Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 1: Dark Kingdom.
Episode 19: A short time ago, in a country far, far away...

By Razor Knight
Last update: February 5, 2013
Last edited: May 25, 2017

"I wonder how long Kunzite's going to keep up his facade."

Artemis smiled. "I thought you were having fun here."

"I am, and I like Brad, but I miss home."

"Don't worry, the Tokyo group is close to getting all the pieces of the Ginzuishou."

Minako looked at the cat. "Don't laugh at me, but I've been thinking... What if I am the Princess?"

Artemis didn't laugh, he had also considered that possibility. "Then we'll find out when we go back home."

"As far as I'm concerned, you're quite a princess, Mina."

Minako turned to the door and saw Brad standing there, smiling at her. "Don't you ever knock?"

"Why should I, I could get lucky and catch you half-naked."

"Jerk."

"I have my moments," Brad admitted. "Anyhow, have any plans for today?"

"I think I'll stay home and study."

"... And joking aside?"

"I'm serious," Minako said, "I enjoy spending time with you, but I don't want to go back home with worse grades than I had when I came here."

"Is that even possible?" Artemis mused, prompting a glare from the blonde. But in fact, he had to admit Minako had changed while in London, her grades had definitely improved, even though she spent quite a bit of time with Brad. His train of toughts was derailed as he sensed something. From the look in Brad's face, he had also felt it. "Youma."

"I can sense it, a few miles to the north. They're leaking a lot of energy," Brad explained, "almost as if they wanted us to know where to go."

"It must be a trap," Artemis noted.

"But if we don't go, innocent people could die," Minako said. "I guess we'll have to humor the youma."

Kunzite waited patiently. He knew either the mage or the cat would sense him, it was just a matter of time before V showed up. He had two cards under his sleeve this time around. First off, Zoicite was waiting for the right moment, he would show up when their foes were already fighting him. And second, he was using one of the shards of the Ginzuishou, so his power was enhanced, without wasting any energy from the Dark Kingdom's reserves.

He had learnt how V thought, after so many battles. He knew she would fall into this trap, and he knew her enough to know she would know it was a trap. Senshi were a strange group, risking their lives for people they didn't know.

Hotaru was feeling homesick, and she didn't fear admitting it. It had been months, and Aurite kept on attacking. They were stopping her from gathering too much energy, and it was obvious Aurite's mission, right now, was to keep them isolated from the other Senshi. She wondered if it wouldn't be wiser to go back to Japan, to help the others. The more the merrier, the saying went, even though she had a hard time socializing.

"You look worried."

She shrugged. "Because I am."

"And you're in a bad mood, too."

Hotaru looked at the guy. How could he tell?

"You may keep your poker face at all times, but your eyes still tell me a lot," Kage said. "Is it about the youma?"

"Yes. I'm wondering how long it will take. Aurite's just wasting youma and losing each and every time."

"They just want to keep us here, I guess."

Hotaru nodded. "I guessed that, too." She then looked at Kage. Stared, even.

The guy could only take a minute of that before staring back at her. "What's wrong?"

"There's something bothering you, something I can't quite figure out."

Kage blinked at that. Was he that easy to read? "I... It's not something worth worrying about."

Hotaru stood up and walked to the window, staring at the cityscape for a minute. "Much despite myself, you're the second person I would ever consider calling a friend." She turned to look at him again. "And I've been told worrying about one's friends is a good thing."

Kage smiled at her. "Yes, it is, but still... I can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both."

"Then it has to do with me," Hotaru said, noticing the guy was blushing. "And I think I can make an educated guess."

"Really?" Kage said with a smirk. "I suppose I don't need to tell you, if you figured it out."

"I think I have, but..." Hotaru suddenly winced and looked out the window. "Damn."

"Saved by the bell," Kage mused.

Hotaru stared at him as she summoned her glaive. "We'll have to talk about it after we deal with Aurite."

"How can I say no when you're holding that thing?"

Hotaru laughed at that, then shook her head. "You're definitely a bad influence for me."

As the heroes reached their target, V growled in anger. "Damn it, I like that mall."

Kunzite appeared in front of them, smiling in a mocking way. "I am glad you got my message, V. This will be the last time you interfere with my plans."

"If I had a pound for each time you said that, I would be richer," Sigma noted.

"Careful, he's stronger than ever before," Artemis noted.

"I see that," Sigma admitted, "but V can still beat him around." He didn't add 'I hope,' but he still thought that.

"So, where's the weak youma of the day?" V asked.

"I won't need one," Kunzite said. "Now stop talking and die!"

V dodged the blast, which was larger and visibly stronger than she was used to. It hit a parked car, causing it to explode, and kept going, hitting the side of a building before fading. "Hey, stop wrecking the city."

"Only if you stand still."

V leapt straight at Kunzite, going for a kick to the head, but Kunzite dodged that easily. "How about you stand still, instead?"

Sigma smirked. "I think I can somehow help with that. Hermes Dash."

V felt a rush of energy wash over her, and saw Kunzite shoot another blast, but... Was it moving slower? No, she realized what Brad's plan was. She easily dodged the blast, and run to Kunzite, who was now too slow, comparatively speaking, to dodge her kick.

Kunzite fell to the ground, quite surprised by his foes. Sigma had never used a spell like that before, was he saving the best for their last fight? He couldn't risk finding out what else the mage had in stock, so he gave Zoicite the mental signal to attack.

Sigma sensed a spike of energy and summoned a magic shield, but the blast still knocked him aside. As Zoicite floated to him, he sighed. "You're pretty, girl, but I'm taken."

"Thanks for the compliment, kid, but who said I'm a girl?"

Sigma blinked a few times as he heard that. "Uh, okay then, I suppose I... Flare!"

The General was caught off-guard by the sudden fire blast, and staggered back. "I see Kunzite was right, you're pretty strong."

The mage took a defensive pose, summoning his sword as he did, but he also glanced to the side. V was losing her fight, and he knew it. He couldn't keep his speed spell up while fighting this creep, so he would have to get rid of him fast. "I suppose you're another General. I was told you guys were supposed to be strong enough to defeat a thousand of my kin, but what I've seen thus far is quite different to the legends."

"I don't need to be strong enough to kill thousands of your group, kid, because there's only one of you in front of me," Zoicite snapped, summoning a crystal blade and slashing at his foe.

"Aurite and Jadeite. So predictable," Orion noted.

Aurite looked at the Senshi and her ally dismissively. "We have a little surprise for you."

Orion's eyes widened. "Damn, her energy's rising. A lot."

"We've gathered a few of the crystal shards back in Tokyo, and we discovered they could be used to enhance a magician's skills. You could have beaten me in the past, but this will be your last battle."

"Big words, but you better save them for when you actually beat us, Goldie."

Pluto appeared besides Saturn, and glared at Aurite. "She won't beat you, I've already seen the outcome of this fight."

"You help them win at times, Pluto, but I won't let you interfere today!"

Pluto didn't even turn as she used her staff to deflect an energy blast which had been aimed to her side. "You youma are bad at listening. I said I had seen the outcome of this fight. I already knew Beryl would be here. Stop hiding, oh mighty Youma Queen."

Beryl appeared near Pluto. "You're telling me to stop hiding? Where were you when the old Senshi fell?"

"If you're trying to upset me, you'll have to do much better than that."

V rolled to the side, dodging a blast, which blew a small crater right where she had been standing moments earlier. She couldn't win this, she was too weak to defeat Kunzite, and she knew Sigma was also having a hard time. If she failed, then these freaks would kill him. But what could she do?

Kunzite had been about to shoot at V again, but something stopped him. Artemis leapt at him from the side, slashing at his arm. Kunzite yelped in pain and then glared at the cat, shooting a blast which knocked the cat away.

"Art!" V glared at Kunzite. So what if she was too weak right now? She was a Senshi. She was supposed to be a warrior, not a damsel in distress! She could not depend on others to save her all the time, specially if they were going to get hurt while helping her. If she was too weak to fight her foe, then the solution was quite simple. She just had to become stronger. "Kunzite!"

Kunzite didn't turn to gloat or laugh at V. No, he could sense her power rising, above his, even. "What in Darkness..."

"Crescent Beam..." Venus went through the motions of her normal attack, but the ball of light was larger, and she held her finger pointed at Kunzite for longer than usual. The ball suddenly split in dozens of small light dots, and Venus smiled coldly. "... Shower!"

The result was a barrage of small light beams, shooting in a small arc. Kunzite managed to dodge a few, but most of them hit him dead on, sending him crashing through a wall and into a grocery. V smiled as she saw Kunzite wasn't moving, but then fell to her knees.

"I have to... Help Brad."

Artemis came limping to her. "Don't worry, I don't think he will need your help."

V stared at the cat. "What are you not telling me?"

"I've sensed something in him lately, but I couldn't be sure of it. However, I'm sensing it again, and it's stronger this time around. You want to help him, to protect him, right?" V nodded at that, and Artemis smiled. "Well, he wants to protect you too. He must know that you're exhausted, and that you can't fight the other General. So, he'll win."

V looked at the other battle still being fought a block away from them, and smiled. "You're right, he can win this."

Sigma himself wasn't quite sure of his victory. Zoicite was blocking all he threw at him, and his sword skills were as good, if not better, than Sigma's. But he had sensed several things in the last minute. First, Venus' power had risen quite a bit. Then, he could sense Kunzite was out for the count (dead, even?), but also, he knew Venus was in no shape to fight. So, he couldn't let this freak defeat him.

Both he and Zoicite stopped fighting as Sigma's sword lit up. "What the heck..."

Artemis walked to him. "As I suspected, that's one of the Dragon Swords."

"Dragon Swords?" Sigma stared at his sword. He knew what the swords were, and he also knew the legends. They would only react to those they chose. He also knew what legends said about those who weren't chosen and still tried to call upon their power. But he had been using this sword, without knowing what it really was, for a long time. He could hear the words in his mind. Quite amusing for this sword to be his, considering who he was dating.

Zoicite took a step back as the sword's light grew brighter. "What in Darkness..."

"The complete opposite, actually," Sigma said. "Venus Dragon Power!"

Much like his female counterpart, his transformation was quick. A bubble of light surrounded him, blurring his features, and it shrank until it touched his body. The light then solidified and grew dimmer, and he was left wearing a white, full bodysuit, with orange boots and gloves. His sword had also changed, it was as orange as his gloves, and the hilt now had the shape of a dragon, with its wings serving as guards, and the blade was coming out of the dragon's mouth.

Artemis smiled. "I knew it. You're Dragon Venus."

"Hmph, big deal, I'm almost as strong as Kunzite, a single Senshi won't defeat me."

"You forget I'm not only a Senshi," Dragon Venus said. "I didn't want to bring the big guns out, because a normal magician could be killed using them, but I do have something stronger than even Venus' attack."

Zoicite laughed at that. "I seriously doubt it."

"You're seriously wrong, then," Dragon Venus said. He rose his sword, which lit up again, but this time it was a red light. "Demon Sword!"

Last thing Zoicite remembered before waking up, was the Dragon slamming his sword into the ground, then everything had exploded around him. He was too weak to even stand up, and he could see Kunzite still lying on the ground. This was bad, he barely had any power left, but they couldn't fail, not when they were so close...

He looked to his side, and saw Venus checking on the Dragon. The guy was unconscious, or judging by Venus' body language, he could be... No, the guy was stirring now, and Venus was smiling.

Zoicite saw the cat walk to him, and glared at it. "Damn that guy, I'm going to-"

"You're going to leave and take your ally with you. Pass this message to your Queen, we know what you're plans are, and we're going back to Japan to help the other Senshi. You should also consider going there."

Zoicite glared at the cat for a few more seconds, then laughed. "That's nice, but pointless. We're close to gathering all the Rainbow Youma, even if you all gather, you won't be able to defeat us."

Artemis turned as Zoicite vanished (taking Kunzite along) and saw V and Dragon Venus walking to him. "So, are you two okay?"

"Nothing a week of resting won't solve," Dragon Venus joked.

V took off her mask. "I heard what you said, Art, and I think we need to go back home. But I will go as Sailor Venus, not Sailor V." She looked at Dragon Venus and sighed. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm a Senshi too, but even if I was just Hunter Sigma, I would follow you. I would never let the girl I love fight those youma alone."

Venus stared at him for several seconds, before blushing. "It's the first time you say it."

"Huh?"

"First time you say you love me."

"Are you sure? I'm sure I've said it before..." the Dragon pondered.

"You didn't, silly," Venus said with a chuckle. "And now I realize something. I never did, either. But I also love you."

Artemis coughed a bit too loud, shredding the tender moment to pieces, as he looked at the cityscape. "I suggest you two lovebirds continue this at the mansion, I can already hear sirens in the distance." He got no answer for a few seconds, so he turned to look at the couple, and smiled. Venus and Dragon Venus were locked in a kiss, and even though he knew they had to leave, Artemis wasn't going to interrupt them.

But his mind returned to Zoicite's words. The Rainbow Youma were still alive? That could mean trouble, after all, it had been those youma who had killed the Senshi in the past. But he trusted Venus... Minako, and he knew they would find a way to defeat even those legendary monsters.

A continent away, another Senshi was facing similar odds. Normally, Sailor Saturn would have given Aurite a good beating, but the General was much stronger than her now, and Saturn's endurance was rather low. She was worried about another battle more than her own, however. While Pluto needed no help against Beryl (it was pretty obvious Pluto was merely keeping Beryl busy,) Orion was not doing well against Jadeite.

But she couldn't get distracted, Aurite was not giving her any room to do so. As much as it worried her, she would have to let Orion take care of his own battle. She could only focus on defeating Aurite as soon as possible.

Orion was also worried. Jadeite was too strong for him, and if he fell, then Saturn would be left facing two Generals. He couldn't let that happen, but what could he do? Using the Demon Sword was suicide, and he would rather not resort to that. But no other spell he had used seemed to work. No, he knew what to do. He smiled as his sword started shining, noticing Jadeite had guessed what was about to happen. "I won't let you win. Sun Dragon Power!"

Jadeite wasn't worried, a brand-new Senshi could beat a normal youma, but he was not one. "Senshi or not, you'll still die."

The Dragon's transformation was strange to watch. Many discs of fire (was it even fire?) surrounded him, slowly melting into him, and forming his suit. It was like Dragon Venus' one, only the gloves, boots and sword were golden. "Sorry, I have something very important to discuss with a friend after this battle, so I can't die." He aimed his open palm at Jadeite, then closed it in a fist. "Gravity Hold."

Jadeite wasn't sure what had happened, but he had felt no blast. Still, he was down on the ground, and couldn't move a muscle. "What cheap trick is this?"

"Just plain old gravity, increased tenfold. Now just lie there while Saturn takes care of your girlfriend."

Jadeite glared at the Dragon, but couldn't move to attack. The pressure on his body was incredible, he couldn't even focus long enough to teleport out of the way. "Damn it... Beaten by a newbie Senshi."

Pluto was, meanwhile growing bored. Her foe was clearly overestimating her own power, shooting blast after blast at her, but all Pluto did was block them with her staff. "You've always been foolish."

"Shut up! You were a coward, hiding while everyone around you died."

"Someone had to stay alive to make sure no other evil would threaten mankind," Pluto said, "but you cannot call me a coward, not you, who helped Metallia turn countless humans into evil creatures."

"My youma killed a few, comparatively speaking, oh Time Senshi. Your Queen doomed entire planets just to get rid of me. And why do that, when she could have killed me?"

"Because if we killed you back then, the youma would have won. Because even if youma were defeated, the mankind which only trusted magic was doomed to vanish eventually."

"So that's your excuse, you were doing it for the greater good?"

"Call it an excuse if you want, Beryl, but it won't change your fate."

"Fool! What was my fate? To rule a small country, to become yet another footnote in Queen Serenity's reign?"

"Your fate was to rebel, to cause pain to many, and to lose."

"Fate doesn't exist, I will forge my own fate with my hands!"

Pluto looked at the large wave of darkness Beryl had shot dismissively, then did something Beryl wasn't expecting. She simply let it hit, and then started walking to the evil Queen.

"What? How can you be that strong? It's impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible for us Senshi," Pluto said. "Time Disruptor."

The attack was invisible, but Beryl sure felt its effect. And so did the Generals.

Aurite had been shooting at Saturn, who kept dodging. She knew the Death Senshi didn't have a lot of energy left, so all she had to do was wait. However, she felt the ripple of energy, and felt Beryl vanish. "What in Darkness..."

Pluto appeared near her, smiling in a way which made it clear she wasn't playing anymore. "I couldn't kill her," she said, and Aurite was quite sure she meant 'wouldn't' instead, "so she's just out of time for the time being. Don't worry, I only sent her three days ahead."

The youma General paled. Seriously, Pluto was that strong? Why wasn't she fighting them herself?

Pluto seemed to know what she was thinking. "Sailor Pluto is not a warrior, but a guardian. I will fight when I see no other way to make things work for the best, but in this case... You won't win, Aurite, your Queen won't win. I admire your loyalty to her, but it may be your doom."

Aurite laughed at that. "Nice speech, time witch, but if you aren't going to fight, step back."

"I will, don't worry. Saturn is more than enough to deal with you for now." Pluto looked at Saturn. "Look at Orion."

Saturn had tried to focus in her own fight, so she was quite surprised when she saw a Dragon Senshi, and he was keeping Jadeite pinned to the ground, somehow. "That is..."

"Dragon Sun. He couldn't win with the power he had, so he became stronger." Pluto didn't need to tell her anything else, she knew Saturn would understand.

Saturn saw Aurite looking at Jadeite worriedly. "Your fight is with me, Aurite."

"Fine, I'll defeat you and then get that loser."

Saturn glared at her. "You won't. Death Bolt."

The attack shot from Saturn's glaive, hitting Aurite dead on, and knocking her to the ground. The General tried to stand up, but couldn't quite do it. "Damn you, Saturn..."

Saturn saw Dragon Sun fall to his knees, and Jadeite standing up. But Jadeite didn't attack the Dragon, he seemingly knew Saturn was the biggest threat right now. "Two against one, that's not fair."

Aurite glared at her. "And yet you kept tag-teaming me with that guy."

"I meant it's not fair for you."

Pluto smiled. Yes, Hotaru was ready now. "Indeed, it isn't."

Aurite could feel Saturn's energy rising, and she didn't like what she felt. "Darkness, she's about to..."

"Saturn Twilight Power."

The change was fast, and her suit didn't change a lot. Her gloves became longer, and so did her bows, and her skirt got a golden lining. But those who could sense magic knew the change was much more than a fashion update. Jadeite and Aurite were both thinking the same, it would be quite hard to defeat her.

"Begone, youma. Grim..." Saturn spun, rising her glaive, and a dark sphere of energy formed above her. The sphere descended, fusing with the glaive, and tendrils of energy shot down around Saturn. She suddenly stopped, her glaive still up high, and then made a sideways swipe with it, unleashing a paper-thin, wide wave of death energy. "... Wave!"

Pluto didn't move, the attack would not be enough to even tickle. But the two youma were knocked back several meters, and didn't stand up. She walked calmly to the two and stared at them in turns. "My allies are going to join the others from now on," she heard gasps behind her, and realized she hadn't told them that yet, "so if you know what's good for you, you'll return to Japan. If you stay here and try draining anyone, Saturn and Dragon Sun won't be here," she let the two Generals consider that choice, then added, "but I will."

Aurite glared at Pluto, but knew it was pointless to argue. "Fine then, next time I face them, I will be ready."

Pluto smiled as the two youma vanished. "I doubt it."

Saturn came walking to Pluto (visibly exhausted) and stared at her. "Setsuna, did I just heard what I thought I heard?"

"Yes. The Tokyo group is close to gathering all the shards of the Ginzuishou. The Princess will appear soon, and some very strong enemies will show up. You will be needed there."

Dragon Sun crawled to them, his suit replaced by that of Orion, since he couldn't hold his form any longer. "I know you could just snap your fingers and send us there, but... Hotaru and I need to talk about something before that."

"I know. Take your time, as long as you don't take a whole week."

Saturn looked at Orion as Pluto vanished. "Okay, then..."

"Let's go back home, and we'll talk there," Orion said. "Teleport."

Hotaru looked at Kage. "So, was my guess right?"

"I don't know. What did you guess?"

Hotaru thought about it for a second, then smiled. "You like me?"

Kage smiled at her. "Yes. Not just as a friend. I'll understand if you don't-"

"I'm... Not quite sure. I like you, but I-"

"Don't worry, I know how hard that is for you. I was planning to tell you how I felt once the youma were defeated, but... To be honest, I feel much better now that I could tell you how I feel."

Hotaru smiled again. "I'll say it again, you're a bad influence for me, Kage. I like you."

"Only as a friend?"

And Hotaru did something Kage had never seen her do yet. She blushed. "No."

A/N: See, youma can be cunning strategists too. And still fail in a relatively pathetic way.

As for Kage and Hotaru, I had that planned from the start, and I have other twists planned for them both (and other couples which may or may not appear later on) which weren't in the previous version of the story. Some fans will be amused/surprised by what I'm planning to do with Usagi and Mamoru... And other fans will promptly grab their pitchforks and torches once I start that one romantic sub-plot.

And yeah, Saturn's the first to truly 'level up.' And you thought I was out of surprises...