"SunChaser? ThunderClaw?" Rini whispered, amazed.
The black's ears perked as he nudged Autumn. Dream Princess? He cocked his head to one side, staring at her. He picked up Autumn's staff and trotted over to Rini. Here. I don't have hands. Call Atlanta and Teraina. They'll help.
"I don't know how," Rini murmured, staring up at him. He was at least as big as a horse.
Just cut the air and call to them, the gold one called.
"Alright..." Rini struck the staff to one side, and black seeped through a jagged cut. A white unicorn and what appeared to be an elf jumped through the portal.
SunChaser, ThunderClaw! What happened?! Where is she?! the unicorn nearly shouted, snorting and trotting over to Autumn.
"He took her." Darien found his voice.
Who took her?? the unicorn demanded as her horn glowed, healing the brunette girl.
"Sebradon. Or, at least, that's what she kept calling him," Rini replied, appearing stunned.
"Atlanta? Teraina?" Autumn sat up, sounding and looking dazed. "How'd you get here?"
"Oh, here." Rini handed the staff to her. "ThunderClaw told me to call them." Autumn took the staff silently, looking near tears.
Sebradon. The mare's ears pinned against her poll. Well, where'd he take her?
"I don't know." Rini shrugged. "They just...vanished."
The elf-like creature shrieked and jumped away from a huge pool of blood on the floor. "He hurt her." She backed away from it. "How badly?"
"He just kept...hitting her...with a sword," Serena forced herself to speak. "Like he was...driving her into...submission."
"And she let him?" Serena could only nod.
There was nothing we could do, Atlanta. He was too strong, SunChaser sighed, pacing. We can't follow him - he's too powerful. Besides, there's no trace of him or the lady.
It's like they've disappeared off the face of the earth, ThunderClaw agreed, looking around. What is this odd place?
"It was a dance studio," Autumn said bitterly, but her rage was not directed at the wolf. "Why did she let him hit her like that?!"
"She didn't want him to hurt Serena." Pluto's voice almost cracked with dismay. "He could've killed any of us with a single thought. The question is, why didn't he? Why didn't he kill us when he had the chance?"
It's a question better left unanswered. Guardian, he won't kill her. If he were, he would have done so just now or back in the Silver Millennium, the gold wolf said gently, walking over to her.
"He said we betrayed him. We never did such a thing," Luna objected.
"She said Beryl tricked him. Maybe that had something to do it," Mercury said uncertainly.
Pluto stared at the ground where Sebradon had been standing. Tears blurred her vision, but she clearly saw something. "S-SunChaser, bring that to me." She pointed weakly at it. The wolf trotted to it, picked it up in her jaws, then went back to Pluto and lowered it into a shaking had. She held it up. It appeared to be a broken crystal shard. But she knew what it was. "Oh, good Lord..." she closed her eyes and lowered her clenched hand.
"What is it?" The elf wandered over to her. "And what's wrong?"
Pluto was gripping the crystal so hard the sharp edges punctured her hand. Blood ran between her fingers. "He's taken her out of this galaxy. He's taken her to a place called J'an'tidae - but we call it the Negaverse."
Atia opened her eyes too quickly and was almost sick. The abundant sheets around her were soft and fluffy, the pillow beneath her head deep and full. Her head throbbed none the less, and her body ached as though a rock had fallen on her. She lifted her arm, where he'd first struck her - but there was nothing there. Funny; she didn't remember healing it.
"Ah. You're awake." Atia whirled over and saw Sebradon laying beside her. Her eyes widened. "Don't worry, I haven't touched you."
"What do you want with me?" she whispered. Odd; her aches were subsiding, and she felt powerful, like she had during the Silver Millennium.
"I've been thinking, and I decided that I'd rather have you as my queen instead of an enemy." His eyes stared into hers. "You don't have to make a decision right away. I'll give you a month. See how you like it here."
A month?! "What if I say no?"
"You'll go back to earth, and then I'll resume to the killing."
Atia felt herself blanch. "If I say yes?"
"You'll stay here with me - forever. But I will stop the attacks on the senshi and let them be." He smiled sweetly, assuming her knew her decision.
But she had chosen the other. She would stay the duration of the month, if only to spend time with him and learn about his powers. "I'll wait out the month."
He smiled again. "Think hard." Then he leaned over the small distance between them and kissed her. "Of course," he whispered, "I'll do everything in my power to convince you to stay here."
Atia's eyes widened as he kissed her again. He moved closer to her and ran his hand through her hair, kissing her. She gradually began to kiss him back, getting over her initial shock. She could pretend, couldn't she?
His hand found the tie to her dress, and she froze, pulling back a little. "Come on," he murmured. "It's just me. We've done this before."
She was tempted to say 'once' but decided against it. His fingers were warm on her back, and she shuddered. A little voice in her head kept repeating her decision, and she clung to it as the night wore on.
Trista cried out, and Diana woke instantly. She began to purr and rubbed her cheek against Trista's chin before settling in the crook of her arm and chest. The kitten gently put a paw on the Guardian's arm, and within moments she felt a hand on her fur. With a soft murmur of nonsense, Trista fell asleep again.
"Diana?" Rini crept quietly into the room and knelt beside the bed. "Are you awake?"
"Yes."
"Is she okay?"
"She's thrashing, but it seems to calm her down when she has something to come back to. Atia's absence is hurting her so badly. Maybe you ought to bring one of those wolves back and let them be with her. After all, I'm so little...I can only comfort her so much."
"She likes you, Diana. And I'm sure you're a big help." Rini stared at her older friend sadly. She missed Atia too. Most of the senshi did. But it was weird because, though she'd been with them for nearly six months, they had suddenly realized that they didn't really know her at all. And now it was doubtful that she'd ever come back. "Goodnight, Diana."
"Good night, princess."
There's too much fog. She can't see. She can feel a familiar presence, then another. Before long, four quickly become recognizable. Four silver strands, like spider's thread, flow off into the fog. Two are closer together, and the others are far apart. She looks down and sees a thread coming from a shining object around her neck - a locket.
One of the threads shudders and is drawn taunt. She is forced to move and shifts into a dead-run. She can see and hear nothing beyond her own breathing. It's almost as if she's running on air, or even place, for she could feel nothing beneath her feet. The threads move with her, the other three not affected by her moving.
Suddenly the fog parts, and she sees her friend. But her image is cloudy and vague. The thread is connected to a locket around her neck as well. The other looks up and sees her. Her lips move in a silent plea, but she can only shake her head. She can't hear her. She reaches out her hand, and the other tries desperately to grab it. Centimeters before they would've joined, an arm protrudes from the black and drags her friend away.
There is a faint snap, and the silver thread falls to the ground. She nearly screams, it hurts so badly. She can barely hear the echo of three other cries, all familiar, all feeling the same pain. "Lia, Ocean, Sky!"
"Trista!" a child-like cry echoes back towards her. "Trista, where are you?"
"Sky!" She staggers into a run in the direction of the two close-together threads.
The mist parts and reveals a blonde woman around the same age as herself. "Trista!"
Suddenly another figure steps into view. She has hair so teal it is black and expressive blue eyes. "Trista?"
"Ocean, Sky!" She runs up to them and they to her. She half expects them to be dragged away too, but they aren't, and they all embrace. "I thought I'd never see you two again!"
Sky clings to her. "We can't come back. The Queen told us not to return to earth until we had felt the pain of a thousand wars echo in our hearts." She sniffs and sounds ready to cry. "I want to come back!"
"We both do," Ocean whispers. "What's going on, Trista? Where's Atia?"
"Atia was kidnapped and taken to the J'an'tidae. She's being held there against her will."
"Our link was cut! Something's really wrong here!" Sky blurts, then begins to cry.
"Who's doing this??" Ocean asks, strong features trying not to give way to sorrow.
Trista looks down at the fog. "He is. I don't dare say his name - I'm afraid he can hear every word I'm saying."
Suddenly a ghostly figure that resembles the fog around them takes form. "You must all be quiet, he'll find us!" she hisses urgently. Wild fear illuminates her orange eyes. But she is too late.
The foggy area turns pitch black, and a wind starts up, so strong that they were forced to their knees. Thunder roars around them, though there is no lightning and no rain. There are three brutal snaps, and the pain is so great that she nearly passes out. Yet, she does not immediately and hears Ocean's strong voice over the raging winds.
"We'll be together someday!"
Pain swallows her whole.
Diana awoke to the moonlight shining in her eyes and something dripping onto her fur. She glanced behind her at Trista and saw blood trickling out of the senshi's mouth. Her hands were clenched, and she was pale, even in the silver wash of the moon.
The gray kitten quickly got up and raced out the room, down the hall, to where Rini, Autumn, Serena, Darien, Amara, Michelle, and her parents slept. She didn't want to wake all of them, but she had to get someone.
"Prince, prince wake up!" she said quietly, shaking his shoulder. "Oh, come on, please..."
Darien's eyes opened groggily. "Diana?"
"Prince, please hurry! Something's wrong with Trista," she hissed urgently, patting his hand with her paw to keep him awake. He was instantly awake and slid silently down the hall. She hurried to Serena. "Princess, wake up!" She nipped the girl sharply in the wrist.
"Huhhh??" Serena's sleepy blue eyes eyed her tiredly. "What is it, kitten?"
"Something isn't right with Trista, you have to go!" She slapped Serena's arm sharply as the girl stumbled to her feet.
Suddenly the whole house shook, and an unfamiliar voice said, "We'll be together someday."
Luna was on her feet instantly, in feline form. "That was Ocean."
Trista screamed.
Darien watched helplessly as Trista coughed violently, struggling to sit up as though she were trapped in a tight enclosure. So much was happening at once, it was making his head spin. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her, trying to steady her.
Within seconds, her coughing stilled, and she seemed to wake up. He lay her down. "Trista? Are you okay?"
"It hurts. Hurts so much..."
"What hurts?"
"My head. My heart. He cut our links..." She covered her face with her hands. "I can't reach them! He's hiding Atia from me! From all of us!"
"Trista, calm down," he said gently. "Who's us?"
"Me, Sky, Ocean, Lia, and Atia...we were connected...but now..." Her voice trailed off silently. "He hurt them like he hurt me. If Ocean and Sky get separated, they'll be killed."
Artemis jumped up on her bed. "Trista, we heard Ocean."
Trista groaned. "Artemis, I know you can't stand them or me, but please, hope that they're alive. If they're killed, if he kills them-" She was talking so fast her words became one long blur.
"Trista, snap out of it!" Autumn grabbed her wrists and tightened her grip on them, jerked her arms to get her attention. "Listen to me! He has Atia and that's all he wants! She tried to contact you against his will. Your four were punished as a result. He's trying to get her away from us, totally seclude her." She looked totally distraught. "He's trying to make her his own."
