Chapter 7
The Shadow Warriors
"Are you sure it's okay that we all stay here?" Mina asked Raye as she clambered into the temple, drenched from the downpour that had just started. A duffle bag was slung over one shoulder while a fluffy pillow could just be seen, hidden within her yellow raincoat. Her long blond hair was soaking wet and clung to her face and neck which were both various shades of black and blue. The makeup she had worn earlier had all but washed off leaving Mina with an array of uncomfortable looks as she walked to the temple in the middle of the storm.
"We all agreed that we should be together. Rhea proved those guys are bad news… strong bad news… we are safer together." Raye answered as she took Mina's duffle bag from her. Raye's face looked perfectly intact yet a large gash, wrapped now in several layers of medical gauze, was hiding beneath the sleeve of her dress. "Besides, the temple has plenty of rooms and I don't mind the company."
Mina raised a brow at her words. Over in the corner Lita and Amara were throwing marshmallows at each other from behind two pillars in the room. Amara had one arm in a sling but was managing to pelt Lita with the marshmallows without much effort. Lita seemed to be favoring one leg in the fight but it hardly stopped her from chuckling at each marshmallow that bounced off Amara's shoulders and head. Against the wall Michelle was busy braiding Serena's hair, chatting loudly despite the fact there was a large bandage wrapped around her own head. Serena seemed to be covered in endless bruises yet was still smiling. To their left the generals and Darien were huddled in a corner, devouring several pizzas and making a mess in the process. Amazingly they all appeared unscathed though Darien seemed to wince if he moved too quickly.
"Sure you don't mind." Mina muttered as she followed Raye to her room. Several plush pallets dotted the floor, each topped with someone's bag or suitcase. Mina settled on a pallet in the corner. She pulled out her mostly dry pillow and tossed it to the head of the bed.
"The boys are staying across the hall… in case you're wondering." Raye added as she put Mina's bag down.
"Right… boys… there's more than one now." Mina huffed as she shrugged off her raincoat.
"What's with you?" Raye asked, annoyed.
Mina spun on her heel to face her. "Why am I the only one not bothered by what happened yesterday? We were all almost killed! All of us! By one freakishly strong woman in a pink body suit and crazy looking hair!"
Raye sighed. "Mina… you should remember how it goes."
"Yes, oh yes I remember how it goes. We get our asses kicked for a while until we get stronger and then we win, right?" Mina said sarcastically.
"No… at the end of the day we won the fight. Rhea has been defeated. That's one less enemy to fight. Yes, we are all bruised and sore, Amy fractured a rib, and Amara dislocated her shoulder, but we're all okay. We live to fight another day and we will be smarter and stronger and better." Raye answered calmly.
"And if we don't?" Mina snapped.
Raye didn't answer. She didn't know what to say. Their lives were in danger, which came with the powers they had as sailor scouts. However, the scouts had never thought of death in such absolute terms. What if she was right?
"Raye is right." Trista cut in.
Both Mina and Raye jumped.
"Why do you do that all of the time?" Mina whined as she clutched at her chest. "You're going to give me a heart attack."
"Your death will not come at my expense." Trista said simply.
"Much better." Mina answered sarcastically as a shiver ran down her spine.
"Come…" Trista turned towards the hall and gestured to the temple where the others waited. "You'll want to hear this…"
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"Fabian." Nikko's cold voice called.
"Yes, brother." Fabian approached the grand silver throne that sat atop a black marble platform in the desolate grand hall of Charon. He bowed to his bother and fell to one knee in respect.
"How is Rhea?" Nikko asked though his tone suggested he didn't care to hear the answer.
"Healing. Femi assured me she will be back to fighting form within a few weeks." Fabian answered.
Nikko slammed his fist onto the arm rest of his throne. The sound boomed through the hall, echoing off the barren walls. "That's not good enough!"
"Brother…" Fabian rose from his position and approached the throne cautiously. "Might I suggest we proceed with our plan?"
"We don't have Rhea you fool—"
"I understand that, but we do not need her for phase two." Fabian interrupted.
Nikko's features relaxed into a cold, sinister smile. He rose from his throne and approached his brother who quickly took two steps back.
"Little brother." Nikko put his hand on his brother's shoulder. His hand clunked against the cold steel armor that adorned his body. "Do not interrupt me when I am speaking to you." He squeezed his shoulder, bending the steel underneath his fingers.
Fabian made no noise or cry of pain as the steel cut into his flesh. He merely stared hard into his brother's eyes. "Nikko… we have found our first target."
Nikko released his brother's shoulder with a look of surprised interest. "Who?"
"Sailor Mercury… Amy Mizuno." Nikko reached into his pocket and withdrew a round disk, just barely larger than his hand. He flicked it once and instantly it came to life, floating within the air, creating a holographic image of Amy at work in the hospital.
"Why this one?" Nikko paced around the image, watching as Amy moved from patient to patient in the hospital.
"Her intelligence suggests she will be a great nuisance. Her powers are minimal but her greatest threat to us is her ability to strategize. Many of the sailor scouts' previous enemies were bested by the words and plans of this one seemingly ordinary girl." Fabian noted as he straightened out the kink his brother had left in his armor.
"She does seem unremarkable… and a doctor at that. The humans of Earth won't believe her to be Sailor Mercury." Nikko commented.
"Leave that to me brother, I will expose her to the humans and rip her away from her team. Without her they will be crippled and we will more easily defeat them." Fabian said confidently.
Nikko sneered as he watched Amy hang up her doctor's coat and change into her regular clothes. "Get it done."
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"Why is it that anytime you show up you always bring bad news?" Lita stated as Trista gathered all of the scouts, generals, and Darien into the main room of the Cherry Hill Temple. Amy had just arrived from work and was seated near Serena who had politely offered her a steaming cup of tea.
Trista ignored Lita and stood before her friends. Her eyes were dark, her stance firm and rigid. Serena had never seen her appear so serious and fearful before.
"I think it's time to tell you all that I have uncovered. We may not have all of the time we need to uncover your memories naturally. I worry that the enemy is moving quickly on their next move, we need to be prepared." Trista stated.
"Finally!" Amara huffed. "If yesterday wasn't a clear enough sign—"
"Shh!" Serena hushed Amara with a stern look, one she usually reserved for her students, before looking back at Trista. "Tell us more."
Trista solemnly nodded and withdrew her staff. She pointed it at a bare wall before the scouts and suddenly the wall rippled and turned black. Within moments the darkness overcame the room and all of them were falling through time, back to the silver millennium.
Serena tried to scream but no sound would come out. It was almost as if they had all fallen into a movie. The temple had faded away to the grand, white marble hall of the moon palace that was filled with all of the members of the moon court. Before them sat Queen Serenity on her throne, clad in a beautiful gown of silvery silk, watching a group of individuals that were kneeling before her.
"Rise." Serenity commanded.
They all rose in one fluid motion. Most of their faces were obscured but one man stood out from the group. He was tall, topping six feet and clad in shining silver armor. He was strikingly handsome with his long white blond hair that hung past his shoulders. His eyes were a piercing lavender. A long, royal blue cape cascaded down from his broad shoulders, hanging just above the floor. At his hip, a massive steel sword rested, glistening like a deadly threat just waiting to be unleashed.
"Prince Nikko of Charon." A voice announced as he approached the throne where Queen Serenity sat.
"Prince Nikko." Serenity said. "Thank you for coming."
"You are most welcome, my queen. Charon is glad to be of service." Nikko said with an eerie smile.
"And the Moon is happy to have such an ally to count on." Serenity stated. "Prince Nikko… join me for a walk." She rose from her throne and descended from the platform. Her long silver gown dragged like a ripple of waves behind her. From behind the throne two guards opened the double doors to the gardens. A gentle wind flowed into the hall, bringing with it the scent of the thousands of flowers, fresh in spring bloom.
Nikko rounded the corner of the platform and offered his arm to Serenity which she gratefully accepted. Together they left the crowded hall and entered the lush gardens of the palace. It was nearly dark. The sun was setting quickly, giving the flowers brilliant hues of orange and gold that faded to purple and blue. As the last rays of the sun trickled off of the pearlescent moon roses, they bloomed to three times their size and illuminated the garden, twinkling brighter than the stars that dotted the night sky.
"You must be curious as to why I have invited your Shadow Warriors to the moon." Serenity said as she and Nikko walked down the stone path through the garden.
"Charon's Shadow Warriors are well-known, my Queen." Nikko said lightly. "My warriors have been requested for different matters of business: assassinations, protection, spying and intelligence, elite units—"
"Prince Nikko… let us not lie to each other. Tell me, why have I asked you to come here?" Serenity said with half a smile.
"That answer is simple my lady: Earth." Prince Nikko responded with a sly grin of his own.
"What do you know?" She asked.
"Relations are worsening." Nikko stated as they passed row after row of moon roses. "The expulsion of the moon delegates to the Earth started an undeclared war. Several attempts have been made on your life Queen Serenity but even more sinister are the plots against your daughter."
"Yes. Serena must be protected at all costs. While I have many qualified soldiers at my own disposal—"
"You require skills that your men do not have." Nikko finished for her.
Serenity bit her lip. "Earth has ten times the amount of people we do and a much larger army to protect it. While I do not believe the Earth would directly engage us in a full-fledged war, I do believe they would utilize any means necessary to eradicate my family to take our kingdom as their own."
They came to a stop before one of the main marble fountains that dotted the palace garden. A silence fell between the two, broken only by the sound of the bubbling water that flowed freely from each level of the fountain.
"Prince Nikko, I seek your services not just for the abilities of your warriors but because you are a long time family friend. I do not wish to see my kingdom fall to ruin or my family to be exterminated. The Earth threatens everything my family has worked so hard to build over the past six millennia. Their greed will destroy this kingdom; they want it only for our resources. I have pleaded to the Grand Council of the Galaxy to intervene but you know as well as I do that their deliberations will last months. I need protection now." Serenity said solemnly. Her deep blue eyes settled on Nikko's. She was pleading with him.
"Your majesty, I will do everything in my power to protect your family and to keep your kingdom safe." Nikko pledged. "No harm will befall your daughter. The princess will be protected very well. I will have my best warriors around her."
"Who?" Serenity asked as she turned towards the fountain. The moon roses glittered hauntingly in the reflection of the water.
"My three best— Femi, Rhea and Fabian."
Serena screamed as all of the scouts were transported back to the temple. It seemed as if the air around them was being sucked into a black hole, spinning everything around them until the temple room popped back into place.
Everyone fell into an uneasy silence as they processed what they had just seen. Serena stared hard at her hands which were shaking uncontrollably. She fought hard to keep the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks at bay. She couldn't cry. Not now.
Trista lowered her staff. It disappeared in one swift movement.
"These guys… these Shadow Warriors… they were our allies." Serena said softly.
"Yes." Trista replied. "That is all I can tell you now."
"But why?" Serena persisted. "Why are they trying to kill us now?" Her voice grew louder, angrier.
"I am afraid I cannot tell you anymore. I have exposed your minds to information you were not ready to retrieve yet. I mustn't push any further. Your must let your memories develop on their own. It will come to you. Everything will come back to you." Trista stated as she joined Amara and Michelle on the floor.
Darien watched Serena as she wrestled with her next words. It seemed almost as if he wanted to say something. But what could he say? His kingdom and hers had been fighting. His father wanted her family dead. He couldn't yet remember why or what his involvement was but he knew that his silence at this moment would most certainly not help their team.
"Serena." Darien finally spoke.
Her head whipped around and her eyes narrowed at the sight of Darien. "Don't talk to me right now!"
"Serena, don't be angry with me over something that happened thousands of years ago—"
Serena paused for a moment, her mouth hanging open as she was ready to yell again when a loud knock sounded on the temple door.
Everyone in the room froze.
Raye stood, cast everyone a questioning look, and rushed to the door. She slid it open just as a loud boom of thunder shook the walls of the temple. Rain was still pouring down, large puddles were visible just beyond the door, growing larger by the second. Standing just under the temple covering stood a man, standing over six feet with perfect chestnut hair. His eyes, a striking blue, were twinkling as he spoke. "Hi… I'm here—"
"Blake!" Serena screamed and jumped up.
The man's features broke into a wide grin as he dropped his suitcase and held open his arms to Serena who ran right into them. He lifted her into the air with a laugh as she wrapped her arms tightly around him.
"Blake! You weren't supposed to come for another two weeks—"
"My case settled faster than we thought. I took the first flight out." He responded as he set her back down to the floor.
Their lips met.
Kunzite leaned in towards Mina whose mouth was hanging open. She was overwhelmed with how strikingly handsome Serena's boyfriend was.
"Who's the guy?" Kunzite whispered.
Mina's mouth gaped open and closed like a fish as she tried to process. "Uh… uh… that's Blake… Serena's boyfriend."
"Why is she crying?" Kunzite asked, puzzled.
Mina turned her attention from Blake to see that Serena's cheeks were covered in tears. Blake hardly seemed to notice, their lips were still busy.
"She hasn't seen him in weeks." Mina whispered back.
"And?" Kunzite asked, still confused.
Reluctantly, Serena broke away from Blake. She suddenly remembered that there was a room full of people watching them uncomfortably.
"Everyone… this is Blake… Blake these are my… friends: Raye, Mina, Kunzite, Amy, Lita, Nephrite, Darien, Zoisite, Jadeite, Amara, Michelle, and Trista." Serena introduced.
"Hello." Blake grinned, giving them a gentle wave. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."
A chorus of 'hello's' responded.
"No." Lita said as she stood. "We were just hanging out. We're having a night in tonight. Speaking of, I need to get dinner started. Girls, would you give me a hand?" She asked as she gave Blake a smile.
"Will you be staying with us?" Raye asked Blake as she cast Serena a look.
Blake glanced at Serena. "Uh… I don't—"
"Yes." Serena answered for him. "He's here to be with me Raye, and since we all promised to stick together while we are in town then Blake and I can stay in the small room down the hall."
Raye's mouth opened to protest but Lita grabbed her elbow. "Come on Raye! I need your help. Serena, you too!"
Serena nodded and took Blake's hand as he grabbed his suitcase. Together they went down the hall after Raye and Lita who were bickering amongst themselves in hushed tones. Amy, Trista, Michelle and a very reluctant Amara followed. Mina brought up the rear but was stopped short in the hall by a hand on her shoulder. She spun on her heel to see Kunzite again.
"Kunzite?" She asked, unsure as to why he had followed. "You coming to help and gossip?"
"I still don't understand." He said.
"Understand what? We're going to cook." Mina said. "Understand that this is completely sexist that the women are supposed to cook. I'd like to see the five of you go in there and produce something edible for a change—"
"No." Kunzite huffed, annoyed. "Understand that Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite and I have been apart from the human realm for so long we've … forgotten much."
"Oh." Mina's expression softened. "You don't understand why Serena was crying?"
Kunzite shook his head. "I want to assimilate. We promised our prince that we would live as normal humans again so I am trying to understand human emotions."
"I'm sorry but I can't help you there Kunzite." Mina answered. "Words cannot explain love."
"Love?" Kunzite said with a surprised expression. "That is love?"
"Part of it." Mina explained. "Love is an experience, it's something you feel within you for someone else. It makes you do crazy things, I'll say that."
"Hugging and kissing and crying, those are all parts of love?" Kunzite said as he folded his arms.
"Yes." Mina smiled. "You're getting it."
"I see." Kunzite said and without any hint of hesitation he took Mina into his arms, picked her up and pressed his lips against hers.
Mina's brows lifted in surprise and just for a moment, allowed Kunzite to kiss her before reality sank in. She screamed into his mouth and pulled away with a sharp slap to his cheek.
Kunzite instantly released her and grimaced as he held his cheek. "What was that for?"
"Why in hell did you just kiss me?" She said as she took a step back, furious. "What is the matter with you?"
"You said love was an experience. I did as they did to understand." Kunzite answered simply.
Mina huffed, sent a glare of death at Kunzite, and took off down the hall after the other girls.
Darien chuckled from behind Kunzite as he shrugged his shoulders, even more confused than before. Kunzite turned to see him leaning against the wall of the hallway, a look of amusement plastered on his face. "The four of you have a lot to learn about love but even more to learn about women."
"Hey…" Jadeite poked his head into the hallway. "You both need to come see this."
Darien and Kunzite followed Jadeite back into the main room. Zoisite and Nephrite were seated just before the television which was set on to a local news channel. Amy's face was plastered across the screen with a picture of Sailor Mercury next to her.
"And our main story of the night, sources close to the sailor scouts have revealed the identify of one of the sailor scouts. Amy Mizuno, a prominent pediatrician in the Juban area, has been living a double life…"
The camera cut to footage of the last fight the scouts had. A camera was zoomed in on Amy who transformed right into Sailor Mercury and rushed off to fight Rhea.
Darien felt his insides grow cold. "Get the girls." He told Jadeite who rushed off down the hall.
"This is how they're going to play..." Darien said to the remaining generals. "They'll expose us all…"
"What will you do?" Jadeite asked Darien.
The other scouts rushed into the room and crowded before the TV. Amy fainted at the sight of herself transforming. Quickly the girls took her to the room where they were sleeping, leaving the boys to their own. Darien watched them leave, feeling so powerless in that moment to protect the girls that he had come to know as family.
"Guys... I'm going to say something crazy... and the girls won't like it, but we have to do something." Darien turned back to the Generals who were all standing in front of the TV.
"What?" Zoisite asked, unsure as to what his prince was about to say.
Darien reached into his pocket and withdrew the crystals that each general had given to him when they had pledged their support.
"Take these back..." He handed each general their crystal. "And help us kick some ass."