Old Souls-Chapter 2



In the Air Tonight

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, hold on
I've been waiting for this moment all my life, hold on
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight?
Hold on, hold on

Well, if you told me you were drowning
I would not lend a hand
I've seen your face before my friend
But I don't know if you know who I am
Well, I was there and I saw what you did
I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off the grin, I know where you've been
It's all been a pack of lies

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, hold on
I've been waiting for this moment, all my life, hold on
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight?
Hold on, hold on
And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life
Hold on, hold on

Well, I remember, I remember don't worry
How could I ever forget
It's the first time, the last time we ever met
But I know the reason why you keep your silence,
No, you don't fool me
The hurt doesn't show: but the pain still grows
It's no stranger to you or me

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, hold on
I've been waiting for this moment, all my life, hold on
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight?
Hold on, hold on
And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life
Hold on, hold on!
                                                                            

                                  -Phil Collins



	Luna watched Serena hurry up the sidewalk. 

	"So is she O.K.?" Serena asked as she turned off the walk and onto the
short path that led to Aurora's house.

	Serena had been worrying about Aurora all day. She had left Luna in the
house with her after she had gotten her home, cleaned up and in bed.
Aurora hadn't said anything the whole time, just nodded when she had
told her that she'd leave Luna with her for company and to call if she
needed anything.

	"I think she's over the shock, but she's been crying on and off all
day. Poor girl," Luna sighed. "The only reason she got out of bed was to
let me out, and I had to work on that!" She finished as Serena paused at
the door.

	Serena forced a cheery smile onto her face as she rang the bell. She
waited a few seconds, rang again.

	"Try the door," Luna told her.

	The knob turned and Serena let herself in. "Aurora?"

	"She's in the kitchen," Luna whispered up at her.

	"Hi!" Serena managed to keep her voice light as she went into the
kitchen, but it was hard.

	Aurora was at the table, slumped down, her chin resting on her crossed
hands against the table and staring at the roses. She didn't answer.

	"Have you eaten?" Serena didn't wait for an answer as she  crossed to
the refrigerator and tugged it open. "Mind if I fix us a snack, I'm
starved!"

	She peeked over the refrigerator door. For this side she could see the
dark bruises that adorned the left side of her friends face. She winced.

	*Boy, those have got to hurt!*

	She continued her one sided conversation as she concocted a half-way
decent meal out of leftovers, hitting the high-lights of her day and
rambling on about silly Melvin and his crush. She really wished Aurora
would say something. She put the plates on the table, one right in front
of Aurora.

	"Eat," she commanded.

	Aurora looked at the plate, then seemed to focus for the first time
since Serena had entered the room.

	"I'm not hungry."

	"Don't be silly! I could hear your stomach growling all the way over at
the sink! Now, eat. Please?" She put as much of a cajoling plea into
that as she could manage.

	Aurora frowned at her, but began to pick at the food. They ate in
silence, Serena unable to keep up her light banter. But she was pleased
to see that once Aurora started eating, she finished everything Serena
had set before her.

	"Aurora. Talk to me. Please," Serena whispered, unable to stand it any
more.

	Aurora closed her eyes, then reached over and squeezed Serena's hand
hard.

	"Thanks. For everything. But I can't talk about it yet. Not yet," she
told her in a fierce whisper.

	Serena nodded as her throat tightened with tears.

	*Don't start, Serena!* she commanded herself.

	"O.K. Well, I need to go. *Rei was probably having conniptions* But if
you want, I'll come and stay the night. I asked my Mom already, and she
said it would be O.K."

	Aurora gave her a tentative smile. "Thanks. But I'll be O.K. Really. I
just need some more time by myself, I think."

	Serena wanted to argue that and took a breath to do so. Then she caught
sight of Luna shaking her head 'no' at her from her perch on the
dividing counter.

	"O.K.," she said to both of them as she rose and hugged Aurora from
behind. "But if you change your mind, call me."

	Aurora nodded affirmative as she scrunched her eyes closed tight
against another bought of tears.

	Serena's steps where heavy as she headed for Rei's temple and the
Senshi meeting.

	"What are we going to do about Aurora, Luna?" She asked the cat walking
at her feet.

	Luna had no answer for that.


					***************

	
	Nephlyte sat and stared at the Star Crystal in his hand with a
perplexed expression.

	*Why was it reacting to Aurora? Had something gone awry when he had
cast the spell to create it?*

	He had to figure it out, and soon. He had been ignoring his Queen's
summons for too long. If he didn't show up with something spectacular,
and soon, he was dead. Or worse. And on top of that, he was troubled by
what he had done last night. At first he had explained it as not wishing
any damage to come to his lead on the Imperium Crystal. But on further
meditation, he admitted that he had been furious that that 'pet' of
Zoicite had dared to lay a hand on her and a strange terror that she had
been truly hurt.

	He didn't understand why he felt either of those things. Something
stirred in the darkened recesses of his mind. Stirred and tried to
surface. He winced and rubbed at his forehead as his blue eyes clouded
silver for a moment, then cleared.

	*It didn't matter,* that thought was accompanied by an audible growl.
*If I can't bring Queen Beryl the Imperium Crystal, then I'll bring her
Sailor Moon's corpse.*

	Sailor Moon seemed well aquatinted with Aurora and he knew he could use
that familiarity to draw her out. And he had one more thing to check.


					***************


	Aurora made herself move after Serena left. She cleaned up the kitchen,
then took the roses out of the vase and threw them in the trash. She had
hoped that action would make her feel better, but all she felt was numb.
At least she felt like she was done with tears. She went and ran herself
a hot bath and took a long soak with a cold washcloth draped over her
face, trying to ease some of the soreness out of her muscles and take
down some of the bruising on her face. She did feel better once she got
out and wrapped in her favorite soft nightgown and bathrobe. She
wandered aimlessly around the house for a while, then gave herself a
mental shake.

	*This is stupid! Go make yourself some tea, watch some TV and then go
to bed.*

	She followed her own instructions. She surfed through the stations and
finally settled on one of the sillier game shows. She hadn't realized
she had dozed off until a loud meowing followed by insistent scratching
at the front door startled her awake. She stumbled to the door and flung
it open. Serena's black cat sashayed in. She looked outside wondering
where Serena was. Nothing was there but the dimming light of early
evening and the soft sounds of the neighborhood.

	"What are you doing here, Luna? Where's Serena?" Aurora smiled for the
first time since last night. *Now she has me talking to cats.*

	Luna just rubbed herself against Aurora's ankles and purred. They had
all decided that it would be best if Luna came and kept watch one more
night on Aurora, since Aurora had declined Serena's offer and they still
weren't sure what Nephlyte was up to.

	"Go home," Aurora pointed out the open door.

	Luna sat down on her haunches and blinked at her.

	"Go on. Serena will be worried about you!"

	Luna ignored her and went and jumped up onto the sofa. Aurora thought
about going and picking her up and bodily dumping her outside, but that
would take more effort than she was willing to expend at the moment.

	*I'll call Serena and tell her that Luna is here later,* she thought as
she closed the door and locked it for the night.

	Luna came and curled up on her lap as she settled back on the sofa.
Aurora found it soothing to stroke her soft black fur and feel the low
rumble of the cat's purr against her belly. She caught herself almost
nodding off again and thought hard about just sleeping on the sofa, but
it always gave her a crick in her neck and she was sore enough as it
was. She clicked off the TV, then gathered the cat up and headed for her
room.

	Luna curled up at Aurora's feet once she had settled, certain she was
already asleep. The girls soft words startled her.

	"You know, Luna, it's strange. I know that he was just using me because
he thought I had that crystal thing he's looking for, but I still can't
get him out of my mind."

	They both sighed together, then after a few moments, Luna heard her
breathing slow into sleep. It was a few hours later when Luna came
totally awake, the fur on her back rising as she caught the vibrations
of something from the Darkness coming. She leapt off the bed and
scrabbled under it. Nephlyte appeared out of a red and black shimmer.
Luna bit back a hiss. She couldn't summon the communicator, Nephlyte
would feel it.

	*Don't you hurt her any more, you obscene creature!* she growled softly
in helpless frustration.

	Nephlyte stood for a moment and gazed at the sleeping girl, then took
the Star Crystal and held it toward her. It burned like blue fire in his
hand.

	*Only one other place to look.* he used his power to see past the
covers and her skin, into her body itself.

	*Nothing.* he growled softly to himself.

	"Did you find what you where looking for?" Aurora asked calmly, without
opening her eyes.

	It startled him, though he covered that quickly. "No."

	Aurora sat up and pulled the sheets up high to cover her breasts.

	"And you won't. I told you, I know nothing of your Imperium Crystal.
Your thing," she gestured at the Star Crystal in his hand, "is wrong.
Now leave."

	She was relieved that her voice remained steady. Her heart was pounding
in her chest with fear... and anger... and love.

	He smiled and said, "Maybe."

	The Star Crystal disappeared from his hand and left the room dark.

	*Did he leave?* she wondered.

	Then she saw his silhouette outlined against the curtain. She groaned
inwardly.

	*Please, just go away!*

	"I didn't lie to you when I told you I was in trouble," he said softly.
"I have gone against the orders of my Queen. I need to talk to Sailor
Moon," he paused for a moment, "and discuss the terms of my surrender."

	"Well, go talk to her!" She snapped.

	"I don't know how to get in touch with her," he turned his face towards
her and his blue eyes glowed with a soft light against the shadows that
hid his face. "Help me."

	"I can't," she tried to keep a hold of her anger, her feelings of
betrayal, but they were slipping from her.

	"Why?" He said it so softly that she almost didn't hear the word.

	"I don't know who she is."

	"She seems to know you quite well," he challenged gently.

	"I don't know who she is," Aurora forced her voice to be hard.

	"Then I am dead." With that, he vanished.

	*Wait...* "Wait..." she whispered, too late.

	She ran to the window and peered out of the curtains onto the empty
moonlight garden. She turned away and leaned back against the wall by
the window. She slid slowly down until she was sitting, then rested her
forehead against her knees.

	*Why? Why was he doing this to me? Why do I care?*

	The tears she swore she was done with leaked out. Luna scrabbled out
from under the bed and came to lick at her tears with her raspy tongue.
She didn't want to be alone. She pushed herself up and scrambled across
the bed, fumbled frantically through the bureau drawer looking for the
paper with Serena's number on it.

	"Hello?" Serena answered in a sleepy voice.

	"Serena? This is Aurora. He was here..." she slowed down her speech as
she realized she sounded terrified. "Can you still come over? I don't
want to stay here alone tonight." *He might come back...* that thought
terrified her and yet filled her with anticipation at the same time.

	"Nephlyte?" Serena questioned.

	"Yes."

	"Is Luna there?"

	"Yes, I meant to call you earlier but..."

	"It's O.K.," Serena interrupted. "I'll be right over. You just stay
where you are."

	"Thanks, Serena."

	Aurora hung up the receiver and gathered Luna up to cuddle against her
chest.


						***


	Nephlyte smiled coldly as he listened to her conversation from his
perch on the roof above her window.

	*Serena. Well, it's a place to start.* He left to set his trap.

	What Nephlyte didn't know was that he was being spied upon as he spied.
Zoicite laughed meanly as he watched Nephlyte fade away.

	*So, our arrogant Nephlyte has finally fallen. And for a human, at
that. What an idiot.* But it made his plan to take the Star Crystal and
retrieve the traitor so much easier.

	The three youma he summoned appeared below the tree where he was
perched. He leapt lightly down. They bowed low.

	"Well, girls, I have a little chore for you," he chuckled.


						***


	Her scream rang through his soul. *Aurora!*

	He glared at Tuxedo Mask and the cowering Sailor Moon behind him. He
tried to ignore the flutter in his chest at the terror that was in that
sound, but it was useless. He had to go see if she was all right. It was
a feeling he didn't understand, but had to obey. He threw some
half-thought out taunt at Tuxedo Mask, then a menace filled promise to
return for Serena and moved himself.

	The first thing he noticed as he started to reform in Aurora's room was
the shattered window. The curtains fluttered around him as he solidified
and seemed to point to the next thing he noticed. He picked up the note
and his eyes narrowed in anger as he read it. Once again his eyes
clouded and he blinked against the sharp pain that stabbed through his
mind. He laughed as the pain left and his eyes cleared. The tanned hide
ignited in his hand and burned to ashes. As if he would walk into such
an obvious trap for a human girl. He brushed the ashes off his hands and
they floated down onto the covers of the bed like black snow.

	*I don't think so, Zoicite!*

	With that he went to his sanctuary to plan for how he would take Sailor
Moon who was the girl named Serena.

					***************


	Aurora tried to shift to a more comfortable position but the youma had
done their job well. Her head still throbbed a little from the hard slap
she had earned for landing a well placed kick.

	*Great, now I'll have matching bruises,* she told herself with grim
humor.

	From what she had gathered of the youma's conversation this was a trap
to capture Nephlyte and she was the bait. Two of them had begun to
wander restlessly around the room while the third sat on a table in the
deserted bar and swung her feet.

	"What if he doesn't come?" The Red One asked the others.

	"Well, then, we'll have some fun anyway, won't we, sweet meat?" The one
with the arm and hand like a twisted tree root smirked at her from the
table.

	From what Aurora could tell, this was the leader of the group.

	"He won't come for me," she said as bravely as she could.

	"Oh? And why do you say that?" The Green One sprang at her, making her
flinch back and bang her head against the hard wood of the bar.

	The Green One landed just millimeters from touching her, then raised
her hand and ran cold fingers down Aurora's bruised face.

	"He was a little rough with you, huh? Tell me, was it your first time?"
The youma's voice dripped with innuendo.

	"You are wrong. He doesn't care for me, never..." She stopped herself,
blushing.

	She wouldn't tell this creature anything more. It leaned forwards and
kissed her on the cheek. She shuddered and jerked her head as far away
from it as she could, which wasn't much. The Green One laughed.


	Nephlyte's anger rose to it's peak and became a tangible force around
him as he caught that last bit of the youma's by-play with Aurora. He
had gone back to his Sanctuary and had proceeded to stalk around the
room, unable to focus on anything but Aurora. Whatever it was that drove
him became unbearable and he knew he wouldn't be able to accomplish
anything more until he went and got her. He had studied the place they
held her and had carefully chosen the spot he would enter.

	He growled as he stepped out onto the balcony and into their sight.
They panicked, as he expected and threw their power at him with no
control or clear plan. Stupid.

	*He came for me!*  she couldn't believe it!

	The battle was fast. Nephlyte avoided most of the attacks and took two
of them out with his bare hands. The last one, the Leader, shot her
roots out at him as he closed the distance between them. A sword
appeared in his hand as he dogged and then he had that one up against
the wall, the sword cutting a shallow groove into her throat.

	"Tell Zoicite not to even think about trying this again or it will be
his throat under my blade," he backed off.

	The youma sidled away from him, rubbing at her throat. He growled a
warning at her as the other two started to stir. She sprang to her
companions and took them with her as she winked out. Aurora's relieved
smile faded as Nephlyte turned slowly to face her. There had been times
in her life when she just, knew things. It happened again as she stared
into his cold blue eyes.

	He was going to kill her now and she understood why. She was a weakness
he could not afford. He gripped the hilt of the sword in both hands,
brought it up. She kept her head up as the blade flashed toward her,
determined not to flinch. She hoped that there was some truth to the
stories she'd heard of the afterlife. She planned to haunt him forever.

	*Just make it fast,* she closed her eyes.

	There was a whisper of air against her neck, but that was all. She
opened her eyes slowly to lock them on Nephlyte's own. His hands where
trembling with tension as he held the blade a hair's breath from her
throat.

	*He can't do it!* she thought incredulously.

	The blade moved slowly away from her throat and then with a flick of
his wrist, he cut the two ropes holding her arms. Then the sword
disappeared from his hand in a black and red flicker. Her whole body
started to tremble with relief and shock as she fumbled with the knots
around her wrists, her fingers numb from the ropes tightness. Nephlyte
watched, his face expressionless.

	Once she had gotten the ropes off, he offered his hand to help her up.
She ignored it, her emotions a tangled knot of anger, relief and a
strange, longing hope. It confused her. She managed to get to her feet,
then reeled and had to catch herself on the bar as her knees gave out
from being in such a cramped position for so long. Nephlyte gave a soft
rumbling growl, and before she could protest, swept her up into his arms
and carried her out.



	Luna had started quartering the area, having lost track of the youma
that had carried Aurora off. She had finally managed to get through to
Serena, who was near hysterics herself, and told her to get the other
Senshi and come and help her search. A familiar silhouette moved across
the alley mouth she was traveling and she scurried to peek around the
corner. She ducked back in and called on the general channel. Mars
answered.

	"Found them! They are heading down Osha. Hurry! I think Aurora's hurt.
Nephlyte's carrying her."

	"On our way!" Mars answered.

	Luna ran flat out until she caught up with her quarry, then stalked
them, keeping to the shadows.