Rip Van Who?
3. Healing Light
"Oh, it's freezing, Luna," Serena complained to her small, talking, black cat, as the two of them ran along a street, looking for Sailor Jupiter. They weren't having much luck, and with the cold winter weather, both were more than a little irritable. In Serena's case, that meant she would whine.
"Stop the high whine, would you, Serena? We've got to find Sailor Jupiter now!" In Luna's case, it meant she would snap angrily at her young charge. Serena was about to say something else, when Sailor Jupiter stumbled out of a nearby alley.
"Sailor Jupiter!" Serena said, skidding to a halt. She rushed over to her friend. "Oh god! What happened to you? Did Darien do this to you?" She asked, concerned.
"I'm okay," Sailor Jupiter gasped, clutching her side with both hands. "I'll be fine. We have to find Greg and Sailor Mercury." Serena had never seen her friend in such a bad way before. Bruise marks were forming around Sailor Jupiter's throat. Her breathing was shallow, laboured, as if trying to avoid the pain of breathing too deeply. And was that blood she saw, trickling down the back of Jupiter's head, on her gloves and uniform?
"You're hurt," Serena said.
"We don't have time for this," Sailor Jupiter said.
Serena wouldn't hear of it. She gently pried Sailor Jupiter's hands away from her sides. Jupiter couldn't help but let out a yelp, as her wound was once again exposed to the cold air. One of her ribs had splintered, pushing its way through the skin. It must have taken her so much effort simply not to cry out in pain.
"You've got a compound fracture," Luna observed with a serious tone. "You're lucky that your lungs weren't punctured."
"It's not as bad as it looks," Sailor Jupiter said.
"Yes, it is," said Serena firmly. "We've got to get you to a hospital. You're in no condition to fight." Even Serena was surprised with her own tone; it left no room for argument. She really meant it though. Her friends were important to her, especially in these dark times, and Sailor Jupiter would only get herself killed if she fought in her current condition.
"There may be another way," Luna said. "Serena, try using the crystal."
"I… guess it's worth a try," said Serena uncertainly. She reached into her coat pocket and produced the Crescent Moon wand, with the Silver Crystal embedded firmly at the end of the wand. She held the wand out towards Sailor Jupiter, aiming it at her wounds and concentrating. Sailor Jupiter was bathed in healing light for a moment, before it receded. "Are you… feeling any better?" Serena asked, laughing nervously.
Sailor Jupiter gingerly touched the place where she had suffered her compound fracture. Much to her own surprise, she felt a lot better. She stretched a little, just to make sure. "Yeah, I feel great. Way better! Come on, let's go!" Sailor Jupiter was about to rush off when Serena caught her by the arm.
"What happened, Jupiter?" Serena asked seriously. "Did Darien do this to you?"
Sailor Jupiter shook her head. "No. Remember that kid Amy told us about at the meeting?" She asked. Serena looked a little guilty, laughing nervously.
Luna sighed, dismayed yet again. "Honestly. Do you ever listed?" She asked, exasperated.
"Hey!" Serena protested. "I'm going through a really tough time here, Luna! I think I deserve a little slack."
"It was her," said Sailor Jupiter. "All she had to do was point her hand at me and I was thrown back. It was like I was hit by a wall of force." Jupiter shook her head, still trying to figure things out herself. She rubbed her neck self-consciously. "She was so strong…"
"What about Amy and Greg?" Serena asked.
"They got away, but Greg sure was right. Prince Darien's hot on his trail," said Sailor Jupiter. She gave Serena an urgent look. "We gotta find Amy and Greg before he does!"
"Right!" Serena agreed.
"Where'd they go?" Luna asked.
Sailor Jupiter shrugged, shaking her head. "Don't know. Someplace safe, probably," she said. "We better just keep an eye out for bad guys." She started running down the street in the direction she'd last seen Mercury heading. Jupiter only hoped that they arrived on time…
***
Sailor Mercury looked around uncertainly. She didn't like her current situation. It was dark and cold, and instead of staying in a well-lit well-travelled place, Greg had convinced them to hide in an amusement park, after hours so the place was deserted.
"Greg, I don't like it here," Sailor Mercury said. "It's too deserted."
Greg turned away, walked over towards a large ferris wheel. He looked up at it. The large metal frame was dark, but when the park was open, it was lit by thousands of tiny light bulbs. "Yeah, but I've always wanted to come here with you… on a date…" Greg responded quietly.
"You have?" Sailor Mercury asked. "Really?"
Greg nodded quietly. "But I was too scared that you'd turn me down, Amy, and… I was afraid it would ruin our friendship," he said. He smiled sadly, a knowing smile.
"This is so weird, Greg, 'cause I've felt the same way for ages," Sailor Mercury said, giving him a relieved smile. It didn't seem to help lift his mood at all. If anything, the smile actually made him feel worse.
"We've got really lousy timing, Amy," Greg said, shaking his head. "You've got to go. I've put you in too much danger already." He paused a moment, but stopped Sailor Mercury just before she was about to respond. "That little girl I told you about… the one in my vision? She's going to kill you, unless you get out of here. So please, just run. Run!"
"I can't just run away," said Sailor Mercury seriously. "I'd miss you way too much, more than I do now." She smiled comfortingly at Greg. "Whatever comes our way, we'll face it together. We've got to fight, Greg."
"Yoo-hoo." The lights on the ferris wheel started lighting up. Sounds of the amusement park coming to life filled the air. "That's good, Mercury, 'cause a fight's exactly what you're gonna get." The two of them looked up to see Prince Darien's shadowy form standing at the hub of the wheel, watching them, a smirk on his pale face. Bra hovered lifelessly nearby.
"That's Prince Darien!" Sailor Mercury gasped. "How did he find us in here?"
"The kid's a regular bloodhound," Darien laughed, nodding over at the enslaved azure-haired girl. "She can sense your energy from all the way across the planet." Darien leapt from the wheel, landing close to Greg and Sailor Mercury, too close for comfort.
"You traitor! I can't believe you let the Negaverse turn you against us! You're the enemy!" Sailor Mercury dropped down into a defensive stance.
"So glad we got that straight, Mercury," said Darien, smirking again. "Now, please, back off. I really have no desire to hurt you, okay? It's your boyfriend I'm after, not you." He took a step forward, and Greg and Sailor Mercury took a couple of steps forward. Sailor Mercury glanced around, trying to find a way out. She found none.
"Never! I'll never give in to you!" Sailor Mercury affirmed. "Mercury Bubbles Blast!" She went through the motions, and fired her attack. Her magical bubbles filled the area with a dense fog, making it impossible to see more than a foot ahead.
"You really think you can stop me with those silly bubbles?" Darien asked. "Ha!" Suddenly he was in front of Mercury, looking right at her, a demonic smirk on his face. The girl gasped, taking an involuntary step back. "Bra, keep her out of my hair, but leave her alive. I want her to see her boyfriend's capture."
The enslaved little girl appeared in front of Mercury. Sailor Mercury stumbled back with a surprised gasp. That kind of speed shouldn't have been possible! To Sailor Mercury's eyes, Bra just vanished from one point and reappeared instantly in another.
Bra reached out and took hold of Sailor Mercury by the throat, as if to strangle her. She felt her feet lift off the ground, as Bra floated higher up. Sailor Mercury tried to fight the iron grip, but failed. Her focus no longer on the attack, Sailor Mercury's fog dissipated.
Just in time for her to see Prince Darien thrust out the dark crystal. "Greg!" She managed. "No!" She watched as Greg was pulled into the captivity of the dark crystal.
Darien nodded towards Bra. The little girl tossed Sailor Mercury aside effortlessly. She landed painfully on the ground, rolling a couple of times before coming to a stop. "How's it feel to be helpless, Mercury?" Darien asked with a smug look on his face.
"Let him go, Darien!" Mercury demanded, forcing herself to her feet. There was a long abrasion in her left leg, bleeding profusely. "You wouldn't even be half this confident without your helpless puppet." She glanced at Bra, half expecting an angry reaction from the little girl. Bra just blinked, her eyes remaining cold and lifeless.
"Is that so?" Prince Darien asked. "I was going to let you live, but if you really wanna go for it, that's fine with me, Mercury. You'll lose, of course." Sailor Mercury said nothing, but looked defiant.
Darien took it as a challenge. He reached into his cloak and pulled a black rose free. He transformed into the form that the Sailor Scouts were more familiar with. Wearing a black tuxedo, a top hat, and a cloak, along with a ridiculous mask that did nothing to hide his identity, he was now Tuxedo Mask. "Hey. I though you'd be glad to see your old friend, Tuxedo Mask, again. It's just you and me, Mercury. I'll leave the kid out of this."
"Who are you kidding?" Sailor Mercury asked. "You're not the same Tuxedo Mask that the Sailor Scouts trusted! Mercury Bubbles Blast!"
Mercury fired her magical bubbles directly at Tuxedo Mask, but he pulled his cane and deflected all the bubbles. "Ha! Same tired old tricks!" He scoffed. Sailor Mercury rushed at him as he was deflecting the bubbles. She tried to body slam him, putting all of her speed behind the attack. He saw it coming, rolled, and threw Sailor Mercury out of the way. Tuxedo Mask flipped to his feet.
"It's dangerous to underestimate your enemy," Sailor Mercury gasped, pulling herself to her feet. Then she showed him the dark crystal, now in her possession. She'd managed to pull it from his pocket when he had thrown her. "Beryl's a lousy teacher. Now I'm going to set these people free!"
Sailor Mercury threw the crystal to the ground and it shattered. The captured Rainbow Crystal Carriers were free. Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter chose this moment to appear.
"You're through, Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Mercury said. "They're free!"
"I'll just have to capture them again," said Tuxedo Mask. "But first, I'm getting rid of you Scouts." Darien nodded over at Bra. "Go to it. Kill them all!"
Bra blinked, but nodded slowly. Before she could move, both Mercury and Jupiter hit her with their attacks. The explosion was brilliant, and powerful. It distracted Bra momentarily, but did little else.
"Sailor Moon! Use your wand!" Luna yelled.
"I'm on it, Luna!" Sailor Moon exclaimed. She pulled out her wand and pushed her energy into the Silver Crystal. "Moon healing…"
Bra shook her head, dispelling the flashing lights dancing in front of her eyes. She blurred out of sight, reappearing in front of Sailor Moon. She reached her fist back, ready to push it through Sailor Moon's chest.
"Activation!" The healing light of hit Bra. The little girl screamed in pain, clasping her head. She squeezed her eyes shut. She stumbled back.
"S-stop it!" Bra screamed. "Stop making me see things!" She shook her head, desperately trying to dispel the images that the depths of her own mind were conjuring up, with the help of the light from Sailor Moon's wand. Sailor Moon started to falter, the energy drain much stronger than she thought it would be. Bra was resisting, or something inside of her was resisting.
"It's working, Sailor Moon!" Luna said, encouragingly. "Don't give up. Just a bit more!" After a tense couple of moments, the little girl collapsed. A foul-looking black smoke escaped from her body, briefly forming a demonic face, before dissipating completely.
"This isn't over, Sailor Scouts!" Tuxedo Mask threatened, before vanishing through a dark portal that had formed behind him.
"Oh, Kami," Bra gasped, tears streaming readily down her cheeks. The little girl shook gently, and Sailor Mercury felt compelled to go and comfort her. "Mama… Papa…" Bra whispered to herself.
"You're going to be alright," said Sailor Mercury, rubbing the girl's back.
Bra looked up at Sailor Mercury, a slight frown on her face. "What happened? Where am I?" She looked around, stunned, a lost little girl. She shook her head, confused, squeezing her eyes shut. "I-I can't remember anything!"