Author's Note: This update is so far past due, I hope there are people out there who even remember my story! I apologize especially for promising updates and failing to fulfill them. What can I say? The bar totally kicked my ass. I know better than to make more promises, but I will say that even if it takes me a while, we will reach a conclusion!
As for the story itself, I was a little worried that this chapter might be a tad on the slow side, but I think it picks up in the end. (fingers crossed!) With this out of the way, we can now start moving ahead with the main storyline.
On a random note, I decided to make Luna and Artemis actual talking cats, as opposed to talking stuffed animals like in PGSM. I honestly believe the show's creators intended to keep the CG-animated cats, but probably had to cut them due to budgetary concerns. Perhaps it's just me, but I find it easier to suspend my disbelief when dealing with talking cats as opposed to talking toys. Weird, I know.
Another minor aside – I decided to have Artemis refer to Minako as "Mina" a la the anime/manga. It annoyed me that PGSM Artemis referred to her as plain ol' "Minako." I think "Mina" conveys a closer relationship between the two, and I always likened them to bickering siblings.
Last but not least, I've taken a few liberties with the Outer Senshi, which I thought I'd have more leeway to do since we're dealing in the PGSM world. Hope it doesn't freak too many people out. But never fear! I have a plan! (I think!)
Disclaimer: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon belongs to "Princess" Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., Kodansha Animation, etc. etc.
I'm living in an age
That calls darkness light
Though my language is dead
Still the shapes fill my head
I'm living in an age
Whose name I don't know
Though the fear keeps me moving
Still my heart beats so slow
I'm living in an age
That screams my name at night
But when I get to the doorway
There's no one in sight
-Arcade Fire
"That should hold her for now."
With the force field securely in place around the Guardian of Time's cell, the hooded man lowered his hands and turned toward the two figures standing next to him.
"Why keep her alive?" One of his companions, a woman, spoke, her voice echoing throughout the stone-walled prison. "Why not just get rid of her?"
"Because, Kore, the Master has ordered it so," the hooded man responded. "We need her in order to get our revenge on Serenity and her… ilk."
The man glanced at his other companion, who stared intently at the incapacitated Sailor Pluto. "Having second thoughts?"
"Don't be ridiculous," came the expected brusque reply. There's no turning back… I'm doing the right thing. I am.
"You know who's next."
"Leave her to me." With that, the figure nodded curtly to both Kore and the man before turning abruptly and exiting the confinement area.
"It would be so much faster if we just killed them all," Kore said.
"Oh if it were only that simple, my dear sister," the man pulled back his hood, revealing his short white hair. "But the Master and I have learned the hard way that you can't just attack them head-on.
"No… You must take away their will to fight."
It was over. They lost.
She staggered slowly across the ruined landscape, her steps unsure and unsteady. Taking in the desolate surroundings, she fought down despair remembering that just this morning, things had been quite different. The palace and its surrounding courtyard had glowed with radiance and flowers bloomed throughout the royal grounds amidst sparkling streams. Nothing but death surrounded her now, emptiness and loneliness. Bodies littered her path and the once pristine waters were now stained red.
Pillars, once tall and mighty, now stood broken, their shattered pieces strewn about the ground. Her hobbled gait slowed further still until she stopped and stared at a spot near the base of one pillar. There beneath its shadow lay two of her 'sisters,' two of the royal family's guardians – one painfully shy and humble despite possessing the most brilliant mind in the solar system; the other tall and confident and whose strength knew no bounds.
She fought valiantly to keep her emotions in check and forced herself continue onward, finally reaching the steps to the entrance of the palace. As she began climbing the stairs, she passed the body of a raven-haired woman whose temper, she recalled, matched the flames she controlled. She stumbled to her knees, losing the battle to keep her grief at bay. What a waste, she thought as tears spilled down her face. There had been so much life in her left still… in all of them. So many things left unsaid, left undone.
It was then she felt two strong arms grip her and lift her to her feet. Startled and ready to attack, she whipped around only to be confronted by a pair of emotionless, violet eyes.
"Saturn."
"Neptune."
The newcomer glanced down at the fallen woman. "There is no time to mourn them. We have to find the Queen."
Neptune nodded even though she wanted to scream at Saturn for acting so heartlessly. She had to fulfill her duty. It was all she had left.
Together, they moved into the palace and reached the hall just outside the throne room. It was there that they came across the Guardian of Uranus standing above the last of the young senshi, the one known for her unrivaled beauty and cool, calculating logic as the leader of the royal family's protectors. Uranus stood with her head down, one fist clenched while the other covered a darkening wound on her side. Even though she did not want to intrude on her pain, Neptune walked to her and lightly brushed her hand to hers, throwing a worried glance at her partner's wound. It had been too long since they were last together, but they both knew now was not the time for further displays of affection.
"Neptune," whispered Uranus, her body shaking from a combination of grief, rage and injury. "They didn't even stand a chance."
Silently, Saturn walked past them and opened the doors to the throne room. It was then that a blinding light filled the corridor and all three were forced to shield their eyes. When the light faded, Neptune could make out a lone figure kneeling on the ground sobbing next to the body of their beloved queen.
Queen Serenity - who was quickly fading from existence..
Without any hesitation Neptune approached the green-haired woman, knelt and wrapped her arms around her.
"Pluto," she whispered, and the Guardian of Time slowly turned and lay her head on Neptune's shoulder.
"We tried to get here as fast as we could," said Uranus, her voice lacking its usual bombast. "The Dark Kingdom was smart enough to set blockades between here and the outer planets. But not smart enough to realize who they were up against."
An eternity seemed to pass before Pluto finally lifted her head from Neptune's shoulder and stood with the help of the aqua-haired woman. As soon as she had done so, Uranus suddenly collapsed and both Neptune and Pluto rushed to her side.
"Uranus," Pluto looked at her friend helplessly.
Uranus grinned weakly as Neptune cradled her head in her lap. "It's… just a scratch."
But both Pluto and Neptune knew it was already too late. Quietly, the remaining soldier approached the three women, and Pluto finally acknowledged her presence. The young soldier who stood before them remained unsurprisingly unscathed, not having participated in the battle. She had been summoned for one purpose alone.
"The time has come," stated the Guardian of Death and Rebirth, her eyes barren, cold and unfeeling. "I believe you have somewhere you have to be."
As Pluto and Saturn conversed with each other, Neptune glanced down at her love, dully realizing that she had breathed her last. She knew she should scream, should rage, should curse the gods for this awful fate. And yet, she could not. She had no will left in her. All that remained was a vast emptiness. She lifted her gaze from Uranus and met Pluto's sympathetic maroon eyes.
"I'll see you again… someday… my friend."
Neptune felt Pluto grasp her shoulder for the last time before standing and summoning her garnet rod into existence. The Soldier of the Sea watched as Pluto gathered her power to teleport herself to Castle Charon and the Gates of Time. Darkness was beginning to cloud her vision, and the last image she saw as her body began to slowly slump over Uranus' was Saturn slowly floating upward, her Silence Glaive raised high, ready to strike.
The young woman's eyes shot open, her breathing fast and shallow. Feelings of despair washed over her like a tidal wave, forcing her to run to the bathroom and empty the contents of her stomach.
After a string of dry heaves, she finally pushed away from the toilet and sat against a wall. The dreams had begun weeks ago as mere flashes of images and emotions, with fear, grief, loneliness and hopelessness the chief among them. This was the first night, however, that her dreams had focused so heavily on a single, painstakingly detailed event – almost as if she had been reliving a memory…
She pushed herself off the floor and moved to the sink to rinse out her mouth and wash her face. After putting up her dark, damp hair into a pony tail, she returned to the bedroom. She stared at her bed for a few seconds before deciding to go for a walk, knowing that sleep would elude her for the rest of the night. She quickly dressed into an old jogging suit and made sure to put her keys inside her pants pocket. Before she left, she stopped by a bedroom down the hall from hers and silently opened the door. Satisfied that the room's occupant was safely and soundly asleep, she headed to the front door and exited the condominium.
Little did she know that the entire time, a cloaked figure had been floating just outside her bedroom window, glowing eyes watching her every move.
Here we go again.
The little white cat did his best to stifle a yelp and cling to his young charge's shoulder as she bounded from rooftop to rooftop. Every night, Artemis swore to put an end to these late night shenanigans. And every night, try as he might, he failed – utterly and miserably.
It all started about a year ago, during one of Minako's many sleepless nights while on tour in the U.K. She had been fiddling with her still functioning Teletia-S cell phone and, on a boredom-induced whim, used it to "disguise" herself as Sailor V. Artemis had smiled in amusement as the now-blonde pop idol struck pose after pose in front of a hotel room mirror. After an hour or so of reminiscing and sharing a few laughs, they both had decided to call it a night.
Or so Artemis had thought.
He had been far from amused when he awoke a few hours later and caught Minako – or Sailor V, rather – sneaking back into the room. The white cat didn't need to be a master detective to know what the young woman had been up to, and to her credit, Minako had even managed to look somewhat sheepish. To this day though, he didn't know if it was because she had known that her actions were dangerous, or because she had been caught. He suspected the latter.
The former guardian of love had assured him that she just went out for an evening stroll – for old time's sake, of course – and insisted that it would be for this one time only. Despite his skepticism, the white cat had decided to give her the benefit of the doubt … only to find her bed empty over the next three consecutive nights. On the fourth night, he feigned sleep until he heard Minako exit and then tailed her. His suspicions were confirmed when he watched her take down a robber with ease and return the money he stole to a beleaguered convenience store clerk – just like she did on her first night as Sailor V.
Despite the immediate swell of pride he felt for his charge, he had forced a scowl on his face and jumped in front of her path before she went in search for another criminal. As he had begun to scold her, the quick flash of guilt on her face was quickly replaced by one of defiance. She had interrupted him abruptly and told him in no uncertain terms that petty criminals were cake in comparison to youma and that she refused to feel bad for helping people in need. It had been then that Minako took off and Artemis had no other option but to follow her and watch her back as best he could.
Ever since then, Artemis still did his best to dissuade the young woman from her well-meaning, but highly risky, nocturnal activities. He tried to reason with her, stressing that her current Sailor V form was simply Minako herself in disguise, not Sailor Venus in disguise as it was years ago. Four years ago when Usagi ended up shattering the Ginzuishou in order to restore the world, the star henshin bracelets also disappeared and the guardians lost their ability to transform.
His arguments always fell flat, however, in light of Minako's frightening displays of strength. Artemis theorized that even without the ability to fully transform, the powers of the guardians still lived within the human girls. But even if the idol was stronger than the average human, she was still not as powerful as Sailor Venus, and the potential for harm was high.
In his firmest, most authoritative voice, he tried on many occasions to order her to stop… only to encounter a chuckle and quick swat on the head. He even begged and pleaded, and still he ran head first into her iron-clad stubbornness. Once, he threatened to tell the others, Mars in particular, and his effort was rewarded with a terrifyingly convincing counter-threat that Minako would give him away as a gift to her manager.
And so, night after night, he found himself in the familiar position of clinging to her shoulder for dear life as she patrolled in order to – Artemis tried not to roll his eyes – "right wrongs and triumph over evil." He took some comfort in the fact that Minako at least had enough sense to bring extra weaponry – twin kodachi and a utility belt with various gadgets such as a miniature hookshot and a taser gun. But even with such added protection, Artemis still felt anxious and uncertain. One of these days….
"You know, Mina, don't you think it's a tad hypocritical for you to be out galavanting around like this after scolding Rei?" Artemis asked as "Sailor V" reached the edge of a building to scan the streets below.
Minako sent an amused glance toward the cat perched on her right shoulder and as innocently as she could muster, replied, "Scold Rei? Me?"
"You're telling me you said not one word to her about investigating Mio alone," Artemis raised an eyebrow and didn't even bother hiding the disbelief from his voice.
"I didn't say any more to Rei than you did to Luna. And you're one to talk, Artemis, considering you're out and about just as much as I am."
Artemis' fur bristled.
"You are the reason I'm not snuggled in a warm bed right now!" the white cat growled. "Besides, Luna blindly and willingly went headfirst into danger when she decided to investigate the evil power that Queen Serenity warned her about. I, on the other hand, have had no choice but to watch out for a certain insanely stubborn singer who thinks she's Batman in a sailor fuku!"
Minako couldn't help but laugh at her long-time companion.
"I've never forced you to come, Artemis," she said. "But anyway, you hit the nail right on the head. Rei and Luna went up against an evil they knew they probably couldn't handle alone whereas I am more than capable of handling a few thieves and other minor criminals. How does that make me a hypocrite?"
"I'm sure Rei wouldn't think that distinguishes your acts from hers."
"And I'm sure Rei won't ever find out about our little excursions to even make such an observation, right Artemis?"
It was not difficult to detect the thinly-veiled warning in Minako's voice.
"Er… right."
"That's what I thought."
Minako winked at Artemis and leaped down to the alleyway below, scaring two lives out of the poor cat as she vanished into the darkness.
The cool night air did little to alleviate the dull throb inside the young woman's skull. The emotions stirred by the intense dream she had earlier in the evening had yet to subside. Even still, flashes from the dream entered her mind – the beaten and battered bodies of young women in sailor fuku, the icy eyes of the one called Saturn, the pained, yet proud strength of Uranus and Pluto, the grief of Neptune. What could it all mean?
The dark-haired woman shook her head. It didn't have to mean anything. In fact, it was quite possible she had been watching too much fantasy anime with her little sister, who was sound asleep back at the condo. Where I should be. Glancing at her wristwatch, she realized with surprise that she had been wandering the streets for the past hour. As she turned to head back to home, a cold shiver ran through her body, making the hair at the back of her neck stand on end. She glanced behind her, her eyes narrowing to scan the shadows down the street. Is something there? She hesitated a few seconds more before finally moving on.
Probably just my imagination.
"Artemis, you have an overactive imagination," Minako sighed in exasperation as she continued to move across Tokyo's rooftops.
"It wouldn't kill you to listen to me once in a while, Mina," the white cat complained. "It's one thing being Sailor V in other countries, but we're back in Tokyo! What if someone saw you? How would you explain yourself?"
And more importantly, how would you protect me from Rei and Luna? He silently added.
"Oh good grief, Artemis! It is three in the morning! Who would be up to even take notice of me except the unconscious thugs I hand over to the police?"
"Is that right? Well then, Sailor Know-it-All, what about that girl down there?"
"What girl…?" Minako glanced down and sure enough, a young woman was hurriedly making her way down the dark street. "Oh."
"Hmph."
The idol rolled her eyes as she sensed the silent smugness radiating off the cat. "She can't even see us."
"That's NOT the point! The point is that you didn't even spot her, which means you're being careless."
Minako decided to tune out her partner's rant in order to watch the woman. What on earth was she doing out this late? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw three dark silhouettes emerge from the shadows in pursuit of the woman. They were gaining ground quickly.
"…and I know you're used to having Sailor V in the spotlight, but that was all in the name of acting as a decoy for the princess and –"
"Shhhh," Sailor V clamped the little cat's mouth shut with her hand to quiet him. As Artemis seriously considered biting her hand, Minako quickly added, "Something's wrong. She might need our help."
Artemis watched as the woman was quickly surrounded. "Not might, she definitely needs our help," he said, already forgetting his earlier tirade. "Let's go then, Champion of Justice."
The young woman cursed under her breath as her avenues of escape were blocked by three masked men.
"Listen, I don't have any money," she warned in a low voice. "Leave now and no one has to get hurt."
She turned slowly in place to keep an eye on all three of her assailants, who began to circle her.
In a sudden move, one lunged toward her. She quickly side-stepped the attack and grabbed his arm in the process of her facing away from him. With her back now toward him, she bent forward, using all her weight to flip him over her shoulder and throw him to the ground. He landed with a hard, satisfying thud.
Immediately, she straightened her body and twisted into a reverse roundhouse kick, her heel making delicious contact with the jaw of another attacker. After completing her rotation, she bent backwards in a split-instant, narrowly dodging a right hook from the remaining man. Taking advantage of his forward momentum, she grabbed hold of his punching arm with her right hand and the back of his clothing with her left, pulling him in a downward motion while bringing her knee up to ram into his solar plexus. When she heard his painful grunt, she released him and swiftly brought her elbow down forcefully onto the back of his neck.
With adrenaline coursing through her veins, she spun instantly to parry any more attacks. But none came. All three men remained on the ground.
"Heh. Looks like she didn't need your help after all."
"And here I was looking forward to saving a damsel-in-distress."
"She can obviously take care of herself. We should get going."
"No way, Artemis. We should follow her home."
"… you're pushing it. Do you want to get spotted?"
"Artemis, what kind of Champion of Justice leaves a job half-finished? What do you take me for?"
"Well—"
"Don't answer that."
"…"
"Listen, we're going to make sure she gets home safely. That's final."
Sigh.
"So let that be a lesson to you."
Satisfied with herself, the young woman turned to leave. As soon as her back was turned, one of the men leapt to his feet and shot one arm forward. A tendril of yellow energy emerged from his hand and wrapped around the woman's ankles like a lasso. With a swift tug, he pulled her legs out from under her, causing her to fall face forward.
Caught by surprise and now lying face down, she quickly tried to roll onto her back. Her movements were impeded, however, when similar tendrils from the other two assailants wrapped around both her wrists.
What the hell…?
Pinned firmly in place, she looked at her attackers, their eyes now glowing a sickly green from behind their masks. She struggled in vain as the one who knocked her down moved ever closer to her. She refused to give into fear and continued to stare into his eyes in defiance.
Suddenly, a flash of red, white, blue and yellow appeared above the approaching man, swooping downward to deliver a pointed kick to his neck. The attacker howled in pain and buckled to the ground.
Amazed, the young woman watched as her blonde savior – dressed in a sailor fuku and red mask no less – instantaneously maneuvered into a back flip after making contact with the man. A sailor fuku…?
Landing in a crouch, the rescuer quickly lifted her hand and pointed what appeared to be a firearm at one of the other attackers. The electrified probes of a taser gun shot out and hit the assailant dead center. He writhed in pain for a few brief moments before collapsing.
The sailor-clad warrior then dropped the weapon and immediately threw herself into a series of cartwheels and back flips toward her last opponent. Releasing his hostage, he threw the tendril of energy at the newcomer. As she made her final leap toward him, she pulled the still-sheathed twin kodachi from behind her. Blocking the cord of energy with one sword, she performed a quick twist in mid-air and brought the other blade to bear on the attacker. The perfectly arced blow landed squarely between his neck and shoulder-blade, causing him to crumble in a heap next to where she landed.
By now, the young woman on the ground had managed to sit in an upright position. Amazed, she stared as the sailor soldier turned and winked at her.
"Attacking while your opponent's back is turned? The Champion of Justice, Sailor V, does not stand for such foul play."
Sailor… V…?
In the near vicinity, the woman heard what sounded very much like a faint, but exasperated groan.
"Are you okay?" Sailor V walked toward her and held out her hand. "Can you stand?"
Captivated by her rescuer's jaunty smile and bright blue eyes, she nodded slightly and took the offered hand.
"Thank you," she said as was helped to her feet.
"Don't mention it, Ms…?"
"Oh. Kaioh. Michiru Kaioh."
Before she could fully analyze the curious look that passed over her hero's features, a panicked voice rang out, "Sailor V! Watch out!"
At the sound of Artemis' warning, Minako turned in surprise to find that the three men had once again arisen. Persistent, aren't they?
Instead of attacking outright, the men, as if in a trance, moved closer together. A strange golden aura left each of their bodies and commingled into a single, swirling body of energy. In a bright flash, the three men collapsed and a winged creature stood in their place, its grotesque harpy-like figure floating off the ground on what appeared to be a whirlwind.
A youma? But how?
"Watch out!" she yelled, pushing Michiru away to protect her from the monster's sudden blast of scorching wind. Minako, however, wasn't nearly fast enough to completely the dodge the attack. A patch of the gust managed to hit her on the shoulder, the force causing her body to spin away and slam hard against a nearby wall.
Bright sparks of light erupted from behind her eyelids as a result of the impact and she gasped in pain. The taste of metal seeped into her mouth. That's definitely gonna leave a bruise.
She opened her eyes and saw the youma turning its attention toward Michiru, who was attempting to crawl to safety. The idol got to her feet as quickly as she could. Trying her best to ignore her dizziness, she pulled out her crescent moon cutter and flung it at the monster. To her dismay, it seemed to sense the attack and deftly blocked it with a flick of a giant wing. It screeched at her in anger. Great. Way to piss it off even more, Aino.
Before she could even blink, she was hit by another blast of air and lifted off her feet. The monster had suspended her in mid-air within a small cyclone. She was almost grateful for not being smashed around even more… until she found it was becoming more and more difficult to breathe.
The youma was suffocating her.
Struggle as she might, she could not escape. The beast let out another shriek – perhaps in pleasure, triumph? – and batted away small ball of fur before returning its gaze on the other woman. Artemis….!
Minako tried to warn Michiru, but couldn't let out more than a pitiful squeak due to the asphyxiation.
She watched helplessly as the deformed harpy bent a wing toward Michiru and shot several feather projectiles at her.
Perhaps it was due to the lack of oxygen reaching her brain, but Minako could hardly believe what happened next. Instead of piercing Michiru, the feathers simply bounced harmlessly off what appeared to be a force field surrounding the woman. Enclosed in an aquamarine aura, Michiru slowly stood, her eyes glowing in the same radiant color. A sigil – what appeared to be a trident – also materialized on her forehead.
Minako's vision began to darken, but she saw Michiru turn her piercing gaze toward her.
Michiru…Kaioh… Who are you?
Although she knew she was on the verge of passing out, Minako could feel heat beginning to spread throughout her body, building and building and building until it became so intense she couldn't bear it any longer. She squeezed her eyes shut.
She heard a horrible scream of pain – was it her or the monster? She couldn't tell. All she knew was that she could breathe again. A small blessing before she hit the cold pavement below.
Well… that certainly was… unexpected.
A cloaked figure hovered a good distance away from the battle site. The appearance of one of the sailor senshi certainly had not been part of the equation in the capture of Michiru Kaioh. What surprised the outsider even more was the power manifested by both Kaioh and the intruding guardian. It more than did away with Valvalis, one of the figure's favorite creatures.
How could it be …? The other senshi were supposed to be powerless. Was Serenity on the move? Perhaps the guardians were closer to Creatio Nova than their leader had anticipated.
One thing was for certain, Kaioh would have to wait for another time.
I must report to the master. We need to step up our game plan. It seems things just got more interesting.