Disclaimer: I do not own anything of the "Sailor Moon" series. This goes along the lines of the original series, but an alternate dimension. Trust me, eventually, my knight will meet the scouts. Patience is a virtue, so awaiting that moment won't be so bad. REVIEW!!
Chapter 12
Earth Princess Party!
Stephen carried Cyrus to school in the morning, already knowing he was to drop the talking cat in some bushes before entering the school. This had become a habit for Stephen, or Cyrus' habit to protect the school's occupants from harm. It was all too obvious that Raven was after Lamont and Stephen at this school and Ray at his military school. Ray had nearly been driven insane in his own attack, but Raven had not been as stubborn and persistent with going after him as she was with the other two boys.
Cyrus had told all of the knights that even though the members of the Dark Universe looked human and may have been human at one time or another, they weren't now. Only in appearance were they remotely human, what was inside was close to a demon from hell, the once human souls they possesses twisted and misshapen to their own evil desires.
With the addition of the powers the Dark Universe gave them, they could find great quantities of energy in a crowd, just one person could stand out in their minds as being "the perfect target." Hence, Stephen, Ray, and Lamont were all Galaxy Knights and all male, making them the perfect targets for a power hungry maniac like Raven, not to mention male beauty crazy as well. It was the only reason Angela had never been attacked in her normal form, Raven had no interest in females.
The knights last encounter with her had been rather annoying with Cyrus actually falling prey to her dark energy. He was after all just a cat, he had no special protection against it the same as normal humans also lacked. The knights had a bit more shielding that he did, but if caught off guard, they would be just as susceptible. Cyrus had felt rotten about nearly clawing his master's eyes out, he felt even worse when Stephen refused to hurt him, going into a fetal position for a while as Cyrus slashed and clawed and bit him to get through the armor. Cyrus was thankful Ray wasn't so unwilling to fight a friend to save his life, but being cold-cocked by the flat part of the sword several times was going a bit too far.
Cyrus yawned as quietly as he could, his gaze traveling to Stephen's right hand, smiling proudly at the communicator wristband of gray. Stephen had finally gotten fed up when he and Lamont were attacked at the cook-off, forced to take a man's life because he tried to take Stephen down with him. He ranted that there had to be a way to contact each other from long distances in a hurry, and cell phones were booted out a suggestion before anyone could suggest it. He wanted something fast and simple, like walkie talkies or radio device.
Ray showed him a military gear catalogue he ordered stuff from for training expeditions and for his grandfather's birthday, him being a blade fanatic and collector. They had looked through the thick catalogue for over an hour before Ray pointed out some compact communicators operatives in military organizations used, the four pages dedicated to the items. Ray and Stephen chose wristband that acted as watched, compasses, and wrist communicators, just to be safe.
Lamont thought the earpiece device would be hidden better and Angel agreed, not wanting to put something on her skin that would ruin her skin with mish marks and hinder her fighting. Stephen told them he was paying for it with what he had been saving for tuition, since his entire college education had been paid for thanks to the cook-off contest winnings. The things would only cost about $450 for a set of two, so Stephen told Ray to order five sets.
"Why five? There's only four of us, Stephen." Ray had asked, his eyes still set on the catalogue item.
Stephen shook his head slightly and rolled his eyes as if it had been the dumbest question in the universe. "The Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Earth….Cyrus said each planet, even if the Moon doesn't count as a planet really, had a knight that lived there 10,000 years ago and I suppose they died back then too. Cyrus says the more of them we find, the easier it will be to end this mess…so I say we be as prepared as possible. This won't set the money I have back very much. The school I chose isn't cheap….so I have plenty of money to spend. If it'll make this profession go away….I'd sell my damn soul. Now order those wristbands now, Ray. I'll give you a money order check at the arcade so you can pay for it tomorrow. Hey, I may not like it, but I am the leader of the outfit, and what I say goes."
Stephen had left after that and done just as he said he would the next day, and Ray was ready to mail it too. Stephen wasn't feeling much like fighting anymore or anything, he was content now with eating a lot and boobing out at the arcade with the Lady Venus game. He'd gotten very good at it, but sometimes when he played it, Cyrus could almost swear Stephen was trying to break the joystick.
'I couldn't have waited until you were older, Stephen, Earth would have been dead by then, as you would be as well. Everything would be dead and gone. Why can't you shape up and take this more responsibly? You act more and more like that bratty sister of yours, with a cynical little mind. What will it take to wake you the hell up?' Cyrus thought harshly.
True, the gesture to buy the wristbands to protect themselves from being attacked alone was a good one, up until he said he was only doing it so they could hurry their mission up and he could go back to being normal and lazy. He was a secret genius hiding behind a daydreaming smart-ass, looking like a ditz to the men and dreamy to the females, and not even noticing it. All he ever noticed were his needs. Other people only mattered if he was one of them. He'd never actually gone after the Dark Universe willingly or without complaining. He'd wait days after being told to check on something for Cyrus to actually do it, dragging his feet.
Cyrus wished silently that the youth would grow up before it was too late, before he was dragged into the hurt and suffering those he couldn't save because he took so long had been in till the very end.
He felt Stephen's knuckles crack against his skull, bruising his head and making him yowl. "What was that for? Hisssss!" Cyrus attempted to yell, then noticed other people were nearby.
"Hush, Cyrus, I said look at the limousine parade….someone important must be in town." Stephen was saying, the same dreamy look in his endless blue eyes. He almost looked gentile and passive when he stared like that, some semblance of calm. It meant he was thinking, daydreaming actually, but they were thoughts none the less.
Cyrus followed the young man's gaze to the parade in question, fancy symbol decked flags on the ends of each limousine flapping they went along. He felt Stephen start to move again, towards a traffic cops that was a ways ahead in the street, holding back the traffic in the other lanes.
"What's going on, officer? Something important?" Stephen asked the tall, balding man casually. The man gave him a brief glance, his eyes covered by dark sunglasses, then looked back into at the idling cars he was standing in front of.
"Don't you watch the news, kid? Princess Iona and her family are touring Japan from the kingdom of Tula, showing off their prized jewel, the Soul Crystal. They should be arriving at the airport soon, those limousines are on their way to pick them up. There is a big charity banquet on for tonight for the unveiling of the Soul Crystal at the Cherry Blossom Embassy. Anyone who's anybody will be there." The officer told him, then shooed Stephen off as some cars began honking.
Stephen walked the rest of the way to school, but as they got closer to it, Cyrus spoke up. "Why didn't you go to the airport? You heard what he said, the Soul Crystal, she could be the Earth Princess I've been searching for…." The cat began, but Stephen gave him a gentle shake.
"I heard him, kitty, but I have school. He also said she'd be at the Cherry Blossom Embassy place to show it off. My parents have gone their for benefits….and I bet they'll be at this one too. They took me once when I was small, the security is top notch for rich folks that are there. How the hell will I get in alone, huh? My parents don't take me to those benefits anymore, they take Casey now." Stephen let out softly.
Cyrus snickered. "What, throw up on the Queen of England, Stephie-weffie?"
He yelped as Stephen bopped him on the head. "Stuff it pussy cat or I'll stuff you. They just felt after I was old enough I'd be at all their rich friends' houses with their kids….but I didn't because most of them loved themselves too much to do anything fun. That makes me an embarrassment cause I won't kiss ass….so, no more free food and dancing for me, or listening to snobs converse. Heh, maybe at this point and time I regret it, but then I didn't. How was I to know I'd become a super hero looking for royalty and monsters. Come on now." Stephen snapped back," Either way, it'll be hard as hell to get in, if not impossible. And as always, there's nothing you can do about it....worthless ball of chattering fluff."
Cyrus laughed at that, the moon symbol on his furry forehead glowing. "Ye of very little faith. Put you hand to my moon symbol, then close your hand when you feel something."
"How will I know what to grip for?" Stephen asked, putting his hand against Cyrus' forehead. "You'll know. Astral Blaster!" Cyrus yelled, his symbol glowing brightly.
"Blaster?! Shit! Cyrus don't blow my hand off!!" Stephen yelped, not really focusing on whether anyone was round to see the display. Stephen was sure that his hand was about to be blown off from what had come out of the cat's mouth, maybe a laser or something, but it never came. Only the flash of light that made his palm very warm, then something cold and round touched his skin. He gripped and took his hand off of Cyrus' forehead to examine what he was holding.
He opened his hand to reveal a small blue marble with swirls of white and green all over it, like mists. "Looks like a model of the earth that got screwed up. You sneeze this thing out of your head or what? How is this thing going to help anybody?" Stephen said sourly.
"It's a transformation sphere, merely press it to your pendant and they will join. Then say what you want to become and it will do so, the perfect disguise magic. That's how it will help, Mr. Smart Ass," Cyrus quipped, leaping from Stephen's grip, then scampered off," See you back at home….so we can prepare for a major party crashing. Contact the others about this when you get the chance, as in as soon as possible. The Dark Universe will surely act on this as well. Don't forget this time!"
"Yeah, yeah, damn cat. My great weapons against evil, a necklace and a marble, forces of evil beware. Jeez….what did I do that was worth this punishment?" Stephen grumbled, stuffing the funny marble in his pocket.
~ Shinjuko Airport Terminal ~
Gary was standing by gate 12A, his sunglasses reflecting back each face that passed him. No one really noticed him, he was content with that. A few girls came up to him and asked him who he was waiting for, if he had a girlfriend, and if he'd take his sunglasses off. Some had been so bold as try and lift them up, but he casually brushed them off, lying to them that he was waiting for his girlfriend.
He really didn't know what to tell them or why he was here. Security was bad enough already with King Velar and his daughter Iona arriving. It had only been a few minutes since their private jet had landed, but they had not yet entered the terminal. He didn't know why, he didn't really care, he just knew he had to be there to see her, Princess Iona. No one ever saw the princess since this was her first time touring with her father.
Rumor had it that she was very private and shy, the only pictures that helped anyone get a rough idea were of her as a toddler and maybe when she was nearing her teens. She was 15 years old now according the news broadcast Gary had seen the other day. Something clicked in his head when he saw the broadcast, just strong enough to make him want to come see her arrive.
'If I only knew why….or what this is all about. The Soul Crystal….I have to see it. No one would understand this, not even that meathead Stephen. Sure he acts all ditzy and daydreams constantly, but even he knows the boundaries of reality. No need to let anyone else in on this but myself, I can take care of this alone. I just need to see it….for myself.' He thought, his head lowering a bit as some of his dark bangs fell over his eyes.
He heard walkie-talkies and shouting erupt nearby suddenly, then flashes from cameras going off near him. He looked up quickly to see them, the royal family of Tula, the princess beside her father and the poor girl being sandwiched between the king and a bodyguards that looked like Gary, just a lot older and with a massive build.
Gary stood upright when he saw her, the plain face being checked over as well as he could manage. She had big wire rimmed glasses on that hid her eyes with the glare of the sun and the cameras going off. She looked like a short nerd, flat chested and with short auburn colored hair. She was in what looked like a school uniform, but she was pressed so tightly against her father that Gary could only see half of her.
As he went on staring, the group got closer to where he was standing, and the princess stopped, raising her head slightly. Gary got a good look at her tiny face, plain brown eyes and dimples on her cheeks, but she looked frightened. He stared back, since she was doing it too, it seemed like the thing to go with. He wasn't prepared for her to reach her hand out to him and grab his wrist, very tightly he quietly noted. Her father was eyeing this display with odd interest and the crowd of security guards forming around him and the mother and father.
"Yes, your highness?" Gary said in his soft voice, not moving but he knew the hairs on the back of his neck were all standing on end as he felt the sour breath of the security guards touch him.
"N….nothing….I just…." She said in the high-pitched voice he supposed was normal for her, but it was muted a bit, like her fear was taking over. 'Why is she afraid of me? Does she remember me….or something?' he thought, then felt his lips twitch as the girl started to let go.
"Just what?" he replied evenly, backing up, happy the security guards obliged him by moving away.
"You look like my brother….before he died of cancer. You just….have that sort of face. Sorry to bother you." She said quietly, then went back to hiding against her father.
Gary watched her go, waiting for the cameras and crowds to get out of his face. They wouldn't oblige, so he had to get down low and crawl out of the swarm of hands and flash bulbs. He took off in a sudden run all the way out of the airport, glad to be away once his shoes touched the streets. He got outside in time to see a train of limousines drive away and a smaller train of cops on motorcycles and a lone patrol car following after.
"They'll be at the Cherry Blossom Embassy tonight for their banquet….that will give me enough time to get in there before hours….I just have to see the Soul Crystal, that's all. Missing one day of classes isn't anything compared to my sanity. Its not like anyone else will be there to rat me out….its not like anyone else will ever know." He said to himself, then bolted upright stiffly as he heard the reporters and crowds' voices getting louder. He took off down the street in the direction of the embassy, praying silently that his questions would be answered.
~ The Tsukikage Household ~
"Dear Stephen, by the time you read this, we'll have left for Princess Iona's Crystal Charity Ball with Casey. Sorry, but you should have come home earlier or you might have been able to come. Better luck next time, preferably with a better attitude. Love, Mom, Dad and Casey….P.S., your dinner is in the freezer. Try not to get smudges on the microwave this time," Stephen read aloud, Cyrus watching from the kitchen table with a look of distaste," Probably a meatloaf TV dinner again….they always leave me that, the food of losers, in my father's opinion. Please….can you believe them? Our whole family gets invited, but they conveniently take the tickets with them and run off without me….Have a little free will and you're not worth the effort to bring to anything."
Cyrus nodded. "Cruel, but also stupid, but still, you're on the guest list, so you can get in without having to wait in line. Making up some stupid name on the spot won't work in the real world, Stephen. If you're quick and smart, and act like a dignified young man, they won't boot you out on your obstinate ear Thanks to your parents, you can go as Stephen. Now you just need the look of royalty, or money. You can't go to a ball looking like a schoolboy." Cyrus said.
"So I use the mystical magical marble to make myself….presentable?! Hmm, big fat duh, Cyrus, but that thing didn't look good for anything besides a good game of marbles at the kindergarten. You sure this will get me in there and not die on me?" Stephen asked and the cat nodded.
"It only lasts as long as you want it too, no strings attached. It can even disguise a group of people, like all of the knights touching your pendant at once and making their disguise choices. It's a fairly simple illusionary power, fueled by your own powers and bodies. No dying unless you actually croak yourself," Cyrus explained, standing up on all fours with a determined look in his eyes," Now time for a change. Activate the Transformation Sphere now….the ball starts in a half an hour. Chop-chop!"
"Oh cork it. I'm doing it, all right? Quit whining," Stephen said, pulling the odd marble out of his pocket," This is silly, but fine. The pendant worked, how bad could this be?"
He pulled his pendant out and touched the marble to it, making them glow silver and blue for a few seconds before they merged, the sword in the pendant stabbing through the marble. "Here goes everything….Transformation Sphere, make me look like….uh, a handsome prince…. Argh! This hurts too!" Stephen said, holding the pendant high, then let go as the pain set in. It was quicker than his transformation from himself to the Moon Knight, but it still hurt like hell.
It all happened in a flash, as if his picture was being taken from every angle. He staggered a bit, his eyes shut tight, then let them open gently. He first felt the light object over his eyes and head, much like his knight helmet felt, but lighter and it wasn't covering his entire head.
He left the kitchen quickly and went to the downstairs bathroom, flipping the light switch on quickly to look at himself in the full length mirror near the bathtub. His jaw dropped as he took a good look, vaguely noticing that Cyrus had followed him. It was a shimmering tuxedo, white as snow and tight fitting, the tux jacket stopping mid-thigh. The collar was neat as were the ice blue lined lapels and a long, white flowing cape was hanging perfectly from his back.
His pants were the same color but he had boots on, making him looked like a cross between a prince and knight, the shiny white and silver knee-high boots buckled tightly around his calves with silver. On his head was a golden and bejeweled mask, only covering the eye section of his head. The rest of the mask was wrapped about his white hair like a thick circlet, golden leaves decked about it. He didn't know whether he should start a singing act or go fight a dragon.
"This is….a bit much. I look like a freaked out rock star!" Stephen exclaimed, but Cyrus didn't laugh.
"It's from your mind and the transformation bubble. Don't be so picky….now let's get going. We're already late for the ball." Cyrus nagged.
"Yeah. I'm sure Prince Charming and Cinderella will be really disappointed." Stephen replied as he strode past the cat.
"Now you're being cynical….hey, wait up!" Cyrus shouted, chasing his young friend out the door.
~ The Cherry Blossom Embassy ~
("The Sakura Embassy" in Japanime)
Stephen stood in line, feeling terribly restrained and funny in his disguise, but everyone that was near him or passed by the line commented on the "handsome prince in white." He was too stunned that people didn't think he was weird dressed so ridiculously to laugh when they said it. He just kept his eyes trained forward and stepped up accordingly in the guests' line, only a ways from the civilian line that was longer than all of Tokyo.
Stephen chances a glance at it and regretted it instantly. Angela Furosuto was the first thing that came into his sights, and he winced when she felt his gaze and looked at him dead on.
At first she looked angry, but then the young men behind her, the all too familiar Lamont and Ray, were tapping on her shoulder and whispering. She balked and stared at Stephen again.
'Damn, those big mouths. I might have been able to avoid her all night if she didn't know who I was. Never should have told her anything….lovesick loony.' He thought, turning away as Angela waved at him and started blowing kisses.
Stephen was very happy when he got top the front of the line a few minutes later and his friends' line hadn't moved a breath. "Name, sir? You have to be on the list to get inside." A bald man said. He was wear a black vest and red bow tie over his white ruffled shirt. He had on black pants as well, just standing there behind the desk with a pen and fancy booklet with named in them.
"Stephen Tsukikage…my family is already inside. I know I'm on the list, now stop bothering me and let me through." Stephen said sharply, getting a look of distaste from the man as he flipped to the "T" section. He crossed off Stephen's name and nodded to the security guards by the door to let him in. "He's on the list….next." the man said as Stephen passed through the door, not noticing a small black cat was skulking in an even pace under Stephen's cape.
~
Stephen was enchanted at first, this ball being like no other he'd been brought to as a child. At those times he had been near the children of all the other rich people in a private room, where Casey was most probably playing in with the new generation of snobs and brats. He'd only seen the main room a few times, but he'd been a lot shorter then and more trusting, not mention obediently stupid.
Now seeing it he was jealous of his parents. The room was about as big as his school's gym and a million times more fancy than any palace he saw in the movies. It was decked with beautiful pink marble floors and white pillars all around. There was a lovely sky-scape painted on the ceiling, doves painted in to appear to be flying. Candles were on every table and a large chandelier hung down from the ceiling painting, glittering its golden crystals down upon the guests as they talked and danced.
The next thing he noticed was that everyone else was wearing a mask, some bigger than their heads and other too small, others very plain and the rest like his, fancy and decorative. Many of the younger women at the party chanced him a glance, his alluring outfit and his unique hair making him stand out. He frowned suddenly as he thought about that.
'I'm the only one here with white hair and this young….my parents will find me and then I'll be dead, princess or no princess. I'll be grounded for not staying home. Dammit….and speak of the devil.' He thought, his mother and father's forms coming into view as they sloshed through the crowds.
He backed up and hid behind a pillar before they could reach him, relieved they hadn't noticed him. He could see his mother was stained with red liquid, wine he supposed and his father was dragging his weeping mother out of there screaming lawsuit at an older man.
'Probably bumped into the guy and he spilled it all over her. Dad's annoyed she made him look bad in front of all their friends so they're going home so it won't be a long memory. Good thing I locked my room up tight….or they'd figure out I'm not in it and the fact that I stopped locking my window or it'd be hell trying to sneak back in.' he thought, watching his parents leave.
Stephen stepped out again and went past the group of masked guests, past the open balcony that no one seemed to be guarding. "This is not the time to socialize, Stephen, start looking for the princess." Cyrus voice climbed up to him, the cat's words a bit muffled as he was holding part of Stephen's cloak in his tiny mouth, to keep it covering him.
"I'm glad no one looks at their feet much around here….this'd be ridiculous if anyone really saw you….I'm going….the bathroom excuse is always a good one if a guard sees me and I am on the guest list. Lovely, lovely….then I can get my hands on all that food. Heh." Stephen chuckled lightly, passing through another hallway to begin his search.
~
Lady Glamour stood in a darkened hallway, her armor and boot not in place. She had traded them off for her infiltration of the embassy for just high heels and a lovely black dress, only one slit down the left side of it to reveal her creamy colored leg. The white mask she wore had been on ever since she arrived, knowing full well it was a costume party from an invitation she pilfered from an unsuspecting couple, an older man, maybe a psychiatrist or a lawyer, and his wife. He had been chatting her up the entire time in front of his wife, drunken very quickly. His wife was so angry with him she never noticed the young woman grab her invitation out of her purse.
She made a lame excuse about having to powder her nose, grimacing slightly as she heard the wife yelling at her husband and telling him she was taking his drunk ass home. He had protested, but then she reminded him that her family was rich….not him.
'A wanna-be….must be wonderful to have all that money and power and waste it so blatantly with idle threats.' She had thought, then started searching the embassy more thoroughly. She found the princess' room an hour later, but the only problem, or problems, were the four royal guards standing outside her door.
'No way I can get in there without injuring them or creating a ruckus….if she is the true Earth princess, I won't know it until I see her with the Soul Crystal. I pray this is not a false lead….I can't stand not knowing who I really am. I need to know…to know why I am Lady Glamour, where these powers came from, everything. Then I can rest at last, true peace. I hope.' She thought, the guards dry conversation stopping suddenly with a sharp," HALT! What are you doing here?"
She waited, daring a bit to peer around the hallway she was in to the one the guards were in. Her very breath left her at the sight of the young, elegantly dressed young man half facing the guards. "Bathroom….I can't seem to find it. Where am I in this place?" said the soft, devil may care voice, almost like liquid velvet pouring out onto her soul. He was dressed from head to toe in white, the golden mask that topped his white-hair and the silver buckles on his knee high boots glittering at her in the light.
The guard to his far left never wavered, but answered in a kind tone. "This is where Princess Iona is staying….please, the bathrooms are down that hallway….all the way at the end to your left. Can't miss it….and try to be more careful where you venture. Not everyone is as nice as we are when people say they have wandered here." The man said, pointed down the hallway Glamour was staring slightly into.
She was relieved she was in the right section of the hallway, but moved further back into it as the young man made a quick nod and turned. She caught a brief glimpse of his delicate face, the mask covering his eyes with gold and jewels, but she could see how perfectly his clothing fit on his body, lean and slender, like a real prince, and very familiar to her. She watched him pass by her hallway, his pace even and calm with his cape billowing slightly behind him, but the bottom of it seemed to be snagged on itself. She couldn't really tell….nor did she care, she looked more at his masked face than anything else.
"He looks….like the man in my dreams….the one that calls out to me….for the crystal….could it be him?' she thought, the dark silhouetted figure, standing at the top of a set of sparkling stone steps before a large and glittering palace. He always reached out to her in the dreams, which had been coming more often, like her nightmares had before it.
'You must gain the Soul Crystal….only then can we be free. Free me.' The young man's voice echoed in her mind, playing over an over. The shadow was decked in fine clothing and had a long flowing cape, a sparkling moon symbol on his forehead that shined ever so brightly, but never revealed his true face to her.
Her thoughts were jarred from her as she heard another voice, sweet and honeyed, a woman. By the time Glamour managed to peer back into the hallway, the princess' door was closing, the woman already gone from her sights.
'I have time," she thought, walking quietly down her hall to get back to the ballroom," Perhaps that young man….is the one….could he be….the man from my dreams? Argh, the princess is being guarded and the Soul Crystal is with her. They can wait a little while….just a little.' She thought, breaking into a jog as she cleared the hallway.
~ The Princess's Chambers ~
Princess Iona cried until her nose was numb with sniffling. She stared at her face at her fancy dresser mirror, her mirror image looking pathetically back at her. "Oh, why can't I be pretty. If I didn't need these stupid glasses to see, I could be very pretty….just like Mama used to be. Oh, I don't want to be part of the tour….I just want to stay in the palace and hide. I get stage fright….now Daddy expects me to go out there and introduce our family treasure….and I know I'll faint or screw it up….the kingdom will be mortified. Oh, where is that look-alike I ordered on the plane? She should be here by now." She wept, rubbing his rosy little nose with a new tissue.
She jumped up a foot from her chair as the door opened, then relaxed as a young woman with long dark hair entered her room. "Are you from the look-alike agency?" she asked quietly, standing up slightly with a queer look on her face. This girl wasn't busty or anything, her hair limp on her back and she was dressed in a lovely little pink gown, just like she was.
"Yup….I already have everything planned to pull this off. You have nothing to worry about. This will all go off without a hitch." The girl said, walking closer towards the Princess. Iona backed away from her, suddenly taking in the changes the girl was making in herself. The princess blinked for a moment and it happened, the flat, plain looking girl was now a busty, leather clad woman, eyes of purest midnight glowering at her with a malicious smile on her lips.
"Darling child….I guarantee it. Dark Angel....infect!" the woman murmured, her body going aglow with black and purple energy. Iona turned to run, but she felt a sharp stabbing pain in her back as she did, the energy taking her over. Iona wept inside as the darkness surround her soul.
Raven watched the young princess become infected with her darkness, grinning widely as the princess turned about, her complexion gone purple and dark swirls of mist following her feet. "I don't do chicks, Princess….not like I do boys. Be happy, my minion. You are about to bring the Soul Crystal into the glorious hands of the Great Lord Specter. The Dark Universe will reward you, little princess, by making your pretty soul a part of the Dark Goddess. But you, dark shade that infects the living, you will be adored for all times in the beautiful body I will give you once you accomplish this task. Understood?" Raven told the grinning possessed princess. She nodded rapidly, a maniacal grin on her face, twitching every few seconds.
"Yes oh glorious mistress. I'll do anything for the Dark Goddess and Specter's supreme reign over the pitiful humans." The girl bubbled out, her female voice trying to sound male, and succeeding in making her voice resemble croaking.
Raven smiled anyway. "Good, now get the Soul Crystal and take it to the ballroom….take the energy of those who try to get in your way….kill if you have to, ruin this girl's entire life….I don't care. Just get the crystal to the balcony and I will be waiting below for you….for victory. Do not fail me!" Raven told her, then in a flurry of raven feathers, she vanished.
"Yes, kill them all. Ah hahahahahahaaaaaa!! Kill the humans!" the princess croaked out, rushing out her door for her father's room, where the Soul Crystal was kept in his safe. "Killlllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!" she screamed all the way down the hall, the guards too taken aback by her actions to pursue.
~ Ballroom ~
Stephen had left Cyrus in the bathroom, tied of being dragged down by the cat holding onto his cape. Having a pet in the place would get him thrown out and neither of them wanted that. Cyrus reluctantly agreed to search on his own for the crystal and any possible Dark Universe goons that might be walking around.
Stephen lied and said he'd try and get back to the princess' room, but instead he walked back into the ballroom and started eating. He wiped off his hands with a lot of napkins once he felt he was full enough, or rather when he got sick of people gawking at him wolfing down whatever food he touched.
Right now he was just leaning against a pillar, bored out of his mind. He was watching the dance floor and the couples moving across it evenly. Dance classes had been a pain when his mother signed him up for it, so he'd have poise and be able to impress pretty girls she planned to get him close to. He had learned well, but purposely stepped on the feet of the bimbos and snobs that his mother tried to fling at him when he hit puberty.
She took him out of the class after he'd ruined three blind dates and two social ones, girls he knew from parties he was invited to, parties his parents' friends threw for their daughters and sons.
'Dull….I'm so damn bored….I can't eat all night….not that eating is a terrible thing. Far from it….its just….God, when is that stupid princess going to rear her damn head out here so I can see the crystal and her together. What is she doing….polishing the damn thing 5,000 times? Come on….I don't know anyone here….I can't dance with a stranger….any of these ladies might get the wrong ideas about my intentions.' He thought, not hearing the light tapping of footsteps approaching him, his eyes too fixated on his own feet to see anyone.
"Excuse me, may I have this dance, sir?" said a honey sweet voice, jarring Stephen's thoughts from his mind, making his breaths become sharp and gentle as he looked up slowly.
He saw a black dress first and two precious feet encased in black high heels. He worked his way up the perfectly fit dress, past the hint of a bare leg on the woman's left side, up her perfectly curved body all the way up to her face, the white mask shimmering at him. 'Glamour….its….its really her!'
"Sure….Miss." he said languidly, taking her hands in his deftly, and they led each other to the dance floor. Stephen put once hand around her waist and took her right hand in his left to hold it up level with their heads. They began to dance, closely and smiling at each other, the others in the room seeming to disappear from Stephen's mind as the dance went on.
All he could do was smile at her beautiful face, his heart alive with happiness at being this close to the woman he was so deeply in love with. She was smiling right back at him, which made him even happier. He wondered if she recognized him with the mask on….it was similar enough to his Moon Knight mask, the tux he was wearing close in color to his armor. The only thing different about her was she lacked her armor and armored boots.
Either way, she looked like a radiant angel to him, her face so close. He felt her sweet breath touching his smiling lips gently as they twirled along the dance floor, their motion so fluid and regal he felt like he was a prince and she was his princess, dancing their lives away in a fairy tale.
'Me a prince? Won't she be disappointed….well, if she ever finds out I'm only in junior high school and live with my parents….oh shut up, Stephen. You're in each others' arms, dancing….enjoy it while it lasts. That killjoy cat Cyrus should return soon and catch you eventually, but who cares.' He thought, flashing a full and warm grin at Glamour, leaning his face towards her. She complied, and though he couldn't tell what color her eyes were through her mask, he could see that they were closing gently as her face neared his.
The next thing he knew was that he was thrown roughly on top of her, landing on her shapely chest face first. He felt his nose start to bleed when he realized where his face was and that Glamour's mouth was wide open. "Sorry….sorry….sorry…sorry…." he sputtered out, yanking his face off of her and quickly trying to pick her up. Then he heard people screaming and thudding.
He looked towards it and saw a girl in a pink evening gown, with dark mist trailing after her, was running for the balcony. The people around her were all wrapped in dark energy for a few moments, then they dropped to the floor in heaps as the energy went into the girl. As he followed the stolen energy back to her with his shocked gaze, he saw the girl was staring at him, a girl with glasses and small tiara littered with diamonds. Her skin was purple and she was ginning like a madman. She was also holding a large, fancy box in her skinny arms, with a key in the lock.
Stephen was about step forward when he heard rapid footsteps and shouting, making him turn from the crazy purple girl. It was a hoard of guards entering the ballroom, all brandishing swords and guns. "Princess Iona, please, stop this madness! What are you doing? Stop this at once and put the Soul Crystal at once!" one of the guards shouted, all of the guards present surrounding the undaunted princess.
"Hah, you fools, ticks to the Dark Universe….you will never make me stop! DIE!!" the princess shouted, laughing maniacally as she let loose her dark energy to take their life force. Stephen and Glamour were still being ignored, just watching the princess drain her own men of life, probably because neither of them had acted against her.
'While she's distracted….if Raven's already gotten to her, she's making her steal the Soul Crystal. Have to stop her while she's busy with them.' He thought, charging for the princess from the side. The possessed girl didn't notice him until he rammed his body into her, making her teeter but she didn't fall over. She took a swing with dark energy at him, but he duck and scooted behind her, leaping on her back and covering her eyes.
She dropped the box and started to claw at him, backing up the entire time out onto the balcony. Stephen was busy bobbing his head away from her fingernails to avoid being clawed. His eyes set down upon his wrist communicator for a moment, wishing he'd called ahead instead of being so impulsive.
'This is getting to be a bad habit. I hope the catalogue was right about it being able to take tons of pressure underwater. Hope that counts if it gets abused.' He thought, and gave the princess a good whack with it, hard. She screeched as the hit connected, but got a good grip of his wrist as the communicator started to beep madly.
"Don't fuck with the Dark Universe, little boy….you'll only get destroyed. Now you die!!" the princess cackled, tearing him off her back with a hard yank and swung him upwards before tossing him over her shoulders. Stephen wouldn't have minded this if he'd been tossed back towards the ballroom, on something solid even, but the princess had tossed him away from it, over the balcony.
He let out a hoarse shout as he went over, managing to clamp one hand on the balcony. It wasn't good enough, if he'd jumped in his armor, it would have been a different story, but he wasn't in his armor, he was defenseless and handing by a thread with a possessed princess glowering at him from above. His heart sank as she raised her fists over her head, right in line with his hand.
"Get away from him!" a female voice shouted, the princess being yanked back violently by her hair, disappearing from Stephen's view. His grip failed after that, his body falling from the high balcony. Stephen jerked in mid-air, so suddenly he stopped to wonder if he'd hit the ground. He looked down dumbly to see he was wrong, he was still in the air and something warm and smooth clutching his hand.
He looked back up to be welcomed by Glamour's worried face, both of her hands wrapped about his one, holding it tightly and trying to pull him back up. "Thanks…ugh….don't let me fall….Oh…." he was muttering, the strain of holding on getting to his muscles. He began to sweat as his hand slipped a little from hers.
"Hang on….I'll save you. OH! OW! NO!" she began quietly, then started yelling. Stephen could see why, Princess Iona was bashing Glamour in the back and arms with the box she had been holding earlier. Stephen felt blood splash on his mouth when Iona smacked Glamour with one of the pointed corners against her upper arm, making a bloody gash. Still, Glamour wouldn't let go. Instead she started to sink over the side too. Iona only grinned. She stopped hitting Glamour and started pushing at her from behind, laughing like crazy as Stephen felt their bodies start to move further down.
"Ice Slash!" he heard a girl shout, a girl he knew, Angela Furosuto. He saw the ice daggers fly over his head and past Glamour into the princess' chest, bursting with energy enough to knock the princess away. Glamour took the opportunity to pull Stephen back to safety, glaring at Mercury as she shouted from below.
"You bitch! Time to die! And you're little waif boyfriend too!" the princess shrieked, charging at the pair with the box. Glamour, bleeding from both arms now, rushed at the princess, slamming her knee into the possessed girl's gut, then grabbed her by her hair. Glamour threw the girl with all her might over the balcony, rushing after her.
"Dark Armor Rise!" she shouted, her onyx armor and boot appearing upon her body as she reached the edge of the balcony, leaping off it after the princess. The princess was surprisingly unharmed, just floating a few feet above the ground looking as insane as ever. "Time to transform…can't let her escape with all of their lives." Stephen told himself, grabbing at his pendant," Moon Sword, Transform!!"
~
Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Glamour all stood around Princess Iona, three swords and pole-arm aimed at her. Glamour took note that a voice was shouting commands, but it wasn't any of the young knights. It was coming from elsewhere, but she really didn't care. "Don't kill her, she's not fully possessed….the energy wasn't meant for her, she's just a pawn!" the voice was shouting, Mercury seeming to find the voice highly annoying by sticking her tongue out.
"She killed everyone in there….I know she did, I heard the screams. She nearly killed….that young man too. She has to pay." Mercury yelled, slashing her sword in front of her.
Glamour barely flinched as Iona let out a burst of dark power fly from her chest, knocking Mercury flat on her back, several feet from where she'd been standing. "That was mature….why not all of you attack at once? Moon Knight is the only one that can free the trapped Princess. All we can hope to accomplish is irritating her. Where is Moon Knight!?" Glamour shouted at them, catching them off guard with her sudden leadership of the group.
Jupiter didn't look like he minded the plan and nor did Mars, but mercury stared at her with daggers in her eyes, hate being all this knight ever seemed to show for her.
'Because Moon Knight loves me….if he only knew what I must do to protect myself….would he…would anyone love me? Who cares what she thinks….this is my chance to get the Soul Crystal….Iona or not.' Glamour thought, turning her gaze back towards the princess.
"I'm here!" Moon Knight shouted, running out of the building behind them, his sword out and ready for a fight. Iona sensed it too and fired a ball of dark energy out at him from her chest. Glamour rushed her and yelled," Now, attack her now!!"
Jupiter went first, smashing the blunt end of his pole-arm against the back of Iona's head. Mars came next, running and then turning it into a jumping kick and round house attack when he reached the princess. Mercury rammed her head into the girl's stomach as Glamour slammed the hilt of her sword against Iona's face.
"Now Moon Knight, free her now!!" Glamour shouted, rolling away from the angered and battered princess with the others. "You got it. Celestial Healing Light!!" Moon Knight shouted as he raised his sword up to the brilliant night sky. The sword glowed white, letting the gentle swirls of petal-like flurries come out from within the blade The glittery white petals flew swiftly into Princess Iona, light shooting out from every inch of her small body as they touched her.
She let out a shrill scream that lasted a few moments, then her body fell to the ground in an less than flattering heap, her dress over her head to show everyone she was wearing polka-dot underwear. The knights al smirked a moment, except Glamour and Moon who were looking at the ghostly mass floating above the girl's body, its deep center black as pitch with glowing purple eyes looking at them wickedly. It was like living black fire, and it was laughing at them, but not moving.
"What the hell is that? Is that….Raven's soul? Her evil?" Mercury was saying, but Glamour shook her head.
"No….it is one of her minions, Dark Angel, the instigator of ruin and despair. He lacks a male body, so he can't move….not unless Raven comes back for him. He's failed to get the Soul Crystal for her so I doubt she will aid this miserable sack of slime. We best destroy him before Iona wakes up….he could repossess her if that happens!" the voice shouted again, Glamour looking about to try and locate it, but it was in vain. The voice sounded like it knew what it was talking about and sounded very insistent about it.
"You're the boss, not that I like this arrangement. Everyone, combine your powers! You too, Glamour! Celestial Beam!" Moon Knight commanded, slashing his sword at the enemy, his lunar beam shooting from the blade.
"Right!" the other knights said in unison.
"Ice Slash!"
"Raging Hell Fire!"
"Spiral Shocker!"
"Crystal Cutter!!"
All of the attacks went off and joined with Moon Knights, becoming a great flaming, crackling and glittering celestial lance that crashed into Dark Angel's ghostly form like a tidal wave of energy. Dark Angel screamed in a male voice, not the croaking he'd been doing in Iona's body, as the attacks ripped his very form apart, vaporizing him in a long, agonizing death. When the light of the attacks died away, Dark Angel was no more, only the clean night air remaining.
Glamour stared at the other knights as they rushed to the princess' aid, pulling her dress back down. 'We are all known on TV as heroes, but there are still the tabloids….a picture of them with the princess in that position could make our being taken seriously go right down the toilet. Lord knows I'd rather not hear about it either….' She thought, then felt someone shove her from the back.
"What the hell did you think you were doing, you bitch? You could have cost everyone their lives when you threw the princess off the balcony. She could have killed that guy too, you were so busy hogging all the glory." Mercury spouted, her words laced with absolute hatred.
"You're not my mother. Excuse me." Glamour said, blowing Mercury off with a curt wave of her hand," And maybe you should watch where you're aiming. Your attack on the balcony could have killed both the princess and myself, you're lucky Dark Angel healed her or she'd be dead right now. You're lucky your aim is terrible….or I might have joined her in death."
Mercury didn't seem to change her expression, glancing slightly at the wound she'd given Glamour's right arm, which was still bleeding, unlike the wounds that Iona had given her.
"What is your stake in this anyway? Moon Knight wasn't in trouble this time." Mercury said, a bit too quickly. Glamour turned her back to Mercury, looking at the fallen princess and the knights trying to slap her awake, Jupiter was anyway. Moon was by the bushes trying to pull something out of them, yelling at the bushes at the same time.
"I have to find out who I really am, and I need the Soul Crystal and the Earth and Moon royalty to do so. I don't care what I have to do to get it, just don't mess things up for me with your petty emotions." Glamour hissed, running off and leaping over the embassy wall in the blink of an eye.
Mercury just grumbled and walked over to her partners, Moon Knight finally with them holding onto Cyrus who had a cute little white kitten latched onto his tail by the mouth. Moon shrugged and tugged at the kitten a few more times before it let go and ran away yowling. Cyrus suckled on his sore tail as Moon set him down in front of the still sleeping princess, her glasses lying by her side.
"So….Cyrus finally knows how I feel about unwanted affection. You should know about that, Mercury," Moon snickered, kneeling behind his cat to look at the princess," She's kind of cute without her glasses on….bruised, but cute. Feel anything Cyrus….hey Jupiter, stop smacking her!"
Jupiter stopped, Mars chuckled lightly as he let the sleeping princess rest against his own body, and shook her gently. Moon put his hands under her small and gave her a pinch, then a light shaking. She began to rouse, the words coming out all mumbled and sleepy.
~
"Wha….where am I? Oh…." Princess Iona said, her eyes not focusing that well. She saw blurs of white and silver in her sights, voices clamoring around her and felt that she was leaning on something solid and cool. "My glasses….I can't see without my glasses….Oh dear." She whimpered.
"Are you the Earth Princess, please I must know." said a male voice. Iona felt around and then felt a hand put her glasses in her right hand. She put them on and held her breath. Two beautiful male knights were kneeling in front of her, the silver one like a beacon of light beside the green one. She looked back as saw one in red and black armor smiling warming at her, holding her. There was female in armor as well and skirt holding a brilliant sword. She didn't look anything but curious to Iona.
"Am I dreaming?" she said stupidly.
"Please, miss, are you the Earth Princess?" the voice from before said. It wasn't coming from the knights around, but rather lower than them. She looked down and saw black cat with a crescent moon on its forehead, the shape glowing a gentle gold. She stared at it, not really understanding what was happening until the cat talked. "Are you the Earth Princess?" it asked.
"Oh my God! A talking CAT!! Ohhhhhh…." She swooned, and fainted into the dark knight's arms again.
~
"Damn….she's not the Earth Princess. The true princess would have been expecting me….and given a better reaction. No….this isn't the girl we need to be looking for. Perhaps the Soul Crystal will prove more fruitful." Cyrus sighed, shaking his dark head.
"Yeah….should of thought about that before you scared her to death," Moon muttered, shooing the cat away," Come on, everyone, time to power down and get back inside. Iona still has to show off the family jewels….let's get her up there." Moon said, changing back into his disguised form of a handsome prince before them. Mars handed the princess off to him as he and the other went back into their formal attire and followed their leader back into the embassy.
~ The Ballroom ~
"Being in our family for hundreds of years, the Soul Crystal is both an inspiration to our family name and the world for spiritual and artistic reasons. The angel goddess created in this statue was made my ancestor, long before we became a royal family, a mere jeweler who made this for the love of a princess he never thought he could be loved by. They married and the Soul Crystal remained in the family ever since as sign of the power of true love." Princess Iona told the captivated crowd of rich people. She was a little happier now, smiling even, as she held in her hand the fist sized diamond statue of a female angel encrusted in sapphires, rubies, gold, and emeralds. It was breathtaking, magnificent, priceless…..
"It's not the Soul Crystal we want." Cyrus grumbled from under the food table, where Stephen was standing, looking at the statue himself. His friends were littered about the area, looking to Stephen every minute or so. When he shook his head, their faces fell and then they shrugged, moving back into the crowds towards their leader.
He sighed, though the mission had been a waste of effort and power, it hadn't been a waste of his time. Glamour had made it all worth tolerating, worth remembering fondly.
"Let's leave….our work here is done." Cyrus said, but Stephen kicked the cat back under the table.
"Just five more minutes….this is probably the last time I'll ever get free food and relaxation. Huh….?" He began, then felt a light breeze pas him by. He turned quickly, his heart leaping up his throat when he saw Glamour disappearing out on the balcony.
He moved quickly to get to the balcony, but by the time he got there, she was gone. He was about to go back inside when he spied something laid out on the ledge, something red. He walked up slowly towards it, finding it to be a red rose, a few droplets of water on the petals, the long perfect green stem looking like it was made of emerald. He picked it up, looking it over a moment before touching the cool petals with his fingertips. Then, he smiled and kissed it gently, the pale moonlight shining down on him as his cape billowed gracefully in the wind.
If he'd bothered to look up, he would have seen Glamour staring down at him from the rooftop with a soft smile on her lips. "So handsome, and kind….who are you?" she whispered ever so quietly
~ Raven's Grotto ~
"Damn those knights….I don't even go after the pretty ones this time and they screw everything up….ugh, no matter, that Soul Crystal wasn't the right one….Dark Angel was wasted on a pointless venture." Raven grumbled, pacing in her dark grove angrily.
"You'll do fine….your trump cards await you. You'll do just fine." Said a simple male voice, Mark's voice.
Raven smiled at the portly boy, he'd been a very amusing toy, mindless thanks to her kiss, but none the less amusing. He took all her abuses pretty well, always encouraging her with "You'll do fine," the only phrase he could actually form most often or the things she'd tell him to say. He was like a lost puppy to her, not as beautiful as most of her "trump cards," so abusing him and making him do whatever she wanted didn't bother her so much. It was worth it, the knights were giving her a lot of frustrations, so he was always there for her to beat on.
She smacked him in the face and he just stood there, too blank in the head now to register that he was feeling pain.
"Yes, my little pet, yes. Now why don't you got bash your skull against that rock until its covered in blood. I like a little decoration….before I do it. You'll get your reward once that's all done, Mark. Do it for your master!" she cackled, shoving him towards the rock she was referring to. Mark did so, bloodying himself and the rock with each blow.
"So easy to manipulate….and soon, very soon Galaxy Knights, you will be my puppets of hell forever!! Ahaahahahaaaaaaaa!!!!" she laughed, Mark's blood drooling all over the rock as he went on bashing his head into it.