Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, just the story. I will try to complete the
story as soon as possible.
Sailor Crescent Moon - Thank you so very much for your critique, it was certainly
inspiring! :)
**********************************
Molly skipped up to the dark mansion that Nephlyte called home.
While the detail of the large house was intricate and clearly antique, it
gave off a distinct unpleasant feeling that caused the young girl to rush her
normally casual step. Perhaps the ancient limbs of the surrounding trees or the
eerie mist that perpetually surrounded the grounds contributed to the strange aura
of the place. Then again, she mused, Nephlyte himself was mysterious.
She hurried up the steps and stood on the porch for a moment, peering in a
nearby window and trying to steal a glimpse of Nephlyte before her knock alerted
him of her presence. He was such a guarded man, consistently cloaking his
thoughts and feelings. Her eyes finally adjusted to the dimly lit interior of the
house and she saw nothing, only dark shapes that were most undoubtedly
furniture inside a dark home.
She knocked briskly, trying to slow the beating of her heart as she heard
his footsteps approach.
Seconds before his opened the door, she smoothed an imaginary wrinkle
in the snug, midriff flattering white blouse she was wearing and patted her hair
consciously. She had twisted her shoulder-length hair into an elegant brown knot,
and, while it was certainly a change, the style made her look a couple of years
older. The hem of the cotton blue skirt she wore barely reached respectable
length, she mused, hoping that it would prod Nephlyte to respond to her in a more
mature fashion.
Molly suppressed a giggle.
A few gentlemanly kisses here and there had merely made her curious for
more, and she longed to learn the secrets of passionate love. While Nephlyte
learned the beauty of humanity, Molly mentally drummed her fingers and tried to
be patient. If only he would learn the beauty of romantic love, she thought.
Nephlyte opened the door cautiously, relief flooding his face as he looked
into Molly's eyes. He ushered her into his home, offering her various beverages
from his kitchen, nodding cheerfully when she selected an herbal tea mixture.
She looked different today, he thought, sitting down on a comfortable
couch in the sunroom, located in the back of the house. Molly sat down next to
him, kicked off her shoes, and leaned into him.
"Nephlyte, I've thought about you all day." She smiled warmly, sending a
rush of affection through his heart. "Do you ever get lonely in this big mansion of
yours, all alone?"
He took her hand and squeezed it. "No, I know that you will be with me
soon and it gives me time to relax. The Negaverse was no place for love and
relaxation. I seem to be enjoying both in your world, though." He arched a dark
eyebrow, a light dancing in his azure eyes.
It nearly robbed her of her breath. Molly smiled again, and, mentally
slowing her racing heart, she pressed her lips to his and tried to incite a satisfying
response from him. She placed her hand behind his head, threading her fingers
through the auburn masses and boldly pressed his mouth to her own.
Nephlyte's eyes widened in shock at the strange sensations flooding his
body. He kissed her passively for a few moments, trying to understand what was
happening. His entire body tingled, and he visibly shuddered, pulling her into his
lap. Nephlyte's kisses became dominant, and from Molly's delicate gasp, he
knew that she was enjoying this as much as he was.
His tongue brushed hers ardently as his hands crept up her back to tangle
in her hair as hers was currently tangled in his own. He crushed her small frame
to his body.
A new, stranger sensation crept up his spine. Opening his eyes, Nephlyte
found himself staring to beautiful green eyes, quite unlike Molly's. They
belonged to the mysterious girl from the storm. He knew it was an extraordinary
vision, a stubborn mental lapse designed to inconvenience him, but it rocked him
to his core - he wanted the girl more than he had ever wanted Molly.
He stopped suddenly and pushed the girl away from him, shaking his head
forcefully, ridding his mind of the tricks it played on his eyes. Instantly, the
stranger's beautiful face and entrancing eyes faded, revealing Molly's soft,
wounded expression.
Molly pulled away from him slowly, looking embarrassed. Two buttons
on her shirt were undone, her hair tangled, and her cheeks flushed. He looked
deeply disturbed by something. She could only surmise that he was disgusted by
her.
As Nephlyte tried to explain in a manner that would make sense as well as
spare her feelings, she merely nodded and walked toward the door. He was still
stammering when she left his house, rushing to get away from the humiliating
situation and the creepy surroundings.
* * * *
It was too beautiful a day in Tokyo for such a thoughtful mood. Such days
were meant for milkshakes, poolside lounging, and friends - not school bells, the
Negaverse, or the problems with Nephlyte. But Sailor Moon was required to
ponder these things - it was sunny days like this that she fought to keep.
It was amazing how such a tiny planet could be so beautiful and yet so
different from its sister planets. Each of Earth's nearest neighbors had an
interesting feature that was distinctly unique to that planet. Mercury with its
strange orbit, where at some points on the planet, an observer would see the sun
gradually rise and stop, briefly reverse course and stop again before resuming its
original path. Venus, where an observer would look to the west for a sunrise and
east for the sunset. Mars with its vast dust storms, versus Jupiter's colder
temperatures and lightning bolts that are ten times more powerful than a lightning
bolt on Earth.
And she was only the guardian of Earth's moon. It was simply a small
ball of rock and crater damage with no atmosphere. Sure, the view of Earth was
breathtaking, but what was significant about its one tiny moon?
In many ways, it made sense why she so different than her human
planetary counterparts, but sometimes it was frustrating. Amy, Sailor Mercury,
had been endowed with extreme intelligence, and Rei, Sailor Mars, had been
blessed with a sixth sense. What was her extraordinary power?
Memories of the recent fateful night flashed through her mind. Nephlyte's
attack, Molly's love, the scouts' healing powers. As Sailor Moon, she had
contributed little. Although she had eliminated the pain from her friend's hands,
she hadn't healed them completely.
What new powers would the next sailor scout bring to the Sailor Scouts?
Serena thought about the moon princess that the scouts were to seek out.
What would her appearance reveal? And what about the Imperium Silver
Crystal?
She shook her head and marveled at how serious she had become about
her role as Sailor Moon. Regardless of Rei's accusations that she was a total ditz
and a complete baby, there was more underneath her façade of outrageous
silliness. It hid the biting fear of battle and the panic of having her dearest friends
placed in danger to save the energy of their species. She loved her fellow scouts
as much as her family, and she would gladly die protecting them.
Serena's chest hurt when she thought more of the new sailor scout that
would arrive. This individual would become among her circle of beloved friends,
and there would be one more person to worry about, one more person to cry for.
One more to protect with her life.
She was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't notice a tall brunette
walking straight in her direction. The collision knocked them both down.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Serena scrambled to help the other girl off of the
sidewalk. "I'm afraid that I wasn't watching where I was going."
They hurried to retrieve their belongings.
The brunette smiled. "Me neither...I had my mind on other things, too..."
Her smile faded slightly and a pensive frown turned her lips. She shook her head
as if to clear her troubling thoughts.
Serena pushed her long ponytails over her shoulders. "I'm Serena. You
know, you look familiar."
"My name's Lita." Lita cocked her head momentarily and studied the
short blonde girl. "You go to school, right? I transferred there a couple of days
ago."
Serena drummed her fingers on the notebook she carried. "You must be-"
She gasped. "You are the girl that got kicked out of her old school!" exclaimed
the ever-so-blunt blonde.
Lita laughed and tried to explain the situation. Before long, the two were
talking animatedly about their lives.
"You want to meet me after school tomorrow, Lita? We can go to the
arcade and see this really cute guy..."
"Sounds great!"
With the agreement, Serena and Lita rushed off to school.
* * * *
Queen Beryl recessed to the deepest of her chambers with a mission.
Another of her generals lie cold in his grave and her control wore thin. The first,
a failure, the second, a traitor...what next?
She peered into the round crystal that dominated the small room. "Queen
Metallia, what shall I do next?"
A low, wispy voice came from the crystal. "We must summon the shadow
warriors forth from the rainbow crystal carriers. There are seven total - with
them, Beryl, we shall be invincible!"
Queen Beryl momentarily smiled, but it faded with her intruding black
thoughts. "And the sailor scouts? Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Mars continue to
thwart my efforts. If they intercept the Imperium Silver Crystal, we may lose this
fight."
"No, Beryl, they won't. They will be destroyed by the seven shadow
warriors." Metallia's voice strengthened momentarily, revealing the depth of her
excitement. "Remember the death and destruction our seven strongest warriors
left in their wake?"
Queen Beryl nearly licked her lips in delicious memory. Blood spilled on
lunar soil had been her goal for decades - and the shadow warriors spilled
satisfying amounts of it on the gray dust. Bodies of those who remained loyal to
the Silver Alliance littered the ground - victory was very close.
At that moment, she offered the earth prince a chance to rule with her. He
was the only man who she had truly wanted by her side. She shivered slightly at
the thought of his thick dark hair, piercing eyes, and muscular physique.
Although his stubborn demeanor had caused his death, she had admired that, too.
While he refused and held the earth princess close, she had aggressively
attacked them both. They died instantly.
Her eyes narrowed. That was when Serenity had sent them hurling to
earth and the future. A future that she intended to dominate.
And, if the sailor scouts had been born again, then so had the earth prince.
She intended to make him hers this time around.
* * * *
Zoicite fingered the dark crystal that would enable him to retrieve the first
of the seven rainbow crystals. Strength had never been his strong point, he
thought dryly, but it had been one of Nephlyte's strengths, and, after all, he was
dead.
The general laughed.
How he had hated Nephlyte...for his strength and his passion. Perhaps it
had bordered jealousy in the beginning, when the queen valued strength over
brainpower. While not stupid, Nephlyte was certainly no intellect as Zoicite
prized himself to be. When Beryl began to question Nephlyte's motives, Zoicite
pounced - this was a perfect time to prove himself to his queen.
Later his hatred turned to disgust - Nephlyte's infamous passion for battle
turned into passion for life...and human love. How disgusting.
So much for passion, he mused, when Beryl summoned him to the throne
room. It was too strong and unpredictable - brainpower was steady and
trustworthy.
As he left his chambers, Zoicite felt a strange sensation. He shivered as he
felt a slight pang of guilt. Utterly shocked, he stopped walking and began to
massage his temples, intent on making the uncomfortable feeling go away.
While he hated his fellow generals, there was an unmistakable bond
between the four. Nothing resembling love, but it was an unexpected tie of loyalty that
he had never understood. It only hit him at intervals that were few and far
between, but this was stronger than the others. When Jadeite had been destroyed
by Queen Beryl, he no longer felt that irritating tie to Jadeite.
Awareness crept up Zoicite 's spine...Nephlyte was alive.
* * * *
Amy slipped the thin-rimmed glasses from the bridge of her nose and set
them on the table beside the leather couch. "This is by no means an interrogation.
We simply have to learn more about you - for everyone's safety." She nervously
twirled the pen in her right hand as she glanced at the list of questions she had
prepared for the interview.
"For Molly's safety, you mean." Nephlyte's narrowed gaze flicked to
Amy's notebook. He did little to hide the contempt from his voice as he said,
"Let's be honest, Sailor Mercury." He paced around the vast study that was
located on the west wing of the mansion. Plush rugs, mahogany furniture, and
leather couches greeted guests with an intimidating awareness - an environment
that suited him well.
Nephlyte helped himself to a Scotch, then, as an afterthought, said, "And
does the intellectual Sailor Mercury indulge in alcoholic beverages from time to
time?"
Amy's spine stiffened. "Of course not. Strong drink impairs one's ability
to think and reason. I rather enjoy the freedom of making intelligent choices
without the swaying relaxant of such beverages. The thought of acting
impulsively due to such an atrocity is appalling, in fact, I-"
"Yes, yes. A simple 'no' would have been sufficient." In an act of
defiance to Amy's lecture, he took a long, exaggerated sip of the Scotch. She
seemed unaffected.
Which was hardly surprising. When she had first entered his home with
the intentions of picking his brain, he had naturally resisted. If not for Molly's
safety, he would have refused this interview, but his past seemed to be the key to
unlocking his future. The more he knew of his past, the Negaverse, and his
individual powers, the more he could protect Molly and himself from Zoicite .
It seemed that Sailor Mercury, or Amy as the scouts had revealed to him,
was the only person who could solve the mystery of his past. Despite the fact that
she was here to help him, the two were quite weary of each other, being such
fierce recent enemies.
He finished his drink and sat down in a leather chair across from the petite
young girl. Fixing a fierce look of impatience on his face, he evenly said, "I'd
advise you to keep this quick, Mercury. Having tea parties with little girls is
hardly my idea of fun."
"You are wasting your time if you think that you will intimidate me,
Nephlyte."
Flashing an appraising look at his former enemy, he could only agree. Her
soft features had become rigid and her eyes flashed icy blue fire. "Indeed. And
when should Mars arrive?"
"Soon. We will place you under hypnosis, and I will ask you simple recall
questions, a cognitive exam, if you will. Rei will appeal to your subconscious
memories."
He nearly laughed. "Ah, sort of like a junior high séance?"
Amy chose to ignore that comment. "I will ask you to relax and allow us
to delve into the recesses of your mind. This is extremely important to our
mission tonight. You must remain calm and compliant."
Nephlyte raised a speculative eyebrow.
"On my honor, we will not harm you."
It was a sincere oath, one that he would trust. "Very well, I accept." He
laid his head on the back of the chair and tried to ease the tension in his body.
After several moments, he heard the door to the study open softly as Mars
entered. He pretended to close his eyes but opened them slightly so he could pay
close attention to them. She and Amy had a whispered conversation, one that he
could barely make out. Rei's voice was much more forceful, easier to understand
than Amy's softly whispered sentences.
"...recording device...you must...computer..." Amy gestured at her
laptop and handed Rei a small black object.
"...I agree...if we monitored his vital signs...would be important to the
translation...will try to explain the visions in full detail...only after he
sleeps...not dangerous..."
No longer caring if they noticed him, Nephlyte watched with wide eyes as
Rei began to unpack things from a black satchel that she had brought with her.
Candles were placed around the room and lit, while Amy turned out the lamps
and adjusted things on her computer. She placed a video and audio recording
device next to his chair.
Strange scents reached his nostrils as Mars began to speak softly to him.
She knelt before him and looked deeply into his eyes.
"Nephlyte, it is extremely important that you trust me. Trust that I am
only gathering information that we need to discover the secrets of your past. It
was with my visions that I found you to be human, and it will be with my visions
that I will learn the rest of your story. Throughout this procedure, I will be
touching your face and your hands. Take comfort from my presence and my
voice." Rei reached for his left hand and was pleased when he did not pull away
from her.
"We will be monitoring your vital signs as we ask you questions." Amy
began strapping equipment to his body. "Will this equipment distract you?"
Nephlyte looked into Amy's kind eyes and regretted his harsh treatment of
her earlier. "No, it is quite comfortable."
Mars smiled. "Good. Let us get started." She walked around his chair
and placed her hands gently on either side of his head. "I will ask you to pick an
object in the room and focus on it. Let the tension drain from your body and get
used to the feel of my hands."
He focused on a flickering candle across the room and let the strange
aromas of the room capture his senses. Surprisingly, he found that he had to
struggle to stay conscious. Fighting it only for a few seconds, he fell into a light
trance.
Rei gently stroked his temples as the minutes ticked by. She began to sing
softly, and ancient song that her grandfather had taught her, and, along with the
lyrical sounds coming from her mouth, the scents of the ceremonial candles
carried his mind away from his surroundings. A tranquil expression relaxed the
usually rigid features of his face. When she felt that he had succumbed to the
hypnotic spell, she softly said, "Show me who you are, Nephlyte."
She closed her eyes and willed the visions to inhabit her mind.
A beautiful woman stepped from the shadows of an enormous throne
room. Golden red hair curled and tumbled down her back and was only a few
inches shy of the marble floor beneath her crystal encased feet. The only
hindrance of that beautiful mass was an elegant golden crown that encircled her
head. The folds of her scarlet dress shimmered a royal purple if the light hit it
precisely in those areas.
Her delicate fingers curved around the end of a long golden scepter. With
a grace that can only be inherited, she floated to the single throne and surveyed
her subjects.
Her red lips curved into a pleased smile. "I see that all of my subjects are
here," her silky voice purred. "I would like you to meet my commanders." Her
next command was a surprise - for all of the reserve and silkiness that her voice
contained before, it was lost with her clearly bellowed order. "Come forward!
My commanders!" Four men dissolved out of the crowd and stepped up to meet
the queen.
The man that Rei knew to be Nephlyte turned to face the court with his
fellow commanders. The queen passed each of them and, in turn, each knelt
before her and kissed her hand. He softly murmured, "Queen Beryl", as he did
so.
The vision faded as another took its place.
Two fierce blue eyes narrowed into Nephlyte's eyes.
He observed the woman with a smirk. What was once a silky evening
dress was torn and dirty. Her golden hair escaped most untidily from her hairpins
and a bloody gash marred her upper arm.
She spit at his feet and spoke with a clear voice. "I will DIE first, do you
hear me? You are a traitorous bast-"
The surroundings took on distinct details. What looked like pools of
golden water were stained with the blood of dead bodies all around them. The air
was humid and hazy - a sure sign of a turbulent atmosphere heavy with the
aftershocks of a fierce battle. A castle in the distance reflected the fierce sunlight
off of it's battered walls. Smoke rose all around them. The sun was hot and the
air had a strange smell to it.
Another man to Nephlyte's left clicked his tongue.
"Now, is that any way for a princess to speak?" The man, who had long
white-blond hair, reached to touch her face. "Do as Nephlyte asks and surrender."
A tear fell down the young woman's dirty cheek and a moment of silence
followed. Her beautiful face passed through many emotions, including love, pain,
pity, regret, and lastly anger. Her mouth slowly began to thin and her eyes
narrowed. Her composure regained, her blonde hair fanned around her as she
swung to meet his gaze. "You've underestimated me again, Kunzite. Once, I
warned you to never repeat that transgression." Icy fire stirred in her gaze as she
stared at the handsome man.
Kunzite's eyes remained calm. He released her chin. "I've never seen
you before, little girl."
The third man of lesser rank than Kunzite and Nephlyte, who was sure he
had a firm hold on the woman, never saw her attack coming.
The icy glow from her eyes began to spread throughout her body. The
tattered golden dress she wore repaired itself and dissolved into nothing. With
soft murmurs in yet another language that sounded like a fairy's song, the winds
of the strange surroundings seemed to obey her commands. Her pale hair grew
and whipped around her body as the gold-flecked dust of the earth swirled at her
feet. With a shout that resounded across all of the visible lands, blinding light
hurled from her petite body and disintegrated the body of the soldier that no
longer held her.
Rei could feel Nephlyte's physical pain as the light began to cover him
and Kunzite as well. She knew that they had barely escaped death from the
impassioned woman who had narrowly escaped death herself, at the hands of the
evil that had apparently destroyed her people and her lands.
Rei's breath began to come in short pants, and she feared that she could
not physically bear many more visions. After a few seconds, she placed her
forehead to Nephlyte's and whispered, "Go back even further. Who were you
before you were a commander in Queen Beryl's army?"
She could feel herself being sucked into a powerful memory.
A monster peered into his eyes. It's nearly-black eyes burned with an
eerie intelligence that made him shiver. The scaly skin of its fingers touched his
naked torso and spoke to something on its left.
His skin had continued to crawl when the creature turned toward him
again and touched his temple. Pain, unbearable and intense, shot through his
entire body as his skin burned from invisible hot oil that melted it into angry red
boils. In the next minute, the skin was completely healed and the pain was gone.
Nephlyte bit his lip so hard that it began to bleed. He began to vomit but
only his pride kept the tears from flowing down his cheeks.
The woman that haunted his dreams, his Princess Jupiter, walked to his
side. He could not contain his surprised.
She merely smiled, her soft brown eyes gazing lovingly into his.
"Nephlyte, please join the queen in her mission. We have all succumbed to her
mighty power, please, do so too." She lowered her head to his and kissed him
passionately.
His heart knew that she was merely hologram, an element of deception
created by Queen Beryl, but he kissed her anyway. She asked for his allegiance
again, but, as he had done for many torture-filled days now, he rejected the offer.
Instead of dissolving into an angry, screaming Queen Beryl, the princess
that he loved merely nodded. The image of his ladylove walked away from the
platform that he was chained to and pulled a man out of the shadows of the room.
With a sly smile towards Nephlyte, she began to kiss the man. Other images
followed, some so deceitful and adulterous that Nephlyte nearly vomited again.
With a cry of rage, he cursed the queen for such false images and allowed
the pain to drain from his heart. It was not real. He knew it was not real. The
images disappeared.
"Noooo!" the redheaded woman screamed, her face appearing a mere inch
from his own. "I wanted your knowledge of Earth and the moon for my own!
And yet, all four of you have resisted torture, threats, and eternal life with your
princesses to keep it for yourself. Damn you all, guardians of the Earth Prince!"
She stamped her heeled shoes on the marble floor of the torture chamber so hard
that one of the cracked.
Several silent moments passed. When she had calmed down, she smiled
wickedly. "Very well, noble Nephlyte. With or without your special knowledge
- I must have you. I will simply have to MAKE you mine." Soft laughter escaped
her crimson lips. "This MAY sting a little..." She pointed her scepter to his heart
and blasted the full force of her evil magic into him.
The pain was unbearable, and he screamed and cried. His only coherent
thought was to fight off his assailant.
With a startled cry, Rei threw herself out of striking range. With a series
of sounds and commands, she brought her subject back to a peaceful state of
mind. "Nephlyte will wake in a few minutes." She focused worried violet eyes
upon her intelligent friend. "Ami, he's been brainwashed. VIOLENTLY
brainwashed."
Ami's hands shook as she took the videotape out of the recorder. "Rei,
whatever you saw, it's on this tape. Luna and Serena should know about this -
we'll call an emergency Sailor Scout meeting tomorrow after school." She slowly
slipped it into its case, and she and Rei began to thoughtfully pack up their
equipment.
The two girls left the mansion half and hour later, leaving a weakened
Nephlyte sleeping fitfully.
* * * *
Sailor Jupiter had emerged. With a cry of outrage the glowing symbol on
the girl's forehead marked the arrival of the fourth sailor scout.
Luna assessed the situation, noting with dry humor that their "hero" had
not come to save Sailor Moon THIS time. Perhaps the mysterious Tuxedo Mask
was an enemy sent to distract the champion of justice. The Lunarian would have
applauded his absence if the situation had not been so dire.
Serena was on her own in the fight against a game machine champ turned
evil - by the Negaforce no doubt. And, what had Zoicite 's speech on rainbow
crystals been about? Luna was determined to find out.
Serena's transformation had surprised the tall brunette. Serena had, no
doubt, made friends with the girl and brought her to Tokyo's finest arcade. When
one of the boys had left the arcade, the two followed, unwittingly caught in
another scheme plotted by Queen Beryl. With no time to spare and in flashes of
light, Sailor Moon had arrived.
Strangely enough, the other had angrily joined the fight and had revealed
her true nature. Luna reacted quickly, giving the girl instructions on how to
transform.
In a swirling background of green sparkles, the scent of a storm preceded a
force to be reckoned with - an attack of fierce thunder and deadly electricity. It
was a moment that Luna would always remember, as she had with the first attack
of the other three scouts.
Hours later, four girls talked animatedly about school (mostly Amy), boys
(Serena and Lita), and the situation with the Negaverse (mostly Rei and Amy,
with frequent interruptions about Tuxedo Mask's absence from the most recent
fight by Serena).
After the conversation started to die down, Amy gestured toward her bag
and grimly stated, "The tape is ready and I think you all need to see it. If you
have a weak stomach, I suggest you leave the room."
Everyone looked at Serena. "Excuse me? I can handle this, and, after all,
I am your leader." She pompously swept her ponytails over her shoulders as her
face took on an arrogant expression.
Rei opened her mouth to argue the point but stopped when Ami held up
her hand. "Remember, we will be seeing...situations...as Nephlyte's broken
mind remembers them. This is, in no way, a truth that could be verified and
labeled as fact. It is important to keep in mind that you will be seeing this through
Nephlyte's eyes, just as he sees them. Everything on the tape is like this with a
few exceptions, and these scenes are ones that Nephlyte has either fantasized or
imaged how other people viewed the situation." She turned to Rei. "I realize that
you have seen this, but the tape will be different than what you saw. The
recording is somewhat broken, and it would be helpful if you explained certain
things to us."
With a controlled breath, walked to the VCR and began to slip the tape in.
She's afraid, Serena thought, as she unconsciously inched closer to Rei. If
it scares Ami...
The screen went blurry, and just as Serena was about to complain, a dark,
menacing room took shape. She and the other girls watched the four men turn
and greet the audience...that seemed to be somewhat inhuman. However, the
figures were so blurry that it was hard to tell for certain.
Lita gasped slightly as Nephlyte turned around and faced the audience.
Serena, misunderstanding Lita's distress, patted her hand. "It is a bit
scary, isn't it?"
The newly appointed Sailor Jupiter merely nodded and tried to calm down.
That was the man from the other night...the one she had... Her face began to
burn, and she prayed that the other girls didn't notice.
The room faded and went black. The screen fuzzed slightly as the next
scene unsteadily came to focus. The exchange between the girl and the man
called Kunzite came to a halt when Ami paused the tape.
She pointed to the background of the paused film. "Have any of you seen
such a landscape? While I am aware of the fact that Nephlyte has certainly
distorted some of the memory, this is too much of a distortion. Golden pools...?"
"The air also had a strange smell to it, Ami. I remember that. There were
other details to the land that is not showing up here. Such as the unnatural
haziness, brownish skies, and choking humidity." Rei walked to the screen and
pointed to the girl and the silver-haired man. "I don't know if you guys noticed,
but this exchange with this man is really painful for her."
She took the liberty to press the play button, so the girls could see the
unexpected attack that came from her slender body. "There are only a couple of
things that could have enabled her to do this - Negaverse power or Sailor power."
Ami shook her head vigorously. "Who could this girl be? My thoughts
are that she was a member of the alliance to the Moon Kingdom. During the
Silver Millennium."
Serena's ponytails shook as she disagreed. "But, Ami, that would mean
that Nephlyte is over a thousand years old!"
The stricken look on Lita's face along with a sharp intake of breath got the
girls' attention. The tape had continued to play and Lita had continued to watch.
Rei looked toward the screen. "Oh my gosh! Lita...that's you!"
The three didn't notice her lose consciousness as their eyes continued to
focus on the screen and the woman that lowered her head to kiss the tortured
general.
******************************************************************
Until next time! :)
Copyright 2003
References
http://www.iit.edu/~mars/mars.html
http://www.astronomytoday.com/astronomy/
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/venus020422.html
story as soon as possible.
Sailor Crescent Moon - Thank you so very much for your critique, it was certainly
inspiring! :)
**********************************
Molly skipped up to the dark mansion that Nephlyte called home.
While the detail of the large house was intricate and clearly antique, it
gave off a distinct unpleasant feeling that caused the young girl to rush her
normally casual step. Perhaps the ancient limbs of the surrounding trees or the
eerie mist that perpetually surrounded the grounds contributed to the strange aura
of the place. Then again, she mused, Nephlyte himself was mysterious.
She hurried up the steps and stood on the porch for a moment, peering in a
nearby window and trying to steal a glimpse of Nephlyte before her knock alerted
him of her presence. He was such a guarded man, consistently cloaking his
thoughts and feelings. Her eyes finally adjusted to the dimly lit interior of the
house and she saw nothing, only dark shapes that were most undoubtedly
furniture inside a dark home.
She knocked briskly, trying to slow the beating of her heart as she heard
his footsteps approach.
Seconds before his opened the door, she smoothed an imaginary wrinkle
in the snug, midriff flattering white blouse she was wearing and patted her hair
consciously. She had twisted her shoulder-length hair into an elegant brown knot,
and, while it was certainly a change, the style made her look a couple of years
older. The hem of the cotton blue skirt she wore barely reached respectable
length, she mused, hoping that it would prod Nephlyte to respond to her in a more
mature fashion.
Molly suppressed a giggle.
A few gentlemanly kisses here and there had merely made her curious for
more, and she longed to learn the secrets of passionate love. While Nephlyte
learned the beauty of humanity, Molly mentally drummed her fingers and tried to
be patient. If only he would learn the beauty of romantic love, she thought.
Nephlyte opened the door cautiously, relief flooding his face as he looked
into Molly's eyes. He ushered her into his home, offering her various beverages
from his kitchen, nodding cheerfully when she selected an herbal tea mixture.
She looked different today, he thought, sitting down on a comfortable
couch in the sunroom, located in the back of the house. Molly sat down next to
him, kicked off her shoes, and leaned into him.
"Nephlyte, I've thought about you all day." She smiled warmly, sending a
rush of affection through his heart. "Do you ever get lonely in this big mansion of
yours, all alone?"
He took her hand and squeezed it. "No, I know that you will be with me
soon and it gives me time to relax. The Negaverse was no place for love and
relaxation. I seem to be enjoying both in your world, though." He arched a dark
eyebrow, a light dancing in his azure eyes.
It nearly robbed her of her breath. Molly smiled again, and, mentally
slowing her racing heart, she pressed her lips to his and tried to incite a satisfying
response from him. She placed her hand behind his head, threading her fingers
through the auburn masses and boldly pressed his mouth to her own.
Nephlyte's eyes widened in shock at the strange sensations flooding his
body. He kissed her passively for a few moments, trying to understand what was
happening. His entire body tingled, and he visibly shuddered, pulling her into his
lap. Nephlyte's kisses became dominant, and from Molly's delicate gasp, he
knew that she was enjoying this as much as he was.
His tongue brushed hers ardently as his hands crept up her back to tangle
in her hair as hers was currently tangled in his own. He crushed her small frame
to his body.
A new, stranger sensation crept up his spine. Opening his eyes, Nephlyte
found himself staring to beautiful green eyes, quite unlike Molly's. They
belonged to the mysterious girl from the storm. He knew it was an extraordinary
vision, a stubborn mental lapse designed to inconvenience him, but it rocked him
to his core - he wanted the girl more than he had ever wanted Molly.
He stopped suddenly and pushed the girl away from him, shaking his head
forcefully, ridding his mind of the tricks it played on his eyes. Instantly, the
stranger's beautiful face and entrancing eyes faded, revealing Molly's soft,
wounded expression.
Molly pulled away from him slowly, looking embarrassed. Two buttons
on her shirt were undone, her hair tangled, and her cheeks flushed. He looked
deeply disturbed by something. She could only surmise that he was disgusted by
her.
As Nephlyte tried to explain in a manner that would make sense as well as
spare her feelings, she merely nodded and walked toward the door. He was still
stammering when she left his house, rushing to get away from the humiliating
situation and the creepy surroundings.
* * * *
It was too beautiful a day in Tokyo for such a thoughtful mood. Such days
were meant for milkshakes, poolside lounging, and friends - not school bells, the
Negaverse, or the problems with Nephlyte. But Sailor Moon was required to
ponder these things - it was sunny days like this that she fought to keep.
It was amazing how such a tiny planet could be so beautiful and yet so
different from its sister planets. Each of Earth's nearest neighbors had an
interesting feature that was distinctly unique to that planet. Mercury with its
strange orbit, where at some points on the planet, an observer would see the sun
gradually rise and stop, briefly reverse course and stop again before resuming its
original path. Venus, where an observer would look to the west for a sunrise and
east for the sunset. Mars with its vast dust storms, versus Jupiter's colder
temperatures and lightning bolts that are ten times more powerful than a lightning
bolt on Earth.
And she was only the guardian of Earth's moon. It was simply a small
ball of rock and crater damage with no atmosphere. Sure, the view of Earth was
breathtaking, but what was significant about its one tiny moon?
In many ways, it made sense why she so different than her human
planetary counterparts, but sometimes it was frustrating. Amy, Sailor Mercury,
had been endowed with extreme intelligence, and Rei, Sailor Mars, had been
blessed with a sixth sense. What was her extraordinary power?
Memories of the recent fateful night flashed through her mind. Nephlyte's
attack, Molly's love, the scouts' healing powers. As Sailor Moon, she had
contributed little. Although she had eliminated the pain from her friend's hands,
she hadn't healed them completely.
What new powers would the next sailor scout bring to the Sailor Scouts?
Serena thought about the moon princess that the scouts were to seek out.
What would her appearance reveal? And what about the Imperium Silver
Crystal?
She shook her head and marveled at how serious she had become about
her role as Sailor Moon. Regardless of Rei's accusations that she was a total ditz
and a complete baby, there was more underneath her façade of outrageous
silliness. It hid the biting fear of battle and the panic of having her dearest friends
placed in danger to save the energy of their species. She loved her fellow scouts
as much as her family, and she would gladly die protecting them.
Serena's chest hurt when she thought more of the new sailor scout that
would arrive. This individual would become among her circle of beloved friends,
and there would be one more person to worry about, one more person to cry for.
One more to protect with her life.
She was so lost in her thoughts, that she didn't notice a tall brunette
walking straight in her direction. The collision knocked them both down.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Serena scrambled to help the other girl off of the
sidewalk. "I'm afraid that I wasn't watching where I was going."
They hurried to retrieve their belongings.
The brunette smiled. "Me neither...I had my mind on other things, too..."
Her smile faded slightly and a pensive frown turned her lips. She shook her head
as if to clear her troubling thoughts.
Serena pushed her long ponytails over her shoulders. "I'm Serena. You
know, you look familiar."
"My name's Lita." Lita cocked her head momentarily and studied the
short blonde girl. "You go to school, right? I transferred there a couple of days
ago."
Serena drummed her fingers on the notebook she carried. "You must be-"
She gasped. "You are the girl that got kicked out of her old school!" exclaimed
the ever-so-blunt blonde.
Lita laughed and tried to explain the situation. Before long, the two were
talking animatedly about their lives.
"You want to meet me after school tomorrow, Lita? We can go to the
arcade and see this really cute guy..."
"Sounds great!"
With the agreement, Serena and Lita rushed off to school.
* * * *
Queen Beryl recessed to the deepest of her chambers with a mission.
Another of her generals lie cold in his grave and her control wore thin. The first,
a failure, the second, a traitor...what next?
She peered into the round crystal that dominated the small room. "Queen
Metallia, what shall I do next?"
A low, wispy voice came from the crystal. "We must summon the shadow
warriors forth from the rainbow crystal carriers. There are seven total - with
them, Beryl, we shall be invincible!"
Queen Beryl momentarily smiled, but it faded with her intruding black
thoughts. "And the sailor scouts? Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Mars continue to
thwart my efforts. If they intercept the Imperium Silver Crystal, we may lose this
fight."
"No, Beryl, they won't. They will be destroyed by the seven shadow
warriors." Metallia's voice strengthened momentarily, revealing the depth of her
excitement. "Remember the death and destruction our seven strongest warriors
left in their wake?"
Queen Beryl nearly licked her lips in delicious memory. Blood spilled on
lunar soil had been her goal for decades - and the shadow warriors spilled
satisfying amounts of it on the gray dust. Bodies of those who remained loyal to
the Silver Alliance littered the ground - victory was very close.
At that moment, she offered the earth prince a chance to rule with her. He
was the only man who she had truly wanted by her side. She shivered slightly at
the thought of his thick dark hair, piercing eyes, and muscular physique.
Although his stubborn demeanor had caused his death, she had admired that, too.
While he refused and held the earth princess close, she had aggressively
attacked them both. They died instantly.
Her eyes narrowed. That was when Serenity had sent them hurling to
earth and the future. A future that she intended to dominate.
And, if the sailor scouts had been born again, then so had the earth prince.
She intended to make him hers this time around.
* * * *
Zoicite fingered the dark crystal that would enable him to retrieve the first
of the seven rainbow crystals. Strength had never been his strong point, he
thought dryly, but it had been one of Nephlyte's strengths, and, after all, he was
dead.
The general laughed.
How he had hated Nephlyte...for his strength and his passion. Perhaps it
had bordered jealousy in the beginning, when the queen valued strength over
brainpower. While not stupid, Nephlyte was certainly no intellect as Zoicite
prized himself to be. When Beryl began to question Nephlyte's motives, Zoicite
pounced - this was a perfect time to prove himself to his queen.
Later his hatred turned to disgust - Nephlyte's infamous passion for battle
turned into passion for life...and human love. How disgusting.
So much for passion, he mused, when Beryl summoned him to the throne
room. It was too strong and unpredictable - brainpower was steady and
trustworthy.
As he left his chambers, Zoicite felt a strange sensation. He shivered as he
felt a slight pang of guilt. Utterly shocked, he stopped walking and began to
massage his temples, intent on making the uncomfortable feeling go away.
While he hated his fellow generals, there was an unmistakable bond
between the four. Nothing resembling love, but it was an unexpected tie of loyalty that
he had never understood. It only hit him at intervals that were few and far
between, but this was stronger than the others. When Jadeite had been destroyed
by Queen Beryl, he no longer felt that irritating tie to Jadeite.
Awareness crept up Zoicite 's spine...Nephlyte was alive.
* * * *
Amy slipped the thin-rimmed glasses from the bridge of her nose and set
them on the table beside the leather couch. "This is by no means an interrogation.
We simply have to learn more about you - for everyone's safety." She nervously
twirled the pen in her right hand as she glanced at the list of questions she had
prepared for the interview.
"For Molly's safety, you mean." Nephlyte's narrowed gaze flicked to
Amy's notebook. He did little to hide the contempt from his voice as he said,
"Let's be honest, Sailor Mercury." He paced around the vast study that was
located on the west wing of the mansion. Plush rugs, mahogany furniture, and
leather couches greeted guests with an intimidating awareness - an environment
that suited him well.
Nephlyte helped himself to a Scotch, then, as an afterthought, said, "And
does the intellectual Sailor Mercury indulge in alcoholic beverages from time to
time?"
Amy's spine stiffened. "Of course not. Strong drink impairs one's ability
to think and reason. I rather enjoy the freedom of making intelligent choices
without the swaying relaxant of such beverages. The thought of acting
impulsively due to such an atrocity is appalling, in fact, I-"
"Yes, yes. A simple 'no' would have been sufficient." In an act of
defiance to Amy's lecture, he took a long, exaggerated sip of the Scotch. She
seemed unaffected.
Which was hardly surprising. When she had first entered his home with
the intentions of picking his brain, he had naturally resisted. If not for Molly's
safety, he would have refused this interview, but his past seemed to be the key to
unlocking his future. The more he knew of his past, the Negaverse, and his
individual powers, the more he could protect Molly and himself from Zoicite .
It seemed that Sailor Mercury, or Amy as the scouts had revealed to him,
was the only person who could solve the mystery of his past. Despite the fact that
she was here to help him, the two were quite weary of each other, being such
fierce recent enemies.
He finished his drink and sat down in a leather chair across from the petite
young girl. Fixing a fierce look of impatience on his face, he evenly said, "I'd
advise you to keep this quick, Mercury. Having tea parties with little girls is
hardly my idea of fun."
"You are wasting your time if you think that you will intimidate me,
Nephlyte."
Flashing an appraising look at his former enemy, he could only agree. Her
soft features had become rigid and her eyes flashed icy blue fire. "Indeed. And
when should Mars arrive?"
"Soon. We will place you under hypnosis, and I will ask you simple recall
questions, a cognitive exam, if you will. Rei will appeal to your subconscious
memories."
He nearly laughed. "Ah, sort of like a junior high séance?"
Amy chose to ignore that comment. "I will ask you to relax and allow us
to delve into the recesses of your mind. This is extremely important to our
mission tonight. You must remain calm and compliant."
Nephlyte raised a speculative eyebrow.
"On my honor, we will not harm you."
It was a sincere oath, one that he would trust. "Very well, I accept." He
laid his head on the back of the chair and tried to ease the tension in his body.
After several moments, he heard the door to the study open softly as Mars
entered. He pretended to close his eyes but opened them slightly so he could pay
close attention to them. She and Amy had a whispered conversation, one that he
could barely make out. Rei's voice was much more forceful, easier to understand
than Amy's softly whispered sentences.
"...recording device...you must...computer..." Amy gestured at her
laptop and handed Rei a small black object.
"...I agree...if we monitored his vital signs...would be important to the
translation...will try to explain the visions in full detail...only after he
sleeps...not dangerous..."
No longer caring if they noticed him, Nephlyte watched with wide eyes as
Rei began to unpack things from a black satchel that she had brought with her.
Candles were placed around the room and lit, while Amy turned out the lamps
and adjusted things on her computer. She placed a video and audio recording
device next to his chair.
Strange scents reached his nostrils as Mars began to speak softly to him.
She knelt before him and looked deeply into his eyes.
"Nephlyte, it is extremely important that you trust me. Trust that I am
only gathering information that we need to discover the secrets of your past. It
was with my visions that I found you to be human, and it will be with my visions
that I will learn the rest of your story. Throughout this procedure, I will be
touching your face and your hands. Take comfort from my presence and my
voice." Rei reached for his left hand and was pleased when he did not pull away
from her.
"We will be monitoring your vital signs as we ask you questions." Amy
began strapping equipment to his body. "Will this equipment distract you?"
Nephlyte looked into Amy's kind eyes and regretted his harsh treatment of
her earlier. "No, it is quite comfortable."
Mars smiled. "Good. Let us get started." She walked around his chair
and placed her hands gently on either side of his head. "I will ask you to pick an
object in the room and focus on it. Let the tension drain from your body and get
used to the feel of my hands."
He focused on a flickering candle across the room and let the strange
aromas of the room capture his senses. Surprisingly, he found that he had to
struggle to stay conscious. Fighting it only for a few seconds, he fell into a light
trance.
Rei gently stroked his temples as the minutes ticked by. She began to sing
softly, and ancient song that her grandfather had taught her, and, along with the
lyrical sounds coming from her mouth, the scents of the ceremonial candles
carried his mind away from his surroundings. A tranquil expression relaxed the
usually rigid features of his face. When she felt that he had succumbed to the
hypnotic spell, she softly said, "Show me who you are, Nephlyte."
She closed her eyes and willed the visions to inhabit her mind.
A beautiful woman stepped from the shadows of an enormous throne
room. Golden red hair curled and tumbled down her back and was only a few
inches shy of the marble floor beneath her crystal encased feet. The only
hindrance of that beautiful mass was an elegant golden crown that encircled her
head. The folds of her scarlet dress shimmered a royal purple if the light hit it
precisely in those areas.
Her delicate fingers curved around the end of a long golden scepter. With
a grace that can only be inherited, she floated to the single throne and surveyed
her subjects.
Her red lips curved into a pleased smile. "I see that all of my subjects are
here," her silky voice purred. "I would like you to meet my commanders." Her
next command was a surprise - for all of the reserve and silkiness that her voice
contained before, it was lost with her clearly bellowed order. "Come forward!
My commanders!" Four men dissolved out of the crowd and stepped up to meet
the queen.
The man that Rei knew to be Nephlyte turned to face the court with his
fellow commanders. The queen passed each of them and, in turn, each knelt
before her and kissed her hand. He softly murmured, "Queen Beryl", as he did
so.
The vision faded as another took its place.
Two fierce blue eyes narrowed into Nephlyte's eyes.
He observed the woman with a smirk. What was once a silky evening
dress was torn and dirty. Her golden hair escaped most untidily from her hairpins
and a bloody gash marred her upper arm.
She spit at his feet and spoke with a clear voice. "I will DIE first, do you
hear me? You are a traitorous bast-"
The surroundings took on distinct details. What looked like pools of
golden water were stained with the blood of dead bodies all around them. The air
was humid and hazy - a sure sign of a turbulent atmosphere heavy with the
aftershocks of a fierce battle. A castle in the distance reflected the fierce sunlight
off of it's battered walls. Smoke rose all around them. The sun was hot and the
air had a strange smell to it.
Another man to Nephlyte's left clicked his tongue.
"Now, is that any way for a princess to speak?" The man, who had long
white-blond hair, reached to touch her face. "Do as Nephlyte asks and surrender."
A tear fell down the young woman's dirty cheek and a moment of silence
followed. Her beautiful face passed through many emotions, including love, pain,
pity, regret, and lastly anger. Her mouth slowly began to thin and her eyes
narrowed. Her composure regained, her blonde hair fanned around her as she
swung to meet his gaze. "You've underestimated me again, Kunzite. Once, I
warned you to never repeat that transgression." Icy fire stirred in her gaze as she
stared at the handsome man.
Kunzite's eyes remained calm. He released her chin. "I've never seen
you before, little girl."
The third man of lesser rank than Kunzite and Nephlyte, who was sure he
had a firm hold on the woman, never saw her attack coming.
The icy glow from her eyes began to spread throughout her body. The
tattered golden dress she wore repaired itself and dissolved into nothing. With
soft murmurs in yet another language that sounded like a fairy's song, the winds
of the strange surroundings seemed to obey her commands. Her pale hair grew
and whipped around her body as the gold-flecked dust of the earth swirled at her
feet. With a shout that resounded across all of the visible lands, blinding light
hurled from her petite body and disintegrated the body of the soldier that no
longer held her.
Rei could feel Nephlyte's physical pain as the light began to cover him
and Kunzite as well. She knew that they had barely escaped death from the
impassioned woman who had narrowly escaped death herself, at the hands of the
evil that had apparently destroyed her people and her lands.
Rei's breath began to come in short pants, and she feared that she could
not physically bear many more visions. After a few seconds, she placed her
forehead to Nephlyte's and whispered, "Go back even further. Who were you
before you were a commander in Queen Beryl's army?"
She could feel herself being sucked into a powerful memory.
A monster peered into his eyes. It's nearly-black eyes burned with an
eerie intelligence that made him shiver. The scaly skin of its fingers touched his
naked torso and spoke to something on its left.
His skin had continued to crawl when the creature turned toward him
again and touched his temple. Pain, unbearable and intense, shot through his
entire body as his skin burned from invisible hot oil that melted it into angry red
boils. In the next minute, the skin was completely healed and the pain was gone.
Nephlyte bit his lip so hard that it began to bleed. He began to vomit but
only his pride kept the tears from flowing down his cheeks.
The woman that haunted his dreams, his Princess Jupiter, walked to his
side. He could not contain his surprised.
She merely smiled, her soft brown eyes gazing lovingly into his.
"Nephlyte, please join the queen in her mission. We have all succumbed to her
mighty power, please, do so too." She lowered her head to his and kissed him
passionately.
His heart knew that she was merely hologram, an element of deception
created by Queen Beryl, but he kissed her anyway. She asked for his allegiance
again, but, as he had done for many torture-filled days now, he rejected the offer.
Instead of dissolving into an angry, screaming Queen Beryl, the princess
that he loved merely nodded. The image of his ladylove walked away from the
platform that he was chained to and pulled a man out of the shadows of the room.
With a sly smile towards Nephlyte, she began to kiss the man. Other images
followed, some so deceitful and adulterous that Nephlyte nearly vomited again.
With a cry of rage, he cursed the queen for such false images and allowed
the pain to drain from his heart. It was not real. He knew it was not real. The
images disappeared.
"Noooo!" the redheaded woman screamed, her face appearing a mere inch
from his own. "I wanted your knowledge of Earth and the moon for my own!
And yet, all four of you have resisted torture, threats, and eternal life with your
princesses to keep it for yourself. Damn you all, guardians of the Earth Prince!"
She stamped her heeled shoes on the marble floor of the torture chamber so hard
that one of the cracked.
Several silent moments passed. When she had calmed down, she smiled
wickedly. "Very well, noble Nephlyte. With or without your special knowledge
- I must have you. I will simply have to MAKE you mine." Soft laughter escaped
her crimson lips. "This MAY sting a little..." She pointed her scepter to his heart
and blasted the full force of her evil magic into him.
The pain was unbearable, and he screamed and cried. His only coherent
thought was to fight off his assailant.
With a startled cry, Rei threw herself out of striking range. With a series
of sounds and commands, she brought her subject back to a peaceful state of
mind. "Nephlyte will wake in a few minutes." She focused worried violet eyes
upon her intelligent friend. "Ami, he's been brainwashed. VIOLENTLY
brainwashed."
Ami's hands shook as she took the videotape out of the recorder. "Rei,
whatever you saw, it's on this tape. Luna and Serena should know about this -
we'll call an emergency Sailor Scout meeting tomorrow after school." She slowly
slipped it into its case, and she and Rei began to thoughtfully pack up their
equipment.
The two girls left the mansion half and hour later, leaving a weakened
Nephlyte sleeping fitfully.
* * * *
Sailor Jupiter had emerged. With a cry of outrage the glowing symbol on
the girl's forehead marked the arrival of the fourth sailor scout.
Luna assessed the situation, noting with dry humor that their "hero" had
not come to save Sailor Moon THIS time. Perhaps the mysterious Tuxedo Mask
was an enemy sent to distract the champion of justice. The Lunarian would have
applauded his absence if the situation had not been so dire.
Serena was on her own in the fight against a game machine champ turned
evil - by the Negaforce no doubt. And, what had Zoicite 's speech on rainbow
crystals been about? Luna was determined to find out.
Serena's transformation had surprised the tall brunette. Serena had, no
doubt, made friends with the girl and brought her to Tokyo's finest arcade. When
one of the boys had left the arcade, the two followed, unwittingly caught in
another scheme plotted by Queen Beryl. With no time to spare and in flashes of
light, Sailor Moon had arrived.
Strangely enough, the other had angrily joined the fight and had revealed
her true nature. Luna reacted quickly, giving the girl instructions on how to
transform.
In a swirling background of green sparkles, the scent of a storm preceded a
force to be reckoned with - an attack of fierce thunder and deadly electricity. It
was a moment that Luna would always remember, as she had with the first attack
of the other three scouts.
Hours later, four girls talked animatedly about school (mostly Amy), boys
(Serena and Lita), and the situation with the Negaverse (mostly Rei and Amy,
with frequent interruptions about Tuxedo Mask's absence from the most recent
fight by Serena).
After the conversation started to die down, Amy gestured toward her bag
and grimly stated, "The tape is ready and I think you all need to see it. If you
have a weak stomach, I suggest you leave the room."
Everyone looked at Serena. "Excuse me? I can handle this, and, after all,
I am your leader." She pompously swept her ponytails over her shoulders as her
face took on an arrogant expression.
Rei opened her mouth to argue the point but stopped when Ami held up
her hand. "Remember, we will be seeing...situations...as Nephlyte's broken
mind remembers them. This is, in no way, a truth that could be verified and
labeled as fact. It is important to keep in mind that you will be seeing this through
Nephlyte's eyes, just as he sees them. Everything on the tape is like this with a
few exceptions, and these scenes are ones that Nephlyte has either fantasized or
imaged how other people viewed the situation." She turned to Rei. "I realize that
you have seen this, but the tape will be different than what you saw. The
recording is somewhat broken, and it would be helpful if you explained certain
things to us."
With a controlled breath, walked to the VCR and began to slip the tape in.
She's afraid, Serena thought, as she unconsciously inched closer to Rei. If
it scares Ami...
The screen went blurry, and just as Serena was about to complain, a dark,
menacing room took shape. She and the other girls watched the four men turn
and greet the audience...that seemed to be somewhat inhuman. However, the
figures were so blurry that it was hard to tell for certain.
Lita gasped slightly as Nephlyte turned around and faced the audience.
Serena, misunderstanding Lita's distress, patted her hand. "It is a bit
scary, isn't it?"
The newly appointed Sailor Jupiter merely nodded and tried to calm down.
That was the man from the other night...the one she had... Her face began to
burn, and she prayed that the other girls didn't notice.
The room faded and went black. The screen fuzzed slightly as the next
scene unsteadily came to focus. The exchange between the girl and the man
called Kunzite came to a halt when Ami paused the tape.
She pointed to the background of the paused film. "Have any of you seen
such a landscape? While I am aware of the fact that Nephlyte has certainly
distorted some of the memory, this is too much of a distortion. Golden pools...?"
"The air also had a strange smell to it, Ami. I remember that. There were
other details to the land that is not showing up here. Such as the unnatural
haziness, brownish skies, and choking humidity." Rei walked to the screen and
pointed to the girl and the silver-haired man. "I don't know if you guys noticed,
but this exchange with this man is really painful for her."
She took the liberty to press the play button, so the girls could see the
unexpected attack that came from her slender body. "There are only a couple of
things that could have enabled her to do this - Negaverse power or Sailor power."
Ami shook her head vigorously. "Who could this girl be? My thoughts
are that she was a member of the alliance to the Moon Kingdom. During the
Silver Millennium."
Serena's ponytails shook as she disagreed. "But, Ami, that would mean
that Nephlyte is over a thousand years old!"
The stricken look on Lita's face along with a sharp intake of breath got the
girls' attention. The tape had continued to play and Lita had continued to watch.
Rei looked toward the screen. "Oh my gosh! Lita...that's you!"
The three didn't notice her lose consciousness as their eyes continued to
focus on the screen and the woman that lowered her head to kiss the tortured
general.
******************************************************************
Until next time! :)
Copyright 2003
References
http://www.iit.edu/~mars/mars.html
http://www.astronomytoday.com/astronomy/
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/venus020422.html
