SAILOR MOON HARMONY
EPISODE 11 - MAIDEN OF HONOR
Plot by – Jen
Written by Whirlwynd
The cool night air wafted around her, ruffling her pleated violet skirt and short, grain-colored hair. The ocean, just as restless as her mind tonight, shimmered in the moonlight just as the edge of the blade curving above her head.
That blue streak across the sky. Too brillant, too astoundingly beautiful to be just a star - it was crossing the sky over the waters. As it faded into the distance, she felt her own heart go with it, and instantly was overwhelmed with a feeling of emptiness. They had been so close - and he had run off yet again. Why? Was there some other destiny that awaited him?
Yes. She had heard him mention it time and time again. Eclipzes. These uninvited monsters that would inevitably tear them apart had now done so. Now was the time to cleanse the world of the invaders, so he could see clearly why she had followed him - and why he should stay with her.
"My love -- may fortune be with you. With both of us."
With that, she turned and walked from the midnight sea.
~*~*~*~*~
"This beautiful October weather continues with no end in sight, with temperatures of 80 degrees up all over the Quad Cities area. The high temperatures are still expected to go on through the week, look out for scattered showers on Wednesday and possibly thunderstorms on Thursday. Now let's turn to SkyWatch 4 for a radar outlook --"
Orion watched the meteorologist with concern. Skyler had told him that it had never been this warm in Galesburg in October, at least the years she had lived there. He suspected it could be more than just unusual nature. But the Eclipzes? They were just travelers. They didn't have weather-changing power. Someone else had to be behind this, someone much more powerful. Or maybe, just maybe, it could be a sign of a Melody Crystal. After all, this out-of-place weather wasn't happening anywhere else.
Skyler had rushed by him, her skates clattering. Turbo scampered up behind her, nearly knocking over Frostbite in his chase. The cat yowled unappreciatively. Orion, careful not to alarm either cat or dog, swooped out the door and onto the porch.
"Sky, be careful out there" he warned. "I've got a feeling something might happen today."
"You said that yesterday" Skyler reminded him. "And then you got run over by Turbo."
Orion fluffed in annoyance, then turned. "Well, it's not my fault he likes me more than you -"
"Hey."
"Make sure you have the Hurricane Ring with you, and make sure the other girls are alert as well. I'll be nearby."
"Gotcha, O - byrd."
Orion fluffed again. That was his nickname now, since Cassie had come along. It wasn't that he didn't like the name - it was just a little strange.
"Bye!"
She skated off, tripping over some gravel in her driveway before making it to the road, and then skating off towards the school. Orion fluttered to the roof and took a good look around, making sure no one could see him.
A movement in the corn caught his eye. A figure, concealed in the heavy stalks, but was definetely there. The curious bird launched into the air for a better look.
But just as he was approaching, the visitor took off in a hurry. Orion followed, trying to get a better view. He dived low to the corn.
Suddenly the star outline appeared on his face, and he tail-stopped, flapping higher into the air. A gentle shock pulsed through him, telling him to back off. He wasn't about to take this on by himself.
"A Harmony?" he muttered to himself. "But I would have known if one was disrupted here - it must have come from someplace else!"
He needed the Scouts' help, but if he got off the trail now he might lose the Harmony. But what was he going to do if the Harmony turned and attacked him? Sure, he had power, but he had no idea how much more his opponent would have. He had to get the Harmony Scouts.
~*~*~*~*~
"Hey, you're laaaaate!" Cassie teased Skyler, who had just made it up the stairs. "What happened?"
"Another dream" Skyler groaned, pulling her sandal into the right place. "That and Orion was giving me another warning."
"O - byrd's worried again, huh? Guess we'll have to look out for a giant Turbo!"
"I hate to say this, guys" Jillian cut in. "But I think he's right. I mean, we should do more. We need some kind of training session or something because last time we really weren't ready for the Harmony attack. If Skyler hadn't blown up like she did -"
Skyler frowned. "Please don't talk about that."
"All right, all right. But I'm serious. We need to start taking this a lot more seriously. Remember what Orion said, the world could be in our hands."
"That's scary."
"Hey, teacher's buzz is that there's another new kid here today" Cassie told them. "From what I can gather, her name's Corrine DeBeau, and she's from France."
"Really? I always wanted to go there."
"That must be her."
Skyler was watching a sandy-haired girl walk down the hallway with a group of seventh-graders crowded around her. The girl wore a delicate lavender skirt, something light and comfortable, but decorative at the same time. Her shoes looked brand-new, kind of like sandals but they had thick, tall heels. Her hair, about waist-length and straight as a reed, was tied up in a simple ponytail. "Looks like she knows what fits around here" Cassie commented.
"Hello!" Skyler called as they passed by.
The girl stopped and stared at her. Skyler blinked in surprise. Her eyes were a intense, crystalline blue - an extremely light shade. Almost white.
"Cory, c'mon, we'll be late" one of the other girls insisted.
Cory continued on with out a word.
"She didn't say anything -"
Cassie shrugged. "Whatever. I gotta get to class -"
Suddenly Orion's voice rang through their communicators. "Scouts! There is something very close to you that is emitting strange energy waves! Do you see anything out of place?"
They group looked around as unnoticably as they could. "It's moving away from you, going north."
"We don't have time to be chasing things around" Skyler whispered. "If something bad happens, we'll let you know, OK?"
The three split up, not noticing the pair of eagle eyes watching from one of the classroom windows -
~*~*~*~*~
Her pen flowed smoothly over the pastel pages of her small notebook, pouring out words onto the page in some kind of attempt to bring her insides out. She sang lightly as she wrote -
(You Don't Know Me)
She stopped just as she heard the front door creak open, and heavy footsteps on the stone entrance. She tossed the pen aside and rushed out of her room, with open arms. She couldn't wait to tell her father all about the first day at school.
But he had already walked out of the way, right up to her mother's room.
"How is everything? All right? Anything different?"
They were talking about that baby again. Brother or sister, whatever it would be, it was already driving her crazy. She trudged back into her room, her excitement turned into a deep frown. She picked her pen up off of her bed, and sat down at the notebook again, but now she was too depressed to write. Sure he had just come home, but he didn't even bother to search her out yet and ask how her day was? Nothing like it was before they found out about their soon-to-be newest family addition.
That was supposedly why they moved to the backwards little town. To make a new start. She wasn't going to complain about them moving, no. That was exactly what she wanted. But when they found out her mother was pregnant, things changed, and now, it was worse.
She turned her chair and opened up a dresser drawer. Hidden under many layers of brand-new clothes, a golden picture frame, with a dark, blurry picture on it. She lifted it into the light, and sighed.
"Could you be the only one that could understand me? I understand you. But why do you have to run from me? Together, we could be unstoppable -"
"Cory?" she heard from the hall.
She came out in a hurry at the sound of her father's voice. But he wasn't the one he meant for her to talk to. He held the phone in his hand, looking rather cross. "It's for you. Keep it down, your mother's trying to sleep."
She stared after him, with restrained tears. But they quickly went away as she got caught up in conversation with her new friend.
~*~*~*~*~
Galesburg was always way too quiet at night, that was Cassie's opinion. They could probably hear something coming from a mile away. But whatever was out there, they were ready to handle it now.
The three Harmony Scouts had met out on the street at midnight, and had been wandering around with Orion for about an hour. He had been telling them about this guy that was following people around, but whenever he got close, the stalker took off. He failed to add why he thought it was their business, though.
Sailor Phoenix shuddered. The temperature had dropped significantly since the sun had gone down, and it didn't help that the Sailor uniform consisted of a mini-skirt and no sleeves or neck. But that wasn't why that chill had run down her back. Something wasn't right about this situation, something familiar to her. Her intuition in times like these was rarely off. Her emerald eyes kept alert, looking for any tiny movement.
Sailor Aquila yawned. The wings on her sandals stretched along with her arms. "It's too late" came her whispered complaint.
"There's no people here, though" Sailor Monoceros pointed out. "We should be able to find this guy more easily."
They were nearing the town square, when Sailor Phoenix held her arms out, stopping the other two with a jolt. "What?" Aquila nearly yelled.
Phoenix held one finger to her lips and motioned to a bench in the square. An elderly man wearing an old fedora and trench coat sat there, gazing into the deep, clear night. Aquila blinked, then pushed past Phoenix's block and started over there.
"Aquila!" the other three hissed.
"What? It's just Mr. Aspen. He lives down the street."
"What's he doing out here this late?" Orion wondered.
"Oh, he's always out here."
"Why didn't you tell us?!"
"It slipped my mind!" Aquila snapped, her cheeks tinged with pink. "Look, I know what you guys are thinking, but Mr. Aspen is really nice. See, he lost his wife last year, and ever since then he's been wandering around at night because he can't sleep. He told me so. He just feels alone, that's all. I heard he's going to be moving to the city next month."
She continued without protest from the other Scouts. "Excuse me" she said softly.
"Who's there?" the old man demanded distantly.
"Sailor Aquila. If you could just answer a few questions for me?"
Mr. Aspen turned and grinned, a perfect white smile. "Why, Skyler Avis, do your parents know you're out this late?"
"Huh?!" Aquila cried, backing away from the bench. The other two Scouts tensed, ready to fight.
"I - I'm not -" she stammered.
"So your the one that's been stopping all these bad vibes around here. I should have known it, such a bright young girl you are. I knew someday you'd get somewhere."
Aquila stared helplessly at Orion, who gave her a sort of mid-air shrug. She then sat down on the bench. "What are you doing out here?"
"Lookin' for the moon" he answered absent-mindedly, staring upwards again. "The fall moon gets so big sometimes."
She followed his gaze. The moon wasn't up yet, but there were plenty of stars to look at.
"Aquila, watch out!" Monoceros hollered.
A thin green beam whooshed right by her head. She shrieked as it struck Mr. Aspen in the face, and drew a red crystal out of his mouth.
"Harmony Disrupt!" they heard a delicate voice cry. It sounded like Quayke.
Before any of the Scouts could do anything, though, Mr. Aspen had slumped down off the bench, and his Harmony transformed into a huge, bristling wolf. The fur on it's back was roaring with flames, it's red-hot claws pieced the pavement as easily as a shovel through snow. It let out a fierce, window-rattling snarl and howled.
This was by far the most threatening-looking Harmony they had come across. Aquila, who had been cast to the ground when the Harmony was change, now lay quivering on the grass, her silver eyes widened and frozen on the giant creature in front of her.
As if it could sense her presence, the wolf whirled and snarled right in Aquila's face. She whimpered, clutching the grass.
"Aquila! Use your attacks!" Orion ordered.
She couldn't. It was almost as if the flaming beast had hypnotized her.
Suddenly, Monoceros yelled out as she was yanked off her feet. Orion turned his head. "It's him! It's the stalker!"
"Well thanks for telling me!" Monoceros groaned, trying to squirm her way out of the shadowy figure's grasp.
Sailor Phoenix glanced between the two. Who was she supposed to go after first? That wolf looked like it was about to snap Aquila's head off, but she didn't know the capabilities of the stalker, who Orion obviously thought was dangerous. What was odd about the stalker was that she was looking right at him, but couldn't see anything about him except a messy shadow. She was struck, though, by something about him, something she knew she wouldn't like if she found out.
Something struck her in the back, sending her to the ground a few yards from Aquila. Right away, she picked herself up from the ground, but was yanked back down by restraints that had wrapped around her neck, waist, wrists, and feet. Her sword clattered away from her on the street.
A wooden shoe stepped in front of her face. She tried to look up, but her head was stuck pretty firmly to the ground. Aquila's scream split the air.
The wolf snapped again, and a loud noise. Monoceros gasped and gave a small cry. Phoenix cringed, sure that the Harmony had started in on Aquila.
But the wolf had silenced. The wooden shoes, belonging to Quayke, had backed off, and she was looking at the top of a building. In that short moment Monoceros had somehow gotten free and was pulling Phoenix's restraints, thick vines, up from the ground.
"You'd better sit, wolf, or you've howled at your last moon."
All eyes went to the rooftop, where that powerful, cold voice had come from.
"Another Scout!" Orion and Aquila exclaimed.
There was another, all right. She had long, thick light brown hair in a ponytail that fell down her shoulders in a straight crop. Her uniform was in similar shape to the other Harmony Scouts - gold tiara with a violet, star-shaper gem, white gloves with purple trim, a violet mini-skirt, tall violet boots, and teal bows. In her hand, held like a walking stick, was a glaive that arched over her head, the blade shaped like a question mark. She stood tall, with sharp, clear eyes - she was ready. This one knew the meaning of Sailor Scout, Orion thought, and she knew what her mission was.
"Who are you?" everyone else was saying.
"In the name of truth, I am Sailor Virgo!" the Scout declared, not even looking at the other Scouts.
She leapt high in the air. The glaive swiped inches away from the wolf's head. It yelped and hopped back, then galloped away.
"We can't let it get away!" Aquila yelled, just as she noticed the others were already on the trail. "Oh."
Orion rounded the corner to an empty street. His sharp golden eyes flickered around the desolate buildings, but there wasn't even the slightest movement until Aquila, Monoceros, and Phoenix dashed up behind him. "It's gone" he mumbled. "I can't sense it anymore."
"So's that other Scout -" Phoenix observed.
"No!" Aquila protested. "We can't just lose it! What about Mr. Aspen?"
"She's right" Monoceros agreed. "We can't leave the guy like that."
"This Harmony's in our hands now" someone said.
Enygma stepped out from an alleyway, grinning. Orion growled. "So let me guess. You want something for it."
"I didn't come to talk to you, bird. But you're right, I do want something."
Phoenix stepped forward. "It that old man's crystal your only excuse for me not slashing you in half right now?"
"Phoenix!" Aquila cried.
Enygma's grin somehow grew more devious. "Right. If that Harmony shatters, he dies."
"So what do you want already?!"
Monoceros gave her a disapproving look, but was too angry with Enygma to say anything. "I challenge you to a battle. Be back here tomorrow, at midnight."
"Battle against who?" Orion demanded. "For what?"
"Well, it's simple. All of us, the Eclipzes, versus all of you."
"That's not fair!"
"Fair or not, that's my offer. If you win, you get the man's Harmony back. But if we win -" her eyes narrowed, aimed at Monoceros. "-your pink friend's Melody Crystal is ours."
"WHAT?!"
Monoceros' hands flew to her throat. "M - Melody Crystal?!"
"That's right. You don't show, you don't see the old man alive again."
She slipped back into the shadows. The other Scouts were too focused on Monoceros to notice, including a pair of light blue eyes watching from a rooftop -
~*~*~*~*~
Orion twittered all around Jillian, pecking at her like a birdseed log. She looked a little uncomfortable with it, but didn't complain. "It would make sense for the elements."
"Would that mean that me and Skyler would have a Crystal, too?" Cassie asked. "I mean, we both have elemental controls."
"Delphi Blade and Virgo" Skyler mumbled, staring at the sunset.
"Yeah, and those two. Maybe they run away from us because they don't want their crystals stolen."
"Well, for one" Orion said, "We don't know how to remove the crystals without injuring the host. And two, I'd think Enygma would have said something about you two as well."
They had managed to hide Mr. Aspen at the McGillar place, and were now sitting on the front patio at Cassie's house.
"Who is Sailor Virgo?"
"That's priority two right now, Skyler."
"I've never had any special powers or anything" Jillian muttered. "Why would it choose me?"
Orion inched sideway, and the star outline on his forehead appeared. "They didn't choose -" he trailed off when he felt the outline, and looked sharply to the cornfields on the distant hills. "He's here."
"Who?" Cassie said, jumping up.
"The stalker. He's not heading this way, he's going north. Come on, let's go."
"But he'll be gone by the time we get across the creek."
Jillian's eyes scanned the corn-spiked horizon. "Yeah -" she said distantly.
Her painted nails scraped tiny splinters out of the bench. She could feel a lump growing in her throat, whether it was the Melody Crystal or her own nervousness, she didn't know. The reality of the danger she was in had finally smacked her right in the face and pretty much knocked her off her feet. "Orion -" she said weakly. "That's enough - I don't want to -"
Abruptly, she leapt to her feet and ran off down the gravelly drive. Skyler also jumped up, but Cassie held her arm out. "I don't think she wants to see us right now."
"What? Why? We're her friends, aren't we? Is she mad at us?"
"No" Cassie's eyes remained on Jillian with an analytical steadiness. "She just doesn't want to see Sailor Scouts."
Skyler stared after her, still visibly confused. Cassie picked up a stick by the side of the bench. She spun it around, and held it in a defensive position. "You'd better get home and rest. We've got a big night."
Jillian ran up the apartment stairs, her eyes swimming in stubborn tears. Her father sat in the living room, his crossed legs propped up on the coffee table and his face in the paper. "Hey, Jill" he greeted distractedly. "How's -"
'Oh no', she thought, quickly hiding her face. But it seemed her father had already caught on. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing" she said, knowing all too well her voice was too broken to pass as OK.
"Come here. Talk to me."
She ignored him, slamming the door. She flopped down on her bed, hoping with all her mind that he wouldn't follow.
"There's been nothing but trouble ever since I came here" she whispered. "But what can I do? What should I do? Can a Scout not be a Scout anymore?"
~*~*~*~*~
Their crowded footsteps sifted into the night. None of them spoke, not even Skyler. They weren't sure what to expect, and not willing to guess. The waning moon was just peering over the tops of the trees.
Jillian walked right in the middle of the group, her eyes more alert than they had ever been before. She had focused her frightened mind into a high state of wariness. Still, the others could see the fear in her face. She kept her hand clasped over her transformation locket.
The square was dimly-lit, silent. The trees stood as still guards to the area, the Pisces fountain as motionless as a photograph.
"You'd better transform before we get out in the open" Orion advised.
Skyler opened her mouth to start, but before she could speak, Cassie stopped her with a wave of her hand. "Someone else is in the square."
"Who? Not the creepy stalker guy is it?"
Cassie crept up to the bushes by the fountain. There was someone, as she had said, sitting on the edge of it, staring up at the sky. She could just barely make out a face in the moonlight.
"I think that's - that Cory girl!"
The rest of them got closer. "Yeah" Skyler confirmed.
"She can't be here, the Eclipzes are going to show up any minute!" Orion whispered. "Quick, try to get her out of sight -"
Cory's eyes glimmered an unearthly ice blue as she saw them approaching. "What are you doing here?"
"We were just about to ask you" Jillian said. "It's midnight, don't your parents care if you're out here?"
"Don't yours?" she retorted.
"It's not safe to be out here now."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"You have no idea."
Cassie snorted. "Excuse me? I have no idea? Do you have any idea what it's like to live a day in northside Somerset?"
"That doesn't mean a thing."
Skyler's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait a minute. Are you - "
The ground nearby suddenly burst into a fountain of violet light and charred grass. Skyler screamed and dived right into the fountain.
More lasers rained down. "Showing up unprepared, are we?" they heard Enygma claim.
"Great -"
"There's no time!" Orion yelled. "Forget the identity, just transform!"
Skyler peered over the edge of the fountain, then slipped out and into the shadows. "EAGLE STAR POWER!"
"UNICORN STAR POWER!"
"PHOENIX STAR POWER!"
The square was a bright as a blue, pink, and red day as the energizing power flared through the trees. The three Scouts set down. Aquila's hair had dried during the transformation.
"Now you see?" Sailor Monoceros yelled. "Go!"
Cory smirked and closed her eyes with a mischievous chuckle. She stood up slowly from the fountain. "I knew there was something about you three. It was easy to tell."
Raising her hand in the air, she cried, "VIRGO STAR POWER!"
The three Harmony Scouts watched in amazement as twirling green and violet light erupted from the ground around Cory's feet. Orion closed his eyes to feel the energy - grounded, harmonious, emotional - it was definetly the element earth. "She's one of us -"
The violet-uniformed soldier paid no attention to the started Scouts. "So now you know who I am. There, you happy?"
"Please -" Rayne scoffed as she appeared by the fountain. "We already know who you all are. Not that hard to figure it out."
Aquila sprawled across the ground as Typhune landed right on her head. The rest also descended from the trees around. Enygma landed ready, with her laser charged. Inpherno barely had to jump to reach the ground. Quayke took a few timid, clumsy steps on the branch before falling out of the tree.
For the next few minutes, the square was in complete chaos, a mess of fire and feathers, lasers and light. Aquila was flipping out, lost in the melee. Phoenix found herself preoccupied with both Rayne and Inpherno, just barely escaping their elemental attacks. Monoceros and Typhune cycled around each other.
Sailor Virgo stood opposite of Quayke, who seemed to be more interested in finding a place to hide rather than fighting. "Where are you going?"
She swiped the scythe across the grass. Quayke eyes it from her place behind the tree.
"Looks like this fight is pretty even after all."
Virgo motioned to raise the scythe, but found the handle firmly strapped to the ground with thick vines.
Vines the width of garbage cans tore through the square every which way. The fighters hit the ground, including Virgo. After they had whizzed by, she pushed herself back up - but became aware of pressure on her back. She froze as she felt the heat through her uniform, and heard the low growling right behind her ears.
Aquila had crumbled to her knees at the sight of the menacing Harmony, leaving her wide open for Enygma. She rushed over to the stunned Scout, slipped her arm around her neck and yanked her to her feet, the laser pressed to the side of her head. "Let's see you lightning protect you from this -"
Aquila screamed at the top of her lungs. At the same time, so did the Harmony, drawing all eyes.
A blue, tri-blade boomerang stuck in the ground, followed by a wave of water. The wolf's shrieking was reduced to a squeal, and finally a hiss as the fire vanished into the air. The Harmony crystal dropped to the grass.
Delphi Blade approached from the opposite side of the square. "Thought I'd even up the odds!" he called to the Harmony Scouts.
"OW! Quit it!"
Orion had taken Enygma's momentary distraction to free Aquila by clinging to Enygma's hair with his talons. Aquila slipped out of her grasp and backed up a few feet. The only thing she could think to do was whip the Hurricane Ring at Enygma's head.
It smacked into her, knocking her flat on her back and bouncing right back to Aquila. Delphi dashed through the square, shooting off water beams alongside Sailor Phoenix.
Suddenly a violet light exploded from where the Harmony lay. A blade shimmered in the light.
"VIRGIN SCYTHE SLASH!"
Another moment of chaos, and the sound of a blade cutting through the air.
"That's it! I'm going!" Inpherno yelled. "I got other work to do -"
She vanished into flame. Enygma slowly struggled to her feet, pausing to take a look at the situation. She looked rather disoriented, a large gash across her forehead. Typhune picked her up. "No!" she snapped, jerking away. "We can't give up this time!"
"I think you can."
The Scouts and Delphi stood right in front of the two remaining Eclipzed. Enygma gave them the meanest scowl she could muster, then vanished with Typhune in a beam.
Aquila ran right over to the Harmony. "I'll be back, I'm going to give this to Mr. Aspen!"
Sailor Monoceros and Phoenix watched her, then looked back at Virgo, who was standing in front of Delphi Blade. "So you ARE here" she sighed.
Delphi didn't say a word. His expression was flat, almost sad.
"You helped me. You just gave me the strength to scare them off."
Sailor Virgo reached out to him, but he leapt off into the night. "Wait!"
"Yeah, wait!" Sailor Phoenix yelled. "Augh -"
Virgo eyed the two other Scouts. Monoceros addressed her. "So you're a Scout, too, then?"
Just like Delphi, she gave them an ice-blue look, and bolted away.