Foreshadowing:
Chapter Five -
"You know what you're supposed to do?" A blond with searing gold eyes asked the girl with jet black hair beside her.
The girl nodded, snapping her fingers and causing the tip of her glove to ignite.
"Good. Azurite, is everything prepared?" The blond spoke into a black communicator.
"Yes," came a cold, passionless voice, "Amazonite and I are in place and ready."
"Excellent," Atlantasite smiled.
"Let the games begin," she murmured.
Instantly the top floor of the second largest building in Tokyo burst into flames. Inside the room, Vanadinite, her black hair blowing around her serene face, walked un-hurriedly to the next floor and lit it on fire. She proceeded down through each level, lighting fire after fire until the entire building was a raging inferno.
She exited the building on the seventh floor, leaping to the nearby roof top of a jewelry store. There her commander waited for her, hands on hips, looking pleased as the fire light played across her face.
"That ought to get their attention," she remarked with a chuckle. She and Vanadinite watched the building become a signal flare that might be seen on the other side of the world, so intense was the heat and light caused by the flames. Suddenly a fire-truck hove into view.
"Tsk, Tsk," Atlantasite clucked, "We can't have them ruining all your hard work."
Vanadinite's mouth turned up in a snarl. She raised a hand toward the fire-fighters but Atlantasite checked her with a finger.
"I've got a better idea," she said and clicked on her communicator again.
"Azurite," she said, "I have a little job for you."
She explained about the fire-fighters who were already in the process of hooking up the hose to the nearby fire-hydrant.
"I'll take care of it," the icy voice replied.
"Good," Atlantasite clicked the communicator shut and turned to watch in anticipation. As the firemen aimed the hose a jet of water burst out of the hose toward the building – and froze solid before it got within ten feet, it's weight causing the hose to crash onto the side walk. The dumbfounded firemen scattered away from the hose and the flames, taking cover in the trees of the nearby park.
From their perch on the roof top, Atlantasite and Vanadinite shared a laugh at the fleeing firemen.
"This is fun," Atlantasite commented, "and look, here come our girls now."
Looking where she pointed, Vanadinite saw five women running toward the flame consumed building.
"That's our cue," Atlantasite quipped, and with a graceful leap she landed with Vanadinite in front of the building, between it and the five women.
"Greetings Senshi!" she said, "So glad you could come!"
"Who are you!?" Sailor Moon yelled, "Are you Dark Kingdom servants?"
The women laughed. They had their backs to the fire so it was impossible for the Senshi to see them clearly.
"We are the top servants of the Dark Kingdom," Atlantasite pronounced gleefully, "and we are after the Crystal. Hand it over Sailor Moon."
"Never! Give me back my prince!"
"She sounds like a spoiled brat," Vanadinite commented, "Maybe we should toast them all right now."
"What did you say!?" a familiar voice yelled, "I'll teach you a thing or two about fire, you monster!"
A jet of flame came flying toward them but Vanadinite easily caught it.
She smirked, "Let me teach you something about fire," she countered and threw the Senshi's own fire back at her multiplied ten fold. The Senshi screamed and scattered, diving for the pavement.
"Enough," Atlantasite ordered, "we are wasting time. Let's go."
With that she and Vanadinite turned and ran toward the warehouse at the back of the burning building.
"Follow them!" they heard Sailor Venus cry out.
Atlantasite smirked. Everything was going perfectly according to plan.
When Mamoru appeared in the past, he wasn't sure for a moment exactly where he was. The Shitennou materialized beside him, all in their uniforms (which had changed subtly to reflect their new allegiance)
and they seemed to be examining their surroundings thoroughly.
"Endymion-sama," Zochokuten remarked, "there is an enormous blaze to the East, look!"
Mamoru turned to see that the night sky was lit up and billowing smoke.
"Well that's definitely not normal," he commented.
"Shall we investigate?" Tamoten suggested.
"Wait, Kunzite," Mamoru said, then fumbled with trying to remember the Shitennou's names in these new transformations.
"Look," he sighed, giving up after they'd corrected him five times, "for the sake of time, you're Tamo, you're Komo, You're Jiko and you're...Zoe."
'Zocho' just sounds stupid, he thought.
They looked at him with thinly disguised resentment, but accepted his nick names with obedience.
When they arrived at the blaze, Mamoru scanned the area for a sign of the Senshi. He found scorch marks on the ground and the frozen water pipe.
"This looks like them," he said, puzzled, "but I don't understand why the building is on fire or especially why this water hose is frozen."
"Women don't make much sense, my liege," Komo offered.
Mamoru was about to chide him for his chauvinist tone, but suddenly realized that there were, for once, no women around. He grinned to himself.
I could get used to this, he considered. The future of Crystal Tokyo suddenly looked a tad brighter.
"Stand back, my liege," Zoe answered and touched the hose which instantly thawed, and the hose itself, under the pressure of the built up water, writhed like a snake.
Jiko waved a hand toward it and it instantly stopped in mid air, spraying water in a steady stream toward the building.
Mamoru was sufficiently impressed.
"My liege," Komo called, stooping on the ground, "there are many sets of foot prints going in that direction," he pointed to the back of the building.
"Let's go!" Mamoru shouted, and the five caped men ran for the back entrance.
Inside the building the five Senshi halted uncertainly. The women they'd been following had disappeared and they seemed to be in some kind of empty warehouse.
"Do you see anything, Mercury?" Sailor Moon whispered nervously.
"There are four people in this building." Mercury answered, looking at her computer, "but, something's not right -"
"How astute of you," said a voice just behind them. Before they could locate the speaker the room filled with a mist of fog and bubbles that were impenetrable.
"Mercury?" Venus queried in a strained voice, "did you do that?"
"No." Mercury whispered, "That's what doesn't make sense."
There was a chuckle in front of them and they turned as one, creeping closer to each other and putting Sailor Moon in the middle of their circle. They moved forward cautiously as the voice continued to chuckle.
"Now!" the voice called suddenly, ringing sharply through the thick air.
"Senshi!" Venus shouted in warning.
"Jupiter Thunder!" they heard behind them, suddenly a bolt of white hot lighting struck right at their feet knocking all of them to the floor as a cage made of pure ice enclosed them.
The fog cleared as they stood up, dazed and befuddled.
"W-what's going on?" Jupiter demanded, "I didn't do that!"
"You sure didn't." a voice drawled and, to the Senshi's astonishment, a figure who appeared to be Sailor Jupiter approached the ice prison.
"How?" Mars asked, staring wide eyed at the mirror image of Sailor Jupiter.
The other Jupiter smiled as the Senshi's expressions changed from wonder to horror – as she was joined by Vanadinite, Atlantasite, and Azurite.
"Hello, Senshi," Atlantasite spoke, "I am Atlantasite, leader of Beryl's guard. Now, you are probably very uncomfortable in there, Azurite can be a bit frosty when she feels like it, so I want you to understand that you may leave as soon as you give us the Crystal."
She waited as the Senshi recovered their composure.
Venus was the first to start the chorus of threats and promises to fight to the death. Atlantasite glanced at Amazonite and a tremendous bolt of lighting crashed through the air above them, creating a thunder clap so loud that it shook the building.
The Senshi were instantly silent.
"That's better," Atlantasite smiled, "Thank you, Amazonite. Now, it's really very simple – give us the Crystal -"
"Never!" Venus yelled furiously.
"-Or, we will kill each of you until Sailor Moon is left alone. And then we will take the Crystal ourselves."
They stared at her in silence.
"Take it," Sailor Moon said suddenly.
"No!" Mars shouted, "You can't do that!"
"Whatever happens to us," Venus countered, holding Sailor Moon by the shoulders, "You can't give her the Crystal."
"But I can't live without you guys," Sailor Moon shivered, a tear made it's way down her cheek.
"What a cry baby," Vanadinite remarked to Amazonite.
Jupiter rounded on them, placing herself up against the ice and pounding on it with her fists.
"Shut up you evil b-"
"Watch it!" Vanadinite growled, her eyes lighting up in fury. Her hands flickered with flames.
"For the last time, Senshi," Atlantasite shouted, her smile gone, "give us the Crystal!"
"I'll die first," Mercury declared solemnly, her blue eyes defiant.
"Very well, then you can go first!" Atlantasite's eyes narrowed and she focused her hands together creating a beam of light as the ice within the cube shifted to provide a barrier that effectively isolated Mercury from her frantic companions.
"Say goodbye, Mercury!"
Mercury closed her eyes as the beam of light blinded her vision, but the pain she expected never came.
Opening her eyes, she discovered she was outside of the block, being held by a blond man with a long cape.
"Zoicite!" she shrieked. He was so surprised by her reaction that he dropped her.
"Oh, sorry," he gasped, then he ducked.
"Why are you hitting me!?" he wailed, "I just saved your life!!"
"Who are they?" Atlantasite shrieked, focusing her beam on the four Shitennou surrounding Mamoru and Sailor Mercury.
"I don't know, but they're toast!" Vanadinite snarled and let lose her strongest attack straight for the group.
Tamo shoved Mamoru behind him, creating a shield around them while Zoe, Komo and Jiko fired back at the Dark Kingdom minions.
"Kill the Senshi!" Atlantasite ordered, "Grab Sailor Moon!"
Amazonite lurched forward hurtling lighting at the ice cage as Azurite caused its walls to disintegrate. The Senshi dove out of the way of her attack but were aided by another shield of Tamoten's creation.
"Endymion-sama," Tamoten began, "are these the girls we are supposed to rescue?"
"I'm not sure!" Mamoru cried, "I think so -"
"Mamoru!!!" he heard a familiar voice shriek and then hit the floor as a Sailor Moon threw herself into his arms.
"How did she break through -" Tamo began.
"I thought you were dead!" Sailor Moon wailed, cutting him off mid sentence.
"Thank you for saving the Senshi," she added to Tamoten, "even if you did try to kill us before."
"Are they on your side now?" she asked excitedly, turning back to Mamoru.
Mamoru was staring at her with an odd, calculating expression on his face.
"I don't think these are the right Senshi," he said in confusion.
He glanced at the battle raging on around him. The Senshi in the dark uniforms, they couldn't possibly be the right Senshi, could they?
"Hey, Jiko!" he called out, "bring us one of the Senshi in the grey uniforms."
Jiko nodded and snagged Azurite; twisting her hands behind her back he teleported both of them into the shield where Tamoten stood between Mamoru, Usagi and the writhing Azurite.
"Hey, you -" Mamoru struggled out of Sailor Moon's enthusiastic embrace and tried to peer over Tamoten's tall shoulder, "who are you?"
"It's none of your business," Azurite spat, "but I am the third in command of Queen Beryl's glorious army."
"How long have you been her servant?" he asked, not sure he could believe his ears or his eyes. Could this possibly be Ami?
At first Azurite refused to answer but Jiko pulled her head back and put a sword to her throat.
"Three days ago," she snarled.
Mamoru nodded in something like relief. Jiko, catching his eye, executed a swift blow to the girl's head and she crumpled in his arms.
"Ok," he said slowly, still trying to shake Sailor Moon off him, "I don't know how, and I don't know why, but the Senshi we sent back in time are fighting their past selves."
"What should we do, my liege?" Tamoten asked Mamoru, Jiko had already returned to the fray.
"Well, for starters, you can stop calling me 'liege' or Endymion-sama, or anything besides plain Mamoru," Mamoru answered, "and then you can help me figure out how to keep the Senshi from killing each other."
Outside the shield, the Shitennou were having the time of their lives. It had been close to a thousand years since they'd last fought together and though they were somewhat out of practice, their old skills were returning with a vengeance, to the misfortune of both pairs of Senshi – who had decided to attack them simultaneously.
"Hey, sweethearts," Komo addressed Mars and Vanadinite, who were trying to fry him like a moth, "are you two twins?"
"Shut up!" They screamed in tandem.
"I love twins!" he smirked as he dodged their double attacks and they both ended up frying each other. He then sent them reeling into the wall of the warehouse with a single surge of power.
"Would you quit acting like an idiot!" Zoe snapped as he dodged Vanadinite's hurtling figure.
He then screamed a very high pitched scream as Mercury sprayed him with ice cold water, making him fall to the ground drenched.
"That was cold," he whimpered, then felt his head.
"My hair!" he screeched, and lurching to his feet, he blasted fire at Mercury's computer, melting it.
Mercury gave a small squeal of frustration and rage.
"Serves you right," Zoe shouted, dodging her next attack and retaliating, "you destroyed something I love, so I destroyed something you love!"
Komo was laughing hysterically in between teleporting out of the way of Jupiter's lighting.
Jiko, calm and collected as usual, was growing rather angry trying to capture Atlantasite without hurting her too much. She'd already made a cut on his jaw from her beam.
Suddenly he was hit from behind and went down like a log.
"Sorry," he heard Zoe mutter, "that really tall Senshi was about to electrocute you."
"It's alright," Jiko coughed, "thanks."
Zoe stood and helped Jiko to his feet; the two of them stood back to back – blasting attacks at the surrounding Senshi.
"Which ones are we supposed to grab?" Zoe yelled above the noise.
"The ones in the grey uniforms."
"Are you sure?! They look pretty evil."
"Yep, I'm sure." Jiko replied, grimly.
"I sure hope Endymion-sama knows what he's doing."
Jiko let out a short laugh.
"When has that ever happened?" he asked, then caught himself for a moment. Why did I say that? He thought.
Atlantasite's attack caused him to forget that train of thought, as he ducked and returned fire, finally finding an opening in her defense.
"You grab the brunette, I'll grab the blond," he said, then plunged forward to wrestle Atlantasite to the ground.
"Uh," Zoe swallowed nervously, looking at the towering figure of Amazonite. She smiled nastily at him and thundered her attack.
He rolled aside, teleported behind her and pressed his thumb to her jugular, immediately rendering her unconscious.
Her dead weight dragged them both to the ground, trapping him under her.
"Komo!" he shrieked, "help!"
"A little busy!" Komo yelled back, facing down Venus and Jupiter. Jiko turned and teleported to his side and together they managed to knock the Senshi off their feet.
Komo laughed at the sight of Zoe trapped under Amazonite, but rolled her off him and picked her up. Jiko carried Atlantasite toward the forcefield while Zoe went to retrieve Vanadinite.
"Uh, that's the wrong one, Zo," Jiko commented as the young man hoisted Sailor Mars into his arms.
"What?" he sighed exasperated, and let her drop unceremoniously to the floor before picking up the other Sailor Mars in the grey fuku.
"Why are there so many of these people?" he muttered.
Once inside the shield, Mamoru approached them and checked each Senshi.
"I hope this is right," he commented, "otherwise -"
"Oh, what does it matter?" Komo remarked, "one's as good as the other -"
"Let's just get out of here," Zoe suggested, "those Senshi are gonna come after us soon."
"Mamoru!" Sailor Moon wailed from where she'd been crying on the floor near Tamoten's feet, "what's wrong with you? Why don't you remember me?"
"I've told you," Mamoru sighed, "I do remember you but I'm not the Mamoru you want -"
"Yes, you are!" she sobbed.
"I know," she said suddenly, "it's because you've been brainwashed."
"No, I told you -"
"Moon Healing -" Sailor Moon brought her scepter up and pointed it straight at the Senshi and Shitennou, but Mamoru managed to avoid it in time.
As the white light washed over them, the Senshi awoke and the black energy of Beryl's curse was ripped away from their bodies. But as the light penetrated all of them, something in their minds clicked.
"Lady Mars," Jiko breathed, dropping Minako to the ground with a bump and snatching Mars from Zoe's grasp.
"You're alive," he gazed at her worshipfully as she gazed back at him.
"My love!" Komo cried and he and Jupiter threw themselves on each other in a frenzied and exuberant display of affection.
"Can it be you?" Mina stared as Tamtoten helped her to her feet, drinking in the clear blue color of her eyes.
"Mercury," Zoe said, grinning widely and grabbed her hand. She blushed.
"I told you we'd find each other some day," he whispered.
Mamoru and Usagi watched in amazement, entranced by the scene before them, until the light from the Crystal vanished, as did the briefly restored memories.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Mako cried, punching a shocked Komo in the face.
"What's your problem, lady?" he retorted, holding his jaw, "Are you a lunatic!?"
"You're the crazy one – how am I supposed to react when some weirdo jumps on me?"
"You jumped on me, you charlatan!"
"Uh, do I know you?" Ami asked, blushing furiously as she and Zoe dropped hands immediately.
"I don't think so," Zoe mumbled embarrassed.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Rei demanded.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Jiko replied stiffly.
"Excuse me," Tamoten said politely, releasing Mina's hand, "are you the leader of the Senshi?"
"Yes, I am," Mina replied warily, "but I'm a little confused right now."
"Get out!" Mamoru shouted, shoving Sailor Moon outside the shield.
She only cried louder and held on harder.
Finally he leaned down and in desperation he grabbed her shoulders and kissed her. She slackened her grip on his arms and as soon as he was able to, he broke away.
She looked up at him with a dazed expression of happiness and wonder on her face.
"You do remember me," she sighed.
"Yeah, I told you I did." he replied, then shoved her as hard as he could outside of the shield.
As he turned the Senshi and Shitennou regarded him with varying degrees of bewilderment and disapproval.
"Oh, give me a break!" he shouted.
At that moment they all disappeared.
As Mamoru rushed to Usagi's side he saw that her translucency was gone, her flesh was solid and to test this thoroughly he leaned over and promptly kissed her.
She sighed happily with the same expression her former self had worn a few minutes, or a few years ago.
Can a man cheat on his girlfriend with her past self? He wondered suddenly, uneasily. Does that count?
"What's wrong?" Usagi asked, noticing his frown.
"Nothing," he smiled, and kissed her forehead, "everything is as it should be."
In the back ground he could hear the Senshi and Shitennou arguing with each other over who should be allowed to stand nearest himself and Usagi.
Well, he thought, almost everything.