The door was unlocked. Ian swore under his breath as he pocketed his keys and carefully stepped inside his flat. He'd been in a fairly decent mood up until this point in time. While last night's activities hadn't quite gone according to plan, he'd accomplished his goal. The Guardian was now torn between her allegiance to those she was sworn to protect and those who had protected her. With a bit more prodding, she would trust him completely, and it would only be a matter of time before he could get to the descendents of the Moon Kingdom. Without Lita or Dawn, they'd be unable to offer any kind of resistance. The thought brought a twisted smile to his face, but only briefly. The door was still unlocked, which meant unwelcome company. The curtains were drawn, blocking any of the hazy midday sun from entering the room. Another step inside, and the door slammed shut behind him. Candles sprang to life around the main room, illuminating a small figure clad entirely in black. To her right stood a larger figure, his ugly grimace visible in the flickering candlelight.
"You have failed us, Dark One," Sarah rasped, extending a steady hand in Ian's direction. "Rather than deliver the Guardian to us, you continue to fight alongside her."
"I did nothing more than protect Jupiter," he answered coldly.
"Nonetheless," she intoned. "You continue to defy the wishes of the goddess." She gave a slight nod to her left. "We have lost one of our own as a result of your betrayal, and that death will not go unpunished."
"The Guardian can still be turned," he replied off-handedly. "She doubts her so-called friends and places an overwhelming amount of trust in my words."
"Foolish that we would have done the same," she answered with a sneer. Sara raised her palms to the ceiling, the flames growing ever brighter. In the light, Ian could see the outline of a book on the floor, pages opened to reveal the image of a woman standing amidst dancing flames. In the flickering shadows, he swore he could see the hands moving in an imitation of Sarah's intricate gestures. The air between them grew thick with a milky gray mist that settled several feet above the carpet. Tongues of fire leapt from the stubby wicks around the room as wisps of black smoke encircled the young girl clad in black. "You will not find us so easily deceived, Dark One."
The light grew dim as two shadowy beasts rose from the mist, soulless eyes fixed on Ian as he regarded each of them in turn. The first, a hulking horned beast with massive claws, reared its head and roared, an icy rush of air issuing from its mouth. The blast whipped about Ian, patches of skin on his face and fingers becoming gray with frostbite in seconds. With a nod, fingers of electricity shot upwards about Ian's figure, shielding him in the heavy battle armor of Jupiter's crown prince. The brilliant burst of light subsided, leaving Luciender standing at the ready, sword in hand. "And you will not find me so easily defeated," he answered coldly. With a yell, he charged ahead, the blade of the sword trained on the chest of the nearest shadow demon
As the metal edge neared the beast, it gave a piercing shriek and burst into a mist of gray smoke. Rushing through the fog, Luciender slammed into the opposite wall as something cracked across his lower back, the sound of metal crumpling masking the crunch of a few broken ribs. Whirling about, he looked into the eyes of the second demon, a near perfect imitation of his DarkWing form. A club dangled from one clawed hand as the other reached for Luciender's throat, hauling him upwards. Grimacing in pain, Luciender thrust the sword in front of him, catching his doppelganger in the abdomen. Another shriek and the winged demon shot apart into the mist, the young man falling to the floor immediately. Ahead, he could see Sara in the dancing candlelight, hands held high as her companion held the tome for her. Unintelligible sounds came from her lips, an eerie echo magnifying them in the small room. Forcing himself to his feet, Luciender staggered forward and held the sword aloft. "Jupiter Lighting Dragon Strike!"
The blinding bolt issued forth from the tip of the sword, racing towards the pair at the center of the room. Aaron calmly turned, the tome covering his chest. In an instant, the electric silhouette of the dragon was engulfed by a sinister vapor that shot from the pages of the book. The flames of the candles leapt higher and higher as the vapor took form behind Sara.
"Such foolish efforts, Prince of Jupiter," came a cold yet lovely feminine tone. "Thou art cursed as thy ancestors before thee."
Oh, fuck. Between the warm dampness that seeped from the side of his armor and the utter failure of his attack, something that could have been construed as panic raced through Luciender's mind. The pages of the book had dimmed as a feminine form in flowing dark robes appeared behind Sara, its face obscured by a heavy cowl. Gritting his teeth, he leveled the sword at the trio and growled. "Get out."
The icy laugh cut through the mist. "Careful, Luciender. Thou hast no power over the dark goddess." With a wave of her hand, the winged demon reformed in the fog directly behind the prince, its club raised high above its head. The subsequent blow threw Luciender at Sarah's feet, his sword falling to the ground several meters away. "Bow to thy goddess, Prince of Jupiter," she cackled. "Bow so that thou might live to see thy sister before she joins thee in death, like thy wretched mother and father before thee."
"NO!" With a feral yell, Luciender leapt forward, hands outstretched towards the slender figure in black. Just as suddenly, a ghastly cry sounded from the pages of the tome while the flames danced erratically in the tiny room. The dragon, once brilliantly white, surged forth in a swirling mass of scarlet and black. It met Luciender straight-on, piercing the breastplate of his armor and exiting through his shoulder. The force of the blow threw the young man to the floor as blood flowed freely from his side and trickled from the corner of his mouth. The armor dissipated, the image of Jupiter's prince gone as Ian lay on the floor in ever-varying stages of consciousness.
"Foolish thing," the dark silhouette scoffed. "Thy powers are no match for those allied with the risen Miakoda and the forgotten Ciarazel." Her movements mimicked Sarah's, the two lifting their hands as if to bring Ian to his feet. The gesture brought him to a standing position in front of them, and Ian felt something shove him in the direction of the young man holding the book. Aaron sneered, his right fist bloodying Ian's nose while his left broke a few more of his ribs. Ian raised his head, the corner of his lip curling up in a twisted painful smirk.
"Perhaps." The pain in his chest forced him into consciousness, and he set his shoulders back as he scowled at his captors. "Perhaps one allied with the darkness might be a better match."
Aaron threw himself backward into the coffee table as a monster grew before his eyes. Bloodied and beaten, DarkWing stood in the midst of his attackers. Wings spread to their full span, he fixed his gaze upon the dual image of the goddesses surrounded by the flames. Hands raised, he threw his head back as a ebony aura surrounded him.
"LIGHTNING SHADOW!" A torrent of black lightning raced toward the two women, shattering the larger silhouette and sending the smaller figure against the far wall of the apartment. The icy rush of air extinguished the field of light, filling the room with the acrid scent of smoke. Sarah lay beneath the window, her clothing in shreds as she hugged the retrieved tome to her chest. DarkWing loomed above her, an expression of pure and unadulterated hate on his face. One enormous hand reached for her tiny frame, ready to wrench the book from her grasp. Sarah cried out in her own tiny voice, pressing herself against the wall as the creature loomed ever closer. As the fingers brushed against her hand, a orange-blue flare shot towards her, throwing the creature against the wall with such force that it crashed through the window. A shower of glass rained down upon her as a second blast flew over her, sending the winged beast in a downward spiral to the pavement below. Aaron came to her side, lifting her to her feet as she clutched the book ever tighter. He glanced down at her, surprised to see a satisfied sneer on her bruised face.
"She is pleased."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ohmigosh, is she okay?"
"The park? They jumped her in the park?"
"And she was still drunk when it all happened?"
"Did Ian really carry her all the way home?"
"What were you doing out so late, anyways?"
Lita ignored Serena's question as she faced the other four girls. Luna sat inside Rini's bookbag, while Artemis did the same in Mina's satchel. The entire group had gathered at the university library, meeting in one of the study rooms to hear the details of Dawn's encounter, according to Lita. Once Raye had shown up, Lita had filled them in on the events from the night before, after she'd left the girls at the train station. The group had listened with rapt attention, the barrage of questions coming only after the tall brunette had finished her retelling of the battle. She'd left out the part about Dawn vomiting on Ian's sneakers. Somehow, she figured that detail didn't need to be repeated.
"But wait a second," Mina cut in thoughtfully. "If that girl is gone, then shouldn't Michiru be awake by now?"
"Yeah," Serena agreed, momentarily forgetting about her inquisition of Lita. "She had all of Neptune's powers, and now she's dead. Why isn't…" She trailed off, realizing what she'd just said. "Lita, did you say that Dawn, I mean, Eos, killed that girl with her attack?" The brunette nodded soberly as Serena glanced over at the black cat, who rested her chin on her paws. "But we never… I mean, even when… or like that time when we… "She kept stammering, unsure as to how to respond.
"We never killed any honest to goodness people," Amy finished in her gentle voice. The six girls sat in stunned silence for a good minute and a half before Lita spoke up.
"It had to happen sooner or later," she replied, head bowed. "First Luciender, now Eos…"
"But if that girl is dead," Raye interrupted, bringing them back to the subject at hand, "then at least Michiru should be awake. Shouldn't she?"
"The amulet," Luna reasoned, lifting her head slightly. "It's not going to give up any power it's stolen unless we release it."
"We?" Amy asked, puzzled. "How would that happen?
"Not any of you," Artemis added hastily. "The Guardian has to release it."
Serena gave an annoyed sigh as she slumped in her chair. "And what's so special about this amulet that only she can release the power?" Too accustomed to being the center of attention, she was becoming more than a little peeved by the growing necessity of their new acquaintance. She had always been the one with the Silver Crystal, the one who could deal the dazzling knockout and save the day. It didn't seem fair that some new girl would be able to do the same thing.
"Your mother entrusted that power to the Guardians," Luna answered as she sat up. "After the fall of the Earth Kingdom, she felt that it was only right to keep the amulet in the control of the descendants of the Sisters of Babylon."
"The who?"
Luna looked to the ceiling with the telltale "why me?" expression before continuing. "The Sisters of Babylon were descended from the early priestesses of the temples. After the people fell away from the worship of the ancients, the Sisters devoted their time to the protection and upkeep of the various relics. One of those relics was the amulet which supposedly held the lifeforce of Miakoda, imprisoned by the ancients before the creation of the Moon. Another was the Tome of the Dead, the most holy book in the cult of the goddess Ciarazel. The Sisters kept those, as well as other artifacts, hidden from the rest of the galaxy in order to maintain peace. During the overthrow of Babylon and the rest of the Earth Kingdom, the Tome was lost. Luciender was able to recover the amulet and return it to Serenity, along with the last member of the Sisterhood." The little cat sighed as she looked from Lita to Serena to Rini. "That was why Serenity banished Luciender rather than execute him for nearly killing her. If it hadn't been for his insistence to return to Earth and honor the Sol Alliance, the forces of the Negaverse would have destroyed the Sisterhood completely and released Miakoda's spirit. The Moon would have been lost."
"But how does that get back to me?" Rini finally spoke while Serena stared at Lita in shock, obviously unwilling to believe that she or the other girls owed the sullen Brit any ounce of gratitude. "How did they go from guarding relics to guarding me?"
Artemis nodded at the chain Rini wore about her neck. "Your Key holds a shard of Miakoda's crystal," he explained. "Serenity broke a piece of the amulet before it was lost in the overthrow of the Silver Millennium, encasing it in your Key and thereby ensuring that the goddess would remain entombed in the crystal. Entrusting the Guardian with your safety meant that the last piece of the amulet was guarded as well."
Rini took the slender chain from around her neck, examining the tiny piece held at the top of the Key. "And that's why they were after me," she finally said in a small voice. "That's why they want me and Dawn." With a sigh, she fastened the chain about her neck again and tucked the pendant beneath her shirt. "So Ian really is on our side?"
"So it would seem," Amy answered, looking around the room. Raye and Mina exchanged worried glances as Lita shot an obvious "I told you so" look in Serena's direction. "He saved Dawn last night, didn't he?"
"Yes," Lita replied, still glaring at Serena. "He did, and he carried her home and made sure she was safe. Maybe you guys can believe me now, huh?" The blonde gave a "hmph" as she folded her arms about her chest, the other girls giving uneasy nods.
"We should still be careful," Mina said gently to Lita. "He still doesn't trust us."
"But…" Lita trailed off. They were right; Ian still didn't trust any of the other girls. Truthfully, she didn't know how much he trusted Dawn, and how much of his treatment of her was altruism or chivalry. In Luciender's case, the two were quite different, as he'd made sure to tell her a few days before.
"Mina's right," Serena grumbled, getting to her feet and grabbing her bookbag. "He doesn't trust us, and I don't trust him any further than I can throw him."
"But last night, with Dawn," Lita offered helplessly.
"I don't care about last night!" Serena's shrill voice echoed through the little room, startling a few students working nearby who heard her shriek through the closed door. "Until he does something for any of us that I see with my own eyes, I don't trust him… and you don't count," she added, jabbing a finger at Lita.
"Serena!" Raye gasped in shock as Lita sat back, stunned. "Grow up! It's not her fault!"
"Yeah, you could be a little nicer," Rini added, glaring at her future mother.
"You of all people should be taking my side on this," the fussy blonde shot back angrily. "I mean, he attacked you first, remember?"
"Yeah, but…"
"Whatever," Serena huffed. "I'm going to class." Before any of the other girls could respond, she slammed the door behind her. The others looked at each other in silence for a moment, then Raye got to her feet.
"I'll talk to her," she offered, her hand on the doorknob. "If anything, just to keep her from wallowing in self-pity."
"Thanks," Lita said gratefully. Mina and Rini left the room as well as Amy gathered her books and put a hand on Lita's shoulder.
"She didn't mean it," she offered reassuringly. "Deep down, she knows it's not a question of taking sides."
The brunette rested her chin on her arms, visibly upset. With both Ian and Serena, it was a question of whose side to take and whose battles to fight. Somehow, it didn't seem right to have to choose between the two. Someone would wind up being hurt either way.
And to hurt someone she cared about was the last thing that Lita wanted to do.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dawn had been awakened from a four hour nap by a phone call from her father, who had no idea what his only daughter had endured in her first week back in Tokyo on her own. She didn't plan on filling in the details for him, only answering his questions and trying to sound enthusiastic about her classes.
"Made any friends, Dawn?" Jack Connolly's voice rumbled through the receiver. "Any of the other international students?"
"Actually," she began with a smile, "I met up with some of the girls from high school, and they remembered me. And then there's this guy…"
"Oh really?" The unmistakable tone of a fairly protective father coated the simple response. "Was he from high school, too?"
"Nah, he's from England, actually," she laughed. "Big surly bloke," she added in her best imitation of Ian's accent, which brought a snicker from her father.
"And does he behave himself?"
"Daddy!" Dawn sat up straight, blushing bright red. "Good grief, he's just a friend! I only met him a week ago, and I don't think I'm his type anyways." She forced a laugh, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Good thing he can't see this…
"Mom wouldn't approve?"
She giggled. "Hardly." She heard a sigh on the other side and grinned. "Relax, Daddy. I'm a big girl, I'm doing just fine." Aside from learning I'm this thing called a Sailor Guardian and repeatedly getting ambushed by creepy strangers in the middle of the night, things are just PEACHY, Dad.
"All right, all right," he answered. "I'm your father; I'm supposed to worry about you."
"I know."
"Do you need anything? Did you have enough money for books?"
"The scholarship covered that, remember?" Working her butt off in high school had paid off, and the guys at Toyota had been more than happy to sponsor her internship and studies abroad. "I'm fine, really."
"All right, then. It's late, so I'd better get going."
"I know. Love you, Daddy."
"Love you too, honey. Call if you need anything."
"I will. Bye."
"G'night." The phone clicked and Dawn returned the cordless to the stand in the living room. For a brief second, she entertained the thought of calling Lita and telling her about what had happened that morning. Common sense caught up with her as she realized that she didn't have her phone number; for that matter, she didn't have anyone's number. With a sigh, she looked at her rumpled t-shirt and flannel pants and decided that she'd better get a shower and find some decent clothes. She didn't want to show up at Mina's apartment like this.
Rini opened the door to find Dawn standing there with a sheepish smile on her face. A bit surprised, she let her in and waited while Dawn stepped out of her sandals. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah, much," she answered. "I'm really sorry if I said or did anything last night at the bar," she stammered, a bit embarrassed.
"S'okay," Rini replied, walking into the kitchen where Serena sat at the table, one of her textbooks open as she scrawled in one of her notebooks with a bright pink pen. She scowled at Dawn as she entered the kitchen.
"Mina's in class," she said in what might have been construed as a rude tone of voice. "She'll be back in an hour or so."
"Oh." A bit taken aback by Serena's attitude, Dawn looked over to Rini, who was finishing dishes in the sink. She shrugged and picked up a dishtowel, as clueless as Dawn was concerning the waspish remark. "Well, actually, maybe you can help me. I wanted to try and call Lita, but I don't have her phone number…" Serena mumbled a series of numbers of which Dawn managed to catch half. "What was that?"
"It's next to the phone," she muttered, waving her hand to the wall. Pulling a pen from her pocket, Dawn scribbled Lita's number on her palm and flashed a smile at Serena.
"Thanks so much," she said, fighting the urge to tell the blonde that enunciation was vital to successful communication. Be nice, she reminded herself. "Um, is everything okay?"
She looked up slowly. "Funny. Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"
Obviously, she'd struck some kind of nerve. "Well, I, uh," she stammered, taking a step back. "I'm fine, for what it's worth. At least, I'm trying to be after what happened last night."
"Right, after you killed that girl."
The plate that Rini had been drying crashed to the floor, the white and yellow stoneware shattering on impact. Dawn gave a yelp and jumped to the side, caught off guard as Rini stared at the blonde in shock. "Serena!" she gasped. "That was an accident! You know that! I can't believe you're bringing that up…"
All color drained from the young woman's face as her eyes filled up with tears again. "That," she began softly, "was the last thing I wanted to have happen. Before all of this bullshit happened, I was a perfectly typical girl who was looking forward to her first year of school. And now, it's…"
"Oh, shut up," Serena snapped, disgusted. "Ya know, ever since you and that stupid Brit came along, you've been messing things up."
Dawn instantly leapt to Ian's defense. "You know, go right ahead and bitch at me, but leave him out of this. You wouldn't be so mouthy if he was standing here," she shot back, seething.
"I'll talk about him if I want to," she answered loudly. "Especially if he's going around, making up stories about his so-called past with the Moon Kingdom. If all of that was true, I'd remember it, and guess what?" Serena didn't wait for an answer. "I don't remember anything like that. Maybe you need to figure out who's telling the truth here, huh?"
"Well, let's see," Dawn began sarcastically. "Maybe I should believe the person who's made sure that I haven't wound up in a full body cast since this Guardian gig started. Hmmm, who would that be… on campus, it was Ian who kept me from hitting the pavement when those two freaks attacked me. And oh, last night, it was Ian, with Lita, who made sure that I made it home in one piece. And, hmmm… oh yeah, it was Ian this morning who checked on me and made sure that I was okay." She glared at Serena, whose face bore an ugly grimace. "And you… well, I was the one who saved you from those smoke demons in the alley a couple of days ago." She folded her arms across her chest, eyes narrowed. "I think I'm going to believe the one who's putting out the proof, and not the one who's bitching me out in her kitchen."
"You know, if you want to put all of your trust in that traitor –"
CRACK! All of the pent-up stress and frustration from the past twenty-four hours was released as Dawn's right hand shot forward, the palm of her hand connecting with Serena's cheek. Rini stood in shocked silence as Serena stared open mouthed at Dawn, who backed up several feet. She swallowed, running a hand through her hair, trying to think of something to say.
"What's going on in here?" Luna stood in the doorway, having heard the noise from Serena's bedroom. "What happened?" She looked between the three girls, thoroughly confused. "Is something wrong?"
"Dawn was just getting ready to leave," Serena answered through clenched teeth, her fingers covering the stinging bit of skin on her face. "Weren't you?"
"Yeah, I was," she replied hoarsely. She glanced over at Rini, who looked as if she were about to cry. "Can you tell Mina I stopped by?"
"Sure."
"Thanks. See you later." With that, she picked up her sandals and left, shutting the door carefully behind her. Rini promptly burst into tears, yelling at Serena as she sobbed.
"You didn't have to say any of that! It was an accident, and you of all people should be more understanding!"
"I DON'T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!" The shrill voice rang through the kitchen. "If it wasn't for you, none of this would have happened!"
"That's not true," Luna answered sharply, leaping onto the table. "Rini, why don't you go into the living room? I think your mother and I need to have a little talk."
Dawn flung open the door to her apartment, more upset at her inability to control her emotions than at Serena's attitude. That time, she'd just gone too far with what she'd said about last night, as well as what she'd said about Ian. If anyone would understand, it would be Lita. Grabbing her phone, she dialed the hastily scribbled number and waited for someone to pick up. "Stupid jealous blonde ditz," she muttered. "And over something as dumb as… you'd think that… hello?"
"Hello?" Lita's voice was noticeably shaky on the other end.
"Hello, Lita? It's Dawn. I got your number from Serena, and I was wondering if maybe -" Dawn stopped as Lita began sobbing frantically into the phone. For all of her comprehension skills, she couldn't make out a single word. "Whoa, slow down. C'mon, I can't understand what you're saying."
"It's Ian, he's here," Lita managed between tears. "I came home and he was lying on the floor, and he's bleeding all over, and I can't understand what he's saying, and…" she trailed off, crying even louder.
"Tell me how to get to your place," Dawn heard herself say in a dangerously calm voice. "Keep him still, and I'll be there as fast as I can."
"You have failed us, Dark One," Sarah rasped, extending a steady hand in Ian's direction. "Rather than deliver the Guardian to us, you continue to fight alongside her."
"I did nothing more than protect Jupiter," he answered coldly.
"Nonetheless," she intoned. "You continue to defy the wishes of the goddess." She gave a slight nod to her left. "We have lost one of our own as a result of your betrayal, and that death will not go unpunished."
"The Guardian can still be turned," he replied off-handedly. "She doubts her so-called friends and places an overwhelming amount of trust in my words."
"Foolish that we would have done the same," she answered with a sneer. Sara raised her palms to the ceiling, the flames growing ever brighter. In the light, Ian could see the outline of a book on the floor, pages opened to reveal the image of a woman standing amidst dancing flames. In the flickering shadows, he swore he could see the hands moving in an imitation of Sarah's intricate gestures. The air between them grew thick with a milky gray mist that settled several feet above the carpet. Tongues of fire leapt from the stubby wicks around the room as wisps of black smoke encircled the young girl clad in black. "You will not find us so easily deceived, Dark One."
The light grew dim as two shadowy beasts rose from the mist, soulless eyes fixed on Ian as he regarded each of them in turn. The first, a hulking horned beast with massive claws, reared its head and roared, an icy rush of air issuing from its mouth. The blast whipped about Ian, patches of skin on his face and fingers becoming gray with frostbite in seconds. With a nod, fingers of electricity shot upwards about Ian's figure, shielding him in the heavy battle armor of Jupiter's crown prince. The brilliant burst of light subsided, leaving Luciender standing at the ready, sword in hand. "And you will not find me so easily defeated," he answered coldly. With a yell, he charged ahead, the blade of the sword trained on the chest of the nearest shadow demon
As the metal edge neared the beast, it gave a piercing shriek and burst into a mist of gray smoke. Rushing through the fog, Luciender slammed into the opposite wall as something cracked across his lower back, the sound of metal crumpling masking the crunch of a few broken ribs. Whirling about, he looked into the eyes of the second demon, a near perfect imitation of his DarkWing form. A club dangled from one clawed hand as the other reached for Luciender's throat, hauling him upwards. Grimacing in pain, Luciender thrust the sword in front of him, catching his doppelganger in the abdomen. Another shriek and the winged demon shot apart into the mist, the young man falling to the floor immediately. Ahead, he could see Sara in the dancing candlelight, hands held high as her companion held the tome for her. Unintelligible sounds came from her lips, an eerie echo magnifying them in the small room. Forcing himself to his feet, Luciender staggered forward and held the sword aloft. "Jupiter Lighting Dragon Strike!"
The blinding bolt issued forth from the tip of the sword, racing towards the pair at the center of the room. Aaron calmly turned, the tome covering his chest. In an instant, the electric silhouette of the dragon was engulfed by a sinister vapor that shot from the pages of the book. The flames of the candles leapt higher and higher as the vapor took form behind Sara.
"Such foolish efforts, Prince of Jupiter," came a cold yet lovely feminine tone. "Thou art cursed as thy ancestors before thee."
Oh, fuck. Between the warm dampness that seeped from the side of his armor and the utter failure of his attack, something that could have been construed as panic raced through Luciender's mind. The pages of the book had dimmed as a feminine form in flowing dark robes appeared behind Sara, its face obscured by a heavy cowl. Gritting his teeth, he leveled the sword at the trio and growled. "Get out."
The icy laugh cut through the mist. "Careful, Luciender. Thou hast no power over the dark goddess." With a wave of her hand, the winged demon reformed in the fog directly behind the prince, its club raised high above its head. The subsequent blow threw Luciender at Sarah's feet, his sword falling to the ground several meters away. "Bow to thy goddess, Prince of Jupiter," she cackled. "Bow so that thou might live to see thy sister before she joins thee in death, like thy wretched mother and father before thee."
"NO!" With a feral yell, Luciender leapt forward, hands outstretched towards the slender figure in black. Just as suddenly, a ghastly cry sounded from the pages of the tome while the flames danced erratically in the tiny room. The dragon, once brilliantly white, surged forth in a swirling mass of scarlet and black. It met Luciender straight-on, piercing the breastplate of his armor and exiting through his shoulder. The force of the blow threw the young man to the floor as blood flowed freely from his side and trickled from the corner of his mouth. The armor dissipated, the image of Jupiter's prince gone as Ian lay on the floor in ever-varying stages of consciousness.
"Foolish thing," the dark silhouette scoffed. "Thy powers are no match for those allied with the risen Miakoda and the forgotten Ciarazel." Her movements mimicked Sarah's, the two lifting their hands as if to bring Ian to his feet. The gesture brought him to a standing position in front of them, and Ian felt something shove him in the direction of the young man holding the book. Aaron sneered, his right fist bloodying Ian's nose while his left broke a few more of his ribs. Ian raised his head, the corner of his lip curling up in a twisted painful smirk.
"Perhaps." The pain in his chest forced him into consciousness, and he set his shoulders back as he scowled at his captors. "Perhaps one allied with the darkness might be a better match."
Aaron threw himself backward into the coffee table as a monster grew before his eyes. Bloodied and beaten, DarkWing stood in the midst of his attackers. Wings spread to their full span, he fixed his gaze upon the dual image of the goddesses surrounded by the flames. Hands raised, he threw his head back as a ebony aura surrounded him.
"LIGHTNING SHADOW!" A torrent of black lightning raced toward the two women, shattering the larger silhouette and sending the smaller figure against the far wall of the apartment. The icy rush of air extinguished the field of light, filling the room with the acrid scent of smoke. Sarah lay beneath the window, her clothing in shreds as she hugged the retrieved tome to her chest. DarkWing loomed above her, an expression of pure and unadulterated hate on his face. One enormous hand reached for her tiny frame, ready to wrench the book from her grasp. Sarah cried out in her own tiny voice, pressing herself against the wall as the creature loomed ever closer. As the fingers brushed against her hand, a orange-blue flare shot towards her, throwing the creature against the wall with such force that it crashed through the window. A shower of glass rained down upon her as a second blast flew over her, sending the winged beast in a downward spiral to the pavement below. Aaron came to her side, lifting her to her feet as she clutched the book ever tighter. He glanced down at her, surprised to see a satisfied sneer on her bruised face.
"She is pleased."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Ohmigosh, is she okay?"
"The park? They jumped her in the park?"
"And she was still drunk when it all happened?"
"Did Ian really carry her all the way home?"
"What were you doing out so late, anyways?"
Lita ignored Serena's question as she faced the other four girls. Luna sat inside Rini's bookbag, while Artemis did the same in Mina's satchel. The entire group had gathered at the university library, meeting in one of the study rooms to hear the details of Dawn's encounter, according to Lita. Once Raye had shown up, Lita had filled them in on the events from the night before, after she'd left the girls at the train station. The group had listened with rapt attention, the barrage of questions coming only after the tall brunette had finished her retelling of the battle. She'd left out the part about Dawn vomiting on Ian's sneakers. Somehow, she figured that detail didn't need to be repeated.
"But wait a second," Mina cut in thoughtfully. "If that girl is gone, then shouldn't Michiru be awake by now?"
"Yeah," Serena agreed, momentarily forgetting about her inquisition of Lita. "She had all of Neptune's powers, and now she's dead. Why isn't…" She trailed off, realizing what she'd just said. "Lita, did you say that Dawn, I mean, Eos, killed that girl with her attack?" The brunette nodded soberly as Serena glanced over at the black cat, who rested her chin on her paws. "But we never… I mean, even when… or like that time when we… "She kept stammering, unsure as to how to respond.
"We never killed any honest to goodness people," Amy finished in her gentle voice. The six girls sat in stunned silence for a good minute and a half before Lita spoke up.
"It had to happen sooner or later," she replied, head bowed. "First Luciender, now Eos…"
"But if that girl is dead," Raye interrupted, bringing them back to the subject at hand, "then at least Michiru should be awake. Shouldn't she?"
"The amulet," Luna reasoned, lifting her head slightly. "It's not going to give up any power it's stolen unless we release it."
"We?" Amy asked, puzzled. "How would that happen?
"Not any of you," Artemis added hastily. "The Guardian has to release it."
Serena gave an annoyed sigh as she slumped in her chair. "And what's so special about this amulet that only she can release the power?" Too accustomed to being the center of attention, she was becoming more than a little peeved by the growing necessity of their new acquaintance. She had always been the one with the Silver Crystal, the one who could deal the dazzling knockout and save the day. It didn't seem fair that some new girl would be able to do the same thing.
"Your mother entrusted that power to the Guardians," Luna answered as she sat up. "After the fall of the Earth Kingdom, she felt that it was only right to keep the amulet in the control of the descendants of the Sisters of Babylon."
"The who?"
Luna looked to the ceiling with the telltale "why me?" expression before continuing. "The Sisters of Babylon were descended from the early priestesses of the temples. After the people fell away from the worship of the ancients, the Sisters devoted their time to the protection and upkeep of the various relics. One of those relics was the amulet which supposedly held the lifeforce of Miakoda, imprisoned by the ancients before the creation of the Moon. Another was the Tome of the Dead, the most holy book in the cult of the goddess Ciarazel. The Sisters kept those, as well as other artifacts, hidden from the rest of the galaxy in order to maintain peace. During the overthrow of Babylon and the rest of the Earth Kingdom, the Tome was lost. Luciender was able to recover the amulet and return it to Serenity, along with the last member of the Sisterhood." The little cat sighed as she looked from Lita to Serena to Rini. "That was why Serenity banished Luciender rather than execute him for nearly killing her. If it hadn't been for his insistence to return to Earth and honor the Sol Alliance, the forces of the Negaverse would have destroyed the Sisterhood completely and released Miakoda's spirit. The Moon would have been lost."
"But how does that get back to me?" Rini finally spoke while Serena stared at Lita in shock, obviously unwilling to believe that she or the other girls owed the sullen Brit any ounce of gratitude. "How did they go from guarding relics to guarding me?"
Artemis nodded at the chain Rini wore about her neck. "Your Key holds a shard of Miakoda's crystal," he explained. "Serenity broke a piece of the amulet before it was lost in the overthrow of the Silver Millennium, encasing it in your Key and thereby ensuring that the goddess would remain entombed in the crystal. Entrusting the Guardian with your safety meant that the last piece of the amulet was guarded as well."
Rini took the slender chain from around her neck, examining the tiny piece held at the top of the Key. "And that's why they were after me," she finally said in a small voice. "That's why they want me and Dawn." With a sigh, she fastened the chain about her neck again and tucked the pendant beneath her shirt. "So Ian really is on our side?"
"So it would seem," Amy answered, looking around the room. Raye and Mina exchanged worried glances as Lita shot an obvious "I told you so" look in Serena's direction. "He saved Dawn last night, didn't he?"
"Yes," Lita replied, still glaring at Serena. "He did, and he carried her home and made sure she was safe. Maybe you guys can believe me now, huh?" The blonde gave a "hmph" as she folded her arms about her chest, the other girls giving uneasy nods.
"We should still be careful," Mina said gently to Lita. "He still doesn't trust us."
"But…" Lita trailed off. They were right; Ian still didn't trust any of the other girls. Truthfully, she didn't know how much he trusted Dawn, and how much of his treatment of her was altruism or chivalry. In Luciender's case, the two were quite different, as he'd made sure to tell her a few days before.
"Mina's right," Serena grumbled, getting to her feet and grabbing her bookbag. "He doesn't trust us, and I don't trust him any further than I can throw him."
"But last night, with Dawn," Lita offered helplessly.
"I don't care about last night!" Serena's shrill voice echoed through the little room, startling a few students working nearby who heard her shriek through the closed door. "Until he does something for any of us that I see with my own eyes, I don't trust him… and you don't count," she added, jabbing a finger at Lita.
"Serena!" Raye gasped in shock as Lita sat back, stunned. "Grow up! It's not her fault!"
"Yeah, you could be a little nicer," Rini added, glaring at her future mother.
"You of all people should be taking my side on this," the fussy blonde shot back angrily. "I mean, he attacked you first, remember?"
"Yeah, but…"
"Whatever," Serena huffed. "I'm going to class." Before any of the other girls could respond, she slammed the door behind her. The others looked at each other in silence for a moment, then Raye got to her feet.
"I'll talk to her," she offered, her hand on the doorknob. "If anything, just to keep her from wallowing in self-pity."
"Thanks," Lita said gratefully. Mina and Rini left the room as well as Amy gathered her books and put a hand on Lita's shoulder.
"She didn't mean it," she offered reassuringly. "Deep down, she knows it's not a question of taking sides."
The brunette rested her chin on her arms, visibly upset. With both Ian and Serena, it was a question of whose side to take and whose battles to fight. Somehow, it didn't seem right to have to choose between the two. Someone would wind up being hurt either way.
And to hurt someone she cared about was the last thing that Lita wanted to do.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dawn had been awakened from a four hour nap by a phone call from her father, who had no idea what his only daughter had endured in her first week back in Tokyo on her own. She didn't plan on filling in the details for him, only answering his questions and trying to sound enthusiastic about her classes.
"Made any friends, Dawn?" Jack Connolly's voice rumbled through the receiver. "Any of the other international students?"
"Actually," she began with a smile, "I met up with some of the girls from high school, and they remembered me. And then there's this guy…"
"Oh really?" The unmistakable tone of a fairly protective father coated the simple response. "Was he from high school, too?"
"Nah, he's from England, actually," she laughed. "Big surly bloke," she added in her best imitation of Ian's accent, which brought a snicker from her father.
"And does he behave himself?"
"Daddy!" Dawn sat up straight, blushing bright red. "Good grief, he's just a friend! I only met him a week ago, and I don't think I'm his type anyways." She forced a laugh, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Good thing he can't see this…
"Mom wouldn't approve?"
She giggled. "Hardly." She heard a sigh on the other side and grinned. "Relax, Daddy. I'm a big girl, I'm doing just fine." Aside from learning I'm this thing called a Sailor Guardian and repeatedly getting ambushed by creepy strangers in the middle of the night, things are just PEACHY, Dad.
"All right, all right," he answered. "I'm your father; I'm supposed to worry about you."
"I know."
"Do you need anything? Did you have enough money for books?"
"The scholarship covered that, remember?" Working her butt off in high school had paid off, and the guys at Toyota had been more than happy to sponsor her internship and studies abroad. "I'm fine, really."
"All right, then. It's late, so I'd better get going."
"I know. Love you, Daddy."
"Love you too, honey. Call if you need anything."
"I will. Bye."
"G'night." The phone clicked and Dawn returned the cordless to the stand in the living room. For a brief second, she entertained the thought of calling Lita and telling her about what had happened that morning. Common sense caught up with her as she realized that she didn't have her phone number; for that matter, she didn't have anyone's number. With a sigh, she looked at her rumpled t-shirt and flannel pants and decided that she'd better get a shower and find some decent clothes. She didn't want to show up at Mina's apartment like this.
Rini opened the door to find Dawn standing there with a sheepish smile on her face. A bit surprised, she let her in and waited while Dawn stepped out of her sandals. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah, much," she answered. "I'm really sorry if I said or did anything last night at the bar," she stammered, a bit embarrassed.
"S'okay," Rini replied, walking into the kitchen where Serena sat at the table, one of her textbooks open as she scrawled in one of her notebooks with a bright pink pen. She scowled at Dawn as she entered the kitchen.
"Mina's in class," she said in what might have been construed as a rude tone of voice. "She'll be back in an hour or so."
"Oh." A bit taken aback by Serena's attitude, Dawn looked over to Rini, who was finishing dishes in the sink. She shrugged and picked up a dishtowel, as clueless as Dawn was concerning the waspish remark. "Well, actually, maybe you can help me. I wanted to try and call Lita, but I don't have her phone number…" Serena mumbled a series of numbers of which Dawn managed to catch half. "What was that?"
"It's next to the phone," she muttered, waving her hand to the wall. Pulling a pen from her pocket, Dawn scribbled Lita's number on her palm and flashed a smile at Serena.
"Thanks so much," she said, fighting the urge to tell the blonde that enunciation was vital to successful communication. Be nice, she reminded herself. "Um, is everything okay?"
She looked up slowly. "Funny. Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"
Obviously, she'd struck some kind of nerve. "Well, I, uh," she stammered, taking a step back. "I'm fine, for what it's worth. At least, I'm trying to be after what happened last night."
"Right, after you killed that girl."
The plate that Rini had been drying crashed to the floor, the white and yellow stoneware shattering on impact. Dawn gave a yelp and jumped to the side, caught off guard as Rini stared at the blonde in shock. "Serena!" she gasped. "That was an accident! You know that! I can't believe you're bringing that up…"
All color drained from the young woman's face as her eyes filled up with tears again. "That," she began softly, "was the last thing I wanted to have happen. Before all of this bullshit happened, I was a perfectly typical girl who was looking forward to her first year of school. And now, it's…"
"Oh, shut up," Serena snapped, disgusted. "Ya know, ever since you and that stupid Brit came along, you've been messing things up."
Dawn instantly leapt to Ian's defense. "You know, go right ahead and bitch at me, but leave him out of this. You wouldn't be so mouthy if he was standing here," she shot back, seething.
"I'll talk about him if I want to," she answered loudly. "Especially if he's going around, making up stories about his so-called past with the Moon Kingdom. If all of that was true, I'd remember it, and guess what?" Serena didn't wait for an answer. "I don't remember anything like that. Maybe you need to figure out who's telling the truth here, huh?"
"Well, let's see," Dawn began sarcastically. "Maybe I should believe the person who's made sure that I haven't wound up in a full body cast since this Guardian gig started. Hmmm, who would that be… on campus, it was Ian who kept me from hitting the pavement when those two freaks attacked me. And oh, last night, it was Ian, with Lita, who made sure that I made it home in one piece. And, hmmm… oh yeah, it was Ian this morning who checked on me and made sure that I was okay." She glared at Serena, whose face bore an ugly grimace. "And you… well, I was the one who saved you from those smoke demons in the alley a couple of days ago." She folded her arms across her chest, eyes narrowed. "I think I'm going to believe the one who's putting out the proof, and not the one who's bitching me out in her kitchen."
"You know, if you want to put all of your trust in that traitor –"
CRACK! All of the pent-up stress and frustration from the past twenty-four hours was released as Dawn's right hand shot forward, the palm of her hand connecting with Serena's cheek. Rini stood in shocked silence as Serena stared open mouthed at Dawn, who backed up several feet. She swallowed, running a hand through her hair, trying to think of something to say.
"What's going on in here?" Luna stood in the doorway, having heard the noise from Serena's bedroom. "What happened?" She looked between the three girls, thoroughly confused. "Is something wrong?"
"Dawn was just getting ready to leave," Serena answered through clenched teeth, her fingers covering the stinging bit of skin on her face. "Weren't you?"
"Yeah, I was," she replied hoarsely. She glanced over at Rini, who looked as if she were about to cry. "Can you tell Mina I stopped by?"
"Sure."
"Thanks. See you later." With that, she picked up her sandals and left, shutting the door carefully behind her. Rini promptly burst into tears, yelling at Serena as she sobbed.
"You didn't have to say any of that! It was an accident, and you of all people should be more understanding!"
"I DON'T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!" The shrill voice rang through the kitchen. "If it wasn't for you, none of this would have happened!"
"That's not true," Luna answered sharply, leaping onto the table. "Rini, why don't you go into the living room? I think your mother and I need to have a little talk."
Dawn flung open the door to her apartment, more upset at her inability to control her emotions than at Serena's attitude. That time, she'd just gone too far with what she'd said about last night, as well as what she'd said about Ian. If anyone would understand, it would be Lita. Grabbing her phone, she dialed the hastily scribbled number and waited for someone to pick up. "Stupid jealous blonde ditz," she muttered. "And over something as dumb as… you'd think that… hello?"
"Hello?" Lita's voice was noticeably shaky on the other end.
"Hello, Lita? It's Dawn. I got your number from Serena, and I was wondering if maybe -" Dawn stopped as Lita began sobbing frantically into the phone. For all of her comprehension skills, she couldn't make out a single word. "Whoa, slow down. C'mon, I can't understand what you're saying."
"It's Ian, he's here," Lita managed between tears. "I came home and he was lying on the floor, and he's bleeding all over, and I can't understand what he's saying, and…" she trailed off, crying even louder.
"Tell me how to get to your place," Dawn heard herself say in a dangerously calm voice. "Keep him still, and I'll be there as fast as I can."