As Sailor Universe cooled down, she began crying; through all her thoughts, there was only one conclusion she could come up with: "Queen Beryl is my mother. Her blood runs in my veins. She'll always be a part of me, no matter how much I wish I were more like my dad…."
"Excuse me? Are you OK?" A voice called out in the darkening evening.
"Who's there?!" Sailor Universe yelled as she whirled around, looking for where the voice had come from; it had seemed to come from the air itself.
Sailor Universe heard splashing nearby and followed the sound out onto a dock, only a few feet away. Sailor Universe listened to the splashing below her but could not see well enough in the dark.
"Oh, you're a Neo-Sailor Senshi!" The girlish, upbeat voice squealed in glee.
"Actually, I'm the leader of The Dark Kingdom Senshi." Sailor Universe explained cautiously.
"Cool! I'm one of the Aqua Senshi, Sailor Pacific, but my civilian name is Lucy. What about you?" This Lucy character had a caring tone in her voice.
Sailor Universe breathed a sigh of relief but still did not trust a random voice, "Can you prove to me your Sailor Pacific, Lucy?"
"Of course. Crystal Pearl Power! Makeup!" A show of red and pink light illuminated the area and blinded Sailor Universe for a minute! When it dimmed, standing on a water spout in front of her was a girl possessing long, wavy pink hair with highlights and Chinese bangs (Sailor Mercury's bangs style), purple eyes, in a pink and red Sailor suit. Except for the golden seashell necklace and holding a scythe with blue designs. Startled, Sailor Universe stumbled backward and fell. "Hi! Are you alright?" This girl, obviously Sailor Pacific now, giggled.
"Hi…I think so." Sailor Universe felt she was moving a bit slow getting up. Maybe she was still in a bit of shock.
"So…what's your name?" Sailor Pacific smiled kindly.
"Sailor Universe, b-b-but my civilian name is-s Jewel, I'm Chibius-sa's half-s-sister." Sailor Universe stuttered.
Sailor Pacific nodded, then questioned, "Why were you crying, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Well…you see, I'm Chibiusa's half-sister because we have different mothers. At times, my mother isn't the nicest to my teammates and friends, even to me. I wish to be more like King Endymion, my dad. However, when I get stressed, I act so much like mom. I discouraged my teammates and friends because I couldn't make a better decision than letting the enemy get away…." Jewel began to tear up.
"I'm sorry you went through that, but we have a saying: "Your parentage is only a percentage of you." You seem warm, kind, caring, friendly, nice, brave, and intelligent to me, all the things King Endymion is. You might act like your mom, but only when you're stressed. Maybe, in time, you'll find other ways to deal with it. Sadly, sometimes, leaving to fight the enemy another day is all you can do." Sailor Pacific stepped onto the dock to hug Sailor Universe.
"Thanks." Sailor Universe felt awkwardly being hugged by a stranger. "You know, I've never met a mermaid before."
"I've never met someone from the Dark Kingdom either." Sailor Pacific laughed.
"Sailor Eclipse might be more like you expect someone from the Dark Kingdom to act, but Sailor Nova, Sailor Earth, and Sailor Sun are like you." Sailor Universe told Sailor Pacific all about her team.
Sailor Pacific listened with rapt interest until a 2nd Aqua Senshi appeared! This girl has long, loose, red hair and green eyes, in a blue and aqua Sailor suit with red water shurikens mounted on her wrists.
"Lucy?! Oh, good, you transformed back into Pacific. Let's go. We need to finish off that Kraken!" This girl said aggressively, reminding Sailor Universe immediately of Christen and "Shadow."
"Coming, Atlantic! I hope to see you around, Sailor Universe. Cheer up and remember what I said" Sailor Pacific jumped back into the depths, disappearing from view with Sailor Atlantic.
After thinking about what Sailor Pacific said for a minute, Sailor Universe felt better and decided she should help her friends search. So, she rushed back to the spot she had broken off from them earlier. Nature, being their specialties, Neo-Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Earth noticed the dark ring of vegetation peeking out from behind the waterfall, meaning there was a cave there. Their tiara gems glowed brighter as they clambered closer, so they were on the right track! Hard to navigate but is more accessible to walk through than lush, thick greenery
"That's strange…." Neo-Sailor Jupiter halted.
"What is?" Neo-Sailor Mercury asked.
"Our tiara gems are most reactive in this spot, but there's nothing here." Neo-Sailor Jupiter looked around with everyone else, but this was just a cave room with little to no importance.
Suddenly, Sailor Sun looked up and screamed: Above them, unconscious, restrained in various positions, and in their civilian form are Holly, Alexis, Emily, and Trisha! Holly, Alexis, and Emily appeared to have minor scratches, but Trisha looked like she might already be dead: Bloody, pale, and barely breathing!
Neo-Sailor Moon cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and shouted."Holly! Alexis! Emily! Trisha! Can you hear us?!"
"It's no good. They're still out cold." Sailor Eclipse murmured, but she was clear enough to hear.
"How do we-" Sailor Nova began, but her cell phone rang, so she picked it up. It was impossible to figure out who she was talking to, but it must be significant to how polite and respectful she was conversing. After she hung up, she turned to her Princess and Dark Kingdom Sailor Senshi and elaborated, "That was the CTPD (Crystal Tokyo Police Department.)
While we live a life of luxury, peace, love, and justice and deal with the supernatural, crime is still a thing. A family's house burned down with only the son being the sole survivor, and he claims he saw who did it, but his story is so outrageous the police aren't sure to believe him, so they want us to see if we can figure out if his story is fact or fiction. As our parents used to be Generals, we know best how to get the truth out of someone."
"We shouldn't use our powers to threaten someone." Sailor Sun implored her teammate to reconsider how they should do this.
Sailor Eclipse groaned; sometimes, her twin's soft heart annoyed her. Sailor Eclipse wished she had the nerve to hit her sister on the head on a few occasions, but she could not bear the thought of hurting such a delicate girl.
"Even if we only use our powers when necessary, we need to consider the trauma this kid endured." Sailor Earth advised.
"Princess, what do you think?" Sailor Nova asked Sailor Universe.
"Neo-Sailor Moon and her Neo-Sailor Senshi should stay here and try to get our friends down and wake them up. Then, let's get to the Crystal Tokyo Police Station in civilian form, and we'll decide where to go from there." Sailor Universe declared.
Jewel, Star, Ivy, Dawn, and "Shadow" looked a bit out-of-it when they arrived at the Crystal Tokyo Police Station, which is expected after they have been through! A boy around 12 years of age, with black hair, a worn look, and eyes that said he had experienced something horrific, sat in the lobby with a blanket over him, a cup of water, and a female police officer trying to comfort him.
"Excuse me?" Star walked up to the female police officer. "I'm Star. My team and I were called to interrogate a young man whose house burned down."
"Oh, yes. This is him: Mr. Rodney Aberhamson. Please, follow me." The female police officer led the boy, Dark Kingdom Sailor Senshi, and their Princess to an interrogation room. "Can I get you, girls, anything?"
"No, thank you." The girls replied in unison.
Once in the interrogation room, the girls and Rodney took their seats.
"Rodney, why don't you start by telling us where you were exactly and what time this happened?" Ivy began questioning gently.
"I was in bed, so I don't know exactly when it started, but I woke up to a soft rushing and crackling sound, which I knew was fire, around 2 am. My bedroom doorknob was warm but not hotter than normal. So, I grabbed my cell, pulled my shirt over my nose and mouth, dropped to the floor, and tried to navigate my crawling to either my parent's or sister's room, but…I couldn't!" Rodney put his face in his hands.
Dawn sprang to his side to hug him, hoping her warmth could offer calmness.
"Why couldn't you?" Shadow asked suspiciously.
"T-T-The fire already g-got t-t-them…." Rodney stuttered, on the verge of tears.
"We'll get whoever did this, Rodney, but you need to tell us who you saw," Jewel demanded, which startled the boy, but he recovered his composure.
"If I tell you, promise you won't think I'm crazy?" Rodney asked nervously.
"We've seen some pretty crazy stuff. We help Princess Small Lady Serenity and her Neo-Sailor Senshi." Star said, and Rodney's eyes filled with amazement.
"You're Sailor Senshi?! Oh, thank goodness! Finally, someone who will believe me! It was a Wendigo, I know it sounds strange, but I'm 100% positive that it was!" Rodney declared.
"We believe you because that's what we're fighting now…." Dawn murmured.
"I wish I could help you more, but I don't have superpowers…." Rodney cooed to her.
After telling Jewel and the Dark Kingdom Sailor Senshi which direction the Wendigo headed, the girls gave him some advice on what to do next and left. They were sure Rodney's house was just a distraction, so Elwood and the Wendigos could figure out how to break into the Crystal Palace! On their way home, they were joyful, joined by Neo-Sailor Venus, Neo-Sailor Mercury, Neo-Sailor Mars, Neo-Sailor Jupiter, and Neo-Sailor Saturn!
"Uranus and Neptune took Trisha to a hospital. After that, they'll meet up with us at the Crystal Palace." Neo-Sailor Saturn informed the others.
Everyone nodded in acknowledgment. No more side trips, no more distractions, no more waiting! They will show Elwood and his Wendigo army what happens when you mess with the innocent and harm a fellow friend/teammate!