Chapter 49

"You know," Rei began, giving Minako a sour look, "Some of us have schedules we need to keep." Minako rolled her eyes and gave Rei a huge, sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"You loooooovvveeee meeee," she sing-songed batting her eye lashes at Rei. "And anyways, what schedule?" Shin tried not to laugh, but couldn't keep the corners of his lips down.

Minako was a lot of fun to be around off the battlefield. Her moods were still strange at times, but the dark edge that had seemed sewn into her almost too bright cheer had lessened, and the forced happiness had mellowed, bringing her closer to the blonde Shin had met before they'd all been sucked directly into a Hellscape.

Beside her, Seiji seemed his usual calm, reserved self. Korin's strange moods had eased with Minako, relaxing as she adjusted. The quiet man pulled out her chair for her courteously, waiting for her to sit before pushing her in.

Minako favored him with a smile full of genuine warmth, and Seiji's eyes softened.

If Shin were a betting man, he'd lay good odds that they weren't far off from a full-on emotional confession to each other. He wasn't really sure what was holding them back.

Then again, Touma and Makoto were crazy for each other – had been since nearly the beginning – and Shin knew for a fact that they were together together, but they were still awfully subdued about it.

It was almost as if the Senshi were afraid of being happy. Which in turn kept the Troopers somber. Shin understood both sides of that feeling, and he wasn't sure what the solution was. Since he struggled with it himself on an almost daily basis, he hoped someone figured it out soon.

Rei glowered at Minako, crossing her arms, but bit back her own retort – something she did specifically for Minako's sake. The woman had been utterly lost in terms of figuring out what to do with herself in the Troopers' Universe – a fact that hadn't gone unnoticed by the shrewd priestess.

Makoto came hustling around a corner then, and full on sprinted for their table. Shin frowned as he took her in. She looked a bit…rough around the edges, and her eyes were huge in her face. Alarm whispered at the back of his neck and he nudged Seiji under the table, gesturing with his chin in her direction.

Korin turned, taking her in as she roared up to their table.

"Guys," she panted, leaning heavily on its surface, "We have trouble."

Shin rose, the muscles bracketing his spine tightening even as he forced them to go limber. Seiji rose as well, putting himself subtly between their table and the direction Makoto had been running from. Korin's eyes were sharp as they searched the area, a clenched fist hidden in his pocket, his other hand seemingly relaxed.

"What kind of trouble?" Rei asked sharply.

Makoto hesitated, her eyes flicking over Minako before returning to Rei.

"Kunzite trouble," she said in a low voice. Minako stiffened, whirling to search the area she'd come from.

"Are you sure?" Rei snapped. Makoto nodded, unbuttoned the cuff of one sleeve, and rolled it up. A massive bruise had begun to form on her forearm, and Shin winced.

"If he's not Kunzite, he sure as hell kicks like him," she muttered. Minako made an odd face.

"He…kicked? I don't remember him being much of a…kicker," she said in a strange tone. Makoto nodded, eyes still wide.

"I know. It was weird," she agreed. Rei huffed.

"I'm not really seeing how this can be a Kunzite problem. He was already dead before…everything. And anyways, he'd still be a baby if he really…" she cut herself off, her eyes going wide as she looked at something over Makoto's shoulder. Shin turned, taking in what she was seeing.

A tall man with long hair the color of silver, wearing a charcoal suit – complete with grey cape – was walking their way with what could only be described as menacing intent. He pointed at Makoto and said "Makoto Kino", in a gravely voice, gesturing imperiously for her to come to him.

"Whoever he is, he's dead meat now," Seiji snarled. Shin could see his undergear on now beneath his street clothes, and Shin called up his own.

Seiji didn't approach their new opponent, keeping himself close to the Senshi. Shin bracketed them from the other side, the two of them simply waiting for the enemy to make the first move. Makoto looked around nervously.

"Uh guys, I don't think this is a good spot to have a show-down," she said, eyeing the nearby civilians.

"Whoever that is, I don't think he cares. And I don't think he's going to politely wait for us to find a better spot," Shin answered her. Minako nodded in agreement, eyes narrowed.

"He's just looking to get what he came for," she said in an ominous tone.

"I hope it's a beat down," Makoto grumbled. "Because I'd be happy to deliver."

"Sorry, it's my turn. You'll have to get in line," Seiji said tersely, turning as the man in the cape began running for them. Korin maneuvered with grace, catching a forceful punch and using its momentum to give the man's arm a vicious twist up and behind his back.

The silver-haired man – Kunzite? – managed to escape the hold, coming for Seiji's ribs with a kick that Shin imagined he regretted as soon as his limb made hard contact with the undergear's harder exterior. Seiji wasn't polite. He used his opponent's vulnerable position to hammer him with a heavy punch, knocking him several meters away with the force of the strike.

Kunzite staggered, but righted himself, wiping at his chin with his hand. Then his eyes landed on Minako, and Shin could already tell from the way his gaze lit up as he noticed her that the battle was about to take a very bad turn.

He wondered if he could manage to prevent Seiji from slaughtering someone in public view.

"And there she is. The lovely Venus," the man crooned, his lips curving upward. And then somehow he was standing right next to her. Minako yelped. "What the he- oof", her exclamation cut off as the man rammed his shoulder into her solarplexis and hoisted her up onto his shoulder, locking an arm over her legs.

"Hey –!" Makoto began to yell, tone equal parts alarm and anger. She turned, fist flying, but caught air, stumbling under the force of her own strike as the silver haired man leapt out of the way almost as quickly as he'd landed among them.

Makoto and Rei took off after him, Rei with several ofuda in her hand. Seiji and Shin weren't far behind, but Shin was trying not to panic. As he watched, the two women locked eyes and then split, going in separate directions. Makoto stayed on the man's tail, Rei faded quietly in a different direction. Shin debated.

"Follow Rei," Seiji grunted, not taking his attention off Minako.

He didn't have to say it twice. Shin diverted his path, sticking to the priestess as she rounded a corner and hustled down a sidewalk. She kept peering between buildings, and Shin wondered what she was looking for until she ducked into an alley and yelled "Mars Crystal Power, MAKE UP!" and transformed into Sailor Mars. Shin summoned Suiko in his next breath.

Once transformed, Rei turned her attention up, and scaled the wall at the back of the alley with a quick two part leap. Shin followed her as she hop-scotched back across the city landscape toward a mid-air battle he could just make out from their current position.

"Hopefully Mako-chan's got him in a better position by now," she yelled over her shoulder at him as they moved. Shin blinked at her.

"What?" he asked, hoping she'd clarify.

"Mako-chan. She's herding them toward a secluded area so we're not likely to harm civilians and Mina-chan can transform," she elaborated.

Sure enough, there was a small explosion of orange light as they came close, and then Sailor Venus reared up in Kunzite's grasp and said "ROLLING HEART VIBRATION!"

Kunzite was blown out of the air mid-jump, streaming for the pavement like a meteor. And so was Minako.

Hell.

Shin used the side of a building for a boost and leapt out, putting himself neatly in her path. He felt relief when her weight landed solidly in his arms and landed hard, doing his best to bend his knees and lessen the impact for both of them.

Minako patted his shoulder, smiling. "Nice catch!" she cheered. He set her down with a nod, hoping his heart rate might finally calm down now. Seiji hadn't wasted time.

Korin was on their assailant, blade through his chest. As they all watched, the body of Kunzite dissolved into something that looked like black sand.

Makoto ran up to Minako and Rei, panting, all three of them transformed now. "Man, that was crazy, right? I mean who would have expected – "

"Get DOWN!", Rei yelled, grabbing the two other Senshi and throwing them all to the pavement. A barrage of dark energy flew between Seiji and Shin where the Senshi had just been standing, leaving a crater in the side of a building.

"What the hell?!" Makoto yelled popping upright. Minako and Rei joined her. Venus straightened the bow on the front of her fuku.

"Good question. Why are we suddenly revisiting the Dark Kingdom's greatest hits?" she wondered.

"Who are these people?" Seiji grunted.

"Undead citizens of the Dark Kingdom apparently," Rei said blandy, Ofuda in her fingers again.

"AKU RYO TAI SAN!" she yelled, flicking the paper at their newest assailant. He froze, snarling, fists clenched, body vibrating.

"What is with you Senshi and the undead?" Shin wanted to know. He'd managed to go his entire life without anyone coming back from the dead, but since he'd met the Senshi it seemed to happen all the time.

Seiji parried a strike from a blade made of black crystal with a grunt of agreement, and Shin didn't like the way whoever this was had bypassed Rei's ofuda so easily. Or the way his angry gaze kept going to Rei. Minako sighed.

"I'm sensing a pattern here," she muttered. She blew a kiss which made a golden heart, then grabbed the heart and spun. "LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"

A giant golden heart bulldozed into their enemy and then exploded in a burst of light and wind.

That was the other thing that kept throwing him. How could attacks that looked so cute be so devastating? Minako put a hand on her hip, she and Jupiter standing in front of a pissed off Rei. Seiji moved himself in front of them and Shin positioned himself behind Rei.

"Who are you working for Jadeite?" Mars spat. Shin blinked. Jadeite? Why were these guys named after rocks? The man called Jadeite leered at her.

"Would you like to meet them? I'd be happy to arrange a private introduction," he oozed.

Yeah, no.

Just like that, Shin's patience ran out, but as Minako had said – there was a pattern going on, so when Jadeite seemed to blur into their midst, appearing next to Rei, he was ready for it, and simply slammed the Suiko Yari home in the man's chest as soon as he appeared.

Their assailant blinked, black sand sliding out of his mouth as he gave Shin a surprised look.

And then dissolved.

Well. That had been a little too easy. Shin braced, waiting for the next person to show up. After several moments of nothing, their group began to ease. Makoto and Minako looked to Rei. "Anything?" Venus asked expectantly. Rei tilted her head and closed her eyes for a moment, and then shrugged, opening them.

"Nothing," she replied. Minako nodded, then put a hand on her hip, shaking her hair off her shoulders and behind her.

"Anyone else think it's seriously strange that Kunzite and Jadeite would be working together?" she asked.

"Or that Kunzite would be using hand to hand combat while Jadeite still used magic?" Makoto added.

"Neither of them felt right," Rei said softly. The Senshi lapsed into silence, troubled looks on their faces.

"Ok. Who were those guys?" Seiji said in a low voice, the Korin Ken still out and resting casually on one of his shoulders. Shin couldn't blame him – he still held the Suiko Yari out and ready for business in one hand, reluctant to put it away.

Mars, Venus, and Jupiter all exchanged glances. Venus shrugged. "Technically, they're old enemies. We defeated them uh…way back. Like when we were teenagers. However, I'm not so sure that this is actually them. Something…feels off."

Makoto and Rei nodded in agreement. Shin felt that same anxiety creep up his spine again. He didn't like this at all. "We need to get back to Nasuti's," he said. Seiji nodded, and then leveled the Senshi with a stern look.

"None of you go out alone anymore." He turned, fixing an intense stare on Makoto. "What happened? Did he come after you?" Makoto fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Uhh honestly? I sort of saw him hanging outside a subway entrance and um…moved in to get a better look," she confessed. Shin closed his eyes and sighed. He couldn't really blame her, but still.

"So you just walked up to him?!" Rei snarled. "Do I need Usagi to give you a lecture about subtlety?" Shin winced. Ouch. Makoto huffed, crossing her arms and scowling at Mars.

"What?" she snapped. "It's not like I expected him to be here, alive, in a completely different Universe!"

Minako stepped up between them then, hands out. "I understand not having your guard up because you're right – there are a lot of reasons for Kunzite not to be here. But now that we know, let's be vigilant. I want to get back to Usagi now. And let's see what Ami can find out," she said diplomatically. "Seiji's right – No Senshi goes anywhere alone until we figure this out."

Rei and Makoto nodded in agreement and Shin huffed under his breath. She really wondered why the Senshi let her lead?

They made their way quickly back across the cityscape. The Senshi had impressive range and endurance, leaping across rooftops with ease, keeping pace with Seiji and Shin.

When they'd made it outside the city center, they reluctantly transformed back into civilian clothing and made their way to a train station. Shin kept his undergear on beneath his clothes, certain Seiji was doing the same.

Nothing happened on the train ride, but Shin still felt it was one of the most unpleasant trips of his life. Arago had enjoyed assaulting the Troopers on, in, and around trains and train stations, and a small part of him always hesitated when he took public transportation. Riding the trains with this massive sense of doom on his shoulders wasn't helping.

But there was no sudden explosion or mad scramble of people. Just the quiet roar and clacking of the train, muted conversation of other passengers, and the general noise of city life. He eased as they left city limits and the sheer number of people lessened, giving them all space to breathe. By the time they were walking up Nasuti's steps, he'd lost a great deal of the tension he'd been carrying.

Part of that, he acknowledged, was being near the other Troopers. And having the Senshi all safely with them.

"Hey! How was lunch?" Usagi greeted them opening the door.

"Should you be opening doors?" Shin wondered. Usagi made a face at him.

"Should I not be opening doors?" she fired back. "I promise I'm a grown-up," she added with a grin. Shin couldn't help but chuckle.

"That's debatable," Rei said, making her way inside with the others. Usagi stuck her tongue out at the priestess and Rei crossed her arms. "I rest my case," she said.

Ryo and Shuu looked up as they entered the kitchen, a chess board between them on the kitchen table. "How was lunch?" Ryo asked, smiling.

Shin shrugged. "We never made it," he said idly. "Are you playing Go with Touma in the house? Wow. You guys must have been seriously bored," he exclaimed, wondering where the blue haired man was.

"We kicked him out like an hour ago," Shuu said absently, frowning at the board. His expression suggested he had no idea what was going on, and Shin chuckled. Seiji grabbed one of his pieces and moved it.

"Hey!" Shuu said indignantly, "What if I was going to do something better?" Seiji crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Shuu, leaning casually against a nearby counter.

"Were you?" he asked, doubt in his tone.

"Hey!" Ryo protested for an entirely different reason, scowling at the board now. "That's cheating." Seiji merely shrugged.

"You both make it easy," he said blandly. Shin sighed, realizing he should put an end to the chaos before it got started as the other two men bristled. Clearly, Seiji was still edgy and out of sorts.

"It doesn't matter. We have a problem. Where is everyone?" he asked. Ryo and Shuu were instantly on high alert.

"I'll get them," Ryo said, rising and darting out of the room. Usagi looked nervous as she seated herself at the table, a cookie in her mouth and several more in her hands. She passed some of them to Shuu absently.

"Is everyone ok?" she asked around a mouthful.

Minako nodded as she sat on Usagi's other side, stealing a cookie from her. "Yeah, we're ok."

Makoto sighed, opening the fridge and gathering ingredients, and Shin realized she was planning to fix lunch. He felt guilty. He and Seiji had planned to take them to lunch after they'd all spent some time exploring the city and seeing what it had to offer. He moved forward.

"I can make something Mako-chan," he said, standing beside her at the stove. Makoto looked up at him, a protest on her lips. She must have seen something in his expression because she rethought her reply and said instead "it'll go faster if we do it together?"

Shin capitulated and began helping her prep as they waited.

"What happened?" Touma exclaimed, sliding into the kitchen on socked feet. Shin tried not to roll his eyes, even if a small part of him was envious that Tenku and Jupiter could be a little more open with their feelings for each other.

The blue haired man sought Makoto from across the kitchen, visibly relaxing at the sight of her fine and performing normal activities. Minako sighed, straightening in her chair. "We had a run in with Kunzite and Jadeite," she said, looking at Ami as she replied. Ami blanched and Usagi choked. Shuu gave her a hearty pat on the back until her windpipe cleared.

"You what?" the Moon Princess yelled. Rei winced and shot her a dirty look, sticking her pinky in her ear and rotating it.

"We're all right here Odango brains, you don't need to shout," she said curtly. Usagi ignored her.

"What happened?" Ami asked succinctly, seating herself at the table and gesturing the Mercury computer into existence. She had some of the handiest tricks Shin had ever seen. He was pretty sure what she might lack in strength she more than made up for with cleverness.

Ryo seated himself beside her, peering at her screen as she began to type. "What's the Dark Kingdom?" he asked, looking unhappy. Ami hunched her shoulders and looked to Minako and Rei for help.

"Just an old enemy," Minako said casually. The Senshis' postures told Shin it was definitely not that casual.

"What were they up to?" Ami asked. They all looked to Makoto at the stove, and she flushed, shrugging.

"Search me. I spotted Kunzite standing outside a Subway station and uh, went to get a closer look and confirm. He saw me and we brawled. I lost him, so I went to find everyone else. Then he found us. It escalated from there," she muttered, sounding defensive.

"You just…walked right up to him?" Toma asked in a strangled tone. Makoto ducked her head, shooting the room at large an irritated look.

"Why does everyone keep acting like I'm nuts?" she wanted to know. "I saw a guy that looked like someone who should be dead and in another Universe and wanted to get a closer look. Why are you all acting like that's weird?" She slammed her pan down on the stove and flicked the burner off.

"And anyways," she continued, "He clearly was looking for us, so he was going to find us anyways. At least I gave everybody a heads up."

"We're just worried about your safety, Mako-chan," Minako explained, smiling. Makoto sighed, turning around to face them all and leaning against the stove.

"I understand, but it's Kunzite. I mean, we kicked his ass when we were fourteen," she said, gesturing with frustration. "That was like three power-ups ago." Ami sighed.

"It doesn't matter when we defeated the Dark Kingdom. They were initially responsible for bringing an entire millennium of peace to its utter destruction from the inside out, and we shouldn't underestimate them. They very nearly managed to do it again, and we lost a lot stopping them." Ami said gravely. Ryo's face was grim, and Shin was pretty sure even Shuu had put together that lost a lot probably meant died.

"I don't want to face the Dark Kingdom again," Usagi said quietly, looking incredibly sad. Shin frowned, feeling his temper rise again.

"I thought the Star Seeds wouldn't be rebirthing people who were already dead," he growled. Rei looked troubled.

"I thought so too. I don't like this," she said softly.

"Let me look into this more," Ami said, looking tired. "A preliminary glance isn't showing me the distinct energy signature that belongs to the Dark Kingdom anywhere right now. I'm not sure what that means, but I'll figure it out."

"Let's take it back to Nasuti's office," Touma said, smiling at her. "Between the three of us, we should be able to figure it out."

Ami's answering smile was full of gratitude. She nodded, rising, and Ryo held her chair for her, following her out with Touma and Nasuti. Makoto was plating up the lunch she'd made, but as she set it on the table in front of Minako, Rei, and Seiji, the only person who actually dug in was Usagi. With a sigh, Shin joined them and began dishing a plate for himself.

"So why was it such a big deal that the two of them were working together?" Seiji asked the table at large.

Rei served herself a tiny amount of food – to spare Makoto's feelings Shin assumed – and then looked up at Seiji. "Kunzite and Jadeite were at each other's throats during their time with the Dark Kingdom. They both sought power and favor with Queen Beryl and constantly tried to undercut each other," she explained.

He nodded. Shin sighed. That seemed familiar. "Sounds like the Masho," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. Shuu snorted and Seiji nodded. Shin looked at Minako, Rei, Makoto, and Usagi. "What can you tell us about these guys? Ami mentioned that they were around during the Silver Millennium, and then again later?" he asked.

All four of them cringed and looked at each other. They held a quick series of Janken and Minako lost. She groaned, but when she looked back at the remaining Troopers, there was resolve in her gaze.

"During the Silver Millennium, Kunzite, Jadeite, Zoicite, and Nephrite were the generals known as The Four Heavenly Kings, who served under Prince Endymion," she began. Shin frowned. "Endymion?" he asked.

Minako shot Usagi a strange look then, cleared her throat, and said, "Um. Endymion was Mamoru. In the Silver Millennium," she clarified. Usagi flinched, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. All three Senshi shot her empathetic looks, and Minako floundered for a moment, looking like she had no idea how to continue.

"You should talk about him. We should talk about him. I don't want him to be forgotten because everyone is too scared to say his name. He was wonderful," Usagi whispered, tears falling silently from her eyes, "And he deserves to be remembered."

Rei wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into an embrace, tucking the Moon Princess against her side. Usagi went willingly, soaking up the comfort Mars offered. Shuu looked pained and lost at the same time as he watched the grief unfold.

Minako cleared her throat. "Um." She nodded, as if working up her own resolve. "So they were the Four Kings of Heaven, and they served under Endymion." She took a deep breath, and Shin realized that the other Senshi were paying close attention to her as well. He wondered if they all remembered the time differently.

"During the Reign of Queen Serenity, a dark force called Metalia had gathered power and began working to destroy the peace that she had worked so hard to build. Earth was under assault constantly, but there were…a lot of political things going on between Earth and the Moon Kingdom. A lot of hostilities. Metalia used that to her advantage." Minako smiled sadly and looked off and to the side then.

"Prince Endymion and Queen Serenity's daughter, Princess Serenity, met and fell in love, angering peoples in both the Moon Kingdom and Earth. Among them, a woman named Beryl, who'd been infatuated with the Prince, allowed her heart to be turned to darkness by Metalia, and she vowed to destroy Princess Serenity and the Moon Kingdom.

"The Princess' Guardians, the Sailor Senshi, had become enamored with the Four Kings, but Metalia managed to turn them over to her side. They betrayed their Prince, their kingdom, and the Moon Kingdom. Because the destruction came from the inside, we weren't able to fight it off until it was too late," Minako's voice kept getting softer, and she hadn't looked up again. The Senshi all were somber, melancholy thick in the room.

This sounded like a fairy tale, and that made it easy to forget that it had actually happened. And Shin was positive there were a lot of things Venus was probably leaving out. He didn't like the way she seemed to place blame on the Senshi for being enamored with these guys. Shin wasn't willing to believe that the blame was at all one sided.

"Anyway. Most of those defending the Earth and the Moon Kingdom didn't survive the clash. Queen Serenity used the last of her strength to seal Metalia away and send us all to the future to be rebirthed. We all awakened as Senshi about the time that Metalia broke free from her seal, and resumed the war in the modern era. Princess Serenity destroyed Metalia, and the Four Kings of Heaven were able to break her hold on them. Without the power of Metalia flowing through them, they died, but left Mamoru a means to keep in contact with them in the spiritual realm should he need them." Minako concluded.

Shin furrowed his brow, processing the information. "And in order to be rebirthed, a starseed's host would have had to be alive at the time the seed was taken," he said. The Senshi nodded.

"But that wouldn't stop something that had control of the cauldron from using the essences of starseeds still inside it however it wanted," Rei said quietly. Minako, Makoto, and Usagi stiffened but didn't say anything.

"So any enemy you've faced, and not just this Dark Kingdom," Seiji said uneasily. Rei nodded.

Shin felt ice slide down his spine at the idea.

Like they weren't facing enough already? "What does that mean exactly?" he asked. The three Senshi shared a look.

"I don't know exactly," Minako said. "But I can tell you what I hope it doesn't mean."

"Chaos," Usagi whispered, a haunted look drifting across her face. The other Senshi nodded, a strange, hushed tension rushing into the room.

"The Black Moon clan," Rei said. Usagi straightened.

"Oh," she said simply, but her eyes teared. Rei made a comical face, patting her on the back.

"Sorry!" the priestess said contritely.

"Pharoah 90 and Mistress 9," Minako added. Makoto scowled at them all.

"Cut it out," she snarled. "Sitting here remembering every last fight we ever had isn't going to help. And anyways, we've beaten every last one of them before, so we should be able to do it better now. Plus –" here she paused, gesturing at Seiji, Shin, and Shuu, "we have the Troopers here now. Whatever it is, we can handle it."

Shuu beamed at her, and Shin smiled. "Hell yeah!" Shuu said to her. She grinned at him.

"There's no way you'd all just quietly sit out of it. You're always talking about being a team and doing things together, so there's no point in pretending that Senshi are just going to quietly try and handle this without you. That would be stupid," she said.

Rei, Minako, and Usagi looked less gloomy then. "You're right, Mako-chan," Usagi said. "We can do it together." Rei and Minako nodded thoughtfully.

"We really shouldn't be sitting here imagining the worst until the others figure out what it is we're up against," Rei added. Minako nodded. Shin tried hard not to let the relief he felt show on his face. He'd half expected to meet serious resistance from the Senshi over some imagined idea of guilt or obligation.

The fact that they were all anticipating the Troopers' help gave Shin a good feeling.

Makoto was right.

They'd handle it. Whatever it was.

And maybe…maybe this would give them the opportunity to put an end to this enemy once and for all.

Shin could only hope.