The rain was like a hushed roar on weak roof of the Cherry Hill Temple. The girls had just had another meeting, and it had been useless.
Malachite was getting stronger every time they saw him, the Negaforce still had Tuxedo Mask's body, and they had no plans on how to fix either problem. The silver crystal was their only bargaining chip and even then they couldn't give it up no matter how badly Serena wanted Tuxedo Mask back.
Raye had decided it would just be better to go home and reconvene next week, it was getting dark and it was going to rain soon.
Serena left a little later than the rest, she felt like walking alone. She looked down at the crystal locket pinned to the bow of her school uniform, the little jewel was really the source of this entire problem. She pulled it off her chest, "…The reason why Tuxedo Mask is in danger…"
She couldn't helped but feel disgusted by it, if it never existed none of the monsters would have come to Earth, they could have all just been regular teenagers again.
She gazed at the crystal as she walked her foot tripped on an uneven sidewalk block. She came down hard on her hands and the compact flew underneath a parked car.
"Damn it."
She propped herself up on her bruised palms into a plant position and scanned under the ground for her missing treasure. When she saw nothing she looked up and felt a fat rain drop fall on her face.
"Great, just great."
The fall had caused her buns to fall out place, and gave her a new set of stinging scratches on her palms and knees. She quickly let down her hair and pulled her hair back with one of the hair ties from her buns.
She peered down again seeing a glint under a car a little farther down. More rain drops fell as she hugged her gray jacket, closer to her chest; it was getting cold.
She remained on all fours and was about to crawl over to the next car when she heard a high pitched scream.
Not even worrying about the crystal she was already sprinting toward the noise in the direction of the park around the corner.
Children lay face down in the wet sand as their energy was being sucked away from them into the tall Negaforce Commander's hands. He was walking toward a young woman, as she pitifully tried to crawl backwards away from him as he sucked up her energy.
He smiled down at her, almost sweetly, "Don't try to fight me, relax, it won't be much longer now."
Without thinking Serena cried out, "Stop right there, how dare you harm these innocent kids, in the name of-", She paused, she was still in civilian clothes, her only means of transformation was somewhere up the street, she glanced at a sign near the entrance, "In the name of the neighborhood watch I will punish you!"
Malachite paid no attention to her and continued sucking the energy of the girl in front of him who had suddenly stopped moving and passed out.
"Stop!" Serena rushed forward and tackled him, sending them both sprawling to the ground.
The rain was falling harder now and Serena could feel the water of her thin jacket soaking into her skin. She had never been so close to the soldier. He was, to put it mildy, handsome.
His cape was a darker shade of greenish silver from the rain but it only seemed to further outline his beauty.
His skin was a dark tan like warm caramel and his hair was the whitest silver with a teal undertone, but his eyes…They were a steels blue gray that seemed be looking right through her.
"I said stop." But the last word was barely more than a puff of air.
He wouldn't stop looking at her. The rain had plastered her bangs on her forehead and curled up her hair in its loose low ponytail, turning the bright blonde to its darker, deeper tones.
There eyes met, and her gray jacket, looked almost like the military suit that his fellow comrades wore, and with the forest green shirt peeking out underneath...It almost seemed as if-but it couldn't be…
She was completely on top of him but he had propped himself up on his elbows. With one hand he brushed away her bangs, then his hands moved from her temple to her neck to the back of her head where he brought her head down so his lips to meet his.
Her lips were so soft, and small. She kissed him back softly and not with the same fire that Zoicite had, not with the same hunger, it was different, but as he used his tongue to explore her mouth he realized, it wasn't all bad.
His lips were smooth, and he moved his tongue expertly, his entire body hummed with the spark of fresh energy that electrified the air around them. Her forearms framed his head on the ground, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, so that he sat up to make them both more comfortable.
A moan entered his ears, but it wasn't his and for a second he pressed her body against his when he realized it wasn't hers either.
In the midst of the "encounter" with this mysterious woman he had forgotten to finish the job he had been assigned.
The young woman who had almost passed out was using her upper body to try to crawl out of the park.
Serena suddenly stood up, unsure whether to run away or to try to fight Malachite, she had stopped him after all, and she felt so dizzy from all the energy floating in the air she didn't know if she could do either.
"Stop right there in the name of Mars evil Negaslime unhand that-Seren-civilian!"
Serena turned around and saw her hot-tempered friend gawking at her, how much had she seen? If she was here the other scouts couldn't be much farther behind.
She backed away from Malachite in the neutral direction of the swings. Malachite looked at her, and then and at the Sailor Scout.
"You think only one of you could handle me?"
He started gather dark energy in his hand when more footsteps approached, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus came to stand on either side of the fire scout.
He smirked, "I got what I came for," He flashed over to Serena and stroked a wet tendril of her hair, "I'll be sure to see you again."
"See you soon, Sailor Scouts, count yourself lucky."
The scouts rushed over her, quickly untransforming. Mercury already had her minicomputer out, "Were you hurt?"
"Did he touch you?"
"You look dizzy?"
"What did he whisper to you?"
"Why aren't you transformed!?"
Serena sat down on the swing, leaning on the on the chain the kept the toy suspended, "It's raining, I lost my locket," She got up slowly and walked through the wall the girls had formed around her, "Malachite."
Another one done! Any pairings or suggestions? Really, any? Because I might just start repeating them, if that's ok with you guys. Well see you guys next time Happy Holidays!