Chapter 4
Enemies Revealed
Serena groaned. Her head throbbed painfully, it felt as if it were about to explode. A headache more painful than anything she had ever experienced before overcame her. Weakly she brought her hand up to her forehead as her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes struggled to focus in the dim light. She could make out white drapes hanging around her at the top of a large bed that she was lying on. Somewhere, a window was open, letting in a light breeze that rustled the hangings of the bed. She could smell something sweet filtering in.
She shot up. Her clothes were gone; instead she was dressed in a flowing white gown that clung to her body. Her hair was up, back in her old odango style. Thinking it must be a dream, Serena calmly swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Where am I?" She asked to an empty room. "…Darien?"
"He's not here."
Serena tensed. It wasn't a dream. The pain in her head was a fierce reminder that something bad had happened. Her eyes searched the room, she couldn't see anyone.
"Who are you? Where have you taken me?" She didn't sound afraid. She refused to show fear though it was quickly overcoming her.
"Aren't you scared princess? Does your courage remain when you are all alone, devoid of your guardians and your prince?" It was a man's voice, deep and commanding.
"Why do you hide like a coward? Come out and face me!" She yelled sounding braver than she felt.
"Tempting, but you see princess, you are my prisoner. I call all of the shots here, not you. And right now I'm enjoying that rather perplexed look on your face. Worry not, we will have plenty of time to get reacquainted but it will be at my leisure."
Serena slid off of the bed. The floor moved beneath her toes dangerously and she swayed to keep her balance. Her head still ached tremendously but she did her best to ignore it. Right now she needed to find a way out. She edged her way along the bed and shakily crossed the floor to the adjacent wall. "What did you do to me?"
"A mixture of my own making. Forgive the side effects; you'll have a headache for several hours. Let's just say that it will make you more… apt for this realm."
Serena fought the feeling of fear that was rapidly taking her over as she inched her way along the wall until she found the door and tried the handle. It refused to budge.
The man's laughter shook the room. "You shame me princess. It would hardly be a prison if you were not confined behind a locked door."
Serena screamed in frustration. "What do you want with me?"
"Very well. I will humor you. The answer is simple. I want you."
Serena's brow furrowed. "Why… why me?"
"You cannot expect me to betray my secrets to you so quickly."
"What do you want then?" She asked as she released the door handle and tried to look for another exit.
"Sorry, I can't tell you that either, but you should know that you have something to do with it. After all, you are the great Sailor Moon, the gem of Tokyo, the future Queen Serenity, heir to the poorly fated Moon Kingdom."
Serena paused mid-step.
"Oh yes, I know much about you princess. You died after your prince perished in your arms. It's a shame really. The two of you might have made something of the solar system. Though in that time the Moon and the Earth did not get along. Prince Endymion was always a rebel. He always wanted something he couldn't have."
Serena reached out, touching the wall next to her. She could feel the breeze through the window hitting her face. Her vision was only worsening; objects were becoming dark shapes, fuzzy and unclear. She would go down again soon.
"He was blinded by your beauty, by the power of a marriage to you. He was a fool. He didn't notice what was happening in his kingdom, under his very nose!" The man was agitated now as if he harbored a deep resentment to Darien.
Serena continued crawling along the wall. The window was close. If only she could reach it, maybe she could have a means to escape.
"But all of that is in the past now. You were reborn. Darien abandoned you once he knew you were his—"
Serena paused again. What did he mean? "You are a liar!"
A cruel laughter echoed through the room. "Still so blind even now Serenity. Once again you cannot see past his charm. Prince Endymion is a man of the chase; he wants a prize that is unobtainable. You gave in to him too easily this time. It isn't any wonder he grew tired of you and left…"
Serena inched forward again, now ignoring him. He was full of lies. If he was the new enemy from the Negaverse, his words would serve only as poison. She wouldn't listen. He wanted her divided from her friends, he wanted her to doubt Darien. She wouldn't have let his words affect her five years ago… but now…
"Ah, so you agree. I can assure you princess, you can do much better. In fact, I know of one in particular you will see rather favorably if given the chance."
Serena pressed on, feeling her way along the wall. Her fingers skipped over a polished surface with hard edges. She'd finally reached the window. Bravely she peered over. Her vision, now so clouded she could only see specs of light, was of no help. She didn't know how far it would be to reach the ground. She could be several stories in the sky or just a few feet from the ground. She had no way of knowing.
"You still have not told me why you've taken me." Serena said as a sense of hopelessness settled in.
The man chuckled. "Now that's the question! I suggest you meditate on it. You will have plenty of time and several more failed attempts to leave this room. You must forgive me princess; I must attend to my duties. I have seven sailor scouts to destroy."
"Wait! Wait!" Serena cried, her voice growing smaller and smaller. She felt her knees growing weak. Slowly she sank to the floor and rested her back against the wall. Her breathing was uneven as her vision began to blur again. Tears silently filled her eyes. How would she get out of this one? No one knew where she was. Amy and Michelle thought she'd gone home, Mina and Lita thought she was out with the other girls. At best, it would be several hours before they realized she was gone and it would take even longer to find her.
Hopelessness once again overcame her. Five years ago, she would have been stronger. She would have been comforted by the fact that her friends would be searching for her almost immediately and that Darien would stop at nothing to get her back. Now things were different. Her friendship with the scouts had changed and she doubted that Darien would once again go to the end of the universe to find her.
She had never felt so alone.
"How are you doing princess?"
Serena froze. It wasn't the same man that had spoken to her earlier but another man with a lighter voice. Her vision was so blurry she could only make out a dark figure sitting on the windowsill. She opened her mouth to speak to find she could hardly make any sound. What had they given her?
"Don't worry." The man said quickly. "I'll get you home."
Serena felt herself slipping again. Her vision grew worse and worse until she slumped forward onto the cold floor.
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"When will she wake?"
"Not sure… it depends on what they gave her."
"Was it poison?"
"They need her, they wouldn't kill her."
"I still don't think this is a good idea. What if she doesn't trust us? What if they all decide to kill us?"
"I've considered that. Don't you think I would've? Why do you think I kept her here?"
"How long are you going to keep her?"
"Until she wakes and we have time to explain ourselves to her. It makes no sense to send her home now just to have her turn on us. Besides, now that we've been released we do have some making up to do…"
"I still think it's a terrible idea."
Serena's eyes popped open. Before her stood four men, only one was facing her. A very tall man with long white blond hair. She recognized him instantly.
"Kunzite?" She squinted her eyes in disbelief.
"The very same." Kunzite responded.
"We killed you… you're dead." She whispered. This wasn't right. She couldn't be seeing him. Maybe it was the drug that she had been given. Was she seeing ghosts now?
"Explain my presence then." Kunzite crossed his arms.
Serena sat up slowly. "You! You're the one behind all of this!"
He laughed. "Hardly, though you flatter me Sailor Moon."
She turned her attention to his three companions: Zoisite, Nephrite, Jadeite. She wasn't seeing things. They were all there. She could see each one of them, now clad in regular clothes instead of their sharp gray uniforms but they stood before her, plain as day.
"If you aren't responsible then why am I here with you?" Serena asked.
"Believe it or not, we have foes as well. I retrieved you and brought you here to Tokyo." Kunzite began, choosing his words very carefully.
"Why did you save me?" She asked. "You're evil. You all worked for Queen Beryl . You're part of the Negaverse!"
"Yes, we did. But before that we were all great generals of Earth." He explained. "When Queen Beryl perished, her power over us ended with her life. Now the Negaverse has returned and with it we were resurrected. Only now we are not slaves."
Serena watched Kunzite as he spoke though she was careful to keep an eye on his comrades. "How can I trust you? How do I know you aren't working with this new enemy?"
"We saved you from the enemy's stronghold at the expense of our own lives. Is that not proof enough?" Zoisite snapped.
"Princess… we are here to serve Prince Endymion as we did centuries ago. It was Beryl who enslaved our minds to serve her. Now that she is gone, our allegiance will be to the Prince, and by the same hand, to you." Nephrite bowed low to Serena. His comrades followed suit.
"We are men of Earth and we are prepared to die protecting it." Jadeite affirmed.
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A lone dark figure stood at the end of a stone balcony, set over a sea of ruins. He wore a long deep blue cape, thrown over one shoulder. At his side a massive sword was sheathed, just visible in the fading moonlight. His long white hair cascaded down his shoulders. Though his eyes were a deep violet, they held no kindness.
"Will they be a nuisance?" He spoke.
Fabian walked towards his brother, giving him a short shake of his head. Though the two were separated by two years, Nikko was fair where Fabian was dark. "No Nikko, the Generals serve no one. They're lost without their queen."
A high, chipper laugh cut through the air. "If you can call that old hag a queen." A woman, with long flowing blond hair waltzed lazily onto the balcony.
"Femi, you were not summoned." Fabian warned.
"I can't let you boys have all the fun." She laughed.
"Enough." Nikko commanded.
Femi's smile faded quickly as her gaze dropped to the floor. She fell to a deep curtsy as Nikko walked past her.
"They stole her…. I will have them punished." Nikko said.
Fabian bowed his head. "Brother… I would never question your word...but the Generals still retain their power."
Nikko shot his brother a fierce glare. "Send Rhea. Tell her to bring me their heads… and bring the princess back to me… alive."