Disclaimer: The Senshi and the Sailor Moon universe belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The Guardians and Kurai are, however, mine.
It was late when Rei finally decided to head to bed. The idea that an enemy was approaching was keeping her awake, though they had yet to have any actual sign that there would indeed be one. And perhaps that was the thing that worried her the most. She was having dreams about it—well one, but it did count for something—the fire wasn't responding and the Outer Senshi, who had the duty to protect the Solar System from outside enemies had a bad feeling about the future. Everything together just made for a slightly nervous Rei, and she knew she was not the only one to feel that way. But while Haruka had tried to reassure everyone, it hadn't really done much. Just the fact that one of the Outer Senshi had come to them because they were worried about something was a bad sign.
The dark haired priestess slid into bed once she was changed and ready. Her teeth were brushed and she had washed her face. Her hair was loose, as it usually was. Once settled comfortably in bed, she switched the bedside lamp on her bedside table off and settled even deeper in the covers, closing her eyes. A part of her almost wanted to have another dream, as long as it would bring them more information. Another part was afraid; a new dream would only confirm what was about to happen.
Despite everything, she was asleep a few minutes after her head hit the pillow. She was more tired than what she had thought.
"Princess of Mars…" The voice was soft, almost shy. There was a hint of disbelief behind it too, as though the person talking—a woman—hadn't believed she would speak to her.
Rei opened her eyes. She was sitting cross legged on the floor of the shrine, in the Fire room. There was no fire though. A girl was standing where it should have been. It took only a moment for Rei to realize it was the same girl she had seen in her dream before. Her hair was the right colour—pale green—and the right length—short, not even at her shoulders, though the priestess now realized it was longer at the front, curling under her chin. This time, she looked cleaner, her hair straight and looking clean. She was dressed oddly to Rei; a long sleeved, skin hugging shirt, over which were shoulder plates—like those that would form an armour—a chest plate and some sort of metal protection on her arms—all of which were silver and blue. Her bottom was much the same—yellow legging, a skirt that seemed made of a metal or some sort, though it was obviously more flexible than metal, and boots that went to her calves, blue with large silver buckles. There was a belt around her hips, wide and brown in colour, with a small pouch. But it was the weapons that hung from it that intrigued the soldier of Mars the most: two things that looked like fans on her right side, and a sword on her left side.
"Thank the Moon, I did manage to reach someone" the girl said. She looked relieved. "I don't know how much time I have, but I need to speak to you. I…" she hesitated then, looking away and biting gently at her bottom lip. "I need your help, but more importantly, I need to warn you."
"Warn me?" repeated Rei, confused.
"About a new enemy, someone who is approaching Earth…" Again, the girl trailed off, hesitating. She looked over her shoulder, as though she was worried that someone would walk in on them. That didn't make much sense though; the only thing that was behind the girl was a wall. "His name his Kurai. He doesn't often appear to people, but he is strong. He's… dark. Powerful. I'm not sure of the extent of his powers, but he was strong enough to corrupt everyone. I'm not sure how long the few of us remaining have, and there's not much we can do, but we wanted to let you know. We needed to…"
For a few second, the raven haired girl was quiet. "Who are you? How can I trust you?" she finally asked. She stood up, carefully. "For all I know, you're the enemy yourself!"
The girl's expression fell, sadness washing over her. She tilted her head to the side, nodding her head slowly. "So they didn't lie… You really don't remember us…" She sighed, softly. "I suppose there is no way for you to know then. You either do or you don't…"
For a while, the two young women stared at each other, remaining silent. But the green haired one suddenly lifted her head, surprising Rei. The girl's aqua eyes widened, and the priestess was surprised by the fear she saw in them.
"I must go. If I can, I will try to come back to you to tell you more, but it's hard for me to do so. I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly, but if I get caught contacting you, the consequences would be horrible" apologized the stranger. She bowed, deeply, in front of Rei. Already, her body was beginning to fade, disappearing.
"Wait! Who are you?"
"Amaya. My name is Amaya."
And with that, the girl was gone, and Rei found herself alone in the room.
The priestess awoke with a start. She sat up quickly, looking around the room. She was in her bed, in her bedroom, and the sun was shining from the window of her room. Her alarm clock, which was set to ring at 7am every morning, was ringing, the sound shrill to her hears. It was most likely what had waked her up, and not the end of her dream.
Could it really be called a dream though? It had felt so real, as though she had really spoken to the girl, to this Amaya. It had felt as though she had really been standing in the same room as her, as though the girl had truly been there, though now there were, obviously no traces of it. And even if she went to the same room her dream had happened, she knew there would be nothing there. But Rei also knew that it wasn't something they could overlook.
And so, after turning off her alarm clock and getting dressed, the first thing the dark haired young woman did was dial the phone number for the Outer's mansion. It was going to be something they would want to hear about. Next, she'd also have to find a way to get in contact with Luna and Artemis.
'Amaya...' she thought to herself as the dialled the number to the Outer Senshi. 'Just who are you?'
"Who was that on the phone?" asked Setsuna, popping her head through the kitchen. They had just finished breakfast, and she was finishing the dishes. Haruka and Michiru had settled themselves on the couch while Hotaru had run off to her room to get ready for school. When the phone had rang though, the aqua haired woman had answered it. She spoke for a few minutes, before she hung up.
"It was Rei-chan" she answered Setsuna. "She had another dream, but this time she has a name" she explained.
Haruka sat up straighter, clearly interested. "A name huh? Did she say more?"
The violinist nodded. "She did. She says she saw a girl in her dream who spoke of an evil named Kurai or something of the sort. And when Rei-chan asked for a name, the girl said she was Amaya."
"Amaya?" repeated Setsuna. The other two looked at her curiously. "Are you sure she said Amaya?"
"I am sure. Why?" asked Michiru.
"It's complicated" answered the Guardian of Time, "And it might just be a coincidence. But Amaya was the name of someone who helped protect the Moon Kingdom long ago. She was both a friend and fellow soldier, though not a Senshi, then, but she and the rest of her group were killed first, trying to protect everyone, when the Silver Millennium was destroyed" she explained. "It might just be a coincidence. I doubt Queen Serenity told have brought them back to life like she did for the Senshi."
"You think it might be her?" asked Haruka. She was frowning now, clearly trying to remember who this Amaya was and trying to figure out what it would mean if it was indeed the same person.
"I don't know" admitted the green haired woman. "But if it is, then we might have to be ready for a strong battle…" That last part was said mostly to herself, in a lower tone than the rest. She didn't want to worry the others for nothing. Haruka seemed to have heard, from the way she looked at her, but Michiru had stood up, to see just how ready Hotaru was. Setsuna said nothing, and returned to her kitchen.
"Usagi-chan! I saved you a seat!"
Usagi smiled as she heard the familiar sound of Minako's voice. She headed towards her friend, and took a seat next to her. One of their classes (History of the Arts) was about to begin. It wasn't a class either of them enjoyed, but they were pushing through. They had expected an easy course, from what other people had said, but they had obviously been told wrong. The class and the teacher were boring, and they usually either spent their time giggling or sleeping. Today, judging from how happy Minako was, it was most likely going to be a giggly day.
"How are you feeling?" asked Minako.
"Better" was the answer she got. And Usagi did feel better. She had spent the rest of the day yesterday talking to Mamoru, who had reassured her. Plus she had gotten a very good night's sleep, and had gotten to sleep in—their class was only at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. She had tried her best not to worry, and it had paid off.
"So I met this super cute guy in one of my classes" began Minako once Usagi was settled in her seat. "In my morning class. Anyways, totally adorable. Apparently he just moved back to Japan from like, the States or something. Anyways, at first I thought it was totally like high school, with a new kid moving it when the school year started, but I guess he had made arrangements before or something. In any case, he sat next to me and we spoke the whole time."
"Really?" asked Uasgi. A huge grin had appeared on her lips, and she turned to face her friend better. "What's his name? What does he look like?"
"His name is Saitou Kazuo. He has there gorgeous green eyes and his hair is light blue, it's sort of weird, but it totally works on him."
"Glad to see I made an impression."
The two girls turned at the sound of the voice, obviously a guy's voice. There, sitting a row behind them, was the exact same person Minako had been describing. He was grinning, obviously amused. While the two had been talking, he had taken a seat behind them, intending on surprising Minako. He had obviously succeeded. "You can keep going" he told the two girls. "I always wondered what people said about me when I wasn't around" he teased.
"Kazuo-kun! You scared me!" mumbled Minako. The boy only chuckled, which in turn made the blonde girl giggle.
Usagi only watched, a little surprised by how Minako was starting to blush. Apparently, she'd be able to try and play matchmaker soon; it was, after all, one of the things she most enjoyed doing. She wasn't the best, but she did always mean good. And besides, the two of them did seem like they were already hitting it off. Even as the teacher began talking, they were still chatting away, this time in lower, hushed tones. Although the future Queen did feel a little left out, she also felt glad for her friend. At first, she planned on leaving the two alone to talk, but her curiosity got the best of her, of course. It wasn't long before she had joined it too, and the three of them spent more time chatting away than actually listening to anything that was said. It was a good thing that the things seen in class could easily be found on the university's website.
Two hours later, their class was done, which was a good thing for Usagi. It was clear, though, that Minako didn't really want to leave. Or rather, it was clear that she didn't want to part ways with Kazuo just yet.
"Kazuo-kun" she asked the boy, smiling brightly—the same way she had been doing the whole time they were in class. "Do you want to come with us to the Crown Parlour? We usually meet there with the rest of our friends to catch up on the day and such."
"Sure, I'd love to" he answered her, grinning back at her. Yep, there was definitely something going on between the two of them.
Before they could leave though, they were joined by another girl. She was a pretty thing, most likely the same age as Minako and Usagi. Her hair was short, cut in a bob, and black. Her eyes were violet, framed by a pair of black, square shaped glasses. She slid her arm in Kazuo's arm, smiling lightly at the two girls as she did so. She seemed at ease there, as though it was the place she belonged. Still, for a moment, Usagi felt as though she saw some sort of maliciousness in her eyes, though it was soon gone. "Kazuo-kun~" said the girl, her smile turning in a pout. "You can't go. We're supposed to go somewhere together, remember?" she asked him.
"Oh yeah…" The blue haired boy turned towards the two blondes, a sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry girls… I forgot I had made plans with Yukari-chan" he apologized. "But let's meet up again another time, alright?" Already, he was being dragged away by the girl—Yukari apparently. He was still smiling, waving at the two.
"Sure…" said Minako. It was clear she was a little sad, but she was forcing herself to smile. "See you later!" she called out. Once the other two were gone, she turned towards Usagi. "Well. That's that. Are we heading to the Crown Parlour now? I totally want a sundae…"
"Hai! Let's go then!" agreed Usagi. She looked worriedly at her friend a second longer, before she followed her. She knew it would take more than just some other girl to bring Minako down. It was something Usagi truly liked from her friend; the way she rarely let anything bring her down. It was very refreshing, to be honest.
"You do realize you're supposed to blend in" commented Yukari. As soon as they were far away enough, she had released Kazuo. She sounded annoyed now, and not as friendly as she had before. "Not try to woe anyone."
"You're just jealous" he replied, shrugging. He was used to the way she always got on his case for the way he acted.
"I am not! I'm just trying to remind you that your mission is to find suitable subjects to corrupt, not to fall head over heels for some girl you just met." She dodged a boy, barely seven, who was racing down the sidewalk on his bike. A quick movement of her fingers made the bike suddenly go out of control and the poor boy slammed into post. The hit made his body move forward, and he ended up slipping over his bike, his helmet thankfully taking the hit to the post. He was stunned, obviously, but not badly injured. Already, people were stopping to help him up and ask him if he was alright. The dark haired girl and blue haired boy kept walking though.
"That wasn't very nice Yukari-chan" Kazuo chastised his partner, shaking his head. "And I'm not going to forget, don't worry" he assured. "Just trust me a little."
The girl rolled her eyes. "Whatever. If you fail, you'll be the one having to deal with Tomatsu, not I."
Author's Note: Woo~ Chapter 3 already! I'm writing more than expected, which is why you're getting new chapters more often. The story will most likely pick up a little more soon (some fights and stuff coming soon). Anyways, hope you liked this one. Reviews and criticisms are loved as always, but I can do without the flamers. ^^