4th Movement

The power plant was well guarded, and well-kept, at a time like the one that gripped Juuban at the moment. To ensure that no one unauthorized was at the compound, several extra guards were being dispatched to the scene to ensure efficient security.

"Well," one guard crossed his arms. "This has been a lovely day."
"A bunch of kids, they were coming in earlier, they were trying to mess up our posts." Another guard shrugged. "Well, at least we're on the lookout for them. Kids can be pretty annoying."
"Yeah."

As the guards talked, neither of them noticed as a small, purple cat plush doll suddenly catapult over them. It bounced harmlessly through the door as another guard opened it, and cascaded down the darkened hallway of the power plant offices.

Well! The plush doll was dirtied from its superhuman leap. That wasn't too difficult.

A glow surrounded the cat, brightening and turning yellow. The glow became bigger and brighter, until it took the shape of a young girl. With a slight pose, Sailor Luna held her hand out, and her crescent moon wand appeared.

"Now, here comes Detective Luna!" A twinkle came into her eyes. The wand shifted its shape into a flashlight. "Time to investigate this mystery."

With that, she turned it on cautiously, making sure no one was around to catch her. Then, in the manner of her true species, she crawled on the floor, flashing it wherever she could.

"Just…..be…..careful………""

She was almost caught at that moment; a security guard peered inquisitively into the doorway she had sneaked into, having heard her flashlight click off at his approach. Fortunately, the guard simply shrugged it off as being his imagination and walked off, leaving Luna free from his suspicious eyes. Quickly, she tiptoed across the way and entered the stairway.

It's underground, Luna quietly descended. So I've got some flights to go.

At the bottom of the stairs, much to Luna's chagrin, were three guards patrolling the double door entry to the main transformer, talking and laughing. Luna quickly hid herself, and began to create a new strategy to get inside. With a quick movement, the crescent wand returned to its original form.

Hmm…. Luna scratched her chin. I need to get them out of the way to see exactly what's going on…

"Well," she heard one of the guards say. "I don't know. It's only just a matter of time before the electricians can fix this thing."
"I know." One of the other guards sounded confused. "But it's just so odd. How could this have happened to the transformer?"
"Just an odd phenom." The last guard shrugged. "Maybe everyone used their air conditioners too much."

At this, the guards laughed nervously. Luna looked over her shoulder, then back at the guards, and gave a nod. She took her wand, and with a poof, it transformed into a large, silver and blue gun.

"All right, everyone!!!!"

A quick as a cat, she jumped down to the bottom of the stairs, facing the startled guards and keeping to the shadows. As quick as she could, she cocked the gun up and pulled the trigger.

"CHILL!!!"

The guards were turned to blocks of ice before they could pull their weapons out of their holsters. All of them had shocked looks of fear on their faces for having failed their duties.

"Heehee!!" Luna giggled and pinched the cheek of the guard she regarded as the cutest. "Don't worry, sweetie. It'll wear off in a half-hour, which gives me plenty of time to investigate what I need to investigate."

With a giggle, she threw open the doors, and immediately gave a shudder. A cold, icy wind met her as she walked into the room.

"My……goodness….."

Luna's eyes widened at the sight. The entire room, including the transformer, was completely iced over. Long stalagmites, some almost ten feet long, hung from the ceiling, and the floor was slippery and shiny in the wake of Luna's flashlight. Thick clouds hung over the room, to the point where it actually snowed in one of the room's furthest corners.

"What in the…..?!?!?"

Luna slid over to the transformer control panels. She gave it the once over and frowned.

The entire panel is iced up. Luna tried to wipe off some of the icy slag off of the switches with no avail. It's as if…..if…..

Luna's ears came up. Her body tensed up as the door opened behind her. She could feel the slight warm breeze as the new intruder began to walk towards her. She turned around as quickly as she could, flashing the light upon the intruder.

"HAAH……Huh?"

The light startled the intruder, who took several steps back and took out some kind of a weapon in the dark. Even in the dark, however, the cat soldier could recognize the ruby-studded chain as it was extended across the intruder's armspan.

"Sailor V-Venus! Oh dear…."

Luna shivered as Venus approached her. There was a strange sense of caution in Venus' step as she lowered the chain, though Luna simply smiled at her.

"Sailor Luna."
"You know about this, too." Luna nodded. "This freezing of the energy cells is definitely enemy sabotage!"
"….Where is everyone else?"
"Huh?" Luna looked confused. "Oh. I can't get a hold of them. It's odd."
"So you don't know where any of the soldiers are."
"No. Not one of them…" Luna trailed off. "Oh no….you don't think…"

Venus closed her eyes for a moment. Luna looked around warily, thinking of the possibilities, just as something on the wall caught her eye.

"Ah…..aaaaah!"

Shining the flashlight on it, she immediately pounced on the object, ripping it off of the wall. It was a piece of paper, plastered to the wall by the ice buildup. On it was writing, black as ebony.

"A note." Luna read. "'To the sailor soldiers in here'!"
"Read it."
"'Your sleuthing is to be commended on for figuring out that….I caused the black-out!'" Luna quickly nodded in satisfaction. "'However, in that I have cut you off from the rest of your fellow sailors, and so any you have not yet encountered here in the plant has been……captured….?!'"

Luna's eyes widened. She looked up, her mouth open.

"'C-come to Sakura Square, and be there promptly at six-thirty tonight……'" she whispered. "'…if you ever want to see them again!'…..It isn't signed….."
"Sakura Square's up in Yokohama." Venus grit her teeth. "And its already four thirty now….unless we can avoid the downtown traffic and congestions of people of the rush hour, we'll never make it there from here.'"
"There has to be a way…."

Luna thought for a moment. She looked at her wand, then back at the letter, before looking at Venus.

"I think I know of a way…"

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The intersection seemed to sway back and forth around Ami as she staggered onto the street. Her head hurt profusely from the heat, and from the fighting, and from everything that was happening.

Usagi-chan….

"Let's be friends, Ami-chan!"

Rei-chan…..

"Don't worry, Ami-chan."

Mako-chan…..

"Let's do this, Ami-chan!"

All of you…..

Ami's tear-filled eyes caught the bus at the last minute. With a gasp, she ran as fast as she could to the bus stop, flagging down the white bus just before it pulled out.

"Wait! WAIT!!!"

Her plan formed in her mind quickly. She knew the bus could get her to the subway; if she made it, she could get on the line to Yokohama and get to Sakura Square easily before the deadline.

"Hmph." The driver looked at Ami with some disdain as she put her money into the bus stand. "You could be earlier next time. I'm already late."

Timidly, Ami took her seat near the front, near a window, and right next to the only other empty seat on the bus. All around her were screaming children and businessmen looking almost with disgust at their surroundings.

"Mommy!" One young girl whined. "I want to go to the movies!"
"We'll be there, dearest!" The mother looked exhausted. "We'll get there… don't worry. Damn this power outage…"

Damn the power outage? Ami looked down. Damn me. It was all me. This outage, this problem…..my friends….

The scenery whizzed by her as her mind began to turn itself back to other times. These were not times of happiness, as she had tried to make herself remember these past couple of days. They were the bad times, of the moments where she was not so fond of her friends, though one could say it was not of her choice to embrace the darkness that had consumed her for so brief a time. It was the time when she had been Mercury's dark soldier of evil, Sailor Darkury.

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"Mercury."

Her head came up. Her dark brown eyes, filled with the darkness of an ancient entity that few were even aware of. She turned around, eyeing the speaker warily.

"Kunzite."
"Quite a show you gave the queen in her throne room." The older man, dressed in a purple suit with a red cape, smirked. "She seemed taken aback. She may perceive you as a threat now."
"I am not afraid of her." She spoke with a low voice. "She is simply a figurehead in the operation."
"But certainly, you have nothing to fear for your assertiveness." The smirk did not disappear. "You are, after all, under the protection of a higher power."
"I spoke to her in that way because what I spoke is the truth."

Darkury looked down onto the cavern below the alcove that she and Kunzite stood upon. In front of them was a long, black room, with an iron-filled ceiling which was seventy feet high. In it was a large black mass, which glowed a dark purple in the middle of the room.

"Is that so?"
"I don't like being bossed." Darkury turned back to Kunzite with a cold glare. "You have your ways of operating, and I have mine."
"But you have only just been reborn." Kunzite pursed his lips as he studied the blue-clad soldier. "You will need my guidance if you will want to control your new powers to complete your mission properly. I am your only ally right now, but also, I am your mentor."
"The fact that I have been reborn should not deter you from addressing me as an equal of yours, Kunzite." Darkury's cold glare did not lessen. "I have no need for a mentor in my new state. And I need no training in my new powers to complete my mission. I will do my job alone, and I hope that you have no plans of interfering."
"And if I interfere?"

The glare from Darkury deepened. Though Kunzite seemed to show no fear from Darkury's words and angry expressions, there seemed to be a spark of something within him which indicated that, perhaps, this was not quite what he had expected from his experiment.

"Hmph." He simply smirked. "Well, you're fiestier now than I suspected you would be."

With that, Kunzite left, leaving Darkury alone with Metaria. She gave the towering energy a gaze before slowly walking out of the room.

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I wonder…. Ami gazed out of the window. Was….was Kunzite smitten with me? Is that why he is after me now? For vengeance…….and to have his way with me now…..

Ami gave a shudder at that thought. Meanwhile, the bus had let off several people off a busy corner, and was letting on several others. Next to Ami were several schoolchildren now, giggling to themselves about new rumors of people around them.

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"Well, well…..

Darkury's head came up at the sound of the voice. She was alone, in her bedroom, when the figure appeared at her door. She had been in her bed, a soft mattress that was made of air. Her bedpost was pure ebony and sapphire; her dressers were likewise, and she had a diamond mirror.

"You look comfortable here."
"Jadeite." Darkury sat up. "What are you doing?"
"Checking up on you." The blonde general smiled. "I hope you don't mind, sailor."

Darkury, in response, gave the general a glare. She had been in a peaceful rest, recharging her precious strength, when the riffraff had entered her room. His manner, it appeared, was indicative of his intention; he was not to leave soon enough.

"If you take me as a fool," the blue-haired girl scowled, "You may as well tell me about Susanowo's next coming and expect me to believe it, Jadeite."
"….Then I do." Jadeite smiled nervously. "Actually, I was pondering about you, so I came here to check on you myself."
"For that queen of yours?"
"She's your queen as well, sailor." Jadeite replied curtly. "You may as well get used to it and forget whatever hogwash Kunzite's been telling you lately. You serve her. Not Kunzite."

There was a long silence at this. The two glared at each other, like lions ready to pounce on each other. Slowly, as they glared, Jadeite began inching towards the bed.

"Speaking of Kunzite…." Finally, Jadeite broke the quiet with a smirk. "Your relationship with him has caused the queen to question your motives, dear."
"I'm not your 'dear'." Darkury's glare deepened. "And what 'relationship' has your queen conjectured up in her mind regarding Kunzite and myself?"
"Again, you forget she is your superior regardless of your bold words." Jadeite felt his face redden. "But anyways, the queen inquired because you seem more inclined to follow Kunzite's word over hers. I can't say I disagree with her assessment; it certainly looks it."
"It was under his stead I came to your side Jadeite." Darkury looked at the general with a wary cynicism. "It is only in appreciation of that, that I even listen to him. You make it sound like something else."
"You follow his orders, you go to his chambers….you sleep in his beds." Jadeite leaned in for the kill. "Maybe because it….is…..something else?"

Darkury, in her hatred, had not even noticed that Jadeite had come onto her bed and was leaning in to her cheek. It wasn't until he was mere millimeters from her cheek, and his warm breath had touched her iced cheek, that she suddenly realized. With an angry scream, Darkury's fist connected with Jadeite's jaw, forcing him to the floor with a crash.

"GUAH!"

Jadeite wiped the blood from his mouth, cursing Darkury under his breath. As soon as he looked up, the icy blade of the blue-haired girl's sword was at his neck, almost to the point of drawing blood.

"You thought yourself clever." Darkury's eyes were almost red with rage. "Maybe you'll learn better for the next time you try to come in here. Not that there'll be a next time, if you're as smart as you like to think you are. Otherwise," Mercury slowly took the blade away. "Maybe that queen of yours might have something to do with you after I tell her of this. Do we have an understanding of each other?"

With fear and anger flashing in his eyes, Jadeite quickly scrambled up to his feet. With a look of hatred, he backed away.

"I understand." Jadeite almost ran out of the room. "Don't worry. I'll let Kunzite deal with you alone!"

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It was so easy to be angry in that place….

Ami sighed as the bus stopped at the subway station. As quick as she could, she excused herself from the disapproving eye of the driver and started down the stairs to the tracks.

Track 7…. Quickly, Ami paid th3e subway toll and went through the entrance. Track 7….I hope I'm not late…

Her wandering mind almost allowed her to miss it; she was concentrating more on the past and not on the task at hand. Fortunately, the subway stuffers caught her eye, and she managed to quickly get herself into the train bound for the Yokohama stations. Her car was very crowded, and Ami had to hold her nose to keep the stench of body odor from making her sick.

It was so quiet there…. Stuck in between an older man and his wife and the door, Ami could only press herself against the window as the subway train began to roar out of the station.. So quiet, with only a few people around. In the darkness, where my evil spirit festered and grew stronger by the minute, out of reach from my friends and family….

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"YAH!"

Darkury took out her ice sword. In the dim light of the room, it gleamed eerie shades of blue and purple as she raised it into the air, examining the blade before she thrust forth.

"HaaaAAAAH!!!!"

She gave a complete turn, dodging the weapon as it swung at her. She then took a back flip as the giant armed figure swung at her once more. She landed on her feet, though it was a shaky planting of feet.

"Ugh!"
"Foolish child." The figure's eyes flashed a hideous green. "You are fighting the Bane of the Tartarian Plunge. No mortal shall fight me and live."

Darkury raised herself as straight as she could, her eyes wide with anger. She gave a snort at the figure, though his presence unnerved her. He stood almost seven feet tall, and bore a iron maceball with a dangling steel chain which measured five feet. His armor was wull body, and his very face was welded with the metal helmet her had upon his head.

"I do not fear you." Darkury's brow was covered with sweat as she posed again. "I fear no one!"
"Then surely," The chain came up. "You will not mind meeting your death, mortal woman."

Darkury gave a smirk as she held up her sword. She slowly approached the massive figure as it again swung at her with a deafening roar. This time, however, as the monster went to bring up his mace from the ground, Darkury rolled over and threw the sword into the side of the monster's left thigh.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

As the Bane roared in pain, Darkury quickly took her sword out of his thigh. With perfect efficiency, she leaped up and jammed the blade into the monster's throat. In a crackle of purple light, the monster disintegrated as the blade came out of the other side of the monster's neck.

"I hope," Darkury grinned evilly as the dust of the monster fell into a small pile in the ground, "that you did not mind meeting your own death at my hands, Bane."

Victorious, Darkury took her sword up once more from the ruins. As she did, she felt a low breeze come across her back. She closed her eyes, absorbing the breeze and the direction of its origin. In an instant, she knew who it was.

"Queen Metaria."
"Yesss. It is I." A voice suddenly rasped behind her. "Excellent work, Sailor Darkury. You show great promise to us, even in this infant stage that you are in, in defeating such a strong servant of mine."
"Thank you, my queen."

Darkury gave a smirk at this as she turned and bowed. Of all the people and things she surrounded herself with in the Dark Kingdom, Darkury cared only for two people. The two people were herself, naturally, and her queen, Metaria, whose omnipotent spirit was harbored in that very room..

"Your kind words inspire me as no others do," Darkury's smirk darkened. "So that I may exterminate my greatest enemies."
"Is this so, my young sister?[u]" A chuckle came from the dark purple spirit. "[u]Yes, but the man who brought you to me, the general Kunzite. You so easily cast him aside."
"I do not care for his superior airs." Darkury's eye glistened. "He means to betray you, I think, when he has the chance. He has no love for Beryl as it is, and she is…." At this, she chuckled. "….Your most trusted servant, your Majesty."
"My graces only matter if success can back my trust, child. The tower crackled with energy. "Oooooh, yesss…..those who can sustain me with the energy I need…..they earn my trust."

Darkury gave a nod as she sheathed her sword. She closed her eyes, feeling the icy cold wind of energy of Metaria surround her. It gave her great pleasure to feel it; it strengthened her resolve to fight. In return, she felt as if she gave, with her newfound trust in the spirit, her own life force in return.

"Yesssss, Darkury." The tower glowed brighter. "Yesssss. I understand your thoughts, young sister. The truth is, in your rebirth, you bound yourself to me. And so, we are one; you have given me a part of you. For as long as yourliving soul rests in your body, I shall always keep a piece of you within me, for in giving me a piece of you, I gave you a piece of myself."
"Bound to you…."

The idea was flattering to Darkury to be bound to Metaria. In part, it was because she knew only Metaria as her master. Yet, in some ways, Metaria, in giving Darkury a piece of her, and vice versa, was Darkury's equal, for no other spirit was as powerful at that moment as she was. Deep, deep down, she knew Kunzite was probably aware of it, but she did not care.

Let him think and do what he wishes.

Darkury looked up at the ceiling as she turned from Metaria. Buried within the rock was the figure of an older woman, whose features were very similar to those of Ami's.

I would crush him, and anyone else, if it would please you, Metaria. For it would surely please me…

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My mother was captured by Kunzite, and placed under a trance. Ami stared out of the subway window as the darkness whizzed by. When she woke up, she thought she had gone to Europe for a tour there. She thought….she was scouting out medical schools for me.

Ami looked down. Inside her schoolbag, her cell phone peaked from one of the pockets. It beeped once or twice before stopping.

Oh….. A realization came to Ami. My mother…..she doesn't know where I am at all. She must be worried about me if the other kids have come home already because of the blackout. I haven't really been forthcoming with her at all lately...not with being who I am...

Her mind began to go off onto this tangent, as to how she could convince her mother where she was without raising her suspicions. Her mother was always protective of her, and was always looking out for her when she got into trouble, for it would reflect badly on the colleges she could get into.

Her thoughts flashed with the possible excuses she could tell her mother; she had been with Rei at the temple, or was with Makoto and Usagi having dinner. However, upon further though, Ami pondered if her mother would question her impulsive need to go to Hikawa, as well as what was wrong with her mother's cooking if she had to always go to her friend's house for good food. And in both cases, her mother could have decided to call the friends to keep checking up on her. So engrossed in the debate on her mother she was that Ami almost forgot to get off at the correct station.

"Oh-ooooooh!"

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"Hello?"

Slowly, Ami picked the telephone and placed it towards her ear. She had just put on a black turtleneck and a dark red beret on her head - she was about to go out with her newfound friends from school. Or so they all were made to think.

"H-hello?" An older man came onto the phone. "Is Dr. Mizuno there?"
"Dr…." For a moment, the darkness in Ami's mind made her forget who the caller was looking for. "Oh. My mother."
"Yes. Is she there?"

Ami frowned. She did not truly care that this man was looking for her mother; in fact, she didn't consider her mother to be related to her anymore. Her rebirth had allowed her to be free and forgetful of her former ties to a human life. Kunzite having her pretend to be a human for the sake of his plan infuriated her; she rather preferred to stay as Darkury, and to descend upon the human by the way of fear. Nevertheless, she did her best to pretend.

"N-no." She forced a cheerful voice. "My mother's in Europe right now."
"Europe? Europe…." The voice pondered for a moment. "Well, I…..Huh, she didn't tell me…..well, dear, do you have her hotel number or anything?"

This second question infuriated Ami even more. She hated when humans had to be so nosy and questioning. She really saw no reason to tell the man something false so that the cover could ultimately be blown, so she tried something else.

"Huh? Her what?" She started to raise her voice. "I'm SORRY, I CAN'T HEAR you! This PHONE is….what're you SAYING??"
"Hello? Can you he-"

With a definitive slam, Ami left the conversation at that by hanging the phone up. She gave a harsh laugh as she tossed her hair.

"Hmph." She went to get her jacket. "He fell for it. Where'd I put my jacket…"
"Here."

Ami froze as her jacket was suddenly draped onto her shoulders by two unseen hands. She stiffened as the hands slowly stroked her hair, bringing it out of the jacket and letting it fall down her back.

"I do enjoy touching soft things. Feeling soft things in my hands." A tall figure bent his head down to Ami's ear and quietly spoke into it. "The way they play upon my fingers always sends a tingle down my spine."

As quickly as she could, Ami sidestepped Kunzite. She gave him a cold look as she headed towards the couch, putting on her jacket as she did.

"You put on a good show coming here, Kunzite."
"It shines as well." Kunzite gave a smirk. "I must say, your hair is the brightest object to be found within the Dark Kingdom. It shimmers like a star, even in the dark."
"What are you doing here?"
"I thought it would be obvious." Kunzite gave a laugh. "We are mentor and student, after all."
"We are nothing of the sort."
"Then you would prefer to be partners?" Kunzite snorted. "You are presumptuous to think I would so easily relinquish my role as your master….and any other roles I may have with you."
"I know," Ami glared, "that your behavior does not reflect your position, such as it is."
"Even generals can have fun once in a while. You shouldn't deny me so much, Darkury."

Ami's eyes slit at his words. Kunzite, on his side, was slowly surveying Ami from his position. She could almost see the hunger in his eyes as he finished his evaluation of her curves; it was as if he had a car that could handle them. Ami, on the other hand, had no such feeling towards him.

"You have your fun your way, Kunzite." Ami walked towards the door. "I will complete my mission, in the meantime."

She could feel Kunzite's somewhat perturbed stare on her as she left the apartment. But she did not care. For Kunzite was not the controller of her destiny. Darkury was the one controller of Darkury's destiny, and no one - not even Kunzite - could complain or rectify this one, simple fact.

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It must be Kunzite…….It must be…..

Ami stood in the street, her head down, and the wind blowing in her hair. All around her, the cars drove past, and the people stared at her as they passed by. Above her was a sign: "YOKOHAMA".

Who else would have a reason……

Ami began to walk, her face staring expressionlessly into the distance. Two blocks down was a small sign that said "Sakura Square", a place in her past and to once again be of her present. In the distance, a light blue streak of sunset colors mingle with a dark purple, creating an eerie magenta cloud by the sun. She walked closer to her destination, feeling the air turn colder with each step, as if she was going closer to something that would freeze her blood and drop her dead on the floor.

Who else would have…..a reason…..to kill me?

Behind her, a church clock struck 5:45. Fifteen minutes left.