I do not own any of the copyrighted characters in this fanfic, nor do I claim them. The characters I create, however, are mine. Enjoy!
Dealing Fate's Hand
Chapter 3
"What do you think was wrong with Darien earlier?"
Serena, Mina, Rei, Lita, and Amy walked down the street together, their path illuminated by the soft glow of the streetlights. The five friends were on the way to meet their boyfriends for a night of dinner and a movie. The bright crescent moon hung in the sky alongside its' companion, a pale blue star.
"He probably just has a lot on his mind," Lita offered, answering Serena's question.
"I don't know," Rei argued. "He seemed very tense about something."
"It almost seemed like he was trying to avoid us," Serena stated quietly.
"I think, perhaps, that Lita is right," Amy commented thoughtfully. "Finals should have taken place this past week for University students. Darien is probably just anxious about his test score results."
"Amy, you have got to stop thinking about school so much," Mina exclaimed, linking arms with the blue-haired girl. "It's our vacation!"
"Yes, well, after finals, anxiety is-"
"That's what I'm talking about," Mina interrupted, wrinkling her nose. "You're still talking about studying."
"All I was going to say was that we should properly prepare for these tests," Amy stated in her own defense. "We'll be where Darien is in no time, and we don't want to get as stressed as he seems to be."
"You have a point," Mina stated, a thoughtful expression on her face. "But right now we should focus on more important things. Like our vacation!"
Amy rolled her eyes slightly, giggling as she shook her head. "I couldn't agree more, Mina." The girls continued walking down the street, talking with each other quietly. Suddenly, Serena stopped and looked across the street, and the others followed her gaze.
"Hey, isn't that Darien? Where's he going," Lita asked, as the girls continued to watch him walk down the street.
"Oh, he's headed towards Mia's house," Mina stated matter-of-factly.
"How do you know that," Rei asked.
Mina smiled sheepishly, blushing slightly. "I found out from Rowen," she answered. "Mia, Anubis, Lady Kayura, and the other Shrine guardians are supposed to be having this super-secret meeting tonight. I guess that Darien was invited, too."
"I have the strangest feeling that something is wrong," Serena stated. "Why would they have a meeting without us?"
"Serena, don't worry," Amy exclaimed. "If it were something important, then we'd know. They would have told us about it."
"Amy's right," Lita agreed, grabbing a hold of Serena's hands. "Now let's get going. The boys are waiting for us!" Laughing, Lita pulled Serena with her as she ran, and the others followed, Darien momentarily forgotten.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Darien walked up to the Koji residence, pausing at the door. As he rose his hand to knock, the door opened, and Yuli was standing there.
"Hi Darien," he exclaimed, stepping to the side so he could come inside. "Come in! Everyone's been waiting for you." Darien smiled slightly, ruffling the boy's hair as he stepped inside past him.
"Yuli, is that Darien," Mia's voice spoke, moments before she appeared in the foyer. She smiled when she saw the two standing together. "Come on in, Darien," she stated. "The others are in the living room."
"Come on, Darien," Yuli exclaimed, tugging on his arm.
"Not you, young man," Mia stated, grasping Yuli gently by his shoulders. "You're going to bed." The trio walked towards the living room, causing Anubis and the Shrine guardians to look up.
"Aw, but Mia," he whined. "Do I have to?"
"Yes, Yuli," Mia replied, smiling somewhat apologetically. "It's past your bedtime. Let's go." As Anubis stood up, Mia waved for him to sit back down. "I'll take him. You should start without me."
"Good night everyone," Yuli called out, as Mia ushered him towards the stairs. "Come on, White Blaze." The tiger looked up from his sleep, and then grunted as he stretched. Standing slowly, White Blaze went upstairs ahead of the boy. The others watched as Mia and Yuli went upstairs, and once they were out of sight, Kayura turned towards Darien.
"I'm glad you could make it, Darien," she began.
"Well, thanks for inviting me," he replied. "I wouldn't have known about the meeting, if I hadn't run into you at the arcade."
"Your place is here, anyway," Kale stated. "Do not forget, Prince Darien, that it is your duty to protect the Princess as well."
"It's the duty of the Scouts to protect the Princess," Darien said through clenched teeth. "It's my duty to protect the planet. I only choose to help protect Serena."
"This meeting is not about protecting our Princess," Anubis stated calmly. "With the protection of both the Scouts and the Ronins, she is perfectly safe."
"Let us not forget, that Prince Darien needs our protection, as well as the Princess," Kayura commented. "He will play an important role in our future." As a silence settled in the room, Mia came back down the stairs.
"You still haven't begun," she asked, walking towards the couch and taking a seat next to Anubis. "What is this meeting about?"
"About the prophecy of the Sorceress Aislyn," Anubis answered, looking over towards Lady Kayura. "She was a high priestess of the Ancient Clan."
"Are you talking about the woman from the story you have told Yuli," Mia asked.
"Yes," he replied, looking back towards Mia. "Only she is real. She casts her dark shadow over our future."
"Who is she," Darien asked. "And why is she a threat to us?"
"Allow me to explain," Kayura stated. "Long ago, the high priestess Aisyln was banished because of her deeds against the Ancient Clan. She conspired with a powerful demon, to steal away the child next in line to lead the Ancient Clan, so that she could become ruler. She bestowed upon the demon a powerful armor, to give him more power."
"Do you mean to say that the demon was Lord Talpa," Mia asked, gasping at the realization. "Why would she turn against her own Clan?"
"No one knows her reason behind her motives," Dais answered.
"But now that she may be free from her imprisonment," Sekhmet began, "she will want revenge against descendants of the Ancient Clan, as well as holders of the mystical armor she created with her magic."
"So that means she'll be after all of you," Mia stated quietly, a worried expression on her face as she looked over at Anubis.
"It also means that the girls will be in danger," Darien said with a frown. "Because of the Ronins's armor." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What can we do?"
"It is already too late for us to stop her," a voice spoke, as two figures appeared in the room. As the light around the figure faded, it turned out to be Setsuna, and she had an unconscious Rini in her arms.
"Setsuna," Kayura exclaimed, glancing down at Rini. "What's happened? Why are you not at the gates?"
"Rini appeared to me at the time gates, but something was wrong," Setsuna began. "I don't know what happened. I was about to send her through the gates, when I was attacked."
"Let me take her, Setsuna," Anubis offered, taking Rini from the woman.
"So what happened," Mia asked. "Were you able to stop your attackers?"
Setsuna shook her head. "From what Lady Kayura has told me, I believe that the intruder was Aislyn. I managed to escape with Rini, but I left the gates unguarded. It's only a matter of time before she follows."
"Can you seal the gates," Kayura asked, with a serious expression on her face.
"I can try," Setsuna replied. She raised her arm in the air to summon the time staff, and as it appeared in her hand, a dark aura surrounded the staff. Frowning slightly, she gasped in alarm as the energy suddenly began to strike her, draining her strength. Her legs gave out, and the staff loosened from her grasp as she felt herself falling.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"My Queen," Sailor Pluto exclaimed, as she, Lady Kayura, and the Warlords found Neo Queen Serenity. The Queen, the elder Scouts, and the elder Ronins were together in the once beautiful gardens, which had been ravaged from the fighting. The Ronins were still unconscious, and the Scouts were incredibly weakened.
"Setsuna," Serenity exclaimed, glancing behind the woman towards Anubis and the Shrine guardians. "You were all able to make it back here safely."
"My Queen," Kayura began. "We should have foreseen this sooner. The palace, your kingdom, all lay in ruin."
"That does not matter to me," Serenity stated, a sad smile on her face. "What of the children?" Lady Kayura's face grew pale.
"They did not make it here," she asked.
"I had Celeste help me look for the children, as well," Sailor Pluto stated, her face growing pale, too. "She hasn't been here?" Tears began to poor in Serenity's eyes as she shook her head.
"They're gone," a voice spoke, as an injured figure emerged from the shadow.
"Darien," Serenity exclaimed, her hands flying to her face as she saw him. Darien's cape was torn, and he grasped his bloodied side in pain. He had an abrasion on his temple, and as he tried to limp towards the group, he began to fall over. Sailor Pluto caught him before he fell, however, helping him to support his weight.
"The children have gone missing," Darien stated, breathing heavily. "I could not help them."
"You did all you could," Pluto said gently. She walked him over towards an overturned bench, setting him down on it. "Nothing more can be done. We'll find them."
"You don't understand," Darien stated. "Those girls that attacked; they didn't harm Rini or me. But the other children…"
"Aislyn will try and change the past if she's not stopped," Kayura interrupted. "To get revenge for what happened to her."
"Then I must go and warn my younger self," Pluto began. "Hopefully, I will also be able to-" She suddenly grabbed her head in pain, and fell down to her knees. The birthright of Pluto shined brightly on her forehead, and her henshin began to reverse. All present watched speechlessly as her fuku disappeared, and was replaced by her princess gown.
"Setsuna," Serenity exclaimed. "What happened. Why have you changed?"
"I didn't do it," Setsuna replied. "The winds of change have begun already." She summoned the time staff, however the garnet orb was dull and lifeless. "The past has already been affected."
"Then nothing can be done," Kayura stated. "We are powerless to help."
"It will be up to our past selves, to stop Aislyn now," Anubis spoke. "I only hope they'll be able to stop her."
To Be Continued…