Author's Note:
This story, while called 'Return of the Valkyries' is NOT related to 'Walk of Valkyries'. That's more of a short story that ended where it began: one part. My email address has changed to Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put Fanfiction or something similar in the subject line so I know what the email is about.
Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, etc.
Minako's husband – Kyle (Kunzite)
Makoto's husband – Matt (Nephrite)
Ami's husband – Zale (Zoisite)
Rei's husband – Jared (Jadeite)
Haruka's husband – Aren (Adamite)
Setsuna's husband – Cirocco (Cordylite)
Michiru's husband – Ian (Iolite)
Hotaru's husband – Raine (Rhonite)
For convenience, I named all the new Kings with the same first letter of their name. The Shitennou names I think are pretty able to figure out.
Return of the Valkyries
Chapter 4
Kynthia found herself filled in on everything about her grandmother during the ride back to the palace, a crash course in history so to speak. A part of her wanted to deny what she was told; that her grandmother simply had eccentric friends at best, but she knew it was true. She had witnessed the transformation from an eccentric old woman back to a young, elegant warrior with her own eyes and Kynthia trusted her own eyes, if nothing else.
"Trion isn't going to like this," she muttered under her breath.
"Trion does not have a choice," Makoto told her, rather sharply.
"Makoto-sama—"
"Call me Jupiter until I tell you otherwise. Same with the others."
Kynthia nodded, perplexed. She simply shrugged after a moment of thought. It didn't matter; she still thought of these people as the unusual and strange friends of her grandmother and they were prone to say weird things.
"Kynthia, what is the meaning of this?" her husband demanded as she walked in beside her mother, all following behind the Royal Family I.
"Zoie was kidnapped and I asked grandmother to help," she explained.
He noticed the staff in her grandmother's hand with the Ginzuishou. His eyes widened and immediately tried to call on the Golden Crystal. Her grandfather waved his rod a bit to draw his attention and he growled in anger.
"Both of your times are over! Give me the Golden Crystal back. I will get my daughter back my own way!"
"First of all," her grandmother started, "she is not only your daughter, but Kynthia's as well. Also, need I remind you that Zoie is my great granddaughter? I will get her back. For right now, though, all you need to know is that, temporarily, we will be taking back the thrones."
She stressed 'temporarily', but it didn't make much difference. Trion drew himself up as if she had hit him. He marched toward her, but in a quick movement, Rei, Makoto, Ami, and Minako had placed their bodies in front while their husbands surrounded their back.
"Stay back or we will be forced to hurt you," Minako said quietly.
"And who are you exactly?" he sneered, his eyes trying to place her.
Kynthia didn't understand how he couldn't see it so she opened her mouth to enlighten him. A hand immediately dropped to her shoulder and she looked up into her mother's ruby red eyes. She gave an imperceptible shake of her head.
"We are the Sailor Senshi."
"The Sailor what?"
"We shall not repeat ourselves," responded Ami coolly.
Trion analyzed the people in front of him and realized that he didn't have a choice about this 'temporary' taking back of the throne. Serenity I was always trying to unseat him and she had finally decided to make her move. But he would make his move when she least expected it. He would bide his time.
"Fine." He stalked from the room, pushing past the dignitaries who watched the proceedings in shock.
Gracefully, Usagi and Mamoru settled back on the thrones and motioned for the Senshi to come forward. They did, all kneeling before the monarchs.
"Venus? I am at a loss as to what to do," she admitted. "Strategy has never been my strong point. I would ask you to look for Zoie, but I need some of you here to protect the palace after that attempt. I am sure they will try again eventually."
"If I may, my Queen?" Usagi nodded. The leader of the Senshi and the leader of the Kings stood, their shoulders touching somewhat, but showing as if they weren't even aware of it. "I suggest that the Inner Senshi and the Shitennou remain at the palace to guard and tighten security. I would also suggest that the Outers and the rest of King Endymion's warriors be sent to look for the Crown Princess."
Usagi nodded and Venus and Kunzite bowed again. "Agreed."
The Outer Senshi and their husbands stood, but before they left, they locked eyes with two on the thrones. Uranus and Adamite stepped forward. "My Queen, my King, you have our word on our henshin wands and our guardian planets that we will bring your great granddaughter back, even at the cost of our lives."
Jupiter sucked in breath at their oaths. Swearing on the henshin wand? And on top of that, to swear on the guardian planets? If they did not succeed, their henshin wands would break, their guardian planets turning from them, and they would die. They were staking their lives for Serenity, because it was something that she wanted above all else.
Usagi's eyes filled with tears, but she could not tell them to retract their oath now that it was said. For one, it would only bring dishonor to them and for another, it would kill them faster. "So be it. We thank you, Outer Senshi, Kings."
The eight of them made their way silently out of the throne room. The Inner Senshi and Shitennou stood.
Endymion cleared his throat. "Venus, Kunzite, I would like you to be head of security for the palace, at least for the time being that we are on the throne. Jupiter, I would like you and Nephrite to train the palace guards. Mercury, Zoisite, I would appreciate it if you would set up the palace's computer network security. And Rei and Jadeite, I would like you to investigate around the palace and see if you can't find any other information about the kidnapper and/or the whereabouts of Princess Zoie."
"Majesty," they said, clapping their fists over their hearts and bowing to their monarchs.
As Jupiter watched from the corner of her eye when she moved away, she saw Chibiusa lead a still distraught Kynthia from the room. Slowly the visiting dignitaries moved towards the thrones and engaged the monarchs in conversation and diplomatic matters.
She turned to her granddaughter, who was standing at attention behind the thrones, as obviously assigned.
"You are head of the guard then?" she asked.
Her granddaughter, Asnee, turned to her respectfully. "Yes…?"
"You may call me Jupiter. Get the guard together and come down to the training area. I want to see what I have to work with before I begin training you."
"But Jupiter-sama, who will protect the King and Queen?"
Jupiter gave her a merciless smile. "Don't worry about them; they are well protected." She looked over to the monarchs to find that the Shitennou surrounded them in a protective half circle. She knew that the Inner Senshi would rotate guard duty in the throne room with their husbands when it came to time to relieve them. That was why one Inner Senshi and one Shitennou were assigned the same duty; it left no area that had been specified unattended at all.
"Just the four of them?"
The brown-haired woman's gaze snapped back to Asnee and she favored her with a cool look. "They are better fighters than the whole of the palace guard put together."
Asnee's temper flared, her eyes flashing. "I'll have you know that I trained the guard myself and learned from my grandmother how to fight, who is the best fighter in the world!"
Jupiter smiled, still a little ruthless. "Then bring the guard down to the training center and we'll see if you do your grandmother justice."
The lightning Senshi stalked out of the room and down to the training grounds. She knew the guard would be there shortly. Her granddaughter would not be able to resist that taunt.
And she was right. The guard trooped down the way to her and waiting as she scrutinized them, shifting their weight uncomfortably.
"Well you certainly don't look like much," she told them, pacing with her critical eye still fixed on them. "Let's hope you fight better than you look. You, you said you were the captain of the guard. Fight me and we'll see if you are worthy of being called that."
Asnee burned with anger; Jupiter could see it in every fiber of her being. The Soldier didn't go easy on her; she wanted to truly find out just how well her training of her granddaughter sunk in.
She went down in three seconds flat.
Jupiter could barely believe it. How on earth could this girl have come from her genes? "That was pathetic," she said, truly shocked. "Completely pathetic."
"And why are you so shocked?" muttered Asnee as she picked herself up off the ground. "Weren't you expecting me to lose?"
"Yes, but certainly not that quickly. I would have hoped the training your grandmother taught you would have sunk in better."
"Don't speak of my grandmother to me! Besides, what do you know about her?" she demanded irately.
"I know your grandmother well and she would be extremely disappointed by that display if she were here." Asnee grumbled while Jupiter turned to the rest of the guard who were, at the least, mortally terrified. Asnee was the strongest of them and for her to go down as fast as she did…It did not bode well for them.
"Listen up, you sorry lot. I am Sailor Jupiter, Soldier of Lightning and Protection for Neo Queen Serenity I. You may call me Jupiter or Sailor Jupiter. Nothing else, do you understand?" They nodded fearfully. "Now the Queen has asked me to train you and that I shall, but what you must understand is that under no circumstances will I go easy on you, especially you Asnee. In fact, I will work you even harder than the rest BECAUSE I know your grandmother. I know her and I expect more from you than them. I will tolerate no fooling around on my time with you. This may seem more than a bit harsh, but with only half of the Senshi's numbers here, an assassination attempt, and the princess kidnapped, times are hard and I will not tolerate another failure in my ranks. You will consider any other Senshi or Shitennou to be your superior. If they give you an order, you are to follow it as if it came from my mouth, do you understand?" They nodded. "Good, now let's get started."
Later, the guards dragged themselves to their rooms exhausted and they knew it was just the beginning.
"Here, I broke these out from storage," Venus said as she rummaged through a box. Triumphantly she showed the rest of them the communicators they had used when they had still patrolled the palace. It had been inspired by Mercury's headpiece when she was a Soldier.* It was so much easier just to have it settled on one's ear with the microphone set before the mouth to talk. They never had to worry about it knocked from their hand in a battle before they had a chance to call in the others. Also partly inspired by the Starlights' henshin wands/headsets.
"This should allow us to let the other group know when we're rotating guard duty of the Royal Family," she continued.
Jupiter gave Nephrite a sidelong glance. She had been training the palace guards for nearly a week and she had realized early on just how hard a job she and him were going to have. Apparently the fighting lessons that she had given Asnee had NOT sunk in appropriately. She had shown and taught the entire guard the wrong way to fight. Now, not only did she have to teach them, she had to UN-teach them before she could even get to the real teaching part.
It was crucial that the palace guard was trained properly as soon as possible, but it was going very slowly. The guards, thought to be the best fighters in the entirety of Crystal Tokyo, were, in her opinion, some of the worst. She didn't know how many times she had to baby-sit a fighter because he couldn't do the move with his sword and could cut off a limb if she didn't watch him closely.
She was more patient with them than she knew Nephrite would be. He tolerated no failures. If you didn't learn it the first time, you weren't good enough. The only one Jupiter could think was more critical than him would be Kunzite or Venus.
"When do you have the guard come down to the training area, Jupe?" questioned Nephrite as they settled the headset on their ears and walked away.
"From 6:00 in the morning to 7:00 at night. I tell them when they leave to go straight to sleep since they'll be getting up at least as early as 5:00 so they can get ready and awake before 6:00 when I train them."
"No wonder they're nearly dead on their feet most of the time," he commented. "How's our Asnee doing?"
Jupiter opened her mouth to answer when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She turned her head to tell Nephrite, but he simply raised his eyebrows. It was enough to let her know that he had known before her. And from the question, she could tell it was Asnee. It was why he had asked.
"Not as good as I would have hoped," she truthfully, and reluctantly, admitted. "I had thought what her grandmother taught her would have made her an already trained, and good, fighter."
"She probably is, but she's going up against a Senshi's credentials here. She'd have no chance, even if she was."
"I don't know. Sometimes I think so, and then other times, when I watch her, I think she's just not cut out to be a fighter. You'll see what I mean tomorrow."
"Guard change," he nodded. "So what's really bothering you about Asnee?"
"Whether she is a fighter or not aside, she's trying to be one, and hard. But I've noticed one certain thing: it doesn't matter whether the teaching her grandmother sunk in or not."
"Why not?"
"Because she can't be her grandmother. She's trying to be her grandmother, mimicking every move she knew how she would do it, instead of making her own style. I'm teaching her the basics, but she's not taking it and making them her own. She's trying to be her grandmother. She doesn't realize that are physiological differences between the two of them; that maybe the move her grandmother showed her that doesn't work for her isn't because she isn't doing it right, but rather that she physically can't."
"Perhaps you can talk to her about it?" he suggested.
Jupiter shook her head. "I can't. I think it would break her heart for one, and for another, I don't think she would listen. She's too resentful of me to listen to anything I say. She's not putting her whole heart in learning the training I'm trying to teach because she thinks her grandmother's way is better."
Nephrite turned so that his back was to where Asnee was hiding quietly. 'She doesn't know that the way is the same,' he mouthed and smiled. She managed to smile back.
There was a shuffling of feet and Asnee was gone.
"How much of what you just said was true?" he asked her, serious and the rare smile he had nowadays disappeared.
"Everything. Everything I said was the truth. I had thought that this would be the only way to tell her this without telling it to her face, though now I wonder at my decision and if it was the right one."
Nephrite put his hand on her shoulder and tilted her head to look up at him. His chocolate eyes stared into her worried green orbs. He gifted her with a gentle and reassuring smile. "Don't worry; I'm sure you made the right decision."
Then his lips met hers and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They didn't have much time to be husband and wife nowadays either; the warrior/warrior relationship had pretty much taken over from the husband/wife relationship. Jupiter and Nephrite were making Makoto and Matt pay dearly for taking up so much of their lives in those forms without the Soldier part. Jupiter was very reluctant to allow Makoto anything, especially the chance of wife/husband relationship. Even more now that they had a crisis on their hands.
They pulled away reluctantly and Nephrite made his way down to the training area. The guard was already there and waiting. When they saw him, they exchanged glances, most of them hopeful that they wouldn't have to train today.
"I don't think so, boys," Nephrite said loudly, catching everyone's attention. "Jupiter has trained you for a week. Rotation has been implemented and now you are mine to train for the next week. Next week you shall have Jupiter training you, the week after, I. Do you get it?"
They nodded, resigned.
"Good. Now, I have been updated by Jupiter as to the current situation, training wise. I might tell you now that you will recall Jupiter's training sessions in fond regard comparing to what you will be encountering under my command. In short, you will be run through the mill several, several times before you leave my training grounds every day that I have with you. Now, Captain Asnee, come here."
His granddaughter approached him with a sullen expression, one that told him everything he needed to know about her emotional wellbeing. She had not taken kindly to his wife's words.
"I do know your grandmother as well. I also have on good sources that you are good with the axe at your back. Let us see."
Asnee grabbed the axe at her back. "I should let you know that my grandmother didn't teach me in the axe. My grandfather did."
"Really? And how did you take to it?"
"Honestly?"
"Yes, honestly."
"I did excellent, if I do say so myself."
"Well, we'll see if I concur."
And the two fought. It wasn't a particularly long sparring match between them, and it was grueling on Asnee's part. Every move she made, he countered with lightning speed. Every opening he left, she was never able to take advantage of. Every move he made, she barely had a chance to counter and sometimes she got bad knocks because she wasn't fast enough.
Soon enough she was on her back again, and staring up into the sky again. This was all too familiar of her sparring match with Jupiter. At least she lasted longer against this one.
"Not bad, but not great by any means."
Asnee climbed to her feet. "Sir, might we know what to call you?"
He cocked his head at her. "You may call me Nephrite or sir."
"Very good, sir."
And so the training went, hour after grueling hour. Asnee was on the break of rage. Both Jupiter and Nephrite had the gift of simply looking at them that conveyed disdain and pity for their lack of suaveness. It grated on her nerves, also knowing what Jupiter had said about her. She was NOT trying to be her grandmother! And what possible physiological differences was there between her grandmother and herself that made her grandmother able to do some of the moves that Asnee couldn't? They were related, for crying out loud!
When training was let out and the exhausted guards left, Asnee was only filled with righteous anger. She felt no tiredness, no exhaustion. Only a rage that needed to be vented on the person who she resented the most: Jupiter.
She stalked into the throne room where she found Jupiter and her like. None of any generation of the Royal Family was there. One like Jupiter, only in red, spotted her by the doorway, her entire form tense and ready to fight or vent. She surreptitiously tapped Jupiter on the shoulder.
Asnee was nearly upon her when she turned to her.
"Yes, Captain?"
"You…!" Her voice was shaking with rage, something she was unable to control. She couldn't explain why she felt so resentful of her presence. Nothing she had said would have had that sort of effect under normal circumstances. Were circumstances so far from normal that it would affect her very behavior? What on earth was wrong with her?
"Yes, me. What is it you need, Captain?"
"I…I…" Asnee let out a scream of rage and thrust her fist toward the taller, older woman's face.
It was caught in a gloved hand. "Did you come here just to do that?"
"I…no…yes…I don't know, but I do know….that…you have no right to treat us like you have!"
"Jupiter, what is she talking about?" said one in orange sharply.
"I have no idea, Venus," Jupiter said, her whole body astonished.
The one in orange approached her slowly, a commander's air about her. "Captain, I am Sailor Venus, leader of the Sailor Senshi. Tell me, what has Jupiter done that you think she has treated you badly?"
"I…I…ooh, everything!" Asnee wrenched her fist from Jupiter's hand. "She gets the guards up at 5:00 in the morning, has them training at 6:00 a.m. sharp, and doesn't let them out until 7:00 at night with no breaks. She has the whole condescending tone and can look at you as though you can do nothing right even though you're trying with your whole soul. I hate her and if you must have the guards train, give us someone else!"
Jupiter's mouth dropped open and she stumbled back as if Asnee had hit her. Asnee looked at her in surprise and even shock when she saw the tall woman's eyes tear up. She fled from the room a moment later.
"Jupiter!" cried out the red one.
"Mars, Mercury, go find her before Nephrite does. It won't matter if it's true or not, or WHAT kind of relationship Asnee has with her, he'll tear into the guards mercilessly as payment for making her upset."
"He would harm the guards?" demanded Asnee as the two left the room at a dead run.
"Not harm, but wear them out so they can barely breathe."
"He would do that for his comrade?"
"Yes," Venus answered, surprised. "She's his wife."
"She's married to him??" Asnee's jaw just about dropped to the floor.
"Yes. Now, even if I were inclined to have Jupiter trade duties with another, I cannot. By the King's orders, she and Nephrite are to train the palace guards."
"King Trion ordered that?" she asked skeptically.
"Of course not. King Endymion."
"…Oh."
She gave her a speculative look. "Does your allegiance fall to King Trion?"
Asnee looked away from Venus. "My allegiance falls to Crystal Tokyo."
"And if King Trion was at fault for something heinous that harmed Crystal Tokyo or one of the Royal Family, would you take up arms against him if necessary?"
"Are you saying that he has done something wrong?"
"No, I just wanted to know."
"I don't know."
"Good response and I hope you never have to find the answer."
"Why?"
"Because if you had to find the answer, you would have to choose between the city and the person. It is an ugly decision when you love them both."
"Have you?"
"Have I what?"
"Found the answer?"
"…Yes, I have."
Asnee couldn't help feeling intensely curious about this woman. "What was the answer?"
"I chose the person."
"So is that the right answer?"
"There is no right answer, only what's in your heart."
The captain paused. "Why was Jupiter so upset?"
Venus looked long and hard at her. "All I can say to you is that you might make more of an effort in your relationship with her. She's very fond of you, whether she shows it or you want to believe it."
"Why? Just because she knows my grandmother?"
"Your grandmother is a fine woman, but has been through more than you know. So has Jupiter. You might say that they went through some of the same things."
"Does everyone know my grandmother?" she asked, exasperated.
"All the Senshi and Kings."
"Kings?"
"King Endymion's guards. The ones that are still in the palace are known as the Four Heavenly Kings, which is what Shitennou stands for. Since the arrival a long time ago by the other four of his guards, we have taken to just calling his guard the Kings."
"Why not just Shitennou?"
"Because Shi means four, not eight. Anyway, you should get some rest. Nephrite is a hard taskmaster. And I cannot tell you if he will have found Jupiter before Mercury and Mars. If he has, then you had best be prepared for the training session from hell. You'll want all your strength to survive it."
Asnee turned to leave the throne room, but at the door she looked back. Venus was still watching her, and watching her with a strange expression on her face that the Captain couldn't place. Confused, she left for her quarters.
End Chapter 4.
Any and all information about the Shitennou, (Endymion's guards) especially the meaning of their name, can be found at Peppermint Storm: (). It is the best Shitennou site that I have every found.
* - The headpiece came from the manga. I saw a picture of her with it on sometime in the first season. For the sake of this fanfiction (and because I thought it would be more convenient for the Senshi to have it), they all have one.