And here comes chapter 4. Any and all C&C is welcomed. Previous
chapters of the revision are available on request.
A side note: I just got a new computer, and have had all the problems
that implies. I think I got all the e-mails for the past few days, but
I may have missed some. If you e-mailed me and I haven't responded,
please resend your e-mail - it got lost in the confusion.
Aaron Nowack
"Never let reality get in the way of a good hypothesis."
http://www.geocities.com/anowack/ (for now)
Shades of Gray
A Sailor Moon Fanfic
By: Aaron Nowack
Chapter 4: The Search Begins
"Every journey begins with a single step."
-saying
***********************************************************************
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi, whose creative
talents far exceed my most humble own. Distribution and other rights to
Sailor Moon belong to lots of different companies that I do not own. I
make or imply no claim to ownership of Sailor Moon or its characters.
However, the text of this fanfic and all original characters presented
within are mine, and should not be used without permission. Thank you.
***********************************************************************
Malvaar silently knelt before the dark throne. Pale light shone
down on him, while leaving the rest of the chamber in shadow. He
ignored the whispers already rising from the crowds of youma that stood
around the throne room. Fools, all of them. Malvaar was not Ixitar,
and would not share Ixitar's fate. Still silent, the Overlord presented
a massive ball of energy to Jadeite.
Jadeite smiled, relaxing on his throne as he eyed the glowing
white ball. His eyes glinted, an odd amusement present in them. "The...
profits of your attack, I assume?"
Malvaar nodded. "Of course, my lord."
Jadeite accepted the energy, the odd gleam in his eye even more
noticeable. "So, tell me, Malvaar... why did you retreat? I seem to
recall that you were to destroy the Senshi?"
Malvaar had known that question would come. He would have had
to be stupid not to expect it. "I did not promise it would take only
one strike, my lord. In this mission, my goal was to gain energy for
further strikes with minimal losses. I left once that objective had
been achieved." Not to mention he wasn't interested in turning into a
pile of ash.
"Coward." The voice echoed through the room, but it was not
Jadeite who said it. Malvaar looked about for the source, finally
spotting Hensur, the Overlord of the Shorn Wastes. The Overlord stood
boldly in front of a small crowd. Malvaar noted a horrified looking
Nyxan - one of the Overlords his master had thoroughly briefed him on
before sending him on this mission - in that group.
The minotaur turned back to Jadeite. "My lord, do I have
permission to challenge this wretch who questions my honor?"
Jadeite shifted his weight on his stark throne. "But of
course."
Malvaar stood and turned to face the audience. "Come forth,
drone! Come forward and face your doom!"
Nervously, Hensur stepped forward. The dim light cast eerie
shadows over his odd mixture of reptilian and insectile features.
Slowly, he raised his hands in a defensive posture.
Malvaar wasted no time as he leapt forward. With great speed,
he dodged a bolt of dark energy. He ignored the pained screams of a
youma in the audience that had not thought to raise protective shields,
and grabbed his opponent in one massive hand.
The minotaur took Hensur's arm in his other hand, and with
hardly any effort dislocated the limb. Hensur was desperately trying to
get off a quick incantation, but could hardly breathe, much less speak.
With a snort of disgust, Malvaar hurled the other youma against a
pillar.
The loud crack of bones breaking resounded throughout the
cavernous chamber. Hensur lay slumped against the pillar for a moment,
before struggling to rise. Malvaar merely watched, flexing his powerful
muscles.
Finally, Hensur stood. Weakly, he raised his good arm, firing
off a feeble energy bolt, hardly worthy of the name. His opponent
didn't even grunt when the attack hit him. Malvaar stepped forward once
more, picking up Hensur and shoving him against the black pillar.
The minotaur's face turned to his lord. "Permission to slay
this pitiful excuse for an Overlord, my lord Jadeite?"
An amused smile on his face, Jadeite nodded. "Granted."
Malvaar brought his gaze back to his opponent. Concentrating
for a moment, he began to push Hensur harder against the pillar. As he
did so, the dark obsidian seemed to liquefy. Hensur began to scream as
he was engulfed by the pillar.
A moment later, it was over. The pillar was one again hard and
flawless. There was no sign that Hensur now was entombed within.
Malvaar stepped back, examining the cold, smooth surface before giving a
grunt of satisfaction. The Overlords around him stepped back, eyeing
Hensur's new... habitation.
The Overlord turned, and walked until he stood before the throne
once more. "If it is acceptable, I will begin preparations for a second
strike at once."
Jadeite nodded once before vanishing in a whirl of flames.
Malvaar soon followed suit. Moments later, the throne room began to
empty
In a corner of the room, Nyxan and Ishamanar met. "That was...
interesting," stated Ishamanar. "Did you encourage Hensur?" He was
unable to restrain a glance towards the dark pillar, seemingly no
different from any of the others that filled the throne room, that was
the fallen Overlord's tomb.
Nyxan calmly replied, "Hardly. I was hoping to send him against
Malvaar, but only once I'd had a chance to strengthen the fool. We
might have to act against the... ambassador directly."
"I agree. Come, we have a great deal to discuss."
***********************************************************************
Fuarku Ikawa stared at his computer. He was seated in his room,
which was a perfect example of barely restrained chaos. Piles of books,
clean and dirty laundry, and other possessions were scattered about,
seemingly at random. Ikawa's expression vacillated between shock,
amusement, and fierce joy for several minutes. Finally, it seemed to
settle on amusement, and Ikawa let loose a soft chuckle.
The young man stood and swept through his one room apartment,
gathering up a number of textbooks and assorted school supplies with
speed that belied the apparent disorder of the room. It was a good
thing his study group was meeting where it was. He had a second
appointment there now. But if he didn't hurry, he was going to be late
for the first.
Ikawa raced out of the room, inadvertently leaving the computer
on. On the screen was displayed a single message.
"I'LL BE MEETING YOU AT THE PARK TODAY.
-HERMES"
A moment later, the screen saver kicked in.
***********************************************************************
"No... look, Motoki. You have to split the vector like this,"
Shoju explained.
Motoki nodded. "I think I see." The study group was spending the
morning in the park, cramming for an upcoming physics test. Ikawa and
Tamori was not yet present, but the other three members were. It was a
sunny day, and the park seemed bright and full of life. At least except
for the section that was blocked off by police lines. The section
where, not long before, a battle had been fought.
Mamoru was thumbing through his notes, trying to absorb the
formulas through some sort of osmosis. He did his best to ignore
Shoju's attempts to aid the struggling Motoki through the basic
principles. "Oh well," Mamoru thought. "At least I don't really have
to worry about my future too much, if I'm going to be King of the world.
And then I can outlaw physics tests... if Usagi doesn't do it first."
Mamoru smiled ruefully. Though he loved her the way she was, he hoped
Usagi would mature at least a little bit before she became Queen.
Mamoru lost his train of thought as the two missing members of
the group arrived. Ikawa cheerfully waved to the group in greeting.
Moments later, the two were seated, and the group got down to the real
studying.
A few hours later, Shoju slammed his books shut. "I think we're
about as ready as we're going to be for this test," he stated as the
others followed suit.
"I guess," Motoki said, glancing at his watch. "I've got to
head over to the Crown anyway."
"Wasn't one of the Senshi spotted there yesterday?" Shoju asked.
Motoki nodded. "Yeah, Sailor Venus and that Ares fellow.
Unazuki said she saw them on the way home. I wonder why they were
together, though? I thought Ares and the Senshi were fighting?" He
didn't notice the uncomfortable looks on Ikawa, Mamoru, and Tamori's
faces.
Ikawa's expression was easy to explain. The conversation was
taking a turn that he didn't want to have to deal with. Mamoru's
expression was present because he was reminded of how useless he had
been at the park. Usagi could have died, and he had been able to do
nothing!
Tamori's reasons were more complicated. Strange, foreign
emotions churned inside him as he heard about the Senshi and Ares. Love,
hatred, anger, and confusion swirled about in his head. "What's wrong
with me?" he thought. "Why do I feel this way?"
***********************************************************************
Elsewhere in the park, Urawa Meno sat toying with a small, blue
supercomputer. Of course, it appeared to be a PDA of some sort.
Everyone knew that supercomputers were gigantic, even in these days of
rapidly advancing technology. Though, in fact, this particular
supercomputer bore only the faintest of resemblances to the more well
known kind. The other person sitting at the bench stared uncomfortably
at the sigil engraved in gold on the back of the device.
He had come into Juuban, using money he had borrowed from his
parents to pay for the train ride. He hadn't even called any of the
other people he knew in Juuban, not even... her.
"Are you sure about this, Meno?" he finally asked.
Meno looked up. "Yes, Ryo. I am," he said. "Have you... seen
anything more?"
Yes. "Not really." Ryo grimaced. He couldn't tell his brother
what he'd seen, and why it worried him. If he did, Ami would be in
terrible danger. And if he warned her, his brother would die.
"Precognition isn't worth it," he thought, silently cursing fate. It
was bad enough to have to live with the knowledge of what he really was,
knowledge his six... siblings - the word was right, though he had no
blood relation to them - were able to live without. His cursed gift had
seen to it that he did not have that option.
Even now, he could feel his true nature boiling in the dark
recesses of his inner self. The urge to take out his frustration in
mindless violence, the hunger for the life energy of the puny mortals
that surrounded him - they both were nearly irresistible. He could
resist, though; he could fight his nature, but he knew he would never
be free. Never be worthy of... anything.
He wondered whether others of the Seven felt that way. Maybe
not. After all, none of them had merged with their true form as he had.
Sure, it had meant that he could control his urges somewhat, that he
could fight Zoicite. But it had meant he had accepted his nature,
however reluctantly. He had become one with the monster. Yes, it had
allowed him to protect Ami, no, Sailor Mercury, but it had also surely
weakened Serenity's bindings as well.
"Is something wrong?" Meno asking, sensing the mood of his
younger sibling's thoughts, if not their content. For an instant, Ryo
wished he could bring himself to release all his control, to reveal
himself to his brother, and to be cut down like the abomination he was.
Yet, he could not.
"I wish... I wish you wouldn't do this," he finally said. More
than that, he wished that his second vision - the one showing the
disasters to come - had come before he had told his brother what he had
seen of the Awakening of Hermes.
"It's too late to turn back now. This is my duty," Meno
replied. He looked up to the sky and continued, "The time is getting
close, isn't it?"
***********************************************************************
Jadeite stared silently at the tome in front of him. It was
titled "The Wisdom of the Stars", one of the many Nephrite had written
over the many years of their imprisonment. And if it was correct, in a
matter of weeks there would be a dimensional conjunction! For one
night, energy costs to breach the dimensional barrier would be
negligible.
He could send hundreds, no, thousands of youma across! Sure,
they would be forcibly returned to the Dark Kingdom when the conjunction
ended, but one night would be more than enough to destroy the Senshi.
Saturn was the only Senshi who could destroy that many youma quickly
enough, and she was long dead! With this victory, he would gain more
than enough prestige to bring the whole Dark Kingdom under his rule. It
was a very good thing he had retrieved those... daimon eggs. They would
be quite useful, when the time came. A smile on his face, Jadeite
considered the possibilities.
Not very far away, two Overlords spoke. "Malvaar is a... words
simply fail me!" exclaimed Pesilitar. Hensur had been his ally, and he
had desired Ixitar's territories, which had been granted to the
minotaur.
His companion, Overlord Nyxan, nodded and lay one taloned, ebony
hand on Hensur's pus green shoulder. "I know how you can get back at
him, my friend."
"How?" the eager youma asked, all ears.
"If you stage an attack now, while Malvaar wastes time plotting,
and bring Jadeite back more energy than that insufferable wretch did,
you will steal our Lord's favor from him," Nyxan answered, inwardly
smirking.
"Yes... and I will see to it some of the take goes to you if you
will grant me some energy to launch to attack, Nyxan," Pesilitar said,
smiling, as he began to plot.
In another portion of Jadeite's palace, Asphara was speaking
with Malvaar. "I think Pesilitar may be planning to upstage you," she
told the minotaur.
"Why do you tell me this? Your consort is no friend of Lord
Kizzar," Malvaar said.
Asphara smiled. "Perhaps my will is not the same as my
consort's. Or perhaps he seeks to make an overture of peace to your
master. If the Mountains do join Jadeite, they will be a force to be
reckoned with in this court."
"I do not trust you."
"Do you have to?"
The minotaur grunted in thought, as in the shadows Ishamanar
began to chant a spell in a low voice.
Malvaar's eyes were suddenly consumed with fierce rage. "I
believe you may be right. If Pesilitar moves, he will die."
***********************************************************************
At the Hikawa Shrine, the Senshi were about to begin a meeting.
Setsuna looked sadly at the other seven as she teleported in, shocking
her sisters.
"Where have you been?" demanded Michiru. "We really need
answers! And your absence nearly killed the Princess!"
"At the Gates of Time," Setsuna answered calmly. "It was best
that I not be present at that last battle. Unless you would have rather
faced three Champions than one?"
"What?" Rei exclaimed. "There's only one Champion!"
Pluto grimly smiled. "Three Champions have already awoken, and a
fourth has nearly done so."
All the Senshi paled at that. Makoto asked, "Which ones?"
"I cannot say," the Senshi of Time replied.
Ami looked up from her computer. "Who are the Champions,
Setsuna?" She had deduced that Setsuna knew something about them.
Setsuna shook her head. "I cannot say."
Rei looked as though she was about to explode. "Why the hell
not?"
Setsuna almost glared at Rei. "Because that is how it must be."
Rei growled, and somewhat surprisingly she was joined by Haruka.
Usagi spoke up. "Calm down everybody!" she stated in a voice of
command. Slowly, tempers began to settle.
Ami glanced up again. "Can you say anything?" she asked.
"No more than I have said," replied Setsuna. "You must solve
these problems yourself."
"Do we know anything about that 'new enemy' Michiru sensed
earlier?" Minako asked.
"I know I don't," Michiru replied.
Pluto frowned. "I believe I can say... that what Michiru was
sensing was likely the Dark Kingdom's new leader. Whoever he is, he's
being very cautious. He never comes to Earth without more warding
spells than the entire Moon Palace used to have."
Ami's computer beeped. "I'm picking up... another disturbance
at the park," she said after a moment.
"Then, let's get moving!" Haruka said, standing.
Within moments, the Senshi had transformed and left. The two
moon cats, who had been almost silent the whole meeting, stared after
them.
"They don't really need us anymore, do they?" Luna asked, and
Artemis did not reply.
***********************************************************************
At the park, Meno stood. "It's time. I suggest you leave,
brother."
Ryo lowered his head. This was the day, this was the hour.
Everything, as always, proceeded as he foresaw. He silently cursed
before beginning to speak one more time. "I'm going to ask you one last
time to not do this." He already knew the words would do no good - for
he had seen his brother's answer weeks ago.
Meno stared at his brother. Why was he so insistent? "I will
do this. I must do this. Tell me why you fear it so."
Ryo grimaced. What would happen if he did would be even worse
then what would happen if he did nothing. "I can't," he harshly
whispered.
"Very well then, brother." Meno stepped back. "Goodbye."
Ryo closed his eyes, once more damning his gift. "Goodbye,
brother." The young precognitive then stood and fled the park.
Meno sadly shook his head, then raised one hand. Slowly, a
sword formed inside of it. This was it. No turning back now. "Mercury
Sword Power!" Light blue plate armor formed around him, though like the
other Champions, no helm obscured his face. Displayed proudly in white
on the breastplate was the symbol of Mercury.
Moments later, Hermes raced towards the center of the park. He
quickly spotted the two figures he was looking for.
"So he said he'd meet us here?" Unazuki asked Ikawa.
"Right," Ikawa answered.
Hermes grinned. "I'm here, Azala."
Unazuki smiled back at the Champion of Mercury. "Janus?"
"Right on. Now transform, you two. Youma are coming." Hermes
glanced towards the area of the park that was still torn up form
yesterday's fight.
Feral grins appeared on the other two's faces. Unazuki raised
her hand, calling forth a thin longsword, while Ikawa summoned his
massive broadsword.
"Mars Sword Power!" Ares's red armor formed around him.
"Venus Sword Power!" Aphrodite's armor was colored orange, with
Venus's symbol displayed in gold.
Three Champions turned as one to meet the youma that appeared in
the center of the park. There were over twenty of them, green and
bloated, with open sores. The stench of plague and corruption hovered
around them, making even the Champions' hardened stomachs weak. And in
the center of the formation was one even grosser and more disgusting.
"I am Pesilitar, and I have come to destroy you all!" cried the
Overlord.
As one, the Champions fell into ready stances. "Come, then.
Let us see who will destroy who." Ares called out. Moments later, the
battle was joined. Ares easily sliced one youma in two with his flaming
blade. Hermes dodged one clawed hand, stabbing its owner in its
corpulent gut. Ice formed around the fatal wound as he withdrew his
weapon. Aphrodite's sword, glowing a fierce lights, danced in her
hands, and after the first two fell, no youma dared approach her.
"Shabon Spray!" Champions and youma alike swore as gray fog
filled the area. Only the Senshi could see in the mist.
"World Shaking!
"Deep Submerge!"
"Dead Scream."
"Burning Mandala!"
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
"Crescent Beam!"
The barrage of attacks sped towards their targets. While the
Inner Senshi blasted three youma, the other three attacks were aimed at
the Champions. When the fog cleared, the Champions were thrown to
ground, struggling to rise. Praising his good luck, Pesilitar sent half
his forces to deal with them, while leading the other half toward the
Senshi.
Aphrodite slashed out at the first youma to reach her, removing
its legs. It promptly dissolved, giving her time to rise.
Hermes also rose, raising his sword. "Ice Storm!" Shards of
razor sharp ice pelted the youma, slaying two more.
This gave Ares time to stand as well. "Flame Strike!" Another
youma fell. Only six youma remained to face the Champions, and they
were soon heavily engaged in a swirling melee.
A second barrage of attacks raced from the Senshi towards the
advancing youma, but the youma were prepared, and avoided most of the
attacks. Even worse, another two dozen appeared behind the largest, as
Pesilitar dug deep into his energy reserves to press his rapidly
evaporating advantage.
"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" Six youma were vaporized by Sailor
Moon's blast, but that was not nearly enough.
The youma reached the Senshi, and soon were smashing their way
through the defensive line. Pesilitar laughed triumphantly as Venus was
hurled to the ground by one youma and did not rise. The laugh deepened
as Mercury and Jupiter joined her. Pressed and outnumbered by the
youma, the Senshi were unable to prepare any of their attacks.
On the other side of the battlefield, Aphrodite gracefully
beheaded the last attacking youma with one smooth slash. The three
Champions raced towards the melee, but stopped when more youma appeared
in front of them. Five massive minotaurs now dominated the center of
the battleground.
Malvaar had arrived, and he was furious. He gestured towards
the Champions, sending two of his servants to deal with them before
bellowing, "Pesilitar! What is the meaning of this?"
Pesilitar's answer was to gather his minions around him,
granting the Senshi some much needed breathing room. Malvaar grinned.
"So be it." With a roar, Malvaar and his remaining two servants raced
towards their opponents.
Behind them, the Champions engaged the other minotaurs. One
massive fist sent Aphrodite flying. With a scream of rage, Ares pounced
on the fist's owner, driving his flaming blade in between the youma's
ribs. But the minotaur was not dead yet, as it demonstrated by pounding
on the Champion of Mars with force capable of shattering every bone in
an ordinary human's body. Hermes was desperately dodging the other
youma's blows, occasionally getting a strike in with his ice-cold
weapon.
Meanwhile, Malvaar and his escort were ripping through the
remnants of Pesilitar's entourage with astounding ease. Within moments,
Malvaar had reached Pesilitar himself, and delivered a punch that forced
the Overlord back several feet.
Pesilitar grimaced. "Pestilence Breath!" he called, expelling a
cloud of stinking green gas. Coughing, Malvaar stumbled through the
vapors, delivering another powerful blow. This time, Pesilitar was
broken in two, and his remaining minions vanished.
Malvaar glanced at the hard pressed Champions and exhausted
Senshi and smiled. "Our victory is at hand! For the Dark Kingdom and
Lord Jadeite!" cried the minotaur lord, as he and his minions began or
redoubled their attacks.
***********************************************************************
Back in the Dark Kingdom, Jadeite watched the battle with
rapidly growing anger. The battle had been nearly won before Malvaar
had arrived, and thrown it all away. There was still a chance for
victory, but Jadeite was certain that chance was slim. Malvaar would
have to pay for this mistake. Jadeite calmed himself. A small payment,
though. The minotaur was too useful, and had too many allies, to slay
out of hand.
Not far away, two conspirators knew for a fact that Malvaar was
doomed. Ishamanar caressed the dark tome he had recovered from Beryl's
library. The Metallian Codex. The collection of prophecy and spells
that had been ancient when the Silver Millennium fell had been banned on
every world, and even Beryl had forbidden her servants from perusing the
contents of the sole extant copy. For good reason.
"It seems as though the rage spell worked perfectly," Nyxan
commented.
"Aye, and listen to this," replied the second conspirator.
Ishamanar thumbed the Codex open to a well worn page and began to read
out loud. "In the days after Time turns back on itself, all will seem
lost. Fear not, for after the ninety Pharaohs fall, one of Fire will
emerge from Ice to lead you. And your enemies shall fight among
themselves, and they shall be driven before your armies. The bull will
triumph over plague, but will fall to the hidden hand. The sky will be
as flame, and the dead will walk. And when all this has come to pass as
it has been foreseen, I, Metallia, will reign forever."
"A prophecy?" Nyxan asked.
"Indeed. You know I have studied this tome's secrets more than
you."
"Yes."
"Even I could not find this until Jadeite returned. But, now...
look!"
Nyxan glanced at the page... he remembered this one, from his
own studies. Pure nonsense - collections of words and characters that
made no coherent whole. Yet... now the page held simple lines of plain
text, in the elegant hand of the book's unknown author.
Nyxan smiled. "Then, we will succeed where Beryl failed. Our
Great Leader will be free."
Ishamanar returned Nyxan's grin. "In any case, Asphara has
successfully crossed over under cover of this disturbance."
"Perfect," Nyxan commented as they returned to watching the
battle.
***********************************************************************
Two minotaurs raced towards the Senshi, while Malvaar hung back
to keep an eye on the two separate fights. Sailor Uranus was quick to
loose a World Shaking at one of the oncoming youma, but the minotaur
ignored the blast, flooring Uranus with one powerful blow. Neptune
raced to aid her lover while Sailor Moon began her attack.
On the other side of the battlefield, Aphrodite was struggling
to rise. The minotaur Ares was engaging finally tired of beating on the
hapless Champion, and hurled him at her. The two Champions collided,
and both fell to the ground. Nearby, Hermes dodged another powerful
blow, then extended his free hand. "Deep Freeze!"
A burst of supercold water flung from Hermes's hand, hitting the
minotaur in its chest. Ice rapidly spread over the youma's massive
bulk, and in moments it was frozen. One swift sword blow easily
shattered the minotaur into a thousand fragments, which swiftly
dissolved.
Meanwhile, a minotaur smashed Sailor Moon into the ground before
she could finish her attack. Sailor Mars was throwing Fire Souls about,
but was doing little damage. Pluto backed up before loosing a Dead
Scream at the youma threatening Sailor Moon. The energy blast forced
the minotaur to stumble backwards, nearly falling over. As it did so,
Venus rose and hurled a Love-Me Chain at the monster. The chain
entangled itself around the youma's legs, tripping it. Jupiter also
managed to stand, and slew the trapped youma with a Sparkling Wide
Pressure.
Ares and Aphrodite stood, and Ares leapt back at the minotaur,
launching a Flame Strike. The bolt of white flame flung the youma back
towards its master, and within moments it had turned to dust. The
combined efforts of the Senshi swiftly vanquished the last of Malvaar's
minions, and with a roar of pain it dissolved.
Malvaar glanced around cautiously. He had no more servants, and
was vastly outnumbered. However, his opponents all looked about ready
to collapse, while he was unwounded. He felt as though a fire was
inside him, giving him the urge to fight, to rend, to destroy. With a
battle roar in his throat, he began to charge towards the Senshi.
Suddenly, a rose thudded into the ground in front of the
minotaur lord. Malvaar looked up to a nearby tree, where Tuxedo Kamen
stood upon a branch, another rose already in hand. Malvaar slowly began
to back away, his rage temporarily drained by the sudden shock.
For once, Tuxedo Kamen's speech was neither lyrical or
inspiring. "I'd suggest you go back to the Dark Kingdom, or you're
going to get a rose down your throat."
With a growl, Malvaar took his advice.
***********************************************************************
Malvaar was surprised when he appeared in Jadeite's throne room
rather than his private quarters, as he had intended. His destination
must have been diverted. This was bad. This was very bad. No, this
was an utter disaster.
Jadeite lounged back in his throne. "Do you have any
explanation for this... fiasco, Malvaar?
Yes, this was a disaster. Fear momentarily burned through the
cloud of rage that muddled Malvaar's thoughts. "N... no, my lord."
Jadeite sighed. "I didn't think so. Therefore, I find you
guilty of incompetence, cowardice, and treachery. I sentence you to..."
"NO!!!!!!" roared Malvaar, seeing red. He charged forward and
hurled one sound barrier shattering punch at Jadeite. The shocked crowd
of youma flinched, expecting to be showered with Jadeite bits.
Instead, they were even more shocked as Jadeite easily caught
the punch. For a moment, they stared at the tableau of Jadeite holding
back the straining minotaur's arm.
Then, Jadeite spoke, his face and voice cold. "That was not
very smart. You realize that you leave me no choice now?" Malvaar
began to try to pull his arm away, to no avail. Still emotionless,
Jadeite continued, "Incinerate."
Almost instantaneously, the minotaur's arm began to smolder.
Wrenching his limb free, Malvaar fell back as the flames began to
spread. It took him a long time to die.
When the bold minotaur lord was finally nothing more than a
rapidly disappearing pile of ash, Jadeite spoke once more. "I have had
enough of this rash of incompetence. I doubt any of you have any real
strength, but I hope I am wrong. The first Overlord to demonstrate his
worthiness will become my first General." Without another word, the
dark lord teleported away in a burst of flame.
It took only a moment for the plotting to begin.
***********************************************************************
Back on Earth, three Champions lined up to face seven Senshi and
Tuxedo Kamen. For a long moment, nothing was said. Except for Tuxedo
Kamen, all the combatants looked equally weary and beaten. Fukus were
torn, armor was dented, and weapons were stained with blood and ichor,
as were the clothing of the warriors. The park had been utterly
destroyed by the two massive battles that had been fought there.
The moment of silence stretched on into several minutes, neither
side wishing to begin the fighting. To those standing on the
battlefield, hours seemed to pass.
Finally, Sailor Moon spoke. "Why not join us?" She paused.
"The youma-"
Ares's face hardened, and he interrupted her. "You know why,
Serenity. There is too much blood between us to pretend otherwise. The
oaths we swore bind us still."
"Until all are one," whispered Aphrodite, though the wind picked
up the phrase and carried it to the Senshi's ears.
"There are some deeds that cannot go unavenged," said Hermes.
With that, the three Champions walked away, leaving the Senshi
behind. As soon as they were out of sight, Pluto vanished without a
word.
***********************************************************************
In Ikawa's apartment, a joyous meeting was taking place. "I
can't believe that you're Hermes, Meno!" the host said. "When... how
did you find out?"
Meno smiled. "I Awakened yesterday at the park. This was the
best time to make myself known."
Ikawa frowned. "How did you know who I was?"
"A vision," Meno replied, a brief grimace appearing on his face.
"A vision?" Unazuki asked.
"I'd... rather not talk about that just yet," replied Meno.
"Anyway, we need to come up with a plan for finding and
Awakening the rest of us," Ikawa stated as he pulled a soda out of the
fridge.
Unazuki nodded. "Until we're at full strength, we're at a
disadvantage."
Meno pulled his computer out of subspace. "I've already got a
program looking for the others. Chronus seems to be almost awake, but
it will take a few days to figure out the source of his energy
signature."
"How are we going to Awaken him? It's not like Saturn's going
to be around to provide the stimulus," Ares commented.
"He's so close to Awakening that seeing one of us transforming
might push him over the edge. I'm working on a way to Awaken the others
without the Senshi's presence, though," replied Meno. "Really, any
adequate source of the right energy ought to do it.
"Enough of the strategizing, people," Unazuki said. "Let's
celebrate!"
Meno laughed. "Once a Venusian, always a Venusian."
***********************************************************************
A much more somber meeting was occurring at the Hikawa Shrine.
Luna and Artemis had only had to take one look at the arriving Senshi to
realize that this had not been an easy fight.
"I just wish we knew what all this was about," Makoto was
saying.
"I know," Minako griped. "And why is the Dark Kingdom attacking
again?"
"And who's leading them?" Ami asked.
Haruka brooded in a corner, and spoke quietly to Michiru.
"Somehow, I bet Pluto knows. But she's playing us for fools, just like
she did to us last time. She knew where the Talismans were all along.
We could have won that fight long before we did." Michiru lay her hand
on Haruka's, and she slowly calmed herself.
Ami frowned, perhaps having overheard Haruka's comment. "In any
case, I've been noticing some oddities. My computer's been picking up
some energy fluctuation's matching Sailor Saturn's signature. It might
be another Champion."
"Or has something happened to Hotaru?" asked Luna, looking
towards the Outer Senshi.
"You could say that," Michiru replied. "She's been... growing.
I think she might be returning to her old age - it's hard to say. She
looks and acts like she was six or seven now. Or at least she did this
morning. It could have changed again. It's really freaking out
Professor Tomoe's new lab assistant."
The Senshi had a large number of questions, but very few
answers. It was going to be a long, hard road to gain those answers.
***********************************************************************
Author's Random Revised Rambling
1) All sorts of C&C are always welcome.
2) Previous chapters of these revisions are not yet archived anywhere,
but are available on request. The original version of this fic can be
found at the RAAC archives or:
http://www.fanfiction.net/~aaronnowack
3) Thanks to Michael Chase for his comments on the original version of
this chapter.
4) This was the last chapter to be released without prereading.
Revisions should be less far-reaching from this point on, and mainly
fixes of typos and rewordings for clarity after a few more chapters.
Well, unless I find more stuff I don't like.
5) The major changes in this chapter are focused on the Dark Kingdom
side of things and the interaction between Meno and Ryo. I think this
chapter has improved quite a bit - it's almost worthy of being read. ;)
6) In any case, I'm thinking of pausing the revisions for a bit at this
stage to start some work on Fallen Chapter 4, or to finish up the
prologue to another project. Yes, another one. I have too many ideas
for my time.
Released: December 04, 2000
Revised: August 25, 2003
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