Chapter 4.
Power of Nemesis
Proteus and Umbriel looked to where Neptune and Uranus stood on a telephone pole. Umbriel glared but Proteus just started laughing. Neptune and Uranus blinked as Umbriel turned an inquiring eye on the smaller girl.
"Proteus, do you find this funny?" Umbriel asked in an irritated tone.
"Oh yes, extravigantly funny." Proteus giggled. She put her arms around her stomach and doubled over.
"Care to enlighten?" Neptune asked as she and Uranus jumped down. Proteus's eyes snapped open and flashed. She straightened, her eyes glowing white-blue. Her hair wipped around her face, as though blown by a hurricane's wind.
"What's she doing?" Raye screamed from their tower. Suddenly the ball Lita stood on disappeared and they all fell to the ground.
Proteus reached up to the clouds darkening overhead. "Come to me..! My music..!"
"Oh no," Neptune cried. She clapped her hands over her ears. "She knows!"
"Knows what?" Umbriel shouted.
"My ice!" A flute of ice appeared in her hand. She brought it down to her lips and began playing a rather haughting song. Mist came out of the holes of the notes she was playing. It drifted towards Neptune.
"No!" Uranus slashed at the mist with her sword. It curled around the sword, became a snake of fog, and started slithering up to the hilt and up Uranus's arm. Neptune grabbed the snake and pulled it off. It struck out at her and buried its fangs into the back her neck. Neptune's eyes snapped open and she froze.
"Neptune!" Sailor Moon screamed. Neptune's muscles spasmed and her body jerked. She spun and kicked out at Uranus, who ducked and jumped back. She continued attacking the other senshi, who managed to dodge every blow while shouting at her friend.
"Neptune! What are you doing?" Uranus shouted as she jumped back from the other girl as she swung a crouching kick at her. "Stop it! Wake up!" But it was useless, and Neptune continued her assult.
"Umbriel, stop her!" An airy female voice called.
Umbriel glanced at the sky for a moment, then jumped at the other girl and pinned her arms to her sides, pulling the flute away from her mouth. Proteus blinked in surprise and tried to free herself from the merciless grip. Neptune jerked to a stop and collapsed.
"Umbriel! Let go of me!" Proteus shouted at the girl behind her.
"Jewel said to stop you!" Umbriel snapped back and turned again to the sky. "Do you want us to come back?"
"Yes, return now!" The voice said.
"Hear her? Let's go!" Umbriel started to disappear, taking Proteus with her.
"Oh no, you don't!" Uranus tried to grab the girls before they vanished, but her fingers closed on empty space. "Damn it."
"Neptune!" The other girls, now recovered from their not-so-graceful fall, ran towards the fallen girl. She was still unconscious.
"Wait girls!" They all stopped to see who had called them.
"Pluto?" Sailor Moon cried. And she, for once, was right. Sailor Pluto stood behind them with Luna crouched on her shoulder. The black cat jumped down and scampered over to Sailor Neptune, putting a paw on her forehead. Blue ribbons spun around the girl for a moment before she became Michelle again.
"She's alright." Luna confirmed.
"What was that about?" Mars asked as Pluto walked by them.
"Her sailor self could still be evil, we don't know. That flute may have only commanded her for the time, but it may have done more than that. Until we can be sure, Neptune is dangerous, and Michelle should not transform."
"Luna, has her transformation stick changed or been damaged?" Pluto knelt down by the cat. Luna pawed at Michelle's uniform until the stick fell out. It still seemed normal.
"There's nothing wrong with it." Luna reported.
"But that doesn't mean anything." Mars suddenly said. Everyone looked at her.
"Why not?" Venus asked.
"Sailor Proteus, though currently ruled over by Nemesis, is a relative of Sailor Neptune. She said it herself, Michelle told us afterwards as well. Because of that, their powers are similar. That flute might have changed something and we'd never know."
"That's true," Pluto agreed nervously. "Amarah?"
"What?" Amarah had already de-transformed and now approached as her normal self.
"Make sure Michelle doesn't try to transform when she wakes up. Mention what we've talked about if she doesn't guess herself." The blond nodded and picked up Michelle.
"You guys be careful. You're link with the enemies makes you vulnerable." Luna said.
"I know, Luna. We'll be fine."
...
"Mom! I'm home!" Serena called. She looked at the line of shoes and saw an two extra pairs. "Oh, visiters."
"Must be friends of Rini's." Luna said. She pointed to a pair of black dress shoes. "Serena, recognize these?"
"Mm?" She looked at them and her eyes widened. "Oh, Hotaru's here!"
(( I don't know if Hotaru could really be there in the anime as this story occurs sometime between the SuperS series and the Stars series, but I'm goin' by the manga and in the manga, she'd be there. ))
"Shall we see what they're up to and meet this new friend of Rini's?" Luna said, already halfway up the stairs.
"Why not. It's my job as her guardian to know who all her friends are and what she's doing all the time - Luna!" The cat had disappeared up to the second floor, ignoring Serena's guardian-speech. Serena grumbled and slouched up the stairs after her. She heard laughter as she got to the bottom of the attic stairs.
"Hey Rini! Can I come up?"
"Since when did you ask permission?" Rini's head appeared. "Of course, you can meet my new friend, Mickey. Mickey, come here."
Serena climbed the stairs as a redheaded girl about Hotaru's age came over. She bright blue-green eyes sparkled and she smiled. "Nice to meet you Serena. Rini's told me all about you and your friends. You all seem quite nice."
"Yeah, we all just love Rini and her friends, ain't that right, kiddo?" Serena hugged Rini and mussed her hair.
"Serena, get off me!" Rini said as Hotaru and Diana came over.
"No problem, I got plently to do without worrying about you. Hey Hotaru! Homework, friends, Darien, see ya at dinner Rini." Serena said with a big smile and rushed back downstairs, Luna chasing her.
"Huh? That was weird, she's never like that normally." Rini scratched her head as Hotaru and Mickey looked on wide-eyed.
..
"Serena! What was that all about?" Luna asked once they got to her room.
"That girl somehow reminded me of Sailor Proteus." Serena said quietly.
"Yes, I was getting a slightly bad vibe from her. I hope she's not, Rini's had enough troubles with her friends that way." Luna said softly. "We'll mention it to the other girls tomorrow at the meeting."
"Right. Good thinking, Luna."
....
Power of Nemesis
Proteus and Umbriel looked to where Neptune and Uranus stood on a telephone pole. Umbriel glared but Proteus just started laughing. Neptune and Uranus blinked as Umbriel turned an inquiring eye on the smaller girl.
"Proteus, do you find this funny?" Umbriel asked in an irritated tone.
"Oh yes, extravigantly funny." Proteus giggled. She put her arms around her stomach and doubled over.
"Care to enlighten?" Neptune asked as she and Uranus jumped down. Proteus's eyes snapped open and flashed. She straightened, her eyes glowing white-blue. Her hair wipped around her face, as though blown by a hurricane's wind.
"What's she doing?" Raye screamed from their tower. Suddenly the ball Lita stood on disappeared and they all fell to the ground.
Proteus reached up to the clouds darkening overhead. "Come to me..! My music..!"
"Oh no," Neptune cried. She clapped her hands over her ears. "She knows!"
"Knows what?" Umbriel shouted.
"My ice!" A flute of ice appeared in her hand. She brought it down to her lips and began playing a rather haughting song. Mist came out of the holes of the notes she was playing. It drifted towards Neptune.
"No!" Uranus slashed at the mist with her sword. It curled around the sword, became a snake of fog, and started slithering up to the hilt and up Uranus's arm. Neptune grabbed the snake and pulled it off. It struck out at her and buried its fangs into the back her neck. Neptune's eyes snapped open and she froze.
"Neptune!" Sailor Moon screamed. Neptune's muscles spasmed and her body jerked. She spun and kicked out at Uranus, who ducked and jumped back. She continued attacking the other senshi, who managed to dodge every blow while shouting at her friend.
"Neptune! What are you doing?" Uranus shouted as she jumped back from the other girl as she swung a crouching kick at her. "Stop it! Wake up!" But it was useless, and Neptune continued her assult.
"Umbriel, stop her!" An airy female voice called.
Umbriel glanced at the sky for a moment, then jumped at the other girl and pinned her arms to her sides, pulling the flute away from her mouth. Proteus blinked in surprise and tried to free herself from the merciless grip. Neptune jerked to a stop and collapsed.
"Umbriel! Let go of me!" Proteus shouted at the girl behind her.
"Jewel said to stop you!" Umbriel snapped back and turned again to the sky. "Do you want us to come back?"
"Yes, return now!" The voice said.
"Hear her? Let's go!" Umbriel started to disappear, taking Proteus with her.
"Oh no, you don't!" Uranus tried to grab the girls before they vanished, but her fingers closed on empty space. "Damn it."
"Neptune!" The other girls, now recovered from their not-so-graceful fall, ran towards the fallen girl. She was still unconscious.
"Wait girls!" They all stopped to see who had called them.
"Pluto?" Sailor Moon cried. And she, for once, was right. Sailor Pluto stood behind them with Luna crouched on her shoulder. The black cat jumped down and scampered over to Sailor Neptune, putting a paw on her forehead. Blue ribbons spun around the girl for a moment before she became Michelle again.
"She's alright." Luna confirmed.
"What was that about?" Mars asked as Pluto walked by them.
"Her sailor self could still be evil, we don't know. That flute may have only commanded her for the time, but it may have done more than that. Until we can be sure, Neptune is dangerous, and Michelle should not transform."
"Luna, has her transformation stick changed or been damaged?" Pluto knelt down by the cat. Luna pawed at Michelle's uniform until the stick fell out. It still seemed normal.
"There's nothing wrong with it." Luna reported.
"But that doesn't mean anything." Mars suddenly said. Everyone looked at her.
"Why not?" Venus asked.
"Sailor Proteus, though currently ruled over by Nemesis, is a relative of Sailor Neptune. She said it herself, Michelle told us afterwards as well. Because of that, their powers are similar. That flute might have changed something and we'd never know."
"That's true," Pluto agreed nervously. "Amarah?"
"What?" Amarah had already de-transformed and now approached as her normal self.
"Make sure Michelle doesn't try to transform when she wakes up. Mention what we've talked about if she doesn't guess herself." The blond nodded and picked up Michelle.
"You guys be careful. You're link with the enemies makes you vulnerable." Luna said.
"I know, Luna. We'll be fine."
...
"Mom! I'm home!" Serena called. She looked at the line of shoes and saw an two extra pairs. "Oh, visiters."
"Must be friends of Rini's." Luna said. She pointed to a pair of black dress shoes. "Serena, recognize these?"
"Mm?" She looked at them and her eyes widened. "Oh, Hotaru's here!"
(( I don't know if Hotaru could really be there in the anime as this story occurs sometime between the SuperS series and the Stars series, but I'm goin' by the manga and in the manga, she'd be there. ))
"Shall we see what they're up to and meet this new friend of Rini's?" Luna said, already halfway up the stairs.
"Why not. It's my job as her guardian to know who all her friends are and what she's doing all the time - Luna!" The cat had disappeared up to the second floor, ignoring Serena's guardian-speech. Serena grumbled and slouched up the stairs after her. She heard laughter as she got to the bottom of the attic stairs.
"Hey Rini! Can I come up?"
"Since when did you ask permission?" Rini's head appeared. "Of course, you can meet my new friend, Mickey. Mickey, come here."
Serena climbed the stairs as a redheaded girl about Hotaru's age came over. She bright blue-green eyes sparkled and she smiled. "Nice to meet you Serena. Rini's told me all about you and your friends. You all seem quite nice."
"Yeah, we all just love Rini and her friends, ain't that right, kiddo?" Serena hugged Rini and mussed her hair.
"Serena, get off me!" Rini said as Hotaru and Diana came over.
"No problem, I got plently to do without worrying about you. Hey Hotaru! Homework, friends, Darien, see ya at dinner Rini." Serena said with a big smile and rushed back downstairs, Luna chasing her.
"Huh? That was weird, she's never like that normally." Rini scratched her head as Hotaru and Mickey looked on wide-eyed.
..
"Serena! What was that all about?" Luna asked once they got to her room.
"That girl somehow reminded me of Sailor Proteus." Serena said quietly.
"Yes, I was getting a slightly bad vibe from her. I hope she's not, Rini's had enough troubles with her friends that way." Luna said softly. "We'll mention it to the other girls tomorrow at the meeting."
"Right. Good thinking, Luna."
....