Moons: Whoa, sorry for the long wait on this one, but I had a kinda of writer's block. I blame Aurora!!
Aurora: HEY!!! It wasn't my doing! I just didn't want to waste my power on a romance when you have to other angst/drama/suspense.
Moons: Yeah, yeah, you still upset my readers.
Aurora: Oh well, if they like the story that much then they'll keep reading and reviewing.
Moons: I hope so. So here's the next chapter in the "Have You Ever" saga.
Have You Ever
CHAPTER FOUR
The night once again fell heavily on the game shop. Yami sighed and drew his knees up closer to his chest. He sat out on the low roof that jutted out from his and Yugi's bedroom window. Sleep seemed to be evading him that night so he figured that some star gazing may help. Off in the distance he spotted an unusual star. It was larger then the rest and had a red hue. Yami knew right away that it must be the planet Mars. He sighed.
Mars was the planet of love. Just as Venus was beauty, Mercury was intelligence, Jupiter was strength, and the moon was loyalty. Each planet had its own meaning, and Yami knew them all well. He eyed Mars with a longing. It stood for love, something he wished terribly for. And early he thought he may had been on his way to rekindling that forgotten emotion. That was until that washed up rocker had burst out of the bushes and made his point physically clear.
Yami let another sigh escape and looked out over the city. From where he sat he could see the roof of Raye's temple. Why did the one girl who seemed so perfect have to be taken? Yami figured it was better that he learned about Chad as early as he did, before he was able to develop true feelings for Raye.
But if he hadn't developed feelings fir her, then why did he feel so heartbroken? Their meeting had started out so normal. That cat, Luna, had surprised him and then Raye had come over to apologize. Yami shuddered. Those cats, Luna and Artemis. There was something weird about them. It was like they were almost human. They had stared at him as though he were pure evil.
None of that mattered now though. All that mattered was Raye was out of reach and he was alone again. Alone to forget what love feels like.
There was only one other thing that bothered him, and that was the creature from the night before. What had it been and why had it gone after Yugi. He had never seen anything like it before. The only thing he could compare it too was a Duel Monster. But that didn't make sense either. You needed shadow powers to control a Duel Monster in real life, and the only two he knew with those powers were Marik and Bakura. And neither of them would have drained Yugi's energy. They would have challenged him to a duel in order to get his puzzle. So did they have a new enemy? Yami sighed and laid back. As he watched the stars, he gave a sigh. What the hell was going on?
~~'~@
She laughed when she saw him lay down with a sigh. So he was trying to figure things out. Good luck. There was no way that a measly human was going to figure out the workings of the Negaverse. Not there was very much to figure out any how. She wanted energy to awaken the greatest fighting beast of the Negaverse. The one that even Queen Beryle forgot about. She was to busy trying to get Sailor Moon's Crescent Wand, which was a waste of time. What she really should have done was gathered enough energy to awaken Despair. And she should have started by draining the energy of those damn Sailor Scouts. Their energy was the best. Theirs and this boy she was watching. There was something about the energy the monster had been able to draw from him that had grabbed her interest.
"Maybe I should send a creature to grab his energy." She mused to herself. "And then those Sailor Brats will show up and I can drain them as well."
All their energy would give her a boost on the energy she needed to awaken her monster. And with the Sailor Scouts out of the picture there'd be no one to stop her from getting energy from anyone she wanted. With the Scouts out of the way there would be no one to stop her take over.
She turned to the large table behind her. Tiny clay figures littered the table. Each one was sculpted with the perfect physical features of the best creatures. She scanned them before picking up one and placing it out the ground. She clamped her hands together in front of her face and began chanting. The tiny clay figure began to glow, and then grow until it stood in front of her, six feet of breathing Negaverse warrior.
The creature had dark blue skin and wore a tight black leather bikini top and mini skirt. It wore knee high leather boots. Its hair was jet black and pulled back in a long pony tail. Her crystal blue eyes glared down at her.
"Welcome to life Regina." She told the creature. "I have a mission for you. That boy over there. Go after him, get his energy. And if those annoying Sailor Scouts show up, get their energy too. And the energy of anyone who tries to get in your way. Understood?"
Regina turned her glare on the hovering picture of the boy, Yami, and nodded.
"His energy's mine." She hissed before disappearing.
"Good." She laughed. "And soon we'll release Despair and the world will be mine."
~~'~@
"Serena! Will you get your grubby hands off my stuff!"
Raye jumped up and ran over to where her friend Serena was riffling through her unread Magna. Serena looked up at Raye, her blue eyes watery, and put the book down.
"My hands are grubby?" She asked in a tear filled voice, placing the comic book on the ground and holding her hands out in front of her face. "Darien always says how much he likes my hands."
"Oh brother." Luna, Serena's black cat rolled her eyes. "If she starts crying, we're never going to get anything done!"
At the small table in Raye's room, the other three scouts agreed. Mina (otherwise known as Sailor Venus) ran a hand through her long blond hair and breathed out an agitated sigh.
"Serena, Raye," She sighed. "Can you hold off the fighting for one scout meeting. Besides Raye, you should be interested in this meeting. We're discussing a topic that seems to be a hot spot for you."
Raye stopped glaring at Serena (or Sailor Moon) and turned to look at Mina with some interest. She walked away from Serena who was still examining her hands and sat at the table across from Mina.
"And what would that topic be?" She asked.
"That boyfriend of yours." Lita (or Sailor Jupiter) laughed. "Luna and Artemis are really worried about those vibes they felt off him the today."
Raye lowered her head and glared at Lita. She felt the blush creep up into her cheeks.
"He's not my boyfriend Lita." She grumbled. "But why do you think that he needs to be watched?"
Amy (or Sailor Mercury) shifted in her seat and looked over at Raye.
"Well, they're positive they felt some odd vibes off him today." She explained. "So they feel that if he isn't from the Negaverse that he may attract whoever sent that monster the other day. And we don't know who sent it. He may be our way of finding out who our new enemy is."
Raye rested her elbows on the table and then placed her chin in her hands. She stared off into space, thinking about that night she saw him. There was something about him that just seemed to fit. But everyone was warning her about him. Even brain-dead Chad was saying he was no good and Chad liked everyone. Maybe there was something about him, but she was just too caught up on her visions to see it.
But those visions had showed Yami as the victim, not the attacker. So what could watching him do? Yes, it might help bring their new enemy out, but it wouldn't reveal what they really wanted to gain. Every enemy was after something new. Some wanted energy to fuel a takeover; other's wanted it for their own hunger or benefit. What could their new enemy want that one of the others hadn't already tried?
"I just don't get what your interest in him is." She sighed. "My vision showed me Yami as being the enemy's target. We shouldn't be watching him for clues. We should be watching him for protection."
"While that is true," Luna jumped into the middle of the table. "We aren't sure that he isn't an enemy of ours yet. He may not be with the Negaverse, but he could still be bad."
Raye huffed and turned away from Luna. She couldn't believe this. They were all against Yami! Even after he tried to fight off that monster the other night to save his little brother, they still suspected him. It was ridiculous.
She was about to open her mouth when a flash of panic raced through her system. She gasped and pushed away from the table. Visions began to race in front of her closed eyelids. She saw some strange creature attack Yami at the Game Shop where he lived. It drained him dry and then made a quick get away, leaving a barely breathing Yami on the little over hanging roof.
"Raye!" Luna's voice cut through to her. "What's wrong? What do you see?"
"Yami." She gasped, forcing herself to her feet. "He's in trouble. They're going to attack him again. They want his energy!"
Before she could answer any more questions, Raye bolted out the door. She needed to get to Yami quickly, before it was too late. The monster she had seen hadn't bothered to stick around for more victims. It just took Yami's energy and ran. Which means it had specific orders to do just that. So maybe their new enemy had already tapped into the differences that everyone else seemed to feel.
As she ran, Raye began to grow more irritated. What was so wrong with being different? She was different. And that wasn't including being a Sailor Scout. She had her ESP that made her a certified "freak" as some would call it. She growled low in her throat and ducked into a nearby alley way. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out the red stick and held it high over her head. With a deep anger she shouted.
"Mars…Power…Transform!!"
Large flames burst from the stick and swirled to surround her. They circled her body and shattered, giving way to the Sailor Scout, Sailor Mars.
Mars ran, her red high heels clacking on the sidewalk. The Game Shop was only a block away. When she reached it, she jumped up on to the roof and made her way over to where the small over hang was. Peering over the edge she spotted Yami laying there. A small grin pulled at her lips. He looked so peaceful, laying there with his eyes closed. She wondered what he was thinking about.
Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he glared at the spot where she knelt. His fierce crimson eyes were almost terrifying in the dark. She gasped and stumbled back away from the roof's edge.
"Who's there?" He growled from the over hang. "I saw you! Come out now. I must warn you, if you have plans to hurt my hikari, you're wasting your time."
Mars furrowed her brow. His hikari? His light? What did he mean by his light? Was that what he called his little brother? She suddenly smiled and had to stop herself from laughing. Of course he was acting so defensive. He was probably worried that she was another creature here to drain his little brother. She approached the roof's edge and jumped down, landing softly on the overhang.
Yami gasped when the girl straightened up after her landing. She had long black hair and stunning violet eyes. She wore an interesting outfit that had even Yami confused. But she didn't seem dangerous, at least not to him. In fact she seemed…beautiful. She reminded him of Raye, but maybe this one wasn't taken.
He took a step towards her, but she seemed to back off. Yami stopped moving and looked her up and down. She definitely was beautiful.
"Do you mind if I ask your name?" He spoke softly, as though she were a deer that he would scare away.
She seemed to hesitate before finally answering.
"You can call me Sailor Mars." She whispered. "And don't worry about your hikari. I haven't come to harm you. In fact, I've come to help protect you."
That comment caught Yami's attention. He glanced at the window that was behind Mars. She noticed his gaze was no longer on her and turned to follow it. Inside the window she saw his little brother sleeping in the bed. His large purple eyes were shut and a small yet dreamy smile graced his face. She smiled as well. He looked so cute and innocent. At that moment she vowed to see that she would do whatever needed to make sure that his big brother would always be there.
"I worry about him." Yami suddenly spoke. "He's tough, but not always tough enough. He's got a heart big enough for the both of us."
Mars gave him a small smile. "You don't have to worry about him." She told him with a bit of sadness. "The people who attacked you last night don't want him. They're after you. That's why I'm here. To make sure neither of you get hurt. Neither of you."
Yami didn't seem to completely understand. He cocked his head to the side in an almost comical manner. But there was a slight fear in his eyes. He turned away from her and sighed heavily.
"I wish things were that easy." Yami ran a shaky hand through his wild hair. "But this wouldn't be the first time that someone's come after me and Yugi. It'll take more then a heartfelt promise to save us."
Mars walked up to him and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Yami glanced over his shoulder and saw her smiling down at him.
"I might just have that little extra you need." She winked and pointed up at the sky.
Yami followed to where she was pointing and saw the bright red planet of Mars. When he turned back to her she snapped her fingers and a tiny spark of fire jumped to life. Yami stared at the flame in amazement. How had she been able to do that?
"H-how do you do that?" He stumbled over his question.
"Magic." She chuckled. "The planet Mars protects me, that's why I carry its name. I am able to control fire, and hopefully that will be what you need to help you and your young brother."
Yami smiled and grabbed her hands tightly in his own. His crimson eyes were light and Mars saw the innocent beauty he had held while she watched him sleep. Her heart began to melt again.
"Thank you Mars." He whispered. "I'm glad to finally find a person I can compare with."
These words confused her. That he could compare with? Did that mean he was different? Could Luna and Artemis been right? No, no they couldn't have been. Yami may be different but that didn't meant that he was bad. She was different and she spent her free time saving the world. Hell, maybe Yami did too!
"Compare with?" She finally voiced her question. "Do you know magic too Yami?"
Yami was about to answer but a loud thud of someone joining them on the roof stopped him. Both he and Mars whirled around to face the new person. Or better yet, creature. It appeared to be a woman with blue skin and jet black hair. It wore a scandalous leather mini skirt and top.
"I know magic." It taunted them. "But I wouldn't want to break up this cute little date to show you. I want to break it up to piss you off."
It waved a hand at them and tiny daggers shot towards them. Yami and Mars both jumped back, narrowly missing the sharp assault. Regaining her feet, she glared at the monster with her angry violet eyes.
"Well congratulations." She growled. "You've pissed me off."
"Now that we have that squared away," The creature turned a deadly gaze back on Yami, "I've got business to attend to."
She shot an arm out towards Yami and long black rope shot out and wrapped itself around his body. He let out a quick yell and tried to wriggle an arm free. If he could get a hand free he could send this thing spiraling into the shadow realm. But he couldn't. He couldn't move. In his frustration, the eye began glowing on his forehead. This caught the beast's attention and it drew Yami in closer.
"What's this?" She mused, running her finger over its glowing surface. It let out a cry as an energy surged through it at the contact. With an angry growl it wrapped its hands around Yami's throat. "No matter. Time to say goodbye."
The creatures hands started glowing and Yami felt that same feeling of his soul being ripped from his body. He threw his head back and let out a strangled cry of agony. Not this again, he couldn't take another vicious energy drain. The puzzle could only work to replenish him so fast. Slowly he began to grow weaker and weaker. Somewhere in the back of his mind he heard someone mumble something.
"M-Mars." He chocked. "Mars. H-help me."
Suddenly Yami felt a heat on his face. The creature holding him screamed and let go. He crumpled to the ground coughing and rubbing his throat. He felt some energy return slowly but not enough to allow him control over his legs yet. With slow movements he looked up to see the creature holding its hands and sending a death glare at Mars.
"You'll pay for that Sailor Bitch." It growled.
Mars raised an eyebrow. "Sailor Bitch?" She mused. "I give you credit. That's an original one. Too bad you used it in a false statement!"
Mar pointed a finger at the creature before shouting,
"MARS…FIREBIRD…STRIKE!"
A large bird formed of fire appeared out of the air and shot towards the creature. Its eyes grew wide and jumped out of the way. The attack only managed to graze its arm. But the pain shout that came from it was enough to bring a smile to Mars face.
"You brat." It seethed. "How dare you attack Regina!"
"Oh pity," Mars mocked. "Well when you play with fire you're bound to get burned!"
Yami looked at Mars through blurry eyes. He gasped and in his weakness, struggled to his knees. Through his hazy vision he was sure that Mars looked just like Raye. But that was impossible. He was almost positive that if Raye had the kind of power that Mars had, he would have been able to sense it. Closing his eyes, he called on the powers of his puzzle. He'd use them to see through whatever Mars was using to hide her actually identity. But just as he was about to tap into his powers, dizziness washed over him, coaxing him into darkness.
"Not enough…energy." He murmured before collapsing onto the roof.
Mars saw this and was momentarily distracted from the monster. Her heart tightened as she realized that Yami had lost way too much energy. If she didn't defeat this creature, Regina, then Yami would remain an empty shell until his body gave out and he died. She couldn't let that happen, because oddly enough, she felt something for the boy she had only talked to once.
But for a moment she had forgotten about Regina. When she turned her attention back on the monster a black rope wrapped around her body. She let out a terrified shriek.
"Your turn." Regina laughed. "Your little boyfriend's down for the count, and now you'll join him."
"I don't think so!"
A bright light flashed and cut through the rope. Mars let out a cry as she fell backwards and the ropes fell from her body. She looked up and saw the remainder of the scouts standing on the upper roof. Venus winked at her and blew on her index finger as though it were a gun.
"More of you?" Regina growled. "I didn't sign on for this. I'm out."
"Not if we can stop you!" Jupiter shouted jumping down to the lower roof. She crossed her arm and closed her eyes before snapping them opening and shouting…
"JUPITER…THUNDER…CRASH!"
Lightening crackled out from Jupiter's out stretched hands and flew towards Regina. But just as it were about to hit her she faded away. Jupiter jumped back, shocked at the turn of events.
"Sorry brats," Regina's voice seemed to come from the air around them. "I got what I came from like I always do. Pity little Mars, now you have to kiss you boyfriend goodbye!"
"No!" Mars screamed, jumping up and running to the spot where Regina had just stood. "You can't do this you coward! Come back and fight!"
Her only answer was a malicious laughter that filled her head. With a chocked cry, Mars turned and dropped down beside Yami. She pulled him into a sitting position and held his limp body close.
"Yami, wake up." She almost demanded him. "I promised to protect you. You can't do this!"
Mercury laid a gentle hand on her shoulder but Mars shrugged it off. This couldn't be happening. They couldn't have lost. They never lost and Mars didn't want to start now. Not with Yami being their first failure.
"I-I'll be okay."
Mars gasped and looked down at Yami. He was looking up at her with half-lidded eyes. On his forehead, that same odd eye glowed. All the other scouts took a step back, gasping in surprise.
"Luna was right." Mercury gasped. "He is different."
Yami chuckled deeply and turned his attention back to Mars.
"Yes, I'm different." He whispered. "But not bad. I'll be fine with sleep. Thank you for helping me…Raye."
Mars gasped. He knew who she was? Who she really was. Could it be that he had ESP as well? Or maybe he had another power that she was never even aware existed. Yami's eyes drifted shut, but slid back open to look at the rest of the scouts.
"You guys too, Lita, Amy, Mina, and Serena."
His eyes finally shut and his body went limp. Mars pulled him close and looked back up at the rest. Her violet eyes were bright with both excitement and confusion.
"He knows." She whispered. "God knows how but he knows. And he's good. Guys, he good!"
Moons: Uh-oh, Yami knows!
Aurora: Big deal, we all knew that was coming.
Moons: *glares* You know, I know you don't like all this romance stuff, but you don't have to be such a stick in the mud.
Aurora: Whatever. As long as Malik/Marik gets someone and a story then I'm good.
Moons: We'll see…
Aurora: *perks up* Then finish this story and let's move on!!