"When Dawn Comes"
By Kimra
Part XIII
Serena, Sailor Moon, whatever name fit the costume at the time flipped back from the energy burst directed at her with a level of co-ordination she rarely displayed. Right then of course, Sailor Moon was the name to fit the costume. She barely spared a glance for her transformed friends, knowing there expression wouldn't be congratulatory, not even close.
Another attack was thrown at her and she dodged to the right disappearing behind one of the many trees that dotted the parks landscape. Her breathing was haggard as she leant her head back against the trees surprisingly soft bark. She wouldn't be able to keep the pace up, and she knew it. That her friends where being exceptionally lax in the battle wasn't helping.
Obviously they had realised she would not feign injury or danger, so they where leaving her to fend for herself more then usual. She didn't know why they bothered, no matter how she tried in every other battle they had, there had always been that perfect moment for him to save her.
"Jupiter, Supreme Thunder!" The sound of thunder roared through the park in compliment to Lita's voice as her attack lit up the strangely normal looking Youma they faced.
Sure normal. Serena bit in annoyance. If you ignore the blasts of energy it keeps throwing at me from nowhere. As was typical for the Youma, it seemed to know to focus on Serena. She wondered if it was an inbuilt defence system, something like 'kill the weakest first', because she couldn't think of any other reason they favoured her with their attacks.
"Mars, Fire Soul." The roar of flames brushed close by and the sound of a screaming woman followed. Serena swallowed down at the sound. Screaming Youma, get it together Serena.
"Sailor Moon?" Lita called from the clearing the battle had inadvertently ended up in. Serena breathed deeply wondering if she should respond. It was true they weren't letting her get killed, they had deflected the larger attack from her as they always did. At one point Amy had even tackled her to the ground to protect her. Serena had given a shaky smile but hadn't looked into the Water Scouts eyes, she didn't want to know what they where thinking. But it didn't mean she wanted to respond.
She couldn't help but remember the second she slipped, the moment she showed her usual weakness her protector would unwittingly put himself in danger. The youma wasn't a problem, it was certainly weaker then they where used to and maybe that was why she was holding up so well against it why the others waited patiently for there plans to be activated. What ever the plans where however they hadn't bothered to tell her, that one meeting she had missed the day after Molly's party had obviously had a great deal of tactical planning.
It made her dislike Darien all the more for the disturbance in her life. If not for that one event she knew she would never have gotten out of the scout meeting. Luna would have hounded her till the end of her days if she merely chose to not go to a meeting. And she would have been able to defend Tuxedo Mask before their plans where solidified.
"Mercury, Shabon Spray." Amy's voice shouted over the rest of them. Serena risked a glance around the edge of the tree to see Amy standing to the side a little restlessly, her computer already having been put away. Serena gritted her teeth at the image, knowing it meant the genius had already figured out the creatures weakness and was now buying time, more then giving the normally needed cover.
Fine just kill the Youma, then there wont be anything he has to save you from girl. Serena nodded her head, spinning the moon rod in her fingers as she prepared to jump out and courageously finish off the creature. After all she couldn't delay forever, however tempted she was to try. When in a fight it was so much easier to forget her real life. It was easy to forget that the only sleep she had managed to get since that fateful night had consisted of odd and broken dreams, and those few moments had been short and fitful.
"Moon Tiara Magic." Her body moved in sync with the words, pinning the youma's position as she released the weapon.
Latter she would debate that it could have worked. That in all reality it should have worked. But right then all she could do was stare as a burst of energy repelled the tiara and enfolded the youma. Her tiara spun back into her grip and automatically she slipped it back into place. She saw instantly that her three friends where alert, Amy once more frantically typing into her Mercury computer, Raye looked apprehensive and Lita ready to jump into another fight.
Lita got her wish as the light burst from the youma leaving a much more mutinous, much more dangerous looking creature where the one with near human appearance had been. The creature had gotten bigger, subtly so, another foot in height, larger breasts, broader shoulders, and all of it was encased in a strange shell like armour.
It gave a crackling laugh and launched a direct attack at Sailor Moon. Serena went to dodge and her feet refused to move. For a moment she wondered what was wrong with them and remembered she was a coward.
Warm arm's wrapped around her and pulled her from the Youma's path. Serena spun sharply meeting the masked face of her saviour with surprised anger.
"Jupiter Supreme Thunder!" Roared and the battle was thrown away from them at the strength of Lita's attack.
"What are you doing?" She demanded hotly and shoved him away from her. Her eyes went to her three friends who where converged on the Youma, then back to him.
"I thought I was rescuing you." He replied the frown obvious under the mask.
"Well." She glanced at her friends nervously. "You shouldn't. I was doing fine on my own." She bit the words out, trying to get rid of him. But his feet didn't move.
"Sure you where." He drawled, his expression not as casual as his voice sounded.
"I was!" She snapped in reply. She did wonder if she would have survived the blow he had saved her from then pushed the thoughts away, she didn't want him to be right.
"Just like every other time?" He snapped in reply.
"Mars, Fire Soul!" Echoed behind the two, but Serena wasn't paying attention as she glared at the masked man.
"I don't need your help you know!" Her anger was mounting, and his feet still weren't moving. "I never asked for it!" Nervous eyes shoot to the trio of fighting Sailors. It was nice of the Youma to have decided to become a challenge because they still hadn't taken notice that Tuxedo Mask was there.
"Without my help you would have been dead months ago!" He retorted his fist curling at his side. The fist suddenly relaxed and a casual smile moved into place. The shift was so amazingly unexpected that Serena stopped what ever response she had been forming in the depths of her mind. "Beside's." His casual voice made her body tense with expectancy. "Your always falling over in battles. Sometimes it's a wonder you can put your fuku on without falling over."
Her blood boiled at his calm attitude and her own fists curled with the need to strike. She went to refute that she didn't have to put it on because it was magic but before the words left her mouth she realised that wouldn't help her case at all. What his words did manage to do however, was completely distract her from the objective of her evening.
"Why you!" She screeched with ferocity. "You-you Tuxedo wearing, pansy little pathetic excuse for a super hero!" Anger she hadn't realised she was storing broke through her protective barriers.
"What about you? Miss can't stand on her own feet long enough to finish a battle?" He leered.
She tried to remind herself that this wasn't Darien, but the fight did little but remind her of him. And the unreleased anger she felt for the collage boy mixed with her aggravation for her hero to make a heady mixture that left little room for thought. And she was ready to blast him with every piece of spite and anger she could conjure. Her voice was deadly as she began. "Why you-"
"Sailor Moon!" Amy's voice cried in desperation and Serena turned sharply to find her friends looking ruffled and tiered. Remembering herself she moved into the battle again, ignoring the hero behind her.
"Moon Tiara Magic." She withdrew her tiara as the words slipped from her throat in an almost shout. Power flooded through her fingers into the weapon and she followed through on the token movements that came with the attack before releasing the weapon at the distracted enemy. It sliced through the youma breaking it down into a pile of silver dust and the tiara returned to her.
Without a second thought for the destroyed youma she spun on her heel, recapturing her anger and stormed over to Tuxedo Mask who looked as willing to continue a fight as she felt.
"Well at least I can do something!" She snapped, not sure where the fight had ended but willing to start a new one there. "You just throw roses around, at least I'm useful!"
"Only if you survive to the end of the battle." He mocked lightly, an eyebrow rose as he looked over her shoulder and she turned to see the three girls watching the scene with calculating eyes. "What's wrong with your friends?" He asked half interested, but his eyes went back to her. She faced him quickly, surprised at her stupidity.
She had planned to actually finish the battle properly for once. Finish before he had to save her, and it had done little good. Had the other's been a little more co-operative it would have worked, she knew she had been doing better then usual at the beginning of the battle. She had planned to somehow contact him, after the battle. Logic had always suggested, from the dramatic entrances he had, that he witnessed the majority of the battle before he intervened. So it was only logical to assume that he would be hiding somewhere just out of sight. She had wanted to find him before the others did, and talk it through rationally, or at least leave the fighting to her. If anyone was to fight Tuxedo Mask she felt she owed him enough to do it herself.
"Shit! Go." She directed him away glancing out of the corner of her eye as her friends began to approach.
"What?" He stared down at her, with what looked like surprise.
Why gods? Why of all days does he chose to stay and fight with me today? "Just go!" She repeated and tried to push him away. Another glance over her shoulder revealed the scouts had disappeared. That can't be good. She admitted and a second latter three figures jumped into positions around the two of them.
Serena looked about quickly, they where in a clearing, there was nothing near by to jump to. She scanned the three girls, they had looked weakened before, exhausted and out of spite, but they looked fine now. She wondered if that had been a trick and hastily put the thought from her mind, not even her friends would manipulate her that much.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Tuxedo Mask asked calmly in spite of the look's of murder that where directed at him.
"We'll make this easy for you Cape Boy." Lita began a grin splitting her features. Serena stopped to consider a reaction to the situation. She could, she was pretty sure, get him out of there. But the honest truth was the other scouts where right, they needed the crystals. But that didn't mean she'd let them hurt him in any way. He reached into his jacket pocket and immediately the three scouts where in defensive positions. A smile quirked onto his lips as he looked at them.
"And what are you making easy for me?" He looked at Serena pointedly and she felt like hiding behind a tree. It felt like a betrayal, like she was throwing him to the lions and letting him go.
"We want to Crystals." Raye snapped, flames flicking at the edges of her fingers as her dark eyes narrowed onto his form. His expression shifted to confusion as he stared at the fire priestess then looked up at Serena the confusion still there.
"You want the crystals?" He asked slowly, the question directed at Serena and no one else. The others didn't seem to notice though.
"We are more able to protect them from the negaverse." Amy replied casually but his eyes continued to bore into the guardian of the moon.
"You want the crystals?" He repeated, his voice shifting into disbelief, the kind of tone you would get in reply to asking what one plus one was.
Serena didn't appreciate it. "Look I'm sorry, but it's our job. So yes we want the crystals!" She snapped. Anger that had been temporarily put aside resurfaced.
"So you haven't told them?" His voice was dead with calm and Serena's back snapped straighter her eyes fixed on him. Three sets of eyes latched onto her questioningly.
"Told us what?" Raye demanded, but Serena couldn't hear her. Her mind was searching, frantically for what he was referring to. She couldn't think, couldn't remember what ever he was trying to refer to. She looked anywhere but at the four set's of eyes that where locked on her. Somewhere inside she was sure she should remember what he was referring to but she just couldn't. She worried that there was something wrong with her memory. But the only other thing she couldn't remember had been that night. An awful thought occurred to her.
"I don't have the crystals." His eyes moved from her, she could feel it, though she was still not looking at the others. There where two sets of gasps and the sound of Mercury typing on her computer faster.
"If you don't have them where are they?" Lita growled in distrust.
"Zoisite has them." And she felt his eyes return to her, but she couldn't get over the thoughts that pumped through her head in possibility.
Mercury had mentioned power spikes a couple of nights ago, she had never elaborated, of course it wasn't them, if one of them had been in a fight they would have said something. Unless they where drunk. Her stomach clenched with uncertainty.
"You expect us to believe you?" Lita shouted in reply.
"No. But why don't you ask your little leader. After all, it was her fault." His mocking voice didn't hide a tinge of anger.
"What? No it wasn't!" And that was a reflex she would never be able to explain. Perhaps it was the need to always deny fault when laid at her feet, what ever it was the damage was done. She could feel her fellow scouts emotions shifting into uncertainty. So she stared at him defiantly, knowing she would never be able to face their expressions.
"And you kept it to yourself." He continued his eyes burning into her own. "And let your friends threaten me over things you knew I didn't have. I didn't think you had it in you to sink that low."