Purging The World in the Blood of an Angel
Black Beyond
black_beyond@hotmail.com
"Behind A Mask"
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*growls* I can't believe you people. Reading and not reviewing? *shakes her head and walks away*
To the People who have Reviewed: Thank you endlessly.
^.^ I actually do a villian scene. I never do villian scenes.
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Beryl raged, flinging a rare and expensive mirror across the throne room in a gesture of her depthless rage. Her minions scattered to get out of the way and it shattered into a million beautiful shards. Her fury only rose when she saw her youma assembled, each properly trembling, wanting to flee but none daring to go without her permission.
"WHY AM I SUDDENLY UNABLE TO BEST HER?!" She screamed at a very scared Zoisite. "Why is she suddenly doing away with my youma as though they were pie?"
Zoisite composed himself and did his best to look unaffected by Beryl's wrath. "My queen, I believe that Sailormoon has been replaced. Her sudden advancement in skill is impossible, or so the scientists tell me. The rest of the senshi must have finally been fed up with her ditzy antics and found a new leader."
He dodged the heavy golden goblet that she lobbed at his head almost lazily. "You stupid idiot! Don't you know any better? Only the moon's magic can choose a senshi, and once it has chosen she may never be replaced! This is the same Sailormoon you have been besting for seven months!" Beryl picked up a ball of crystal and paused in throwing it. She set it back down and turned to Zoisite, a new glint of ice in her eyes.
Zoisite shivered.
"And that reminds me, Zoisite." He did not like the tone of voice she now spoke in. It was dark and sultry, almost lustful. It had a smile to it even though her face did now, and it was the voice she reserved for her most lethal moments.
"Yes, my queen?" He prompted.
She turned back around to face the tapestry on the wall, tracing the circle of the earth threaded onto the soft surface. "You say you killed Kunzite. Yet there was no release of dark power as there was in the deaths of Jadeite and Nephrite. Are you sure?"
Zoisite did not hesitate in answering. "My queen, I am sure. He was dead before I threw him into the window of the shop. Perhaps there was no release of power because…" He searched for the words. "of Kunzite's unusual circumstances in joining our forces."
Beryl's finger moved up to travel the circumference of the moon palace. "You do have a point, Zoisite. But that does not give you a reprieve of your failures in dealing with the sailor senshi. Do not fail again! I cannot loose youma because of your incompetence! You are dismissed! All of you! Get OUT!"
Zoisite vanished and the rest of Beryl's army fled for life. The last scrawny monster, who lagged a bit because of his lack of legs, was incinerated by a blast of fire from the queen. The doors slammed shut behind them with a boom to knock the socks off a human and she fell into her throne, seething.
"My empress, we have done so well. Why is it only now that we are being beat back by these little girls?" She turned to the mass of shifting red and black ooze held inside the molded capsule.
"Beryl, you fool, I have been watching the battles. This change in Sailor Moon is a danger to you. There are rumors of a soldier made of moon and galaxy that will come and destroy this dark universe and revive the moon kingdom. She will be unstoppable if Sailor Moon turns out to be this fantastical warrior. With her new levels of skill, that is likely."
Beryl's anger dissolved into a glimmer of fear. "There cannot be such a powerful senshi!" She sounded almost desperate. She turned halfway, her eyes closed.
Metalia saw this. "Beryl, you mustn't give up yet. We have almost defeated them! You are so very close. And the possibilities of Sailor Moon being the Universal Senshi are slim. I only said it was possible." She knew that if Beryl were allowed to get hysterical it would be over.
Metalia had a certain amount of control over Beryl. Not a total control, as some of the dark kings secretly thought, but a certain amount. And the stronger Beryl's feeling got, the harder it was to control the woman. Anger was easy enough because in anger Beryl didn't see straight anyway. But if Beryl were allowed to become hysterical or depressed or happy, she might be able to throw away the brainwashing for a moment.
This is what Metalia feared. The youma did not respect her, they did not know her or obey her or even fear her. It was Beryl whom they feared and obeyed. If Beryl could throw off the spell for a moment she could do so for an hour an then a day, and rise the youma against her.
In all actuality, Metalia was not strong. The weakest youma with a good blade could do her away in a second.
The dark queen looked up, her face serene again. "Yes, yes, of course. I forgot. We deal with a simple young girl, not a trained soldier." Her eyes lit up and Metalia fell back, relieved.
"Zoisite!" Beryl yelled. Almost instantly the king appeared, nervous and buttoning up his jacket.
"Yes, my queen?" Zoisite asked hesitantly, really not liking the expression of pure glee imprinted on his queen's face.
Beryl giggled. "I have a wonderful idea, Zoisite. In the past we concentrated only on gathering energy and avoiding these Sailor Senshi, but I want you to start a different approach. I want you to find out something for me, and then I shall explain how we will use it against them…"
Zoisite listened, and laughed as well.
~=~
Mamoru found his car and yanked open the door and shoved himself inside and slammed the door shut with such a force it should have been taken off its hinges. He put the keys in and started it, all with little angry, jerking motions. The hum of the engine soothed him a little, but not very much. As he let his head fall against the wheel, his eyes squeezed shut and his fists clenched.
"It's not fair." He was disgusted with the childish of the statement.
Reluctantly he pulled out of his parking space at the Arcade. He could still see her smiling at him as her new boyfriend revved away on the motorcycle. He'd never seen her look happier.
He knew the others thought Usagi was a happy girl. She was always smiling and ditzing out, but whenever they were alone or he had been able to wrestle her away from the others it was almost like she had let a little bit of her guard down and he could see sadness and an icy chill in the back of her kind eyes. He knew that there was a completely different person behind her shield.
He was kind of hurt she'd never trusted him enough to share it with him. He'd told her everything about himself, and yet she was silent, with her pain. She knew he knew about it, and still whenever he approached the subject she shut down completely, told him he was being silly, and walked away.
But there were too many slips, though, for him to have been silly. There were moments in battle that he was truly afraid of her, when some dark, bloody glare entered her eyes and she tore into the enemy like a fire through brush and she screamed a banshee scream. But it was only when she battled alone or the others were too busy to notice.
There were other moments, like the poem he'd found hanging out of her bag, or the letters she walked four blocks to mail and never let him see the address or name. There were hours when she disappeared and people that she said were friends that didn't look like her usual crowd.
There was her family, who didn't look like her and was almost wary of her at times. They'd welcomed him when he'd though they would hate him. After all, what parents want their fifteen-year-old daughter to date college students?
Ikuko had laughed and smiled and said, "Anyone's better than that boy who hangs around."
Usagi'd shot her a dirty look. "You've been imagining things, mama."
And that had been the end of it. Kenji had shifted a bit uncomfortably and offered Mamoru more tea. Later, Usagi refused to talk about it.
He couldn't help but feel that there was another layer to his girlfriend. That, combined with those damned visions… how the hell did he really expect her to have waited for him? She'd been very aware that he was suspicious of her.
He pulled into the parking lot of his apartment building with only a slight squealing of tires.
"I'm not going to be jealous. I'm not going to be jealous." He chanted over and over to himself as he slammed his door shut and walked the several flights of stairs to his apartment. Yet the image of her new dark-haired boyfriend holding her and kissing her and god forbid, comforting her was really too much. It made his vision go red and his mind suggest many illegal things to him.
Yes, transforming to Tuxedo Kamen and placing a few well-aimed roses exactly where whatshisface didn't want them was a very alluring idea. But Mamoru's legendary self-control took over and he slammed the window shut on that idea.
As he did, a door opened in his mind, a part of him that he had not known was there, a dark, low-life, sneaky and evil part of him that had lain dormant. It whispered a plan into his ear that was neither dishonorable nor bad, but very worthwhile and seemed quite foolproof to his slightly irrational mind.
"Yeah. I could follow her." He nodded, a system of approach formulating in his mind. "I could find out her secrets. Then maybe I could get her back."
It was very logical to him. He had great disguise skills as Tuxedo Kamen, and could blend into any wall and hide in any shadow and could sneak up on the most watchful creature. Yes, he could follow Usagi, if only for one night, to find out where she went and who she met. He could discover the secrets she had been keeping for so long, her secrets, the ones she had always had.
He looked outside at the darkening sky and transformed into his alter ego without a second thought. He stashed his hat, which would be nothing but a nuisance, and leapt from his balcony and began to travel the rooftops in the direction of Usagi's house.
The old woman that had the apartment above Mamoru's watched the caped man go and smiled to herself. She gathered her fluffy orange cat into her arms and moved the little paw in a waving gesture.
"There he goes again, Pen. Let's hope he comes back again. It wouldn't be the same without him romantically rushing into the sunset every night."
Pen meowed, and stretched over to lap at his saucer of tea. She laughed at him and sipped from her own cup, content with her own secret.
~'~
"Thanks for dropping me off, Zi-chan. Go straight to the house. I feel something off about the energy. Zoisite's up to something tonight." Usagi gave Kunzite her warning with a quick kiss on the cheek.
He fastened her helmet back onto the motorcycle and smiled. "I will, Usagi-sama. I felt it too. I won't take any chances yet. I'm up to magic of my own."
She nodded, signifying that she knew. "Watch out for Haruka. She's quite liable to drop by any time just to make sure you're not up to anything naughty, so just in case you are keep it to the basement. Supposedly it's well stocked." She giggled a little. "I like this Setsuna. She's more fun then mine."
Kunzite shook his head. He'd never though a girl could be so mischievous.
"I'd better go. Your father doesn't seem to like me." Kunzite looked up at the house and Kenji, who stared angrily out of the window at him.
Usagi glanced at him briefly. "He probably just wants to congratulate you. That last boy he saw me with was covered in blood and grinning like an ass. You're Prince Charming in comparison."
Kunzite raised an eye at her. "That was you, huh?"
Usagi shrugged. "Not me. Her. But yeah. Little old Usagi."
Kunzite started up the bike again, and the sound of the engine cut through the night. He posed his helmet to slip over his head, but hesitated. He looked at Usagi, right in her eyes for the first time.
"I think that even if you hadn't had come, the senshi still would have won. We all underestimated Sailormoon, perhaps Beryl the most. I had no idea it was you…"
Usagi shushed him with a wink. "No one did. That was the idea. Now go on, before it's truly dark. I need to go inside and get ready. We're pulling another one tonight."
"I'd help, but you won't let me." He pulled the helmet down tightly and revved off.
Usagi sighed. "Some men never grow up."
'Isn't that the truth.'
She walked up the steps and opened the door. Kenji was sitting down now, looking unusually peaceful. Ikuko was humming over something in the kitchen. Shingo must be upstairs.
Usagi closed the door and leaned up against it, happier than she'd been in the longest time. She was in a world where her parents had never died because of her foolishness. Her little brother had never been murdered in his bed because she had been silly enough to have believed if she hid Beryl wouldn't know.
'Wake up, darling. I'm thrilled too, but you'd better get something to eat and tell Mama we've got duty tonight. Kiss papa goodbye. Now that we've got your endurance tonight will be easier and tomorrow not as bad.'
She sighed. "Yeah. Just because I'm in control doesn't mean you get to slack, huh." She slid off her shoes and danced into the kitchen and gave her mother a big hug. Ikuko frowned, but hugged her back.
"You've got to go again, don't you?" She fretted. "Oh, Usagi, why can't you just take the other senshi with you? I don't understand why you have to take that boy and that child with you instead of the senshi!"
Usagi shook her head with a sad smile. "Mama, let's not argue. Got anything to eat? I'm starved!"
Ikuko tried to smile but they both knew she didn't mean it. "Yeah. I kept it warm for you. I heard about the battle from Luna. You should really tell that neko that if she doesn't want us to find out about her talking she shouldn't mutter to herself. People aren't deaf."
Usagi giggled. "Yeah. But she does anyway." She woofed down the food, delighted at the newfound strength she had now that her tummy was full. "I should be back early. I picked up a new power today."
Ikuko smiled. "That's good. I'll keep the light on for you. And by the way, who was that handsome young man who dropped you off?" She grinned and elbowed her daughter. "A new boyfriend?"
Usagi shook her head. "A very good ally I made today. He's the reason I'm going to be early. I've got to head out soon."
She went in to see her father. She was only slightly perturbed at the fact the last time she saw her father he was tied and gagged to a chair while she interrogated him. He smiled as she gave him a hug, but frowned when he saw the solemn stare on her face.
"You've got to go out tonight, don't you? Do you want me to use the 'Gone to see Aunt Keiko' or 'Staying at Naru's' conversation with Luna and your friends?"
Usagi shrugged. "Surprise me." She glanced up at the clock and bit down a curse. "I've got to go now, daddy. I love you."
"I love you too, pumpkin. Be careful."
She grinned. "I will be. Don't worry. I should be home before dawn. Don't sit up tonight, okay? You need to sleep."
He raised his left eyebrow. "Alright, mother. Bye."
She was still grinning when she shut the door behind her.
'That must have been weird for you.'
-Yeah, no kidding. But I don't mind.- She came to the end of the street. –This is where he usually meets you?-
'Uh-huh. He'll know something's up with us but we won't say or do anything unless you defect to the dark side and try to kill them. You can't act like me but don't do anything really stupid.'
-Easy for you to say. Do you have any idea how insane it is to have a little voice talking to you in your own head?-
'Uh-- oh, look! There's Genso now. And glory be, he's got Sasa with him. Stop talking to me and fake it.'
Usagi growled at the voice slightly, but hid the snarl fast and quickened her step to meet the pair. Her eyebrows lifted. The voice had given her a quick description and a fuzzy mental image, but she had not been led to expect a boy perhaps a year older than she herself and a mere little girl!
She bit her lip and got over her indignation quick and looked at them again, this time through true eyes.
-What the bloody hell is THIS?!- She shrieked to the voice. -She's a Solarian! Why the BLOODY GODDAMNED HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME I WAS GOING TO BE DEALING WITH A SOLARIAN HALF BREED CHILD?!- She felt the voice wince but she didn't really care.
'Because I didn't know?'
She glowered. -Just shut up. You didn't know... oh... I think I'm going to kill you...-
"Usagi-san? Are you ready to go?" Genso was eyeing her suspiciously. She gave him a long glance. He was human, mostly, anyway, and his hand was protectively on the shoulder of the girl, who in all reality appeared to be about eight years old.
Genso wasn't very tall, about her height, perhaps. His hair was long and pulled back into a wavy ponytail of obsidian silk. His eyes were distinctly Asian, dark and slanted inside a pretty pale face. He wore black. At a closer look she had to bite down a giggle. He wore a ninja costume! A sheath was slung across his back and his mask was pulled down.
The little girl was more interesting. She wore a dark blue sailor dress, and stared up at Usagi adoringly. Usagi calculated the age in her eyes and was kind of surprised to find the girl was probably her age.
"See, Usagi-san? I'm a sailor senshi, too." Sasa laughed. "Now you can't call me Shrimp anymore."
"Oh, it won't stop me!" She smiled and tousled Sasa's short blonde hair that clashed nicely with the girl's gray-violet eyes. Her look grew solemn. "Genso, I made friends with someone inside the dark kingdom. Don't give me that look, he won't betray me again. I know he won't. There's another way inside that will place us right outside the largest youma barrack. They'll all be asleep right now, so if we get inside we can deal Beryl a blow she'll still be bleeding from when I kill her."
Genso still looked concerned, but nodded. "Alright. I trust you, Usagi. I know you can take care of yourself. You're not going to tell me who, are you? Don't worry, if you told me I'd flip, wouldn't I? Let's go. You lead the way and I'll carry Sasa."
Usagi brought out her staff from her subspace pocket. "It's really not far from here. I just hope I can hope it. It's going to take dark magic and I'm not very experienced in that." She waited until Sasa was securely in Genso's arms and then took off at a run. He matched it easily, so they ran together, down the streets, neither of them noticing the dark shadow that panted to keep up on the roofs.
"It's here." Usagi came to an abrupt halt in front of a coffee shop in downtown Juuban. "Around back." Her staff began to glow with a dark light as she fed her power into it. "The entrance is right here." She stopped a few feet from the back door. "Cross your fingers." She whispered, and closed her eyes.
Genso stepped back, a bell in his head going overtime as the usually kind and sweet Usagi began to chant in a harsh, guttural language that sounded as though every syllable were a curse word. Her lips snarled around each word and the staff gave off a black light, spiraling around her hand.
She finished the chant, and the dark light fled from her hand and staff to form a large portal leading into total darkness.
"Are you okay?" Sasa asked, when Usagi stumbled and almost fell. Her eyes opened and she managed a weak smile.
"Sure I am, kiddo. Dark magic just packs a momentary whomp, especially for someone like me." Something inside her hinted a warning. She spun around but found nothing but darkness and shadow.
"What is it?" Genso was guarded.
She shook her head. "I... I thought I heard something. Nevermind. Let's go in and get this done. I've got a new trick I want to show you." She ignored the bagging in the back of her head that whispered something was wrong.
'We're being followed. I don't know who but we are definitely being followed.' The voice muttered. Sasa approached the portal and was about to jump in, but a sound from Usagi stopped her. She whirled just to see Usagi spin around, a short blade of energy appearing in her hand. The blonde warrior threw I as hard as she could into the shadows behind them.
"ARHHHGGGGH!" A male voice, shrill with pain, shouted. Usagi laughed and leapt into the shadows but appeared a few minutes later, her victorious smile dampened slightly. "I lost him-- he ran. Oh, well. We shan't let that put us down, now shall we? Come on, Genso. Ladies first."
"Oh, alright--- HEY!"
Black Beyond
black_beyond@hotmail.com
"Behind A Mask"
~-~
*growls* I can't believe you people. Reading and not reviewing? *shakes her head and walks away*
To the People who have Reviewed: Thank you endlessly.
^.^ I actually do a villian scene. I never do villian scenes.
~-~
Beryl raged, flinging a rare and expensive mirror across the throne room in a gesture of her depthless rage. Her minions scattered to get out of the way and it shattered into a million beautiful shards. Her fury only rose when she saw her youma assembled, each properly trembling, wanting to flee but none daring to go without her permission.
"WHY AM I SUDDENLY UNABLE TO BEST HER?!" She screamed at a very scared Zoisite. "Why is she suddenly doing away with my youma as though they were pie?"
Zoisite composed himself and did his best to look unaffected by Beryl's wrath. "My queen, I believe that Sailormoon has been replaced. Her sudden advancement in skill is impossible, or so the scientists tell me. The rest of the senshi must have finally been fed up with her ditzy antics and found a new leader."
He dodged the heavy golden goblet that she lobbed at his head almost lazily. "You stupid idiot! Don't you know any better? Only the moon's magic can choose a senshi, and once it has chosen she may never be replaced! This is the same Sailormoon you have been besting for seven months!" Beryl picked up a ball of crystal and paused in throwing it. She set it back down and turned to Zoisite, a new glint of ice in her eyes.
Zoisite shivered.
"And that reminds me, Zoisite." He did not like the tone of voice she now spoke in. It was dark and sultry, almost lustful. It had a smile to it even though her face did now, and it was the voice she reserved for her most lethal moments.
"Yes, my queen?" He prompted.
She turned back around to face the tapestry on the wall, tracing the circle of the earth threaded onto the soft surface. "You say you killed Kunzite. Yet there was no release of dark power as there was in the deaths of Jadeite and Nephrite. Are you sure?"
Zoisite did not hesitate in answering. "My queen, I am sure. He was dead before I threw him into the window of the shop. Perhaps there was no release of power because…" He searched for the words. "of Kunzite's unusual circumstances in joining our forces."
Beryl's finger moved up to travel the circumference of the moon palace. "You do have a point, Zoisite. But that does not give you a reprieve of your failures in dealing with the sailor senshi. Do not fail again! I cannot loose youma because of your incompetence! You are dismissed! All of you! Get OUT!"
Zoisite vanished and the rest of Beryl's army fled for life. The last scrawny monster, who lagged a bit because of his lack of legs, was incinerated by a blast of fire from the queen. The doors slammed shut behind them with a boom to knock the socks off a human and she fell into her throne, seething.
"My empress, we have done so well. Why is it only now that we are being beat back by these little girls?" She turned to the mass of shifting red and black ooze held inside the molded capsule.
"Beryl, you fool, I have been watching the battles. This change in Sailor Moon is a danger to you. There are rumors of a soldier made of moon and galaxy that will come and destroy this dark universe and revive the moon kingdom. She will be unstoppable if Sailor Moon turns out to be this fantastical warrior. With her new levels of skill, that is likely."
Beryl's anger dissolved into a glimmer of fear. "There cannot be such a powerful senshi!" She sounded almost desperate. She turned halfway, her eyes closed.
Metalia saw this. "Beryl, you mustn't give up yet. We have almost defeated them! You are so very close. And the possibilities of Sailor Moon being the Universal Senshi are slim. I only said it was possible." She knew that if Beryl were allowed to get hysterical it would be over.
Metalia had a certain amount of control over Beryl. Not a total control, as some of the dark kings secretly thought, but a certain amount. And the stronger Beryl's feeling got, the harder it was to control the woman. Anger was easy enough because in anger Beryl didn't see straight anyway. But if Beryl were allowed to become hysterical or depressed or happy, she might be able to throw away the brainwashing for a moment.
This is what Metalia feared. The youma did not respect her, they did not know her or obey her or even fear her. It was Beryl whom they feared and obeyed. If Beryl could throw off the spell for a moment she could do so for an hour an then a day, and rise the youma against her.
In all actuality, Metalia was not strong. The weakest youma with a good blade could do her away in a second.
The dark queen looked up, her face serene again. "Yes, yes, of course. I forgot. We deal with a simple young girl, not a trained soldier." Her eyes lit up and Metalia fell back, relieved.
"Zoisite!" Beryl yelled. Almost instantly the king appeared, nervous and buttoning up his jacket.
"Yes, my queen?" Zoisite asked hesitantly, really not liking the expression of pure glee imprinted on his queen's face.
Beryl giggled. "I have a wonderful idea, Zoisite. In the past we concentrated only on gathering energy and avoiding these Sailor Senshi, but I want you to start a different approach. I want you to find out something for me, and then I shall explain how we will use it against them…"
Zoisite listened, and laughed as well.
~=~
Mamoru found his car and yanked open the door and shoved himself inside and slammed the door shut with such a force it should have been taken off its hinges. He put the keys in and started it, all with little angry, jerking motions. The hum of the engine soothed him a little, but not very much. As he let his head fall against the wheel, his eyes squeezed shut and his fists clenched.
"It's not fair." He was disgusted with the childish of the statement.
Reluctantly he pulled out of his parking space at the Arcade. He could still see her smiling at him as her new boyfriend revved away on the motorcycle. He'd never seen her look happier.
He knew the others thought Usagi was a happy girl. She was always smiling and ditzing out, but whenever they were alone or he had been able to wrestle her away from the others it was almost like she had let a little bit of her guard down and he could see sadness and an icy chill in the back of her kind eyes. He knew that there was a completely different person behind her shield.
He was kind of hurt she'd never trusted him enough to share it with him. He'd told her everything about himself, and yet she was silent, with her pain. She knew he knew about it, and still whenever he approached the subject she shut down completely, told him he was being silly, and walked away.
But there were too many slips, though, for him to have been silly. There were moments in battle that he was truly afraid of her, when some dark, bloody glare entered her eyes and she tore into the enemy like a fire through brush and she screamed a banshee scream. But it was only when she battled alone or the others were too busy to notice.
There were other moments, like the poem he'd found hanging out of her bag, or the letters she walked four blocks to mail and never let him see the address or name. There were hours when she disappeared and people that she said were friends that didn't look like her usual crowd.
There was her family, who didn't look like her and was almost wary of her at times. They'd welcomed him when he'd though they would hate him. After all, what parents want their fifteen-year-old daughter to date college students?
Ikuko had laughed and smiled and said, "Anyone's better than that boy who hangs around."
Usagi'd shot her a dirty look. "You've been imagining things, mama."
And that had been the end of it. Kenji had shifted a bit uncomfortably and offered Mamoru more tea. Later, Usagi refused to talk about it.
He couldn't help but feel that there was another layer to his girlfriend. That, combined with those damned visions… how the hell did he really expect her to have waited for him? She'd been very aware that he was suspicious of her.
He pulled into the parking lot of his apartment building with only a slight squealing of tires.
"I'm not going to be jealous. I'm not going to be jealous." He chanted over and over to himself as he slammed his door shut and walked the several flights of stairs to his apartment. Yet the image of her new dark-haired boyfriend holding her and kissing her and god forbid, comforting her was really too much. It made his vision go red and his mind suggest many illegal things to him.
Yes, transforming to Tuxedo Kamen and placing a few well-aimed roses exactly where whatshisface didn't want them was a very alluring idea. But Mamoru's legendary self-control took over and he slammed the window shut on that idea.
As he did, a door opened in his mind, a part of him that he had not known was there, a dark, low-life, sneaky and evil part of him that had lain dormant. It whispered a plan into his ear that was neither dishonorable nor bad, but very worthwhile and seemed quite foolproof to his slightly irrational mind.
"Yeah. I could follow her." He nodded, a system of approach formulating in his mind. "I could find out her secrets. Then maybe I could get her back."
It was very logical to him. He had great disguise skills as Tuxedo Kamen, and could blend into any wall and hide in any shadow and could sneak up on the most watchful creature. Yes, he could follow Usagi, if only for one night, to find out where she went and who she met. He could discover the secrets she had been keeping for so long, her secrets, the ones she had always had.
He looked outside at the darkening sky and transformed into his alter ego without a second thought. He stashed his hat, which would be nothing but a nuisance, and leapt from his balcony and began to travel the rooftops in the direction of Usagi's house.
The old woman that had the apartment above Mamoru's watched the caped man go and smiled to herself. She gathered her fluffy orange cat into her arms and moved the little paw in a waving gesture.
"There he goes again, Pen. Let's hope he comes back again. It wouldn't be the same without him romantically rushing into the sunset every night."
Pen meowed, and stretched over to lap at his saucer of tea. She laughed at him and sipped from her own cup, content with her own secret.
~'~
"Thanks for dropping me off, Zi-chan. Go straight to the house. I feel something off about the energy. Zoisite's up to something tonight." Usagi gave Kunzite her warning with a quick kiss on the cheek.
He fastened her helmet back onto the motorcycle and smiled. "I will, Usagi-sama. I felt it too. I won't take any chances yet. I'm up to magic of my own."
She nodded, signifying that she knew. "Watch out for Haruka. She's quite liable to drop by any time just to make sure you're not up to anything naughty, so just in case you are keep it to the basement. Supposedly it's well stocked." She giggled a little. "I like this Setsuna. She's more fun then mine."
Kunzite shook his head. He'd never though a girl could be so mischievous.
"I'd better go. Your father doesn't seem to like me." Kunzite looked up at the house and Kenji, who stared angrily out of the window at him.
Usagi glanced at him briefly. "He probably just wants to congratulate you. That last boy he saw me with was covered in blood and grinning like an ass. You're Prince Charming in comparison."
Kunzite raised an eye at her. "That was you, huh?"
Usagi shrugged. "Not me. Her. But yeah. Little old Usagi."
Kunzite started up the bike again, and the sound of the engine cut through the night. He posed his helmet to slip over his head, but hesitated. He looked at Usagi, right in her eyes for the first time.
"I think that even if you hadn't had come, the senshi still would have won. We all underestimated Sailormoon, perhaps Beryl the most. I had no idea it was you…"
Usagi shushed him with a wink. "No one did. That was the idea. Now go on, before it's truly dark. I need to go inside and get ready. We're pulling another one tonight."
"I'd help, but you won't let me." He pulled the helmet down tightly and revved off.
Usagi sighed. "Some men never grow up."
'Isn't that the truth.'
She walked up the steps and opened the door. Kenji was sitting down now, looking unusually peaceful. Ikuko was humming over something in the kitchen. Shingo must be upstairs.
Usagi closed the door and leaned up against it, happier than she'd been in the longest time. She was in a world where her parents had never died because of her foolishness. Her little brother had never been murdered in his bed because she had been silly enough to have believed if she hid Beryl wouldn't know.
'Wake up, darling. I'm thrilled too, but you'd better get something to eat and tell Mama we've got duty tonight. Kiss papa goodbye. Now that we've got your endurance tonight will be easier and tomorrow not as bad.'
She sighed. "Yeah. Just because I'm in control doesn't mean you get to slack, huh." She slid off her shoes and danced into the kitchen and gave her mother a big hug. Ikuko frowned, but hugged her back.
"You've got to go again, don't you?" She fretted. "Oh, Usagi, why can't you just take the other senshi with you? I don't understand why you have to take that boy and that child with you instead of the senshi!"
Usagi shook her head with a sad smile. "Mama, let's not argue. Got anything to eat? I'm starved!"
Ikuko tried to smile but they both knew she didn't mean it. "Yeah. I kept it warm for you. I heard about the battle from Luna. You should really tell that neko that if she doesn't want us to find out about her talking she shouldn't mutter to herself. People aren't deaf."
Usagi giggled. "Yeah. But she does anyway." She woofed down the food, delighted at the newfound strength she had now that her tummy was full. "I should be back early. I picked up a new power today."
Ikuko smiled. "That's good. I'll keep the light on for you. And by the way, who was that handsome young man who dropped you off?" She grinned and elbowed her daughter. "A new boyfriend?"
Usagi shook her head. "A very good ally I made today. He's the reason I'm going to be early. I've got to head out soon."
She went in to see her father. She was only slightly perturbed at the fact the last time she saw her father he was tied and gagged to a chair while she interrogated him. He smiled as she gave him a hug, but frowned when he saw the solemn stare on her face.
"You've got to go out tonight, don't you? Do you want me to use the 'Gone to see Aunt Keiko' or 'Staying at Naru's' conversation with Luna and your friends?"
Usagi shrugged. "Surprise me." She glanced up at the clock and bit down a curse. "I've got to go now, daddy. I love you."
"I love you too, pumpkin. Be careful."
She grinned. "I will be. Don't worry. I should be home before dawn. Don't sit up tonight, okay? You need to sleep."
He raised his left eyebrow. "Alright, mother. Bye."
She was still grinning when she shut the door behind her.
'That must have been weird for you.'
-Yeah, no kidding. But I don't mind.- She came to the end of the street. –This is where he usually meets you?-
'Uh-huh. He'll know something's up with us but we won't say or do anything unless you defect to the dark side and try to kill them. You can't act like me but don't do anything really stupid.'
-Easy for you to say. Do you have any idea how insane it is to have a little voice talking to you in your own head?-
'Uh-- oh, look! There's Genso now. And glory be, he's got Sasa with him. Stop talking to me and fake it.'
Usagi growled at the voice slightly, but hid the snarl fast and quickened her step to meet the pair. Her eyebrows lifted. The voice had given her a quick description and a fuzzy mental image, but she had not been led to expect a boy perhaps a year older than she herself and a mere little girl!
She bit her lip and got over her indignation quick and looked at them again, this time through true eyes.
-What the bloody hell is THIS?!- She shrieked to the voice. -She's a Solarian! Why the BLOODY GODDAMNED HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME I WAS GOING TO BE DEALING WITH A SOLARIAN HALF BREED CHILD?!- She felt the voice wince but she didn't really care.
'Because I didn't know?'
She glowered. -Just shut up. You didn't know... oh... I think I'm going to kill you...-
"Usagi-san? Are you ready to go?" Genso was eyeing her suspiciously. She gave him a long glance. He was human, mostly, anyway, and his hand was protectively on the shoulder of the girl, who in all reality appeared to be about eight years old.
Genso wasn't very tall, about her height, perhaps. His hair was long and pulled back into a wavy ponytail of obsidian silk. His eyes were distinctly Asian, dark and slanted inside a pretty pale face. He wore black. At a closer look she had to bite down a giggle. He wore a ninja costume! A sheath was slung across his back and his mask was pulled down.
The little girl was more interesting. She wore a dark blue sailor dress, and stared up at Usagi adoringly. Usagi calculated the age in her eyes and was kind of surprised to find the girl was probably her age.
"See, Usagi-san? I'm a sailor senshi, too." Sasa laughed. "Now you can't call me Shrimp anymore."
"Oh, it won't stop me!" She smiled and tousled Sasa's short blonde hair that clashed nicely with the girl's gray-violet eyes. Her look grew solemn. "Genso, I made friends with someone inside the dark kingdom. Don't give me that look, he won't betray me again. I know he won't. There's another way inside that will place us right outside the largest youma barrack. They'll all be asleep right now, so if we get inside we can deal Beryl a blow she'll still be bleeding from when I kill her."
Genso still looked concerned, but nodded. "Alright. I trust you, Usagi. I know you can take care of yourself. You're not going to tell me who, are you? Don't worry, if you told me I'd flip, wouldn't I? Let's go. You lead the way and I'll carry Sasa."
Usagi brought out her staff from her subspace pocket. "It's really not far from here. I just hope I can hope it. It's going to take dark magic and I'm not very experienced in that." She waited until Sasa was securely in Genso's arms and then took off at a run. He matched it easily, so they ran together, down the streets, neither of them noticing the dark shadow that panted to keep up on the roofs.
"It's here." Usagi came to an abrupt halt in front of a coffee shop in downtown Juuban. "Around back." Her staff began to glow with a dark light as she fed her power into it. "The entrance is right here." She stopped a few feet from the back door. "Cross your fingers." She whispered, and closed her eyes.
Genso stepped back, a bell in his head going overtime as the usually kind and sweet Usagi began to chant in a harsh, guttural language that sounded as though every syllable were a curse word. Her lips snarled around each word and the staff gave off a black light, spiraling around her hand.
She finished the chant, and the dark light fled from her hand and staff to form a large portal leading into total darkness.
"Are you okay?" Sasa asked, when Usagi stumbled and almost fell. Her eyes opened and she managed a weak smile.
"Sure I am, kiddo. Dark magic just packs a momentary whomp, especially for someone like me." Something inside her hinted a warning. She spun around but found nothing but darkness and shadow.
"What is it?" Genso was guarded.
She shook her head. "I... I thought I heard something. Nevermind. Let's go in and get this done. I've got a new trick I want to show you." She ignored the bagging in the back of her head that whispered something was wrong.
'We're being followed. I don't know who but we are definitely being followed.' The voice muttered. Sasa approached the portal and was about to jump in, but a sound from Usagi stopped her. She whirled just to see Usagi spin around, a short blade of energy appearing in her hand. The blonde warrior threw I as hard as she could into the shadows behind them.
"ARHHHGGGGH!" A male voice, shrill with pain, shouted. Usagi laughed and leapt into the shadows but appeared a few minutes later, her victorious smile dampened slightly. "I lost him-- he ran. Oh, well. We shan't let that put us down, now shall we? Come on, Genso. Ladies first."
"Oh, alright--- HEY!"