Chapter Five
Just Another School Day
It was so simple and ingenious that she couldn't believe that her own daughters thought of it. She chuckled. So many times she just wanted to vaporize those two dimwits because they annoyed her so greatly; however, for once in their lives, they proved to be useful. She clasped the black stone tightly. It was an unusually dark crystal and it radiated a darkish aura. This stone was Beryl's salvation for it gave the keeper great power. This special and unusual stone collected dark energy from the evil of men. All Beryl had to do was wait patiently as men committed atrocities all over the Earth; their actions fed the stone with anger, rage, malice, and the spirit of every kind of evil imaginable, and Beryl profited from it. How her daughters ever thought of such a brilliant idea, she'd never know, but it was going to restore her to her former glory and even beyond.
"You wanted to see me, highness?" Kaiba stepped before the throne.
The dark Queen tucked her black crystal away. "I want you to go to Earth to complete a mission."
Kaiba looked up. "Yes, your majesty."
The Queen sighted. "The future is foggy. Unfortunately, we are going to have to perform some trial and error for a while."
"What are you saying?"
Beryl stood up and stepped down from her throne. She walked up to Kaiba and put her arm on his shoulder. She guided him over to the pool in the middle of the throne room. "It is not clear who this Moon Kingdom Prince is, but it is critical that we find him. I am sending you to search for him."
"How in the world am I supposed to do that?"
The old Queen dug into one of the pockets in her robe and pulled out a whitish sparkly stone. "This is a rainbow moonstone. Use its powers when confronting a candidate that you think might be the Prince. It should draw out the Prince's powers and reveal his symbol on his forehead."
Kaiba took the stone into his palm and stared at it. "Sounds like I'm looking for a needle in a haystack…" He uttered, slightly annoyed with the illogical approach.
"I understand your frustration, but imagine mine. The one key to finally controlling the universe is so close. This is a critical moment in time. We have to find the Moon Prince otherwise Crystal Tokyo will be birthed into existence with Princess Serenity on the throne. I will not let her claim what is mine!"
Kaiba nodded. "As you wish, my Queen."
"Good. I will be sending Azariah with you."
"What?" Kaiba spat. "Why?"
The Queen looked over, giving Kaiba a look of disgust for questioning her authority. "Because you'll be occupied with the Moon Prince."
"What can she do that I can't?" Kaiba asked, holding the frustration in his voice.
"She'll be busy dealing with Sailor Mars."
"Sailor Mars? What's so special about her?"
The Queen stared deeply into the water. "She is the key to our downfall."
"Why?"
The old Queen stared harder. "She will give birth to the one who will destroy me if she is not stopped now."
"You can see this far into the future?" Kaiba glanced at the water.
"Only partially—for the future is not written yet. I don't know when this will happen, how it will happen, or who this child is, but this child will destroy the Negaverse if we don't act with haste."
"I understand, my Queen." Kaiba looked away from the water back to the Queen. "I shall prepare to go to Earth."
"Good. Azariah should be here any moment."
Kaiba cringed. He then turned his thoughts away from his distaste towards the other General. "What of this masked warrior—Tuxedo Samurai, I believe they called him."
Beryl looked over at Kaiba. "Kill him."
"Who is he?"
"Doesn't matter, kill him." Beryl said flatly.
"Yes, Majesty."
The red haired general walked into the room. A fiery aura surrounded the young general as she stormed into the chamber.
"What is wrong with you, Azariah?" The old Queen asked.
"That stupid Alexandrite…" She started to mumble and pout. "…she lost my hairpins. How am I supposed to go into battle with my bangs in my eyes?"
"By the way you fight, I always thought you had your hair in your eyes…" Kaiba uttered.
"Shut up!" The Fire General hissed.
The Queen pulled a bobby-pin out of her hair and gave it to Azariah. The Fire General with bright red hair pinned back her bangs. "Thank you, your majesty." She smiled to the Queen then shot a dirty look at Kaiba.
"I am going to retire to my chambers. You two head to Earth and remember what I told you."
"Yes, your majesty." The two Generals said concurrently.
The Queen walked out of the chambers leaving the two Generals alone in the chamber. The young Fire General slightly pranced around the Ice General, who stood very still, then she wrapped her arms around his neck. She placed a kiss on the Ice General's cheek.
The kiss felt like a hot fire on his cheek, but still, his insides felt cold. He always felt cold. Her touch felt like fire on his skin, but his soul always felt so cold and dark. Her hands started slowly wandering down his shoulders and over his chest.
"Why do you have to be so mean to me?" She said playfully with her lips against his cheek, her hands still wandering over his chest.
"Leave me alone, Azariah." Kaiba sternly said.
"What's the matter, Kaiba? Am I bothering you?" Her lips started gliding over his neck.
Suddenly, Kaiba grabbed Azariah's wrists, which made her shriek in surprise, and threw her to the ground. She landed on her backside then suddenly felt the weight of the Ice General over of her. She panted heavily with a seductive grin, her face only inches away from the other general, and she stared into his bright blue eyes.
He stared at her burning orange eyes while panting. After a few seconds, he crawled off her and stood up. "You're a child." He turned around and started to walk away.
Azariah propped her upper-body up with her arms and watched him as he started to leave. She laughed—it was a cruel laugh. "You weren't worried about that when I came to your room."
Kaiba stopped walking. "It was nothing but a mistake." He continued walking after he spoke.
Azariah vaporized from her spot on the floor and appeared in front of Kaiba. He stopped walking and glared at her in annoyance. She wrapped her arms around the Ice General again, this time from the front. She wrapped her arms tightly, leaving onto inches between their faces.
"I may look like a teenager, but you know I'm a woman." She kissed him, pressing her lips deeply against his. Kaiba immediately pushed the Fire General away. "You act like a child, Azariah." He brushed her off to his side and continued walking. "Gather what you want to take to Earth then meet me at the portal in five minutes." Kaiba walked out of sight.
Azariah stared at the exit where Kaiba left while squeezing her fists tightly. The fiery aura engulfed her body as rage surged through her veins. She stomped her foot into the ground, cracking the marble floor in the process. "I can't believe him! I'll show him!"
Serina walked down the sidewalk, almost reaching the entrance of Matsumura High School. It was a strange day—she was early. It was only because she messed up her alarm clock the night before and set it an hour early. With the extra hour, Serina wound up being right on time for everything this morning.
"Serina!"
The blonde girl turned around at the sound of her name. She recognized the voice, but it was unusual. "Kyoji?"
Behind her was the blonde haired boy in his school uniform. He gripped the straps of his backpack tightly. "How are you today?"
"I'm fine, thank you." She slightly bowed. "How are you?"
"Fine." He nodded. He walked up to her and entered into the school yard alongside of her.
She faintly smiled to herself. She had the shyest person she had ever met coming up to her and initiating conversation. When she met him, he barely spoke above a whisper, but now he would call out her name in public. She shifted her eyes forward as the two weaved through the crowd of students. Most of the students were congregated on the east side of the school yard.
"What's going on?" Serina asked.
Kyoji looked around too then pointed toward a circle of students. "There's where the action is."
The two of them pushed through the crowds. They found themselves looking over a football game of boys. Of course, the boy who dominated the game was Daitatsu Atsuji. With his quick and nimble feet, he dribbled the black and white football across the school yard. Just as he kicked the ball towards the goal, the school bell started to chime, but everyone cheered loudly as the ball when into the makeshift goal of two garbage cans. The students clapped and cheered loudly as Daitatsu threw his arms in the air.
Kyoji eyes followed the brown-haired boy's movements and actions. After Daitatsu finished running around with his arms in the air, he ran off to the sidelines and took Raye Hino into his embrace. Raye's left arm wrapped around Daitatsu's torso and Daitatsu's right arm went around Raye's neck. His left arm remained in the air victoriously. Serina glanced over at Kyoji. She watched him keep his eye on Daitatsu and Raye, but he was difficult to read. He didn't look sad, but he didn't look happy either. She wondered what it exactly was that he felt about things, but dismissed her thoughts as all the students started pouring into the school building.
High above, Kaiba stood on the rooftop of the school watching the scene unfold below. The Ice General pondered deeply for a moment while rubbing his chin. "This Daitatsu is fairly athletic. Perhaps he is the Moon Prince." Kaiba walked away from the edge of the roof and walked towards the doorway that led down into the building. Near the doorway, a male student sat lighting a cigarette. The student looked up in fear as Kaiba towered above him and jumped up.
"What do you want?" The student spat.
Kaiba punched the student, knocking the boy out cold. "Your uniform." After a few minutes, Kaiba stripped the uniform off the boy and put it on. He walked around the roof and tugged at the collar in frustration for being too tight. Kaiba shook his head and picked up the freshly lit cigarette and started smoking it. The uniform fit terribly. Despite the fact that he was a thousand years old, Kaiba's body aged to the physical age of twenty-four. He looked too grown-up and masculine for the boy's uniform, but it would have to do. He headed down the steps that lead from the roof into the hallway of the top floor. He quickly finished the cigarette and tossed it into the trash. Randomly, he picked a classroom and opened the door.
A male teacher was discussing the intricate details of mathematics when Kaiba stepped into the room. Annoyed, the teacher stood away from the chalkboard and crossed his hands across his chest. "Are you lost?"
"No," Kaiba slightly hissed, also annoyed.
"Then what are you doing here, young man?"
Kaiba stared the teacher straight in the eye without saying anything. Suddenly, the teacher's tone of voice and posture changed. "Please, take a seat young man," The teacher uttered in a monotone voice.
"Thank you," Kaiba picked the empty seat next to the door.
Ami Mizuno looked over at the stranger from her front seat by the window. She then glanced back to the teacher, who went back to doing math problems, but in a monotone drone voice. Her suspicions started to make her senses scream as she stared harder and harder at the strange boy. Boy? He didn't even look like a boy but rather a full-grown man. Kaiba glanced over at Ami, catching her staring at him. She looked away completely embarrassed.
Kaiba looked forward to the chalkboard, but kept Ami in his peripheral vision. "Is she onto me?" He wondered. He slightly shook his head. "No. She's just a mortal. She wouldn't know." He smirked. "She probably has one of those crushes…on me or something. Stupid mortals!"
Blue and white jerseys flashed up and down the soccer field. The Matsumura football team was finishing their last set of drills for the evening. The young men would run from the foul line to the center and back again at the command of the coach's whistle. Once the team was finished with its running, the team huddled up with the coach. They had a quick pep-talk then dispersed from practice. Most of the boys ran back towards the locker rooms, but Daitatsu headed for the benches on the field. His two friends, Izumi and Taro, followed behind him.
Izumi threw his arm around Daitatsu's neck. "Look at her, Daita! She follows you around like a dog!"
Daitatsu glanced high up into the stands. Sitting alone and working on her homework, Raye concentrated on her homework while watching the soccer team practice that afternoon. He waved when Raye glanced up and saw him looking at her. "You know, Yusuke said she had quite an attitude."
"Well, from what I knew, she did," Taro said, as he looked up at Raye. "She's always had this huge chip on her shoulder."
Daita rubbed his chin. "That's what I thought." He smirked. "Doesn't really matter. It just makes it easier for me to win the bet." He glanced up at Raye again, and she smiled as she was packing up her things. "She isn't tough at all. She's like putty in my hands."
"You're the man, Daita," Izumi said.
Daita smirked as he was being showered with praise. "You two beat it. I'm going to have to give her some extra sentiment if I want to get her to sleep with me before the semester is over."
Raye finished walking down the bleachers and came up to the three boys. "Hey, Daita," She smiled. "Izumi. Taro." She nodded to both of them.
"We better go." Taro started to walk back towards the school and Izumi followed him.
Daita reached out for Raye's hand, and she took it. He helped her step down from the benches. He pulled her alongside him and started walking around the field.
"How was practice?" Raye asked, not knowing quite what to ask.
"Fine." Daita nodded. "Scored a goal."
Raye nodded. "Yes, I saw that."
After walking a few meters, Daita stopped while still holding Raye's hand. "Raye, I was thinking...well, I mean, we've known each other for about three weeks now, and I…well, I was wondering if you'd be my girlfriend." He bit his lip.
Raye stood silent and pondered. Many thoughts, ideas, and feelings swirled through her mind in that moment. She gave a light sigh and looked up. "Yes, okay."
Daita smiled and gave a slight laugh. "You will! Good!" He glanced away and looked towards the school to hide a smirk from creeping on his lips.
Raye nodded and faintly smiled but said nothing.
"Hey, why don't I grab my stuff, and we go out for ice cream or something?"
"Yeah sure. That's sounds great," Raye said, flatly
Daita let go of Raye's hand and ran off across the field. As he was crossing the center of the field, a young man came into his view. The blue haired man stood in the middle of the field blocking Daita's pathway. While he was jogging, Daita stopped a few feet before the man and curiously glanced at the stranger.
"You're not allowed on the field if you're not on the football team!" Daita said, snidely.
The blue haired man's shoulders shrugged, as if laughing, but the man said nothing. He stood there quietly puffing on his cigarette. "I'm going to wipe your blood all over this field!" The man right hand raised and a blast of energy streamed out. The man pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and looked up. It was General Kaiba.
Raye saw the blast of energy out of the corner of her eye. Quickly, she ran behind the bleachers, hoping the strange man didn't see her, and pulled out her sailor pen.
"MARS STAR POWER!" It had been almost three years since she became Sailor Mars, but now, the Warrior of Fire was back in action and ready to defend truth and justice. After transformation, she paged the other Sailors then ran out onto the football field.
"Who…who…who are you?" Daita asked, barely able to move from the energy blow. As he was speaking, a dark energy surrounded him, and he was levitated into the air. "What…what…are you doing?"
"Nothing much. Just testing you." Kaiba took another puff of his cigarette and finished it. He flicked it off to the side then reached his hand into his pocket. With a new cigarette, he also pulled out the Moonstone that Queen Beryl gave him. He squeezed the stone, and it started to glow. A continuous beam of white light shot forth from the stone and entered into Daita's chest. The boy started to scream from the intense power that shook through his body. Soon, Daita's heart crystal floated out of his body, and passed out.
Kaiba looked at the crystal. It was a dull crystal that was tinted a brownish color. The Negaverse warrior snubbed his nose. "This isn't even useful. He's a terrible person. Look at his heart." Kaiba groaned. "What a waste of my time!" The stone stopped glowing. Daita's body fell to the ground while the heart crystal remained hovering above the body. Kaiba shook his head then placed the new cigarette in his mouth.
"NEED A LIGHT?"
Kaiba looked up then disappeared just before a fire attack would hit him. He then reappeared when he was standing earlier. He looked forward across the field to see the five Sailor Scouts standing ready for battle. "Should have known."
"Who are you, and what are you doing with that boy!" Sailor Moon shouted. "I am Sailor Moon, and I will protect the innocent in the name of the Moon!"
He was quite apathetic about the situation until he realized that the Sailor Scouts were so passionate about it. He stepped forward and cupped the murky colored heart crystal, and once he saw the reaction of the Sailor Scout's when he touched the heart crystal, things started to become a lot more fun. If he crushed the heart crystal, the boy would die. He knew that. It was just a basic fact. But, why did the Sailor Scouts care so much if this boy died. He didn't know, but he found it fun and interesting that they did.
"LET HIM GO!" Sailor Jupiter screamed.
Kaiba raised his hands in the air above his head. "Alright, I surrender."
The Sailors looked at each other.
"What'd he say?" Sailor Venus asked.
Sailor Jupiter's jaw dropped. "He said, 'I surrender.'"
"What do we do?" Sailor Moon questioned. "That's never happened before."
Kaiba smirked. He quickly flung his arms forward and a wave of energy flew from his hands. A wave of ice flew towards the Sailor Scouts, and once the energy cleared, the feet of the Sailor Scouts were frozen to the ground. He glanced over the Sailors and only saw four frozen. He then locked his eyes on the fifth Sailor and smirked. The blue Sailor Scout was running toward him as fast as she could.
"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" Sailor Mercury screamed and shot a blast of water at General Kaiba. Sailor Mercury kept running forward as the waves of water were pushed forward with her. The waves crashed into Kaiba with full-force and after the attack cleared, Sailor Mercury stopped running just before she reached where Kaiba was standing.
Kaiba stood where he was at with a confused look on his face. His head and clothes were wet, as if a bucket of water was dumped on his head, but otherwise, the attack did virtually nothing to him, except get him a little wet. Sailor Mercury stood before him completely baffled that her attack did nothing.
"What was that?" Kaiba asked, wet cigarette in his mouth.
Sailor Mercury blushed. "I don't know."
Kaiba shook his head. "Well, it stunk!" He was so close to Sailor Mercury that he reached out his hand and touched her forehead with his index finger. Suddenly, the Sailor of Water was completely frozen in ice.
"Sailor Mercury!" The Sailors hollered.
Kaiba laughed as he glanced over the completely frozen Sailor Scout. He found her facial expression most amusing. In fact, he seemed to be in a sort of high spirit, that is, until a red haired girl appeared out of nowhere right next to him. He stopped laughing and rolled his eyes as the other General latched onto his arm.
"Started the party without me?" General Azariah batted her eyelashes.
"I don't need your help! I have everything under control!" Kaiba hissed.
"Not for long!"
General Kaiba and Azariah looked up. A dark warrior in a Tuxedo stood before them with his cane gripped between his two fists.
"Is that the one we're supposed to kill?" Azariah asked.
"Well, he's no bother to us, but we can kill him anyway." Kaiba said, flatly.
Azariah clapped her hands. "Can I do it?"
Kaiba rolled his eyes. "I guess."
"Yeah! Goodie!" Azariah clapped again and took a step forward. "It's a shame. He's kinda cute."
"You would think that, wouldn't you?" Kaiba teased.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Azariah raised her right hand and it started to glow a red orange color.
"Nothing," Kaiba said, exasperated.
A ring of fire shot out from Azariah's hand. The fire ring encircled Tuxedo Mask and squeezed tightly around his arms. While the fire did not burn Tuxedo Mask's flesh, it felt as though it were. The dark warrior screamed out frantically in pain as the rings produced the sensation of being burned. Azariah laughed playfully. "He's really cute when he's screaming."
"TUXEDO MASK!" Sailor Moon screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "PLEASE, STOP HURTING HIM! STOP IT! PLEASE! STOP!"
"Tell us where the Moon Prince is and we'll release him!" Kaiba hollered to the Sailors.
"Moon Prince?" The Sailors questioned among themselves.
"Give us the Moon Prince now!" Azariah yelled.
Sailor Moon cried harder. "We don't know what you're talking about? Who's the Moon Prince?"
"Hand him over now!" Azariah yelled again. "Or, I'll kill him!" She squeezed her fists, making the fire ring tighter around Darien. He screamed more while the rings squeezed his body and make his skin feel as if it were burning.
"NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE! PLEASE!" Sailor Moon cried.
The two Generals smirked. They had the Sailor Scouts just where they wanted them.
TO BE CONTINUED...