Winds of Change

Chapter 4: Reflections

Hello all! This chapter is finally written! I kept debating whether or not this would be the next chapter, so I hope you like it. Thanks so much to Moon's Rose who updated after the last, admittedly long chapter. Well, I'm going to stop rambling, so enjoy!

Disclaimers applied. I do not sadly own Sailor Moon.

The clammy heat of summer had finally lost its' hold as fall ended and the chill of winter began to creep in. At home, laying on his bed, a man sighed as he let his thoughts wander.

It has been six weeks since Serena left. Six weeks, and now it's the end of October. I wonder what she's been doing? Ever since she got on that plane things have gone downhill. Carefully Darien eased himself into a more vertical position, wincing as the movement jarred his bruised body.

Things are just getting worse. Not that I thought things would get better without her, but I would have at least thought that the fighting amongst ourselves would lessen. Instead our team is falling apart and our enemies are getting more and more difficult to beat. A groan worked its way past his tight throat as his body stiffened with pain. I've never taken so much damage in one battle. None of us have. Since Serena left it seems as if we can't move quick enough, can't fight hard enough. Each battle we get a few more bruises, a couple more fractured or sprained limbs or bones. Looking back to the battles with her, I can't help but wonder if her "mistakes" were... The image of Serena's "fall" during the first battle after their reawakening flits through his mind. Could she have deliberately...?

Just then the watch on his bedside table began to beep. Abandoning his train of thought, Darien reached for it, praying that it wasn't another attack.

"What's up?" he asked, turning the communicator on.

"We have a monster in the park! Mars and Jupiter are already there, but so far their attacks have proved to be ineffective."

Ineffective? This is not good. "I'll be there as soon as possible." A swirl of light and rose petals replaced the battered Darien with a battered Tuxedo MASK. Turning to the balcony he glanced up at the moon, partially hidden by the clouds, before walking out onto the balcony and jumping into the night.

Beep. Beep. Beep

A hand reached out to turn off the annoying noise. Unfortunately it continued to persist.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Turning over, Kara let her eyes adjust to the darkness before picking up the communicator Serena had left behind. Looking at the clock she frowned. "This had better be good. I just left the lookout an hour ago." She grumbled, turning it on to listen to what Luna had to say.

"-park! Mars and Jupiter are already there, but so far their attacks have proved to be ineffective."

Kara gently snapped the communicator closed while processing this new information. Serena had been correct. Each new wave of monsters was evolving to counteract the scouts' attacks, and that could only mean one thing. The Illuminati have come. It is a lucky thing that Serena did not stay here. It's bad enough that the crystal is within their reach. But if she had stayed, it would have spelled disaster. In the past weeks I have seen five well trained and seasoned warriors fall apart. Each battle, I have seen them collect more injuries that by the next are only partially healed. Their planetary powers can only do so much.

Of course if Serena had been here, they wouldn't have gotten nearly the amount of damage they have; instead she would have taken it herself. A deep, simmering anger bubbled in her at the thought. Despite being Serena's other half, or perhaps because of it, Kara felt as protective as any of the others when it came down to the Princess's safety and well-being. Taking damage for her guards didn't constitute safety in Kara's book.

Calming herself, she sent a call out to Pluto and Saturn who were manning the lookout on the moon. "The creatures have become immune to both Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter's' attacks. Tonight I may have to reveal myself."

"What do you need us to do?" Pluto's thought-voice was tense. For all intents and purposes, the Princess is Kara, complete or not, and for her to enter a combat zone without a guard went against every instinct that had been drummed into her head.

Kara knew that Saturn felt the same, but what she had to do she had to do. "Watch. For now I'm strong enough without resorting to using the crystal to defeat them." Then, without another thought, she teleported to the park, transforming once more into Infinity. Up ahead beyond the trees she could hear the sounds of battle.

Making her way to an outcropping of trees alongside the fight, Infinity was provided a perfect view of the action. Tuxedo Mask was, along with Venus, hurling attacks at the creature. Behind them, mercury was doing all she could to help Mars and Jupiter. From deep within, an overwhelming protectiveness surged at the pitiful sight the team made. Then, Venus shouted and instinct had Infinity moving onto the battlefield.

Venus's cry of pain had Mercury spinning from the other two Scouts. To her horror, Tuxedo Mask was on the ground and the monster had Venus in it's grasp, her feet dangling above the ground. Struggling to rise to her feet, she tried to summon the power to attack, but to no avail. Not even a spark of energy remained. Then, out of nowhere, a figure came running past, no more than a blur. She passed the creature, and at first Mercury thought nothing had happened. Then, like ice breaking from the face of a cliff, the hand holding Venus slid away from the creatures' body. The creature itself seemed stunned.

"Venus!" Mercury called as she moved as quickly as she could to her fallen comrade, not realizing the danger she was putting herself in. Tearing the remains of the arm from her, Mercury almost cried out in despair. Where the creature had latched on was a huge, gaping wound.

How can I stem the blood flow? And what about the others?

"Watch out!!!"

Mercury heard the girl who had saved Venus scream, and turned to see what was the matter. As she turned in the direction of the voice, a sudden realization of the danger she was in hit her. The creature was almost on top of her!

Simultaneously a bright light exploded from the direction of the mysterious girl. Once she could see and the blinding light had faded, Mercury looked around.

The creature had disappeared and the girl was nowhere to be seen.

I'll wonder about her later. I need to- she thought, stopping as she gazed down at Venus who was now fully healed. The others, including herself were all healthy she noted. Sitting down, Mercury tried to comprehend the turn of events, and wait for the others to wake up.

The energy left over from using the crystal pulsed in her viens as Infinity became Kara once more. Teleporting directly to the moon kingdom, she waited for the inevitable.

"What do you think you were doing?"

"You could have been killed!"

Pluto and Saturn continued to rant, with Kara waiting for them to finish. Slowly they ran out of steam. When they had finally stopped, Kara spoke up. "What I do or don't do, will be decided by me alone. I'm sorry for worrying you. However, I couldn't let them die. I promised." Somehow Serena was able to control my movements. I don't think even she realized she would be able to do that. And with that thought weighing on her mind she teleported home.

There had been pain, and the knowledge that death awaited. But, as she began to fall into the deep abyss of eternal rest, a gentle light had soothed the pain away and guided her home.

The sensation of cool air and wet grass was the first thing she felt. Groaning as movement proved that her muscles were stiff and uncooperative, she belatedly realized that while there was stiffness, there was no pain. Venus sat up and looked around.

At her movement, Mercury had risen to her feet and approached.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"What happened?" Venus countered. The last thing she recalled was being caught, and the horrible pain of the sucker-like appendage eating it's way into her body as well as taking her energy. Not that she had had much left at that point.

Just then another voice called out, "That's what I'd like to know." Turning they saw that Tuxedo Mask, as well as the other two scouts had recovered as well. Coming together, Mercury checked them over one by one before replying to the question.

Once done she said, "I want the whole group together when we discuss what happened tonight, and that means Luna and Artemis. Besides that, all of us have suffered severe bodily trauma, and while we were all magically healed, our bodies physically have to regain the ground they lost when they were forced to heal faster than what is normal. And that means we need to rest."

"But-" began Mars.

"Do-" started Jupiter.

However, neither of them were able ot finish their sentence, because Venus stepped in. "She's right. We did almost die tonight, but whatever the reason for our surviving, it can wait till tomorrow."

"Besides," Tuxedo Mask spoke up. "Tomorrow's Friday, and we'll be better able to think once we rest."

Nodding their agreement, they all headed for home, detransforming and thinking of what the coming day might bring.

Rrrriiiinnnggg!!!

"The end of another long week of school."

"Mina, you always say that!"

"And I always mean it." Mina glanced over at Ami who had been extremely quiet all day. Even for her. "Ami, what happened last night?"

At this, Both Raye and Ami focused on Mina, before Ami broke eye contact and replied, "Later. I don't want to have to explain more than once." The rest of the ways to the meeting place, the three girls were quiet, Amis' somber mood casting a shadow over the day.

Approaching the temple, the three girls saw both Darien and Lita waiting. Silently they moved into their "battle" room, the living room, and saw Artemis and Luna on the couch. Arranging themselves in a v shape, with Ami at the vertex, they waited for her to speak.

She began, "First of all, don't interrupt. A lot of what Im going to say needs to be said, and I just want to bring it out in the open." Ami looked around her, waiting for their agreement before continuing.

"The past six weeks have been hard on all of us." Her eyes traveled over each other them. "Since Serena left, our teamwork has begun to fall apart."

Raye made as if to deny it, but subsided at Minas' gesture.

"Before, our injuries were minimal, and battles were over quickly with little conflict between each other. Now it's different. We argue, or are so tired or in so much pain that we can't. When we went into battle last night, all of us had sustained serious injuries from previous fights. We should have died last night."

"But we didn't!" Raye cried out, unable to be quiet.

"No we didn't. But our miraculous survival and recovery wasn't due to any of our efforts." She took a deep breath. "Last night, after Venus had been captured, I tried to save her, but couldn't summon even a spark of power. It was then that I knew we were doomed. But out of the shadows, a figure that was little more than a blur sliced the monsters' arm from its' body. It was a girl. At the time I forgot about her and the creature, and concentrated on helping Mina. She was bleeding so profusely that I felt there was no hope. That was when I heard the girl shout out to me. I suddenly realized that the creature was nearly on top of me.

"There was nothing I could do. I stared in horror as it came closer, and then there was a bright light. It was so bright I couldn't see. And when it faded away, the monster was gone and we were all healed."

For a moment they all sat in contemplation, wonder who this girl could be, and how she had defeated the monster and healed them. Then Luna spoke up. "A bright light? Could this girl have the Silver Imperium Crystal?"

"But didn't the Princess take the crystal after..." Artemis trailed off as the implications of this hit him. "Could she be her? Is it possible?"

Ami thought back to the one clear glimpse she had gotten of the mystery girl before replying, "If she is the Moon Princess, then she's not at all what we expected."

The Princess and the Crystal are within our reach. Last night the Scouts should have died. The fact that they didn't proves that the Princess has once again come out to play. It's only a matter of time...

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Not as long as the last one, but halfway through I decided to split it up to make it easier to update. Well, you know what to do!

Chapter 5: A Whole New World