This is a bit of a different fanfic than I'm used to writing. I thought it was an interesting premise, so I decided to write it. Here go the disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon, so don't sue me, yada yada yada…
Anyway, if you want to email me, it's at GalaxyJM@aol.com. However, PLEASE put Fanfiction or something like that in the subject line. I get a lot of junk mail and I may just delete it without reading it otherwise, though I won't mean to.
Onto the story…
Angelic Embrace
Part 4
When Makoto stalked into the empty park, fury was in her every step and she was mad as hell. She had been waiting ten years for something, just like the olive woman, but at least she hadn't been going around and making a nuisance of herself to hard working folk. And it wasn't just her now, it was the men behind her too, who walked four abreast.
She was about to rave off when she got to the center of it with no sign of the mysterious woman when she stopped dead at the sight before her. A woman with short black hair turned and looked at her and it was as if her violet eyes read her very soul. A perfectly shaped eyebrow rose at her appearance.
A little farther off two other women stood conversing quietly. One with shoulder length, dark blue hair. She wore a white lab coat and black slacks. In her jacket pocket was a pair of glasses. Next to her was a light blonde woman. Her hair went down to the middle of her back and waved slightly in the breeze. Her eyes were a sky blue color, much lighter than the girl's in her dreams.
On the right side of the violet-eyed woman were two other women. One with very short, sandy-blonde hair. Her eyes were a green, like her own, but not as deep an emerald. Who could only be her partner stood beside her, aqua green hair blowing in the breeze. Both wore rather suspicious expressions when they saw her.
Nick walked up to stand beside her and the groups there watched each other, for there were distinct groups. Makoto and the men, the two pairs of women, and the loner black one.
"I see you are all here," said the voice that Makoto would remember for the rest of her life.
The olive woman walked amidst the groups, drawing all their attention like moths to the flame. She turned to Makoto. "I see you have brought some friends. That is well, since they are part of your answers."
"What answers?" asked a relatively soft voice. Makoto glanced around to see who had spoken and it was the…She looked closely at the name tag. Doctor Mizuno.
"Makoto has been waiting ten years for answers to her life; I'm sure you all have questions that I will answer. One why I brought you all specific people here. Only four of you know who I am, though two other might have an inclination."
She inclined her head to the men behind Makoto and all eyes turned to them. Makoto whirled, anger swirling in her green orbs. Before anyone could register what she was going to do, she hauled her fist back and punched Nick right on the jaw. "How dare you not tell me you knew this woman!" she hissed.
Nick rubbed his jaw. "You never told me who you were going to meet; and I don't know who she is. I know what she is."
"Then what is she?" asked a light, rather cheerful voice.
Makoto looked over to the woman on the other side of Doctor Mizuno. Her eyes narrowed. A memory was trying to surface in her mind, but it refused to be locked onto. What was it…?
"Calm down," the olive woman said.
"Calm down? You expect them to calm down when you haven't even explained anything yet?" asked the sandy-haired woman scornfully.
"I will, but you must calm down."
Taking a deep breath, Makoto crossed her arms, feeling the anger that seemed so natural. Ever since she had taken up street fighting, she had been rather laid back about everything except fighting, but even then, it was different. It was like she was calculating; she never got angry, no matter what insults her opponents might throw at her. She never got really angry outside of fighting either. She felt better now that she had that anger back; she'd always had anger when she fought before and it felt like a cleansing now.
"Six of you here already know what you are, but four of you do not. You four have been living the past ten years in regular lives, but have the feeling something is missing or out of place. It is. But first, let me introduce to you someone who regrettably can't be here in person."
An image flickered beside her and a transparent woman appeared, dressed in that strange garment she always found herself in when she was in that place with the bubbles. Only the newcomer's was predominantly purple. She was tall, reaching to just below Makoto's height. Her eyes were a pale violet. She smiled at them. There were wings on her shoulders replacing regular shoulder pads. There was a crystal type thing in the center of a bow on her chest. She had boots that came to her knees and tied with laces all the way to the top.
"This is Sailor Saturn. She is presently indisposed. Uranus, Neptune, please join us."
The sandy-haired woman and her partner reacted unusually. They straightened and pulled out the strangest looking pens that Makoto had ever seen. They held them aloft, crying out the strangest phrases.
"Neptune Planet Power, Make-UP!"
"Uranus Planet Power, Make-UP!"
Multi-colored lights surrounded them and when it stopped, they wore the strange garments as well. The sandy-colored woman's was predominantly dark blue and yellow, while her partner's was aqua and blue.
"What's going on?" cried Doctor Mizuno, who seemed to have the hardest time accepting the strangeness. Makoto had long accepted the strangeness, because she no longer paid it any attention. It was just one more roadblock to sit through to get her answers. She didn't care about the strange people, just her answers and the sweet girl in her dreams.
The olive woman raised her hand above her head and cried, "Pluto Planet Power, Make-UP!"
When the multi-colored lights faded, she wore the strange garments as well. Maroon and black her colors. "I am Sailor Pluto, guardian of the Gate of Time."
She then proceeded to tell the most incredulous story Makoto had ever heard, about a Moon Kingdom being destroyed, about a Sailor Moon and such. During this time, two homeless cats had joined their group, but by the way they looked at them, Makoto thought that they might understand what was being said. She turned back to the olive…no, Sailor Pluto.
"However, there was no Sailor Moon. That possibility was wiped out because of my carelessness. The future that came to pass is this one, in which Sailor Moon, the reincarnated Princess of the Moon, was kidnapped and never became it."
"Who was it?" she asked curiously.
"A Tsukino Usagi."
"Her? She went missing ten years ago without a trace!" Makoto protested.
"And each of you had a vision that day ten years ago of a dark place only filled with bubbles surrounding something you cannot see and have reoccurring dreams now. You feel compelled to destroy this bubble barrier with all your soul, but have not succeeded."
They all nodded, Makoto included. She wondered briefly how the men were taking this, but she dared not take her eyes off Pluto. Despite the wildness of the tale, she felt a ring of truth to it. It rang much truer to her than many other things she had been told in her life.
Suddenly she held out her gloved hand and four pens appeared. "It is time for the Princess's Inner Guard and Court to awaken. Mercury, Mars, Venus," She looked straight at Makoto, "and Jupiter."
As if by some command, Makoto stepped forward as did the three other women not in strange clothing did. As each touched the pen, images flashed in their minds, or at least Makoto's. She saw a beautiful palace, saw herself in a beautiful gown, saw her embrace a gorgeous looking man. Felt lightning coursing through her, but giving her no pain.
When she opened her eyes, she was dressed in the strange garment that she always wore in the bubble place. The word 'fuku' entered her head and she knew that that was what this thing was called. A fuku.
She looked to the others and the black-haired woman wore red and purple. She did a double-take. "Wasn't your hair really short?"
The woman grabbed her hair and noticed that it flowed down to her butt. "I just…how did that happen?" she demanded in a strident voice of someone used to getting her way.
Makoto looked to the others. The doctor was all in blue, dark and light. Her hair was… "Your hair got shorter," she said.
A gloved hand flew up and touched the blue locks. "You're right. How did that happen?"
She turned to the last of them, orange, yellow, and a sparse bit of dark blue in her fuku. She seemed the least bit disturbed about it. Her hair had also grown, but not that much. Around the length of the red one; she appeared not to care.
"What's going on?" demanded the black-haired woman.
"First, I think it would be beneficial to introduce yourselves," Pluto said, looking at the other fuku covered women who had…changed…before them.
They nodded. "I'm Tenou Haruka. Also Senshi of the sky, Uranus."
"I am Kaioh Michiru, Senshi of the sea, Neptune."
They looked at Makoto. She shrugged. "Name's Kino Makoto. And I'm…um…"
"You are the Senshi of lighting and earth, Jupiter."
"That's my street fighter name, but…whatever."
Pluto turned to the black-haired woman. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and said, rather haughtily, "Hino Rei, High Priestess of the Hikawa Shrine. I'm…" She trailed off.
"Senshi of fire and war, Mars," supplied the gate guardian.
"I'm Mizuno Ami, a doctor at the local hospital," the shy woman said. She simply looked at Pluto.
"Senshi of ice and wisdom, Mercury."
"Well, I'm Aino Minako," said the cheerful blonde. "I must be the Senshi of something…"
Pluto smiled a little. "Yes, you are. Senshi of love, Venus."
"Cool."
"So what do these men have to do with this?" asked Uranus, rather pessimistically. Saturn had yet to say a word, though she did nod and smile at them when they became…Senshi.
"They are the Earth Prince's protectors. Why don't you introduce yourselves?"
They stepped back from Makoto as she turned around. Nick was no longer looking as if he desired social contact, grim faced and serious. They were all different than the people she had met and in some ways it was good. She had known they were different and it was a relief to have this mystery solved as well.
Kris snapped his fingers and the other three men stood to attention. A flash of light and they all were dressed in similar uniforms. "I am the leader of Endymion's generals and guards, Kunzite, previously High King of the Middle East in the Silver Millennium."
Nick crossed his arms over his chest. "I am Nephrite, previously High King of the North American division in the Silver Millennium. One of the generals and guards of the Prince Endymion."
"I am also sworn to protect my liege and friend, Endymion," Jace began. "I am Jadeite, previously High King of the Far East in the Silver Millennium."
Zale's green eyes glittered slightly as he said, "Previously High King of the European division under Prince Endymion, Zoisite. I am sworn to protect him as well, as his general, guard, and friend."
"Was the man in the hospital Endymion?" Makoto asked in a moment of clarity.
"Yes, that is our liege. His civilian name is Chiba Mamoru."
"I heard of him," Ami exclaimed. "He's at the hospital in a care unit. I tried to waken him since everyone told me to, but I'm sorry. I couldn't," she whispered.
"What are your civilian names?" asked Neptune, less belligerent than her partner.
Kunzite nodded. "My name in this life is Keagan Kris MacNeal."
"My name is Nick Michael Canter."
"Jace Daniel Taencer."
"Zale James Indiano."
"Now I will explain why I brought you all here." Makoto and the others turned back to Pluto. "We must save the Princess. To do this, you must all work together. I will help if I can, but I must also watch the Time Gate. I am violating just about every rule that has ever been imposed upon me by doing this, but I cannot wait any longer. Luna and Artemis will help you if I cannot be here. Venus, you are to care for Artemis. For now, until she can assume her guardian, Luna will stay with you, Makoto."
Makoto looked down at the black cat, who had walked up to her. She looked back at Pluto. "I can't take care of a cat. I'm always on the move and besides, if I stay here, I shall have to live in a hotel and they don't take cats."
"Don't worry; there is place set up for you."
Makoto jerked back from the cat in front of her. If she hadn't been watching her, she would be sure that she was going crazy because cats didn't talk. "You can talk."
"Of course I can. So can Artemis. Now we must hurry and formulate a plan."
Artemis jumped onto Minako's shoulder and draped himself across it. The woman looked a little nervous at having a talking cat near her, but she was overcome by his soft white fur because she began stroking him. He purred and Luna threw him a disgusted look, if it was possible for a cat to do that.
"It's all right, we have a place here, if you'd like to stay with one of us," Jace, or rather Jadeite, said to her.
Makoto put her hand to her head. It was beginning to throb. She had wanted answers and she had gotten them. She shouldn't complain about whether she understood it at all. And everything she had been told rang true. She knew they weren't lying to her; she felt it deep in her bones.
"Saturn will not be helping you; as I've said earlier, she is indisposed and I cannot interfere with that. Now, let's return to our respective homes to get some sleep."
Makoto, seeing Uranus and Neptune touching their tiaras, did the same. She found herself in her baggy jeans and tank-top green shirt she had been wearing in the morning. Pluto did not change back.
"We will meet in civilian at this park again tomorrow at noon and then you proceed with me where we may talk in private about our strategy to free the Princess and Prince."
"What's wrong with the Prince?" asked Minako.
"The Prince's life is tied with the Princess's. It is the nature of their soulmate bond. Let's leave."
And with that, everyone began to filter away in separate directions, leaving just Makoto and the men. She turned around to see them back to normal. They watched her with something closely akin to sympathy. She shook her head and let out a deep breath.
"I need to sleep."
End of Part 4
Action will be coming soon, I hope. Bad guy is returning. I know it was a lot of talking in this, but it was rather imperative. Just slog through this and make it through to the next part, where things really get interesting. I will not be switching to Usagi's point of view much, just fair warning. Most of this will be in Makoto's pov, though there will be a few points later on that are not. You will know which ones. Ja ne!