Heritage
Chapter 3:
Outers' Manor:
"NANI!? What do you mean they left without us!?"
"Ouch." Michiru switched the phone to her other ear. "Mako-chan, I enjoy Beethoven, but I don't want to be him."
"Gomen, it's just that getting the news so suddenly upset me. I appreciate Usagi-chan's consideration, but please, keep me inside the loop." There was a short pause and a soft grumble. "Are you absolutely sure they'll be okay?"
"Certainly. Knowing Usagi-chan, she must be making the best out of whatever situation she's in, no matter how dire."
*****
"Minna-san, come quickly!" Ami and Rei rushed to answer their princess' calling. "Look over there, they're just too kawaii!" The odango-headed blonde was pointing at a flock of crested purple flamingos, their chicks were neon-pink and fluffy.
"Usagi, you seem to be enjoying yourself a lot, even without Mamoru-kun's company," the shrine maiden commented.
"Well, I was feeling a little down at first, then I pondered 'Mamo-chan wants me to be happy', so I am. And Setsuna-san agrees with me." The mocha-skinned woman was lying on a folding chair, catching some rays.
"I'm not idle, mind you," she defended as she lowered her sunglasses, "I'm busy looking for someone who may aid us in our search for Hime-chan, and I do believe I've found her. Look over there." Ami followed her older friend's line of vision and saw a woman standing by the ship's board. The left side of her dark-brown hair was cut short at the shoulder, while the right side reached her waist. Her clothing was white with golden linings, expensive-looking, but that wasn't unusual, after all this was a luxury cruise.
"I don't get it," the azure-haired girl said, "What's so special about that lady?"
"Her travelling companion," Setsuna answered. The three girls followed her indications and their eyes went wide as saucers. This was the largest woman they'd ever seen, very tall and extremely muscular. The black attire and short hair enhanced the intimidating appearance. "From her behavior and the way she keeps a set distance, I'd say she's a bodyguard."
"Good observation," Rei complemented, "This indicates she's someone famous or important, maybe an actress or a singer. In any case, she can guide us through the city. The question is: how are we going to get her to do that?"
"Leave it to me!" Usagi announced as she stepped forward.
"Matte, Usagi! Don't-" It was no use, expecting the worst, the longhaired girl covered her face and groaned. "Tell me when it's over."
"Hao, nice view, ne?" The dark-skinned woman didn't even acknowledge the blue-eyed girl. "I prefer the nighttime scenery," Usagi insisted, "the deep-blue sky, the starts, the way the sand reflects the-"
"May I help you, or are you here to waste my time?"
"Uh, gomen, it's just that I saw you from over there and noticed your uneasiness, so I thought I could help by cheering you up a little."
"Cheer up?" The taller brunette huffed and turned to face the smaller blonde. "I only took this ship because it was the last one leaving for the capital yesterday. I'm not like you silly ninnies who just care about having fun while being totally oblivious to the world around you."
"Umm, well, I can't say I'm thoroughly informed," Usagi stuttered. Thanks to her bad habit of eavesdropping, she'd become aware of a few things: a newly crowned queen, a separatist movement, a marriage proposal, a suspected affair, and a sale at some jewelry downtown. "I just-" She felt something heavy land on her shoulder, the blue-eyed girl looked up and saw the bodyguard, who was even more imposing up close.
"You should leave now."
"(gulp) Hai."
"Bakh, wait," the dark-skinned woman called, "She's right, I do feel troubled." She glanced at the riverbank, the blonde girl was right, it was a lovely view. "I'm only thirty-four, much too young to allow work to make a grouch out of me." She took a deep breath and turned to Usagi, that bright smile was contagious. "All right, I'm game."
"Okay! Follow me, I'll introduce you to my friends." The odango-headed girl led her new acquaintance. "These are Meioh Setsuna, Mizuno Ami and Hino Rei, and I am Tsukino Usagi."
"I'm pleased to meet you all. My name is Samenat, and this is Bakh." The large woman nodded from where she stood. "She's a trained professional, so she won't speak much, still, she's good company." The six femmes went indoors and sat at a table. "This is your first visit to the capital, correct?"
"Hai," the shorthaired girl answered, "We're planning to do a little sightseeing, visit some historical places, you know, get a little culture in our holiday."
"Won't you ever change?" Rei wondered out loud.
"There are a lot of places I could recommend," Samenat said, "I'd love to be your guide through the city, but I'm afraid I still have too much work to do. Still, I might find some free time so I can invite you over for dinner at my home."
"We'll be delighted," Setsuna replied. She then noticed something, a golden medallion the brunette wore around her neck; it had the relief of three hawk heads, front and both profiles. "Ara, it's beautiful. Is it a family heirloom?" Samenat leaned back on her chair.
"Now I know you guys are foreign. This is the-" Suddenly, a scream was heard from outside, Bakh ran over to find out the reason.
"Madam, we're being boarded!" she said as she picked up her charge. "You must go back to your stateroom, quickly." Before the large woman could do this, an avalanche of girls rushed into the room, forced by six armed men dressed in red wetsuits and masks, a few more remained outside.
"Listen up!" the leader shouted, "A minister is travelling on this ferry, she's the one we're after. Hand her over and no one else will get hurt." Several passengers and crew members had already been injured. The brunette scowled as she clutched her medallion.
"And that's what this thing represents, though I wish you would've found out-Huh?" Usagi and her friends were gone, they'd taken advantage of the earlier confusion to find a place to henshin. "Hmph, some friends I made."
"We want her now!" the troop leader demanded, firing his weapon. To show he wasn't bluffing, he grabbed a girl and held the energized knife against her head. "I'm counting to ten!" The longhaired woman was about to surrender but was held back by her bodyguard.
"Madam, I can't allow you to give in to them, you're much too important to this world."
"At this moment I'm most important to these people. If that madman kills her it will be my responsibility."
"Shabon Spray!"
A blue mist filled the room suddenly and the six terrorists were slammed violently against the wall, when it cleared, they saw the senshi ready for battle. Sailor Moon stepped forward and made her introduction.
"This trip is a chance to escape routine and enjoy the good things in life, a lot of these people get such an opportunity only once in a lifetime. You not only ruined a cruise, you ruined dreams, and because of that, you will be punished in the name of the moon. The one of Earth, that is."
"Do we take them seriously?" one of the men in red asked.
"Oh, you definitely should. Fire Soul Bird!" The flaming creature swiped three of them out the large windows, Pluto swung her staff and batted another one through the door, Bakh grabbed the remaining pair and threw them out like rag dolls. Meanwhile, the water senshi and Moon princess ran outside to take care of those on the deck.
"Shine Aqua Illusion!"
"Silver Moon, Crystal Power Kiss!" All the villains in sight were blasted into the water. "Mars, follow me to the other side, there's sure to be more jerks around."
"Right," the fire senshi replied as she made the giant leap.
"This is not good," the leader observed, "Retreat!"
"Don't let them escape," the large woman called, "We need one for questioning."
"I'm on it." The floor was wet because of Mercury's attack, the time senshi used that to slide and trip one of the men. She got to her feet and pinned him with her weapon. "Arigato, so kind of you to stop." She reached down and pulled away the mask. "Nani?" He wasn't human at all, the trooper looked as though he were made from some kind of white plaster; and the face had no distinguishing features at all, if you could even call that a face. It wheezed then crumbled to pieces.
"By the kami, what was that thing?" an appalled Mercury asked.
"A flesh golem," the bodyguard responded, "Strong, obedient, and too stupid to remember more than one thing at once. We won't get any answers from it. As to the subject of questions, who are you?"
"Tourists," Pluto quipped, "You'll hear from us again," she added with a wink. The two senshi left without another word. Bakh decided to ignore them and take care of the still panicked passengers, there would be time to solve this mystery later.
Mars got into a narrow passage and reverted to Rei. Just as she was about to step out, she saw Samenat and backed away. The minister was talking into a cellular, and it was obviously important since she had moved away from the crowd. Hidden, the shrine maiden listened in on the conversation.
"Yeah, I'm okay, just a little startled… I was rescued by the sailor senshi, yep, the ones her highness told us about… No, I couldn't even get near them, they left just as suddenly as they appeared… Of course you must report this! You know who they're here for, and I don't think I need to remind you of how difficult it was to both find and bring her here… I doubt it, but I'll keep my eyes peeled in case they do. Changing the subject, any news from my husband?… Terrific! Listen, I have to go. I'll arrive at the palace tomorrow, have everything ready for me." The brunette turned off her phone and left. Rei took a moment to assimilate the information.
So now they have a queen, and she knows about us already, which places us in a precarious position. Better keep a low profile as senshi. The young girl went to tell the others. I hope Mamoru-tachi don't run into any difficulties.
*****
The desert:
From atop a distant dune, two men were using binoculars to watch over the very caravan Mamoru, Minako, Haruka and Artemis had hitched a ride on. Their sand-colored uniforms and identical weapons indicated that they were in the military.
"Our spy's report was correct. They're heading for the capital, west by southwest."
"Do you think the information about their cargo is also accurate?"
"I hope not! Come, let's inform the general before they can go any further."
"Is it a flat tire?" Artemis asked tiredly.
"Hai," the sand-blonde answered, "Another round, or should we try a different game?"
"No thanks, I'm fed up," Mina said, "(grumble) This was definitely not one of my best ideas. How much longer do you think it will take until we reach the city?"
"Not that much," was Mamoru's opinion, "We're travelling in a straight line and our speed is fairly high, we may even get there before Usako and the others. Our only concern should be not getting caught." No sooner he finished saying this, the vehicle came to a sudden halt and an awful ruckus came from outside.
"Chikuso, what's going on?" The longhaired man pressed his ear against the wall, even in this form his senses were very acute. "I hear screaming and shooting, and those thumps must me animals galloping. Princess Mau have mercy, we've been struck by marauders!"
"They're the ones who should be asking for mercy," Haruka corrected as she gripped her henshin rod, "No one is getting between Hime-chan and I."
"Ie, not yet," the black-haired man said as he pulled her down. "We don't know how many we're up against. Listen, they're bound to check each container, we'll attack then and gain the element of surprise."
"Great plan," Artemis agreed, "let's hide."
The assault was short, soon, everything was quiet except for a few gruff orders and protests. The door flew open and the four heroes readied themselves. Two soldiers and one of those weasels (a pammul) entered and opened one of the crates.
"Unbelievable!" the scaly critter exclaimed, "If all these boxes are the same, then there's enough explosives here to blow away a whole mountain."
"NANI!?" Artemis sprung up like a jack-in-the box. The soldiers were surprised at first, but recovered just as quickly and aimed their weapons.
"Come on out, hands above your head." The other three complied, shooting killer stares at their jumpy friend.
"Artemis-kun, prepare yourself for divine retribution," the longhaired blonde threatened.
"Oh, and I suppose the news of sitting on a bomb didn't scare you at all, ne?"
"Quit griping," a bearded soldier ordered, "you were going to be found and arrested either way."
"Arrested?" Mamoru questioned, "You mean you're not bandits?"
"Certainly not!" the younger one protested, "We proudly serve in Grand Pharaoh's army, well, it's the queen's army now. And you are being charged with terrorism."
"Matte!" The racer turned and faced her captors. "I'm not going to stand for false charges, you can't just accuse us of something out of the blue."
"This caravan was being driven by the separatist army, they were heading for the capital, carrying a huge load of explosives, and you were with them," the pammul listed, "do the math, moron."
"Precisely. Now get moving and-" The young soldier poked Haruka on the chest as he was saying this and drew back immediately with a shocked expression.
"How kind of you to notice."
"What's wrong?" the bearded one asked.
"He has, that is, she has, I mean, she's a woman."
"Seriously?" The pammul hopped onto the racer and peered down her shirt. "Whoa, you ain't kidding!" Next thing he knew, he was the first of his kind to fly.
"I wasn't expecting that reaction," Artemis commented.
"Is there a problem here?" A tall man with his head shaven came up from the brig. He was around forty, scarred and battle-worn, with bracelets on his forearm that indicated rank. "I thought we had already rounded up all of the captives. And what was the cause for this outburst?"
"Everything is under control, General Menmaht, Sir," the bearded soldier assured, "These four were hiding inside one of the trailers, and Jo misbehaved a little."
"A little? That rat needs a severe lesson in discipline," the shorthaired woman fumed.
"If I may speak in our defense," Mamoru requested as he stepped forward, "despite the apparent circumstances, we don't know who these people are nor had any idea of their intentions. We were simply trying to reach a friend at the capital."
"It may be as you say," the scarred man replied, "but as you said, the circumstances do not favor you. Furthermore, I am a general, not a judge, and this is not a courthouse. You will come as prisoners, later on you shall have the opportunity to plead your case."
"Fair enough," the dark-haired man accepted with a bow, "Follow me, minna-san." The four heroes were greeted by surprised stares as they went through the barred door.
"Who the hell are you guys?"
"A lucky bunch of baka," Minako answered as she sat down and got comfortable. I'll play along for now, it shouldn't be so bad; Menmaht seems to be a decent fellow, and he's handsome for a man his age, he might even give us a hand in proving our innocence. Still, we better make a break for it as soon as we get the chance.
*****
The Capital, Imperial palace:
Hotaru was petting Luna as she stared at a blank spot on the ceiling.
"Try not to worry, Hotaru-chan," the black cat suggested, "I'm sure Sailor Moon and the others will arrive soon."
"That's just what I need," the amethyst-eyed girl replied, "more people to suffer the consequences of my carelessness."
"Be fair to yourself, you had no way of knowing this would happen."
"Well I should have known." Hotaru put her furry friend down and looked out the window. "One way or another, I am the cause of this problem." She gave a steely glare and made a fist. "But I won't wallow in self-pity, I'm determined to become the solution, even if it kills me."
"You sound as if you want to do this all by yourself," Luna observed. The door opened and an elderly man entered, he wore a deep-blue robe with red patterns sewn on. Like Samenat, he wore a medallion, except this one was silver with crocodile heads.
"Oh, you're awake," he noted with a tone of disappointment.
"Hai, she is," the alien feline hissed, "and even if she were asleep, you can be sure I'd be keeping guard. Is there even a reason for you to be here?"
"Hmph, of course there is, I'm here to bring you news that you might find pleasant."
"My friends are here," the pale girl guessed, "I felt them the moment they arrived."
"Really? Well then, I shall everything ready for their arrival."
*****
The ferry, nighttime:
"They're daimon, there's no doubt about it," Usagi said as she got into the bunk-bed. During the afternoon fight, she and Mars had a run in with two more of those plaster-people. Among the remains, the Moon princess had found a small pink seed. "I guess it's pretty obvious who the bad guys are."
"But they're not the ones who took Hotaru-chan," the shrine maiden objected, "What I overheard from Samenat-san was practically a confession to having kidnapped her."
"There's a factor you're letting out," Ami pointed out, "The behavior she displayed during the hostage situation was very honorable, and Bakh-san's loyalty is one you can neither buy or threaten out.
"I realize that," Rei replied, "In fact, I'm hoping we can still get along with Samenat-san, I'm really beginning to like her. She's both courteous and ladylike, and could become a great influence on Usagi."
"She could teach you a thing or two as well, Rei-chan," the blue-eyed blonde retorted.
"Let's look at the situation logically," the mocha-skinned woman suggested, "There's a queen and there are rebels, and their respective alignments are clear. Perhaps Hime-chan was taken because her help is needed, and I'm sure the ones we fought at Juban would've explained if it wasn't for the damaged translators."
"This must take a weight off your mind," Usagi guessed, "After all, it means Hotaru-chan isn't in as much danger as we once thought."
"Hai, that much is true," Setsuna sat up and hugged her legs, "Still, I feel very upset; friend or foe, that queen is going to get a piece of my mind. Plus, don't forget that this is Mistress 9's world of origin," her ruby eyes narrowed. "Hidden memories may trigger, some more painful than others."
*****
The Desert, nighttime:
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" The longhaired blonde had spilled the beans and the terrorists were laughing mercilessly. "Can anybody be more stupid?" Haruka's mood was going from bad to worse.
"Either you zip it, or I'll seal your traps permanently."
"Yeah? Think you can take us on?"
"All ten of you at once," the racer boasted, "with both hands tied behind my back."
"Hey, knock it off in there," the guard warned as he banged on the bars on the door, "we've got chains at the ready, you know."
"We'll behave," Artemis answered as he patted his friend on the shoulder.
"Whatever." The oldest of the villains, the one that commanded the team, leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "Grand Pharaoh, what a joke. The only real king this world has ever had is Pharaoh 90 and they know it."
"Pharaoh 90?" Mamoru sat up, "Now who's the stupid one? Not only are you fighting for a tyrant's cause, but for one who's been dead for years. How can you allow yourselves to be manipulated from beyond the grave?"
"Oh please, do I look like a religious fanatic? I wouldn't go through so much trouble without a juicy and tangible reward. The pharaoh had a successor, and once he reclaims the throne, his most loyal followers will become noblemen."
"Matte!" Haruka stood up in a flash, "Succeeded by whom? Who is your new leader?" she demanded.
"Hush, I heard something." The loose-haired blonde went to the small window at the door. "Hello, guard? That's odd, I can't even see him." Then there was an odd noise. Everyone turned and saw sparks, an opening was being carved on the wall. A few minutes and the hole was done.
"Outside," a soft emotionless voice called. The terrorists shared chuckles and high-fives.
"You're welcome to come along," one of them offered.
"And make Menmaht-sama think we've got something to do with you jerks?" the black-haired man huffed, "Forget it, we're staying here and facing the consequences of our actions." The villain shrugged and left. "Baka, they won't get far, we're in the middle of an army camp and that piece of the wall made too much noise when it fell. They'll be back, plus one more." The first two returned much sooner than expected, they ran inside and curled up in a corner.
"Did you have a pleasant stroll?" Artemis mocked. But when he noticed the extreme panic in their faces, he knew something had gone wrong, and the screams and explosions outside confirmed that thought. The white-haired man going to have a look for himself when the terrorist leader appeared, with the tip of a black staff through his neck. A couple of shakes and the killer yanked him out. "What the hell is going on out there!?" They all rushed to the threshold and saw something completely unexpected, rescuer and killer were one and the same. It was a young, pale girl, with dark-violet hair held in a pigtail that reach down to her knees; she was dressed in a form-fitting, deep-purple outfit and wore a silver mask, which made her look like a faceless creature. Several bodies were at her feet, both criminals and law-abiders.
"I am here for your general," she announced with her empty tone, "stay away or share his fate."
"It's her," a soldier gulped, "that death huntress we've heard so much about."
" We'll never betray Menmaht!" a younger one yelled, "We'll fight to the last man!" Four of his friends shared this reckless enthusiasm and charged. The longhaired girl sighed tiredly and readied her staff, each of her following moves was decisive and brutal. The first two were hit on the chin at the same time by her weapon, breaking their necks; the third, who was coming from behind, was kicked on the chest so fiercely that his heart stopped; she then swung her staff and smashed the fourth's skull; finally, she twirled to whip the last one on the neck with her pigtail, a seemingly harmless act, except for the razor-sharp wire braided in her hair. The blood splashed her mask and she didn't even flinch.
"Nieduan!" The pale assassin turned and saw Menmaht, armed with a large saber. "If it is me you want, then fight!" he defied. Both adversaries tensed their muscles and attacked.
"Chikuso, he won't last a minute against her!" Minako exclaimed, "And we can't henshin because of those-"
"These bozos?" The white-clad man was standing next to the two villains, he'd knocked them out by banging their heads together. "You guys better henshin and take care of business."
"Artemis-kun, you're a dear. Venus crisis power, make up!"
"Uranus crisis power, make up!" They leapt outside along Tuxedo Kamen.
"Rose bombs!" The scarred man was about to get the final blow when Nieduan leapt away from the exploding flowers. No sooner she landed, she had to parry against the Space Sword. Even though the wind senshi was much larger, they had equal strength.
"How can a child like you do this?" By her stature, Uranus figured that her opponent was barely fourteen.
"Age is meaningless for one who was bred for war." The pale girl let herself drop backwards, throwing the sand-blonde off balance. She then planted her feet on her stomach, held her up, and started delivering a series of kicks.
"Venus Love me Chain!" The love senshi pulled her friend away before she could receive any more damage. "You okay, Uranus?"
"(cough) Ugh, thank the kami she's not wearing boots." The shorthaired senshi gritted her teeth and got up. "Let's see if that brat can juggle this ball. World Shaking!"
"Agony Wail!" Nieduan's counterattack was a dark spark fired from the tip of her staff, it absorbed the amber orb and blew away the two senshi. She would've rushed over to finish them if it wasn't for Menmaht and Tuxedo Kamen attacking simultaneously.
"With all due respect, General, you should leave," the Earth prince recommended, "those are very serious wounds."
"I thank you for your concern, whoever you are," the military man replied, "but I can't leave and let others fight for me while I still have faculties."
"Admirable," the pale assassin praised sincerely, "I can see why you are considered a threat." She pressed a hidden button on her weapon and it gave a blinding flash, disabling her enemies. "A threat no longer. GAAHH!" Something hard and sharp had hit the side of her head; unable to stand by much longer, Artemis had picked up and thrown a small shield.
"I don't have any magic, but I do know how to improvise."
"Damn you!" The tables had turned on Nieduan. Her wound both stung and bled terribly, Venus and Uranus had gotten back on their feet, and the rest of the soldiers were regrouping. Cursing, she took a blue bead out of her belt and crushed it. The violet-haired girl was surrounded by an energy field and took off.
"Who can possibly cause all this chaos single-handedly?" the blue-eyed senshi wondered as she looked at the nearly demolished camp.
"I don't know," her taller comrade answered, "Although, there's something frighteningly familiar about that girl."