Chapter 5
The next morning all the girls decided to meet at Hikawa Shrine and discuss what they should do about Sol and his potentially newfound power. Ami was first to arrive and greeted Rei with a warm smile as she hugged the black haired girl. Yurichiro was busy sweeping not far away so Ami decided it best not to say anything until he moved on to another part of the shrine. Minako, with Artemis on her shoulder and Makoto arrived together, chatting to one another as they walked up the stone steps. Yurichiro was out of ear shot by the time they arrived so Ami asked Makoto the obvious questions. Makoto informed them that Sol was still sleeping when she left. She told them she had written him a note about needing to do some errands, and had left a bento lunch in the fridge for him in case he got hungry. Usagi was late, as usual and it didn't take long for Rei to start complaining.
A few minutes passed when they heard Usagi running up the stairs, Luna trailing quietly in her wake. As Usagi approached the other girls, she bent her head down, breathing heavily. "Sorry everyone, I slept in."
"No surprise there" Rei snapped quickly. Usagi looked up and frowned at the harsh tone. Always the one to get down to business, Luna jumped onto the wooden ledge built around the stone structure of the shrine and began. "We could have a new potential enemy. He should be considered dangerous with this newfound power." Makoto looked down at the black cat; eye brows furrowed "He isn't our enemy. And we don't even know for sure if he's got this power inside of him. Perhaps it was just adrenaline yesterday."
"Adrenaline doesn't make wounds heal faster" Luna countered. "I'm almost positive he has some kind of new power residing inside of him, gifted from the close exposure to the Silver Crystals power as you all awakened the world." Ami rose her hand to her chin in thought "If he does have this new power, we need to inform him." Luna turned her business like stare on the blue haired girl "We shouldn't tell him anything about it. If he has that kind of information he could very well use it against us. Right now he knows we're more powerful than he is."
"But Luna, if he is stronger and faster now, that could put other people in danger" Minako replied. Ami nodded quickly, turning to face her friend "That's exactly what I was thinking. What if he starts horsing around with a friend, and accidentally breaks his neck. It could easily be prevented if he's aware of it." Luna's tail shot up and waved around in frustration. She didn't like when the girls disagreed with her, but they had sound arguments. The black cat sat down then and closed her eyes "Fine. We can tell him about his powers. But I think we should keep a close eye on him." Minako smiled and put her hand up, one finger pointing towards the sky "Like they say 'keep your friends close, and your boyfriends closer'"
"Mina..." Artemis exhaled, lowering his head. Everyone looked at the pretty blonde and sighed. "We have another problem" Rei said quietly, staring off into the horizon. They all turned to her, waiting for her to continue. "Last night I had a vision. The world was consumed into darkness. It seems we still have a lot of fighting ahead of us." They all stood silently at this ominous news. Finally Usagi said cheerfully "I'll just cleanse them all, like I did with the 7 Great Youma." Makoto spoke next, anger clear in her voice "Sol's father couldn't be cleansed. He was too far gone. If people are already infected with this dark energy, and have been sleeping in it for a thousand years, there isn't any humanity left in them."
"No, that's not true!" Usagi yelled, placing her hand to her chest. "I can help them; I don't want anyone else to die!" Rei stood and walked past the two arguing girls, black hair flowing out behind her "We might not have a choice. It's either that or send them away to planet Nemesis, and they come back as The Black Moon Clan and destroy most of human civilization." Everyone went quiet again. Ami had her head lowered in thought when she suddenly perked up "Not necessarily. I gathered a lot of information on the Dark Moon Clan and their droids. Maybe if we have to send them away, I can build some kind of force field generator to keep them out. "Usagi lifted her head, eyes pleading with the blue haired girl "Do you really think you could do that Ami-chan?"
"Yes I think I could. But we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. First, we need to meet with Sol. I can scan his body for any irregularities to see if he truly has been... Gifted by the Silver Crystal." Makoto turned her gaze on Rei, silently asking her if it was alright to use the telephone. Rei nodded in approval and Makoto walked past the group to call her apartment.
-/-*-\-
The sun was shining brightly as the small garden came into view. A light cool breeze blew some leaves in front of the path Sol walked. I think this is the place. The phone had rung shortly after he gotten out of bed, the familiar voice of Sailor Jupiter on the other line. She told him they needed to meet and talk about some recent issues. He didn't have anything else to do but sit and think about the previous day's events, so he agreed. He approached the entrance of the garden, a small patch of yellow flowers to his left as he followed the only walkway into the green area. His eyes scanned the surroundings, not seeing anyone who looked like the Sailor Senshi. As he continued down the path, the flowers gradually turned to trees and less people were visible.
The cool shade the overhanging trees provided a welcome respite from the heat of the afternoon sun. Sol heard what he thought was a whisper coming from his left. He turned and saw a figure, waving him off the path towards the darker recesses. As he walked off the path, whoever it was disappeared behind one of the larger trees in the green area. Sol walked more briskly, curious to what was about to transpire. As he drew closer to the tree the silhouettes of the 5 Sailor Senshi came into view. He stopped in front of them, eye brows furrowed. "So what's this about?"
"Please just stand still" the blue haired girl asked politely. A visor appeared before her eyes, and she squinted slightly, eyes following commands only she could see. Sol did as he was told and waited patiently. After a short time, the blue haired girl exhaled and looked at all the other girls in turn. "He has powers now." The small blonde girl with the pony tails stepped forward, hand placed in the middle of her chest, a sad look on her face. "I'm sorry Sol. This was never supposed to happen like this." Sol looked at her, confused "What do you mean I have powers now?"
"Remember when you followed me into the Crystal Palace and were knocked out?" Sailor Jupiter asked him. Sol nodded as recalled the strange glowing crystal walls. "You have been... It's hard to explain" Sailor Jupiter scoffed. The blue haired girl picked up where Sailor Jupiter left off "The easiest way to explain it is you have super human like powers now. Your stamina, strength, durability, speed, and even the rate at which you heal have all been increased past those of normal humans." Sol blinked at what she had just said to him and laughed "You're kidding right? So now I can leap over tall buildings and run faster than a speeding bullet?"
"We're dead serious" the black haired girl said quickly, arms crossed. "Haven't you noticed anything different since you came back from the Crystal Palace?" Sol remembered the way he had sprung towards his door, and how fast his hand had healed after cutting it badly on his father fangs. No, not my father. That wasn't my dad anymore. Perhaps what they were telling him was true. He looked at the tree beside him, scanning upwards until his eyes rested on a sturdy looking branch far out of reach. There was no way he could reach it, even if he jumped off a chair first. He turned his eyes towards Sailor Jupiter, and she nodded encouraging him to try. He looked back at the branch, and exhaled, placing his feet shoulder width apart. He bent his knees and reached his arms back behind him, preparing to jump as high as he could. This is never gonna happen. There`s no way I can reach this. He pushed himself up as hard as he could. Suddenly the branch hurtled towards him, smashing into his head. He grunted more in shock than pain as he fell back to the ground, and stumbled to keep his balance. Sol wasn`t prepared for that, and looked at the other girls in turn. They all nodded silently as the truth of what they had just told him sunk in. He rubbed his head where it had collided with the thick branch.
Looking around at the other girls, he realized that he didn't know how to address anyone except Sailor Jupiter. "So what do I call you?" Sol asked. The introduced themselves in turn, smiling warmly as they did. Sailor Moon was still beaming brightly when she asked "You're not our enemy, right Sol?" The other Sailor Senshi turned quickly and glared at Sailor Moon.
"Why would I be your enemy? If you hadn't shown up, I'd be dead right now. Plus you've unwittingly given me something that I can use to fight back with" Sol replied without any emotion in his voice. Sailor Mercury stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder "This is dangerous Sol. You have some power, but it isn't much. Not compared to what we have and these monsters are powerful. You've already lost-"
"I've lost everything! What else do I have to lose?!" Sol yelled as he reeled back away from Sailor Mercury's extended hand. Sailor Jupiter put herself in between Sailor Mercury and Sol, arms out protectively towards her long time friend."What about this Mako-chan you were muttering about when we woke you up? Does she mean nothing to you now? Does your own life mean nothing to you?!" Sol hadn't seen this side of Sailor Jupiter and was completely stunned at the sudden outburst. He dropped his shoulders in defeat, all the fight leaving his body for the time being. "I need to do something" he said quietly.
Sailor Moon walked closer to him, but before she could utter any words Sailor Mars turned and said in an urgent voice "There is an evil presence near here. Come on, let's go." Sol watched as she turned back towards the path he had come from and take off at a full sprint, the other four close behind. When Sol realized they weren't looking back to see if he was following or not he raced after them.
His feet pounded the short grass underneath as he pumped his arms and legs, trying to close the distance. They're fast! As he came back onto the path, he saw the long blonde pony tail of Sailor Moon disappearing over a retaining wall on the other side of the garden. Sol took off as fast as he could, getting close to the wall, he jumped and braced himself to hit the wall and throw himself over. Instead he sailed high over the wall, arms and legs flailing as he hurtled through the air. His center of gravity shifted forward, pulling his upper body down towards the concrete sidewalk on the other side. As he put his hands out to brace for the incoming impact, he had time to think this wasn't going to end well. His hands hit the pavement and he... Stopped?
Pushing himself back to his feet, he scanned the street frantically. Across the busy intersection he noticed some people pointing excitedly down an alley way. Sol dashed out into traffic, oblivious to the honks and screeching tires of motorists trying to avoiding running over some crazy boy. His only thought was he had to follow them at all costs. The ally was a blur as he raced forward. It split in opposite directions. Looking down either way didn't provide any clues as to which way they had gone. A short distance to his right was a fire escape running up the wall of a building. Without thinking twice he lunged forward and jumped. His legs pushed him past the first landing of the fire escape, up into the second. I could get used to this he thought, smiling as he effortlessly climbed higher and higher. Sol flung himself past the last rung onto the roof of the building. I'll be able to find them now that I have the high ground he thought as he raced onward.
-/-*-\-
Rei led the charge as the other Sailor Senshi followed, trusting their friends instincts when it came to premonitions. As the streets and alley ways opened into a similar park they had just ran from, she scanned the people milling about. Some were picnicking under the warm sun, others just enjoying a stroll through the lush greenery the park provided. It's here, somewhere close. Her eyes went towards a group of boys tossing a Frisbee back and forth. The boy standing closest to the small bushes behind him threw the disc to one of his friends and then turned at something unheard to Rei. THERE! As he moved closer to inspect what was rustling inside the bushes, Rei lurched forward, inhaling as much air as her lungs could hold "Get away from there! There's something-"she didn't have time to finish when something large and black sprang out of the brushes, grabbing the young boy by one arm, lifting him off his feet with ease.
The other four girls sprang into action immediately, following Rei blindly into battle like they had done so many times in the past. "Venus Love Me Chain!" Rei heard Minako yell from behind her as others screamed and ran for cover. A golden chain made of heart shaped links appeared, swirling around the slender blonde girl. She pointed her hand at the monster and the chain shot out at incredible speed. It wrapped itself around the evil beings wrist, as her own hands clasped the other end of the chain. She pulled hard, preventing the monster from doing any further harm to the terrified boy in its grasp. The links dug into the black flesh, tearing sinew and muscle like a hot knife through butter. The other girls closed in, Rei at the head of the pack.
"Burning Mandela!" Discs of flame appeared before the black haired beauty and shot out, slicing and burning the creatures arm off at the elbow. The monster wailed in pain. Makoto was first to the fallen boy, grabbing him swiftly and retreating to a safe distance. The monster groaned deep in its throat, breathing heavily. It extended what was left of its severed arm out to the side, and a black rope like substance shot out. Bringing its arm back, it thrashed out, whipping at Rei, Ami and Usagi. Rei and Ami side stepped easily and gracefully, while Usagi seemed to trip over her own feet. Falling face forward, barely avoiding being struck by the black whip hurtling towards them.
The monster singled Usagi out as the weakest of the five, and lashed out violently. Usagi, dodging the attacks as she tripped and stumbled out of danger. Honestly, I don't know how she isn't dead. Rei thought to herself as she shook her head in disappointment. As the creature attacked her friend relentlessly, Rei noticed the bushes off to one side of the monster stir. A dark grey coloured head poked out from the low brush. Its head rose up and smelled the air like a dog on a scent. Rei saw that the face of this thing had no eyes, dark grey skin pulled tight over the eye sockets, leaving indents where eyes were once held. Its head snapped towards Usagi who was still flailing about, avoiding being struck down in the park. Ami noticed the other attacker then as well and crossed her arms in front of herself "Bubble Spray!" She threw her arms out as she yelled, and bubbles appeared everywhere, covering the entire field in a thick mist. Usagi thanked her friend for the deterrent tactic. Minako and Makoto came running up as well and they formed a small circle.
"There are two of them. They must have been close enough together that I mistook them for one evil being. Split up and stay alert" Rei cautioned the other four girls. They all nodded and took off in different directions. Rei stayed where she was and closed her eyes, concentrating. I'll be able to sense where they are, and finish them off before anyone else gets hurt. She felt a tingling sensation, close and behind her. She spun around in time to see the creature without eyes stand to its full height. It was enormous, at least ten feet tall. It must walk on all fours to detect scents better Rei thought absently. Suddenly, thick grey tendrils shot out from the creatures back and towards Rei. She didn`t have time to power up for Burning Mandela so she clasped her hands in front of her face, index finger pointing up on either hand, readying for the less powerful but quicker Fire Soul.
The grey tentacles were faster than she expected though and closed the distance almost instantly. They wrapped around her wrists and arms, slithering to her back, pulling her hands close to her chest. She opened her mouth to call for help when two more shot out at her face, one circling around her mouth like a gag, the other around her throat, choking off her air supply. Rei threw her head back and dug her heels in as the monster began to reel in its prey. Her high heels tore the green grass underneath, exposing dark earth beneath. The grass didn`t provide the kind of footing she needed to break free of its vice like grip. She dug her heels in further and arched her back, resisting with all her strength. She stopped for a moment and felt the tension grow as they engaged in a power struggle. The grass and dirt beneath her feet proved to be unworthy as it gave out and she fell backwards. Now on the ground there wasn`t much she could do, but stare is it slowly pulled her closer. It parted its dark grey lips, and began to open its mouth. The mouth kept opening, impossibly wide, revealing row after row of sharp glistening teeth. The creature`s entire mouth was filled teeth, leaving no room for even a tongue. Spit poured from the side of its mouth as she was drawn ever closer. Rei began to thrash widely, fearing this could be the end.
As she thrashed she heard the bushes rustle slightly, and a figure jumped out of the mist and swung something large in their hand at the creatures gaping mouth. Teeth crunched and shattered as the force of the blow sent it careening back in pain, the tentacles loosening their grip significantly. Rei pushed her hands away from herself, and the tentacles let go. She dug her fingers into the one around her neck and pulled hard as it gave way. The last around her mouth pulled back voluntarily, and she sucked in deep breaths that her lungs burned for. Sol ran up to her from beside the monster as it thrashed widely in pain, a dull scream trying to escape its mouth but was blocked by whatever Sol had jammed into it. "Are you ok?" He asked bending down to help her get back up. She nodded and asked "What did you hit it with?"
"A rock, it was the only thing I could find after I saw it grab you." He replied. The monster stopped screaming then, and both Sol and Rei looked at it. The large grapefruit sized rock Sol had used to smash the creatures face was still jammed firmly in its mouth. The creature threw its head back and proceeded to swallow the large stone. They could see the outline is it traveled down the monsters neck, into the upper torso. The grey creature turned its eyeless stare to the other two standing side by side and raised it arm. A hole appeared on its hand, and Rei grabbed Sol suddenly, forcing him into the ground as the stone shot out at them like a bullet. Rei heard the rock whiz past over head, safely avoiding the cannonball like projectile.
The grey beast started walking towards them when something red flashed through the mist and buried itself deep into the eyeless socket. The monster threw its head back as the stem of a rose protruded out from its skull and wailed again, exposing broken teeth throughout its gaping mouth. "Now Sailor Moon!" Rei heard the familiar voice of Tuxedo Kamen shout unseen.
"Moon Princess Halation!" Rei knew there was no coming back for this thing as a golden crescent moon shot through the mist towards the evil creature. It let out a final, gasping grunt as the thing turned to dust. Ami recalled her mist as everyone gathered around Rei and Sol to make sure they didn't suffer any serious injury. Rei told them her throat was a little sore, but she was fine.
Rei turned to Sol as Tuxedo Kamen crossed the field to where everyone was standing. "You could have been killed, what were you thinking?" She scolded. Sol looked back as his face turned aghast "I saved you from being eaten, didn't I?"
"Tuxedo Kamen would have saved me. He just didn't throw sooner in fear of hitting you!" Rei retorted. Tuxedo Kamen placed his hand on Rei's shoulder and nodded silent thanks towards Sol as he spoke "Actually, I wouldn't have arrived in time to save you. If he hadn't done what he did, you would have perished at the hands of that monster." Rei's anger completely disappeared as she looked on at Tuxedo Kamen, stunned. She turned back to Sol and bowed her head, hands in front of her "Thank you" she said softly. Sol's expression turned soft as well as he politely acknowledged the thanks.
Minako stepped forward "Next time leave the monster fighting to us though. We don't need anyone else getting hurt trying to help us. If an innocent life was lost, we wouldn't be able to forgive ourselves." She said diplomatically. Sol looked at each one in turn and rested his intense gave on Sailor Jupiter. "I'm not going to stop. If you want me to stop helping you, you'll have to physically hold me down, and chain me up. I doubt you're in the business of kidnapping so you can either accept my help, or I'll do it without your consent. Today I realized that there are still people I care about. People I want to protect from this kind of evil. If that means I lay my life down for a better cause, so be it." He turned away from them, and proceeded back towards the busy streets of Tokyo. Rei watched as he walked on and wondered, not for the first time, if they were really helping people or making things worse for everyone.
A/N: Please let me know what you think. This has been a lot of fun to write and I would like to know if you're enjoying it as well.