Sailor Moon: Dark Stars
Chapter 8
Morning in the Kendon residence a few days later started out normally, although a bit slow. The school year had finally begun, much to the groans of the girls. Luckily, Tanya's credits from Japan allowed her to go on to the 10th grade with Anna instead of finishing the 9th grade. The girls were actually looking forward to it, and were happy to finally get the new uniforms the school provided for them and be in some of the classes together. That is, at least ONE of them were happy that early morning.
"Tanya, will you please come out? We are going to be late for our first day of school!" Anna shouted as she pounded on their bedroom door. Marco and Dief both sat next to Anna, a look of disapproval on their faces.
"NO! I won't come out!" shouted Tanya from the other side of the door. "I look ridiculous in this! Not even Juuban High's school uniform was this bad. I'm NOT coming out, and that's final!"
Anna gave a sigh of annoyance and leaned her back against the door. "I told you the uniform looks fine on you!" The taller girl blew out a breath, exasperated. She was trying to get Tanya out for almost an hour now, and she didn't want to waste anymore time. She turned back to the door. "Tanya, you're going to be 16 years old next month! Will you quit being so immature? Whatever childishness you still have had better stop. We're in a new school now." Anna said quietly. "Next year we'll be in the 11th grade. After that is our last year in high school, and we are obliged to plan the rest of our lives at that point, not hide from it. We can't be worried about trivial things like worrying about our looks. So, in other words..." The taller girl took in a deep breath. "GET YOUR LITTLE BUTT OUT HERE, NOW!" screamed Anna, angrily giving a final pound on the door.
"Okay, okay! Don't have a heart attack!" said Tanya, finally opening the door. As she stepped out, the raven-haired girl couldn't help but feel bad for acting the way she did. Now that she thought about it, as she gave one last look back at the mirror in the bedroom, the red and black plaid skirt, white shirt, black jacket and black dress shoes making up the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School uniform really didn't look so bad. Her black hair was done in an elaborate French roll with pieces of her hair falling and framing her beautiful face and flawless dark skin color.
"Finally!" Marco walked up to Tanya and laid an affectionate paw on her foot. "Tanya, believe me, we would not send you out if you didn't look alright. This is a very important time of your life, and you should go through with it." He turned to the others, and both Dief and Anna nodded at this.
"Yeah, I guess you're right Marco. I'm sorry." Tanya sighed. She lifted her head and gave a small smile, then went into the bedroom and picked up her school bag. "Let's go!" she shouted.
"About time! You caught alot of Usagi-chan's bad habits!" laughed Anna as she slipped on her school book bag on her shoulders. She dragged Tanya by the hand out the door. The shorter girl had a huge sweat drop over her head as she tried to keep up with her cousin.
Tanya was quiet all the way to their destined bus stop. As they walked, Anna gave her cousin a concerned look. "Tanya, are you alright?" she asked softly. The taller girl didn't like to see her cousin looking so sad and quiet. For some reason, it brought out the protective side of her to see her this way.
"Hmmm? Yeah, I'm fine!" Tanya said, putting on a little smile. "It's just that I've been thinking about all that has happened in the last couple of days, with the attacks and the new enemy and all, and what they mean. It's kind of sad to think that our time of peace is really over now. I mean, it's hard to believe, but maybe we might never get a chance just to be normal girls again." Tanya sighed sadly as she shifted her book bag on her shoulders.
"Well, I have been thinking about that too." Anna said quietly. "It's almost like, our struggles against evil is..endless. I thought we left all of that behind in Japan, but I guess not." She turned to give Tanya a sly look, "But don't tell me that you LIKE this boring peaceful life. I actually kind of miss kicking evil butt!" she teased, nudging Tanya's side and winking.
The smaller girl glared at Anna. "Quit it!" she said, feigning anger, but then broke down in giggles and smiled gratefully at her cousin for making her smile.
A moment later, she sighed. "No, I'm serious. I mean, what if this time, we might not be able to defeat them? The other Sailor Senshi are in Japan and won't be here to help us if we need them. " Tanya looked up at Anna seriously. "It's almost like... we're on our own. It's really weird." Her eyes started to slowly mist.
"Don't worry about it, Cuz." said Anna with understanding as she put her arm around the smaller girl's free shoulder. "I'm sure that if we do get in serious trouble, they'll be here before we know it! Marco and Dief said that we still have the power to Sailor Teleport, and..."
Before she could finish, a deep sounding scream fill the morning air. Both girls looked up in surprise, then nodded to each other and raced to where the scream was coming from. It was coming from the parking lot of an old library that had a sign saying it was condemned.
As they reached it, they saw Pitkin softly chuckling to himself. "Yes, you would do fine for collecting energy for our great King!" the little man said with glee in his voice. He was floating over an obvious high school student on his way to school. Anna and Tanya watched secretly from behind a car in horror at the young student, who was screaming as his body was being transformed from the inside by another one of the warriors brought by the small, evil man. His body suddenly grew bigger, and his skin turned scaly as his arms turned into snakes. His face morphed and took on the appearance of a snake. When the transformation was over, the now possessed teenager got up and bowed to Pitkin. "Slithers at your service, my master!" he hissed out.
"Looks like we're going to be late after all," whispered Tanya. Anna narrowed her eyes, already getting angry, and both girls headed to the side of the building near its empty parking lot, careful to keep out of sight. Anna took out her henshin pen.
"POLARIS NORTH STAR POWER, MAKE-UP!
"SIRIUS EMERALD STAR POWER, MAKE-UP!
In a blinding flash of light, both girls transformed. The Sirius Emerald Star Stone morphed and transformed into the large black opal. When it was done, they were ready for action and rushed forward to the scene.
"Hold it right there, Pitkin!"
The little man looked up in surprise and watched as the two dark-skinned senshi ran up to him and his warrior.
"Ahhh, I am so honored that you remembered my name!" sneered the henchman, "Now all the fun can start!" He gave a sinister laughter.
"Thanks to you and your so-called Master, that's not all we remember!" retorted Super Sailor Sirius. "As sure as the Star that shines brightest in the Heavens, I am Sailor Sirius, and you WILL be vanquished!" She pointed her finger at him.
"Representing the Star that has guided humanity since the beginning of time, I am Sailor Polaris, and you will NOT be tolerated!" shouted Sailor Polaris, coming up next to Sirius.
"Oh dear, not that speech again," Pitkin sighed, floating down and feigning boredom. He turned towards the demon possessed man besides him. "Slithers, kill them both, NOW!" He then turned towards the senshi with a look of hate. "And don't think you can easily beat him. I made him twice as strong as the others. Have fun!" With a puff of orange flames, Pitkin disappeared.
In a move as quick as lightning, Slithers stretched forth his snake arms, trying to wrap the two senshi and squeeze the life out of them. With heighten reflexes, both girls quickly jumped up and flipped out of the way, landing a few feet away near the back alley.
"We'd better watch out, he's fast!" said Sailor Polaris. Sailor Sirius nodded and called forth her scepter. She never got a chance to use it as Slithers quickly stretched forth his arms again, this time entrapping Sirius in his snake arms as she screamed. The scepter fell on the hard ground with a small clank.
"NOO! Damn you!" screamed out Sailor Polaris. Running up to the monster, she shouted out, "POLARIS MAGNETA FREEZE!" But the strong laser ray of cosmic energy never reached the monster as he stretched his other arm and slapped the power away as if it was an annoying bug. Sailor Polaris rushed forward and tried to punch and kick him, but in move too quick to see, Slithers captured Sailor Polaris in his grasp and began to squeeze hard.
Sirius gasped as she felt the life being squeezed out of her. The creature squeezed harder as he felt the depleting life force. "Polaris!" she whispered, nearly out of air. She felt her eyelids getting heavy, and black spots circled before her eyes, signfying she would soon go unconscious. Slithers gave a roar of triumph as he lifted both girls in the air. With hardly an effort, he threw them into the window showcase at a clothing shop across a small street.
The two girls screamed in horror as their bodies smashed heavily through the glass, shattering the window. They fell to the hard floor with a sickening thud. Groaning painfully a moment later, Sailor Sirius tried to sit up, but found she could barely move. Blood trickled down the side of her mouth. She turned her head and saw Sailor Polaris struggling to get up too. With much effort, the North Star senshi finally stood up and limped over to Sirius. Pieces of broken glass crunched under her boots and blood trailed down on the side of her face.
"We...we can't beat him!" said Sailor Sirius in short breaths as she stood up with Polaris's help. She looked up at her with hopelessness.
"Your energy belongs to me!" screamed out Slithers. He jumped down in front of the smashed out windowpane, and blew yellow mist over them. Both girls screamed and fell to the floor as the energy was being drained out of them. Damn! Is this how all our efforts going to end? thought Sirius angrily to herself. Suddenly, all the anger that she felt slowly and steadily began to build up. It can't end like this..it CAN'T! There's no way! I'm not going to let it end like this. I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!
Unknowingly, the Sirius Emerald Star Stone slowly morphed back and materialized on a silvery chain around her neck, then started to glow. It was quickly gathering the energy and anger from within Super Sailor Sirius's heart, where the creature cannot reach.
"I've gone through so much already! I can't let myself and Anna down," whispered Sailor Sirius to herself. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the disfigured creature laughing maniacally over them. She got up slowly, pain etched on her face, and faced the monster.
"I...I...won't let you...defeat me!" said Sirius weakly, struggling for her breath. Steadily, the Sirius Emerald Star Stone grew more and more brighter, its blue light making an aura and protecting her body against the creature's energy draining mist. "I...won't let your master...take over my world!" Taking a deep breath and balling her fists, she shouted the first words that came into her mind. "SIRIUS...STAR...POWER!" The powerful jewel, reacting to her anger, blasted forth in an enormous burst of heavy blue light energy. With the force of a large explosion, it completely knocked Slithers a few feet away from the dark-skinned senshi and cause more damage to the window showcase. Screaming horribly, the warrior monster landed hard on the ground, almost unconscious.
Exhausted and still in pain, Sailor Sirius fell to her knees, panting very hard. A moment later, she slowly got up and walked over to Polaris. With shaky hands, she helped her cousin stand up. Stepping out of the store window, they looked at the damage toll with widen eyes. Sailor Polaris looked at Super Sailor Sirius in amazement. "How did it do that?" she asked, looking at the now semi-dull jewel as it slowly morphed back into the large black opal.
"I..I'm not sure." said Sirius, looking down on her chest where the Star Stone was a moment ago. They crossed the street again to where they first arrived, and she bent down and picked up the Sirius Scepter on the floor where she dropped it. "Marco said something before about the Sirius Emerald Star Stone reacting to my emotions and knowing when I needed it the most." She slowly wiped pieces of glass that was still in her black hair.
Suddenly, an enraged roar filled the morning air, and Sailors Polaris and Sirius turned their heads quickly to see Slithers heading straight for them, his snake arms shooting forth to grab them in his clutches. With a gasp, both girls jumped high in the air, just missing Slithers as he jumped and landed on the spot where they were just in. The two senshi landed and ran quickly to the spacious parking lot nearby, the creature close behind them. Slithers jumped high, sailed over their heads, and landed right in front of them, blocking them from running any further. "HAAHAHAHA! At last I have you, and your energy will belong to me! Surrender NOW!" The monster prepared to shoot forth his snake arms.
"Get a clue, Ugly! We're not surrendering to you!" shouted out Sailor Sirius. With the little strength she had left, she raised her arm with the scepter, and pointed at the demon. "Please, oh please don't fail me now!" whispered Sirius desperately, her eyes closed as she thought about earlier when she didn't have a chance to use it. She snapped open her eyes, giving the monster a determined stare. "SIRIUS SCEPTER ILLUMINATE!" she screamed out. The massive laser of pure light energy shot forth from the scepter, striking him right in his eyes. With a scream of pain, Slithers fell again to the hard ground, unconscious. His body lay still for a second, then it convulsed as yellow mist came floating out of the mouth. Immediately, the body began to shrink and turned back to the unfortunate school student once again. The mist floating on top of him began to take shape, forming once more into Slithers. Roaring in frustration, he slowly floated back down on the ground near the unconscious boy, and turned to glare at the two senshi. With a loud and evil roar, he shot forth one of his snake arms. Both girls quickly jumped away from each other and landed on either side of the demon, carefully avoiding his grasps.
"The only thing I hate worse than evil scum like you, is snakes AND evil scum like you! POLARIS MAGENTIC FREEZE!" shouted out Sailor Polaris. The massive pink cosmic ray blasted heavily on the groggy Slithers, striking him fully on the chest. His mouth opened in a silent scream of frustration as he soon found out that he could not move his frozen body.
"Time for you to make a permanent absence! SIRIUS KISS OF DEATH! CAPTIVATION!" shouted out Sirius, hardness set in her voice. She threw her right hand in the air, gathering energy in her open palm and clamping it in a tight fist. She quickly brought it down to her lips, and opened her hand, and kissed her palm. She blew the kiss toward the creature. Heading straight for the creature, the kiss imprint grew into a black energy ball, growing bigger and bigger by the second. When it reached the creature, the ball entrapped him as it crackled with energy. The ball shrank, crushing the Slithers inside, and after a silent second, the ball exploded, scattering pieces of electricity and scales everywhere.
When it was over, Sirius collapsed once more in exhaustion, falling to her hands and knees. Polaris gasped and rushed over to her cousin. "Sirius, are you alright?" She quickly began helping her up.
"Ye..yeah, I'll be fine. Let's just get out of here" said Sailor Sirius softly, laying her hand on Sailor Polaris's. The taller senshi nodded, and putting her arm around Sirius's waist, they both quickly exited the large parking lot.
"I guess we need to come up with a GOOD excuse this time for being late!" Sailor Polaris groaned as the girls powered down. With sadness in her eyes, Tanya could only stare up at the sky as the police sirens came blaring in the background.
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To be continued.
