Chapter 2: I Am Sailor Terra

The following day, after school, the girls, Luna, and Artemis met at Rei's home. They studied a bit, but Rei wanted to tell the others what happened with Yuichiro. After Rei finished explaining, the other girls sighed. "So, that's what's going on," Mako scratched her head. "I knew something was up."

"We're so sorry, Rei," Ami declared.

Rei gave a sad smile, "Thanks."

"Sorry about all that Toshi and Shiro stuff," Mako said.

"Don't be sorry. I mean, I didn't say anything in the first place."

"I kinda get you not wanting to tell us," Usagi admitted, "but three months, though?"

Rei shrugged. "Guess I was hoping things would change? It's why I didn't bring it up. I just… kinda hoped things would change. I guess… that's why it's just now getting to me. I finally realized… it's not gonna change."

Usagi thought for a moment. "Okay. Yeah. I get that."

"You sure you're holding up okay?" Luna asked.

Rei took a deep breath and exhaled, "I guess. I mean… he told me a couple of weeks before he left. I just… guess I hoped it wouldn't happen. Then just stayed in denial after it did."

"Sorry, Rei," Mako said again.

"It's okay. It just… hurts, that's all. But I'll be okay. I promise."

"We know," Ami smiled. "You're tough."

"Everything will be okay, Rei," Luna smiled. "I promise. You're strong and you'll come back from this, just fine."

"If it's any consolation," Mako said, "you know Yuichiro is a really good guy. He always cared about you. Maybe something could change. Maybe he could come back."

"Maybe," Rei sighed. "But… it sounded permanent. His family really has missed having him around. I think he missed them, too."

"I guess, what I'm totally saying wrong is… he's a good guy. You guys didn't end mad or hating each other. That's a good thing you can hold on to."

"Yeah. Thanks, Mako. Seriously. That does help."

Mako smiled.

"Besides, it's not like you'll never love again," Usagi smiled. "After all, I'm pretty sure you have a certain… dark angel waiting for you."

While the other girls cooed and grinned, Rei blushed, her eyes widened, and stammered, "Wh-what?! You-you mean Victor?! What?! No! C-come on, Usagi! That was years ago! Victor isn't even thinking about me!"

"First, I never said 'Victor'."

"He's the only 'dark angel' we know! And he's not thinking about me!"

"Oh, yeah?" Usagi presented Victor's letter, waving it back and forth and grinning fiendishly. "I'm willing to bet he is."

Rei's eyes widened in shot, "WHERE'D YOU GET THAT?!"

"It was sticking out from under your pillow!"

"GIMMETHAT!" Rei snatched the letter out of Usagi's hands while Usagi burst out laughing.

"It's really cool he's been writing all of us," Ami said.

"But I'm sure it means a lot more for you, Rei," Minako smiled, slyly. "Isn't that right?"

Rei blushed, "Uh… ummm…"

"It's cool. Just admit it."

Rei froze for a moment then sighed. "Yeah. I mean, he's written me, at least… ten a year since he left." She reached under her bed and pulled out a small box. "A few more, sometimes. Even if they're short, they're always… nice. He even started writing them in Japanese. He… he's really gotten good at it."

"Awww," Mako, Ami, and Minako cooed.

Rei's blush rushed back to her cheeks and she shook her head, "It's ridiculous! We only knew each other for a couple of weeks three years ago! He can't still be thinking about me like that!"

"Rei, this last letter was sent two weeks ago," Luna noted, reading the postmark.

"The one before that was three months ago," Artemis added, looking at one of the letters in the box.

"It looks like he never stopped thinking about you," Mako declared.

Ami studied Rei. "Giiiiven the look on your face, I'd say the feeling's mutual."

"But he writes all of us!" Rei countered. "Cass does, too!"

"Cass and Vic writing us are fine, and I do enjoy the letters," Ami noted. "But Victor writing us and Victor writing you, Rei, are two different things. The last letter I got from Vic was six months ago."

"Same," Mako added.

"Me, too," Minako agreed.

"Mine, too," Usagi admitted.

Rei blushed even more intensely, shaking her head, "It's silly!" She covered her face with her hands, "I don't know why I'm feeling like this!"

"You're in love?" Minako asked.

Rei dropped her hands, "I AM NOT!"

"You know, Rei," Luna said, "the more you argue, the more obvious it seems."

Rei growled. "Okay, look. Do I miss him? Of course, I do! We all do!"

"Not talking about us," Minako corrected.

Rei growled again, "Fine! I admit it! Yes, I miss him! I miss Victor! Okay?! So, there it is! I miss Victor a lot! Do I wish he was here? Yes. Do I wish I could just hug him? Just feel his arms around me?! Absolutely! Do I wish I could finally just kiss him?! More than anything in the…" Her eyes widened.

Usagi, Minako, Mako, and Ami all sat wide-eyed as they stared at Rei. "Wow…" they breathed out.

"Whoa," Artemis and Luna breathed out.

"Oh, my God…" Rei whispered.

"Knew it," Usagi smiled.

"I said it already," Minako shrugged.

Rei pressed her hands to her face, "Ohhhhhh, how did this happen?"

"You were torn between two guys who clearly cared for you and one of them stayed in your mind longer than you expected him to?" Ami asked.

Usagi, Mako, and Minako stared at Ami, causing her to blush.

"How did you sum that it up in, like, one breath?" Minako asked.

"I'm sorry, have you never met Ami?" Artemis asked.

Luna sighed and looked at Rei, "Listen, Rei: there's nothing wrong with missing Victor. Just… I don't want you to get your hopes up or anything. He still has his duty as a Crimson Paladin."

"I know," Rei admitted, defeatedly.

"Luna!" Usagi chastised in a hiss.

"Uhhh!" Luna breathed out. "That-that… being said, that doesn't mean he won't be back someday! I mean, he clearly cares about you! He'll probably be back before you know it!"

Rei gave a half-hearted smile. "Yeah."

"Wow," Usagi rolled her eyes at Luna. "Nice save."

Luna shrugged, nervously.

After studying Rei, Ami craned her head back a bit. "Oh, Rei. You really miss him."

"Yeah," Rei replied. "I really do. I just… I wish he was here."

Usagi smiled. "Hey."

Rei looked at her.

"He misses you. He'll be back."

"You sound so sure."

"I know that jerk pretty well."

Rei giggled.

"He'll be back," Usagi assured. "Someday."

Two Days Later.

Setsuna and Hotaru were sitting in the kitchen, eating ice cream. As they ate, Setsuna became a bit lost in thought.

"Setsuna?" Hotaru asked.

Setsuna looked at her and smiled, "Yes?"

"Are you thinking about the visions again?"

Setsuna stared at her then exhaled. "Yes. I… I feel… something."

Hotaru took a bite of ice cream. "A new enemy. A new war. Something's coming."

"You feel it, too?"

"Yes. And I'm not the only one."

Haruka and Michiru were walking outside, holding hands.

The wind suddenly shifted course.

"There it is," Haruka noted.

"Yeah," Michiru agreed. "Something's been stirring for a long time. It's… finally about to reveal itself."

After the end of the school day, Usagi and the others decided to treat Rei out for an early dinner and hang out, to further get her mind off of the Yuichiro situation. Evening was just beginning to set in, and the girls and cats were standing outside of Rei's Shrine, having just come back from dinner. Rei smiled at the group, "Thanks, everyone, for spending time with me."

"Absolutely," Ami nodded.

"What are friends for?" Mako smiled.

Rei looked at Usagi, "I know how we are… but you really come through when it counts, Usagi."

Usagi smiled, "Don't worry. You'll yell at me again in no time."

"Oh, I'm not worried," Rei joked. The group shared a laugh. "Sorry for my mood."

"Hearing that a lot lately," Artemis noted.

"Seriously," Luna agreed. "Between Rei and Usagi, this is starting to get spooky."

Usagi thought for a moment. "Want me to complain about not having enough time to read manga?"

"Believe it or not, that would make me feel better."

Minako looked up and saw someone approaching up the stairs. "Hey, someone's here."

They all turned to see Kayla and Cairo walking up the steps, both of whom stopped when they saw the girls. Kayla slowly approached the group, staring at them in wonder as she halted before the group.

"Can we help you?" Rei asked.

Kayla focused on Rei. "Sailor Mars…" she whispered.

Rei jerked her head back.

Kayla studied all of the girls, "Sailor Mercury… Venus… Jupiter…" She gazed at Usagi. "Sailor Moon. Princess Serenity. All of you… the Sailor Guardians." She breathed in a sigh of relief. "I found you all. Finally!"

Rei's eyes widened. "Hooowww do you know that?"

"My name is Kayla," she introduced. "Kayla Shields. I was told to find all of you. I need your help."

"'Help'?" Ami asked.

"Oh! Uhh!" Kayla bowed and rose up. "S-Sorry. I forgot that's how you show respect in Japan."

"Oh, no, it's fine," Rei reassured. "Where are you from?"

"America. New Orleans, I think. But I've lived there, Detroit, San Antonio, San Francisco-I'm about to ramble. I'll stop before I keep going." Kayla scanned the group again. "Oh, my God. I'm finally… meeting all of you!"

"How do you know us?" Minako asked.

Kayla exhaled. "Okay. What I'm about to say is… gonna sound crazy."

"Literally the only way we can describe our lives," Mako countered.

"Sounds about right." Kayla looked at the Guardians' cats. "Luna and Artemis? You can talk, right?"

Luna and Artemis looked at each other, shrugged, and looked back at Kayla. "Yes, we can," Artemis confirmed.

"Okay, cool. Ya know? I used to think that was the weirdest thing I'd heard about this mess so far. I can't believe it's not even in the top 10 anymore."

"You're well-informed," Luna noted.

"Yeah," Kayla agreed. "I was told you guys could confirm what I'm saying."

"How so?"

Kayla removed her backpack, opened it, reached inside, and pulled out a book, presenting it to the group. The book had a hardback cover and was the size of medieval tome. It was colored pure white, adorned with silver engravings and trimmings and the golden Crescent Moon symbol on the cover.

Luna's and Artemis's eyes widened. "No way…!" Artemis whispered.

"The Legacy of the Millennium!" Luna said in wonder.

"Impossible! I thought it was destroyed."

"It was," Kayla confirmed, getting everyone's attention. "The pieces made their way to Earth. It was reassembled for me. After I found the pieces."

"What is this, Luna?" Usagi asked.

"The quickest answer," Luna turned to Usagi, "it's your family's recorded history, Usagi. The history of the Moon Kingdom. But, since it's way more complicated than that, I'll explain further. While technically not a spell book, one could consider it as such. It contains history, lineages, and full historical accounts. Even more though, it does contain spells, seals, symbols, and powerful items that were absorbed within it. Some say the Legacy itself is magic. All in all, the Legacy is considered one of the powerful artifacts of our kingdom. Not as strong as the Silver Crystal, of course, but immensely powerful."

"It's why I'm being hunted," Kayla added.

"Hunted?" Ami asked, causing Kayla to nod.

"We should talk inside," Luna suggested.

They all went back into Rei's Shrine, near the great flame. Kayla looked around at the room in wonder.

"Oh, my God…" Kayla whispered. "This place! It's exactly like I dreamed."

The girls looked at each other then back at Kayla. "Okay, so, Kayla?" Minako asked as the girls sat down.

Kayla nodded.

"Alright, got it. But how… and why… did you do this?"

"I was asked to," Kayla answered. She walked over and sat near them. Cairo sitting next to her. "It was a mission given to me. I didn't know if it was true… until I got my proof."

Kayla reached into her pocket and pulled out her Terra Power Stick. "This was given to me to become Sailor Terra. My mission was to find and reassemble the Legacy and… we need to go on a rescue mission."

"A rescue mission?" Luna asked.

"Yes. It's why I have the Legacy. It's being hunted by the Agonia." Kayla looked at Artemis and Luna, "I was told you'd know that name."

Luna sat in disbelief, "Yes, but…"

"I thought they were extinct!" Artemis shivered. "Over a thousand years ago!"

"Yeah," Kayla said. "The simple explanation I came up with is… 'time's funny that way'."

"Who are the Agonia?" Rei asked.

"It's a cult," Artemis answered. "Demon-like creatures from who-knows-where. They're conquerors. They go from world to world, just taking them over. They convert some of the most violent and dangerous members of any race into one of them."

"Not good," Ami breathed out.

"What else have you been told, Kayla?" Luna asked.

Kayla looked at Luna and Artemis. "I was told you two could explain about the Moon Kingdom's Black Lotuses."

"The Shadow Honor Guard?!" Luna and Artemis gasped, simultaneously.

"The same."

"Who?" the other girls asked.

"The Shadow Honor Guard," Luna explained. "They were nicknamed 'the Black Lotuses.' Where the Moon Kingdom stood for light and shining it as brightly as possible… one of the ancient queens saw the threats that came from the shadows. The Shadow Honor Guard was created and the black-colored lotus was their coat-of-arms. Each member was given a codename as a special designation."

"Think of them as the Moon Kingdom's black ops squadron," Artemis added.

"That's super cool!" Mako mused.

"How come we haven't heard of them?" Ami asked.

"About 10 or 11 years before the Dark Kingdom attacked the Earth, the Honor Guard were sent to the world of Utria, in another galaxy, to confront the Agonia." Artemis paused. "They weren't seen or heard from since."

"It was assumed all of them died in battle since neither the Agonia nor the Honor Guard were ever heard from again," Luna concluded.

"That's where I can take over the explanation," Kayla said.

"How so?"

Kayla exhaled, "Okay. Here's what I know: the Honor Guard and the Agonia are still at war with each other."

Luna's eyes widened. "They're… still fighting?"

"Yes. Goes with that 'time's funny' thing I said earlier. The war's not over. That's our mission. To save the Black Lotuses and destroy the Agonia, once and for all."

The girls and cats looked at each other then back at Kayla. "How do you know all this?" Rei asked.

"I was told by another Sailor Guardian," Kayla answered. "Sailor Aurora Astrum."

"I don't know that name," Artemis noted.

"She said you wouldn't. She's from another galaxy, too. She talked to me in a dream. I mean… I thought it was all fake until I found the Power Stick and the first page of the Legacy. Been reassembling it for the past five years."

Artemis jerked his head back. "Five years?! You did all this by yourself?"

Cairo meowed.

Kayla giggled, "Hardly! Cairo's been with me most of that time."

"Oh," Artemis said. "Of course."

"Can he talk?" Mako asked.

"No," Kayla smiled. "But he's own brand of special. I made up a saying: Cairo doesn't need to talk, he bites."

"'Bites'?" Minako asked.

"When we get in a fight, you'll see."

"I'm… kinda excited for that."

"It's really cool!" Kayla grinned.

"Did you name him?" Ami asked.

"Yeah." Kayla scratched Cairo's ears, "I was actually in Cairo when I found him."

"You're from America. How did you get to Egypt?"

"I'm really good at hiding. Makes it easy to travel. Well, 'easy' is probably the wrong word but you get the idea."

"But, Kayla," Luna stepped forward, "how did you do all this on your own? Even with Cairo, this seems like a lot for one girl to deal with."

"I've spent a lot of time in and out of foster homes," Kayla explained. "Some of them… most of-all of them, not so great. Spent most of my life shuffling around. You get good at surviving on your own like that."

"You've been taking care of yourself for a long time then."

"Not as hard as you think. Ever since I was a kid, I've always been stronger than most people. It was one reason why Sailor Aurora Astrum said I could handle becoming Sailor Terra. Stronger than normal, as it was explained to me."

"You must be to be a Sailor Guardian," Minako smiled.

Kayla nodded, "Thanks." She sighed. "Unfortunately… things are kinda bad. The Agonia… they backtracked where the Honor Guard came from. More to the point, they know about the Legacy. They want it and they know I've been gathering it."

"What?" Minako asked.

"How do the Agonia know about the Legacy?" Artemis asked. "How are they hunting you?"

"I don't know," Kayla admitted. "Sailor Aurora Astrum told me she'd explain more after I found all of you, but she did admit the Agonia may have used some of their darker ways to find me. They've even sent some of their soldiers after me. I've stayed ahead of them so far, but… I don't know when my luck will run out on that."

"And they need the Legacy?" Ami asked. "Why?"

"More like 'want'," Kayla answered. "For what, I'm not sure yet. All I know is, we can't let them have it. We have to keep it out of their hands and take the fight to them."

"Right!" Mako made a fist. "We go after these guys and save the Honor Guard!"

Kayla smiled. She briefly looked at Usagi then looked down. Her smile faded. "There's… something else. Something that's… really hard to explain but… really important."

"Please, Kayla," Luna urged. "We'll hear you out. So far, we've had no reason not to believe you."

"I know. It's just… this part is really, really gonna be… hard to understand."

The girls and cats looked at each other again, with even greater concern. They looked back at Kayla.

"Kayla," Ami said, "whatever you have to tell us, it's okay. Our entire lives have been filled with uncertainty since becoming Sailor Guardians. But we overcome it together. Even if whatever you have to tell us is difficult to understand… you can tell us. It's better that we know."

"That's true." Kayla took a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay! So! The other reason it's very important we save the Shadow Honor Guard, an extremely important reason we have to rescue them… is because someone in their group…" she turned toward Usagi, "…is very important."

Usagi slowly moved her head back, "Wwwwwhy did you look at me when you said that?"

"Because… the person with the Lotuses is known as the Nightshroud. His name is Kenshin. But… who he truly is… is the Crown Prince of the Moon Kingdom."

The Guardians and cats froze in place, their mouth slowly falling open.

Kayla held her focus on Usagi, "He's your brother, your majesty."

Utria. The Carnage.

Hieronymos sat on his throne in his flying war fortress, the Carnage. Hieronymos stood at eight-feet-tall, with the physique of a Greek god, and had dark-red colored skin. He wore black and red armor with his helmet seated in his lap. He was repeatedly making a fist with his left hand. Hieronymos looked up as his servants opened the doors, and Umida and Unnur entered. Umida, the elder of the two sisters, had blue skin, red eyes, and fanged teeth and wore a scarlet, long dress. Unnur, Umida's younger sister, also blue skin, red eyes, and fanged teeth. She wore heavy armor and carried a sword named Stonebreaker, fastened at her hip. While Umida was the elder, her 6-foot stature was made to seem much shorter by Unnur's taller 7-feet tall, muscular frame.

"My love," Umida said, urgently.

"What is it?" Hieronymos asked.

"Another vision. Sailor Terra has completed the Legacy. She's going to Tokyo."

Hieronymos growled.

Unnur roared, "It's bad enough she even knew how to find the Legacy to begin with! Now she's completed it?! How is that even possible?"

Hieronymos thought for a moment. "I don't know. The timeline… it's… shifted. Her personal history has been… hidden."

"Because of us?"

"Perhaps," Umida asked. "But, more than likely, someone shielded her from our gaze. An outside force giving her an unexpected advantage. It's why we were only to capture glimpses of her after her mission began."

Hieronymos leaned back. "Our rule could be compromised. Our victory, threatened. Sailor Terra will find Sailor Moon… then she will learn everything. And that will bring her here. To reunite with the Nightshroud."

"Making things extremely unfavorable for us."

"We must get that book," Unnur declared. "And kill Sailor Terra."

"Agreed." Hieronymos stood up. "Send word to Trulgan. Show no mercy. Unleash all of his power. Give him the Frenzy! Destroy Sailor Terra and any who get in his way and bring me the Legacy."

"And the other Sailor Guardians?" Umida asked.

"If they interfere, destroy them."

"That will change the future, anyway, my lord," Unnur reminded.

"Yes. But in our favor."

A/N: Who are these new enemies? Why do they want the Legacy? Usagi has a brother?! Get ready, dreamers. We're just getting started!