Museum Thieves
It was a clear and beautiful morning, it seemed to perfect to be wasted in the office working. "Lupus, tell my brother that I will be at the garden with my beautiful expecting wife" Raion said to the very thin young man with a crescent moon medallion hanging down his neck. "Yes my lord" Lupus replied. "Then go and see your sweetheart" Raion said happily as he gave the young man a wink "Uh sire? I am uh" Lupus stuttered with his cheeks pink "It's no use denying it Lupus" Raion said as he left him alone in the office. Reached the garden only to find he sun was shining upon the flowers in the moon royal garden and Lady Serenity is sitting in on a bench that was under a tree facing the Earth. He smiled as he walked toward her with anxiety to feel her in his arms. "You are truly a vision" he complimented as he slowed down his pace "Liar" Serenity replied humorously as she rose up to her feet to meet with his face "A 6 month due mother is not always beautiful" she said with her hands over her extended belly. "Wrong, milady" Raion said as he placed his hands on her shoulders and brought her closer to him "I seem to recall a woman of grace tell the mothers of the outer planetary that their pregnancy brought a certain glow and beauty that shines through out the galaxy" Raion explained then placed his hands over her cheek. Serenity surrendered to Raion's tender warm comfort "How are you ever so positive?" she asked with a smile on her face "I married you" he answered, the couple chuckled then exchanged kisses to each other."What do you think, boy or a girl?" he asked as the walked to the center of the garden which had the grand fountain "I don't know" Serenity answered with her arm around waist. "I hope it's a girl" he said "Raion, our rulers have always been boys" Serenity said looking up at him with shock in her eyes "I believe in change, and besides girls are always exciting and fun" he explained as he placed a hand on her belly. "And I want her to look like you, to immortalizes your beauty" he added as they sat at the edge of the fountain, Serenity blushed at her husband's sweet compliments. "But what about you, what trace of you will be immortalized?" Serenity asked as they held their hands "Well you make that prophecy for me" he said "Raion, you shouldn't interfere with the God's plans" Serenity said frightenly with her hand covering his mouth.
"You sound like-" Serenity was interrupted by the bursting flames that sprouted like flowers around them, they soon changed into the figures of identical men. All wore a long black cape, short step hats, a white mask with red painted smiles for mouths as well as for their eyes "Phantom, what do you want?" Raion asked in defense. "These are his decoys, one of them is the real one" Raion explained as he shield Serenity. They all at the same time pointed to him as a sign of "Correct" then opened their capes to reveal their black suits, Raion realized that they wanted him to pick which one is the real one. Raion looked closely at each of them, comparing each one with the similar heights, shapes, color of their suits, then he suddenly pointed out the answer "None of you is the real one" he answered. Suddenly they all bust into flames then dosed into ashes being blown by the wind, Raion and Serenity thought they were left alone but they were startled by the sound of a single hand clapping. They looked behind them and spotted now only one Phantom standing on the goddess statue clapping his hands to Raion then flipped off the statue and landed right on his feet before the couple. He made a dramatic bow with his arms and his knees then pulled out a yellow rose and gave it to Serenity, she recognized it as his way of apologizing.
"Apology accepted, Lord Endymion I" Raion said humorously, Serenity was confuse to everything that she was seeing, Phantom rose up on his feet and removed his to reveal the face of a grown man that had the exact resembles of Mamoru. Same black hair, same blue eyes only with a thin mustache. "You knew the identity of the Phantom all along?" Serenity asked in a shocked voice "Since we were boys, long before we laid eyes on you" Endymion answered for Raion. The queen sighed with a smile laughter as she sat back down on the edge of the fountain "You both frightened me" she said with her hands over her belly. "I am sorry Serenity, but as the guardian of Earth I needed a second face one that would protect my family" Endymion explained as he held out the yellow rose. "Well I have known that the Phantom is a faithful servant to the earth family but I just didn't realized it was you" Serenity explained as she accepted the rose with a smile. "It has been in my family for many generations. The Phantom plays the part of a thief only to confuse the enemy, making them think that he steals for his own pleasure but deceives with his loyalty" the Phantom explained. "I must return to my son Mamoru" Endymion said as he was about to place his mask back on but stopped an turned to Raion. "How did you figured it out the riddle, most people don't ever solve it" Endymion said as he walked back toward the royal couple. Raion answered first by pointing at the pink-white mixed carnation on his caller "None of your decoys had a carnation" he explained, Endymion smiled surprisingly as he crossed his arms. "Good eyes and knowledge" the king of Earth complimented "Odin!" he then called out to his hawk friend that watched the couple over the tree "I thought you always keep your spy-eye with you at all cost" Raion asked. "I do but I leave him here to keep watch over my two...long time friends" Endymion explained as he looked at Serenity with desires.
"MY LORD! MY LORD, wake up!" Yori said with his paws on Raion's shoulder pushing and shoving his claws into his jacket. Raion woke up to the sight of night time in the ally where he and Yori were talking in, Raion remembered everything that they were discussing earlier. "Have they left already" Raion asked as he rose to sit up "About 20 minutes ago" Yori answered with extreme urgencies in his voice. "Then we must catch up to them" Raion replied as he rose up to his feet and headed to the museum with Yori running up to Raion. "Who went with them?" Raion asked as the made there way "Lupus and Tuxedo Mask" Yori answered while walking "Lupus the uh...trickster right?" Raion asked curiously. Yori nodded his head "You might remember him as the servant to your family" Yori added to his description of Lupus.
At the museum, the senshi stood by the street light across from the museum in their original Senshi wears. "Lupus is taking way too long to search for the clock" Usagi said looking up at the museum for his signal, suddenly a pitch black cat that didn't have a crescent moon on the head leaped on the window then. Suddenly it morphed into the young man that was very skinny that had spiked up auburn hair, they senshi recognized him as Lupus their comrade. He opened up the window wide for the girls to claim in with the help of Tuxedo Mask who lifted them up to the frame then Makoto caught them from the inside of the museum. "Any signs of security cameras?" Minako asked while scanning the dark room "Yeah but I shut them down without being detected" Lupus answered. "Did you find the watch?" Luna asked looking up at Lupus "Yeah" he answered, everyone was about to walk off to search for it "But one problem" Lupus exclaimed to them with his hands held before all of them. "What is it?" Usagi asked "The security system on the watch wouldn't turn off when I switched off the security" Lupus explained sadly and concern.
Everyone groaned in with impatience "Now what do we do?" Rei asked "Well...First off how dangerous is the security system there?" Usagi asked curiously, Lupus sighed hard at her question and it was only because he knew everyone wasn't going to like his answer. Instead of explaining it to them, Lupus decided to take them there and show them with their own eyes. Everyone stood in the door way to find the watch in the center of the room sounded by lasers beams that just swarmed all around it. The Senshi and Tuxedo Mask as well as Lupus fell on the floor in complete shock of what they saw "Why couldn't we just tell them that the watch is mine and that they have to give it to us?" Usagi wined loudly.
Meanwhile Raion and Yori were saying the exact same thing that Usagi just said on their backs "Life on Earth just isn't ease like it was back on the kingdom" Yori replied.
"Okay, we can't just sit here and complain about it" Makoto said as she got back on her feet then suddenly she noticed an envelope on the floor next to her foot. While everyone was agreeing with her statement, Makoto picked up the envelope to find a small hand mirror and a note. "You all look pretty pathetic down there" it said, Makoto slowly but gradually looked into the mirror to find a reflection of what looked like Tuxedo Mask. But when she turned to see with her eyes, she spotted a black figure hanging on the ceiling by his hands and feet "What's that!" she asked while pointing at the dark figure. Ami pulled out a flash light and pointed at what Makoto was pointing at, everyone was looking at someone dressed in an all-black suit with a white carnation on his caller. He had a short stomp hat, a long black cape like Tuxedo Mask, black leather gloves and his mask cover his whole face. It was a white with red painted smiles for the eyes and for the lips "Who the Hell are you!" Makoto asked loudly with her fist held before her face. He whistled to a brown hawk that was perched on the window over the watch. The hawk flew straight down to the watch and snatched it from it's podium without getting detected by the beams. Everyone was impressed by what they saw by this stranger but they were detracted by the performance that they didn't see him standing right behind them when the hawk dropped the watch into his master's hand. All the senshi screamed in startle by the appearance him while Lupus and Mamoru stood and stared in complete awe "HEY! That is my watch" Usagi exclaimed boldly to this stranger as he dropped the watch into a small snatch bag. "And for the last time who are you?" she added, after he slipped the lop of the bag around his wrist he suddenly his pulled out a tiny note from his sleeve and held it to her, Usagi was about to take the note but the stranger bowed on one knee before her as an act of respect to a royal member anarchy.
Everyone stood stunned and surprised by this action, Usagi slowly took his note and opened it "I am called 'The Phantom' and this watch is mine" the note read. "Your's?" Usagi asked as Phantom rose back on his feet then pointed to the back of the note to her "I thank you for leading me to it, I hope to see you again...Princess Serenity" the back of the note said. Usagi looked back up at Phantom only to find him bowing before her charmingly then leaping toward the ceiling "Don't let him leave with that!" Raion shouted from the entrance door. Everyone turned to see him in surprise "Who are you and what are you-" Ami couldn't finish her question thanks to Raion. "There is no time for this now STOP HIM!" he shouted again then Lupus obeyed fast by running and quickly jumping to the window that Phantom was heading for. The trickster leaped to the window and morphed into a golden glowing net, it blocked Phantom's exit at the moment.
Phantom landed firmly on his feet while looking at the trickster's cleverness then he applaud to him as he turned to the Senshi and the old man. Phantom turned and pointed at Lupus then continue clapping his hands, he was insinuating that he was impressed by Lupus's magic. Then he drew out his sword from his side and opened his arms as a jester that says "I might as well", "I'll take him" Tuxedo Mask said as he approached Phantom with his cane. The two masked gentlemen approached each other and stood in fighting stands, Phantom thrusted his sword at Mamoru. The earth prince dodged it and took a swing at him, in the mist of the a sword and cane hitting each other Raion seized the opportunity to give more aid to the Senshi. "The rings, do you still have the rings?" he asked looking at the girls "What?" the asked at the same time. "The rings that left you, tell me you still have them" he asked again with a tone of hope in his voice, the girls held out their rings on their fingers. "Come and kneel before me" Raion commanded as he pulled out a ring from his own pocket, he placed it on his finger then clutched his hand into a fist. The Senshi were still in awe by all that he was saying but they all had a strong sense of belief in Raion even though their questions were still unanswered. "The guardians of the Silver Millennium have at last returned through their descendants now they will be re-knighted" Raion said as his fist glowed bright white and suddenly a large knight's sword appeared right into his hand. He held the tip of the blade to the girls that knelt to him in a half circle. "On behave of the Moon and the rest of the kingdoms of the Silver Millennium, I dubbed thee each; the Knight of Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus. Arise!...Ladies of the Crown," he said, then held the sword over his head. Suddenly the Senshi developed a sense of knowledge to their rings, Ami held her ring into a fist then her hand glowed bright blue and a sword like Raion's appeared right our of her hand as she called out: "Dame of Mercury!" quickly the rest of the Senshi caught up to her and then swords appeared out of their hands.
"Dame of Mars!"
"Dame of Jupiter!"
"Dame of Venus!"
Their swords all appeared right out of their hands, each sword had their royal crest–their planetary symbols-- on the blade near the handle. "WOW! Knights, can you beat that?" Minako asked looking at her friends. Raion's sword disappeared from his hand as he collapsed on the floor while clinging onto his chest, Usagi gasped along with the rest of the Senshi. "Are you all right?" Usagi asked with her hands on both of Raion's shoulders. "Now you can fight him," was all that Raion said while pointing at the Phantom, who was now being fought by Lupus and Mamoru. The Phantom out smarted Mamoru and Lupus quickly and headed back to the room where he took the watch from "Stop him!" Lupus shouted to the Senshi, Makoto raced along side the Phantom. "Leaving just when the party was getting more and more interesting?" she said as she quickly slipped onto her side and kicked the Phantom's leg, he nearly fell on his back but he made a flexible flip and landed back on his feet. Once again the Phantom drew out his sword, Makoto accepted his challenge and stood in fighting stance. Makoto fought very well with the sword almost like a professional, when she fell the rest of the Senshi took a chance with their swords.
They all fought well like professionals like Makoto, Rei and Ami swung their swords at him but the Phantom dodged their swords and held his cape opened as he ran to them. They screamed in surprise as the Phantom threw his arms over them, suddenly in a very fast second, Rei and Ami was gone. The rest of the gang looked at him as he turned to them and showed that they were not under his cape.
Rei and Ami screamed as they fell from a short height in mid air on their bottoms and leaned on each other's back "HUH?" they both said in shock and looked around them. They recognized their surroundings, the trees, the grass, the benches and the pathways that they were next to. Their swords disappeared out of their hands "How-?" Ami was about to ask but Rei hushed her calmly but in a aggravating tone. "Don't bother asking, Ami, because it would only be a waste," she responded then groaned in pain while rubbing her rear.
The Phantom fought off the last two knights and their Lupus, he was just about to make a run toward the side exit doors but Mamoru tried again with him. Once again they fought with their own choice of weapons, the fight became more intense as Mamoru already grew tired and exhausted from their first combat. He could barely hold his cane and that seemed to please the Phantom because once he noticed Mamoru's weak grip on his cane, the Phantom cut Mamoru's hand and made him throw his cane aside. The Phantom was about to stab the injured man but Usagi left Raion's side and shield her beloved one. "NO!" she said as she fell onto Mamoru's chest and stayed there, the Phantom stood frozen for a moment and just stared at them. Usagi looked straight at him with anger and pleads of mercy and the Phantom could move himself or command himself to kill both of them.
"FREEZE, NOBODY MOVE!"
Shouted a female voice with a flash light pointing at the Phantom, Mamoru and Usagi, everyone all turned to see a female and a male officer pointing their guns at them. No one said a word but they all felt the same feeling: Embarrassed. The Phantom glanced back down at Usagi then quickly tossed the bag at Usagi, she caught it by surprise. "Huh?" she said confusingly as she quickly looked at the bag then tossed it back to him. The Phantom seemed surprised by what she did then tossed it back to her. Usagi again tossed it back and again he tossed it back, repeating the game of "catch." The two police officers stood by and watched with complete confusion and shook by all this, the Phantom and Usagi kept this dispute for a few more seconds until finally his hawk screeched at him. He looked up with the snatch in his hand then nodded his head to him at the same time the police officers including the rest of the calvary were distracted by the hawk that they didn't see the Phantom tossing them his moon dust balls and freezing them both. Once the smoke cleared up and they saw the frozen officers, the Phantom bowed to everyone and leaped up to the escape the sky window making his grand escape with the hawk following him behind. "Oh no!" Usagi shouted while Mamoru said something worst then what she said.
While Lupus was aiding Makoto and Minako he suddenly looked at where he last saw Raion. He was gone. "HEY! You lost him too... again," he said sadly, the two Senshi that he was holding up sighed hard with disappointment. Usagi did the same. "But why?" she asked loudly to the empty spot where she left him. "Everyone all right!" Ami asked as she and Rei rushed into the museum through the entrance and passed the statues of the two security. Rei stopped and stared at them with one hand on her hip and the other was holding her chin, she suddenly recalled her time when she was in their situation. "I have a pretty good idea who did this," she said sarcastically. "It wasn't Raion this time," Usagi said while helping Mamoru onto his feet. "It was the Phantom... he's got the watch now," she added sadly. "Damn it, where does he go?" Rei said loudly and in an angry tone.
Outside the museum, Raion made his way down the street with his chest burning and feeling like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He leaned against a building panting with his head lifted up then suddenly he was surprised by a golden jaguar that stopped right in front on him. The passengers he recognized right away, on the driver's seat was Haruka, next to her was in the passenger seat was Michiru, Setsuna was sitting in the back with a 17 year old Hotaru, Yori peeked his head over the car door. "Quickly! Get in my Lord!" he said urgently. Raion looked at the ladies, puzzling and worried about finally being exposed to at least half of the Senshi. "We already know about you... My lord," Haruka said looking at him. "Yori explained it on our way here," Michiru added. Raion sighed hard to show that he was too tired to act like deranged homeless man that he had been using on the other Senshi. Setsuna and Hotaru climbed out and assisted him into the car. "Just... just..." he said to them before he moved forward, the two girls stood and listened. "Don't...call...me...My...Lord," he said in between heavy breathing, the ladies looked at him with blanked and curious faces but they complied. Raion finally moved with his two helpers to the car. Once they were all in, Haruka hit that gas paddle and zoomed the car down the street, Raion sat back in his seat and sighed with pleasure of feeling the wind blow at his head. Setsuna and Hotaru sat next to him with concern looks on their faces, everyone drove in silence for a moment until the reached the bridge out of the city. "The other Senshi must not know where I am...just yet" Raion said in a tired voice "No problem, we have grown accustom to keeping things from them" Haruka said jokingly. Raion chuckled a little bit "What will we do now, My-I mean Raion" Hotaru asked then remembered what Raion requested. The king was just too tired to think about what they had to do next but he knew that he couldn't rest so soon "For now, we wait for his next move" he said quietly as he gradually was falling asleep. "Who's move?" Michiru asked as she turned to look at him from the front seat but when she hard him make a loud snore she remained silent.