DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission.
Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to Looking Up To You, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.
Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.
Reviews: (only three people? C'mon, more of you have to be reading than that...)
Gracedangel1854: Mmkay... I'm updating... ^_^ Thank you!
Happygolucky111: Thanks for reviewing! Hope you like this chapter!
Saberpilot: This fanfic's by far the longest I've ever written... it's so much longer than Looking Up To You. Hmm, you don't think Sammy holds the crystal? Maybe, maybe not... and I'm glad you like Sparrow! You'll learn a lot more about her this chapter, mkay? Thanks for reviewing!
---
"What do you... mean, 'we need to talk'?" Serena asked, stepping away from Sparrow with a look of worry on her face.
"Sailor Moon, don't be afraid," Sparrow said reassuringly, taking a step toward Serena. "This is very important, and I want to help you and your friends defeat Jekelai... please, hear me out."
Serena stopped and looked into Sparrow's eyes, ready to hear what Sparrow had to say, but still slightly afraid of the mysterious stranger.
"We should probably go somewhere a little more private, wouldn't you say?" Sparrow asked, pointing to a small clearing of trees adjacent to the street. "I assume that you don't like to divulge the fact that you're Sailor Moon..."
Serena nodded, noticing the cars and people that were traveling down the street, and acknowledging the fact that what Sparrow had to say was apparently for her ears only. The two girls walked into the clearing and quickly looked around to make sure no one was there. The two were alone.
"First things first," Serena said. "You might know me as Sailor Moon, but when I'm not her, please call me Serena Tsukino. That's my name."
"Alright, Serena," said Sparrow, smiling. "My name is Sparrow Migoto. It's wonderful to finally meet you... although I can't say that your reputation precedes you. You're not exactly famous where I come from."
"And... just where would that be, exactly?" Serena asked curiously.
Sparrow's face, which had been smiling and cheerful just a few seconds ago, instantly turned serious as she began to recall her eventful past.
"You may not believe this, but... I come from another dimension," Sparrow said.
"Another dimension?" Serena said, startled. Sparrow nodded. "Sparrow, that's-"
"You've never dealt with beings from another dimension?" Sparrow asked.
"Oh, we've dealt with them before, but it's just that... well, most of them have been really evil," said Serena, rubbing her forehead with her right hand. "A few have been good, though... so I guess it's possible that you could be too."
"I assure you that I am," Sparrow said, beginning to giggle. "At least, your definition of good, anyway... but let me get back to the point. I'm from another dimension, from a planet that greatly resembles this one... in fact, we call it planet Earth, just like you call this planet."
"So, you're from Earth... but from another dimension? I see..."
"And one more thing, Serena," Sparrow said, taking a few steps back. "You might not find this very much to your liking, but... I'm not human. I'm a shapeshifter demon."
Serena gasped, a look of fear crossing her face. She began trembling, and quickly withdrew her henshin stick, ready to transform at any moment.
"No, Serena, I told you, I'm not evil!" Sparrow shouted. "I'm just a demon... that's all..."
"B-b-b-b-but there's no such thing as a g-g-g-good demon..." Serena stammered, fearfully clutching her henshin stick in her trembling hands. "And... a shapeshifter demon? That means you can take on any form... you're probably a monster in disguise!"
"Believe what you want to believe then," Sparrow said, heaving a sorrowful sigh. "That's the same reaction that a lot of people have when I tell them that I'm a demon... all I wanted to do was help you guys..."
Serena briefly stopped trembling, and took a few steps toward Sparrow.
"I'm.... I'm sorry," Serena said apologetically, starting to put away her henshin stick. "I... I was just startled, that's all... but we've fought so many demons in the past... we usually call them youma, though... I never knew there was such a thing as a good demon."
"Well, there is," Sparrow said, "and you're looking at one. And the only way that you're going to defeat Jekelai is with my help. He's an incredibly powerful warrior who transgressed dimensions in order to abduct me, and there are many things I know about him that you don't. So, Serena... what do you say?"
"Alright, Sparrow," Serena said, extending her head toward Sparrow's. "We'll be allies, then..."
"I hope that we can be friends as well," Sparrow said, shaking Serena's hand. "Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"Jekelai abducted you?" Serena asked after she had shook Sparrow's hand. "That must have been horrible!"
"It's a long story...." said Sparrow, bowing her head. "Would you like to hear it?"
"Maybe all of my friends should hear it," Serena said. "After school, I'll invite the other Senshi to my friend Rei's Shinto shrine and you can meet all of them. Rei's one of the Senshi too, so don't worry about her."
"Alright then, Serena," Sparrow said, turning away from Serena and walking toward the edge of the clearing.
"Wait!" Serena called out to Sparrow. "Do you... have anywhere to stay while you're here?"
"I'm going to go back to the space pod I used to get here and take a nap," Sparrow said, turning back toward Serena and yawning. "I'm pretty sleepy... whenever you get out of school, come wake me up and we'll go to the shrine together, okay? I'm really going to enjoy meeting all of your friends!"
Serena and Sparrow waved at each other one last time. Then, Serena ran off to her school, already several minutes late for her first class.
"Sparrow seems really incredible, even for a demon," Serena thought as she ran down the sidewalk. "And she sounds like she's got plenty of information about that Jekelai guy... but can we really trust her?"
---
That afternoon, at Sammy's school, Sammy eagerly awaited lunch time, because it would be a chance to talk to Rick and Mika for the first time since their harrowing ordeal the previous day. He walked over to the table where they were seated, both of them quietly eating together. But as he began to sit down with them, Rick stood up and shook his head.
"Sammy, no..." Rick said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "We... we can't. Not now, Sammy."
"What do you mean?" Sammy asked, taken aback. "We can't sit together?"
"We can't be friends, Sammy," Rick replied. "It's just... it's just too dangerous. I don't want to endanger Mika, or me, or our families. Please understand..."
"I don't understand!" Sammy shouted angrily. "They've already come after you once, but they won't do it again! They'll go after someone else, not you guys! Don't you see? Rick, Mika, I need you to be my friends... everything is so tough right now, and-"
"Sammy, please," Mika said gently, walking over to Sammy and taking his hand. "Maybe sometime later, when the danger's passed... we'll still be friends, but we just... we can't talk to each other, or be seen with each other. Sammy, you know I don't want to do this..."
"Why do you guys have to be so selfish?" Sammy shouted, ripping his hand away from Mika's and turning away from his friends. "I can't believe you guys... all I wanted to say was that I'm sorry for what happened, and try to make you feel better, but you don't even want to talk to me..."
"Hey now, Sammy..." Rick said, getting up from his seat and walking over to Sammy. "You know what? I was right. It IS your fault that all this stuff happened to us. Dammit, they hurt us! Both of us! Mika especially, she was scared, and crying, and... and you don't even care! You're acting like it never happened! Well, guess what, it did happen. It happened, and we almost died, and we would've died if it hadn't been for this girl named Sparrow Migoto. You didn't come save us, SHE did! You only care about yourself..."
"Please, stop!" Mika screamed, running inbetween Rick and Sammy and holding them back from one another, tears streaming down her face. "Don't fight... don't burn any bridges... Sammy, this isn't permanent, just until the danger's passed, okay? I'm hating this as much as you are... you have to understand, please..."
Sammy opened his mouth to say something to Rick, but then closed it, and decided to say something to Mika instead.
"I'm really sorry I went off on you guys... and... sorry that I couldn't save you when you were kidnapped... but... I promise that I'll try to defeat these bad guys as soon as I can so that there's no more danger and we can be friends again... I'm sorry."
Sammy sighed and walked away from Rick and Mika, hanging his head. He thought about the previous day, the terrible things that Rick and Mika must have gone through, the fearful looks on their faces.
"Maybe this is for the best," Sammy thought as he walked toward the corner of the fenced-off roof. "I never want anything bad to happen to my friends ever again..."
Sitting at one of the tables near Sammy was Mikhail, the black-haired boy who had answered Miss Haruna's question the previous day. As Sammy walked toward him, Mikhail gave a slight smile in his direction.
"What's wrong, Sammy?" Mikhail asked. "You almost got into a fight over there..."
"It's none of your business," Sammy grumbled.
"Please, Sammy... I just want to help," Mikhail replied. "And maybe we got off on the wrong foot yesterday. I should have let you answer that question instead of just blurted out the answer like that."
"Don't worry about it," Sammy said, sitting down at the table across from Mikhail. "Sorry about being rude... I was just a bit angry after that whole episode with my friends, that's all."
As Sammy began speaking with Mikhail, he wondered if it was really a good idea. The villains were going after all of Sammy's loved ones... if Sammy made any new friends, they might be next. Sammy started to get up from the table.
"Mikhail, I can't," Sammy said, standing up.
"Sammy, what's the matter?" Mikhail replied, walking over to Sammy. "If you're worried that I'm going to yell at you like your other two friends did, don't worry... I'm not like that at all."
"It's not that, it's just.... I can't explain," Sammy said, turning away from Mikhail. "But... we can't be friends."
"Why not?" Mikhail asked. "I don't have any other friends here.... all I wanted was-"
"I don't want to endanger you!" Sammy shouted, turning around and looking straight into Mikhail's eyes. Mikhail looked stunned for a second, but then smiled and began to chuckle to himself.
"Is that all?" Mikhail asked. "Sammy, being your friend isn't dangerous... I mean, you're not going to bite, are you? Now c'mon..."
Mikhail took Sammy's arm and rather forcefully sat him down in the chair next to his own.
"This guy really seems serious about being my friend," Sammy thought. "Well, I guess it can't do much harm as long as I don't see him very often..."
"Alright then, we'll be friends," Sammy said. A smile formed on his face. "So, anyway... what were you and Miss Haruna talking about this morning? You know, before class?"
"Oh, that," Mikhail said. "Well, you see... she was just apologizing to me for yelling yesterday. She said that she was a bit too harsh on the new student, and I told her I wouldn't talk out in class anymore."
"She's really a nice teacher once you get to know her," Sammy said. "I'm sure that you'll like her a lot once you've been in her class for a few more weeks!"
"I'm sure that I will," Mikhail replied. As the lunch period went on, Sammy and Mikhail continued to talk, getting to know each other fairly well over the next twenty minutes or so. When the bell rang to end lunch, Sammy and Mikhail went back to class together, not stopping to talk to Rick or Mika.
"At least I've got one friend that's not afraid of me," Sammy thought. "I just hope I'm not putting Mikhail into any danger..."
---
Meanwhile, Ami was walking toward the bus that she rode every day from Serena's high school to the gifted school, a few blocks away. Serena walked out with her, eager to discuss her encounter with Sparrow that morning.
"So you met up with a shapeshifter demon?" Ami said quietly, not wanting any of the other students nearby to hear.
"Yeah," said Serena. "I'm just glad she's on our side..."
"Well, of course she's on our side," Ami replied. "She rescued Rick and Mika, and she's obviously got issues with Jekelai. I really can't wait to meet her after school... Rei's temple, right?"
"Yeah," said Serena. "All of us are going to be there."
"Maybe I should bring Sammy along..." Ami said. "I mean, I'm sure he'd like to meet the rescuer of his friends... and thank her properly."
"I dunno if we should just yet. I mean, she's probably good, but... this Dark Crystal thing sounds really powerful. Maybe she wants it so that she can attack Jekelai.... we probably shouldn't let Sammy near her yet."
"Don't be ridiculous, Serena," Ami replied. "I'm sure Sparrow is a wonderful person, demon or not. I'm going to invite Sammy over to the Shinto shrine to meet her."
"Well, alright," Serena said. "But... just be careful, okay?"
"I will, Serena," Ami said. "We'll be there right after school, okay?"
Ami climbed into the bus and walked over to her seat, the fifth from the front on the left side. As she looked out the window, Serena waved at her, and Ami waved back, a cheerful smile on her face. A loud bell sounded, and Serena quickly turned around and ran back toward the entrance of the school, determined not to be late to class for the second time that day.
"Jekelai is really powerful, but this Sparrow sounds extremely powerful as well," Ami thought. "And I know we're going to need all the help we can get to beat Jekelai."
"Ami?" came a quiet, male voice from behind Ami's seat. "Is that you?"
Ami quickly turned around to see a smiling, brown-haired boy, about her age or maybe a little bit older, sitting behind her, wearing a gray-colored school uniform. She immediately recognized who it was.
"Greg? Oh my gosh, it's been..."
"Five months? Yeah, I know... a lot of stuff's happened since I left Juuban... how are you and Sammy doing?"
"Oh, just great!" Ami said, smiling sweetly. "Sammy and I are still a couple, of course... what about you, Greg? Have you found anyone yet? And why are you back in Juuban, anyway? I'm just curious, I don't want to seem rude..."
"No, no, not at all!" Greg replied. "I'm doing great... nope, still no girlfriend, sorry to say... but I think I will find someone soon! At least I hope I do! And I'm in Juuban for good this time, it looks like. My mom found a permanent job over here as a pharmacist, so... I'm hopefully going to be here until college! That's good, because I've got a lot of friends here... like you, Ami."
Ami nodded. Just then, a brown-haired girl walked up the aisle and past Ami's seat, stopping in front of Greg's.
"May I... sit here?" asked the girl, carrying a stack of books. She looked down at Ami and smiled. "Hi there... remember me? From the Winter Festival?"
As Greg scooted over to allow the girl to sit down, Ami nodded as she recognized who she was.
"Bianca, hello!" Ami said. "How's everything going? Sorry I didn't see you very much at the Festival... my friends and I sorta ran off after that monster showed up."
Greg gasped as Ami said the word 'monster', knowing that it meant that Ami and her friends had gotten into trouble with evil forces again.
"That's okay, the Sailor Senshi came and saved the rest of us," said Bianca. "Including Sammy... poor guy, and his friends..."
"I felt really bad about leaving Sammy there," Ami replied, when in reality, she had been with Sammy the whole time. "But... we went on a date afterwards, so hopefully everything is cool now!"
Bianca smiled and turned toward Greg, who was worriedly staring out the window next to him.
"Hey... are you alright?" Bianca asked. Greg turned around.
"Oh, I'm fine," Greg said, his cheeks beginning to turn red as he had been slightly embarrassed and startled by Bianca. "I was just thinking."
"I see," Bianca said. "Well, whoever you are, it's nice to meet you... my name is Bianca!"
"I'm, um... Greg," Greg said clumsily, rubbing the back of his head and continuing to blush. Ami giggled and turned around to speak with Bianca and Greg.
"Bianca, Greg is a bit shy... but he's really sweet once you get to know him!" Ami said. "Maybe the two of you should get to know each other a little better!"
"That's a good idea, Ami," Bianca said. She turned back toward Greg. "So, Greg... what class are you going to next? I'm in advanced chemistry..."
"Well, let's see..." Greg said, reaching into his pocket and taking out the sheet that he had been given that had all of his classes listed on it. "I'm in... um..."
"You're in advanced chemistry too! That's great, we're going to be in class together!" Bianca said happily. "Isn't that great, Greg?"
"Uh... yeah, it is!" Greg replied, blushing. "Yeah, it is... thank you, Ami..."
---
The long, lavish grand hall of Jekelai's employer's palace dwarfed any room in Jekelai's floating fortress, but Jekelai was not intimidated. He already knew that he was more powerful than his employer was, and that he was greatly needed for his employer to be able to complete his search for the Dark Crystal. He came and went as he pleased.
"I am going to destroy her. Your Dark Crystal will have to wait."
"Jekelai, she is distracting you. You must complete your mission for me. Why is it taking so long to find the Dark Crystal for me?"
"Because Sparrow is a distraction," said Jekelai, walking toward the large golden door that marked the room's entrance. "And by destroying her, I will wipe her from my mind forever."
"You don't intend to destroy her, do you?"
"What I intend to do to Sparrow is none of your concern. You will get your Dark Crystal soon, I assure you."
Jekelai pushed open the door of the room and exited, the large door slamming shut behind him. Jekelai's employer held out his palm, and suddenly, a small, glowing green speck of light appeared, hovering over it.
"Follow Sammy Tsukino. If Jekelai will not work, then I will complete this mission myself... follow the boy and return when you have gathered enough information to end all of this foolishness and bring the Dark Crystal into my hands!"
---
As Sammy and Ami walked down the narrow path toward Rei's temple, snow began to fall all around them. Sammy smiled and tightened the scarf that Ami had given him around his neck, slightly warming him in the cold weather.
"This scarf is very comfortable, and it keeps me really warm," Sammy said, holding Ami's hand as he walked with her. "Thank you again..."
"You're welcome, Sammy," Ami said. "So, are you ready to meet the woman that saved Rick and Mika?"
As Ami mentioned Rick and Mika's names, Sammy began to think of them, and once again, he became sad, frowning and bowing his head. Ami noticed Sammy's sad expression, and began to become sad as well.
"Sammy, what's wrong?" Ami asked. "Did something happen between you and-"
"They don't want to be my friends anymore," Sammy said. "Not until we beat Jekelai, anyway... they think it's too dangerous to be around me."
"That's too bad, Sammy," Ami replied, holding his hand tighter. "I really hope they decide to change their minds... I'm really sorry."
"It's alright, Ami, it's not your fault... it's just... I felt so bad after what happened to them, I just wanted to apologize, but.... they didn't even want to talk to me. I felt really bad, and really guilty..."
Ami stopped and stood in front of Sammy, just before reaching Rei's temple. She lifted his hands up to his waist, gently caressing them with her fingers in a show of affection. Then, she smiled at him, and began to speak to Sammy with utmost sincerity.
"Sammy, no matter what happens to your friends, or any of your loved ones, whatever Jekelai or his minions do, it is not, and never, ever will be because of you, do you understand? It's not your fault, it never was, and it never will be. You have nothing to fear and nothing to prove to anyone, Sammy... and especially me. As for me, no matter what happens to me, I'll always, always love you with all of my heart. I mean that, Sammy."
Sammy smiled, and a single tear came to his eye.
"Oh, Ami," Sammy said, beginning to get choked up. "I... I don't... I mean... I won't ever let anything happen to you, Ami... but... but thank you. You don't know what that means to me, really..."
"Your friends and family love you very much, Sammy Tsukino," Ami said. "You're a wonderful, sweet, caring person, and I'm sure that there are people out there who would die for you, Sammy. But... Sammy, you have my word that the other Sailor Senshi and I will protect you and all of your friends, Sammy. We'll beat Jekelai."
"Thank you, Ami," Sammy said. Ami smiled warmly at Sammy, and then kissed him on the lips. Then, they both walked together into Rei's temple. There, already seated on the floor, were Serena, Darien, Rei, Lita, and Mina. Also sitting on the floor, smiling and slowly sipping a steaming cup of tea, was Sparrow. She waved at Sammy and Ami as they entered the room and joined the circle of friends, sitting down across from her.
"Well, now that everyone is here, I'll begin," said Sparrow. "Oh, by the way... my name is Sparrow Migoto. It's wonderful to meet all of you!"
"Sparrow, thank you so much for saving Rick and Mika..." Sammy said, running over to Sparrow and giving her a big hug. "They're my best friends, and-"
"Wow, you're an eager beaver, aren't ya?" Sparrow said, giggling and returning the hug. "You must be Sammy, right? Serena's brother?"
"Yeah, that's right," Sammy said, walking back to the other side of the circle and sitting down next to Ami. "Nice to meet you, Sparrow..."
"Well, I'll start by introducing myself," Sparrow said, taking another sip from her porcelain teacup. "My name is Sparrow Migoto, and the first thing you should all know about me is that I'm not a human. I'm a shapeshifter demon."
"Shapeshifter demon?" Sammy said in amazement. "You mean.... you can transform and stuff?"
"Yes, I can," said Sparrow. "Anyway, I come from the planet Earth, but not Earth in this dimension... Earth in another dimension. You see-"
"Could you like, um... transform right now?" Sammy asked. "I mean, if that's not a problem or anything..."
"Wait a minute, you're a demon?" Rei asked. "So that's why I was getting all of those weird vibes from you..."
"She's a good demon, Rei," Serena said. "Don't worry, I thought she was evil too when she first said she was a demon... but she can't be evil. She saved Rick and Mika and she wants to go after Jekelai."
"She'll be a good asset to the team," said Lita.
"Thank you, Lita," Sparrow said, having been told all of the Senshi's names before Ami and Sammy had entered the shrine. "And I could transform now... but... well, I'm not really sure if I should."
"Please?" Sammy pleaded, his face bright with excitement. "Please show us..."
"Now Sammy, she said that she didn't really want to," Ami said. "We should probably respect that, and-"
"No, it's quite alright," Sparrow said, rising to her feet. "It'll only take a second..."
Sparrow closed her eyes, and began to concentrate, calmly gathering her energy from within and building it up for a transformation. Small specks of light began to glow brightly around her, and her entire body lit up, as if bathed completely in light. Suddenly, there was a large flash, and a small amount of energy rushed outward from Sparrow's body, temporarily blinding everyone in the room. Chad, whom had seen the huge flash from outside the shrine, rushed into the room, broom in hand. He came just in time to see Sparrow, standing at the back of the room as the light dimmed down. She was no longer in the shape of a human. Now, she was a beautiful wolf with silver-colored fur and a shimmering tail that reflected an array of colors as the sunlight shined in on it. She had big, red eyes, and large, sharp-looking teeth. The girls gasped and slid back several feet, as Sammy's eyes opened wide in amazement.
"Cool..." Sammy said quietly.
"AAAAAAH!" Chad shouted, rushing toward the wolf and wielding his room as if it were a sword. "A wolf! Get away from Rei, you... you... you monster!"
Chad leapt up and brought the broom handle down upon Sparrow's head, but with a wink from Sparrow's eye, Chad was stopped entirely, frozen in time and space. He stood still in the air as the other girls rose to their feet, along with Sammy and Darien.
"What did you... do to him?" Rei asked, her voice a mixture of anger and fear.
"I froze him," said Sparrow, her gentle voice becoming slightly deeper as a side-effect of her transformation. She didn't open her mouth to speak, which indicated that she was communicating through some form of astral projection. "He's quite alright, though..."
Sparrow began to glow again, and within seconds, she had transformed back into her normal, human-like state. Chad became unfrozen, and quickly fell to the ground, landing hard on his back.
"Ungh!" Chad shouted as his tailbone slammed into the floor of the shrine, his broom falling next to him. "Whaa... what happened? And hey, who's your friend? She's kinda cute!"
"Hi, I'm Sparrow!" Sparrow said, extending her hand to help Chad get up from the ground. "Just a tiny little memory wipe... wouldn't work on any of the girls, though. Their minds and bodies are far stronger than this guy's..."
"Chad, don't you have sweeping to do outside?" Rei asked, angrily walking over to Chad and handing him his broom.
"Well, yeah, but I just wanted to see what you girls were up to," Chad said, rubbing his backside. "Well, bye, Sparrow! Catch you later!"
Chad walked out of the room, and Rei quickly shut the door behind her.
"That was pretty smooth," Mina said to Sparrow, causing her to giggle. "And pretty cool!"
"So, can you change into anything you want?" Sammy asked.
"Pretty much!" Sparrow said, smiling.
"Cool," Sammy said, sitting down on the floor next to Ami. "So... what else can you do?"
"A lot of things," Sparrow said. "But can I finish my story first?"
"Please continue," Ami said politely. Everyone in the room sat down, and Sparrow began her story again.
"So, anyway, in the dimension where I'm from, Earth is covered with forests and trees," Sparrow said. "I grew up in those forests, and that wolf form you just saw is my favorite thing to transform into. I would spend hours running through the forests as a wolf, with not a care in the world..."
"Sparrow, is... everyone on your planet like you?" Serena asked. "I mean, shapeshifter demons?"
"Oh, no... in fact, there are very, VERY few of us," Sparrow said. "Most people are humans, just like you... except you don't live in cities. You live in villages and things... primitive compared to the things I've seen here in Juuban."
"So... what about your family?" Darien asked. "Are they-"
"Sadly, my parents died when I was a young girl," Sparrow said. "So I was left alone to roam the forests. I met other demons like myself, but... humans never really accepted us. We generally had to fend for ourselves."
"That's really sad...." Lita said. "People should learn to accept others for the way they are, and not fear them just because they might be different. I've fought lots of demons as a Sailor Senshi, but I'm open to the truth that there can be good demons, too."
Serena giggled slightly, an embarrassed blush forming on her face. Sparrow continued.
"So, anyway, one day, I was running through the forest, as usual, when I was attacked by a group of mercenaries. At the time, I didn't know it, but they were under Jekelai's employ. I fought hard, but eventually, they captured me and took me back to him. For four years, he tortured me, endlessly trying to break me and force me to become his personal assassin, but... I resisted. Never once did I think of anything but escaping from that horrible, horrible man! I would've rather died than work for him!"
"So Jekelai captured you to use your powers?" Serena asked. "That's terrible... but I can see why he did it... I mean, you ARE really powerful."
"Every day, when I didn't do what he told me to, he beat me, he spit on me, and cursed at me... I was nothing but a slave to him!" Sparrow shouted. "He could injure me as much as he wanted, because my body naturally heals, so no matter what he did, I would be able to recover... my regeneration was a blessing and a curse. But one day, when he let his guard down... I escaped. You see, every 36 hours, he would put a seal on my forehead. If he didn't, I would regain my strength and be able to escape... and destroy him. So whenever he would put that seal on my head, I would train... even if I was chained up, I would find some way to increase my strength, through meditation, mental concentration... mind over matter. I would keep telling myself that one day, I would escape and repay Jekelai a hundred times worse than what he did to me."
---
"Well, my dear, dear Sparrow... it's time for your Ultinius seal to be replenished," Jekelai said, putting his hand on Sparrow's forehead. His hand began to glow, and Sparrow knew that soon, the seal would be burned into her skin once more. But this time... nothing happened. Jekelai tried again to put on the seal, but again, nothing happened. "What's going on?"
"I'm too powerful now, Jekelai," Sparrow said, grinning. "And soon, you'll finally pay for everything you've done to me."
"You... you BITCH!" Jekelai shouted, punching Sparrow in the stomach as hard as he could. "You'll die before that happens!"
Jekelai let loose a flurry of powerful blows to Sparrow's body, each one of them more brutal than the last. Bones in Sparrow's body cracked with every blow, and blood spewed from Sparrow's nose and mouth, as well as from several cuts on Sparrow's arms and chest that Jekelai had made with his punches. He leapt back and pointed his arm at Sparrow, preparing to fire one final blast to finish her off.
"You're finished, Sparrow Migoto!" Jekelai shouted. "You'll pay for-"
But as Jekelai saw the tears coursing down Sparrow's face, the girl sobbing as she realized that Jekelai was going to kill her before her previous Ultinius seal had diminished and she could use her powers again, he stopped. Because... it had happened. Sometime during the final few months of Sparrow's captivity, it had happened. Something within Jekelai had opened up, and he had...
It was now impossible for Jekelai to kill Sparrow. He lowered his arm, and at that moment, the Ultinius seal on Sparrow's forehead disappeared. She immediately snapped the chains holding her to the wall and leapt upon Jekelai in a furious rage.
---
"We fought, and fought, for several hours," Sparrow said. "It got to the point that we were both so injured that we could die at any second. Neither of us could stand. But at the last moment, Jekelai formed a portal that sucked me in, delivering me back to my world. I don't know why he did it, but I knew that I had finally escaped from his terrible, terrible clutches. And ever since I healed, I've been seeking out my revenge."
The Senshi listened to Sparrow in awe, captivated by her story. Finally, Serena spoke.
"So, Sparrow... what do you know about Jekelai? How can we defeat him?"
---
"There it is," Jekelai said, walking up the path toward Rei's Shinto shrine. "I know you're in there, Sparrow. I can sense you... feel you... your anger is calling to me, Sparrow Migoto."
---
"Jekelai is a complex, powerful entity," Sparrow said, "and-"
Suddenly, Sparrow stood up. She walked toward the entrance of the Shinto shrine, a stone-cold look on her face.
"Hey, Sparrow, what's going on?" Sammy asked, standing up. "Where are you-"
"None of you are to exit this room," Sparrow said, turning back toward Sammy and the Senshi. Then, she walked out the door. Sammy ran after her, but as soon as he got to the door, he was blasted back by a large, red forcefield that sealed off the exit to the room.
"We're trapped!" Darien shouted. "She's trapped us in here!"
"Guys, there's someone else outside besides Sparrow," Rei said, standing up. "Extremely powerful evil... we should transform right now!"
---
The snow that fell around Sparrow and Jekelai as they stood outside on the path leading to the temple provided a cold, wintery backdrop for the carnage that was almost assured to come.
"So, Sparrow," Jekelai said, "you've come out to greet me."
"I've come out to kill you, Jekelai," Sparrow said, her eyes narrowing and forming an angry stare. "What are you up to this time?"
"If you must ask, I'm currently working on a task assigned to me by a man named Cestari," Jekelai said, revealing the identity of his employer. "He seeks an artifact of great power, and when I find it, I'm due a share. However, I took a temporary leave of employment to visit an old friend. How goes it lately, my beautiful Sparrow?"
"Save it," Sparrow replied coldly. "Your death will come before you ever lay eyes on that artifact."
"At your hand, I presume."
"Precisely."
---
It's the fight of the century, and... it doesn't involve Sammy or Ami? But don't fret, there's plenty of Sammy/Ami goodness coming up. That green speck is closing in on Sammy's location, and finally, Jekelai's mysterious employer has a name... Cestari! But what does Cestari want? And who will win in this incredible rematch: Jekelai, or Sparrow? That's all coming up, next chapter!
