The moon sat full, bright and high in the sky, its brilliant glow casting long, blue shadows on the ground and a stunning reflection on the cool, still water in the silent park. It was well past midnight when the two generals walked along in the silent grove, their shoes tapping on the stone pathways and quickly surveying the water and trees and bushes, they had gone out, as commanded, to cause a commotion large enough to draw out the senshi from hiding, but as soon as they had left the apartment, they had felt a great surge of energy, and they had immediately gone to investigate, the feeling of threat and danger greatly outweighing their mission. They had ended up here, and traces of the tremendous energy could still be felt in the crisp, cold air and, remaining on guard, the two men set to thoroughly examining the area.
"I've never felt energy like this, it's strange to me," Kunzite said softly, and his companion grinned, hands thrusting into his pockets.
"I know it. It's the demon I fought earlier."
"Think we can take him?"
"Sure do. I held him off before on my own. With two of us, I think we can take it down." They heard a sharp snapping from behind them, and both men spun around quickly, eyes wide and alert. "We need to stay careful, though. He's still very powerful. And he's huge."
Kunzite nodded, his foot quickly flicking off the ground and he floated in the air just above the pathway. "Shall we go up and look for him, then?"
The blonde looked around quickly in all directions, straining to hear anything out of place, a task made difficult by a light breeze that rustled leaves and made thin branches on trees lightly sway. When he assessed that there was nothing out of the ordinary in the vicinity, Jadeite kicked off the ground and hovered next to the older general. "We should stay together though, okay?"
"Scared, Jadeite?" the icy man drawled, casting a smug look toward the younger man, who simply shrugged.
"Nah, I just think you're cute."
"Yes, well…Wait, what?"
"Come on, idiot," Jadeite said swiftly, laughing slightly to himself as he flew high into the night sky.
They did not say another word. In seconds, they were both high in the air above the park, the two soldiers working together in perfect unison, just as they had once done back when they had attacked and destroyed the Moon Kingdom. It did not take them long to locate where the demon had landed, a large hole that had seemed to have been blasted into the stone path, cubic pieces of rock strewn about and uncovering the moist soil before. After that, it was easy to track his path, the trail of destruction leaving the hole and continuing through broken trees and upturned grass and foliage; it was as though a truck had been driven right through the forest.
The trail finally stopped in a clearing with a children's playground, and it was here that Kunzite and Jadeite found the demon.
He nudged the older man in the ribs and pointed at the menacing figure. "I'll go in. You hang back and attack when he's distracted with me." The white haired man nodded, and Jadeite was off.
The demon was about to leave the area and continue on his way, his large, clawed feet leaving huge, frightening prints in the ground, when his head was struck by a sizable flying rock. He quickly spun around, yellow eyes narrowed as he locked on to the smug, cocky figure of Jadeite, sitting on a swing and tossing a similar stone up and down carelessly.
"Why, hello there!" He watched the demon closely, examining him as rage turned to pleasure, a sinister smile crossing the towering man's dark face. "Miss me?"
"I have orders to destroy you," the demon growled, and the little general merely grinned.
"Oh yeah? Taking orders from that swine Alkaios?"
Without warning, a sharp force of energy tore through the area as though the air was cut with a blade, and the chains of the swing were evenly cut, the general falling to the ground. He quickly stumbled to his feet, his heart nearly humming the beat was so quick. "Don't insult our leader, fool," the devil snarled, sharp, dangerous teeth fully exposed, his long fangs laying just over his lower lip, his powerful, square jaw line tense with rage.
Jadeite merely laughed, his voice sounding much stronger and more confident than he felt. "You are just a pawn! We destroyed your people before, and we'll do it again. We personally bitch slapped your dear leader and failing to kill him is a mistake I will not soon repeat!"
"We are no longer under the weak leadership of Serenity!" the demon snapped, eyes glowing with power. Hear who I am and fear us, human. I am Geryon the Demon, the Tenth of the Council of Twelve."
Jadeite smirked. "Never heard of you."
"Let this be your first and last time, then." With that, the massive creature launched himself at the smaller man, and Jadeite only just managed to quickly put up a force field which the creature colliaded with, shaking it profoundly and the barrier nearly collapsed under the tremendous force. Geryon grasped his hands together, and as heavily as he could, brought his fists down upon the field, and the barrier was shattered like glass, the force knocking Jadeite onto the ground.
As quickly as he could, the general darted out of the way as a large, powerful fist cut into the ground where his head was only moments ago, a deep imprint of his fist cut into the shattered, broken pavement. He managed to lightly touch the demons head, and on contact, Jadeite sent out a forceful, dark blast of energy that sent the demon flying back, crashing into a tree and the wood instantly splintered under the weight of the huge being.
This did not seem to hard the Tenth at all, seeming to annoy him more than anything else. As if he was not even phased, he launched his powerful self at the small, thin blonde, trapped in panic and fear and his efforts were not nearly enough to avoid Geryon; the colossal hand wrapped around the thin, slender neck of the general and forcibly ripped him from the ground, holding him aloft and tightening his crushing grip on the struggling man.
The demon smiled a toothy grin, his fangs long and menacing, a deep, cruel laugh rising from him as the teen became weaker in his efforts to escape. He could have easily snapped the boys neck, but the dark, animalistic man seemed to take a perverse joy, a cruel enjoyment in watching the young man grow weaker in his grasp.
The yellow eyes suddenly widened, and his grip on Jadeite went lax, the blonde falling to the ground and, as quickly as he could in his weakened, dazed state, scampered away. "Sweet lord, what took you so long!" Jadeite gasped hoarsely, sputtering and coughing a very safe distance from the stationary demon.
Geryon fell to his knees, a long pink blade of energy buried deeply in his lower back, cutting through him as easily as a hot knife through butter. "You do not have a comrade…"
The blade was effortlessly removed as though his body offered no resistance at all, and Kunzite strengthened the weapon, the ethereal blade glowing ever brighter, and glared in contempt at the slumped colossus. "He does now, fool."
"So what do we do with him?" Jadeite asked, eyeing but keeping his distance from the profusely bleeding demon.
"Well, we certainly can't let him go," the white haired man said matter of factly as he slid the energy blade back into the creatures back, and he roared in pain, the proud, powerful man temporarily subdued by the most powerful of the Dark Kingdom's soldiers.
Jadeite shrugged. "Let's kill him. We can't keep him forever, and he's a pain in the ass."
"Hey, you," Kunzite growled as he pushed the blade in deeper, the demon wincing at the increased pressure. "What are you doing here?"
"No doubt exactly as you are doing," Geryon grimaced. "We seek to destroy the senshi."
"Uh huh, and what about the Dark Crystal, hmm?" Jadeite asked snidely.
"It is not my mission."
"So why kill them?" Kunzite questioned forcefully, his commanding presence making the large man shrink back and appear smaller. "Your master is of the Moon Kingdom, the senshi are your kinsmen."
"The motives of my lord are not my business," he grinned, faint traces of blood on his teeth that came from his lungs. "I have just been given orders. The senshi need to die."
"Well," Kunzite said softly, "can't argue with that."
"Hey, demon, you from Nemesis?" Jadeite asked, creeping closer when he determined the man to be no longer dangerous. "Why work with the Moon Kingdom? They're your sworn enemies."
At this, the creature laughed harshly, the blood being forced out of his open wounds. "Alkaios will resurrect our god, Kurozuishou. And what will our people do to make this happen? Nothing. Our senshi are dead, our princess is gone. We are powerless, weak, pathetic. Alkaios will bring about the new age of darkness. He will destroy all those that stand in our way."
"So," Kunzite said softly. "That's what this is about. It isn't about a war between two nations, it's a flat out conquest."
"And in the end, the Moon Kingdom will reign supreme, but this time with the Dark Crystal at its heart!"
They were quiet for some time, save for the coughing and sputtering of the demon, before Jadeite quietly said, "Without Serenity, the Moon Kingdom is without the Silver Crystal. You're robbed of your rightful power, so why not get the senshi on your side to regain it?"
"Serenity is dead," the demon hissed. "That…that idiot that the Silver Crystal has chosen is no ruler. It only further shows how the crystal – our god! – has betrayed us."
"I can't believe I'm saying this," Kunzite sighed, shaking his head, "but you're gravely underestimating that girl."
"We may as well just let this fool go, Kunzite," Jadeite laughed. "Sailor Moon's going to obliterate this idiot."
"I also have orders to kill you."
He hardly had time to register what had been said when the young general was struck with the full force of the demon's power, a blast that sent him skidding across the ground, his skin and clothing ripping and tearing and leaving a bloody trail on the rocky earth.
It only took a flash of a second for the icy general to rip the energy blade from the demon's back, the weapon poised above his head as though he were a scorpion ready to strike. Without any hesitation, Kunzite plunged the pink blade through Geryon's neck, and the red eyes went blank, blood pouring from his neck and mouth as he was thrown to the ground, his massive body twitching with ragged breaths that inhaled only blood and swift, jerky involuntary movements for a few moments before falling entirely still.
The older man wasted no time in rushing to Jadeite, lying still far on the other end of the clearing in a thorny bramble. He carefully untangled the teen, taking care to not touch the raw, skinned areas of his chest and arms. He put his fingers to Jadeite's neck and closed his eyes, breathing a sigh of relief as he felt a pulse, faint, but present; he was alright. "Jadeite," the white haired man said firmly, shaking the boy slightly, and he groaned, moved slightly and then went limp, falling into full unconsciousness.
Sighing, Kunzite unfastened the clamps that held his cape and he carefully wrapped the blonde up, covering his battered body to shield him from further harm. He groaned slightly in annoyance as he picked up his comrade; the mission needed to be put on hold. For now, he needed to get aide to Jadeite; he teleported out of the park, leaving the demon and the bloody scene behind.
Everything was still and silent, save for Geryon's hand as it slowly and tightly clenched.