Chapter Two:
A Prayer for Strength
The day seemed dark, even at noon, as the sky looked swollen with rain like a mother cow about to birth. The little blossoms, the gentle color of a woman's lips, swung in the breeze as the storm approached. Above the Shinto shrine, two crows called out raucously in the coming gale from their posts on the brown roof. A young girl about the age of sixteen ran towards the door of the shrine, her crimson hakama billowing around her legs and slowing her progress. She raised a hand above her head to shield her face from the treacherous winds, and the storm tugged at her baggy kimono shirt the color of pure, white snow. Her ebony hair contrasted with her glaringly white kimono top like night would contrast with day, and the young woman struggled to the door and pushed it open just as the rain pelted the earth like bullets.
"Uh," Rei muttered as her almond eyes surveyed the water driving in sheets of stinging ice across the stone pavilion outside their shrine. With a distinctive frown, she turned and went inside, shutting the door to the chilly air the afternoon storm had brought with it. The inside of the shrine had only a couple candles lit, and the pounding of the relentless rain made Rei slightly uneasy because she'd never liked getting wet, even when she was a little girl.
Slowly, she walked over and took one of the candles, which was sitting on a shelf, with her along the hallways that were silent and dark. She knew her grandfather and Yuuichirou were out on errands during the afternoon, which she would've normally completed. However, Rei had been with Usagi yesterday and made sure she at least woke up after their fight against the Dark Kingdom, where Kunzite had taken the opportunity to knock Rei around.
Rei rubbed her aching temples, hardly believing the past couple days had honestly happened and weren't just some terrible, warped dream. Not only was Usagi their princess, but they were all the reincarnated forms of some ladies from the Moon Kingdom, which existed over a thousand years ago. It all seemed impossible to Rei that she shared a spirit with a girl who was long dead, yet at the same time, Rei did believe in reincarnation, but this even boggled her mind. Why was it her destiny to live this life?
"I won't back away," Rei muttered to herself. No, she told herself, she wouldn't become frightened and give up and whine like a petulant child like Usagi had done. She was Sailor Mars, the strong one, not Sailor Moon, who although their princess, still acted like she was a small toddler at times.
As Rei entered one of the backrooms in the shrine, she sat on the floor and crossed her legs to meditate. However, the rain seemed to interrupt her thoughts, and the lingering sorrows in her heart called to her like ghosts in the darkness. She could see them, in her mind, taking Tuxedo Kamen away with them into the darkness that seemed to wrap its arms around her soul now. Rei shivered, as she could imagine what they might do to him. Would they torture him or even kill him? In her heart, Rei realized that Mamoru was theirs, also, and her liking for the handsome boy caused her stomach to ache.
"I'll be strong," Rei muttered as she squinted her eyes closed, feeling the emptiness of the shrine around her, and in the deepest, most raw parts of her heart, being this lonely terrified her. She could hear the pounding rain drilling into the roof, and yet, in here, there was only darkness.
Rei opened her eyes and stood up and cast some salt into the little fire of the candle, which roared and blazed as it hit the flames. She watched the shapes flicker before her eyes, and her heart sank as she observed the flames, which only told her suffering was ahead of her.
"Kami, give me strength," Rei whispered to the darkness, although she believed stubbornly that her god would hear her. "Let the path be shown, let strength be sent to us. Show us the way to defeat this evil which consumes all in shadow."
Rei's words ended in a whisper just as the light from the candle flickered and died. In the darkness, Rei stood, alone, and let a tear slide down her cheek. No one could see her cry in the dark when she was alone.
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Almost halfway across Tokyo, where neon lights reflected off the rain drenched sidewalks, strode another girl. She was shorter in stature than Rei, but unlike her miko friend, she walked openly in the storm and let the rain drench her black, knee length skirt, and blue sweater that she wore over her white, silken long sleeved blouse. Ami lifted her head up to the sky and let the rain pour across her skin and drench her raven colored, bob cut hair.
The heavens had opened up today, to Ami's delight, and her trip to the bookstore had become a pleasurable one when the clouds had birthed their water onto her head. While others ran pell-mell towards shelter, Ami had ambled in the storm, allowing the sky's own tears to wash away her pain. The pain of battle scarred the inside of the Mercury senshi, yet when it rained, she felt elated, and today, she let the gods above weep for the sorrows that were sure to come.
Ami fixed her eyes back on the street again and stared in the window of the arcade as she passed by it, and there, she noticed Usagi, Makoto, and Minako sitting at a table chatting with each other and sipping drinks. For a moment, Ami considered going inside the Crown Center Video Arcade, but then, she abruptly decided to continue down the street, and fixed her gaze once again upwards and let the chilly rain clean her body and soul.
Then, Ami collided with another person and slid on her heals, which caused her to spin in a circle, drop all her books, and fall flatly on the concrete. Ami blinked the rain and actual tears that had gathered in her eyes from the fall away before finding out exactly who she'd slammed into during her private reverie. Yumemi, with her thick, chestnut colored braids dripping with water like a wet rope, sat staring stupidly over at Ami, and was also sopping wet and clutching her sketchbook to her chest.
"Yumemi!" Ami exclaimed as she raised herself off the saturated ground and helped the other girl to her feet. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"
"Fine, fine," Yumemi muttered as a gentle smile crawled across her lips. "You dropped your books. Do I know you?"
"My friend Usagi modeled for you," Ami explained. "But it's cold, and do you want to go inside? Usagi is in an arcade down the street with some friends . . ."
"No, that's a nice offer, but my studio is just a couple buildings down the street," Yumemi replied with a gentle smile as she walked past Ami. Ami turned around and stared after the petit, unassuming artist. She knew the girl had carried one of the rainbow crystals, and Ami wondered how she was doing now that she saw her walking away in the torrential down pour. It wasn't fair, Ami thought bitterly, what had happened to those seven who carried the crystals. Her heart ached when she thought of Ryo, and Ami raced down the street to catch Yumeni without thinking twice.
"Wait," Ami panted as she caught up to the other girl. Yumemi turned and gave her a questioning stare as she let Ami fall into pace with her. "Would it be okay if I come and see your studio?"
"Your friends?" Yumemi asked as the two girls continued to stride down the street together. "I thought you were going . . ."
"Well, I was, but I thought you might like some company, although I don't model," Ami said and laughed at the very thought of her striking a pose. What a riot that would be, Ami thought as she looked over Yumemi. It was strange, since she never had really seen the girl, and Usagi had explained how she was afraid of being called ugly. Well, Ami decided, she's prettier than I am, that's for sure.
"Sure," Yumemi replied amiably as the two reached the locked door to Yumemi's art studio. The artist pulled a key out of her pocket and turned the lock, and Yumemi politely ushered Ami into the room first. Ami stepped inside and became overwhelmed by the stench of paint fumes. She coughed slightly as Yumemi came inside and locked the door behind her. There was a blind pulled in front of the window, which Yumemi promptly opened, and Ami noticed she wasn't planning on turning on the lights.
"You paint in the dark?" Ami asked as she watched Yumemi pull an oil painting from the back of the room and gather her brushes from shelves. She grabbed a bottle of turpentine, also, to rinse her brushes in later along with several rags.
"I'm painting a scene in the rain. I liked to look at the rain in natural light, that's all," Yumemi explained as she set up her easel and began to paint what Ami realized was a version of the building across the street.
"It looks very real," Ami commented.
"It's not done yet," Yumemi replied as she continued to apply paint carefully, trying her hardest to make the painting as realistic as possible.
"Hmm, do you mind if I look around?" Ami asked, and Yumemi nodded her assent as she became completely absorbed in her painting. Ami studied the many sketches of various models of Yumemi's that lined the walls. Ami noticed some of these people appeared later in her oil paintings. Then, Ami spotted a picture of Usagi and Mamoru that Yumemi had done, Ami thought, probably not too long ago. Seeing Mamoru caused Ami to frown as she stared back at his face, which with a mask on, was the face of Tuxedo Kaman. We failed him, Ami realized as she stared up at the young man.
"Do you usually invite yourself into someone's place?" Yumemi asked as Ami prowled around the studio and stared at the paintings on easels and adorning almost every inch of the gray walls.
"No, usually never, but Usagi said so many good things about you, I was excited to meet you," Ami told Yumemi a half-truth as she walked over to the girl sitting at the window. Well, I was excited to see her, Ami told herself as she watched the girl paint before she raised her head and stared out the window. The day was still overcast, and the thundering rain seemed to bleed the color out of everything.
"Really?" Yumemi asked as she turned to look up at Ami. "What did she say?"
"She really liked your work of her, and she said you're a nice person," Ami responded, and felt relieved she was actually telling the truth. Well, she did say both of those things, Ami thought as she watched Yumemi's surprised expression.
"That's very nice of her," Yumemi replied as she turned back to her artwork. "How is Mamoru? He was a very nice model."
"He's . . . not feeling well, he told us last, when he went out of town," Ami hesitantly offered up a plausible lie to Yumemi. He wasn't feeling well, and he definitely is out of town, Ami told herself as she watched Yumemi continue to paint.
"That's a shame," Yumemi said as she concentrated on the one part of her painting while taking frequent glances up at the window.
"Is it okay if I sit down and read?" Ami asked as she walked over to another spot where she could still get light.
"Sure, I'll be here a while," Yumemi replied as Ami pulled up a chair by the window and opened a book to study. Physics tests can't wait, Ami thought as she began to read. For another hour, the pair sat in silence, each concentrating on their own unique interest. When the rain let up to a bare drizzle, Yumemi dipped her brushed in the turpentine and stood up, walked across the room, and then stared intently at her painting.
"Is it done?" Ami asked as she laid her book down on the chair and went to study the painting, too. "Oh," Ami gasped as she stared at how the painting captured the way the storm seemed to erase all color from the world and leave it in drab shades of blue and gray.
"You like it?" Yumemi asked as she continued to gaze at her finished work.
"Yes, a lot," Ami said as Yumemi began to clean up her supplies. Ami gathered her books together and waited for the artist to finish tidying up her studio and draw the blinds. Both girls walked out into the light sprinkle that was left of the huge downpour earlier.
"Do you feel like going with me now?" Ami asked, not entirely sure why she suddenly wanted to spend so much time with the girl. Is all this because I feel sorry for her? Ami wondered to herself. I'm probably annoying her, Ami thought regretfully as she went to tell Yumemi she was sorry for intruding on her life like this.
"No, that would be nice," Yumemi commented and a soft, pleasant smile slid over her face. "I don't go many places like arcades. No one invites me."
"Consider this an official invite," Ami said buoyantly as the pair proceeded on their way to the Crown Center Video Arcade. As they strode along, Ami felt a tingle shoot down her spine like a jolt of electricity. She froze as Yumemi continued to walk down the sidewalk.
"Ami?" Yumemi asked when she realized the other girl stood stock still a few meters behind her. "Are you coming?"
Then, a bolt of dark lightening shot like a whip, latched onto Yumemi's waist before she could cry out, and drug her into the alley it had shot out from. "No!" Ami shouted and brought out her communicator.
"Hurry!" Ami shouted as she ducked into another side street. She checked around quickly before shouting, "Mercury Power, Make Up!"
Without another hesitation, Mercury charged over to the adjoining alley that seemed to be only like the gap between two front teeth because it was so narrow. As Mercury ran down it to reach the end, where she heard Yumemi shriek, she realized there was only room for two skinny people to get down there. It's as good a trap as any ambush, Mercury realized as she approached the end, where she saw Yumemi gagged and propped against the back wall behind the towering figure of Kunzite. Mercury gasped as she realized Yumemi was bleeding from a knife gash in her arm.
"Shabon Spray!" Mercury shrieked, but Kunzite easily deflected her attack. He grinned maliciously at her, but didn't move to attack.
"Shabon Spray!" Mercury shouted again, trying to wear down the arrogant general. However, Kunzite once again easily deflected her assault, but now, an annoyed look played through his steely eyes colder than any ice.
"Don't waste your energy," he told her in his velvety, deep voice. "I'm not here for you."
"Let her go!" Mercury hollered as she prepared to attack again. Then, she heard footsteps thundering along the pavement behind her.
"Finally," Kunzite muttered as Venus, Jupiter, and Sailor Moon reached Mercury. Jupiter shoved her to the side as she charged at Kunzite, who narrowed his eyes as she prepared to attack.
"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter shouted as she launched her attack at Kunzite, who shot a dark, crackling blast of his own, which stopped Jupiter's offensive.
"In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!" Sailor Moon yelled as she cut her way in front of Mercury to get a quality shot at Kunzite, who eyed up the Moon senshi with frozen, calculating eyes.
"Fine then, do it," Kunzite replied as he watched Sailor Moon draw the moon stick, where the ginzuishou sparkled like a star fallen from heaven. Kunzite's eyes were drawn immediately to the jewel that cast its own ethereal light around the crammed alley.
"Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon shouted as Mercury watched her shimmer like a jewel herself as the energy poured out of the tiny jewel towards Kunzite. However, the General held up his right hand and a tiny black shard no bigger than a pinkie finger caught the attack. Now, the shard gleamed the color of the silver moon, but the shard was still black.
Then, without a word, Kunzite threw the shard into Yumemi, who shrieked as the jagged piece of crystal entered through her stomach. Kunzite leapt up in a flash of gray and black, apparently gone from the scene as Yumemi began to scream.
In one horrible moment, Mercury watched as the small, petit figure of the young artist began to writhe on the ground and loose her shape. Her skin tone became the color of moss, while her back arched upwards and Mercury heard her bones begin to crack and reform.
"This didn't happen before," Mercury muttered and pulled her computer out to study the horrific scene unfolding in front of the four senshi. "It was just a haze of black before anyone changed, as if their real bodies were swallowed up by the dark energy, but her body actually seems to be changing."
"Explain that later," Jupiter growled as she turned to Sailor Moon. "Use your wand! Do it before we have to fight them both!"
"Both?" Sailor Moon asked as she stared at Yumemi, who let out a gut wrenching scream as a pair of opal colored wings formed from her shoulder blades and tore through her shirt. Mercury watched as the girl's body became taller, thinner, and she utterly became unable to wear her human clothing as long, sparkling claws sprouted from her nimble, bony fingers and toes, which now looked more bird's claws.
"Kunzite's still around!" Jupiter shouted as she pointed at the creature in front of them. "Do it!"
"Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon shouted as she aimed her beam of light straight and true at the youma that was letting out blood curdling yelps. As the radiant ray of silver light struck the youma it let out one final wail before it stopped moving.
"What?" Mercury asked in absolute shock as she watched a thin pale human hand separate itself from the talons of the youma. The four girls gasped as the form of Yumemi pulled itself completely free from the form of the youma, which remained immobile on the concrete.
"Are you okay?" Venus asked as she walked over to the shaky girl, who stood dumb struck and just stared down at her hands.
"What was that?" Jupiter asked the other two girls. Sailor Moon's jaw hung open as she gazed at the insane scene that had just taken place. That's not natural, Mercury thought as she scanned above them, trying to sense Kunzite.
"Kunzite's around here," Mercury muttered. "Don't do anything until we find him. He left us here because he thinks we'll play into his hand."
"Really?" Sailor Moon asked as Mercury walked over to examine the youma. I don't think it's dead, Mercury realized as she bent down and felt light breaths on her hand from unconscious creature.
"The youma isn't dead," Mercury confirmed, which caused Sailor Moon to let out a gasp of shock.
"Hit it again!" Jupiter exclaimed. "We've separated it from the girl, so it can be destroyed completely!"
"No, not yet, he wants us to do that," Mercury mused. Why did Kunzite leave his youma? Why did he leave us Yumemi, too? What is he expecting us to do? Mercury wondered as she gazed down at the limp figure of the monster.
"Yumemi, are you okay?" Venus asked the shocked girl. Mercury looked up at Yumemi, who raised her one arm above her to study it. Venus touched the girl's wrist, but Yumemi abruptly brushed her hand off.
"I'm better than ever," Yumemi said in a low voice and chuckled. "Actually, senshi, this is the best time I've ever had!"
"Yumemi?" Sailor Moon asked nervously. She's not herself, Mercury realized with horror. Then, Yumemi drew her hand back and shot a searing hot energy blast at Venus, who shrieked and collapsed against the side of the alley.
"Look out!" Mercury shouted as Kunzite appeared behind Jupiter and Moon. As Kunzite went to attack, Jupiter jumped in front of Sailor Moon.
"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter bellowed and succeeded in stopping Kunzite's attack. Mercury watched as the very distorted Yumemi curled her fists up to form another attack.
"Shabon Spray!" Mercury screamed as she jumped up and stopped the girl. For an instant, Mercury thought she killed her, but then, she watched as the girl staggered up after the attack, jumped the heads of the other two senshi and landed beside Kunzite.
"Ladies," the evil Yumemi said as Kunzite and her disappeared in a swish of black energy. Mercury looked up where the two had been, then gazed back down at the youma. What did he do? Mercury wondered as she scanned the youma, hoping to figure out what happened.
Then, the creature's eyes shot open, and in a raspy voice the youma muttered, "Ami?"
A/N: hakama: the pants a Shinto shrine assistant or miko wears
miko: A Shinto shrine assistant
Yuuichirou (Chad)
Kami (A common god prayed to in the Shinto religion)
Yumemi (In episode 28, she was the artist with the green crystal)
ginzuishou (This is how I'm referring to the silver crystal throughout the story, just incase you didn't get that the ginzuishou is the silver crystal yet)
General Note: I'm using as much of the Japanese version as possible, which includes as many names as possible, too. So, for those who haven't seen this version, I'll add these little notes at the end. Anything not accurate? Any comments and suggestions? Anything? Please review, and thank you to those who have already helped me out, so I know who is reading at least. Thanks for your time, MorganRay