Sailor Moon: Dark Stars

Chapter 7

Tanya Cambridge and Anna Kendon were relaxing in their room, retelling the battle they had in downtown Manhattan the previous day to their guardian and friends Marco and Dief. The late morning sun shined brightly on the girls as they lay propped up on their elbows on the soft rugged floor. The late Summer breeze from the wide open window blew through their long dark hair, serving only to enhance their exotic beauty in the sunlight.

"..and then this really LOUD voice came rumbling through the building, calling back the little man, and then he left in a puff of smoke, saying something about being back." finished Tanya, her dark hazel eyes wide with excitement and wonder as she looked to Marco. Anna looked over at her cousin and nodded vigorously.

"Hmmm, this is a rather strange development indeed," said Marco, his eyes narrowed in thought. "From what you described, I think the enemy has finally showed themselves." Suddenly, Marco's face perked up. "Wait a minute; you said that the voice was very deep and loud, and very commanding?" he asked, looking at both girls.

"Yeah, like he was used to commanding people or something, and the little man kept calling him "Master" or "Majesty", why?" asked Anna, recalling the infamous voice from memory. Marco and Dief exchanged worried looks, then turned back to the girls lying in front of them. Both canines hoped in their hearts that it wouldn't come to this, but they had no choice. The golden dog also couldn't help but feel a touch of anger. The girls were doing so well in their normal lives, being happy in a new country and new friends. Why did it have to end now?

The black furred dog stepped forward slightly."And this "little man", was he bald-headed, kind of dark-skinned, wore all black, and answered to the name Pitkin?" he asked, nervousness showing in his eyes. Both girls nodded, confusion showing in their dark faces. The dogs sighed.

"We were afraid this was going to happen." said Marco sadly. Walking in front of Dief, he said a magical word that was foreign to the girls, and did a quick back flip. Suddenly, in a flash of sparkles, a small, hand sized lap top computer appeared in the air above everyone. It slowly floated down and landed in front of the surprised girls. It was dark turquoise blue, with a black screen and black and white keys on the keyboard. On the cover of the small lap top computer was the symbol for Sirius, a white six pointed star with the letter "S" in the middle, connected with the Polaris symbol, a large white "N" with the first part as an arrow going up.

"Girls, this is your new mini-computer," said Marco. "Both of you can use it. It contains data of the past during the Silver Millennium and important people that lived back then, as well as information on the villains you battled in Tokyo. You must take care of this, because it is vital to your success in defeating our new enemies."

Tanya and Anna could only look at Marco and the computer for a moment, almost too stunned to say anything. It was Tanya that was the first to break the long silence.

"Wow, this is almost like Ami-chan's computer!" squealed the smaller girl, taking the small computer in her hands. She flipped over on her back and held the mini comp high above her to give it the once over. Anna gave her cousin a look of disapproval at her childish act for a moment, then turned back to their guardians.

"How exactly are we supposed to use it? I mean, I don't think we're THAT computer literate as Sailor Mercury is." said Anna, looking a bit nervous.

"You don't have to be, and I think it's vital that you know who you're up against." Dief gave the cousins a sad look. "Tanya, I want you to type in Pitkin, and I want you girls to carefully read the information that comes up. You might not like it, but it is important for you to know."

Tanya sat up in a sitting postion with her cousin and nodded. Carefully, she typed in the name. What came up in a few seconds caused her to gasp and nearly drop the small lap top. Both girls were silent as they saw the images of King Meerages and Pitkin that appeared on the screen, along with a complete biography of the both of them.

Meerages was once a respected king and dignitary from the Acrux System, often coming himself in politcal meetings and ceremonies to the Moon Kingdom and Earth to represent his planet and system. But then he got greedy, seduced with the promise of power and fame. He joined leagues with Beryl, and from since then, left nothing but death and destruction in his path. The little man Pitkin was no better, also coming from the Acrux System and gladly joining with his king, killing almost as much people as Meerages did.

Tears flowed down Tanya's cheeks a moment later when they finished reading.

"Oh my God! It's him! He was the one who...who..killed.." Unable to speak anymore, Tanya sobbed loudly as she dropped the computer from her shaky hands. She then turned to her cousin, threw her arms around her, and buried her face in her shoulders.

Anna gently stroked her cousin's hair, trying to soothe her.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Anna wanted to know, anger touching her voice. She too was immediately showered with memories of their last night on the Moon Kingdom. She remembered the look of pure hate and evilness in the man's eyes as he sent them to their deaths, and also remembered the unbearable pain she went through when he found her alone.

"We had our suspicions, but..we were hoping we were wrong that King Meerages came back." Marco sighed. "We're sorry girls, but this was something that you also had to find out for yourselves. We thought it was better this way so you would be more prepared for what's to come." Tanya lifted her head from Anna's shoulders and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"It's all right, I'm okay now," said Tanya, her voice shaky. "It was just a bit of shock, that's all. Just, all those memories..." She shuddered, then gave everyone a determined look. "But I swear I'm going to get revenge for what that maniac did to us!" She angrily punched her right fist in her left palm.

"Calm down Tanya! What's important is not revenge, but to protect and defend this planet and all those who live in it. Remember, revenge isn't always sweet. It leaves a bitter taste for those with bitter hearts." said Marco, walking up to Tanya and putting a paw on her hand.

Tanya remained quiet for a moment. She lifted her head, giving Marco a small smile. "Yeah, you're right. I'll concentrate on what is important now." She leaned forward and hugged Marco hard.

Anna was about to say something when there was a soft knocking on the bedroom door. The door softly opened and James stuck his head inside. "Hi girls," He turned to look at Anna. "I was wondering if you can do a little errand for me and your mom. Do you think you can go uptown and get a few office supplies for my trip?"

Anna gave her father an annoyed look, but got up quickly. "Sure Dad, we'll go for LESLIE." she said, emphasizing his wife's name. She wanted to make it clear that she STILL didn't accept her as her mother. Mr.Kendon sighed, then rolled his eyes as he closed back the door.

"You like making him mad, don't you?" asked Tanya with a impish look on her face. The taller girl just smiled mischievously and shrugged.

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Uptown Manhattan:

"Are we almost there yet?" complained Tanya as she followed Anna through the immense crowd, trying to find the address her father gave her. The wind blew hard and nearly took off the small straw hat Tanya was wearing.

"Come on, keep your shorts on! The store should be just across that street!" Anna looked around at the buildings' number and names, then pointed to one across a busy street. Suddenly, a stronger gust of wind blew and whipped the straw hat off Tanya's head and back down the block they just came from as she gasped in surprise.

"MY HAT! Uncle James is going to be so mad if I lose it!" shouted Tanya, then tearing off down the sidewalk after it.

"Tanya, wait up! You might get lost!" Anna warned, but it was too late. There were so many people out in the streets, trying to get some last minute shopping done for school and work for the Fall, that Tanya's small figure was lost in moments.

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Tanya frantically tried to catch up with her wayward hat, but it was almost impossible. It was like someone was pulling and tugging at it. She bumped into many people, murmuring "sorry" as she rushed by. They all just gave her an annoyed look. After running almost four blocks, the small hat finally stopped in front of an abandoned building where few people were. Sighing with relief, she ran up a little faster to pick up the hat before it blew away again. She was about to reach it when a tall figure suddenly stepped forward, reached down, and picked it up in quick movements. Tanya, not expecting anyone, couldn't stop in time and slammed into the hard figure with a surprised yell. The impact sent her sprawling on the sidewalk on her behind. "OOOWW!" she yelled, rubbing her sore spot. She then looked to see who she bumped into. When she did, she blushed. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't see you! I mean..." Tanya stopped and moaned softly in pain, still rubbing her behind. She blushed harshly once more. Looking down at her was a pair of the bluest eyes she had ever seen, a clean-shaven, almost god-like face, and an amused, handsome smile. His hair was platinum blonde, cut short, close to his head.

"Please, do not be too concerned. It was my fault also. Allow me." said the tall man in a thick European accent. He held out his hand and helped Tanya stand up. The smaller girl had to look up high into the man's eyes, since he was so tall; at least over six feet two inches. He brushed off his blue suit and looked at her for long minutes.

Tanya continued to look up at the man curiously, his face beginning to look familiar somehow. She then realized she was looking too long and blushed harder. "Oh! I'm sorry, it's just that, you look so...fami.." She stopped herself in mid sentence and laughed nervously. "HAHA, that's so silly! It can't be, right?" She laughed again with her one hand behind her head.

"Well, considering I just came from France, that might be hard to do," the man chuckled. He looked down at Tanya seriously. "But it is good to meet beautiful women in a strange country like this." The man suddenly reached forward and laid a finger on Tanya's chin and began to softly trace her dark jaw line. "My name is Javier, and I'm at your service. What is your name, beautiful maiden"? In his mind, the man chuckled evilly to himself. As if I didn't know! he thought maliciously.

The young girl was too captivated by the sheer handsomeness of the man to realize something was wrong. "Ta..Tanya." she said softly, looking deep in his eyes.

"Ah, a beautiful name, for such a beautiful young woman." he said seductively as he continued to stroke her cheek. None of them even noticed that so many minutes of passed, staring into each other eyes. Unable to help himself, the man calling himself Javier continued to stroke Tanya's chin, then her cheeks. It was the softest thing he had ever felt. "So young, so fresh; so..virgin..." Desire was thickening the man's voice, and almost unconsciously, his loins tighten. Never in his existence had he wanted and needed anyone so bad...that is, besides ultimate power, of course. It almost hurt as his loins tightened more and blood raced threw his veins with raw passion. Just one taste..just one little taste for now, the man thought. He suddenly cupped Tanya's chin in his large hand and lifted her face up to meet him as he slowly bent down his head. Tanya could only close her eyes slowly as his lips gently grazed her own, inexperienced mouth. Just as the kiss deepened slightly, a voice cut through the air.

"TANYA! TANYA, WHERE DID YOU GO?" yelled out Anna, looking around frantically. She turned the corner and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight she saw; a tall man had her cousin's face in his hand and locked in a kiss. As soon as Anna stepped into the scene, the man looked up and growled angrily at being interrupted. Anna gasped as she saw the look on his face. It was like a hungry wolf, going in for the kill on his unsuspecting prey. Suddenly, the man let go of Tanya and closed his eyes for a second. He gave a silent command and quickly turned and walked away. Tanya stood dazed for a moment, then snapping her eyes open, she turned to the street. The light turned green, but Tanya didn't realize that as she walked right in the middle of the large street. Anna realized in a horrible second what was about to happen as a large truck was suddenly barreling high speed down the street toward her cousin.

With a frightened scream and burst of speed that came from deep in her soul, Anna sprinted forth toward the street, fueled by the fear of losing someone again so close to her. She jumped high on top of a parked car and leapt once again toward the street, quickly grabbing Tanya around her waist as she flew past. The large truck blasted its horns,just missing the girls by a few inches.

Landing across the street on the sidewalk, Anna gently laid the smaller dark-skinned girl across her lap and she as knelt down. She ignored the cursing of the angered truck driver as he speed away, blasting his horns once again. "Tanya? Tanya, please wake up! You HAVE to wake up now!" whispered Anna desperately as she shook Tanya.

After a moment, Tanya's eyelids fluttered and she opened her eyes as she moaned softly. She turned her head and looked curiously at her cousin. "Anna? What...what am I doing here? What happened?" Tanya blinked her eyes in confusion. She weakly tried to stand with Anna's help.

"I don't really know what happened before, but you were about to become as flat as a pancake on the streets!" said Anna, dusting off her clothes. Tanya gave Anna a look of confusion and shook her head.

"All I remember was going after my hat., then meeting this...strange guy.Then, being held by you," Tanya said softly. She looked into the street once more, and saw her hat crushed beyond repair laying there. "Oh no, my hat! What's Uncle James's going to say?" the girl cried despairingly.

"Never mind that. Let's just get out of here and hurry home. This is getting very weird, and we need to find out what's going on!" said Anna sternly. She grabbed Tanya's hand and pulled her along with her up the now crowded sidewalk. As they rushed off, the people gave the girls a look of surprise and confusion.

Away in the distance, unseen by anyone, the man calling himself Javier watched the girls hurry away. "Soon, it will be too late to escape me, my little one. Very soon." the man whispered darkly to himself. He snapped his fingers, and disappeared and a dark blue flash.

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To be continued.