Chapter Nine

A Night with Tuxedo Samurai

The ground was cold—even for her. Her cheek was numb from the cold ice she laid on for hours. Regaining some consciousness, she glanced up and the creaking of metal. A pair of feet stepped into her view, fingers dug into her flesh then she was lifted off the ground. She body ached as if she was thrown into the floor a thousand times already, and perhaps she was, but she could remember anything in that moment. She glanced up and saw two guards dragging her out of her prison cell. Her legs drug across the cold floor while the guards took her through the maze of ice tunnels. Soon, they entered a large cave-like room, and she was thrown to the floor again. Her forehead smacked into the cold ground. She squinted her eyes from a splitting headache.

"Sailor Mercury."

She knew the voice. Sailor Mercury slowly looked up. Her eyes followed the stairs of ice up until they reached the evil Queen herself. "Beryl," Sailor Mercury uttered as she slowly crawled up onto her feet.

"Queen Beryl to you," The Queen uttered, slightly annoyed.

Sailor Mercury wiped her forehead. She looked at the streak of blood on her glove then touched her forehead again. Half of her face was covered in dried blood and a wound on her forehead still bled. She looked at the dark Queen. "You have done nothing to deserve respect!"

One of the guards kicked Sailor Mercury behind her knees. She collapsed to the ground on her knees.

"You will show respect to Her Majesty!" The guard yelled.

Sailor Mercury started to swing her arms to punch the guards, but they grabbed her arms and restrained her.

"Insolent brat!" Queen Beryl stood up and reached her hand towards Sailor Mercury. A beam of dark energy shot from Queen Beryl's hand and entered into Sailor Mercury's chest. She screamed as the dark energy pierced through her body. She watched herself transform back into her school uniform. Her Sailor pen hovered in front of her chest for a few moments then was drawn into the hands of Beryl.

Weak, the regular school girl, Ami Mizuno collapsed to the ground while Queen Beryl held her Sailor pen. The dark Queen squeezed the pen and felt the power of Mercury. "My strength shall benefit well from your contribution."

"Give it back!" Ami yelled, but again, the guards kicked her down for her insolence.

"Kaiba!" Queen Beryl hollered. From the shadows, the General of Ice appeared before the courtroom.

"Yes, your Majesty?"

"What was your mission?"

Kaiba bit his lip. "To bring the Moon Prince back and to kill Sailor Mars."

"So why do I have this pathetic excuse for a warrior standing before me?" The Queen's voice shook with rage. "I asked for Sailor Mars, not Sailor Mercury!"

"But, your Majesty…"

"But nothing!" She screamed. "You are pathetic and worthless! I ask for one simple thing, and you can't even do it!"

Kaiba stepped forward. "Queen Beryl, I was attacked by Tuxedo Samurai…"

"I told you to kill him too!" She stomped her foot into the ground. "Can't you listen to a thing I say?"

"Queen Beryl, I brought a Sailor Scout to your feet! That's a lot more than any other of your lackeys can say!" Kaiba hollered.

The Queen fell deadly silent. She glared at her Ice General for a moment. Ami glanced over at the stern General who kidnapped her.

"The next time you raise your voice to me, I won't hesitate to kill you and replace you with someone more respectful." The Queen turned her head in disgust. "I will be sending Azariah to clean up your messes! Now get out of my sight!"

Kaiba stood silently clenching his fists. Ami gazed over the Ice General for a few moments then turned her gaze back to the Queen.

"Yes, your majesty." Kaiba stormed out of the courtroom.

Queen Beryl gently waved her hand. "Guard, get her out of my sight! Do whatever you wish with her."

Suddenly, the guards took a hold of Ami's arms and dragged her out of the courtroom. She screamed and hollered at Beryl, but the dark Queen merely sat on her throne completely deaf to the screams and cries of the blue-haired girl.

The Queen sat in silence pondering over the events. She arose from her throne. "Guards! Leave!" Everyone scurried out of the courtroom leaving the Queen to herself. She headed to the center of the room and stepped to the edge of the fountain of grey water. It slowly churned and swirled like liquid opal, and the cool mists tickled her ankles. She gazed deep into the water. "Show me the past of Sailor Mars."

The water did nothing for a few moments but soon colors and pictures started to form in the water. Red carpets stretched over tan marble hallways and white marble columns stretched high to the ceiling. Every turn, deep hallway, and corner of the Moon Kingdom Palace was beautiful and grand. Every inch fit for the supreme ruler of the Universe—Queen Serenity. Down the hallway walked a man dressed in his pure white general uniform. The man with blue eyes and blonde hair, common traits of the Moon Kingdom royalty, walked silently clutching the handle of his sword. He jerked as he heard footsteps, but calmed once slender hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who?"

"Serina?" The man smirked.

"No!" The mystery person hissed.

The man kept smirking. "That History tutor I had with the wart on her face…"

The mystery person put her hands down. The man turned around. "Oh, you. You were my next guess," He said, still grinning.

"Shut up," The raven haired girl snapped.

"Me?" The man cocked his eyebrow. "You know, you're not very good at this relationship thing."

The raven haired beauty smiled. "Neither are you."

"You are the meanest…" The man grabbed the raven-haired girl by the waist. "…most rude woman I have ever met, but…" He breathed. "…I can't stop thinking about you."

"Well you sir, Mister General of the Moon Kingdom, you are the most arrogant, rude, cocky…" Her voice grew weak as his lips approached hers. "…wonderful man I have ever met." She whispered just before his lips crashed into hers. After a few moments, they pulled away from each other completely absorbed into each others eyes.

"How did we ever fall in love?" Princes Raye breathed, laying her head on the Moon Prince's chest.

He rested his head a top of hers. "I don't know. You're not a very nice person."

She gently punched him in the stomach. "You aren't either."

He laughed, wrapping his arms around his Princess. "I guess it surprised us." He sighed.

She held onto him tighter. "I never hated you…" She paused for a moment. "…even though I said it all the time."

"Why did you say it?"

"Because I thought you didn't like me." Princess Raye said. "I thought it'd just be easier to tell myself that instead of hurting inside for you."

The Moon Prince gently nodded his head. "And our cycle of hatred kept us apart for so long."

"Yes." The Princess stepped out of the Prince's arms and walked over to the window. She looked out into the night sky. "But, it is that hatred that is saving us now."

The Prince came up behind her and gently placed his hand at the small of her back. "As long as they all think we hate each other, our relationship can survive."

The waters of the pool swirled and shifted into a different scene and picture. Beryl watched carefully as a new scene unveiled before her. The white General and the Princess of Fire stood out on the balcony of the Moon Kingdom Palace.

Raye turned her gaze towards the Prince. Not often would the warrior of fire tear up, but drops of pain started flowing from her eyes. "We can't keep this up forever. They'll discover us. Any day now my parents could announce an engagement for me and any day Queen Serenity could find a bride for you…"

"Hush." The Prince placed his hands on the Princess' cheeks. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there, but for now, let us enjoy the few moments we have alone."

"No! I won't!" She stepped away from the railing of the balcony. "It'll be no good for me to be here with you when we are so unsure of what is to come!" More tears poured from her eyes. "I'd rather die that give myself to anyone but you."

"Raye?" The Prince took a deep breath. "What are you saying? Have your parents made arrangements for you?"

She looked up at him. "No, not yet, but I don't want anyone else but you." She glanced away, hating the fact she was so emotional. "I love you."

The Prince sighed and nodded his head. He stepped forward and took the Princess into his embrace. He held her tightly as if it was his last time to hold her. After pondering for a few moments, he took her hands into his and stepped back. The Princess tried to stop her tears, but it wasn't successful.

"Raye," He uttered, voice trembling.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Would you marry me…" He bit his lip for a moment as her facial expression looked questioning. "…tonight?"

She nodded her head and buried herself in his arms. "Yes, you're the only one I want."

The silvery waters of Beryl's fountain started to swirl and churn again, washing away the pictures that played before Beryl. The old Queen backed away from the water and pondered deeply. She studied the past, present, and future trying to make connections, but there were so many gaps and unanswered questions. What exactly was so special about Sailor Mars? Yes, she and the Moon Prince were secretly married, but what did this mean? The waters showed her that the child of Sailor Mars would destroy her, but Sailor Mars and the Moon Prince never had a child, and the reincarnated Sailor Mars doesn't have a child. "The future is foggy and harder to see," Beryl thought to herself. "The clue must be in the future."

It was a difficult time. Ami's mother was left in a state of deep sleep. Sailor Moon placed a sleep spell on Ami's mother to keep her from ever remembering what had happened except for the fact the spell would only last a few weeks, if that. Depressed and disheartened, the Sailor Scouts spent the next few days relentlessly pursing their tasks until Ami could be safely brought back home.

Ami was a genius. They all knew that, but she managed to surprise them once again with her cunning intellect. The Sailors gathered around the table in Raye's bedroom studying and making their plans to save Ami and get the Planet Crystals. Just before Sailor Mercury was kidnapped by General Kaiba, she dropped her tiny blue computer for the others to find. With the computer, the devised a strategy that would be the most effective—Amara, Hotaru, and Michelle would head their own separate ways to find their own respective Planet Crystals while the inner Sailors would stay behind in Tokyo. Curiously, Raye's very own Planet Crystal was on the very property of the Cherry Hill Temple. Behind the grove of trees in the back laid a few acres of barren grass fields and a small forest of trees. It was a rare thing to have empty space in Tokyo, and her grandfather could have made a fortune if he sold it, but he never would. Often, Raye would go for walks back in the field, but recently she had been too busy to do so. It was this area that Ami's computer located the Planet Crystal of Mars.

In a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, she headed out of her bedroom. As she walked past the temple structure, she gazed in through an open doorway. The young Priest walked back and forth mopping the floors of the great shrine. She shook her head. "Working on his day off…" She continued walking. "…He's probably just trying to earn points with grandpa," She chuckled. "Not that'll do him any good." With the computer in hand, she headed through the small grove of bamboo on the edge of the property and followed the signal on the computer. After weaving through the bamboo, she came to a clearing. For a long distance, tall grass waved gently back and forth in the wind. The rustling sound was calming, and as she stepped into the grass, she reached out her hand to touch the tall grass.

After walking a few yards, she came to a small creek which she easily jumped over. As she walked alone, thoughts and feelings came to her mind. She had another dream of the mysterious warrior. Every time they felt real, but as time went on, they seemed more real. "Is it really Tuxedo Samurai," she wondered. She hoped it was. Nothing would be worse than dreaming about someone else's boyfriend. She used to really like Darien, but for some reason, comparing Tuxedo Samurai to Tuxedo Mask, she favored the Samurai over the Earth Prince. Not even noticing, she made herself blush, but she shook her head. "Silly fantasies." She remembered she had a date with Daita that night, and of course, there was that matter of her forced engagement to Kyoji Tsukiyama.

She pondered deeply about the mystery boy. She practically knew nothing about him. She let her pride go for a moment since her heart convicted her. "There are worse men in the world, but I will never end up like my mother!" She thought to herself. She stopped and looked around the empty land. Tears almost came to her eyes. It was her mother's sacrifice that saved these lands in the first place. Her other grandfather, Masaharu Hino, was a powerful business man in the city of Tokyo. Mr. Hino wanted to seize the temple lands for building projects, but her mother and real Grandfather fought them in court. Masaharu had powerful friends and influenced the judge's decision, but Masaharu's son, Ryo Hino, had a powerful attraction for Raye's mother, Sakura Himura, since high school. Striking a deal, Masaharu agreed only to leave the temple alone if Raye's mother, Sakura, would marry his son, Ryo Hino.

Raye kept walking to keep herself from crying. Her father only wanted her mother as a trophy wife. He didn't love her mother or her for that matter. She remembered being dragged all over Japan for her father's political campaigns. She remembered watching her father flirt with other women at parties, and come home screaming at her and her mother every night. Raye wiped away her tears. There was no way on earth that she would end up like that. She would never be forced to marry someone she didn't love. Her heart instantly froze inside and grew hard. "That boy! He just wants to be Priest of his own temple! He doesn't care about Grandpa or me for that matter!"

Her tears started to dry up as she reached the end of the property. There was a thin grove of trees that stood on the edge of a huge cliff. Walking up to the edge, Raye grabbed a hold of one of the trees and looked over the edge. The outskirts of the city lay below with a large river running through the bottom of the steep slope. It was an extremely difficult climb down, but she had done it before. But she had business to take care of so she turned away from the edge and walked back into the trees. Looking at the computer, the small red dot flashed frequently. She zoomed in. It was only a few feet away. Raye followed the directions of the computer and looked up. She had seen it a thousand times before—the small little shrine placed in a hole of a tree. A gold colored statue of a fire god stood in the hole with a red piece of wood on its base. But this was where the computer was pointing to. Raye reached out and touched the statue. She pulled on it and it came out of the hole with the wooden base. It covered the deeper part of the hole in the tree. Raye carefully laid the statue on the ground. She looked at the hole, a little hesitant to stick her hand down the tree. "There better not be a raccoon down there or something," She muttered to herself as she stepped up to the tree. She stuck her hand in and felt around. There were many items down in the hole. She pulled the first one out—an old doll. She reached in a second time and felt something hard like a rock. She pulled it out. It was a dark red crystal coved with chunks of dry mud. She smiled at the sight of the crystal. "I can't believe it." She tucked it into her bag. She reached down again and grabbed what felt like a book. Pulling it out, it was an old and weathered leather diary. She shoved it into her backpack along with the doll and crystal. Since there was nothing left, she placed the statue back where it belonged then closed Ami's computer. She turned around to leave the trees.

"Sailor Mars."

Raye looked up. The tanned warrior with flaming red hair and bright orange eyes glared her down. "You! You're the one who attacked Daita!"

"My name's Azariah, but I suppose it doesn't matter."

Raye jumped into a defensive stance and held her guard up. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you dead!" She held up out her hand and a small flame appeared in her palm. "Sailor of Fire, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Raye grabbed her Sailor Pen.

Azariah smirked. "We'll see." She allowed Raye the time to transform into Sailor Mars. Soon, the two warriors of fire were face to face and ready for battle.

Azariah leapt into the air and started throwing small fireballs at Sailor Mars. Quickly, Sailor Mars ducked and rolled. She quickly scrambled to her feet with dodging more of the small fireballs.

"Your reflexes are terrible!" Azariah flew towards Sailor Mars. Sailor Mars looked up and grabbed a hold of Azariah's arms. She kept the Fire General from punching her in the face, but Azariah's arms pushed through and grabbed a hold of the Sailor. "And your physical strength is pathetic!"

Sailor Mars head butted Azariah in the face to get free. Both fell to the ground, but Sailor Mars managed to scramble to her feet before Azariah could get up. She held out her hand and called upon one of her attacks. "MARS FLAME SHOOTER!"

She was so close—only a few feet away. The shot was perfect and should have taken care of Azariah, but Raye gasped once she saw the other woman stand up from the smoke holding her sore head. She wiped her lip and saw a small streak of blood. Furious, the Fire General glared over at Sailor Mars. An aura of bright flames surrounded her body. "I'm going to kill you!"

Sailor Mars stepped back into a defensive position, but before she could, Azariah's fist was already in her face. Mars flew back and smacked into a tree. Blood instantly started to gush from her nose. Watery eyed, the Sailor glanced up to see a narrow eyed General towering before her. A strong hand wrapped around her neck and lifted her off the ground. Sailor Mars cried out as Azariah's fingertips dug into her neck. Azariah threw the Sailor to the ground. Sailor Mars' back went numb after crashing into the hard ground. She couldn't move anymore. The attacks of Beryl's new Generals were completely paralyzing; the sheer strength of one punch or kick could immobilize the Sailors. Azariah straddled Raye's body between her legs. She sat down on Sailor Mars' stomach, making the Sailor gasp heavily for air.

"I've been criticized because I don't use weapons." Azariah studied the face of the wounded Sailor. "You see, if I had a weapon, I could kill you swiftly and easily, but since I don't…" The General smiled while leaning down over Raye's body. Her breath tickled Sailor Mars' cheek. "…you'll have to die much more painfully." Azariah gently brushed the locks of messy black hair away from Mars' face then traced the features of her enemy's face. She placed a hand on each side of Mars' temples.

A scream escaped Sailor Mars' mouth. Her head instantly burned with from the heat of Azariah's touch. It was the sensation of flesh burning, but it wasn't actually happening. Relishing in her enemy's pain, Azariah surged more of her power into Sailor Mars' head. It was painful and humiliating. Sailor Mars never screamed. She swore she'd never give any of her enemies the satisfaction of her screaming, but Azariah's power made her scream like a little girl. Seconds felt like hours to the Sailor Scout, but soon the hands pulled away and the pain stopped. Azariah had let out a faint cry. Sailor Mars glanced up. A long scratch ran across Azariah's cheek and a faint trickle of blood poured from the cut. Sailor Mars turned her head to the left. The dark warrior, Tuxedo Samurai, stood ready to fight with a throwing star in his hand.

Azariah stood up from the ground. A large burst of flames surrounded the General. "I used to think you were really cute, but I'm going to have to kill you."

Tuxedo Samurai threw the star he had in his hand. Azariah quickly jerked her head back, but the star grazed across her other cheek, making a lighter scratch. "Bring it on!"

"YOU COCKY LITTLE…" She charged forward. Her hands started to glow a bright red. "I'LL MELT YOUR FACE OFF!"

Tuxedo Samurai dodged her advance. He drew his katana quickly and slashed it towards the General. She tried to dodge again, but another cut fell across her back. She screamed in agony and charged at him again this time throwing fireballs. The Samurai deflected some of the fireballs while dodging the others. After a few attacks and counterattacks, the General stood furious. The ground started caving in from the intense energy of her emotional aura. Having a free moment, Tuxedo Samurai looked over toward Sailor Mars, but it was too late. A large fireball was hurled toward the Sailor. Tuxedo Samurai ran to push Mars out of the way, but both of them were hit at the same time. Together, they flew through the trees and off the edge of the cliff. Both of them rolled down the rocky slope and fell into the large river at the bottom.

Breathing heavily and grinning, the Fire General walked over to the edge of the cliff. She gazed over the land below—there was no sight of the Samurai or the Sailor. "Those weaklings couldn't have survived a fall like that." She turned around and started to walk away. "Beryl will reward me greatly for this!"

He opened his eyes when a coldness touched his forehead. He was slightly startled when he awoke.

"It's alright. You had a nasty fall."

The dark warrior sat up, but with great pain to his side. He glanced down the dark room. "Where am I? What's going on?" He kept looking around until he laid eyes on his caregiver.

"Lay still! You're hurt." Sailor Mars pushed him back down.

The masked warrior glanced up at the ceiling. They were next to a blazing fire in a small, dark cave. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure how far we washed down river." Sailor Mars took the wet cloth off Tuxedo Samurai's forehead. "It took all I had to drag you in here."

"River?" Tuxedo Samurai pondered. "Oh, yes, we were knocked in after Azariah attacked us." He laid still after figuring out what had happened. "She didn't chase us?"

"Not that I saw. I brought you in here just in case." Sailor Mars wetted the cloth again from a water bottle she had in her backpack. She stood up and hobbled over to the entrance of the cave and peaked through the crack. "It's nighttime now. It'd be unwise to move."

"You hurt your ankle."

"Yes." Sailor Mars limped back over to Tuxedo Samurai's side. She grabbed her backpack and started digging around. "I'm afraid I haven't got much to eat except a pack of crackers and some candy."

Tuxedo Samurai tried to sit up again, but he hissed in pain. Sailor Mars reached over and placed her hand on his stomach to keep him from moving. She felt something cold and wet. She looked at her hand—blood. "You're hurt!" She frantically reached for his black jacket and stripped it off. Next, she quickly undid his white shirt revealing his bare stomach. A large cut continued to bleed on his side. She dabbed the remaining blood with her cloth and cleaned up the wound. After she finished, ripped a piece of her own Sailor uniform and placed it over the cut.

Sailor Mars glanced up. The mysterious Tuxedo Samurai was blushing brighter than the red sun. In her medical assistance, she hadn't realized she stripped her patient half-naked. She quickly spun her head away from the warrior. "I'm sorry, I…"

"Thank you, Sailor Mars." He reached for white shirt and covered himself up with the bloody shirt.

She slowly turned around, able to face him from her embarrassment. "Are you able to heal yourself like you healed me?" She blushed remembering the exactly what method it was he used to heal her.

"I'm afraid not."

Sailor Mars looked at his forehead. The crescent moon of the Moon Kingdom was always on his forehead. Curiously, she studied it for a few moments. "Who are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know who I am right?"

"Yes, Sailor Mars."

Sailor Mars shook her head. "No, I mean my civilian name. You know who I am, don't you."

Tuxedo Samurai nodded. "Raye."

"Yes, and who are you?"

Tuxedo Samurai glanced to the ground. "I don't know."

"What?"

The dark warrior gazed off into a trance. "I don't know who I am, or where I come from." He sighed. "I am just here to protect you from harm."

"How do you know to protect us?"

"Protect you."

"Protect me?"

Tuxedo Samurai sighed. "Yes, I will help your friends when necessary, but it is my mission to protect you."

"Mission? Who gave you this mission?"

"My heart."

"Your heart?" Sailor Mars grew impatient. "I can't help but feeling like you're avoiding my questions. Who are you and why are you here?"

"I don't know who I am or where I come from. I just end up like this. I don't remember anything between my periods of consciousness. It's like huge gaps of my life are missing. All I have is the memory of you and the battles I have fought."

"I barely even know you!" Sailor Mars spat. "What memories?"

He looked at her. "The dreams."

"Dreams?" She swallowed hard.

"Look, I don't understand it myself." He looked away, turning his eyes in to the fire. "I don't know who I am, but I do know that somewhere and sometime ago we loved each other. I don't know where or when. In a place far away under the stars and the earth…"

"…on the moon," She uttered.

He jerked his head toward her. "You understand what I'm talking about?"

She looked him straight in the eye. "Are you the one in my dreams? Are you the one who visits me almost every night?"

"Yes." He glanced away from her gaze. "It's like I don't have control of what happens, but I can feel everything that is happening." His eyes met her beautiful purple eyes when he looked back at her. "I think the dreams are a reflection of the past."

"How do I know it's really you?"

He leaned forward, ignoring the pain of his side. His arms came up and pulled her into his embrace. She was furious that he was so forward, but she found herself closing her eyes as he kissed her. Her heart stopped. It was the same kiss as the man in the dreams. His lips responded to hers in the exact same way as the man in her dreams. Losing herself in the moment, she responded back to his kiss. It was exactly like the dreams, but she had control. Feelings that seemed new, but ached of familiarity, flooded into her soul. Her arms came up and started wandering around the warrior's shoulders.

Tuxedo Samurai gasped from the aching sting in his side. Sailor Mars jerked back and looked at his side. "You're wounded. You should rest." She tried to recompose herself from such an emotional outburst. It was extremely unlike herself to fall head over heals for a man, and she didn't want to ruin her reputation and pride as a man-hater, but she melted inside from the kisses of this masked man.

They sat in silence for a long time. Tuxedo Samurai uttered a thank you to Sailor Mars for her care. She nodded and said he was welcome, and that was all they said for the rest of the night.