couldn't go there just yet.
She thought guiltily of the lie she'd told the faithful Horace. She really was related to whoever that old woman was, the forced DNA test had proven that. The woman was really Mina's great-something niece, daughter of Mina's sister and the boy she had loved…another time, another life. But any life was better then the one the Scouts were forced to live now.
In truth, they had become the immortals Queen Serenity had prophesied they would be. And the first few years of the Sleeping Millennium had passed quickly before that news had been discovered. Mina's eyes clouded. If they were immortal, how did Artemis die? How did Darien? Answers she wasn't ready to face. She thought back on those first few years. Actually, it had been more then a few: dozens of decades passed but the Scouts lived on. Serena had fallen apart at the death of her brother Sammy but Darien was there to comfort her. The Outers visited often, something they never did before. Eventually, Ray suggested they move outside of the city: too many were beginning to question their ageless faces. They'd lost all track of time, living together in happiness until that day they needed supplies and visiting their old, beloved city seemed like a fun thing to do.
Nothing was as it seemed anymore. Time had a way of unraveling even the shake-less foundations.
Mina walked around and passed a huge doorway she never really saw before. Stopped and backtracked. It was an old door, doorknob rusty and as she opened it, the hinges squeaked loudly. There was nothing beyond the door but a blank wall. She frowned and closed the door, noticing the layers of dust on the door. She wiped some dust off and watched as her fingers uncovered a magical entrance. In the wood, a scene of biblical proportions unfolded. It was carved with a talent not easily found.
At the bottom, demons and fiends raged and above them all a single boy stood, somehow sticking out from the crowd. She squinted and rubbed the wood more to see how his long hair glided to his waist. It could be a girl but the face looked masculine. Her eyes traveled up. The boy seemed to be a ruler of the demons because his hand pointed one way and a flow of black tides traveled it. She let loose a breath, touching the fire gently. It looked so real. Just above that scene was another that took place on the earth. Another boy with something in his eye stood in a similar position but bolts, not darkness, went as he directed. He stood in the midst of a storm. She tried to figure out what it was with his eye and concluded the door must have been chipped. Near the storm yet another boy stood. He stood on the back of a gliding dragon and a dozen more majestic creatures flew by him. Where he pointed fire ran. One last boy stood- no, he flew. Giant wings extended from his back and feathers drifted down the door, one feather in each of the three previous scenes. He was…an angel. And he stood alone but the rising sun behind his stretched wings, a sight barely seen spoke of the power behind his gentle eyes. Mina gently allowed herself to touch those eyes, wondering what color they would be if he were real. He pointed and a light stream of power joined the path of the others. But his eyes looked the other way, looking at a point just beyond the door's frame. Mina wondered at this and her eyes followed his sight. She saw nothing. Curious, she looked at the others and saw that each of the four shot their powers one way but looked another. Now more then curious, Mina pressed her fingers along the doorframe.
She stepped back and looked at the door in its entirety. There was still nothing she could see. With a shrug, Mina walked away and continued on her endless journey through her cold, empty house.
---
Lita bit her tongue in uneasiness, fingering her newly cut hair with blistered fingers. Her hands were covered in black gloves, wrist-long and with the backs cut out so she could flex her hands easily. Her hair, once mid-back length, was now only a few inches long or so. It was back to the length she'd worn while a Sailor Scout.
Her fingers left her hair abruptly as the train whistled, letting passengers know of its destination arrival.
Lita hastily lifted her bags from the high racks above her and shoved her way through the crowd. She ignored the complaints of "how rude" and "excuse you," sending the more vocal ones a glare that shut them up.
"Hello Miss. Your trip was satisfactory, I hope," a grinning employee of the train station asked, stamping her passport as she entered the foreign country. Lita didn't reply and moved past as soon as she could.
She stepped from the station and for a moment just stood and breathed the fresh air.
Japan. She thought she'd never see it again.
Never losing the foul expression, Lita neatly slammed the bags into the trunk of her pre-rented blue Mercedes and began to drive.
She'd arrived from her trips all across Asia. Knowing only Japanese had been hard at first but she learned enough of the Chinese language to get by during her trips to strengthen her body. When Ray called, the steady routine Lita had let control her life since she left Tokyo fell apart. Even if the priestess had not called the day before, Lita couldn't stay away from her princess for much longer.
The way she entered the country was easily arranged. It had been ready to use since she left, a ride home in case of emergencies. Flying to the country's border and taking the train to the heart of Tokyo, Lita walked down the streets that had once been so welcome to her.
Tokyo had fallen apart. Since the "Sleeping Millennium" had begun, Lita couldn't wait for it to end. Half of the city had deteriorated into something that would be easier to burn off the face of the planet then to try to fix up. She heard rumors of the gang violence, the perverted nature of the darker side of Tokyo and now believed it as she never had before. It was funny to think what two weeks absence could do to change someone's life.
Lita passed Andrew's arcade. His old arcade had unfortunately fallen into the wrong side of town and the arcade had been transformed by its new owners into a rather drug loaded night club. "Closed until 11:00pm." The sign read. Lita passed quickly.
After a few blocks, she passed the remains of the high school that had been home to the best of her memories. Lita read an article that the gangs had been using it as a hideout, even during school hours, until the police finally opened fire one Saturday. The battle that followed tore the already old school to its foundations. That had been years ago. Years since their old lives in the high school. It had been new, or nearly so the days the Sailor Scouts had populated the halls.
Lita strolled down the street to the city's sanctuary, the untouchable refuge even the worst of the gangsters refused to defile. Ray's temple. Lita glared. Her life had fallen apart but Ray's temple stood as it had in the days of old, looking at her, mocking her pain and saying "look at me, I have survived where even you could not."
She started up the steps, hearing the screams of the crows long before she reached the top. Nothing had changed the temple, not even the years that passed. It had been painted white from the beginning and wind had only strengthened that color to a bone-like shade. The great fire burned as it always did and always would, filling the air with the scent of burning wood that tingled with the already lit incense.
Ray stood at the top, sweeping the stairs with her one-mindedness she gave to all tasks. Amy leaned tiredly against one of the temple's walls, letting her head lay in the shade and eyes closed while the breeze ruffled her hair.
They didn't hear her coming until Ray heard her crows. All three stiffened at the reunion, silent but for the silent wings clawing at the air. The two crows fell to the ground in a graceless motion, their movements jerky and uncoordinated.
Ray broke the silence, her robes rustling as she moved to catch her falling birds, nearly clipping them from the air. Neither were the two she had before but were wild birds that showed up one day, abandoned babes. Neither was proficient at flying just yet so Ray now caught them automatically before their spines cracked against the hard pavement.
Ray stroked the birds, letting Lita decide how the situation turned out. Lita closed her eyes and exhaled loudly. She let go of her bags and they fell to the ground with a *thump*. "What do you want me to do?"
---
"Who are you!" she demanded, "and where am I?"
Duo leaped back as she let out another well-placed high kick, nearly tripping over some equipment. "Hey, lay off will ya?" She paused to catch her breath and he smiled. "See. If you keep going on like that, someone's going to get hurt-"
"Like you!" she yelled, back in action faster then he would have thought. Her long hair, something that would have been a disability to others, flowed like a part of her body. It never got in her way and always eluded his hands but was always there, making her a shining beauty even in battle.
Duo jumped back, barely dodging her fist and not even seeing her attack until it hit him in the gut. While her left fist swiped at his face, her right imbedded itself in his gut. Duo acted instinctively, sending the unnamed girl flying with a startled "eep!" into the opposite wall. She seemed to hang against the wall for a moment before slumping forward limply. Quatra jogged over there and checked her pulse.
He looked up and shook his head. "You shouldn't have been so rough, Duo," he chided, stretching the girl out on a mat as she was before. "You know you're too strong for her."
"Well, you should've pull her offa me," Duo shouted back, rubbing his belly sorrowfully. He winced as his fingers touched a weak spot.
Wufei snorted and then laughed. "You looked like you had things under control,"
Duo glared and limped dramatically to a chair. He turned his glare on the two unresponsive men still standing, unmoved by the whole ordeal. "And why didn't you guys help, huh? Just standing there like it was some sort of freak show…"
Trowa shrugged. "She isn't too hard to fight against. Quatra's right, you should have controlled your power."
"She opens her eyes one minute and the next is throwing her fists around! What am I suppose to do!" Trowa shrugged again, obviously not caring about Duo's tantrum.
"Why are we after her again?" Quatra asked, coming back into the wide circle formed by the ex-pilots. "There hasn't been any violence in the last four years- at least, nothing major enough to warrant the attention of us pilots. Why is this girl suddenly the center of attention?"
"What do you mean?" Wufei asked. "I thought we were the only ones looking for her." He glared at the last of the group, clenching his teeth. "Have you been holding out information, Yuy?"
Heero glared at them before producing three different folders, slim with barely anything in them. "Yesterday, we were the only ones," he replied in sharp, clipped tones that suggested his anger at being accused of suspicion. "Today, two more groups appeared with an interest in them. One was the Earth Sphere Alliance-"
"Relena?" Quatra asked. "What does Relena want with her?"
Trowa took the first folder Heero produced and answered distractedly, "She may have discovered something she wants to figure out. Or it may not be. Relena is not the only high-ranking official in the Alliance."
"The other group?" Wufei pressed.
"A group of unknown individual, older men who have kept a good cloak over their identities," Heero answered plainly. His fist clenched slightly and his jaw was tight, signs that went unobserved by his friends. They took notice of the stiff tone he used but thought nothing of it.
"'Old men'? Why would they want her? Unless she was, you know, like that," Duo grinned. Wufei glared. Quatra blushed and the last two made no reply to the statement.
"Who's in the last folder?" Trowa asked.
Heero gave him the last folder, having already memorized the information in all three folders. Duo had finished glancing over the first two, handing them over to Quatra and Wufei, and was hungrily watching Trowa handle the final binder. Wufei held the first portfolio, looking at the limited information of the Alliance's searches and Quatra opened the second with obvious distaste, glancing at the information of the same amount over the group of older men.
"A group of girls?" Trowa asked in confusion, eyeing the different pictures and reading the classified information.
"Lemme see!" Duo piped, ripping the folder from Trowa's hands. "Wow…they aren't your normal teens." He grinned widely at his friends. "They're beautiful."
"They aren't what they seem," Heero informed. "Apparently, they-or someone like them- have been around since the end of the BC/AD. timeline, nearly 950 years."
"What?" Wufei sneered. "You must be joking! There is no one alive at that age and even if there was, their age wouldn't be hidden like that!" He gestured to the pictures Duo had passed around. "They look hardly out of their teen years."
"They look our age," Quatra observed lightly, sneaking a glance at the girl unconscious behind them. "Like her."
The room silenced a moment as the ex-pilots considered this latest observation but Wufei soon cut the quiet by once more demanding that they realize that there was "no possible way for these women to be nearly 1,000 years old." To prove his point, the Chinese folded his arms across his chest defiantly and demanded that "If you believe there is a way these women are as old as you believe them to be, show me some proof. I won't believe it any other way."
Heero took the incentive and lifted the third folder from Trowa's hands again and took out a thin report, about five pages altogether, and gave it to Wufei. Wufei took the report and flipped through the pages. He actually laughed. "'Sailor Scouts?'"
The girl mumbled something in her sleep but only Heero noticed. She curled back up and shivered. Another nightmare. Her eyes were still red from the last nightmare and the tears hadn't completely dried from her cheeks. Heero's ears caught half-muttered phrases and the words sparked his interest.
"What, the legends?" Duo reached for the report but Wufei stretched it out of his reach, still skimming the contents while keeping the information-hungry American at bay.
"Legends?" Quatra folded his binder shut and looked at Duo with interest. "What are you talking about?"
Wufei barked a laugh, keeping Duo at arm's length. "He's talking about the Japanese 'Beautiful Soldiers,' a myth from nearly a thousand years ago." His black eyes narrowed and he shot Heero a look. "It's your country, you should know the legend by heart. Considering the amount of attention they placed on that particular child tale."
Duo sat down, huffing at not getting what he wanted. Seeing Quatra and even Trowa looking at him curiously, he waved a hand. "All I know is that these beauty chicks supposedly saved the world and disappeared."
"The legend states that many years ago, the solar system had a very different look. Every planet was populated by their own species of humanoid breeds. Even the moon had its own species. The moon was home to the main rulers of the solar system, the Moon Kingdom and its family." Heero shook his head, oblivious to the shocked stares of his comrades. "There was a thousand years of peace until an evil attacked and destroyed the kingdom. The current ruler, Queen Serenity, gave her life for her daughter, also named Serenity, her daughter's fiancé and prince of the earth, Darien, as well as the princess's royal guard, known as the Sailor Scouts. She sent them to the end of the twentieth century with no memory whatsoever. The princess joined the Sailor Scouts and became Sailor Moon. Her fiancé became her protector and together with her Sailor Scouts, they conquered evil during their stay on the earth. The legend goes on to state that they will return after a millennium to restore peace and at that time, the princess will take up the title of Neo-Queen Serenity and rule over the earth with her husband and Scouts."
"It is a legend with absolutely no proof behind it," Wufei declared, finally handing over the report to Duo's eager hands. "In China, it has been given the title of wishful thinking during the war."
"Never knew you could talk so much," Duo remarked, reading the report enthusiastically.
"That's a nice legend," Quatra stated dutifully, "but was does it have to do with anything?"
Heero pointed to the girl. "Apparently, she's connected to these mysterious Sailor Scouts."
Quatra looked stunned. "Do you actually believe the legend?" he questioned softly. "Do you believe that there was actually a Moon Kingdom or that these Sailor Scouts existed?"
Heero's cold eyes cleared the question. Quatra looked down uncomfortably. Heero looked like he had during the missions: completely concentrated and giving his undivided attention to the task at hand.
"Why do you care so much about the Scouts?" the girl asked, leaning on her arm. Wufei whipped around and Duo leaped back, both caught unaware at her conscious state. Trowa leaned back and Quatra stepped back, eyes wide.
Duo recovered first, flashing his famous, unarming smile. "Hey babe, you're up."
She looked at him in confusion for a minute before pointing a shaky finger to him. she hadn't fully recovered from the drugs, nightmares, and battle-induced sleep. "Y-You're the guy from the bar!"
"You remembered!" he smiled widely. "Most girls don't-"
"Duo!" Quatra broke in, cheeks flushed. He nodded his head towards her. "I apologize for him-
"Quatra!"
"-as well as for your treatment. I assure you we mean you no harm."
"What do you want with the Scouts?" she pressed, staring at Heero with wide eyes. Duo noticed how blue they were, how innocent- not completely but more then most of the people he knew. Not surprising.
"Why is everyone bringing up these fables!" Wufei fumed. He stopped and pointed an accusing finger at the startled girl. "You do not believe these tales do you?"
She stared back at him, not answering. Trowa cleared his throat suggestively and Wufei looked away, cheeks pale. He did not like what he saw in her torn eyes.
"Well?" She never let go but Heero was not one to answer to other's forceful questions. The staring contest between the two made the room decidedly uncomfortable. Quatra started to say something but Trowa caught him, shaking his head slightly. Wufei and Duo held back, quietly circling the girl and Heero, trying to understand what was going on. This girl that Heero announced was a danger is suddenly awake and undeniably harmless. At least to them. Which wasn't what Heero had inferred several days ago when the search had started.
---
"Hey Heero, what's up?" Duo asked cheerfully, leaning back on his chair with his feet on the table. He knew Quatra wouldn't be happy but it wasn't about to stop him. he sipped on his orange juice, thinking up a poem about the wonderful juice. It would go something like: OJ, OJ, what a great day, To drink OJ, Not the guy, The drink, OJ, OJ, what a wonderful day…it sort of trailed off there. He admitted it wasn't the best but he had just thought it up. He sipped some more. Maybe adding something about how nice and cool it was-
"Duo, get in here."
Duo nearly fell from his chair. Outside, the other four were waiting for him, Wufei with obvious annoyance.
"What's going on?"
Wufei frowned but Quatra averted an argument by quickly saying, "Heero needs to talk to us."
Outside, near the garage (Heero didn't want to go downstairs, saying it wasn't that important) the five glanced at each other and Heero finally began to speak.
"Wufei, have you seen this girl?" A picture was passed between them of a blonde looking rather drunk and in the middle of a crowd. Wufei shook his head and Heero passed it to Trowa who replied negatively.
"Is she important?" Duo asked the obvious question. No one answered because they didn't need to.
"She's a danger and needs to be found immediately."
Heero's simple sentence was all that was needed to bring the dangerous pilots back to life and she was found nearly half a day later. A day after that was spent in observations and then that night the opportunity presented itself and the girl was taken. No one even knew her name.
---
"Answer me!" she broke out, getting desperate. His silence unnerved her as it did everyone not accustomed to him. It unnerved even the closest of friends and when he sent them a serious stare, none could stand him down without some serious motivation.
"Why?"
She stepped back as he took a step forward, all offensive. His face was blank but his eyes seemed to burn with some fire. Wufei and Duo stopped their observing, stunned at the sudden change and even stepped away despite their own trust in Heero. Trowa and Quatra stood sharply at full alert. "What do you have to do with the Scouts?"
"W-what?" she stammered.
"I know you have something to do with them," he rumbled, voice deep and eyes sharp. "And I want to know exactly what it is."
She gathered her courage. "You have no idea what you're talking about! So answer me- what are you doing, looking for the Scouts?"
His eyes widened in sudden understanding and Heero of the Gundam pilots looked dumbfounded.
Sensing his realization, the girl dived for the door. Trowa grabbed her by her shoulders and was shocked as she twisted out of his reach, fast enough to swing her feet by his and knocking him to his knees. Quatra was beside him and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. Duo and Wufei each knocked her to the floor. She took a deep breath and reached for a broach hanging on her neck.
"No!" Heero slapped her hand back, grabbing the broach and ripping it from her neck.
"Give that back!"
Heero grabbed her chin and shook it harshly, sending her back to reality and making her focus. "How long has it been?" he asked.
The other ex-pilots looked at each other with confusion, not knowing what he was talking about. She sniffed and shook her head. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" he repeated incredulously and she nodded in despair. He paused a moment to think and then looked at the broach in his hands. "How did you get it back?"
"Don't you know?"
He brushed a tear from her cheek with such gentleness the ex-pilots fell back from wonder. "I have a pretty good idea."
She sniffed loudly. "They had found it and decided that if the crystal was real, everything else was too. That's when they found us. They only had my crystal. All the other ones are still missing and won't be found until their time. That's what mother said."
"She still speaks to you?"
The girl nodded. "Hey, you want to explain to the rest of us?" Duo asked sarcastically. Heero looked at the girl before saying "Let her go, she doesn't need to run away."
Wufei released her reluctantly as did the others. She rubbed her arms with the freedom and shivered. Heero, the kind, even gentle person he was to her disappeared to his usual aloof and cold personality, a relief the ex-pilots didn't want to admit. They just weren't use to Heero displaying any emotion and to a stranger…
"So, what's your name?"
She stole a glance to Heero, hurt by his cold change, and looked back to Duo. "Serena."
"That it?" he asked, scratching his forehead. She nodded. Quatra smiled a bit forcefully and introduced himself as just "Quatra." Trowa and Wufei did likewise. Duo, on the other hand, smiled brightly, winning her trust as he had done so many other times with others.
"Can, can I go outside?"
Duo smiled and offered his arm. "'Course. It's right up here." No one objected to Duo assumed it was all right. He found himself getting more and more curious of Heero's split personality and the girl's importance as neither presented answer.
Serena was amazed at the mansion's appearance. She wandered through the levels, stopping to stare at famous pieces of work or at the sheer magnitude of the place. Heero walked away, leaving at a moment no one noticed and long gone by the time the others become aware of it. Wufei frowned and muttered something about Heero dumping his responsibility on them.
"What do you mean?" Serena asked innocently, opening up to them once she understood she was clear of any danger. Quatra shot Wufei a look and told Serena to nevermind.
---