PGSM: The Second Story
an: woooo fight.
Tokyo, Summer, Present Day
Aino Minako could not believe herself. She and Rei had walked straight into a fight. This was so typical of them. Despite all their words to the contrary, they'd basically painted targets on their heads and waltzed into a fight that they had no hoped of participating in. They could not transform, they were basically useless as senshi.
Rei had split up with her somewhere in the chaos and Minako was not sure where she'd gone off to – instead choosing to focus her attention on the three scared people that she had stepped protectively in front of.
The youma, if it could even be called that, roared loudly as Minako stubbornly stood her ground. She raised her hands, not really knowing what she was going to do. She could not force her own actions, and she certainly could fight in her present state.
She didn't know what she was doing. Rei would ask her if she was trying to get herself killed, and she wouldn't have an answer. She just had to protect these people, that was her mission, it always had been. She was a Sailor Senshi, leader of the princess' inner guard and the wielder of the sword that slain Beryl in the past life. She was not afraid of a singly youma trying to destroy her peace.
She felt the power build in her finger tip, as she was long-accustomed to in senshi form, and watched, shocked, as it began to glow.
Aino Minako knew what this was, and she knew how to use it to her advantage. "Crescent beam," she whispered, watching as the golden light flew towards the youma with the accuracy that she'd always prided herself on.
The monster roared, falling back as the attack cut into the soft tissue it's under arm. Minako frowned, and glanced behind her. The people that she'd decided to protect were starting at her with a mixture of awe and terror.
"What are you waiting for?" she demanded, frowning slightly at the fact that they'd not yet fled. "Run!"
"Minako!" Rei's voice sounded so distant, and Minako turned back to the battle ground after the idiots finally started to pick themselves off the ground and run off through the park, hopefully for help. The youma loomed large in her vision and she raised her hands to protect herself once more.
So careless, she thought, praying that this would not be the end of her.
Flames from nowhere caught the creature from behind and it spun as it fell, kicking up dirt and grass.
"What were you thinking?" Rei was by her side in a second, an angry expression on her face. "Since when do you turn away from a battle?!" Her expression softened as Minako grabbed hold of her sleeve, pulling her out of the way of the flailing monster.
"It's nothing," she said, "I had to get the people out."
Rei nodded. Minako was glad that Rei saw it her way, for explaining that even though they protected the princess, they had a responsibility to the people of this planet as well was not something that she particularly wanted to do. Rei would understand. She always did, even if Minako never really gave her enough information to make an informed decision.
"Do you think we can transform," Minako asked, staring at the youma. "We can't defeat it like this."
Rei shrugged and looked to her wrist. The bracelet was still there, and if it had any power, they were about to find out. "Mars Power!"
"Venus Power!" Minako felt strange calling out the phrase, for she'd always used the more advanced transformation sequence when fighting alone or with Rei, simply allowing herself to slip in and out of senshi form as was the way of their power. Ami and Makoto had never grown into that stage of their power, but Rei had started to before everything had gone to hell and she had…
She closed her eyes and concentrated. She could bring the henshin back, if not though anything else but though sheer force of will.
It would not come.
"Perhaps, young ones, it would be better if you left the fighting to the adults."
There were two people across the clearing, dressed like senshi.
Minako inhaled sharply, she knew who they were, and their presence was hardly welcome.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
Rei glanced, confused, in her direction. Minako flashed her a slight frown and shook her head. Now was not the time to be asking questions.
The shorter of the two senshi folded her arms across her chest and looked annoyed. Minako felt her own hackles raise as she tried to not lash out and somehow say something that would make herself look like a fool. As the leader of the inner senshi, she was supposed to not let something like this attack happen – she was supposed to be on top of these things.
"You are not allowed to be here, you know that, your mission is on the outer rim." Minako tried again. They had been reborn then, like the inner guard.
"Our mission is of no concern to you, Venus." The taller one said in harsh Japanese. Her accent was different than any that Minako had heard in a long time – she probably didn't live in Japan. "Your mission is to protect the princess and stay out of our way."
"Uranus-" the shorter senshi began, but her face was just as hard. "None of these are what we're looking for."
"Let's go then." Uranus said shortly. She said something and the monster disappeared in a shower of brownish light.
World Shaking. Minako remembered that attack well.
Minako's fist shook as she resisted the urge to call out after them. She would not stoop to that level. She was far above their petty methods of exercising control over her and the rest of her team.
Rei rounded on Minako as soon as the two senshi were out of ear shot. "Who were they?" she demanded, her face angry.
"Allies, Reiko," Minako said wearily, "Sailor Senshi from the past life. I don't know what they are now, or if they're even on our side."