Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Victory
Chapter 4: The Second Stone
By Jennifer Cleary
"All right, let's get serious," Sailor Star Destroyer said seriously, "Do you two know where any of the Oracle Stones are?" Clothos and Lachesis blinked in confusion. "Oracle.Stones.?" Lachesis asked in confusion. "The sacred stones of Queen Serenity's priestesses and the Goddesses themselves?" Sailor Comet hinted. "Like the Ginzuishou." Sailor Moon showed Lachesis the crystal. Lachesis blinked in confusion again and then got the idea. "Ah! I know Omega-sama mentioned these to me! I was supposed to get one after I was supposed to kill Clothos! I know where one is!" Lachesis exclaimed excitedly. The eyes of the senshi on the scene grew huge. "What?" they all gasped at once. Lachesis nodded in confirmation. "Yep. I know where at least one is. It's really close. Besides the legendary Ginzuishou." Lachesis grinned crookedly. "Spill the beans already!" Sailor Nebula demanded jumping in front of Lachesis with enthusiasm. "Oh pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaase? We need those stones in order to set this world on the designated course of the future for Crystal Tokyo!" "You mean that the Ginzuishou isn't the only stone of importance to a peaceful future?" Sailor Moon asked. "How do you think the world remained stable after the Black Moon attacked?" Sailor Star Destroyer asked. "Let the girl speak you guys." Sailor Comet said quietly, this which was ignored by the bickering of Sailors Nebula and Star Destroyer over how Crystal Tokyo was sustained after the Black Moon attack. Sailor Comet face- faulted and sweatdropped. She tapped Sailor Nebula on the shoulder. "You're making a scene." she whispered to her comrade. Sailor Nebula paused in mid-sentence and then realized what she was doing. "Oh!" she sweatdropped and scratched the back of her head. "Sorry, I guess when I get into a debate, I lose myself." "Whatever," Sailor Star Destroyer mumbled and then mumbled something about Sailor Nebula being a nitwit. "You said you knew where the second stone is right?" Sailor Moon asked, looking straight into Lachesis's eyes. Lachesis nodded and looked around. There were a few people gawking at the site of her in her green bodysuit. "Could we go somewhere private?" Lachesis requested and Sailor Moon nodded. "Of course." Sailor Moon nodded and they left for Jen's Home in South Tokyo. Little did the senshi know that they were being watched by two sets of mysterious eyes. One of those sets belonged to Atropos, the other belonged to a young man, dressed as a mercenary from medieval Europe, he had a mask on, so nobody could identify his face at first glance. His hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail. "Those girls are in for a lot of trouble, I can sense it." The mercenary said and disappeared into a shadow of a building.
"Lady Cerridwen." Omega addressed the spirit in its private chambers. "You summoned me?" "Yes," the spirit replied from the bottle, "It seems that Clothos and Lachesis may tell the Sailor Senshi where the Oracle Stones are." "That is what I feared you would say, Lady Cerridwen," Omega said, her head hanging. "Do not worry though, Atropos will make sure that her sisters are dead by the day is through." "Do not make empty promises to me again, Omega. The Three Sisters have become a single Fate and now our future rests in your hands which will give the orders to that Fate. If she fails, it will be your responsibility to kill her and her sisters immediately." "Pardon me Cerridwen-sama," a tall figure chimed from the doorway of the chamber. Her hair was long and she stood with the posture of royalty. "I sincerely apologize for the interruption, but there is something important for Miss Omega to see." "Marina." Omega grumbled, and turned her attention to her mistress once again. "Gomen, Lady Cerridwen, but this seems to be of urgent business. May we finish this at a later time?" "No. I have asked for your presence for this time, as I do not have much strength as it is. This accursed bottle has kept me here for over ten thousand years, and I grow weaker as the centuries pass. I need those Oracle Stones for the restoration of the power I've lost over the millenniums. Get those stones or I shall kill you for treason." The spirit demanded and faded into her prison once more. Omega bowed to her mistress and turned to Marina, who was waiting patiently. "This had better be important." Omega said glaring at Marina's aqua eyes, which were open to merely a slit. "Well, I thought you should know that a Oracle Stone is going to show up very soon, that's all." Marina replied smiling. "Cerridwen-sama, said that she wanted those stones for her glorious return to Earth, and it's your duty to tell little miss Fate to get the stone." Omega glared at her rival and smirked. "I already know which stone is coming. The one which will Lady Cerridwen her magic back, I want to be the one responsible for that task." Omega spat and left in a light jog. She ran towards the wing where Atropos's chamber was. She burst through the doors of the room to find Atropos reading a novel from Earth. "YOU!" Omega roared, "GET YOUR ASS TO EARTH AND FETCH THE ORACLE STONE FROM YOUR SISTERS!" "WHAAAT?" Atropos exclaimed back, "They have a stone already? I am on it Omega-sama!" Atropos placed her bookmark in her novel and teleported out of her chamber to Earth. As she headed to Earth she thought, "If my sisters already have a stone, that could mean they know where the others are!" Atropos giggled and entered the Earth Dimension, landing not so gracefully in a manhole. After some sloshing around, Atropos climbed out of the manhole, covered in a brown, smelly muck. "WHY ME?" she screamed and tromped off to clean up before confronting the senshi and her sisters.
"Finally, we'll have a stone." Jen shook in happiness as she entered her home, to find it exactly as she had it before she left, and after she cleaned up after the first battle with the Shadow Moon Empire. "Hey, guys, we have some extra company tonight." Jen announced to the other senshi playing a card game on her coffee table. "We'll probably get one more later on after we reveal the stone." Lachesis warned and sat next to Shouni. "ACK!" Shouni shouted and scurried behind Rachel. "What are you doing here?" Lachesis smiled as her sister sat next to her. "You're here to kill me aren't you?" Shouni asked nervously. "No, of course not!" Lachesis giggled. "YOU ARE!" Shouni pointed in fear, Rachel sweatdropped. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" Rachel shouted and moved to the other side of the table, away from Shouni. "DON'T LEAVE ME, RACHEL-SAN!" Shouni cried, bounding after Rachel, only to find her caught in Liz's grip. "Leave my sister alone, you infantile little pest!" Liz threatened, receiving a dirty look from both Jen and Fumito. "Could you please leave her alone, she didn't do a thing to you." Fumito commented and sipped on some chilled green tea she found in the kitchen. "Looking for trouble, bookie?" Liz threatened glaring at Fumito, letting go of Shouni in the process. Fumito shook her head and sipped her tea. Liz, fuming sat next to her sister, who was trying to find a comfortable position to sit in. Jen looked around at her friends gathered around in her home and smiled. "Before we begin, would anyone like something to eat or drink?" Jen asked. "Well, I would like a taste of justice, if you don't mind me serving it on behalf of the Shadow Moon Empire." Atropo's voice echoed throughout the house, alarming the senshi quite quickly. Atropos appeared on the staircase. "Atropos." Lachesis whispered solemnly, looking down. Atropos looked at her sisters at the table. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my dear, loving sisters." Atropos smiled wickedly. She caused a power surge in the entire house, leaving the alarmed senshi and Fates in the darkness. "You two should have stayed on Omega- sama's side, otherwise I wouldn't have to kill you. But since you're both here with a Oracle Stone close at hand, I may as well get the stone first!" A bolt of white lighting flashed and a body crunched to the floor. Atropos, who could see very well in pure blackness, teleported to the fallen body and slowly began to extract a small jewel from the victim's chest. As the light from the stone became brighter and brighter, Atropos's eyes lit up like a thousand stars. "Ah, here it is, Callisto's Amethyst, the Oracle Stone of belief, I can't believe it was in one of you slimy senshi." Atropos laughed and grasped the extracted gem in her palm. "Omega-sama told me to thank you, Sailor Nebula for keeping this Oracle Stone safe for her while we were regaining power once more! Ha ha!" Atropos cackled again and was about ready to disappear when the crash of bodies hit her with a paralyzing force, that knocked her into the fireplace. A small red light glowed in one of the attacker's hands, dimly lighting a small area near the fireplace. Blinded by the darkness, the remaining senshi tried to find their fallen ally, and also retrieve the stone from Atropos. "You.why?" Atropos stuttered, seeing who had attacked her. "Ironic, isn't it, sister?" Clothos said, smiling a little. "You underestimated us." Lachesis chimed in. "But, but don't you two still see me as your sister?" Atropos asked, inching further back into the fireplace, looking for her escape. By this time, all the senshi had transformed and were trying to assist each other in getting their ally to a safe location. When the dragged her to the kitchen, they found the mysterious young man waiting for them. "Who in the bloody hell are you?" Fumito asked, seeing the man sitting on the counter. "That is not important right now." He answered and looked at the dead- looking Jen. "I'll take care of her for now, you girls have a fight ahead of you. Clothos and Lachesis can't hold their sister off forever with emotion and words." "I don't trust you one bit, but if you say so, we'll go." Sailor Star Destroyer replied grimly, "I don't trust you enough to leave you alone with her though. Who is staying behind to watch him?" The senshi looked at each other questionably until one volunteered to watch. "I'll stay behind." Sailor Comet said and kneeled next to Jen, who was breathing very shallowly and was white in the face. "Go on, you guys, don't wait up for me." "All right, let's go kick some Shadow Moon butt!" Sailor Star Keeper shouted and the five senshi dashed in the living room. The young man hopped off the counter and knelt across from Sailor Comet. "She looks bad. She might not live for much longer without that stone in her possession, pray that the others get it back." He said grimly. "Is there anything you can do in the meantime to keep her going?" Sailor Comet asked, regretted inwardly that she did not have healing powers. The man nodded in response and took Jen's hand into his. Sailor Comet watched in amazement as he transferred some of his energy into Jen's weakening body. When he gave Jen as much strength from him as he could without becoming too weak, he asked Sailor Comet to place her hand in his so he could take some of her energy and help strengthen her friend. Sailor Comet nodded and she gave him her hand to give part of her energy to Jen.
"Come on, you weaklings!" Atropos taunted the senshi who were trying to dodge Atropos's attacks that came from the stone clutched in her hands. "Now that I have this stone, I am unstoppable!" she laughed and then in a flash of golden light, was blinded by an attack by Sailor Solaris. This blinded her enough to have Sailor Star Destroyer zoom up to the last Fate and take the stone from Atropos's grasp. "The stone! No!" Atropos cried and sank to the floor in defeat. " I can't do it! I can't kill my own sisters! I'd rather betray Omega-sama than my own flesh and blood!" "Atropos?" Lachesis asked, setting her hand on her crying sister's shoulder, "Do you wish to be mortal? Like me and Clothos?" Atropos looked up at her from behind teary eyes and began to laugh manically. "Are you so foolish and naïve?" she laughed, sending a orb of black energy at her sisters, making them fly over the sofa and land on the Persian rug with a thud. "I can't believe that you fell for that!" she laughed again, "You two have become weak as a pair of newborn kittens! Helpless and harmless when that little Moon witch healed you! I desire eternal youth, and the power that Omega-sama promised us all those millennia ago!" She towered over them and prepared a large lightning bolt to finish them off for good.
After a long time of praying, Sailor Comet looked at Jen with tears in her eyes. "Don't die, for the love of all that is around you, don't die, please." Jen laid on the floor in stillness. The young man shook his head. "She can't hear you, her entire soul was in that stone, she can still respond to common things, but only with no emotion and no character. If the stone is apart from her for much longer, there may be some serious side effects." He explained. "How? How do you know all this?" Sailor Comet asked, in confusion. "I don't know. All I know is I have to protect this girl with my life. That is all that runs through my mind." He paused and looked at Jen, whose face was slowly regaining color. "Look at her, she seems so peaceful, but is in pain on the inside. I have to go get that stone or she may die. Stay with her while I get the stone." Sailor Comet only blinked in confusion and then nodded, grasping her friend's hand, begging for Jen to hang on to that little light of hope. The young man left eh kitchen and entered the living room, standing tall. He confronted Atropos, who was laughing and tormenting her sisters before their deaths. "You two are pathetic, not attacking your own sister?" Atropos teased. "Omega-sama will be pleased with this, a Oracle Stone and the traitors taken care of!" "Woman!" the man screamed behind Atropos, causing her to turn around and stare at him in hatred. "What do you want?" she spat. The man grabbed Atropos's neck and brought her to his face. "Tell me what you have done with the stone or die." "I don't know what happened to it!" Atropos shouted. "One of those damned senshi have it now! After I take care of these two, I'm getting that stone and busting out of here." "Hey!" Sailor Solaris shouted at the young man. "We have the stone. Take it, but only if you return it to its owner." She threw the stone at the young man. Atropos reacted and reached out to grab it, and successfully having it in her hands, prepared for a blast to kill her sisters, the man and the senshi in one grand explosion. "Ha ha! I'll be rid of all of you in a matter of a few seconds!" Atropos yelled and made the stone glow in a bright purple light. She was about to release the attack when she felt cold metal close in on her jugular. "If you blow this place to bits, I'll have to kill you." The man threatened, pressing his sword closer to Atropo's neck. "Then I die a great death in battle." Atropos said and collapsed on to the floor, completely overcharged by the stone's power. The man took the stone and ran back to Jen and Sailor Comet in the kitchen. "Watch out." He said and knelt over the nearly dead girl. He placed the stone over her chest and watched it absorb into the cavity again. As it was being absorbed into her chest, the locket around Jen's neck changed from a small star into a small replica of the amethyst. Shortly after receiving her life essence again, Jen opened her eyes and looked at the people around her. "What's going on? Is there a fight?" Jen asked, slowly, still weak from the lack of energy that was being reestablished slowly from the stone. "Rest, the other can take care of it." The man coaxed, placing his hand on her, preventing her from getting up to join the fight. "You're still very weak from not having the stone in your body for that period of time." "What do you mean by that? And, who are you to tell me what to do?" Jen asked, becoming stronger and sitting up to question the man. "I'm going to help the others." Sailor Comet said and left for the battle still raging on in the living room. Jen's eyes followed Sailor Comet out of the kitchen and then turned to the man sitting next to her. "Well, start explaining pal, or I turn that face of yours into a frying pan." Jen demanded. The man took her hand and kissed it. "My love, you have returned to your true state." He said and kissed her hand again, only missing because Jen drew it back to her side. "What in the hell are you talking about? 'My love'? True state? What happened to me?" she asked. Suddenly, memories flooded back to her mind. A beautiful woman looked at her in a violet gown. She had the same face as Jen, only there was something more regal about that woman that made Jen question who the woman was. "Only your past life. You are the goddess Callisto, a goddess of belief and magic. You were blessed with magic from long ago when I was reincarnated into you." "So, I'm some kind of goddess?" Jen asked, floating near the woman. Her necklace floated in front of her face. "My necklace, what happened to my locket?" "It has increased in power, you are now a more powerful senshi than before. Protect the amethyst with your life, it is your life, soul and my essence all at once." " I don't understand.I've become.more powerful?" Jen asked herself. "When the time calls, call out "Nebula Crisis, Make Up" that will make you into your stronger form and you shall have all of my powers." Callisto responded and faded into a mist. "WAIT! I still have something to ask you!" Jen cried, but the goddess was gone and she returned to her body. "Callisto? Callisto, can you hear me?" the man tapped the side of Jen's face to get her into a conscious state again. Jen opened her eyes, and stared at the man, who held her in his arms. "You," she murmured, "you are my former life's soul mate. Tell me, what has happened between now and then." "Callisto, do you not remember? After the Silver Millennium fell, you sealed yourself into the Amethyst and.and.disappeared. I have found you again my love." He said and held her tighter to himself. Jen looked at the man who was supposedly her destined soul mate. "What is your name? I want to know what to call you by." "I am called the Crimson Blade." He replied. "Do you have a civilian name? Or is that the same thing?" Jen asked, looking at 'the Crimson Blade', half-imagining a roll call in his class would have been like if that was indeed his real name. "William." He responded. "Callisto, I have waited for so long to be with you once again." When he said the goddess's name, Jen cringed. "Don't call me Callisto, it's my former life. My name is Jennifer Kearnes. Call me by Jen, that is all I ask." "All right..Jen." William smiled and held her closer. She looked at him, smiled and hugged him.
"Ugh!" Sailor Star Keeper was trying to send her attack on Atropos, but she dodged it easily, until Clothos, Lachesis and Sailor Star Destroyer tackled her and held her to the ground. "You can't keep me here forever!" Atropos screamed under the weight of the three girls, Sailor Star Destroyer clamped her hand over Atropos's mouth to keep her from shouting while Sailor Nerius fetched Usagi to heal Atropos. "We've tried to reason with you." Sailor Solaris said, the light from her staff emitting a bright light to keep the room bright enough for everyone to see well. "But you refuse to see the light. Being human isn't so bad, Miss Atropos. You'll gain respect from others, you won't be constantly threatened for your life, and you can live in peace. Please tell me something, do you really want to hurt your sisters more than they already have been? They have been abused time and time again by the one you call Omega, yet, you do nothing about it. We can make things how they were before you were taken in by this Omega and you can live happily with your sisters, who are learning to become human themselves. Please, if you believe in happiness, you should change your ways and become human." "Nerius." Sailor Comet said, a tear streaming down her cheek, "Your words really touched me." She turned to face Atropos and looked at her in the eyes. "If you don't want to be human like your sisters, I'm afraid we'll have to become enemies." "Comet's right." Sailor Star Keeper chimed in. "If you don't renounce your affiliation with this Omega person, we will become sworn and true enemies. Your sisters will be in more pain than they already are." "You have scarred us physically, but those can heal. A mental scar can't go away, Atropos." Clothos said and let her sister free from her grasp. "Please, for our sake and for yours, will you?" Lachesis said, letting go as well. Star Destroyer also let Atropos go. Atropos stood and looked at the solemn faces that surrounded her and hung her head. "I'm sorry, but, I won't let you try and fool me again." Atropos said and disappeared. "Atropos!" Lachesis cried out and reached for the smoke, which faded into the air. "Dammit!" Clothos shouted and pounded the floor with her fists. "She doesn't realize what may happen to her now." "Certain death. I bless her for standing up for her beliefs, but why did she have to turn around and hurt us again?" Lachesis asked. The senshi shook their heads and returned to their civilian forms.
"ATROPOS!!!!!!!!!" Omega screamed in rage as Atropos stood before her, hanging her head, tears trailing down her cheeks. "You worthless slime! You've betrayed this Empire! You shall now die." Omega raised a long sword above her head and was ready to strike when Atropos disappeared, leaving a pale lavender orb behind. "Traitorous bitch. You shall pay for this!" Omega screamed and tried to follow after her, only being stopped by a hissing voice coming from Lady Cerridwen's chamber. "Omega. I wish to see you immediately." Cerridwen's voice hissed and Omega rushed to stand in her mistress's presence. "It has come to my attention that you have failed miserably in killing the fates and getting the Oracle Stones. Good bye Omega, you are a failure." With those words, a pair of hands formed in smoke wrapped themselves around Omega and held her fast, another hand came from the bottle and reached down her throat to extract Omega's life essence to add to Cerridwen's. "Now, Marina, you shall take her place in finding the Oracle Stones, so our Empire can be triumphant once more!" Cerridwen cried and coughed in pain. "Cerridwen-sama, are you all right?" Marina asked, stepping over Omega's now lifeless body, to find how she may server her mistress. "Go, I have tired myself too much." Cerridwen said weakly and Marina left. "Now, I will get those stones for Cerridwen-sama. And I shall be the highest ranked general in the Empire!" Marina laughed and set off to her water mirror to watch the senshi.
"So, you're supposed to be Jen's guardian forever?" Mei asked William as they cleaned up the disaster area that was indeed, the remainders of Jen's home. "Yes, I am destined to guard Callisto's life until the day I die." William replied, picking up a fallen portrait of Jen's mother and father. "Stop calling me Callisto. I can't stand it." Jen said and swept the remains of the second coffee table that she had to buy in a week. "I NEED A BREAK!" she screamed and shook the broom in the air. "Be happy with what you have, Jen." Rachel said calmly. "A beautiful home with a loving family, a guardian who would protect you with your life and the six best friends anyone would wish to have." "Except me." Liz muttered under her breath, catching Mei's attention quicker than anyone else. "What do you mean by 'except me', Liz? Are you saying that you are not Jen's friend?" Mei asked. Liz froze. "All I'm saying is that her abilities as a senshi are pathetic and she should not be the leader." "And you're also saying that you would be more suitable for leadership?" Jen asked, hurt a little by Liz's comments. "YES I AM!" Liz shouted and stormed out of the house. Her twin chased after her, quickly apologizing to Jen about Liz's behavior. "She doesn't have any confidence in me as the leader?" Jen asked, her lip quivering a little. William immediately came to her side and comforted her. Jen pushed him away and stood staring at the door, shaking her head. "If she could only understand what I've been through during these past five years. Then she may change her mind." Jen shook her head again and continued to clean, thinking about Liz's opinion about her leadership skills.
"Liz?" Rachel asked, setting next to her twin on a park bench, "Why are you so power-hungry? You've always been like this since we were young. Tell me, are you jealous that Jen has the role of our team's leader and not you?" Liz looked at her twin and sighed. "I'm not a member of her team, and neither are you. We are different from those girls. Star Keeper and Star Destroyer. We make up our own team. And that is final. I will not accept that girl as leader, I lead this team, you and me." Liz looked at the ground and wiggled her feet. "We are star senshi, not cosmic senshi like Nebula, Solaris and Comet. Nerius is different as well. She looks like Mercury-san so much. I respect the three of them, but not Kearnes. I feel that she is not worthy of being a senshi at all and there is nothing you can do to change that Rachel. Now leave me alone so I can think." "All right, but if something goes wrong, you will let me know won't you?" Rachel asked, standing. "Hmph." Liz grunted and Rachel left, knowing that 'Hmph' is Liz's way of saying 'yes' when she is angry. She returned to the mansion near the bay and helped clean up and went home afterwards. Jen had cancelled the slumber party because it was becoming more and more risky to have all the senshi around protecting each other all the time. William had stayed at the mansion until it was dark, and left for his apartment in downtown Tokyo. Silently, Jen crawled up the stairs to her bedroom, changed into a nightgown and went to sleep.
Continued in Chapter 5
"All right, let's get serious," Sailor Star Destroyer said seriously, "Do you two know where any of the Oracle Stones are?" Clothos and Lachesis blinked in confusion. "Oracle.Stones.?" Lachesis asked in confusion. "The sacred stones of Queen Serenity's priestesses and the Goddesses themselves?" Sailor Comet hinted. "Like the Ginzuishou." Sailor Moon showed Lachesis the crystal. Lachesis blinked in confusion again and then got the idea. "Ah! I know Omega-sama mentioned these to me! I was supposed to get one after I was supposed to kill Clothos! I know where one is!" Lachesis exclaimed excitedly. The eyes of the senshi on the scene grew huge. "What?" they all gasped at once. Lachesis nodded in confirmation. "Yep. I know where at least one is. It's really close. Besides the legendary Ginzuishou." Lachesis grinned crookedly. "Spill the beans already!" Sailor Nebula demanded jumping in front of Lachesis with enthusiasm. "Oh pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaase? We need those stones in order to set this world on the designated course of the future for Crystal Tokyo!" "You mean that the Ginzuishou isn't the only stone of importance to a peaceful future?" Sailor Moon asked. "How do you think the world remained stable after the Black Moon attacked?" Sailor Star Destroyer asked. "Let the girl speak you guys." Sailor Comet said quietly, this which was ignored by the bickering of Sailors Nebula and Star Destroyer over how Crystal Tokyo was sustained after the Black Moon attack. Sailor Comet face- faulted and sweatdropped. She tapped Sailor Nebula on the shoulder. "You're making a scene." she whispered to her comrade. Sailor Nebula paused in mid-sentence and then realized what she was doing. "Oh!" she sweatdropped and scratched the back of her head. "Sorry, I guess when I get into a debate, I lose myself." "Whatever," Sailor Star Destroyer mumbled and then mumbled something about Sailor Nebula being a nitwit. "You said you knew where the second stone is right?" Sailor Moon asked, looking straight into Lachesis's eyes. Lachesis nodded and looked around. There were a few people gawking at the site of her in her green bodysuit. "Could we go somewhere private?" Lachesis requested and Sailor Moon nodded. "Of course." Sailor Moon nodded and they left for Jen's Home in South Tokyo. Little did the senshi know that they were being watched by two sets of mysterious eyes. One of those sets belonged to Atropos, the other belonged to a young man, dressed as a mercenary from medieval Europe, he had a mask on, so nobody could identify his face at first glance. His hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail. "Those girls are in for a lot of trouble, I can sense it." The mercenary said and disappeared into a shadow of a building.
"Lady Cerridwen." Omega addressed the spirit in its private chambers. "You summoned me?" "Yes," the spirit replied from the bottle, "It seems that Clothos and Lachesis may tell the Sailor Senshi where the Oracle Stones are." "That is what I feared you would say, Lady Cerridwen," Omega said, her head hanging. "Do not worry though, Atropos will make sure that her sisters are dead by the day is through." "Do not make empty promises to me again, Omega. The Three Sisters have become a single Fate and now our future rests in your hands which will give the orders to that Fate. If she fails, it will be your responsibility to kill her and her sisters immediately." "Pardon me Cerridwen-sama," a tall figure chimed from the doorway of the chamber. Her hair was long and she stood with the posture of royalty. "I sincerely apologize for the interruption, but there is something important for Miss Omega to see." "Marina." Omega grumbled, and turned her attention to her mistress once again. "Gomen, Lady Cerridwen, but this seems to be of urgent business. May we finish this at a later time?" "No. I have asked for your presence for this time, as I do not have much strength as it is. This accursed bottle has kept me here for over ten thousand years, and I grow weaker as the centuries pass. I need those Oracle Stones for the restoration of the power I've lost over the millenniums. Get those stones or I shall kill you for treason." The spirit demanded and faded into her prison once more. Omega bowed to her mistress and turned to Marina, who was waiting patiently. "This had better be important." Omega said glaring at Marina's aqua eyes, which were open to merely a slit. "Well, I thought you should know that a Oracle Stone is going to show up very soon, that's all." Marina replied smiling. "Cerridwen-sama, said that she wanted those stones for her glorious return to Earth, and it's your duty to tell little miss Fate to get the stone." Omega glared at her rival and smirked. "I already know which stone is coming. The one which will Lady Cerridwen her magic back, I want to be the one responsible for that task." Omega spat and left in a light jog. She ran towards the wing where Atropos's chamber was. She burst through the doors of the room to find Atropos reading a novel from Earth. "YOU!" Omega roared, "GET YOUR ASS TO EARTH AND FETCH THE ORACLE STONE FROM YOUR SISTERS!" "WHAAAT?" Atropos exclaimed back, "They have a stone already? I am on it Omega-sama!" Atropos placed her bookmark in her novel and teleported out of her chamber to Earth. As she headed to Earth she thought, "If my sisters already have a stone, that could mean they know where the others are!" Atropos giggled and entered the Earth Dimension, landing not so gracefully in a manhole. After some sloshing around, Atropos climbed out of the manhole, covered in a brown, smelly muck. "WHY ME?" she screamed and tromped off to clean up before confronting the senshi and her sisters.
"Finally, we'll have a stone." Jen shook in happiness as she entered her home, to find it exactly as she had it before she left, and after she cleaned up after the first battle with the Shadow Moon Empire. "Hey, guys, we have some extra company tonight." Jen announced to the other senshi playing a card game on her coffee table. "We'll probably get one more later on after we reveal the stone." Lachesis warned and sat next to Shouni. "ACK!" Shouni shouted and scurried behind Rachel. "What are you doing here?" Lachesis smiled as her sister sat next to her. "You're here to kill me aren't you?" Shouni asked nervously. "No, of course not!" Lachesis giggled. "YOU ARE!" Shouni pointed in fear, Rachel sweatdropped. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" Rachel shouted and moved to the other side of the table, away from Shouni. "DON'T LEAVE ME, RACHEL-SAN!" Shouni cried, bounding after Rachel, only to find her caught in Liz's grip. "Leave my sister alone, you infantile little pest!" Liz threatened, receiving a dirty look from both Jen and Fumito. "Could you please leave her alone, she didn't do a thing to you." Fumito commented and sipped on some chilled green tea she found in the kitchen. "Looking for trouble, bookie?" Liz threatened glaring at Fumito, letting go of Shouni in the process. Fumito shook her head and sipped her tea. Liz, fuming sat next to her sister, who was trying to find a comfortable position to sit in. Jen looked around at her friends gathered around in her home and smiled. "Before we begin, would anyone like something to eat or drink?" Jen asked. "Well, I would like a taste of justice, if you don't mind me serving it on behalf of the Shadow Moon Empire." Atropo's voice echoed throughout the house, alarming the senshi quite quickly. Atropos appeared on the staircase. "Atropos." Lachesis whispered solemnly, looking down. Atropos looked at her sisters at the table. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my dear, loving sisters." Atropos smiled wickedly. She caused a power surge in the entire house, leaving the alarmed senshi and Fates in the darkness. "You two should have stayed on Omega- sama's side, otherwise I wouldn't have to kill you. But since you're both here with a Oracle Stone close at hand, I may as well get the stone first!" A bolt of white lighting flashed and a body crunched to the floor. Atropos, who could see very well in pure blackness, teleported to the fallen body and slowly began to extract a small jewel from the victim's chest. As the light from the stone became brighter and brighter, Atropos's eyes lit up like a thousand stars. "Ah, here it is, Callisto's Amethyst, the Oracle Stone of belief, I can't believe it was in one of you slimy senshi." Atropos laughed and grasped the extracted gem in her palm. "Omega-sama told me to thank you, Sailor Nebula for keeping this Oracle Stone safe for her while we were regaining power once more! Ha ha!" Atropos cackled again and was about ready to disappear when the crash of bodies hit her with a paralyzing force, that knocked her into the fireplace. A small red light glowed in one of the attacker's hands, dimly lighting a small area near the fireplace. Blinded by the darkness, the remaining senshi tried to find their fallen ally, and also retrieve the stone from Atropos. "You.why?" Atropos stuttered, seeing who had attacked her. "Ironic, isn't it, sister?" Clothos said, smiling a little. "You underestimated us." Lachesis chimed in. "But, but don't you two still see me as your sister?" Atropos asked, inching further back into the fireplace, looking for her escape. By this time, all the senshi had transformed and were trying to assist each other in getting their ally to a safe location. When the dragged her to the kitchen, they found the mysterious young man waiting for them. "Who in the bloody hell are you?" Fumito asked, seeing the man sitting on the counter. "That is not important right now." He answered and looked at the dead- looking Jen. "I'll take care of her for now, you girls have a fight ahead of you. Clothos and Lachesis can't hold their sister off forever with emotion and words." "I don't trust you one bit, but if you say so, we'll go." Sailor Star Destroyer replied grimly, "I don't trust you enough to leave you alone with her though. Who is staying behind to watch him?" The senshi looked at each other questionably until one volunteered to watch. "I'll stay behind." Sailor Comet said and kneeled next to Jen, who was breathing very shallowly and was white in the face. "Go on, you guys, don't wait up for me." "All right, let's go kick some Shadow Moon butt!" Sailor Star Keeper shouted and the five senshi dashed in the living room. The young man hopped off the counter and knelt across from Sailor Comet. "She looks bad. She might not live for much longer without that stone in her possession, pray that the others get it back." He said grimly. "Is there anything you can do in the meantime to keep her going?" Sailor Comet asked, regretted inwardly that she did not have healing powers. The man nodded in response and took Jen's hand into his. Sailor Comet watched in amazement as he transferred some of his energy into Jen's weakening body. When he gave Jen as much strength from him as he could without becoming too weak, he asked Sailor Comet to place her hand in his so he could take some of her energy and help strengthen her friend. Sailor Comet nodded and she gave him her hand to give part of her energy to Jen.
"Come on, you weaklings!" Atropos taunted the senshi who were trying to dodge Atropos's attacks that came from the stone clutched in her hands. "Now that I have this stone, I am unstoppable!" she laughed and then in a flash of golden light, was blinded by an attack by Sailor Solaris. This blinded her enough to have Sailor Star Destroyer zoom up to the last Fate and take the stone from Atropos's grasp. "The stone! No!" Atropos cried and sank to the floor in defeat. " I can't do it! I can't kill my own sisters! I'd rather betray Omega-sama than my own flesh and blood!" "Atropos?" Lachesis asked, setting her hand on her crying sister's shoulder, "Do you wish to be mortal? Like me and Clothos?" Atropos looked up at her from behind teary eyes and began to laugh manically. "Are you so foolish and naïve?" she laughed, sending a orb of black energy at her sisters, making them fly over the sofa and land on the Persian rug with a thud. "I can't believe that you fell for that!" she laughed again, "You two have become weak as a pair of newborn kittens! Helpless and harmless when that little Moon witch healed you! I desire eternal youth, and the power that Omega-sama promised us all those millennia ago!" She towered over them and prepared a large lightning bolt to finish them off for good.
After a long time of praying, Sailor Comet looked at Jen with tears in her eyes. "Don't die, for the love of all that is around you, don't die, please." Jen laid on the floor in stillness. The young man shook his head. "She can't hear you, her entire soul was in that stone, she can still respond to common things, but only with no emotion and no character. If the stone is apart from her for much longer, there may be some serious side effects." He explained. "How? How do you know all this?" Sailor Comet asked, in confusion. "I don't know. All I know is I have to protect this girl with my life. That is all that runs through my mind." He paused and looked at Jen, whose face was slowly regaining color. "Look at her, she seems so peaceful, but is in pain on the inside. I have to go get that stone or she may die. Stay with her while I get the stone." Sailor Comet only blinked in confusion and then nodded, grasping her friend's hand, begging for Jen to hang on to that little light of hope. The young man left eh kitchen and entered the living room, standing tall. He confronted Atropos, who was laughing and tormenting her sisters before their deaths. "You two are pathetic, not attacking your own sister?" Atropos teased. "Omega-sama will be pleased with this, a Oracle Stone and the traitors taken care of!" "Woman!" the man screamed behind Atropos, causing her to turn around and stare at him in hatred. "What do you want?" she spat. The man grabbed Atropos's neck and brought her to his face. "Tell me what you have done with the stone or die." "I don't know what happened to it!" Atropos shouted. "One of those damned senshi have it now! After I take care of these two, I'm getting that stone and busting out of here." "Hey!" Sailor Solaris shouted at the young man. "We have the stone. Take it, but only if you return it to its owner." She threw the stone at the young man. Atropos reacted and reached out to grab it, and successfully having it in her hands, prepared for a blast to kill her sisters, the man and the senshi in one grand explosion. "Ha ha! I'll be rid of all of you in a matter of a few seconds!" Atropos yelled and made the stone glow in a bright purple light. She was about to release the attack when she felt cold metal close in on her jugular. "If you blow this place to bits, I'll have to kill you." The man threatened, pressing his sword closer to Atropo's neck. "Then I die a great death in battle." Atropos said and collapsed on to the floor, completely overcharged by the stone's power. The man took the stone and ran back to Jen and Sailor Comet in the kitchen. "Watch out." He said and knelt over the nearly dead girl. He placed the stone over her chest and watched it absorb into the cavity again. As it was being absorbed into her chest, the locket around Jen's neck changed from a small star into a small replica of the amethyst. Shortly after receiving her life essence again, Jen opened her eyes and looked at the people around her. "What's going on? Is there a fight?" Jen asked, slowly, still weak from the lack of energy that was being reestablished slowly from the stone. "Rest, the other can take care of it." The man coaxed, placing his hand on her, preventing her from getting up to join the fight. "You're still very weak from not having the stone in your body for that period of time." "What do you mean by that? And, who are you to tell me what to do?" Jen asked, becoming stronger and sitting up to question the man. "I'm going to help the others." Sailor Comet said and left for the battle still raging on in the living room. Jen's eyes followed Sailor Comet out of the kitchen and then turned to the man sitting next to her. "Well, start explaining pal, or I turn that face of yours into a frying pan." Jen demanded. The man took her hand and kissed it. "My love, you have returned to your true state." He said and kissed her hand again, only missing because Jen drew it back to her side. "What in the hell are you talking about? 'My love'? True state? What happened to me?" she asked. Suddenly, memories flooded back to her mind. A beautiful woman looked at her in a violet gown. She had the same face as Jen, only there was something more regal about that woman that made Jen question who the woman was. "Only your past life. You are the goddess Callisto, a goddess of belief and magic. You were blessed with magic from long ago when I was reincarnated into you." "So, I'm some kind of goddess?" Jen asked, floating near the woman. Her necklace floated in front of her face. "My necklace, what happened to my locket?" "It has increased in power, you are now a more powerful senshi than before. Protect the amethyst with your life, it is your life, soul and my essence all at once." " I don't understand.I've become.more powerful?" Jen asked herself. "When the time calls, call out "Nebula Crisis, Make Up" that will make you into your stronger form and you shall have all of my powers." Callisto responded and faded into a mist. "WAIT! I still have something to ask you!" Jen cried, but the goddess was gone and she returned to her body. "Callisto? Callisto, can you hear me?" the man tapped the side of Jen's face to get her into a conscious state again. Jen opened her eyes, and stared at the man, who held her in his arms. "You," she murmured, "you are my former life's soul mate. Tell me, what has happened between now and then." "Callisto, do you not remember? After the Silver Millennium fell, you sealed yourself into the Amethyst and.and.disappeared. I have found you again my love." He said and held her tighter to himself. Jen looked at the man who was supposedly her destined soul mate. "What is your name? I want to know what to call you by." "I am called the Crimson Blade." He replied. "Do you have a civilian name? Or is that the same thing?" Jen asked, looking at 'the Crimson Blade', half-imagining a roll call in his class would have been like if that was indeed his real name. "William." He responded. "Callisto, I have waited for so long to be with you once again." When he said the goddess's name, Jen cringed. "Don't call me Callisto, it's my former life. My name is Jennifer Kearnes. Call me by Jen, that is all I ask." "All right..Jen." William smiled and held her closer. She looked at him, smiled and hugged him.
"Ugh!" Sailor Star Keeper was trying to send her attack on Atropos, but she dodged it easily, until Clothos, Lachesis and Sailor Star Destroyer tackled her and held her to the ground. "You can't keep me here forever!" Atropos screamed under the weight of the three girls, Sailor Star Destroyer clamped her hand over Atropos's mouth to keep her from shouting while Sailor Nerius fetched Usagi to heal Atropos. "We've tried to reason with you." Sailor Solaris said, the light from her staff emitting a bright light to keep the room bright enough for everyone to see well. "But you refuse to see the light. Being human isn't so bad, Miss Atropos. You'll gain respect from others, you won't be constantly threatened for your life, and you can live in peace. Please tell me something, do you really want to hurt your sisters more than they already have been? They have been abused time and time again by the one you call Omega, yet, you do nothing about it. We can make things how they were before you were taken in by this Omega and you can live happily with your sisters, who are learning to become human themselves. Please, if you believe in happiness, you should change your ways and become human." "Nerius." Sailor Comet said, a tear streaming down her cheek, "Your words really touched me." She turned to face Atropos and looked at her in the eyes. "If you don't want to be human like your sisters, I'm afraid we'll have to become enemies." "Comet's right." Sailor Star Keeper chimed in. "If you don't renounce your affiliation with this Omega person, we will become sworn and true enemies. Your sisters will be in more pain than they already are." "You have scarred us physically, but those can heal. A mental scar can't go away, Atropos." Clothos said and let her sister free from her grasp. "Please, for our sake and for yours, will you?" Lachesis said, letting go as well. Star Destroyer also let Atropos go. Atropos stood and looked at the solemn faces that surrounded her and hung her head. "I'm sorry, but, I won't let you try and fool me again." Atropos said and disappeared. "Atropos!" Lachesis cried out and reached for the smoke, which faded into the air. "Dammit!" Clothos shouted and pounded the floor with her fists. "She doesn't realize what may happen to her now." "Certain death. I bless her for standing up for her beliefs, but why did she have to turn around and hurt us again?" Lachesis asked. The senshi shook their heads and returned to their civilian forms.
"ATROPOS!!!!!!!!!" Omega screamed in rage as Atropos stood before her, hanging her head, tears trailing down her cheeks. "You worthless slime! You've betrayed this Empire! You shall now die." Omega raised a long sword above her head and was ready to strike when Atropos disappeared, leaving a pale lavender orb behind. "Traitorous bitch. You shall pay for this!" Omega screamed and tried to follow after her, only being stopped by a hissing voice coming from Lady Cerridwen's chamber. "Omega. I wish to see you immediately." Cerridwen's voice hissed and Omega rushed to stand in her mistress's presence. "It has come to my attention that you have failed miserably in killing the fates and getting the Oracle Stones. Good bye Omega, you are a failure." With those words, a pair of hands formed in smoke wrapped themselves around Omega and held her fast, another hand came from the bottle and reached down her throat to extract Omega's life essence to add to Cerridwen's. "Now, Marina, you shall take her place in finding the Oracle Stones, so our Empire can be triumphant once more!" Cerridwen cried and coughed in pain. "Cerridwen-sama, are you all right?" Marina asked, stepping over Omega's now lifeless body, to find how she may server her mistress. "Go, I have tired myself too much." Cerridwen said weakly and Marina left. "Now, I will get those stones for Cerridwen-sama. And I shall be the highest ranked general in the Empire!" Marina laughed and set off to her water mirror to watch the senshi.
"So, you're supposed to be Jen's guardian forever?" Mei asked William as they cleaned up the disaster area that was indeed, the remainders of Jen's home. "Yes, I am destined to guard Callisto's life until the day I die." William replied, picking up a fallen portrait of Jen's mother and father. "Stop calling me Callisto. I can't stand it." Jen said and swept the remains of the second coffee table that she had to buy in a week. "I NEED A BREAK!" she screamed and shook the broom in the air. "Be happy with what you have, Jen." Rachel said calmly. "A beautiful home with a loving family, a guardian who would protect you with your life and the six best friends anyone would wish to have." "Except me." Liz muttered under her breath, catching Mei's attention quicker than anyone else. "What do you mean by 'except me', Liz? Are you saying that you are not Jen's friend?" Mei asked. Liz froze. "All I'm saying is that her abilities as a senshi are pathetic and she should not be the leader." "And you're also saying that you would be more suitable for leadership?" Jen asked, hurt a little by Liz's comments. "YES I AM!" Liz shouted and stormed out of the house. Her twin chased after her, quickly apologizing to Jen about Liz's behavior. "She doesn't have any confidence in me as the leader?" Jen asked, her lip quivering a little. William immediately came to her side and comforted her. Jen pushed him away and stood staring at the door, shaking her head. "If she could only understand what I've been through during these past five years. Then she may change her mind." Jen shook her head again and continued to clean, thinking about Liz's opinion about her leadership skills.
"Liz?" Rachel asked, setting next to her twin on a park bench, "Why are you so power-hungry? You've always been like this since we were young. Tell me, are you jealous that Jen has the role of our team's leader and not you?" Liz looked at her twin and sighed. "I'm not a member of her team, and neither are you. We are different from those girls. Star Keeper and Star Destroyer. We make up our own team. And that is final. I will not accept that girl as leader, I lead this team, you and me." Liz looked at the ground and wiggled her feet. "We are star senshi, not cosmic senshi like Nebula, Solaris and Comet. Nerius is different as well. She looks like Mercury-san so much. I respect the three of them, but not Kearnes. I feel that she is not worthy of being a senshi at all and there is nothing you can do to change that Rachel. Now leave me alone so I can think." "All right, but if something goes wrong, you will let me know won't you?" Rachel asked, standing. "Hmph." Liz grunted and Rachel left, knowing that 'Hmph' is Liz's way of saying 'yes' when she is angry. She returned to the mansion near the bay and helped clean up and went home afterwards. Jen had cancelled the slumber party because it was becoming more and more risky to have all the senshi around protecting each other all the time. William had stayed at the mansion until it was dark, and left for his apartment in downtown Tokyo. Silently, Jen crawled up the stairs to her bedroom, changed into a nightgown and went to sleep.
Continued in Chapter 5
