The Guardian, Part 7
Frightening Developments
By Taerir

All Sailor Moon references are the property of their respective owners. Any concepts, characters, world names, plotlines, and so on not found in the Sailormoon television series or manga are the sole property of the author, Taerir, copyright 1999. No duplication is permitted without written permission from the author.

Asami dreamed again as she fell back asleep, but this time, she felt it was more than just idle thoughts. This part was more important... something from her past that she hadn't fully remembered yet.

Asami opened her eyes and found herself in a small room. A tall, brown-haired man stood nearby, and Asami glared defiantly at the man. Kado was his name, if she remembered correctly-- a secret, independent ally of Beryl's.

"So you're awake, Rhanwyn," Kado said coldly. "Now the fun can begin."

Rhanwyn shuddered. "What are you going to do to me?"

Kado chuckled. "Now, you don't worry about that. You're going to give me what I need, that's all."

Rhanwyn felt a tingling sensation in the back of her mind as Kado probed for memories. Rhanwyn shivered; there is nothing worse to a telepath than having someone else inside your mind with you. With a desperate terror, she tried to expel Kado's probe from her mind, with no luck.

"There, it's finished," Kado said with a scornful glance at the trembling girl. "I have extracted the few secrets of the senshi that I don't already know. The death of the senshi is not far away. You're free to go now; I don't need you any longer..."

The small room faded away, and Rhanwyn was left in the middle of a field, miles from Moon Kingdom's palace. Still shaking, she began her long trek back, wondering if the other senshi would know what happened.

In her apartment, Asami curled up into a ball and cried for the past she knew she could not avoid.

Sooner than Asami would have liked, it was morning again. She sighed, got dressed and headed out the door. Seeing Kensaku leaving his own apartment, she turned her eyes away from his gaze and let him go down the stairs first. As she got outside, she stopped suddenly and glanced around. A familiar presence drifted momentarily across her mind.

"Kado..." she whispered, disgusted. "Couldn't you have left us well enough alone?" She growled softly, not wishing to be reminded of what he had done to her in the past. It was obvious, though, that her desires had no play here. Kado was back, and he was looking for the senshi, especially her. Silently, she prayed that she would meet up with at least one of the other senshi on the way to school, so that she could tell them what she had found.

Hidden in an alley between apartment buildings, Kado watched Asami leave. Silently, he called Midori to him.

She stepped up beside him. "You need me, my lord?"

Kado nodded without looking at her. "I do have need." He pointed down the sidewalk to Asami. "That girl is Sailor Taerir. Follow her, and stay near her any way you can. If needed, antagonize her." He narrowed his eyes and stared unwaveringly at Midori, emphasizing the importance of his orders. "We can't let her get too close to the other senshi, or help them too much. Eventually, she'll need to be killed, before she can harness all her power. I'll be out looking for more... reinforcements. Don't fail me." With that, Kado disappeared.

Midori smiled to herself. "If Kado says to stop you, little senshi, it will be my pleasure to do so." Clinging to the shadows, she followed the girl, intent on pleasing Kado.

Later that day, as Asami walked back from school, she examined the surrounding area once again. All day, she had not been able to get rid of the feeling that someone was watching her, observing everything she did. Every time she looked for Kado's presence, though, she found nothing. Maybe he had sent that woman from the day before after her.

Frustrated, Asami clenched her fist. She hadn't been able to find any of the other senshi yet, either. As if on cue, she noticed Ami walking down the street as well. The younger girl smiled.

"Asami, right?" Ami asked shyly. "I don't think we got a chance to meet properly yesterday."

Asami smiled. "That's right. Nice to meet you, Ami." She flushed. "I don't forget names very easily."

"It's alright," Ami grinned. She frowned, noticing the worried look in Asami's eyes. "What is it?"

Asami sighed. "I've been feeling a new presence, all day. I think our new enemy is getting ready, and I think I know who he is, too."

An equally worried expression crossed Ami's eyes. "The rest of us are meeting in the mall. I think you should come."

Asami just nodded, and the two joined the others in a small restaurant inside. Taking a deep breath, Asami told Usagi and her friends what she knew, leaving out the parts that concerned her own past, and then paused.

"Well," Rei began, cutting into the silence. "It looks like we'll have to get him, this time."

Asami sighed. "He's incredibly strong. It might not be that easy."

"But we have to beat him, eventually," Minako offered. "There has to be a way."