Well here I am again. :) So sorry it has been so long. I have missed you guys. :) Hope you like this next chapter. It's just a prelude to what should be an action packed next chapter. As always please review! I really appreciate it. :)

Chapter 15:

Kiral had trouble sleeping and was wide awake late enough to watch the world beginning to wake up. He simply could not stop the wheels in his mind from spinning. So much was new and so much changed. And now, he was about to lead an attack against the government really, to procure a transformation pen that may not even exist. It could bring ruin down upon him and maybe even his family, but did that really matter so much anymore? He was not just his mother's son. He was somebody else too, with a much more important mission than his business aspirations. That dream would have to be put aside. It did not outweigh his duty.

And as much as he would not admit it in front of the others, he was nervous. Memories were all well and good, but this would be real fighting and to be honest he was not sure yet what he was capable of. Matai too would be in danger. It would tear Kiral apart if he were to lose his only brother, and now his prince. Kiral struggled to bring his unruly mind to order

Stagnation, and the inability to act would not get him anywhere, he decided after a while. This was the crucial point. Once this began, there would be no turning back. No, KIral realized, he would be leaving Kiral behind to become Kunzite, the leader of the four heavenly kings, though he sure didn't feel like one right now. But it would have to be his secret.

Liese trundled home wearily. She had only sold a few flowers today, the most memorable of which had been the auburn haired man with the rose bouquet. She couldn't get his kind eyes out of her head. Some girl would be very lucky to have him. She looked down at her remaining flowers. Her water mister had been knocked over by a bunch of kids, and she had not been able to change their water all day. Now they were looking a bit wilty. "Hang in there guys. We're almost home. Got a big day tomorrow. It's Market Day. All sorts of people will be wanting to buy my flowers I'm sure." She spoke aloud if only to cheer herself up, and it did work to an extent.

Arriving at her doorstep she nearly missed the pink bundle at her feet. Looking down she let out a surprised gasp. "Oh no." Her beautiful pink rose bouquet was lying on her doormat. "Why would he give the flowers back?" she wondered aloud. "Maybe his date didn't go well after all. What a shame! But no way am I giving him a refund." She nearly laughed at her own comment as Liese stooped to pick them up. The card fell open. Feeling like she was prying, but unable to resist, she read the contents. She was certain it was meant for some other girl at first.

To someone very special,

Never, ever give up, my beautiful rose girl.

At the last words, her pulse began racing. Was this really for her? She could hardly believe it, but there was no denying it. A flush crept across her cheeks and she clutched the flowers to her chest.

The minute Sarah was done with school, she was whisked away by Rhiannon and Margaret to the underground hideout. She would be safest there while the others split off to find the transformation pens. Kiral, Ji Jian, and the others gathered there for last minute planning before the strike.

Kiral glanced at Margaret. Her long blonde hair was askew and she had her arms tightly crossed. They had been arguing. She wanted to go along on the mission. It was the most insane thing he had ever heard.

"You can stop pouting. I'm not going to change my mind."

"I have every right to go. It's MY wand."

"Yes, but you are not Sailor Venus. You are a powerless girl with no way to defend yourself. So you must stay." Truly Kiral was learning she could be infuriating in her stubbornness sometimes.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Where her eyes were sultry and pouty, now they were steel. "With or without my wand. I AM Sailor Venus! And I can so defend myself! See?"

With that she drove an elbow into his middle, knocking the air from his lungs. Her other hand was coming in for a strike to his chin and he grabbed her wrist tightly. Now it was his turn to be furious. "Why you crazy insufferable woman! You are staying! Now are you going to stay of your own will or do I have to tie you into a chair?"

Rather than being frightened of the anger in his eyes, she could not bring herself to look away from those fascinating, piercing eyes. Her initial retort of "try me" died on her lips. In that fleeting silence where both eyes locked onto each other, it dawned on Margaret that she could catch more flies with honey. Just because he said she couldn't go with him, doesn't mean she wasn't allowed to follow behind, did it?

She raised her other hand in surrender and chuckled. "Well alright. I'll stay. But only because Artemis would get lonely." Had he known her longer, Kiral should have seen there was something wrong with Margaret's wide smile and giddy laughter. Even Artemis had a feline whisker raised in suspicion. He released her, though he subconsciously regretted the loss of contact.

Zachary was the first to set out, his target being closer to their hideout. He only knew the location, not the exact way in. But it soon became evident. Against the side of a municipal building, he found a fine line which went around the edges of the brick. It resembled a bricked up door. Feeling around with the tips of his fingers he could find no catch. He began tapping on the bricks, and realized that one sounded more hollow than the rest. A quick press of the right brick and he was in.

Before him was a ladder that extended down as far as his eyes could see. He tested the first rung by stomping on it, and judging it to be sound enough, Zach began to descend. After a good few minutes his feet hit something semi-mushy. Pulling a glowstick from his pocket he banged it against the ladder to activate the chemicals inside to light. What he saw made his lips curl in disgust. "A sewer. Of course I get the bloody sewer. I knew I should have traded with Nephrite."

The tunnel before him clearly used to run with flowing human waste, but it had long since dried up, leaving a mostly dry, sticky surface. He was thankful for small things. At least it wasn't sticking to his boots, and it didn't smell, at least not too badly. He tried not to think about rats, tried very hard indeed.

Zoisite was almost beginning to think this would be a cakewalk, well a disgusting cakewalk to be precise. He had been walking several minutes in and had encountered absolutely no resistance. It was eerily quiet save for his own footsteps. "Maybe Rubeus has forgotten all about this place." As soon as he spoke, he became aware of another subtle noise, one so soft it could easily be missed. There was a distinctive clicking sound from up ahead. It was a chittering sound and it was definitely approaching him.

It was pure instinct that made Zachary dodge as something sharp and metallic whizzed past him. He could feel the tailwind make his hair move. Wide eyed, he drew a dagger from his boot and took a defensive stance.

Jadeite reached his target shortly after. He found himself sneaking onto the heart of what was once a city power plant. It was comprised of many floors and levels of catwalks. Metal creaked as the building settled. He wondered if the upper levels would even hold weight anymore. A noise from behind a large piece of machinery startled him and immediately the Jade dagger was in his hand. But what emerged made him chuckle to himself. A tiny mouse peeped it's head out and chittered at him before running off to some other dark corner.

Chiding himself on being too jumpy, he wandered deeper into the heart of the building, figuring the item he sought would be there. Another noise distracted him, but he wrote it off to mice. However the noise was swiftly followed by a chain whipping through the air, and striking some few inches from where he was walking. A sort of metallic giggling came from above, and he looked up to see a form standing on the upper catwalks. Where its arms should have been protruded lengths of thick metal chains that waved about restlessly.

It chortled at him again, pulling back for a strike. The ends of the chains completed in a long spiky apparatus. And he could see its teeth were gnashing shards of metal like the blades of a chainsaw. "Shen me?…(What?)", he muttered aloud. It was the creepiest thing he had ever seen, although this only being his second monster, that didn't say much. It gnashed it's teeth at him again and let a chain spear fly right for him. Ji dove into a sideways roll, dropping the blade in the process. It wasn't going to do him any good against a metal opponent anyway. He needed his hands free.