10 - Missing You.
Alexia let out a weary sigh as she walked slowly down the stairs, the doorbell ringing for a third time.
"I'm coming, give me a minute." She muttered. Her head felt heavy and all she wanted to do was to was get rid of the visitor so she could go back to her bed, where she had been curled up under her covers for several hours. In the dark, warm and comforting confinements of her blankets she had replayed the past night's events over and over, trying to come up with different outcomes to no avail. Yawning, she looked through the spy hole in her front door and sighed again. On the other side, seeming to look straight at the green-haired girl, was Mina. After closing her eyes for a moment Alexia plucked up the energy to open the door.
"Mina," She greeted her quietly, managing to avoid making eye contact. Although she had no reason to feel uneasy in the presence of the blonde, such was Alexia's melancholy that at that moment in time she preferred her own company to that of her friend. Mina eyed the girl curiously.
"Artemis told me that he saw you come home early, and that you looked upset." she explained. "What's happened? Why aren't you at school?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing." Alexia responded.
"Uuuh, Alexia, don't you know what time it is?" Mina inquired, looking thoroughly baffled. "School's over for the day." Alexia's pale blue eyes widened slightly as she realised just how long she'd been in bed. "So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" her companion pressed on. The green-haired girl closed her eyes.
"Well, it all started after maths…" she began…
"Rei…hey Rei please wait up!" Alexia pleaded as she left the maths room and ran after the fiery-tempered brunette, who had the evening before hit her in a fit of rage. Since that incident Rei had totally blanked her friend, choosing not to sit in her usual seat next to her in the last lesson. "Don't do this to me Rei, we're meant to be friends!" Rei continued to walk quickly, pretending not to hear the other girl's cries. Finally Alexia gave up and broke down, leaning against a wall and weeping loudly. As Rei vanished around a corner Mr Hisai, Alexia's English teacher, walked out of his classroom and noticed Alexia in a state. He ran up to her with concern in his dark eyes.
"Alexia, are you feeling okay?" the girl looked up, the whites of her teary pale blue eyes red.
"No…I'm not. I feel quite ill, do you think I could go home?" she sniffled. He and smiled sympathetically.
"Well you'd better go to see the nurse first, then perhaps." he helped her up and teacher and pupil walked off slowly to the nurse's office.
By the time Alexia finished her story the two girls were in the lounge.
"So you pulled a sickie because of Rei? That's pretty major." Mina remarked, placing herself on the couch.
"I know, but I can't stand to see her upset with me." Alexia sighed, dropping into an armchair. Mina smiled gently.
"Well don't worry – you still have me, Serena and Amy; and we'll make Rei and Lita realise they were wrong about Caliban too – you just wait." Alexia's eyes glistened with joy.
"Thank you. You three were so great last night after what happened…" After Rei's outburst she had left Mina, Amy and Serena to comfort the upset Alexia; and so the three girls had got to know Caliban a little better and soon realised Alexia had been right – he wasn't the monster they'd believed him to be. Mina's smile broadened.
"Hey, it's only because we care about you! Okay, it was wrong of you to lie to us but I also know that you couldn't help your feelings…plus I think it's romantic…"
"Mina!" Alexia laughed. "It's just like you to find this kinda thing romantic!" Mina joined in the laughter.
"I'm not the only one who does - Serena thinks so too." Alexia sighed, her eyes troubled.
"If it had been under different circumstances I'm sure Lita and Rei would have as well; especially Lita, she's a sucker for a good love story." She recalled with a heavy heart how Lita had stormed off.
"Hey, you know what we should do?" Mina suddenly stood up again. "We should go to Serena's house. She told us last night that she and Amy would be studying there today, remember? Lita might be there too; perhaps the other two have managed to talk her round. We should go and see – and if they haven't succeeded then we'll have a go ourselves!" Alexia shook her head.
"I somehow doubt that's going to work." she murmured.
"Hey, there's no harm in trying, right?" Mina grinned, pulling Alexia to her feet. "Now go and get dressed! I hate to see you moping around!"
x x x x x
"Ouch…ouch…OUCH!!" Nerissa slapped Caliban's hand away as she yelled out in pain. "That hurt!"
"Sorry, I did tell you it would sting though." The prince said quietly, dropping the damp cloth he was holding into a bowl. He was stood over the woman, trying to clean the scratches on her face which she'd received when she'd fallen from the tree the day before. As well as the many scrapes on her face, arms and legs her wrist had been badly twisted and her ribs ached terrifically. "Anyway, I'm only trying to help – I have to make it up to you somehow…"
"Oh enough with the guilt-trip Caliban!" Nerissa exclaimed. "I've already told you a thousand times that I forgive you; you didn't know what you were doing." She slowly sat up, cringing as her ribs throbbed with pain. Not long after she'd fallen from the tree Nerissa had come back round and, unable to move in case she'd broken something, had watched the incident between Caliban and the Scouts from her position in the undergrowth. As soon as she'd seen that Charon had the situation under control she had managed to teleport back to the ship in order to contact Florizel. However before she'd had a chance she had once again blacked out from the pain.
"It's not just you I feel bad about…it's Alexia." Caliban sighed miserably as he sat himself down. "She was so upset about everything. She never expected Mars to react the way she did…"
"I'm not surprised she was angry – her best friend had lied to her, after all." Nerissa pointed out.
"I know, I know…" Caliban pushed his hair away from his eyes. "On the plus side though, I am thankful to Charon for opening my eyes to the truth."
"Truth?" Nerissa repeated the word suspiciously, her green eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that when Charon released me from the spell Quintus had put on me she also reawakened memories that I had forgotten – memories that made me wonder why I've been doing what I've done over the centuries." Nerissa looked at him questioningly as he got back to his feet. "And now I have made an important decision."
"Which is…?" Nerissa urged him on.
"I no longer wish to be associated with that monster Lucilius;" he said boldly. "In fact I wish to join with the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask in the fight against him!"
"What?!" Nerissa leapt up, then sat down again quickly as the pain in her sides became intense. The prince knelt down in front of her and took her hands in his.
"Nerissa, I wish to appeal to you – please join me. Afterwards we could return to Reimo and all would be right in the universe again."
"I…I…" Nerissa stammered. This was not how it was meant to happen! She thought to herself, panicked. I'm not sure what to say! "I don't think my family would want me back…" she managed to say rather stiffly.
"Nonsense! I'm sure they'll be thrilled! And I bet my father and Florizel will be relieved; after all, you are Guardian of our planet-"
"What?! How do you know that?!" Nerissa cut in, astonished that Caliban had somehow discovered the truth about her.
"Oh come on, Nerissa, I'm not completely stupid, you know, you look just like your mother!" He exclaimed. "Anyway, I would tell father everything, explain that you were under Lucilius's power also and ask for his forgiveness! He'll be so happy to see us that he couldn't possibly condemn you!" Caliban's eyes flashed with determination. "At least think about it!"
"Well, okay – but I'm not promising anything." She muttered, looking away from him.
"Excellent!" The prince stood up. "I'm going to go for a walk, I have a lot to think about. I may also go to the dance school in order to rehearse, so don't wait up for me!"
"Like I would." Nerissa smiled as the cheerful youth strolled out of the room humming to himself. Gingerly she pushed herself up off the bed and slowly walked over to the computer, grimacing every now and then as her body throbbed agonizingly. Sitting down and letting out a sigh of relief she pressed a button and spoke, looking at a blank screen:
"Florizel? Can you hear me?" the screen flashed and Florizel appeared.
"Loud and clear, how are you feeling?" he inquired, looking at her in concern.
"Still in a lot of pain, but that's not the issue," She took a deep breath. "It's Caliban – thanks to Charon he's no longer under Lucilius's power. He wants to fight against him alongside the Sailor Scouts. What's more is that he wants me to join him so we can return to Reimo afterwards. He's worked out who I am from the family resemblance." Florizel's eyes lit up, and a smile played on his lips.
"I see…so Sailor Charon has saved us a job," he murmured. "This is very good news, Nerissa. Inform him that you shall join-" Florizel's order was interrupted by a muffled crashing sound in the background. "One moment…" he muttered, looking behind him suspiciously. Nerissa sat back and wondered what was happening as she watched Florizel get out of his seat and walk away. Silence descended for a brief moment, before a yell followed by a louder crash then a distinctly female laugh caused Nerissa's heart to almost leap into her mouth.
"Florizel?!" she exclaimed, leaning forward in her seat. "Florizel, what's happening?!" the laughter vanished, and the man ran back over to the screen.
"Something has occurred in the Aathean Bottle storage chamber," he informed her breathlessly. "Oh, this is not good…" he muttered, wiping his brow.
"That laugh," the orange-haired warrioress murmured. "It sounded just like Mirage…"
"That's because it was – I'm afraid she's escaped, and there's no doubt about who she'll be gunning for…" he took a shaky breath. "We must inform the Scouts – they're in serious trouble…"
x x x x x
Mina and Alexia spent the short walk to the Tsukino house gossiping and generally having a good time in each other's company. They talked about Alexia's flashback again, and started to wonder what it had been like to live in the Moon Kingdom and to be a princess; and what the Kingdom would be like now if it hadn't been destroyed. Finally they were stood at Serena's front door.
"Don't worry Alexia, everything will be fine, I'm sure." Mina gave her friend's shoulder a confident squeeze as she pressed the doorbell.
"I'm glad you're sure, I'm certainly not." Alexia bit her lip as the door opened and Serena beamed at them.
"Hey what are you two doing here?!" she exclaimed. "Not that I'm not happy to see you!" she hugged them both. "Please come in! We were just having a little snack before we start to study." The two girls complied, kicking off their shoes before heading into the kitchen, where Amy was nibbling at a sandwich whilst flicking through a book.
"Hi guys, have you come to study with us?" she smiled as she looked up at the newcomers.
"Afraid not, we just thought we'd come and see if you'd spoken to Lita today?" Mina replied, sitting down. Alexia stood next to her, looking a little nervous.
"No, I'm afraid we haven't." Amy replied. "We both tried but every time we started to mention last night she just changed the subject or walked away."
"What about Rei? Did you see her?" Serena asked anxiously, and Alexia nodded sadly before explaining what happened.
"You feigned illness to get out of school? Alexia that's terrible!" Amy exclaimed, absolutely horrified that anyone would want to do that.
"I couldn't have coped, she was in nearly all my classes today and I sit next to her in all of them."
"Well, they'll get over it, I hope." Mina sighed, folding her arms across her chest.
"A-hem."
Suddenly someone cleared their throat - and their attention was turned to Lita, who was stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Her eyes were burning ferociously.
"Lita, when did you get here?" Serena asked rather nervously, noting the look in her eyes.
"About a second ago, your mom let me in as she left." She remarked.
"Oh hey Amy, Mina." She added.
"You missed someone." Serena pointed out, indicating Alexia with her hand.
"Anyway I can't stay, I have other things to do." Lita continued, glaring at the green-haired girl quite contemptuously. Alexia felt her heart turn to lead and sink.
"Lita!" Amy exclaimed, clearly appalled at Lita's attitude as she turned on her heel and stormed out. Leaping to her feet the Mercurian started after her. "I'll go talk to her. Serena will you bring my books to the meeting please? We'll have to study later. See you guys in a while." she called over her shoulder. Meanwhile Alexia had dropped into a chair next to Mina, and the two blondes were comforting her.
"She'll come around, you know what she's like." Serena said in a gentle, reassuring tone.
"I feel awful." Alexia muttered dolefully.
Meanwhile a small girl with brown wavy hair watched them from the kitchen window; a toothy grin on her face.
"Found you…" she sang quietly to herself, her eyes flashing from brown to red before she vanished.
x x x x x
Lita's green eyes fixed themselves firmly on the end of the garden path as she stormed out of the Tsukinos' house; her hands tightly clenched into fists by her sides.
"Lita!" Amy exclaimed, almost like an admonishing teacher, as she closed the front door behind her and quickly followed the irate brunette. "Lita, stop right this instant!" Lita, unused to hearing the normally soft-spoken Mercurian use this tone of voice, did exactly as she was told.
"What?" she snapped, her long ponytail whipping her cheek as she swung sharply to glare at Amy.
"I would like to know what your problem is." the blue-haired girl remarked straight-forwardly.
"Excuse me?!" Lita couldn't believe what Amy had just said.
"You heard me, Lita - what is your problem? Since you don't seem to want to tell us of your own accord I thought I would ask you." Amy folded her arms across her chest and looked the taller girl straight in the eye. "Well? I'm waiting." The Scout of Jupiter let out an irritated grunt and then began:
"Fine, I'll tell you what the problem is, since you're all so blind to see it yourself. I am fed up with you guys jumping through hoops to keep Alexia happy. One moment we're telling her what a monster Caliban is and now all of a sudden he's your new best friend! She had the perfect proof of just what he's like yesterday when he tried to kill her and the rest of us and what happened? Instead of finishing him off like we should've done we bent over backwards- no, sorry - everyone but me bent over backwards to do what Alexia wanted! All she had to do was to make cutesy puppy-dog eyes and make a big scene and she wheedled you all into not hurting him! Well I'm sick of it, I'm fed up with the world revolving around Little Miss Outer Moon Princess! She's a liar! She told Rei, quite adamantly, that she had not given Caliban any reason to think she might be Charon and then it turns out that he does know, and it's pretty obvious she told him!" Lita fell silent and looked at Amy expectantly. The blue-haired girl continued to hold the emerald-green gaze of her companion steadily.
"The reason why Caliban attacked us yesterday, just like the time on the Moon, was because he was under Lucilius's control. When Charon used her Psychic Force on him she broke those bonds and made him realise what he has been doing all this time. If you had chosen to remain last night you would have discovered this." she explained calmly.
"But how did you know, before Charon used this 'Psychic Force' thing, that she wasn't under Caliban's control?" Lita said matter-of-factly.
"That decision was Sailor Moon's - she chose to take Charon's side because she believed her, and as Sailor Moon is our leader we ultimately must go with her wishes. If it had been you, me, or any of the others in the same position I have absolutely no doubt that the outcome would have been the same." Amy responded, as cool as ever.
"Caliban cannot be trusted! As soon as Lucilius threatens to harm Alexia he'll go running back to him, you just watch!" Lita continued, determined that she was going to make the Mercurian see some sense.
"I trust him only because Alexia does, it goes the same for the others as well…"
"Rei also?" Lita remarked pointedly. Amy closed her eyes for a moment before responding.
"Fine, apart from Rei. However if she truly counts Alexia as a best friend then she will come round soon enough."
"Yeah, and then it'll only be me left who can see the truth for what it is." Lita turned away. "Now if you'll excuse me I want to be alone." she started to walk again, however Amy wasn't quite finished. A small smile played on her lips as she looked at the back of Lita's head and spoke once again in her level manner:
"If I didn't know you any better, Lita, I would believe you were simply jealous." she remarked, and saw how Lita visibly flinched as the words hit her.
"Me? Jealous of Princess Goody-Goody and Prince Fruit Loop? Give me a break." the brunette muttered as she continued on her way.
x x x x x
The strong wind whipped Caliban's golden hair against his forehead and ears as he watched the busy city from the top of an office building. Leaning against the wall which surrounded the edge he observed how the people and cars below seemed to be rushing around endlessly with no real purpose.
"How things have changed since the Silver Millennium," he muttered to no one in particular, although his voice was almost completely lost in the howl of the wind. "The last time I was on Earth people were so much more…relaxed." The wind started to die down:
"Help, oh someone please help me!" and as it did Caliban became aware of the voice of a woman crying out desperately from the street below.
"What is it ma'am? Are you hurt?" the youth soon found the woman as he scanned the vicinity from the his rooftop. She was sat on the ground, her hands down in order to hold herself up as she trembled and cried; looking up at the man who had just spoken to her.
"A man just snatched my purse!" she sobbed, "Please, he went that way." The man took off in the direction in which the woman had indicated whilst two other women helped her to her feet. Caliban's silvery-grey eyes closed as he let out a loud sigh.
"I see some things never change." He murmured as he recalled something from his very distant past. He remembered being on Earth and seeing a young woman begging for forgiveness to an infuriated man who claimed she had merely bumped into him. It was all very vague, in fact he couldn't even remember how the incident had ended or even why he had been on Earth; yet in his mind's eye he could still clearly see the terrified look on the woman's face.
He looked down to the pavement once again to discover that the man had returned empty handed; regretfully informing the lady that the mugger was nowhere to be seen.
"My money, my credit cards, my mobile phone…" she broke down again at the news and started to wistfully list to herself all the things she had lost. "Photographs of my children- oh no!" she slammed her hand to her mouth as her eyes widened with the shock of recollection.
"What is it?" one of the women asked her gently as she slumped to the ground once more.
"My mother's necklace was in there - I was taking it to the jewellers to have the clasp mended." She murmured dazedly, "It was a family heirloom - passed down through each generation since my great, great, great, great grandmother!" she became more and more hysterical with each 'great', and she started to tremble again. "It's irreplaceable!" Caliban turned away, no longer able to stand the heartbreaking scene, and felt something brush against his leg. Looking down he discovered a piece of newspaper, which must have been blown to his feet by the wind. Picking it up he read the bold-lettered headline:
'Man confesses to murdering ex-lover'
The story was about the end of a court case, where the defendant had broken down and admitted to stabbing his ex-girlfriend to death.
"How terrible, well I guess justice has prevailed." The young Prince remarked. "Although I have to wonder - how could anyone kill someone they once loved?" The paper suddenly slipped out of his hand and blew away as the realisation of what he had just said hit him hard in the stomach.
And then, he saw her…
Her ice-blue eyes were wide and shining brightly in the lights of the ballroom; her skin creamy and soft. Her lips, the colour of coral, were slightly open, surprised. The lilac dress which she wore was swiftly changing colour as it soaked up the blood which flowed out of her stomach, where the sword lay, firmly embedded there.
"Why?" he watched as her lips formed the word silently…
And then he let out a yell of despair, which had been residing deep within him all those centuries, as the wind began its mournful wail once more.
"Aaaaaaaaagh!" Caliban cried out furiously as he threw the glass he was holding against the wall. "Where is my father? My mother? Florizel? Adia? I demand to see them! You cannot keep me imprisoned here - I am the Crown Prince of Reimo!" He grabbed hold of the side of a small table, lifted it above his head and sent it crashing against the heavy metal door. "Where are you, you foul demon? You cannot keep me here! I shall rip you to pieces!"
"Now, now, that's not a very nice way to treat your uncle, is it?" Lucilius's voice seemed to come out of nowhere.
"You are no relation of mine!" Caliban spat as he turned to face the speaker through which Lucilius's voice came. "You forced me to kill Charon! No one of my blood would make me do such a thing! I hate you, I hate you for everything you have had me do against my will!"
"Hmmm…you're not very friendly when you're coming out of the mind control, are you?" Lucilius's voice sneered. "I do believe it is time to end this little temper tantrum."
"You're damn right it's time to end this!" the Prince unsheathed his sword. "Come out here and face me like a man so I may end your life!"
"Caliban!" another voice spoke up admonishingly, but this one came from the doorway behind the youth. Turning around Caliban immediately dropped to one knee as he saw his father standing there. "My son, whatever are you trying to do? Threatening your guardian like that?" the Emperor scolded in his deep voice.
"I am sorry, father." Caliban apologised, feeling his head grow heavy and his vision blur for a moment.
"You know why you had to kill Charon - she was protecting Florizel, standing in the way of justice."
"Yes, of course, father." Caliban stood up again. "And I promise, I shall deliver that very justice, just as you wish."
"Very good, I am proud of you, my son." Emperor Caius smiled, then swept out.
"Thank you, father." Caliban said as the door closed, his resolve once again restored…
Caliban felt sick - how could he have fallen for it?! He knew his father well enough to know that he would never condone the murder of an innocent girl, nor would he sentence Florizel or in fact anyone to death without a fair trial! Now of course he knew that it had been Quintus all along - the amount of times he had watched the old man shape-shift back then and it had never once crossed his mind! Nevertheless, this revelation did nothing to stop the bad memories from flooding back. As they all flashed past his eyes the guilt of a millennia of death and destruction churned in his stomach and caused his head to spin. Suddenly he ran to a corner and threw up violently, trying to remove the horrible feelings he had inside. Moving backwards he tripped and landed in a heap on the floor; crying tears of redemption, attempting to purge his soul of all the evil that had resided there.
"I'm - so - sorry!" he sobbed into the wind, hoping that his voice would carry to each person in the universe whose lives he had helped to ruin.
Apart from his attempt on Charon's life one other memory stood out clearly within the crowd - and that was what had happened to the Earthling girl whose terrified face had haunted him earlier. He now knew that the man she had accidentally and innocently bumped into had murdered her right where she had been pleading on her knees. Afterwards he had gone to her house and burnt it down, killing her two young children and elderly mother. He also now knew that the man had been watching when the horribly burnt bodies had been pulled from the wreckage, and that he had simply laughed about it all.
Caliban wretched.
He knew all of this, not because he had been a bystander, but because he personally knew the perpetrator; who had not been a man at all, but a seventeen year-old who had been led astray.
That seventeen year-old had been Caliban himself, and the four innocents the first victims of what would be a bloody future.
x x x x x
Meanwhile, at Alexia's home Estrella was pacing up and down her charge's bed. She and Luna had been patrolling since the early hours of the day and had returned to the Risoltos' for a well-deserved rest when Artemis had informed them of Alexia's early arrival home from school.
"I wonder why she came home so early?" she pondered out loud.
"My guess is that it's something to do with Rei, she looked pretty emotional when I saw her." Artemis supplied a suggestion.
"That's the most obvious reason, especially after last night's little fray." Luna sighed and stretched out.
"That girl certainly knows how to pack a punch - Alexia's cheek was bright red for two hours." Estrella commented.
"She was totally shaken by it; I don't think I've ever seen her so shocked." Luna murmured. The other cats nodded in agreement. "I was quite upset with her for revealing who she is to Caliban, yet I couldn't help but feel sympathy for her as well. That's why I'm standing by her, she needs our support."
"And thanks to her Caliban is no longer controlled by Lucilius." Artemis added. "I seriously believe that he will come to help us very soon."
"I certainly hope so, then perhaps we'll be able to sort out all this mess." Estrella sighed, just as Serena, Mina and a miserable Alexia walked in. The ginger cat leapt up and jumped onto the girl's lap. "Alexia, what happened?" she asked gently.
"We were over at Serena's when Lita came in; she acted like I wasn't even there." she sighed dejectedly. The cat rubbed her face against Alexia's arm as a means of comfort.
"Where's Amy?" Luna inquired.
"She went after Lita." Serena answered. "She was so rude! She acted like Alexia was invisible or something!"
"And why did you come home early today?" Estrella inquired.
"Rei." Alexia murmured. "She was ignoring me as well."
"We thought as much." Artemis clambered onto Mina's shoulder. "Look guys, I'm sorry to bring this up but it's time we went to the temple, or we'll be late for the meeting." Alexia looked extremely apprehensive.
"Do you think it's wise to have one?" she inquired anxiously.
"We need to discuss this situation sooner or later, Alexia." Luna said pointedly.
"Well maybe I shouldn't go…" the green-haired girl looked down at the ground.
"Don't be stupid!" Mina exclaimed straight away. "You have as much right to be there as any of us!"
"And anyway, we're all here to back you up if Rei and Lita say anything." Estrella told her reassuringly.
"That's right." Luna agreed, walking towards the door. Stopping for a moment she looked over her shoulder to add: "If you don't come then I will say you are a coward." Alexia took a breath and stood up.
"Okay, okay I'm coming." She announced.
"Good, that's what I'd hoped you'd say." The black cat smiled.
x x x x x
Lucilius was in his throne room, gazing down at the moon through a nearby window. He made his hands into fists and squeezed tightly. Even though the place was now desolate and bare he still detested it with all his heart, mind and soul. He could still hear, after all this time, Queen Serenity's voice condemning him to live in a child's body for all eternity - total humiliation in his eyes. He hated her the most, along with Emperor Caius and Princess Charon. He closed his eyes and recalled being captured by the princess - her pale blue eyes shimmering in the cold light of the stars. He felt sick as he remembered how pleased she'd looked when he had been locked away before facing trial. Yet he couldn't stop thinking about her incredible grace and beauty…he'd promised her the universe, she'd thrown it back in his face. She'd told him the only thing she wanted was peace, and the only way to maintain that was to be rid of evil like him. He suddenly slammed his fists against the strengthened window and yelled with rage. He calmed down and smiled to himself; it should all be over by now, he thought to himself with great satisfaction, Caliban will walk in at any moment…
The door opened.
The small boy swung himself around, only to be disappointed at the appearance of Quintus.
"What do you want?" he muttered, walking to his throne and sitting down. The old man knelt on the floor.
"I have news from the Earth." he announced. Lucilius's eyes sparkled with sudden interest.
"Yes?"
"Caliban has been defeated by the Sailor Scouts."
It was too much for the boy to take.
Lucilius leapt out of his seat as if it were on fire, screaming maniacally.
"WHAT WENT WRONG? THIS PLAN WAS PERFECT!!" Quintus cowered as he answered.
"Sailor Charon used her psychic powers to break the brainwashing." Lucilius once again yelled with rage. "There is more." his servant continued meekly.
"Well don't just kneel there - TELL ME!" his master spat. The old man trembled as he concluded:
"Caliban is no longer under our control – he has succumbed to Sailor Charon's charms."
Suddenly Lucilius kicked the old man – three times in total. To say he was stuck in the body of an eight year-old his kick was pretty hard.
"Get out." he snapped. Quintus dashed out, clutching his stomach and in fear for his life. The furious man-child stormed back to his throne, where he slammed his hand down on a button on the left armrest. A keyboard and screen appeared in front of him and after tapping a few keys Nerissa appeared onscreen.
"Yes, my lord?" The woman regarded him coolly. Lucilius was about to bark out orders to the woman when the sound of a small girl giggling echoed around the empty throne room.
"Who's there?" Lucilius yelled, his eyes snapping up from the screen and scanning the room.
"Whatever is wrong?" Nerissa inquired, wondering what Lucilius wanted from her.
"Shut up!" the red-head snapped, leaping to his feet to try and discover where the giggling was coming from. "Show yourself at once!"
"Very well," The brown-haired girl appeared, sitting on his throne with her legs crossed. "Hhmm, comfortable seat you have here." She flashed a toothy smile.
"How dare you! Get off!" Lucilius snapped, raising his hand to the girl who looked no older than he did. However his request fell on deaf ears, as the girl was jumping up and down excitedly whilst waving to the image of Nerissa.
"Why, hello there, Neri! Have you been looking for me?" much to the surprise of the bewildered and angry Lucilius the girl suddenly started to grow and change. Her skin started to grow darker until it was a shade of lilac, and her wavy hair turned blue and red. She blinked, and immediately her brown eyes reverted back to their normal red colour. Finally two small red horns suddenly started to sprout on her head, just poking through her short, thick hair.
"Mirage!" The woman on the screen yelled. "So that's where you are! I order you to come back here now!" Mirage shook her head.
"Uh-uh, Neri, no can do. Since I let myself out you have no control over me…actually you had no control over me anyway! It was Illusia who always listened to you…" she paused. "Illusia, my dear sister," Her eyes flashed malevolently; and after spending a moment or two in her darkened reverie the shape-shifter finally blinked her large eyes and looked up innocently at Lucilius, who was stood in front of her, waiting impatiently for her to move from his throne. "Anyway, Neri, I'm afraid I have much more pressing matters to attend to…bye bye!"
"Mirage wai-!" was all Nerissa managed to say before the alien girl cut the communication.
"So, how may I help you?" Lucilius inquired with interest as at last Mirage allowed him to re-take his seat.
"I think you should be asking how I can help you," Mirage smiled. "You see, we have something in common."
"Oh, really?" the man-child raised an eyebrow as he pressed the pads of his fingers together. "Would you care to enlighten me?"
"We both want the Sailor Scouts dead." The shape-shifter got straight to the point, her head tilted to one side as she admired the reflection of herself in window.
"My, why ever would a sweet-looking thing like yourself want such a terrible thing?" Lucilius gasped in mock horror, and Mirage turned her head sharply to stare coldly at him.
"It was at the hands of those…those…ugh!" the disgust and anger in her voice was enough to show Lucilius exactly how she felt about the Scouts; nevertheless Mirage shook her head and started again: "The Sailor Scouts murdered my sister!"
"I see, and now you want revenge." Lucilius remarked understandingly.
"That is correct, and that is why I am here – to pledge my allegiance to you." She knelt down before the 'boy'. "I overheard your servant's news and so I know what you were going to ask of Nerissa – you want Caliban, am I right?"
"Yes, indeed you are." The red-head smiled.
"Then I shall bring him to you, alive of course, and I will also bring you the dead bodies of the Sailor Scouts." Mirage smirked, however Lucilius swiftly raised his hands, palms facing his new ally.
"Not quite – I want Charon alive as well." He informed her and she shrugged indifferently.
"Very well, then." With that she stood up, curtsied, and turned to leave. What Lucilius didn't see was the malicious smile on the shape-shifter's face as she exited.
I am sorry Lucilius, she thought to herself, but all the Sailor Scouts are mine…
x x x x x
"Perhaps we should've cancelled the meeting after all." Estrella muttered to Luna, under her breath.
"Patience, Estrella. We've only been here ten minutes." The black cat responded.
"Ten minutes, feels more like ten days to me." Estrella sighed. There was a tense, almost suffocating silence over the Hino Shrine. The three feline advisers were watching their charges with deep concern in their eyes. Mina, Amy, Serena and Alexia were sat near the cats, every now and then exchanging a brief word amongst themselves; whilst Lita stood at the top of the steps with her back to them and Rei was sat a short distance away, a far off look on her face as she twisted a strand of her long, black hair around her fingers.
"So…anyone got anything interesting to tell us? How was school?" Artemis finally spoke up, trying desperately to break the tension.
"Oh, oh, something really funny happened in gym today," Mina suddenly piped up excitedly. "I was watching some boys play basketball when this guy called Daisuke who is completely in love with himself ran straight into a wall because he was too busy drooling over the cheerleading squad to watch where he was going!" she giggled loudly for a moment, however she quickly fell silent again as she realised no one was joining in. "Hmmm, guess it wasn't that funny after all," she murmured. Amy suddenly raised her hand.
"Yes, Amy?" Luna responded.
"I'm sorry, Luna, but if we have nothing to discuss then may Serena and I please be excused? We have a science exam in a week's time and Serena needs to study hard if she is to pass." Serena turned red, but still nodded in agreement.
"It's true." She sighed.
"We might as well all go home," Lita muttered over her shoulder. "The sooner I get away from this place the better." she turned and threw a contemptible glance in Alexia's direction. Mina picked up on this instantly and jumped up.
"Hey, if you have something to say, Lita, why not just come out and say it?" she said sternly, much everyone's surprise. Lita blinked her green eyes in astonishment.
"What do you mean, Mina?" she inquired.
"Oh you know what I mean! Serena, Amy and I all saw the look you gave Alexia at Serena's house, and the way you ignored her. I think it's pretty obvious you have something you'd like to get off your chest." Lita walked over to stand in front of them.
"Okay, you're right. I do have something to say." she announced. "I don't wanna be part of a team that's built on mistrust and lies, and after yesterday's incident it certainly seems that's what I'm part of here!" Mina's eyes narrowed.
"I can't believe this, one little incident and the group falls to pieces!" she exclaimed in disbelief. "The way you and Rei are acting about it you'd think that Alexia had joined Lucilius or something!" She paused. "But she hasn't, actually she saved us last night. Nonetheless, you can't get past the fact that she told Caliban that she's Sailor Charon." she held her hand out to indicate Alexia's saddened face and looked over at Rei, who was watching the scene rather anxiously. "Look at her, don't you think she's sorry? Do you know why Alexia wasn't any of your classes after maths, Rei?" Rei shook her head slightly. "Because you upset her so much this morning that she pretended to be sick so she could go home!" she stopped again, to take a deep breath. "You two have to be the coldest hearted people in the world!" as she tried to sit down again, the taller girl grabbed her arm roughly.
"Please stop!" Serena leapt to her feet, imploring the two girls with tears in her eyes. She hated to see her friends fall out, especially over something that didn't need to be argued over, and felt terrible for Alexia who was sat watching, her blue eyes wide.
"No! Not until Lita realises what happened was going to, no matter what we did!" Mina snapped.
"Uhh…is everything okay out here?" Chad appeared at a window, regarding the scene with curiosity.
"Just fine!" Rei said hurriedly, closing the window on the youth.
"Alexia could've easily avoided Caliban - we warned her!" Lita growled. "But no, she had to go behind our backs and tell him! Rei sensed she was with him the day before last, but when we went to ask her she said she'd been at home all afternoon, remember? Well I bet she ran straight to him as soon as we told her what he was like! She's nothing but a liar and a traitor!" That was enough for Mina, she gave a furious yell and lunged at the taller girl. Serena and Amy shrieked and tried to hold the irate blonde back, Rei did the same with Lita.
"Let me at her! If she wants a go then let her!" the brunette yelled, trying to struggle out of Rei's tight grasp. Rei looked over anxiously at the extremely upset Alexia, who was sat with her face buried in her hands, hiding the tears which were falling from her closed eyes - she'd never wanted this to happen! Her heart was racing as plucked up the courage to look at the scene between her fingers. She took in everything quickly - the way Serena and Amy held onto Mina's arms, desperately holding her back; the threatening glares the two angry girls were throwing at each other. How Rei gripped Lita, looking worried…this wasn't how things were meant to be – they were all friends, and friends didn't fight with each other.
Finally she couldn't take it anymore.
"STOP!" She screamed frantically, then dropped her head and said more quietly; "Stop talking about me as if I'm not here; stop arguing about everything…please – just - stop!" Lita and Mina froze, then stopped struggling. She stood up slowly and walked straight over to Lita. Looking her straight in the eye she said: "You don't understand why I did it, do you Lita?" the brunette shook her head. "I did it quite simply because I love him." she paused. "I love and trust him - tell me, if it were you in my position, would you have been able to keep away?" Lita averted her gaze. "No, I don't think you would have. This situation has put a lot into perspective - like who my true friends are. Out of you Scouts only Serena, Amy and Mina have given me the benefit of the doubt and have decided to give me and Caliban a chance. Luna, Artemis and Estrella too." She took a slight side-step in order to get a better view of Rei, who was still stood behind Lita. "Now I don't think this is right somehow; deep in myself I know you, Lita, and you, Rei, are also true friends of mine - am I right?" she stood expectedly, her head tilted slightly. Rei, suddenly feeling quite ill about the way she had treated Alexia earlier that day, turned pale and rushed inside; Lita stood staring at the isolated girl, then suddenly stormed off.
"Lita!" Serena and Luna cried out after her, to no avail.
"Alexia?" Amy spoke up gently.
"They just need some time." Alexia remarked firmly, turning to face her remaining companions. "And so do I. I'm sorry, guys, I just want to be alone for a while, so please don't call me; I'll be in touch when I'm ready."
"We understand." Luna reassured her.
"Thank you, I'll see you all later." With that, Alexia turned on her heel and walked down the steps.