Author's Notes:
Phew! Another chapter done and this one I think you all will like. ^-^ I couldn't type fast enough to get this all down. It was just jumping off the page for me tonight. LOL Thanks again to everyone following and reviewing. It's really exciting to see people liking my little story, especially as it's the first big fanfiction I've written.
To Lina2121 – Thanks so much. I am glad you're enjoying this. And I will try my best to remember to put a names list in each chapter. :)
To Jedi Master Misty- I'm so curious to know what you think of this chapter. :)
To LoveInTheBattleField - Thanks again for all your encouragement!
And to goddessofallandofnothing – Wow, I was really happy and flattered by your review. ^-^ I'm trying really hard to be true to character so that means a lot. I hope you njoy the story and keep reading. :)
Character List for reference:
Mamoru / Endymion = Matai Nazari
Kunzite = Kiral Nazari
Jadeite = Jian Je Zheng
Nephrite = Nate/ Nathanial Taylor
Zoisite = Zachary Brennan
Usagi / Princess Serenity = Sarah Thomas
Ami Mizuno / Sailor Mercury = Amy Stark
Rei Hino / Sailor Mars = Rhiannon Moonbeam
Makoto / Sailro Jupiter = Lise Reinhard
Minako / Sailor Venus = Margaret Stone
Sapphire – Cannot remember his human name
Diamond – cannot remember his human name
Rubeus - unknown
CHAPTER 4 Part 1: Dreams of Moonlight
That strange dream was coming again. He could feel it in the way his heart began to race, pounding out an increasing rhythm just as everything shifted. She was there, standing by a pond in a garden, the water reflecting pale moonlight in shimmering waves that cast fleeting light on her face and hair. She ran toward him her face lighting up with such a beautiful smile. "Endymion", she said, her voice like music, soft and soothing. But who was she? Why did his heart ache? He reached a hand out to touch her, and suddenly the scene shifted.
Something large and dark loomed in the night sky, and he was running towards it as fast as he could. In the distance people were shouting, chanting "Break the chains!" , "Earth Liberation!" and for some reason it filled him with horror. There was a sudden flash that lit the sky in red light obscuring everything. He screamed, screamed as if his very soul had just been ripped out. Someone was shaking him, but he couldn't stop screaming. Matai's eyes finally flew open and, disoriented, it took him a second to realize he was in his room.
Kiral shot like a bullet out of bed, his heart already racing at the sound of such a heart-rending scream that he could scarcely believe came from Matai. "Hey! Matai, wake up! It's just a dream come on!" Jumping over his bed to get to Matai he grabbed him by the shoulders and started to shake him and as his hands gripped Matai's shoulders, sudden images began to flash like lightning in his eyes, images that made him recoil and nearly trip over his bed trying to back away in shock. He gasped, rubbing at his eyes and then looking at his hands as if they were suddenly alien.
Blinking a few times, Matai found himself in his room, covered in perspiration and unable to shake the feeling of the dream. He looked wide eyed at Kiral who met his gaze with one equally as wide eyed if not more so. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes. "Kiral, I don't know if I am going crazy but…these dreams, they are so real. It feels like something is very wrong, like things aren't supposed to be the way they are now. There's someone in my dreams and I feel like I need to find her. God, am I losing my mind Kiral?" He had been keeping the subject of his dreams a secret for so long that he felt both relief and trepidation.
Kiral didn't say anything at first, seemingly lost in his own mind, his hands gripping the fabric of his pajama legs tightly. His was an orderly world built around goals, hard work and things that made sense, and this had just pulled the floor out beneath his feet. But what he had seen, he couldn't just ignore and forget. "No", he said, pausing to gather his thoughts. "I don't think you're crazy Matai…because if you are…then so am I, because I saw it too."
Their eyes met again. "Then will you help me?"
Chapter 4 Part 2 - A Brother's Heartache
It was always cold at D point, which was what Metallia called their secret fortress connected by interdimensional gateways to other parts of the world. But it didn't disguise the fact that D Point was located in the North Pole and was as such always cold, the kind of cold that seeps deep into your bones and you can't get warm. The cold never seemed to touch Emperor Rubeus, as he self proclaimed himself. Sapphire sighed inwardly as he strolled in haughtily, looking more pleased with himself than usual. "Sapphire, I have a new batch of 'volunteers' waiting below." He smirked at the word. It was a dark joke. "Have them turned into droids by tomorrow. We have a schedule to keep."
Droids were created from people whose energy was twisted and entwined with the dark energy of D Point and Metallia, making them into obedient warriors with parallel strength but more intelligence than the youma created by Metallia. They openly guarded each city and kept a tight fist on everything but Rubeus always wanted more. Sapphire had since discovered that these were not willing volunteers offering up their strength. They were stolen, and once Metallia was done with their energy, it was his unique job to turn them into inhuman warriors through a combination of science and alchemy. It made him sick to his stomach.
"Rubeus, enough already. You have complete control over every city. Why can't we stop this? Surely Metallia has enough energy to help nii-san now? If we keep draining everything at this pace, the earth will not be able to sustain it for long!"
Anger flared in Rubeus' eyes. "Sapphire, you forget your place. Have you forgotten that I took you in, and all that I have done for you and your brother? You're just human, and short sighted, only thinking of your brother. Leave the strategy to Metallia and just do what I say! Or do you not want to help your brother?" He left that last remark to sting as he stalked out the door, boots thudding on the cold stone floor.
Sapphire turned and headed for his brother's room, tugging on his jacket in irritation. More and more lately this whole thing bothered him. It had seemed to make sense at first. The silence was broken by the rhythmic beeping of machines around a bed in which a young man lay unconscious, white hair swooping haphazardly over one eye. Sapphire sat by the bed, resting his forehead in his hand. "Nii-san, what are we doing?", he asked, not expecting a reply. Instead he found himself daydreaming, thinking back to the beginning of it all.
"Hey, he's awake.", a voice in the fog called out as he blinked, trying to clear his vision and make sense of where he was. "Hi there. I'm doctor Hitome. Do you know where you are? What's your name?" A feeling of panic ran through him like electricity. He couldn't remember. No matter how hard he tried nothing came to mind. "I…I am…..", he managed to stutter out as tears began to form in his yes. The doctor reached out a hand and gently tousled his hair, smiling sympathetically. "It's OK. You've had a rough time of it. Your boat sank in the tsunami. Just get some rest and I'm sure everything will be fine OK?" A female voice in the background said, "There's still no sign of consciousness from his brother. With the head injury he suffered, I'm not sure of his prognosis. Though he didn't completely understand some of the medical terms, he understood enough , and he suddenly found the only thing he could remember. "My brother? Where is my brother? What happened to him? Nii-san!" He wrenched free of the doctor's grip and out of bed screaming for his brother but his legs collapsed from under him dumping him to the floor as pain wracked his body. "Nii-san…" were the last words he uttered before unconsciousness overtook him.
When he awoke there was someone new standing over him. He had red hair that stood up rather comically and a camouflage colored tank top. "Hello Sapphire", he said, bending over the bed with a smile that failed to reach his eyes.
"Is…is that my name? How do you know it?"
"Of course I do. We go back a long ways Sapphire. We're family. I've come to take you home, you and your brother. But I also need your help." His smile was convincing, and in a world full of strangeness and blank memories, it suddenly felt good to find someone who knew him, a friendly face in a sudden sea of strangers. "OK", he answered, "But only if Nii-san can come too."
Sapphire jolted awake, realizing he'd fallen asleep with his head resting on the railing of his brother's bed. That had been years ago and he was still here watching his brother's sleeping face as if in suspended animation, like he could wake at any second.
Rubeus entered the chamber where Metallia was interred, an as yet disembodied essence struggling to fully break free from the seals that had been so cruelly placed upon her so long ago. He went down to one knee in respect. "Metallia, I have captured more energy for you. We are making good progress. But Sapphire is starting to have doubts. Could we not use Diamond too as an ally? Surely with your power you could turn him into a powerful addition to our forces. You have seen my mind and my memories of Nemesis and the power he was able to absorb through the black crystal." He had never questioned Metallia so much before but instead of anger, a harsh grating laugh echoed in his mind.
"Diamond is a wildcard, far too dangerous to entrust with my power. I can feel it in his mind. He is a better tool used to shackle Sapphire to us. He will not act against us as long as Diamond is like this, and I will ensure that he remains that way. Now Rubeus, you must bring me more energy. Time is growing short. You must act faster!"
Deep within the bowels of dark energy a being stirred, a being that had been imprisoned there for a time he could no longer keep track of. What came before this eternal darkness he did not remember, only bits and pieces trickled through to taunt him. He clung to them like breadcrumbs leading where, he did not know. But it was enough to give him hope and it was enough to give him strength to keep fighting. Diamond raised a semi-transparent hand and pushed at the barrier around him. "Let me out of here!" He didn't know where "here" was, and even his own name was a mystery but despite it all he knew that he wanted to be free.
Metallia only laughed, her deep voice penetrating the ether around him. "Oh so you've woken up again. Time to give me more energy." Darkness began to thicken around him, pulling at him, making him feel dizzy. "Damn it! Stop this!", he said throwing himself with all his will into the barrier. "Damn…", he cured under his breath as he could feel consciousness leaving him again.
Chapter 4 Secton 3 - A Subterranean Surprise!
Zachary and the boys were at it again, deep beneath the city streets in long forgotten nooks and crannies, always in search of something new. He had never forgotten that strange night with the piano but exploring like this helped keep it out of his mind. Otherwise it would just turn around and around in his thoughts a constant unending series of questions without answers. It was much more fun to scavenge.
This time they had managed to get into the old city hall government building or at least the subway entrance that existed below it. Covered in dust from climbing around the rubble Zachary sneezed and swatted the dust from his face. Having climbed two sets of ruined stairwells they were now inside the underbelly of City Hall about two floors above the station. His eye caught a blinking light reflecting on the opposite wall and he stopped short. There wasn't any power down here at all, so a blinking light was a very odd thing indeed. It piqued his curiosity.
Making his way quietly down the hall he noticed the light coming from beneath a heavy door. Pushing his shoulder into it he gave it a few hard shoves and the door creamed open, half fallog off of its hinge. Just then hs other friends caught up. What they saw inside that room made all of their jaws drop. Inside, encased in some sort of clear glass connected to machinery were two cats, one white and one black with a strange crescent mark on its forehead. The blinking light was coming from the capsules holding the cats as if frozen. Cautiously Zach reached out to touch the glass and an alarm sounded, garbled and distorted by age but still loud enough to nearly make him leap out of his socks as all three boys stared at each other in fear and began running.