Author's note: I don't own Sailor Moon. For this chapter and others Artemis is in human form – essentially he is human (well you'll hear more about him straight off the bat). But one thing before I start the story, I have more reviews! Yay, I'm so happy! Thank you sousie (I'm happy that you like the story so much) and Silver Moon Goddess1 – nice insight…is Sergio Serena/Serenity/Usagi…you'll just have to wait and see won't you? This chapter might mix you up a little bit though…don't forget continue to review, I absolutely love hearing what you guys have to say.
Chapter Three: The Doppelgangers
I woke up the next morning refreshed and ready to go after last night's trip to the bathhouse. Malachite and a few of my other close bodyguards, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Artemis (whom we have nicknamed 'The Cat' not only for the ninja powers that he possess, but also because he seems to prowl around the palace, and the way that he moves is similar to that of a cat) enjoyed ourselves talking about our daily lives. It's always interesting to hear what my bodyguards say because at times they venture outside of the palace during a break to get some fresh air, or sometimes during dangerous times to get food for the kitchens. Artemis was telling us all about how during the previous day he met a very attractive woman with long wavy black hair named Luna. We all oohed and aahed over Artemis' new love interest. Nephrite decided to tease him saying things like "sounds like Artemis has got a new lady friend. I'm sure that The Cat wants to get his claws on her." We all laughed – including Artemis, although his cheeks turned bright red whenever we teased him about Luna.
"We wish you all the best with her though seriously Artemis." I had told him.
I smiled at the memory and decided that it was time to get on with my day. I did my usual morning bathroom routine and as I was finishing dressing in my business casual attire – there was a knock at my door. "Enter please." I said, looking towards the door to see who it was.
"My lord" said a man as he entered my bodyguards. I immediately recognized him from the green uniform that he wore with a red flower on one of the pockets.
"Hello Fiore, please come in." I said a bit hesitantly as he entered the room. I had always been cautious around Fiore because he had always exhibited a somewhat unnatural obsession with me. Fiore would always tell me things like "I would love to be closer with you sire. Like Malachite and all the others…I've been your employee for such a long time…" There was just something different about the way that he acted around me when compared to the other bodyguards; he just had a creepy vibe about him. But I keep him around because he is a great ninja – one of the best in the world to be honest. I acquired his services from his home country of Italy, and knew of his widely acclaimed reputation. I still to this day think that it would be unfair of me to fire Fiore just because he seems to have a slight crush on me – or maybe I'm just imagining that part. His skills are still impeccable – the only person currently in my employment who I thought could even potentially compete with Fiore in terms of level of skill would be Sergio, since I still didn't know all that Sergio could do.
"Malachite sent me in here to update you on the progress of the…" he looked to his side and growled, "the new one."
"Ah I see – so how is Sergio doing? I take it that you're helping to train him?"
"Yes I am." Fiore growled again.
"Is there something wrong Fiore?"
"Of course not my lord." Fiore said and smiled at me contently – my guess was because I was expressing concern about his well-being. "Just ignore it…I've got something in my throat."
"Ah. Well thank you for the brief report then Fiore."
"Excuse me sire, but I'm not finished yet. We have also re-started the training in case of another visit by that unpleasant woman…" Fiore said, growling again.
"You mean princess Nehellenia?"
"Yes that evil bitch." Fiore growled louder than ever, his gaze, which was still concentrated on the floor, turned into an icy glare – almost as if Nehellenia herself was there. "Please forgive my language my lord." He said, realizing that he had said the thought aloud.
"Perfectly fine Fiore, you know that I don't mind cursing much, hell I use profanity pretty often myself if you can remember."
"I know that – I just wasn't sure if you would appreciate me talking about her that way – she is after all still a member of the court your highness."
"You're right Fiore. Well thank you for all of that. You may go back to training Sergio if you would like."
"Whatever you wish your worship." Fiore said sweetly, locking eyes with me and smiling dreamily. He stood there staring for about forty seconds before I cleared my throat. "Uh Fiore?"
"Excuse me your highness." Fiore said as he bowed and hurriedly left my room.
I was about to leave the room and go find out what tasks I had to accomplish today, when there was another knock on my door. Please let it not be Fiore again… "Please enter."
"Your highness." Came a familiar and more pleasant voice from the door.
I smiled, and told Sergio "come on in – and don't you remember you don't have to be so formal, you can call me Darien."
"R-right Darien." Sergio said – almost confidently as he entered the room.
"I thought that you were at training Sergio?" I asked inquisitively. Geez he's pretty fast if he was just at training a couple seconds ago.
"Well it's break time so I thought that I'd come and see you." Sergio said happily.
"That's nice…" I said hesitantly. Is it just me or does Sergio seem quite eager to see me today?
"Anyway, sire Malachite also gave me your schedule for today." Sergio said, pulling out a long list of things that I had to do today which was on a scroll, and reading them off as I sat in silence. I wasn't really listening – instead I was swimming in my own thoughts. What happened to the mystery of Sergio? His quietness and shyness seemed to have vanished. If I didn't know any better I would think that this isn't Sergio. Not to mention…I looked Sergio up and down carefully, he's still not wearing the uniform that we acquired for him. He's still wearing the outfit of a member of the Tsukino clan.
"By the way, Sergio – I see that you still haven't changed into your uniform." I remarked, making Sergio a bit nervous.
"Well…you see Darien. I didn't tell you this before, but it's really against family tradition for me to take off my clan outfit just yet. We're supposed to wear it for a week before donning the uniform of an employer or changing clothes for a mission."
"I see." I remarked suspiciously. "You seem to be quite chipper today as well Sergio."
"Ah – well, I'm usually not so shy and reserved Darien. You see – I'm just getting adjusted to the place, and once I'm adjusted – I'll be fine. Doesn't take me too long I guess." Sergio replied.
"If you're so comfortable, why don't you take the mask off then Sergio?"
"I told you before sire, I'm not allowed to do so."
"Not even if I order you to?"
"I can't!" Sergio shrieked, I could tell that there was even a bit of fear in his voice. "Do what you like with me Darien for not following your orders, but I cannot take off my mask or my outfit – it is against the code of the Tsukino clan." It seemed almost as if Sergio had tears in his eyes.
"Fine then. Leave my schedule here and get back to training, Malachite is probably looking for you by now."
"All right then. Goodbye for now your highness." Sergio replied in a crisp manner and then left the room, slamming the door slightly behind him. Well I didn't mean to make him mad, but honestly all of that wasn't necessary. I was a bit peeved at the ordeal, and decided that it was about time to leave my room. I hate being cooped up anywhere for too long, and my room – despite the fact that it was spacious and comfortable was one of the last places that I enjoyed being for long periods of time.
I grabbed the schedule and opened the door to find Sergio standing right outside of the door. What the hell is he still doing here? "Yes? Anything else I can help you with Sergio?" I asked him as I stood in the doorway.
"Anything else?" Sergio repeated – he seemed to not understand what I was talking about. "I'm here on break D-D-D-D-Darien. I wanted to actually apologize for my behavior last night, and that's why I came over here. But – uh, if you tire of me, then I could leave."
"No, that's fine." I said, shifting my weight uncomfortably from foot to foot. Why does he seem completely oblivious as to what just happened a few seconds ago?
"You see – in all honesty, I like taking baths at strange times, I'm embarrassed about the way that I look, and I'm a bit shy around strangers. Maybe I'd join you gentlemen after I got to know everyone better. I'd feel uncomfortable sitting in the bathhouse with you and a few other strange men…I'm sure that you get what I mean?"
"I guess so." I said, by this point I was utterly confused. "I thought that you just told me that you're getting more comfortable around me – and just being in the castle though Sergio?"
"Excuse me D-D-D-D-D-Darien, but I never said those words. I'm not yet completely comfortable with my surroundings. Although I have been getting more accustomed to this place."
"Are you just playing a trick on me or something Sergio? If so it was pretty funny – but I'd like you to stop now if possible."
"D-D-D-D-Darien I can assure you that I was never playing a prank on you, I would never do that to your highness. I should go now though, Malachite is very strict about being on time after returning from a break."
"Well you're right about that." I replied, still a bit confused. What the hell is going on around here? "One more thing though Sergio…" I said interrupting him in mid sprint.
"Yes sir?"
"Why haven't you changed your uniform yet – just out of curiosity."
"Ah well, excuse me for not changing the uniform D-D-Darien, but it's against the rules of the Tsukino clan. I'm supposed to wear my outfit for a week before changing into my employer's uniform."
"I see – Sergio, have you ever told me this before?"
"No sire, I haven't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to training." Sergio left quickly, running at a nice speed. I decided that maybe my mind was just playing tricks on me, and then walked out of my room, task list in hand. I opened the scroll, expecting to find a list of tasks, but instead I find the words:
"Sergio is an imposter." Written all the way down the long scroll of parchment. What the fuck is going on around here? I ran to the dining hall to get my breakfast, and decided that now would be an adequate time to call in my guards and get to the bottom of this. I marched down the hallway, I really couldn't be sure if the saying on the scroll was valid or not. I'd hate to pin this on one of my bodyguards…but Fiore was acting a bit strangely, not to mention growling at Sergio's name. Then again – Sergio was acting quite peculiar himself earlier. I really don't know what to think about all of this.
I made it to the dining hall, sat down, and was promptly greeted by one of my butlers, Greg who gave me a couple of selections for today's breakfast. "First off, you could have the scrambled eggs, with ham, cheese, and some parsley for garnish. The kitchen is also prepared to make your favorite type of pancakes – those chocolate chip ones that you've favored since you were a child, with a light homemade maple syrup."
"Thank you Greg – I'll just take them both, I'm pretty hungry this morning. A good breakfast will also help to clear my head. Just between you and me, there are some important issues that I must discuss with my bodyguards…so I would like everyone to eat – and then once the rest of the staff is done remove themselves, I want the utmost privacy."
"Whatever your majesty pleases." Greg said with a bow, then he went over to a small golden tray and grabbed a glass of orange juice.
"We all know that your highness favors orange juice in the morning, so I've already brought that here for you." He said placing the glass of orange juice in front of me.
"Thank you Greg, that was very thoughtful of you." I told him with a smile, he beamed at me. Then went to go and get the orders in for the rest of the staff.
I waited until Greg was gone, then I pulled out my whistle, which I kept hidden under my clothes most of the time. I used the whistle in emergencies for the most part – but I also used it for special gatherings, essentially any time when I really needed all of my bodyguards accounted for. This isn't any ordinary-looking whistle either, it's a very elegant and special silver whistle with the emblem of Crystal Tokyo engraved on it – a red rose. The rose stood out nicely from the silver since it was painted red and had a crisp green stem with a few darker green thorns on it. The whistle was also special in the fact that not just anyone can hear it, only a trained ninja ear can hear the sounds that come out of the whistle – think of it like a dog whistle only it's made for ninjas. I put it in my mouth and blew on it, and before I knew it all of my bodyguards were gathered around me in a protective stance, weapons drawn and ready to fight.
"Relax everyone, this is not that type of emergency. Please put away your weapons, have a seat, and let's enjoy breakfast together. Just take your time, I have a few things to discuss with you all." I told them, motioning for them to sit down and eat. Pancakes had been placed on the table in front of every chair; in front of us was also a feast of fruits, a few meats (sausage, bacon, ham), some exquisite cheese and drinks such as milk, orange juice, and water. I waited until the staff had finished eating, then sent them all away. My bodyguards were now alert, practically sitting on the edges of their seats – waiting for me to speak. "We have a problem, I'm not sure if this is a joke – or if it's real but I need to know the answer. I received this today…" I said pulling out the scroll and unfurling it, showing everyone the message. "I would like to know if the information on this scroll is true or not."
Sergio quickly stood up, "it is not my lord, I assure you." He replied, bowing a bit. "I'm the real deal."
Fiore was glaring at Sergio, his teeth bared. "Is there anything that you'd like to say Fiore?" I asked.
"…that is not the real Sergio." Fiore said, also standing up – locking eyes with Sergio, who seemed to glare at him from behind the mask. "I will be able to prove it, but the Sergio that you are looking at right now is an imposter. So yes sire, I am the one that wrote that note – but I know that it must be true because I was visited by three Sergios today, each with a different personality. One was very bubbly and cheerful, another acted in the manner that Sergio normally does – mysterious and somewhat shy, the other one just…got on my nerves, and really rubbed me the wrong way. He was impolite, just a disgrace to the name of a ninja."
"How dare you, you fucking asshole!" Sergio spat at him. "My lord, I'm the real Sergio – please believe me…I can prove it…" Sergio said, coming next to me and moving from the place where he had been sitting to come near me, he extended an arm to touch my shoulder, but Malachite quickly stepped in before he could.
"You touch him with that hand – and I can guarantee you that the next time you see it, it will be on the floor." He growled, and looked over at me through the corner of his eyes, "sire I too encountered three Sergios today. I'm still not quite too sure which one is which. But I can tell you that this one – is not him."
"I would have to agree with you on that one Malachite." A voice said from the opposite end of the room – where another Sergio was standing, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "That Sergio is definitely an imposter – look at him…"
He was quickly interrupted by another Sergio who came bursting through the locked doors, "sorry I'm late everyone!" He said cheerfully, "also sorry about the doors your highness." Then he looked around and noticed two other Sergios standing not too far away from him, "oh shit…I mean…oops." The third Sergio said.
"You guys know what to do!" I said, and each of the Sergios was apprehended before he could make a move. The third one was squealing unhappily as he was grabbed by Artemis. The first one was shouting out curses apparently very outraged, as Malachite grabbed him roughly by the arms. Finally, the second one just stood there – he seemed to be lost in his thoughts as Fiore grabbed him, tightly gripping his arms as well. "Bring them to me…" I said and each Sergio was brought to me. "I think that I figured out an easy way of determining which Sergio is which. Now to the real Sergio I must say – excuse me for what I'm about to do."
"What will you do to them sire?" Malachite asked, making sure to have a firm grip on Sergio's arms.
"The answer is simple – take off their masks." All three Sergios seemed to have horrified looks on their faces, as if I had figured out a way to uncover their dirty little secrets.
I approached the first one, who was bucking wildly against Malachite's grip. "Don't you dare touch me! I don't care if you're king, how dare you remove my mask!"
"No need to yell…Nehellenia." I said as I removed the mask and sure enough, there was Nehellenia – she had obviously tried to disguise her voice – which had worked pretty well until she started to get worked up. It got more and more high pitched. I started to walk away from her, not wanting to be anywhere near the woman.
"So you figured me out….but you will not keep me here, and you will not keep me from having my king Malachite." Nehellenia said, and with that she did a quick move, twisting her wrists out of Malachite's grip, and prepared to lunge for me. I looked up horrified, shit…should've have made her mad. The next thing I knew, Nephrite had thrown a dagger – which cut some of Nehellenia's hair, then she vanished into thin air.
"Well I guess that she'll be back sometime soon. That leaves two more – I have to check you both, who knows you might all be imposters."
"Go ahead and take mine off then…" the third Sergio said unhappily.
I removed the mask to find another woman, with long straight blonde hair, a red bow was holding it all together, she had blue eyes – just like Sergio. She gave me a warm smile. She had such stunning beauty, I was amazed by her. "Hello sire, I was the one that gave you the message this morning. Please excuse me for intruding." She said, "my name is Mina Tsukino, soon to be Mina Aino."
"You're Sergio's sister?"
"Yep that'd be me. I've always been a huge fan of you – and I just wanted to meet you. Didn't want my jealous fiancé…or my little brother to know that I was around here. So I thought that maybe I could spend a bit of time with you if I came in disguise, guess that approach didn't work. But I'm very happy to meet you. If you ever need my services then, I'll be happy to oblige." She said smiling.
"You can release her Artemis."
"Thank you. My wrists were starting to hurt." She said with a smile, "well I've got to get going, thank you for meeting me though your majesty."
"My pleasure to get to meet such a nice and beautiful woman – although next time, please don't come in disguised as one of my bodyguards."
"You've got it. Good luck at your new job bro, wherever you are. Mina out!" She said – with that she vanished as well.
"Now for the last one…" I said as I removed the last one's mask. Revealed to me was a young man – who had feminine features. He had the same blue eyes and blonde hair as his sister – only his hair was cut super short in the fashion of a man. He had a definite case of mask-head (like hat hair only way worse) so his, what I would guess to be normally straight blonde hair, appeared to be wavy.
"Sorry for the confusion…D-D-D-D-Darien." He said a bit sadly.
"There's Sergio, we found him! You can release him now Fiore." Fiore still held onto him – maybe even a bit more tightly than before. "Fiore….please release Sergio."
"Oh. Excuse me my lord." He said, and released Sergio.
"I'm sorry that I had to remove your mask."
"It's fine – D-D-D-Darien, I know that there was good reason for it. I'm sure that the clan won't mind too much. I think that now that I have removed my mask – I should at least go and change into the new uniform that you gave me." He said as his stomach growled loudly.
"Uh – maybe we should get you some food first Sergio." I told him with a smile, he laughed. "Well everyone – crisis averted. If you haven't finished your breakfast I encourage you to do so. I'm going to stay here and enjoy the rest of my chocolate chip pancakes. Also, Nephrite – thank you for the wonderful job saving my life from Nehellenia."
"With pleasure sire."
"I'm going to go to the kitchen to make sure that someone gets you something to eat Sergio – we've been through quite an ordeal and it's not even lunchtime yet."
Author's endnote: Sorry for the long wait…I hope that you liked the chapter – another one will be around before the end of this month (I'm just so busy over here at my parents' house that I barely have time for myself around here, and I normally end up writing these stories early in the morning).
