"Mercy, Dis Pater, please!" Aguri cried, fearful for his life. Ahead of him was the masked man in yellow tatters, having broken into his home and put his mother under a spell as soon as she saw him. The mask on his face crept into a surly expression.

"You have failed me," he spoke gravely. "Not only did you fall easily, but you also did not retrieve the incubus. Where is your sigil?"

Aguri shook in fear as he pointed to his bed. Dis Pater moved it with only a move of his neck. The summoning circle where Aguri had made his pact with Furtur had become a nondescript stain of dry blood on the floor.

"Who or what did this?"

"It was... It was a girl who, uh..." Aguri fumbled for words in his nervousness. "A girl named Sailor Moon!"

The mask on Dis Pater's face crumpled into a devilish sneer. "I see. Savor your days as a normal teenager now, Aguri. But if need be, you will be mine again."

The words of the shady figure hammered on the youngster's head and were enough distraction for him to not notice as the man sank through the shadows of one corner of his room.

"Aguri? Are you alright?"

The sudden entrance of his mother broke his affliction for a while. Then it sank in on him that she was also implicated in this situation. Aguri embraced his mother fiercely and wept softly on her bosom, clinging to the hope that things would be fine.

(~~)

Diary Entry

Sailor Moon must have tapped into her sacred cosmic power to rid the surface of Furtur, at least for now. If so, I cannot expect to win in direct combat. If only I was whole again... But in the state I am in, I would be easy prey. The servants will have to do, if only to retrieve the incubus.

Things could have been far easier had he not fled as soon as he was summoned. Who would have thought that he, of all people and things, would be reborn as a normal human being? Was that even of his own hand?

Pity about young Junko. She literally gave her life away for him. The poor thing wanted some company and nothing more. That's the price to pay for believing more than thinking.

I have three years before the Cycle ends and the new one begins. Plenty of time, but the sooner the world is rid of them, the better. Let's see how the next one fares.

(~~)

The Incubus, Part 2: Temple of Her Mind

Nine-thirty in the night and Astar reached the staircase of the Hikawa Shrine after half an hour of walking. Rather than just fly, he took his time to walk to the place in his human form. As a human, any feature that gave away his demonic origins was shrunk and tucked in his skin. Except for his horns, which became hair tufts. For passers-by, he looked like some escapee from a heavy metal show. Not that the incubus cared.

After climbing the staircase, the incubus turned back to his demonic self. Immediately, he felt his head spin around, his limbs give away and his lungs collapse, feeling the life force he had acquired previously slowly slip away from his body.

"It's sacred ground," Astar concluded as he turned into flesh again to fend off the spiritual energy of the Shrine. As such, he could only trudge slowly through the Shrine's grounds, so as not to raise suspicion.

Peeking over the first window he found, Astar saw Rei's grandfather chanting a spirit-fending prayer in front of the fireplace. "Perhaps that's why I can't transform," he mused. When the diminutive old man got up and retreated to his own chambers, Astar tried shifting to his incubus shape. He still felt some heaviness, but nothing unbearable as while the elder was praying. Preferring to conserve his energies, Astar changed back to his human shape and sought the aura's signal.

Over the next window, he saw the woman whose aura had attracted him: Rei Hino. She was in the ofuro bathtub while listening to a soft rock tape on a small boombox she had brought over to the bathroom. As she was drifting in and out of sleep, Astar could see her strong aura emanating some kind of red glow.

Soon after, Rei got up, and Astar quickly hid underneath the window. After hearing some noises, he noticed Rei was gone from the bathroom, so he sought after her in adjacent rooms.

It didn't take long to find her readying herself to sleep in her own room. She wore a simple white tank top and a pair of pink bloomers. Astar was amazed at her svelte and firm figure, but couldn't ogle her for too long - whenever Rei turned around towards the window, Astar had to hide beneath the windowsill.

"I have to be quick," he thought. But just when he was about to enter his incubus state, two crows attacked him. Astar transformed, and the birds ended hitting the wall.

"Phobos? Deimos? What's the matter?" Rei asked from her window, concerned after hearing their crowing and the thump on her wall. She saw nothing unusual over the Temple's yards.

"You must have been seeing things," she addressed the crows with a short smile and a yawn. "Well, good night!"

After a wait that felt like an eternity to him, Rei finally fell asleep, and he wasted no time in positioning himself above her to enter her mind.

(xx)

Astar saw himself crouching on a stone walkway, softly touched by the pink petals of a cherry tree above him, surrounded by a strong but welcoming warmth. He saw cherry blossom trees all across the gardens, contrasting with the clear blue sky of the eternal morning inside Rei's mind. The smell was that of wet bare earth, mixed with the sweet scent of the trees. He could even feel a cool breeze smoothly grazing his skin. Several featureless people of all sizes walked and ran about throughout the garden. Two structures caught the incubus' attention: A large temple in typical Japanese fashion, not unlike that of the Hikawa Shrine itself, and behind it, what seemed to be a man-shaped mountain whose hand loomed over the temple. The closer Astar got to it, the darker it got. The sky became cloudy, the people that roamed the temple's grounds disappeared, and even the warmth changed to an unbearable chill. Astar knew what this meant: Whoever it was that this mountain represented, it brought sorrow to Rei's mind. He turned his back and set foot back to the building.

Two men stood outside by the entranceway. The first one was tall and slim, had short blonde hair, wore what seemed to be a light-grey military uniform with golden trims, and had a look of confidence on his face. The second one, despite looking sturdier and being half a head taller than the other, had a full mane of brown unkempt hair, wore a simple white and light blue hakama, and had a look of pain and insecurity that could be seen through the bangs of hair that mostly covered his eyes.

"Who are these people?" asked Astar to himself. "And why are they standing here, if the doors are wide open in their front?"

Astar simply left the two men behind and entered the temple. Inside, the structure seemed spacier than what it looked outside. Floor covered with tatami matting, walls with paper paneling with ukiyo-e paintings, and a smell of lavender incense permeated the place. Exactly five people were inside this building: Four other girls, plus the old man he had seen praying earlier. Her grandfather, he deduced. And on second glance, he recognized one of the girls as being Usagi, the one whose mind he invaded earlier that day, which also made him ponder about the relationship between both girls.

He saw Rei as a little girl, crying in the corner of the room while small flames lit around her head. On the other side of the room, a woman laid dead on the floor while her grandfather and two other people tended to her body, preparing her for her eventual funeral proceedings. The ambient was so dark and oppressive, Astar could stand no longer seeing it, so he turned around and left through the same door.

Approaching the paintings once more, he touched one that had a picture of the girls he saw. The structure around him changed completely, becoming a downtown street in the middle of the afternoon. He saw Rei and Usagi talking to each other in what seemed a friendly manner. They linked hands, but suddenly, Rei's expression changed.

"Why do you have to be so stupid, Usagi?" she angrily exclaimed. "How can such a total ditz be our leader?"

Soon after, Usagi burst into flames. Rather than desperately put out the fire that consumed her body, the girl simply cried and shrieked, complaining about Rei. The latter tried to reach for her, only for the fiery figure to walk away, leaving her behind as she fell on her knees.

"Usagi, wait! That's not what I meant! I just... Oh no, please forgive me..."

Turning around, he saw the scene change. It was a train station at dusk. Rei was face to face with the disheveled-looking guy he saw at the entrance of the building. He wore casual clothes but looked charred all over as if he also combusted like the girl from before. He was ready to board a train right next to the platform.

"Goodbye, Rei," the man said as he boarded the train.

"No, wait... Don't leave me! It was my fault, wasn't it? I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry..."

Once again, a burned person turned their back to Rei, who could only lament the fact her touch was fiery. There she stood on her own, and when Astar approached her, he noticed there were burn marks in her arms. She was also affected by this strange phenomenon.

As he turned away once more, Astar saw himself surrounded by darkness. Another transition to another figment of Rei's memory, for sure. But when he did come back to light, he saw himself back in the shrine, this time in a spacious room with an adorned altar on the other end of the room, where Rei's real inner self stood. A legitimate Yamato Nadeshiko in looks, she was comely as she could be, wearing a full Shinto priestess garment with flowery patterns. Her hair was tied on a bun and kept by a golden kanzashi that shone like the Sun.

"What in all hells are you doing here?" She raised her voice in outrage.

"The door was open," Astar replied. "It would not be like that if you really did not wish to receive visitors."

Upon hearing this, Rei's expression mellowed out.

"You... You never spoke to me like that before."

"And what's the problem with that?"

"None at all. In fact... I always wanted you to be assertive."

Rei spoke to Astar as if she knew him. "Would you accompany me in this ritual?" she then asked. Astar's answer came in a simple smile and a nod.

He sat over his legs and saw as Rei performed the Kagura. Her movements were graceful and flawlessly in time with the song that played from nowhere in particular. Once she was done, the music gave place to a commending round of applause that, again, had no visible source.

"So, how did I do?" She asked.

"You were marvelous," he answered while getting up. "The Gods are pleased, I'm sure of it."

"You are always there for me," she said in a more mellow voice. "Will you be there forevermore?"

Astar approached Rei and embraced her tightly. "For as long as existence itself."

In any other situation, Rei would have made Astar combust as she did with everyone else. But under the incubus' spell, she was powerless beyond what her lust wished. It was her who felt like she would burn at any moment, but she did not stop, nor wished to. She wanted that moment to last forever, though she knew it wouldn't. But just like a tall flame, the passion she felt would burn mightily and brightly for as long as she could endure.

(xx)

When Rei woke up, she was soaked in sweat, feeling a slight numbness all over her body. She felt something sticky between her thighs. Never in her life had she had a wet dream, and it deeply embarrassed the raven-haired Guardian. And yet, if she could, Rei would spend the day in bed, reveling in that lightness. It felt pleasant and satisfying as few things before. But she had to get up soon: Before bedtime, Luna warned about wanting a meeting with the available Guardians. It's been quite a while since she called such a meeting, but if she did, it had to be over some serious business. Little by little, as the dawn broke through her room's window, she got up and started her morning routine. After a shower, putting on some fresh clothes, breakfast with her grandfather, and a quick sweep on the household's veranda, she was ready to go.

Ami was punctual as always, arriving at eight o'clock. Artemis came a while later, quickly perching himself atop the porch ceiling. As usual, Usagi was the last to arrive, chided by Luna for her tardiness.

"So, where are Mako and Mina?" asked Usagi.

"Mina will perform today at the City Hall, and she and her band are spending the day rehearsing for the show," Rei explained.

"That's right," said Artemis. "And that's why I'm here. I will relay the minutiae of this meeting to her later on."

"As for Makoto, she's busy with her job at Crown, remember?" reminded Luna.

"And she told me she would also attend a funeral in the afternoon," Ami stated.

"Exactly, and Grandpa is one of the priests called to oversee the ceremony," added Rei. This talk reminded Usagi of the dead policeman left in the wake of her battle against Furtur. Perhaps it was the funeral for the same person?

"Oh, bummer," lamented Usagi, trying to shake off the morbid thought. "So much for putting the band back together."

"Anyway, let's get to the point," Luna raised her voice. "I'm sure you saw the news yesterday night, or earlier today. Usagi had to face an enemy, and it was unlike anything else we have faced so far."

Reminded of the deadly skirmish the day before, Usagi spoke: "Exactly! It was some kind of deer-like creature, and he was scary!"

"Luckily, Usagi was able to bring him back to normal. Turns out it was a boy who turned into it."

"But when we approached him, he said something about waging war with more demons from Hell itself."

"Is there even a Heaven or a Hell?" inquired Ami.

Before they could discuss the matter, a familiar-looking girl came running from the staircase towards the girls. It was Kotono Sarashina, a classmate of Rei's who helped with the weekend duties in Yuuichirou's absence. Rei found it strange that she came, since the Shrine would be closed for that weekend.

"Rei, I don't know what else to do..." said Kotono with an exasperated look on her face.

"Kotono? What's going on?" Rei asked.

"It's Kyuusuke... He's gone missing!"

The affirmation made the girls gasp, especially Rei.

"I went to his bedroom to wake him up, and he wasn't there! Me and my parents are desperate, looking for him all over the city. We even called the police for help."

The more she spoke, the more frantic she became. She obviously cared about her younger brother, despite their attitude differences.

"Kotono, please, calm down. It will do you no good being like this," Rei said as she tried to comfort Kotono. As she did this, Usagi's Silver Crystal started emitting the same signal it did when she found Aguri the day before.

"The enemy is near," Usagi told Ami.

"No need to look for me, lady," a deep and raspy voice uttered from the gate atop the entrance steps. When they turned around, they saw none other than Kyuusuke, but it was clear there was something wrong with him. He wore a purple cloak, had an angry grimace and an eerie red glimmer appeared on his right eye. The Silver Crystal reacted further to his presence.

"Kyuusuke!" his sister called worriedly as she ran to him. "Thank goodness! I was so-"

But rather than meeting her embrace, the young man toppled her with a slap to the face.

"What the hell? Kyuusuke, what did you just do?" chastised Rei.

Kyuusuke shot an evil look towards the heroines. "The one you call Kyuusuke is no longer master of this body." He then pointed at Rei. "You there! You had the incubus in your mind just now."

"W-w-what are you talking about?" said Rei while twitching her eye in fear.

"I know you won't give it so easily. Prepare yourselves, Sailor Guardians..."

The young man took off his cloak and underwent a morphing state where his body swole and grew in muscular size, and his head became that of a lion with dark bared teeth and blood-red eyes. The shock of the scene made Kotono lose her nerve completely to the point of fainting.

"I am Marbas, President of Hell. And if you don't give me what I seek, I will drag you to Hell with me!"

With Kotono out cold and a murderous beast ready to take them out, the girls had no other choice. They raised their hands to the sky and called forth for their powers.

"Moon Eternal, Make Up!"

"Mercury Planet Power, Make Up!"

"Mars Planet Power, Make Up!"

The Sailor Guardians appeared, ready for battle... except for Sailor Mars. For some reason, Rei was still there as herself.

"Rei, what's going on? Why haven't you transformed?" inquired Sailor Mercury.

Shocked, the dark-haired girl was at a loss for words and actions.

"Rei, take Kotono to somewhere safe!" ordered Sailor Moon. Rei snapped out of her shock and quickly went to where her friend had passed out. She picked her up and carried her downstairs and as far from the Temple as possible. She trusted things would go well, only hoping the eventual destruction would be kept to a minimum.

"Luna and Artemis, keep an eye on them," said Sailor Mercury. The wise cats obeyed and followed Rei.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?" roared Marbas towards Rei.

"Hey, big cat!" Sailor Moon affirmed to catch the beast's attention. "We are your enemies here!"

"Fine. Have at you!"

Despite its size, Marbas was incredibly agile, not letting the Sailor Guardians take any offense. Taking advantage of a brief stop the heroines took to catch their breath after constant dodging from its swipes, the demon released a bright, powerful beam from its mouth. It was too quick for the Guardians to dodge it.

But when it did seem like it was going to hit them, something tossed from afar made the beam change its course towards the sky. Both heroines saw the source, a familiar face from atop a tree.

"I don't believe it, Tuxedo Mask!" exclaimed Sailor Mercury. "But how is that possible?"

"Some other time you will have the explanations," Tuxedo Mask answered as he tossed another rose to divert another beam Marbas released. "For now, focus on turning this beast back!"

Mercury devised a quick plan taking into account the size and the agility of the beast. Instead of releasing the most powerful move in her arsenal, Sailor Mercury went for a more pragmatical approach: stop it on its tracks.

"Shabon Spray Freezing!" It worked as planned. Marbas' legs were stuck to the stone pathway with a thick coat of ice.

"Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" Sailor Moon called for her purifying attack. As it happened the day before, the feathers released by the Eternal Tiare covered the beast and turned it back into Kyuusuke. The ice Mercury used to trap him instantly shattered, causing him no harm.

"Excellent job, girls!" Tuxedo Mask affirmed before turning his cape and leaping off. "Be seeing you!"

"I totally forgot to tell you this," Sailor Moon told her companion as both watched Tuxedo Mask leave.

Soon after, Rei returned with Kotono in tow. She was just starting to come to her senses when she once more saw Kyuusuke, this time lying on the floor.

"Kyuusuke!" she called once more as she approached her brother.

"K-Kotono... Oh no, what have I done?"

"Kyuusuke, can you tell us what happened to you?" asked Usagi. She remembered the young man was one of Chibiusa's closest friends when she was living with her.

"I... I don't know. I was going home after school, and... I was approached by a weird guy in a dirty cloak and a scary mask. He said something about needing me for an important task. I'm scared, sis... What if he comes back?"

"I promise you, nothing will happen to you, Kyusuke," Kotono said as he embraced her brother.

"Do you think it's safe to contact the police?" asked Usagi.

"What are they going to say?" chided Rei. "That Kyuusuke became a lion-like beast until the Sailor Guardians healed him back? Get real!"

"Not with those words, of course," affirmed Ami. "Kyuusuke could make a report on the person who appeared to him and made him that way."

"I was always interested in paranormal stuff," Kotono said. "But I never imagined seeing this with my own eyes. And for it to happen with my brother..."

"The important thing is that you are fine now," said Usagi. "I think you're better off doing as Ami said."

"Don't forget to call home too, okay?" said Rei with a relieved smile.

(xx)

Hidden at a safe distance during the whole scuffle, Astar observed as each person talked and eventually went their own way.

"They were after me... But why? Perhaps it has to do with that creature..."

He remembered when he was summoned back to the waking world. All of a sudden, he saw himself in a dark room, besides two figures. A girl with open wounds in her wrists, responsible for the sigil ritual. And a strange person wearing a filthy robe and a mask that shifted its expression. Whatever it was, he knew, was no ordinary human.

Not wanting to think further of the conflict and of the circumstances of his reawakening, Astar walked away to nowhere in particular, just as long as he was far from that place as possible. Remaining there was hazardous to his health anyways.

(xx)

With the danger gone and everyone going their separate ways, Rei could finally mull about the problems that rose up. First and foremost of all, the deactivation of her powers; Without them, she was as good as a sitting duck. And nothing filled Rei's heart with more shame than feeling helpless. She sought answers through her divinations but got nothing concrete despite spending hours in front of the fireplace and even skipping lunch over it.

And then there was the damage done to the Hino household. When Grandpa Hino came back, he saw the damage done to the guest room's ceiling. Apparently, one of Marbas' stray beams hit it, and it went unnoticed.

"For all the Gods' sake, look at the state of this place," lamented Grandpa Hino with arms akimbo. He didn't even ask what caused it or why. The only fortunate thing is that it only destroyed part of the guest room's ceiling, and it was away from the sight of visitors but was still damage that needed to be tended to.

"If Yuuichirou was here, he would gladly help me with the repairing efforts and the expenses. You don't find a man like him so easily."

The mention of Yuuichirou discomforted Rei even further. It's been about a year or so since he left for college in Switzerland of all places, all the while promising he would be back, yet she felt there was another reason for his departure. Something to do with her. She preferred to say nothing about it.

"Oh well," sighed the old priest. "I have no other choice but to talk to your uncle Toshirou. I hope he understands. The important thing is, you are safe and sound."

"Ah, Grandpa, don't worry so much about me," she said as she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Of course I do worry! You're the only family member left to take over the Shrine. I'm not getting any younger, you know. Besides, your uncle and your cousin have their own lives and business to worry about, and-"

"I know, I know!" Rei interrupted belligerently, not wanting to discuss the same old song and dance about traditions and heritage. "Listen, I'm not in the mood for arguments, okay? Let's just focus on repairing the guest room."

The old man huffed and nodded, also avoiding further arguments. He always understood Rei wants to live her life her way and pursue her own dreams beyond the confines of their humble temple. And perhaps more than anyone, he understood how confrontational his granddaughter could get when facing off things that don't go her way. He observed as Rei retired to her quarters.

"There's something inside her," the old man mused. "If she doesn't let it out, it will consume her mind."

Inside her room, far from the sight and pressure of everyone, Rei laid down on her bed and let herself shed some bitter tears. The stress of her entire situation was too much for her head to handle, but not to the point her pride would let it show in public. Her companion crows loomed over her bedroom's window, but there was nary a thing they could do to comfort their owner and friend.

(xx)

"Come on now, you're not supposed to be here." a guard told Astar as he laid down sleeping on a bench in Amishiro Park, not too far from the Hikawa Shrine. Taken for a street bum, he got gently poked by the guard's baton at first, but since he didn't wake up that way, the guard kept poking harder and harder to the point he was actually causing him harm.

"No! NOOOOO!" Astar screamed as he woke up and got up in a single bound. He reached out to the first thing he could grasp, and it just so happened to be the guard himself, who literally vanished into thin air, as if he ceased to exist then and there. Astar's eyes widened in shock when he realized what he had done. Worst of all, there were a few witnesses to the happening, and none seemed to mind the sudden disappearance of the guard.

"Oh... Oh no! What have I done!?"

He could feel his fear flaring into his instinct like some kind of hunger eating his stomach from the inside. Wanting no more than to sate himself at that moment, he quickly left and ran after for the strongest aura he could sense. Only then did the scene draw attention from the onlookers. All they saw was some vagabond raving and running like a maniac.

To be continued on Part 3

Greetings once again! I thank everyone who checked in on the story and started following me.

I'm glad I'm able to write this all out. I was afraid I would have no idea how to properly develop it in a concise and logical way. I hope it's going well for your tastes!

Expect the next chapter to be posted next Monday night. Best regards from The Hospitaller Knight.