Seeking Love

Chapter 22

Prince Endymion had finished giving his 'statement' to the ancient artifact. Parts of his childhood when he was running in the rose gardens, and times with his parents passed through his mind. Next came his adolescent teen years followed by the recent weeks in regards with the Moon Kingdom. Even Natsumi made it into his flashbacks. Last they talked was at the Aviary Restaurant. She said she would stay in town, but now that she was here, she didn't pull at his mind. What kept triggering his anxiety was Mina! After having that talk the previous night, he couldn't stop thinking about her. What she must be going through. She had relations with that beast! and here she was standing against him. Could he do that to someone he cared for? The longer he stayed on the Moon the more he questioned himself, and he didn't like it. He was used to knowing what he wanted. He was to be a decisive ruler! Not this wishy washy 'boy.'

When he emerged from the courtroom, he was standing in another identical hallway from earlier, alone. Where was everyone? Identical seats were placed in the identical spots, and he plopped down. No use getting himself lost. Folding his arms, and crossing his legs, he let himself close his eyes to the silence. It had been a while since he last had this much time to himself without one of his guardians breathing down his neck about this problem or that. Then he heard a jiggle of the handle. Opening one eye, he glanced at the door knob. No, he was imagining things. Closed his eyes. Then he heard it again. it was shaking now, as if someone was trying to escape! He jumped to his feet, and pulled at the door. It flew open, and a solid body thundered into him. Before he could reorient himself, Endymion could feel large hands reaching around his throat. An unwieldy pressure was against his windpipe. He couldn't breathe! He couldn't scream! His lungs were burning for air. His eyes frantically tried to focus on the man on top of him. It had to be a man, no woman could be this bulky. The last thing that he finally recognized before the world went dark was Takeshi's blood shot eyes staring at him in a maddened rage.

Serenity whirled around, her back against the door. "Whose there? Show yourself." Next to self-glorifying Princes, the next type of person she hated the most were cowards who hid themselves.

Broad shoulders stepped out of the darkness. His black hair was pushed back, and a plastic smile pasted on his face.

"What are you doing Takeshi? You aren't suppose to be left unguarded."

"You think guards were going to keep me silenced? You really think that your kingdom would fly under the radar of my master's plan for reconstruct this disastrous Universe?"

"What happened to all you said earlier? You said that you were changing!"

Takeshi kept walking towards her at a steady pace. Nothing warranting an attack, but they look of a predator rang true in his eyes. "Well, I guess I lied."

"You aren't going to get away with this again. This isn't you! You might of thought you were lying to me when we were together all those times, but I know that some of those things were real. You can't believe that we are solely responsible for your childhood. You know things have changed! PLEASE! TAKESHI! LISTEN TO ME!"

He was only a foot away. She could feel her sweat sticking to the door behind her. Her mind kept switching between man and monster. His arm twitched by his side. Was he trying to fight his inner self? Turmoil was rolling in his mind, it had to be. All it took were three words.

"Serenity. Help... Me."

She leapt forward, and embraced him with her open arms. His body began to convulse, and she held on tighter. "FIGHT IT! YOU CAN DO THIS! I BELIEVE IN YOU!"

"I... caaaaan't.. You must, you must kill me! I don't want to kiiiill you," he chattered into her ear. His eyes started rolling back into his head. "I'm sooorrry."

She could feel his sanity leaving his body. She stepped back, and his body stood rigid. A dead body standing. Then the eyes opened again back in their fits of rage. Takeshi would be forever lost, and now it was up to her to deliver his justice.

"MOOOON POWER! MAKE-UP!"

The empty body began moving. With stilted movements it came towards her. By then she was able to move to the other side of the room keeping a good distance between them. His head was in the air, as if looking for her scent and not using his eyes.

Grabbing her tiara, she thought of the least damaging way to put him down.

"MOOOOON TIARA, ACTION!"

It spun into a halo of light, and she flung it at her pursuer. He slid to the side, and hit the wall - only to bounce off into the other parts of the circle. The monster made for the door, and tried to make an escape. The disc making a star came right back at him, but by then he was already out the door.

Endymion's eyes fluttered open. He was floating in a gray mist. There were no walls, no ceiling or floor. Was this limbo? Purgatory?

"I see you did not heed my words Prince Endymion," said the man's voice from when he was in the cave. "I told you to protect her! and what do you do?! You let her be attacked! Look at the mess that has been made?! What have you been doing that has been preoccupying your time!"

Endymion didn't know what to say. He was speechless. Being scolded by an invisible entity was more threatening than when there is someone there to be pointing a finger at you. "What am I suppose to do? I never signed up to be her caretaker."

"You think that is what this is about? What a young Prince you are."

Endymion could see the snivel in the man's tone. "You still haven't told me why you chose me! I'm just a Prince." That got him a small hearty laugh. One that a grandpa would give to his grandchild.

"You still see the Universe with small eyes. You still love with a small heart. I chose you simply because you were born into this Galaxy to do many a great things. I can not tell you too much, spoilers, but I will give you some hints. Starting soon you will be faced with two tests. These trials will help you unlock what is within yourself, and what is to be found in the girl."

"What does that mean?"

"HUSH! I cannot help you anymore. The path will be unveiled when it is time."

The door slammed shut before Sailor Moon could follow Takeshi. She tried to force it open, but it was stuck. It was as if the room itself decided she was not fit to leave! She could hear bodies tumbling, and silence followed. Pressing her ear against the wall, she started to hear a series of clanks as if wheels were turning followed by a simple click. The door opened on its own accord into a room filled with her sailor scouts.

"Did you see him? What happened?!" she asked them agitated. They looked back at her with confused looks. Then it all became clear, the circular room had turned!

"We've got to go! Takeshi. He escaped, and is running around. Something happened, and I can't explain it, but we are all in danger."

The other girls quickly changed into their Sailor Scout garbs, and they followed her back down the corridor. Hopefully it would lead them back from where they came from.

Endymion could feel ground moving swiftly beneath him. Rocks hitting him between his shoulder blades, and twigs pulling at his shirt. His jacket was turned upwards, thankfully adding some sort of padding to his head. His feet were elevated, but it was because he was being dragged by them. Takeshi' in a sweat soaked white dress shirt, and rolled up pants grudgingly pulled him along. He looked up at the sky and saw the white trees. They were still at the forest. Where was this man taking him? Play dead or fend for his life? He tried to move his wrists, but found that they were bounded to his waist. Looked like he was going to have to choose the former.

Keeping his eyes closed, Takeshi finally stopped and pushed him up against a tree trunk. Seemed like even monsters needed a break. Endymion made sure to keep his eyes lidded as much as possible, but he caught glances of the man. The 'wild' seemed to have disappeared from his disposition. It was time to make a move.

"What do you want from me?"

The heavy man stopped what he was doing, and turned towards him. "You're up. Good. My master will be pleased. You see, he's always wanted to meet Prince Charming."

"Let me see him then! Don't keep me waiting in the dark here."

"Patience Prince. Patience."

"How do you know I'm the Prince?"

"Did you really think that facade was going to fool us? You might have been able to trick those of the Moon, but you see - we have a longer standing history with you." Takeshi had a bag with him, how he got it - Endymion didn't know. Out he pulled an empty syringe. "I've been told to get something from you. Don't worry too much." He came close, and jabbed the needle point into Endymion's forearm.

Endymion tried to wiggle away, but it was no use.

"Had to get this for Sir," Takeshi said as he shook the tube with Endymion's dark red blood.

Sure enough the Sailor Scouts had come out from under the bridge. Now to find Takeshi. The girls huddled together trying to come up with a plan.

"How are we suppose to find him?! He might still be in the courthouse!" stated Mina.

"I don't think so. The most logical route for him would be to get as far away as possible from here," countered Rei.

"Well he must be on foot, so that means he would still be within a miles radius," added Ami.

"We're wasting our time then just talking here," said a stumped Makoto. She was always ready for the action. The planning is what she dreaded the most.

"Problem! Which way did he go? I don't recall any one of us getting an 'A' in tracking," said Serenity.

A deranged and misfit man came stumbling out of the archway. "He said he was going towards the river! That way!" It was the bumpy nose man from earlier. He was pointing a crooked and blue finger off of the path to the right.

"Well that answer that. Let's go!" ordered Makoto.

The girls took off each in their own huntress mode. Mina and Serenity took the tree tops while Makoto and Rei ran between the trees. Ami jogged silently behind them keeping a tracking system of each of them while also mapping out the terrain.

"GGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" The groan was straight ahead of them. They weren't far from whomever was making the noise.

Sailor Moon reached the origin first. Takeshi was hovering over a body with a bloody knife in hand. "SSSTTTOOOP!" she screamed.

"The party has arrived. The stage is almost set!" Takeshi hollered out into the air. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was turning dark. "We must start and finish this play before the curtains are drawn!"