Chapter 8: Tears of Blood

Amy ran into the temple faster then Serena could scarf a sundae. She found Raye beside the alter, praying to the Spirit of Fire, whom she believed she gained her power from. Amy sat down and waited till her friend was done. Raye turned and looked at Amy, and knew that she was troubled. "Amy, what happened?" she asked, getting up and walking over to her. Amy explained her dream, then the shock of seeing the same mark on Koaru, and that he didn't know the marks origin himself.

Raye sat before the fire again, and focused her mind on the images of Amy's dream. Amy sat patiently by, waiting to see if her friend could help her. After about ten minutes, Raye stood up, sweating. "Raye, what is it?" Raye looked at her friend, scared for her safety. "Amy, I think that this Shadow Mercury from Serena's dream is Koaru." Amy got to her feet, her heart racing. "Impossible! Koaru wasn't in the Silver Millennium; none of us remember him, not even Luna or Artemis! How could he be evil? He has been kind to us all, he…he…he just can't be evil!" Amy collapsed to her knees, crying, feeling heartbroken. Raye knelt next to her, feeling sorry for her, yet now unsure about her vision. "Amy, we should tell the others, just in case, so they know to be careful." Amy nodded in agreement and pulled out her cell phone.

The meeting was short, as the other three girls and the cats were sure that Raye was wrong, yet they all agreed to keep an eye on Koaru. Amy thought about if she should spend any more time alone with Koaru, wondering if it would be safe, or if she was being paranoid.

"I still say that we need to be careful! Koaru may not have his Silver Millennium memories back, so he has no idea about that mark." Lita lifted her head. "Raye, we just agreed that Koaru wasn't in the Silver Millennium, so drop it. We agreed to be careful around him." A loud roar outside made the girls leap to their feet. "Yomas." Artemis hissed, his fur standing on end. The girls transformed into the Sailor Scouts and ran outside, ready to fight. There were about twenty Yoma demons, each one as large as the last one the fought. "What do we do?" Sailor Venus asked the others.

Behind the treetops and the skyscrapers, the sun was setting, the sky turning a bright orange, then purple, then black. The Scouts continued to fight, the demons attacking with energy blasts and claws, the Scouts repelling the attacks with their powers, but they were being worn out, and soon were all on their knees, at the mercy of these merciless creatures.

"It was fun you guys." Sailor Moon said as she tried to get up, the Yomas watching them like children watch a favorite TV show before going to play outside. Sailor Mars got up, and gathered the last of her energy. "Mars…Fire…Ignite!" the ball of fire dissipated before it even touched the demons. "Damn!" Mars shouted as she sunk to her knees, tears of anger in her eyes. "See you all in the next life, guys." Sailor Venus said, trying to sound casual. Then the familiar silhouette appeared across the grounds.

"Golden Rampart Impalement!" golden spears shot out of the ground, striking the demons, lifting them off the ground, suspended in the air like a chicken over a fire. Moon Envoy leapt off the temple wall and walked over to the Scouts, who all fought to their feet and charged their energy, ready to attack if necessary. "Whoa, what the hell are you girls doing?" Sailor Jupiter lowered her guard, but still had a Thunder Crash ready. "What is the last thing you remember?" she asked, a hint of a threat in her voice. Moon Envoy was shocked, but started to think. "Hmmm, the last thing I remember from the Millennium…was my death. I died protecting the five of you from Queen Beryl. In the Moon Canyon."

Luna screeched, making the six humans look over at her, Artemis flinching from the volume of her screech. "You! Now I remember!" Luna ran over to Envoy, who looked down at the cat with a slight nervous jerk. "You, never died at the Canyon, you lived past that. You died in the final battle." Sailor Moon nodded slightly. "I remember another warrior in the final battle, but as to who it was, I don't remember all the gold." Envoy nodded, then turned. "Where are you going?" Sailor Mercury asked his retreating back. "I need to think, to find some answers about myself. Take care, princesses." Envoy walked into the light of a street lamp, then vanished.

Over in a shadowy alleyway, Jedite watched the gold clad warrior vanish in the light. "So, we meet again, great Guardian. I plan to get my revenge for what you did to me, old friend." As Jedite walked away towards his portal, he smiled. "Beryl will reward me greatly for this." He thought as he walked through the black hole, heading to the Negaverse.