Chapter 42
Sailor Venus' Past: Minako's Tragic Love
Inside the Crown Arcade, Ami, Makoto, Rei, Axel, Aqua, Terra, and most of their friends all gathered inside to see what was going on, as she typed into the console of the Sailor V game.
"Hmm… let's see," she said, typing in a series of keyed sequences on her computer.
They all saw that Ami was searching for the Dark Kingdom's hidden fortress, but found nothing. At last they heard the sound of a door opening, letting them know that Sora, Luna, and Usagi had arrived.
"So, how'd it go?" asked Ami.
"Not one of the dumpling places had anything like an entrance coming from the Dark Kingdom," replied Luna.
"Too bad, we've had no luck either. Somehow, they continue to keep sending monsters here, one after another from the Dark Kingdom, there has to be an entrance or portal somewhere," said Ami.
"And none of us have the luxury of traveling through the corridors of darkness as both versions of Organization XIII did. Which means, they could be using that same method our previous foes used, or they could be phasing in and out of reality of their own accord," added Riku.
"How about you, Rei?" asked the cat.
"I've had no hits at all," replied the raven-haired priestess.
"We haven't found anything that leads to their lair," added Makoto.
When Luna asked where Minako was, they could all hear Usagi complaining about how tired she was, making her turn around and glare grumpily at her.
"Usagi, everyone here is doing their best to help out, so suck it up!" she said.
I'm also starving! When do we eat!?" Usagi complained even more.
"Wait, didn't you just eat a big meal at the dumpling shop?" the cat asked grumpily.
The three plates of dumplings and omitsu jelly were tasty, but that was just a snack! I'm hungry!" wailed Usagi.
"Hey everyone, were back!" called Artemis.
Everyone looked to see Minako and Artemis, accompanied by Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.
"How'd it go?" asked Rei.
"Not so great. We checked every bathhouse, but not one of them panned out," replied Minako.
"Well, thanks anyway," said Ami.
"But this still doesn't make sense. The entrance to the Dark Kingdom's fortress has got to be around here in this town, and is heavily protected by Heartless serving this Queen Beryl, Sora spoke of," explained Mickey.
"In that case, I guess we'll call it a night," said Makoto.
"Sounds good," agreed Ami.
"I could use some sleep," added Rei.
Before they did, the screen suddenly flashed bright gold, then changed to reveal a star in the sky, which they knew as the sun. Upon closer inspection they could see the sunspots, starting to grow like a deadly virus within the human body.
"It can't be!" gasped Luna.
Minako, Artemis, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Sora, and Usagi joined them as well.
"This has happened before," said Artemis.
"What do you mean, before?" asked Usagi and Sora.
"Those dark spots are moving in the exact same way as they did, eons ago, when the Moon Kingdom was destroyed," replied the white cat.
Everyone was aghast.
"Once those dark spots cover the entire sun, then I will awaken from my eternal slumber," Metalia said to Beryl and Kunzite who brought Mamoru's unconscious form to her.
"And that time rapidly approaches," replied Kunzite.
Queen Beryl looked upon the orb of her scepter, a wicked smile on her face.
"All that's left, is to retrieve the Silver Crystal. Then at last, this world will fall into darkness," she said.
"And here's the good news, Beryl. Cause that Legendary Silver Crystal will soon be in your possession, once we double our efforts, thanks to Kunzite locating someone who's fully aware of someone called, Sailor V, if you will," explained Pete.
"Has he now?" asked Beryl.
"Yes, she is a police officer in England, who works with Interpol. What's even better is that this woman once thought of Sailor V, as if she were her little sister," answered Kunzite.
"Well done, Kunzite. Be sure that you exploit this Sailor V's connection with those fools and be ready for their transformation into Heartless," commanded Maleficent.
Kunzite bowed solemnly, until they heard the sound of a faint ringing.
"That noise, what's going on!?" demanded Beryl.
Dark hands surged towards Endymion, and merged with him.
"I can feel it, this man possesses the same energy of the wavelengths that I do. Endymion, you shall become my successor," Metalia said, transferring her dark power into the dark prince.
In her bedroom, Usagi awoke as she heard Mamoru's cry of pain, but looked down feeling sad.
"What's the matter?" asked Luna.
"It was Tuxedo Mask again," replied Usagi.
"If it was another nightmare, believe me, Luna and I understand how difficult it is to be without someone you cherish with your heart. But the more you start worrying about it, the more likely that darkness in your heart will spread like a sickness that can't be cured by light. We both want to make sure that you eat, drink, and sleep as much as possible, Usagi," said Sora.
Usagi nodded slowly.
"Well, at least I'm pretty sure that I'm eating enough," she said, until she pulled out a dumpling, which made Sora laugh a bit.
"Great, now I don't have to worry about you," Luna said irritably.
"Seeing the moonlight sure makes these dumplings taste delicious," grinned Usagi, as she started noshing them down, and opened her window.
She didn't know that Artemis was approaching them.
"Now I'm happy," cheered Usagi, until the white cat jumped up and slammed head first into her, causing the dumpling to get lodged in her throat.
"Sorry Usagi," he said, as Usagi tried to swallow it.
"So what have you found?" asked Luna.
"I hope you got a good lead, Artemis," added Sora.
"There's big trouble! It's Minako, she's disappeared," replied the white cat.
"Little help here?" choked Usagi.
"Maybe she went out to find an entryway into the Dark Kingdom," said Luna.
"Water!" gagged Usagi.
"If she had, we would have gone together," replied Artemis, ignoring Usagi's plea for water.
"Any idea where she could have gone?" asked Luna.
"Just one, she got a call from this woman named Katarina. Maybe that phone call had something to do with her disappearance," answered Artemis.
"I finally got it down," Usagi said with relief.
"Nice job," grumbled Luna.
Inside an apartment complex, Minako sat with Katarina who was visiting Juban, but she looked more sad than happy to see her.
"Minako, or should I say, Sailor V, I was so happily surprised when I heard that you were alive," Katarina said.
Minako didn't respond, which made Katarina worried about her.
"Why didn't you call me and let me know you were okay?" she asked.
But Minako turned her head slowly away from her.
"I was so proud when I heard you were still active as Sailor V," explained Katarina.
"Thank you," MInako said finally.
"Well, I want to help you. So then, you're a member of the Sailor Guardians, I'd sure like to meet then," said Katarina.
Minako didn't know that she had been taken over by the darkness.
"Katarina, how's Alan doing?" she asked.
"Oh, he's doing fine," replied the detective.
She pulled out her wallet and showed them a picture of herself with Alan.
"See, we took this picture together recently," she said.
When Minako glanced at it, her eyes were filled with anguish.
"I know Alan misses you, too," Katarina assured her.
"Oh, Katarina, I see you still wear that necklace I gave you, so long ago," Minako said when she noticed the necklace she gave her during her stay in London.
"Why, of course. I treasure it. It was such a special birthday gift. Anyway, I really do want to help you, and I'd love to meet the Sailor Guardians as well," replied Katarina.
Minako glanced back at the floor.
"Katarina, you're like the big sister I never had, and I know meeting the guardians is something you enjoy, but I don't want to expose you to that kind of danger! I'm so glad I saw you, I must go. Goodbye Katarina," she said somberly.
Then she turned and ran out of her apartment, as Katarina called to her, but it was too late, Minako was gone. Suddenly, Kunzite arrived, and Katarina began to act differently around him.
"It doesn't appear that pushing her any further will work. Let's turn you into the monster Papillon so you can attack her," he said.
Darkness soon engulfed Katarina, and in an instant, Papillon raced out of the window, flying after Minako. Down at the docks, Minako looked at the picture of herself with Alan, but she was still haunted by what happened before. She suddenly saw a butterfly passing her, until she sensed that the now transformed Katarina was about to strike her, and dogged out of the way.
"Blast, you had died once. It would have been better if you'd stayed dead," Papillon said darkly.
"A monster! All right!" Minako said furiously.
She soon turned into Sailor Venus, surprising her changed friend, and began to battle her. She tried to utilize her Crescent Beam attack, but Papillon dodged out of the way.
'That won't work!" she cried.
Sailor Venus was shocked.
"I know everything about your attacks Sailor Venus, now have a taste of mine!" shouted Papillon.
Using the butterflies, she soon began to capture Sailor Venus in her trap.
"You see, I know all your weaknesses," the demonic form of Katarina said.
Sailor Venus looked down, and saw that Papillon still wore the necklace Katarina was given on her birthday, as she began to feel her fighting spirit diminish.
"Now, tell me the identity of the other Guardians!" she said fiercely.
"Please don't do this, Katarina," Sailor Venus said weakly.
Behind her, Artemis, Luna, Usagi, and Sora arrived, along with Roxas.
"Oh no! That monster seems really strong!" cried Usagi.
Luna glanced around until she saw a boat on the docks.
"Over there, we'll use that boat to escape," she said.
"What!? What are you thinking, Luna!? I don't have the slightest clue how to drive a boat!" complained Usagi.
"You may not, but Sora's had some experience steering a ship, in Jack Sparrow's world," Roxas said.
"Yeah! Think of yourself as a pirate traversing the ocean as you drive the boat," agreed Sora.
Usagi nodded, and pulled out her Disguise pen.
"Moon Power, turn me into a cute seafaring Sailor!" she called.
In a flash of light, Usagi was now dressed as a sailor from the 1950's, while the two cats attacked Papillon, freeing Sailor Venus from her grip, as she collapsed over the railing, and into the water.
"Now's our chance, let's get out of here!" said Luna.
The three of them nodded, got on boat, and raced away, while the two keybladers fought off the Heartless that were after them.
"So, how'd you figure out where to find me?" asked Sailor Venus, after she recovered from her shame.
"Well, we searched every hotel's database about someone named Katarina," replied Artemis.
"That's how we found out she was staying at the Harborside View Hotel," added Luna.
Behind them, an angry Papillon burst out of the water, and began searching for Sailor Venus, so that she could exact her vengeance upon her. When she spotted her, she surged after the speeding boat.
"So hey, what now?" asked Usagi.
But she saw Papillon charging after them with her wings.
"I'm gonna give this boat, everything it's got!" she said.
She cranked the throttle up to maximum, and they surged ahead of her.
"Looks like we got away," Luna said, feeling relieved.
"Nice job, you guys, thanks," added Minako.
"You can count on us," replied Usagi, but she saw that Minako was still sad about what happened in the past.
Hey, Usagi, steer the boat toward that big deserted ship that's anchored over there," said Luna.
"Aye, aye, Luna," replied Usagi.
She steered towards the ocean liner, stopped at it's aft, then with Minako, Sora, Roxas, and the two cats climbed up the ladder and got aboard the ship.
"I made it," sighed Usagi.
"Now let's get moving," said Luna.
"Says the cat that rode the whole way up on my head," groaned Usagi.
"Everyone we have to hide," said Minako.
They all nodded and followed Minako, but Papillon had also reached the ship and began hunting them down. At last they reached a dining room where passengers would be served food and drinks on long voyages.
"It sure looks like there's no one on board," said Usagi.
"Still, we all need to be careful, and stay alert. By now we know that monster knows we escaped to this ship," warned Artemis.
"Sailor Venus, how does that monster know so much about you? What's your connection with this Katarina person?" asked Luna.
Minako glanced back, but she sighed and hung her head.
"Hey Luna, maybe she doesn't want to talk about it right now," whispered Usagi.
"No, it's okay. The whole thing happened, six months ago," explained Minako.
In London, England, Minako and Alan soon received word that a dangerous monster was running loose in the city, and went to investigate it. Minako looked up at Alan, but tripped and caught his arm. For the first time in her life, Minako soon fell in love with the young man.
"Soon after that, I somehow found myself at a crime scene," she continued.
A rough and dangerous individual was running away from Katarina who was pursuing him, when he grabbed a young girl holding a rabbit in her arms and held her hostage. The girl cried out in fear, until the man transformed into a creature of darkness. Suddenly, a beam of golden light surged towards him. Katarina looked up, and saw Sailor V, jumping down and delivering a powerful Sailor V kick. Carefully taking the young girl, the creature soon faded into nothingness. The girl thanked Sailor V, as Katarina approached her.
"From that moment on, Katarina and I became the best of friends. She gave me good advice and helped me with my studies. We saw the sights together, always having fun. I loved her like she was a big sister, and she always cared and looked after me, as if I were her little sister," Minako told them.
"Katarina! Alan! Come on you two!" called Minako.
The two friends followed Minako, and began to have lots of fun at the amusement park.
"Of course, I introduced her to Alan. the three of us always had fun together," Minako said.
Minako didn't know that Katarina and Alan were suddenly falling in love with each other.
"Then, one day, something happened," continued Minako.
Sailor V went into an abandoned warehouse, her eyes searching the room around her. Suddenly, the silhouette of an individual tossed something, and it made a clattering sound. Then, a loud bang sounded, and the shockwave sent Katarina flying. Picking herself up, Katarina looked to see that the warehouse was destroyed, and thought that Sailor V had perished. But what she didn't know was that Minako had managed to get to safety, as she stood in the alleyway, clutching her wounded arm. She looked to see Alan searching for her, and was relieved to see him.
"Alan, Minako was in there. She's…" sobbed Katarina.
"She's what? What happened?" asked Alan.
Katarina cried into his chest, and Alan held her in his arms.
"Don't worry, I'm here. I'll always be here for you," he said.
When Minako heard those words, she dropped down, and began to cry tears of sorrow.
"That's when I discovered the real truth. I had never realized that Alan and Katarina were actually in love. I decided to leave, and disappeared from their lives. I thought that remaining dead to them would be the best thing for their happiness," finished Minako.
"So that's why you decided to return to Japan," said Luna.
"You decided to forget those sad memories, by devoting yourself to fighting evil," added Artemis.
"No! That's so unfair, and so sad for you," cried Usagi, her eyes filled with tears.
"Oh Minako, I didn't know," added Sora, a small tear rolling down his cheek.
"Yeah, none of us knew that you were hurting," finished Roxas, as he bowed his head to her.
"Thanks, everyone," replied Minako.
Suddenly, the lights turned on, and everyone prepared themselves.
"So were those tears of yours, tears of joy brought on by the thought of me killing you? Don't worry, I'll make sure this spot becomes the sight of your graves," smirked Papillon, who found them.
"We're in a really bad mood right now! If we were you, we'd get out!" snapped Usagi.
She transformed into Sailor Moon, as Sora and Roxas stood in front of Minako, their Keyblades held at the ready.
"I see, so you are Sailor Moon, huh?" glowared the transformed Katarina.
"At this point I don't care if you do know who I am. I am the Pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon! On behalf of the Moon, I'm punishing you!" declared Sailor Moon.
"Just what are you blabbering about!?" demanded Papillon.
She transformed her arm into a blade and lunged at them, only for Sora to stop her attack.
"You stupid boy, get out of my sight!" she shouted.
"Forget it! There's no way you're hurting Sailor Venus!" countered Sora, forcing her back.
The two of them now fought a fierce duel, as Roxas fought off the Heartless that tried to pick them off, their weapons clashing furiously against each other. Then Sora forced her back as Sailor Moon glared at the now changed Katarina.
"I refuse to run away today! I won't let you break the heart of a young girl that's in love!" she snapped, enraged at hearing Minako's tragic backstory.
As Papillon charged at them again, Sailor Moon began to utilize her Moon Tiara Action attack to strike her down, but instead it forced her back as the necklace she wore reminded Minako of Katarina. Picking it up, Sailor Venus, now realized that Alan and Katarina loved each other, and began to cry, as she looked at the picture inside.
"Stop! Please don't hurt her!" she called out to Sailor Moon.
Everyone turned to face her.
"It's my fault! I'm the real reason she turned into a monster! Katarina knew I was a Sailor Guardian. That's why the Dark Kingdom used her to do their bidding. She's not to blame for all this!" explained Minako.
"But she loved you like a big sister, and then she betrayed you!" snapped Usagi.
"No, Sailor Moon! Katarina would never do something so horrible to Minako! And I know Katarina would never betray her for Alan, even after she believed she perished in that destruction! She knew that she was alive somewhere! And killing Katarina would only make Alan ashamed of you, and he'd say that you're a disgrace of being a Guardian of Love and Justice, calling you a bloodthirsty monster of Hatred and Vengeance! Katarina chose Alan of her own free will, and Minako chose to respect her choice!" countered Sora.
Sailor Moon nodded at him. She knew now that there was truth in his words, as Sailor Venus looked up at her.
"Please help her," she said, smiling at Sora.
"Okay, Sailor Venus. It's time to put an end to your tragic past," he said.
Then together with Sailor Moon, they readied themselves, as Papillon stalked towards them.
"Katarina, it's time for you to face the Light!" called Sora.
"Moon Healing Escalation!" cried Sailor Moon.
Their combined power engulfed the dark creature, and soon enough, Katarina was back to her old self again. Then Sailor Venus ran towards her and hugged her tightly. Katarina did the same, as she apologized to her.
"I had no idea, I thought you had feelings for him. I thought you were still just a child. Forgive me," she said.
At dawn, Minako watched as the ship Katarina was on, sailed away, leaving Japan far behind. MInako's friends stood watching from behind, and wanted to know what was going on with her.
"So, what's going on? What happened to Minako?" asked Rei.
"It looks like she's sad," answered Ami.
"Yeah, we should go over and cheer her up," said Makoto.
"It's better if we just leave her alone," replied Usagi.
Everyone glanced at her.
"She'll be fine. Minako is a lot more mature than any of us," she explained.
But Sora slowly walked up to her and stood beside her, as she looked out at the ship, fading away into the sunrise.
"This is how it should be. He chose you, Katarina. As long as you're both happy, that's what counts. That's what matters," Minako said somberly.
The wind blew the picture out of her hand, and Sora watched it blowing away into the strong breeze.
"I know what you're thinking. We weren't exactly a happy bunch of friends," she said to him.
"Hearing what you said, All I could see was a broken family," replied Sora.
MInako looked at him, her eyes flashing as new tears started forming in her eyes.
"Minako, I know our first encounter was brief," he said.
"I know," replied Minako.
"I may not be like Alan, Ryo, or Yuuichirou, in whatever place they've come from, and I know that I'd never do something stupid like betray your trust and make Sailor Moon condemn me for it, but I can promise you this. From now on, I will stay by your side. I wanna prove that a Keyblade Master like me is worthy of your love and kindness, and have you standing with him, forever, no matter what. And I wanna be there by your side too. Because, I really love you Minako Aino, more than anything! I nearly severed my bond with someone important to me once, and I don't want you to suffer anymore. So that's why I'm gonna fight for your happiness. And you'll do the same, right?" explained Sora.
"Of course I will, darling! Sora, it's because you're so different from Alan, is the reason why I started to have a crush on you. Even though Alan and Katarina are happy to have each other, the one person I really love is you. You are brave, kind caring, and special, and there's nothing I want more than to be with you. Also, if we do get married and have children of our own someday, not only will you be a great father, but I might name one of them after you," smiled Minako.
"Thanks, Minako," replied Sora.
Then the two of them shared a passionate kiss, making everyone smile at them, even as they pulled apart and looked deeply into each other's eyes.
