Chapter 5
Artemis tapped his fingers impatiently and again noted the position of the lunar moon in the sky. Well past 2am. Where was Luna?
"It looks so small from here." The words whispered their way out of the dark shadows of the alley followed shortly by a small black feline.
"I've never known you to be late." Artemis threw a little jibe at the normally well composed advisor, noting how gracefully she walked even as she morphed back to her human form.
"The princess had dark dreams tonight." She frowned to show her displeasure at his observance.
"No doubt. The dark kingdom is on the move."
Luna let out a dismayed gasp. While she had stayed at the princess's side, Artemis had scouted the city. There deep under a local café, he had located one of Terras old battle stations and booted it up. He needed to discover how much time had passed and how the world had changed since their sleep.
Metallias dark energy had destroyed the planet, sending it back into the darkest age. Man had essentially began again and while their advancements had been nothing short of miraculous they still lacked the technology that had been so accessible a thousand years before. The station still had all the equipment that had been vital to a planets defense in the old kingdom. The crystal power cell from his belt had enough energy to boot up the computers and what he had read there had horrified him.
The Dark Kingdom while forced into hiding had not been obliviated as he had thought. The queen had wished for the darkness to be estinguished, but she had also wished for her daughter and people to be granted new life. In an effort to please both the requests the crystal had exiled Metallia and sent the souls of the kingdom to be reborn. Unfortunalty it sent both to the nearest planet, Terra, or as they now called it, Earth.
"No! The Queen destroyed them!" It was a vehnament and denial.
" I'm afraid not love," Artemis brought up the scematics from the last hundred years on his screen. " Metallias servant has arisen again and slowly she has sent her top generals to permeate the planets population. The planet has been showing signs of dark energy increasingly over the last few hundred years. He pulled up a picture of a man with a white wrap on his head and a grey beard. "This one started a war a few years ago by running two aircrafts, or airplanes as the terrans call it, into a large metropolis." Another picture appeared, that of a man in a straight backed uniform, a dark mustache supporting his nose. A strange flag sporting two crossing black lines waved behind him. "This man committed genocide murdering thousands of terrans under his rule of a city called Berlin." The pictures went on and on showing the ruins of destroyed cities, mutilated bodies and angry mobs. Luna covered her mouth and squeezed her eye shut trying valiantly to block the hateful pictures from her mind. Acts such as these had been all but wiped out during the reign of her queen.
"Strangely, while many of these youma have been killed by terrans the worst have disappeared. Most presumed dead, but no bodies have been found. I have reason to believe that there are forces here trying to battle back against the Dark Kingdom. Many traces of energy originate from a park near the cities center. However the most recent attack recorded took place just last night at a learning facility here." Artemis pointed to a blinking dot located not far from where they were.
"There were magic signatures so high it shot off the scales. Witnesses claim that they saw two young girls disappear from the rooftop. All that was left at the crime scene was," He paused dramatically and when he looked up Luna saw the beginnings of a smile. " Shards of solid ice and dust."
Lunas eyes widened.
"Mercury."
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It was for every one, Makato supposed, a very beautiful morning. Hardly a cloud in the sky and a gentle breeze that ruffled her long cinnamon hair. Everyone else was not on their way to yet another new high school, and everyone else had not been kicked out of their last one for assaulting a teacher.
Makato Kino had one simple rule. Her space was hers and your space was yours. The only people who had been allowed to be in her space had been her parents. Any one else's touch had sent her nerves into convulsions. After their tragic deaths the disorder had worsened to the point that her grandparents had taken her to doctor after doctor. The psychologists called it Aphenphosmphobia, her grand parents called it a curse and the school board called it a "mental disorder." Regardless her flinty emerald eyes had a look to them that made most people shy away from her. Hence she happily lived alone, in her space.
So when the fat middle aged bastard had tried to feel her up, she had retaliated. The school had decided that even though they had been caring enough to put up with her "condition" as they called it, they did not have to put up with violence. They had promptly tossed her out on her ear. Her grand parents had located another school close to her apartment in Juuban and issued an ultimatum to their unruly granddaughter. It was either go to this school and not make trouble, or they would shut off the rent money to her apartment. She glowered at another pedestrian who had bumped into her in passing and her eye caught on something glinting in the road. Green eyes narrowing she took in three things at once. A speeding car, an apparently suicidal young school girl, and a blinking "no walking" sign.
Usagi rubbed a tired blue eye trying to get the last vestiges of sleep from its corners. As if. The last night had not brought sleep easily. Dark shadows had crept into her dreams and she had awoken more then once with the racing heart of a nightmare that she couldn't remember. Lunas small black head rubbing under her chin brought a small feeling of comfort allowing her to drift back into the dream world only to once wake hours later in a cold sweat. The result had been dark smudges under her eyes and one very awake Usagi. That was the reason she was up and walking the streets of Tokyo a full hour earlier then usual. At least there will be no detention today. She tripped, caught herself and glared down at the offending school shoe. Two very untied laces stared innocently back up at her. But next to one of the laces a strange black gem glinted in the sunlight. Intrigued and strangely drawn to it she reached down to pick it up.
It wasn't until some moments later and one armful of girl later that Makato realized what she'd done. Standing up she deposited the said girl roughly on her feet and bit out "Are. You. Crazy?"
"I.."
"You don't just stop in the middle of the street!"
"I…"
"You could have been killed!"
"Arigato!" The girl cried out before launching herself back into Litas arms.
Staring down in shock at two blond odangoes trembling against her chest she awkwardly patted the girls shoulders and looked desperately around for some one, anyone to help her.
"Hey, its okay. Just watch where you decide to sit next time."
"No," Watery blue eyes looked up at her from a pale face. "I mean I wasn't sitting, my shoe was untied and there was this stone there and well, I guess I didn't' pay attention to where I was going, and… thank you, for saving me."
"Well I, uh…" Makato didn't know what to say, she was only vaguely aware that the tiny woman/child's arms still hugged her ribs, and while it was a little uncomfortable, it didn't send her nerves into their usually painful throbbing. In fact it felt …nice.
Bewildered she felt her own arms come up and wrap around the school girls frame.
"Anytime."
Mina and Ami walked down the school hall at a brisk pace ignoring the stares that followed them. As they passed whispers began behind them. What was the new girl doing with Minako Aino?
"Ami-chan!" A tinkling voice wafted over the crowd and wrapped around them. Mina stopped dead in her tracks. That voice…..
Ami stopped too seemingly oblivious to Minas plight but content to have her friend come to her.
"Usagi-san. I'm sorry I haven't called you, but er… something came up last night." She bowed low at the waist.
"Oh, well no reason to apologize Ami-chan," Usagi blushed pink in embarrassment at the unwanted show of apology. "We can do something tonight! That is, if you don't have cram school again."
A small secret smile lifted the corners of the blunettes mouth. "I don't think that will be a variable."
"Great!" Usagi turned to Mina. "Hello, I'm Usagi." She extended her fingers.
It was Ami's turn to blush as she belatedly remembered her manners. "Usagi-san this is Minako………."
Ami's voice fazed out as Mina stared at the small girl in front of them. Not very tall her 5'4 frame was petite. She wore her hair captured into two small odangos with the excess flowing freely down her back in twin streams so blond they were almost white. In fact the biggest thing about her was a pair of blue eyes flecked with silver. The last time Mina had seen eyes like that, they had stared down at her from a face framed with white hair. Mina felt her own eyes sting and quickly blinked away the unwanted moisture.
"Hey, Mina-chan are you alright?" Usagi's concerned voice reached thru to her and she crashed back to the present.
"Hai. Usagi-chan. Ami has told me a lot about you."
To her credit Minas hand only shook a little when she reached out to grasp Usagis palm.
"In fact, I'm sure since we have all the same classes, we'll be great friends!"
This prompted a strange look from Ami. Naru arrived at that moment a happy smile on her face that slid off when she spotted Mina and Ami. The smell of Terra permeated her aura but there was something else there that sent alarms ringing thru Minas head. She watched Usagi link arms with the redhead and start tawords class. Her investigation would have to wait a little longer she thought grabbing Ami and pushing into a nearby closet.
"Mina-san, you don't have any classes with Usagi-san and I." The genius ignored the fact that she had jut be sequestered into a closet and pounced on Minas incorrectly stated fact.
Mina rolled her eyes. She knew that her sister in arms remembered little from the Silver Alliance, but it was time to fill in some blanks. Fast.
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Authors Note: Sorry its taking so long, I just keep getting small cases of writers block and ,…. Oh never mind. I'm lazy OK? Very lazy and procrastinating. Something I hate in other authors. I promise to be more productive