A few things to note:
One... If things aren't explained in the story, but I've mentioned them repeatedly, than chances are they're gonna be explained in later chapters.
This is going to be a long story, and I'm not giving everything away in the first few chapters. You'll just have to bear with me lol.
Two... I just want to make clear that I have no idea where in the timeline I will set this. It's kind of 'go with the flow'. They all know their identities, and they've battled Beryl, and Alan/Ann.
As for ages:
Mamoru = 24
Usagi and Inners = 21
Thanks for reading, and any comments will be appreciated :)
Tuxedo Kamen pulled his hand back from Mars's forehead as quickly as if it was burnt. He was at a loss for words. 'What does this mean?' Since he wasn't exactly a sailor senshi, he had no idea what the crystals were for. There were times he figured they were just accessories, but seeing as how both Sailor Moon and Jupiter made use of them, he had taken that thought back quickly. Now, he was left back at square one. He had no idea.
He glanced up at Sailor Moon. She was staring down at Mars's face as almost a mother stares at her newborn. 'Did she not know they're alive?' He wondered.
Tuxedo Kamen put a hand on her shoulder, "Sailor Moon. They are alive; both Mercury and Mars. I don't know where the others are, but we have to move. Danger is still here, or else the fog would have lifted." He waited for a response. None came.
"Alright. I'm grabbing you, and we're leaving. We'll have to come back when you've gained some strength back. I'll come back for the girls." He muttered as he stood up and moved to pick Sailor Moon up.
It was at this time that Sailor Moon woke up from her trance-like state.
"No." she mumbled quietly.
Tuxedo Kamen stopped his actions and raced to her front, "Usagi? Was that you?" His hands clasped the sides of her head gently as he stared into the slightly coloured blue eyes of the woman.
"We're not leaving. I cannot leave them here. They're lost, and, if I leave, they won't find their way back."
Tuxedo Kamen glanced back down to Mars then up to the fog. He couldn't chance staying. Something was just not sitting right in his gut. Focusing back on Sailor Moon, he sighed. "We have to leave. This is still a battle zone. Cops and officials will be coming soon, and we can't explain anything. We need to take cover back at my building. C'mon."
He stood back up and moved to pick her up again, but he was met with trouble as she began shaking out of his grasp. "No. I'm not leaving them. They need me." She said loudly.
Tuxedo Kamen took her words as hysterics and continued to wrap his hands underneath her arms. He had no choice. She must be moved.
Sailor Moon kept her gaze on Mars's tiara, but when she felt herself being picked up, she screamed, "NOOOOOO!"
Sailor Moon's locket glowed fiercely in reaction to her screams. As Tuxedo Kamen fell back, the locket's glow continued to pulse. The pulse reverberated off the fog. Slowly, it began to dissipate.
As the last few wisps blew away, Tuxedo Kamen stared around him in shock. Trees were burnt down, many buildings were crumbling, and the once rushed schedule of early morning only brought silence. Tokyo was ruined. He stumbled around in awe of the destruction. Walking through the park, he noted all of the birds and small animals were gone. In the pond lay the dead body of a swan.
As he walked down to the water's edge, the sun rose over the buildings and flashed its rays upon the battlefield. A flash of yellow caught his attentions. 'Hair.' He thought dramatically. He raced to the bush that was just covering all but the small strands of hair. Pushing the wiry branches apart, he noticed the red bow dangling loosely from her hair. 'Oh Gods, it's Venus.'
Ripping the branches out as quickly as he could, Tuxedo Kamen was able to free her head from the entanglement. The empty hollow on her tiara echoed back the same feelings that the one from Mars had given him. 'What did this to you?' He snapped out of his stare and placed his hand on her neck. Confirmed that she too was alive, he tried to pull her out onto the pathway, but something was holding her lower half down.
Swearing, he raced around the large bush. Green boots poked out from the other end. 'Jupiter.'
He did the same procedure for Sailor Jupiter, confirming she was alive, before gently pulling her out of the branches. Her bruised and bloodied face made him shiver, but he had to keep it together. Making sure both girls were laid safely down just off the pathway, he raced back to Sailor Moon.
"I found Jupiter and Venus." He gasped out tiredly.
Sailor Moon glanced up quickly; a question in her eyes.
Tuxedo Kamen looked down. "They're just like Mars and Mercury."
More sobbing broke out from the blonde. It broke his heart. Her guardians; her friends, were gone, and she had no idea what happened to them. She was just as lost as they were.
Realising that it was pointless to try and get her to move, Tuxedo Kamen went back and began moving Venus and Jupiter to his apartment.
When Mercury was finally moved, Tuxedo Kamen came back for Mars. Sailor Moon had finished crying, but was hugging her knees tightly. He walked up slowly. "Usagi. We have to move. The fire crews have almost made it to the park. We need to leave."
Sailor Moon mumbled quietly, but Tuxedo Kamen couldn't make out the words since her head was tucked down.
"Usagi? What did you say?"
She mumbled again.
Moving in closer to hear better, he made out her mumbling. "I killed them. I killed them. I killed them."
"No, you didn't!" he shouted suddenly.
Sailor Moon stopped and looked up at him.
"Damnit Usagi, They're alive. I've told you how many times? You sulking here is not going to help them get any better. Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus are all at my apartment. We need to get Mars there too before we take any more actions." He said as he stared down at her face that was quickly becoming angry.
"No, they're not. Ami, Makato, Rei, and Minako are alive, but Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus are gone."
Tuxedo Kamen stared back quizzically, "What do you mean?"
Sailor Moon rose slowly. Taking a deep breath she stared around her at the destruction that was just now settling into her mind. "The scouts are gone. Their crystals… our crystals on our tiaras hold the scout power."
Tuxedo Kamen looked at her tiara, "But, I thought that was what your henshin wands were for."
Sailor Moon shook her head slowly. "The wands acted as a kind of guide to retrieving the scout crystals. They connected to the scout crystals and allowed us to connect to their energy. It was the scout crystals that truly allowed us to change."
"Well, why are they still in scout form if their scout essence is gone?" He said hopefully.
A shake of her head indicated Sailor Moon understanding his train of thought, "No. The essence of the scout is gone. That crystal brought to each of them the ability to fight, to retrieve their magics, to understand the good powers they hold dear. When that power left, or was taken, or however it happened..." Sailor Moon trailed off as she glanced down at Mars.
Tuxedo Kamen put a hand on her shoulder, and she came back.
"When the crystals left, the scout's souls did as well. Who they are now are just their regular, human selves, and I have no idea where my scouts went."
"I do."
Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon glanced at the figure standing in the trees to their left. "Well, well, well. It looks like you two have a bit of a problem. Making all of this mess, and none of your friends decide to stick around and help. Tsk tsk on your friend choice."
Sailor Moon's eyes blazed as she turned and jumped to where the man was. Throwing a punch, she swayed as she missed. The figure had dropped from the branch lightly and looked up at her smiling, "That was quite rude."
Jumping down from the tree, Sailor Moon felt her charge on the tiara powering up. "I'll show you rude." She grabbed onto her tiara, and gently pulled it out until she could feel the heat coursing through her body.
"Moon Tiara Action" she shouted as she whipped the disc out of her hand.
The figure jumped up and out of the way. As he came back down, he landed a kick on Sailor Moon, pushing her into a tree. A snarl ripped from the man's throat as he ran to her and grabbed her lapels in both hands, "Try and use your little magic on me, bitch. Your friends did, and I took care of them."
Sailor Moon stared into the almost black eyes of the man holding her. There was no emotion in those eyes. Nothing but darkness; it flowed out and permeated her skin. She trembled.
"Yes," the man slowly whispered, "Fear me as you should. I took down 4 of the greatest warriors in the universe, yet I have no scratches on me. They couldn't overcome me, and you won't overcome me." Sailor Moon felt tears prick her eyes. "I am the darkness. I am the divider. You cannot fight me."
Tuxedo Kamen had had enough. He leapt towards the figure with his cane swinging downward. The man stayed where he was, but grabbed Tuxedo Kamen's cane before it connected. Turning around, he took the momentum from Tuxedo Kamen and tossed him over his shoulder. Tuxedo Kamen felt the air momentarily leave him, but before he could get up, the man was pushing him back down.
"Well it certainly has been awhile, hasn't it Mamoru?"
Tuxedo Kamen stared up at the man in shock.
"Yes, yes, I know, no introductions were made, but, hey, I do a lot of things out of order." The man smiled down.
Tuxedo Kamen tried to raise his leg to kick him off, but the man sat down on him, rendering him unable to move.
"Don't try it. It's useless. I didn't come here to kill you, yet. I must admit I'm a little tired from all the playing I've done. I just came to tell you that we'll be meeting up real soon. Don't think for one second I've forgotten what you did to my queen." Anger began to take over the man's features again, "You stole her from me because you're a little coward. The great Prince Endymion resorted to tricks and lies to obtain what he wants. What a man."
Tuxedo Kamen struggled under the weight of the man. 'Where was Usagi? Who the hell was this man talking about?'
The sounds of sirens echoed nearby. The man glanced up and frowned. "Fine. We will end this here." He disappeared but reappeared back on the same tree branch.
Tuxedo Kamen rose and ran to Sailor Moon who was leaning on the tree that she was trapped against earlier. Hugging her shoulder, he looked back to the man.
"Hug her while you can Endymion. She'll probably be the last woman you ever touch. When my deeds are done, the name Pyrite will ring in infamy as the man who finished the glorious destruction of the Silver Alliance. See you soon." The man faded out as his laughter hovered in their ears.
Both soldiers had no idea what to make of it.
As Tuxedo Kamen glanced down to Sailor Moon, he heard a rustle and glanced over her shoulder. The sound of footsteps and shouting could be heard coming into the park. Sailor Moon turned around as well and looked. "We need to get out of here." She stated before bending down to pick Mars up.
Tuxedo Kamen pulled her back, "I'll do that. Just get to my apartment. The others are there."
Sailor Moon nodded before jumping up and over the trees.
The steady sound of breathing soothed Usagi as she sat on the floor stroking Minako's hair. It had taken awhile for her to finally come out of her stupor, but she had managed. Sitting in Mamoru's apartment was oddly strange considering she was always happy while there, but not today.
The afternoon sun was setting. The first day after the battle was quickly coming to an end. Usagi had sat on Mamoru's balcony watching the emergency crews clear roads and check buildings. In the daylight, it didn't seem so harsh as she thought it would be. Many houses were well intact, and would probably have families back in them by tomorrow. Of course, the downtown core was destroyed. Just the size of the youma alone had done enough damage to the streets and buildings. It would take quite some time before they fixed that.
Usagi sighed as she tucked Minako's hair under her arms and got up to make dinner. She had personally bathed all of the girls; not liking having to see their bloody and torn bodies. Having grabbed most of her clothes from her apartment, she dressed them all in comfortable pyjamas; not knowing when they would wake up. She felt it was the most she could do at this time. Until they found out who this 'Pyrite' guy was, and where the scouts went, she couldn't do much. Mamoru had just left to the Tokyo University. He had been thinking in his apartment for hours when something suddenly hit him, and he declared he needed to do some research. She hoped he would be back soon. Those last words that Pyrite had said to him scared her. He was coming back.
As Usagi raided the fridge for ingredients to anything, she heard a shrill beep coming from the bathroom. Running in, she picked up her jeans which were emitting the noise. Out from her pocket came her communicator with its flashing red incoming signal. Usagi's eyes widened and pressed the button. Luna's face took over the screen.
"Oh thank heavens, Usagi. I have been out of my mind trying to locate you. The power was cut out for so long, and we tried to find you and the scouts but no one was answering. Did you destroy the youma? Are you with the other girls? Are you okay? Where are you?" Luna's worried eyes were racing across the screen as she tried to see behind Usagi. Usagi was just trying to keep up with all of the questions.
"Luna, stop." She sighed loudly. Luna's voice stopped mid-question, and she waited patiently for her ward to speak. "I'm at Mamoru's apartment. It was the closest thing to the scene." She noticed Luna nod at the information, but she continued anyways, "I'm with the other girls, and I'm fine, but…" she trailed off, unsure how to relay the information to her cat.
"Usagi… but what?"
Usagi gulped. "The girls aren't fine."
Luna's eyes widened at the news, "What is wrong with them? Have they been to a hospital?"
"No. You know we can't go to a hospital. They'll get too many weird results. I just… I can't say it again. I'll just show you." Usagi said as she walked into the living room to the closest couch. On it laid Makato. Usagi aimed the communicator's camera towards Makato's face and waited for the cat to say something.
There was silence for quite awhile, and when she looked at the screen to see what happened, no one was there.
"Luna? Are you there?"
Not getting any answer, Usagi pressed the 'off' button and continued making dinner.
At 8 o'clock, fate found Usagi locking Mamoru's door with a basket in hand and walking towards the university. Mamoru had promised to try and make it home for dinner, but Usagi couldn't blame him for being late. New enemy equalled new timetable.
The power was back on in downtown Tokyo which brought some brave people back with it. Emergency crews were still out in full force cleaning up, and Usagi sighed at what the officials were going to blame this incident for. 'Gas leak is possible' she thought, 'or maybe a meteor. They can cause heap loads of trouble in the movies. I think the public would even take angry, cheated, housewife for an answer. Nothing could properly explain this mess.'
Walking up the steps of the library, Usagi sighed in relief when she noticed the lit up building. The darkness was creeping her out, and she had the forever feeling that something was watching her. Without the scouts, she was more scared than ever. With some quick hops, she bound up the stairs and into the building. It was empty.
"Mamoru?" she whispered quietly, but realised there was no one to interrupt in the library.
"Mamoru" She shouted. The size of the library made it feel like a maze. This was a building Usagi had never been in before. Gripping the basket handle, she made her way inwards.
She continued calling out for him, but stopped when she heard papers rustle. Heading towards the computer section, she looked up to see the light flickering off and on. Standing underneath its haze, Usagi saw the scruff of Mamoru's black hair behind one of the computer screens.
"Mamoru! Hey. I was calling for you." She chirped as she walked down the aisles to his row. He didn't answer. As she walked up and put her hand to his head to wake him, she felt the cold presence behind her.
"Don't bother."
Usagi dropped the basket and whirled around. All she saw was black smoke twirling in the air behind her. "Pyrite. What did you do to him?"
The black smoke rose towards the ceiling. "I told you I had some issues to work out. It just happened to be sooner rather than later."
Usagi grimaced and turned back to Mamoru. Shaking him wildly, she screamed his name until she was hoarse.
The mist floated behind Mamoru. "Don't be afraid. He's resting now. He feels no pain… well, actually, he feels nothing." The mist stopped speaking as it watched the blonde crumple and lay her head on his lap while she wept.
"Ahhh, so you're the one that loves him. I have to say, I was kind of excited to see you, but, now that I've met you, it's not exciting at all. I had hopes that the woman that this man left us for was worth something, but I've seen better in sewers."
Usagi gave him no concern. She continued to feel her heart bleed.
"Be glad kitten, it was supposed to be you in your friends places, but I've studied the past. I figured the weakest link would do quite nicely. What's a leader if they have nothing to lead, am I right? But, it's all done now. I've had my small, fun show. It's time I get started with the real thing. Soon, you won't even want to sleep for fear of the darkness coming to reach you. I'll make sure it does. The divide will reach all." The mist whispered the final sentence as it slowly dissipated.
Usagi stayed crippled on the floor as she fought to gain control of her emotions. 'Too much' she thought, 'It's just too much pain. I lose my friends, and now I lost Mamoru. I can't continue like this.' Usagi sucked in a breath deeply, 'I won't continue like this. Pyrite can think he's won, but I will break him to pieces before I let him.'
Usagi glanced up at the empty room. Wiping her cheeks with the palms of her hands, she looked up to Mamoru and sighed, "Don't worry my love.". She pushed Mamoru's chair back until she could lean him back in it and see his face. 'He looks like he always does when he sleeps.' She noted with a soft, sad smile. 'He's just sleeping for now. I'll wake him later.' Usagi brushed his bangs back, and kissed his forehead. "I will find you again, Mamoru. I've done it once, and I'll do it again. No power on this earth or another will stop me."
Steeled by her confession, Usagi stood up. As she bent down to gather her basket, she noticed the blinking screen of the computer. Moving the mouse to remove the screen saver, a web browser was open which revealed a research file spewing out information. 'This is what he was researching.' She stated. Knowing she would just have to finish it for him, Usagi grabbed a pencil and moved the screen up to the top in order to see the title.
'The Four Heavenly Kings: Legend of the Shittenou'