Earth
Guardian Prince Endymion
By Senshi
of Ruin and Mizu no Senshi
Act Seven Recap:
(Mamoru’s POV)
“He was careful to stay in the shadows so I didn’t see his face. His clothes were similar to our uniforms except in shades of silver and white. He was after the Ginzuishou, too.”
“He was?” Mamoru replied. “Another enemy?”
“I don’t think so” Taro frowned, as though unsure of what
to say, “I can’t really describe it. It was as though… I knew him…”
“The Prince?”
When Taro saw Sailor Moon fighting against a man outside a
jewellery store we decided to investigate. After all, it would make sense to
see that the Ginzuishou did not fall into the wrong hands and if this man was
the Prince then we could protect him against the Dark Kingdom.
Of course, things did not go as planned.
Sailor Moon
shrieked as the fire shot towards her and she brought her hands up in front of
her face to shield herself from the attack as best she could. Then a weight
slammed into her, knocking her aside. Sailor Moon gasped as the fire burnt a
hole in the wall behind her, even as Jadeite and Nephrite launched their own
attacks at the Dark Senshi. Mars gave them a detestable glare before hurriedly
teleporting away before the attacks could strike home.
“Tuxedo Kamen!” Sailor Moon cried in disbelief and some
concern when she saw the burn marring his left shoulder.
I don’t know why I risked my life for her. It was
something I couldn’t control; my heart ached at the thought of anything
happening to her. I know the others wouldn’t approve, but at least we have
Kunzite on side now.
“What of Jadeite and Nephrite?”
“They also feel that way.”
“You can be sure?”
“I would trust them with my life.”
Kisho took a moment or two to consider this before his
frown turned into a gentle smile as he replied, “Well then, Chiba Mamoru, where
do you suggest we start looking for this Prince?”
Now I have learned that a Prince is going to be handing
out the prize in a competition at the Suisho Hotel in Tokyo.
Could he be the Prince we are looking for? One thing is for sure, one of us
will have to win the contest and see…
******
Act Eight:
Sailor Moon shrieked as the fire shot towards her and she
brought her hands up in front of her face to shield herself from the attack as
best she could. Then a weight slammed into her, knocking her aside. Sailor Moon
gasped as the fire burnt a hole in the wall behind her, even as Jadeite and
Nephrite launched their own attacks at the Dark Senshi. Mars gave them a
detestable glare before hurriedly teleporting away before the attacks could
strike home.
“Tuxedo Kamen!” Sailor Moon cried in disbelief and some
concern when she saw the burn marring his left shoulder.
Usagi sighed to herself as the first thing that greeted
her that morning was Luna’s disapproving frown and the memory of the masked man
saving her life, again.
Tuxedo Kamen had always been a source of comfort to her
with the mission, and now she was being told that she couldn’t see him?
“Stay away from Tuxedo Kamen” he commanded.
“Why? He’s hurt!” again she tried to walk around him, but
the man blocked her path.
“Stay away” he repeated.
“I can’t!” Sailor Moon cried, “How can I when he risked
his life for me! I owe him a thank you at least!”
Luna had also warned her against him, but why? From what
Usagi could gage, he seemed like a genuinely kind person who obviously cared a
great deal for the mission and his friends. What possible harm could he do her?
“Usagi-chan” Luna murmured sympathetically, “Please listen
to me. Tuxedo Kamen is no good. You mustn’t let yourself become to attached to
him.”
The pigtailed girl nodded sadly, to heart sick at the
thought of him being hurt to object too much. Still there was something else…
“Luna?” Usagi rolled over onto her side to stare at the
plushie, “Why does the Dark Kingdom have Sailor Senshi, too?”
Luna frowned slightly, almost reluctant to voice this but
did so anyway, as though she felt that she owed Usagi and explanation,
especially as she was adamant that the Senshi of love and justice stayed away
from Tuxedo Kamen.
“You remember what I told you about the Ginzuishou?”
“That it is a very powerful tool/weapon and its will is
directed by the heart of the person using it” Usagi recited what Luna often
told her.
“Well the Ginzuishou belonged to the Queen of the Silver
Millennium. The Silver Millennium was on the Moon.”
“The Moon? No way!”
“Usagi-chan, please believe me. Sailor Senshi protected
the Princess of the Silver Millennium. The Dark Kingdom started an uprising on
Earth, led by a vicious and resentful woman called Beryl, the people of Earth
started turning against the Earth Kingdom and its Prince. She cultivated
resentment and hatred towards the Moon Kingdom’s people because of their
unnaturally long lives and the demon force of the Dark Kingdom, Queen Metallia,
fed on this and was able to send Youma to attack the Earth and the Moon. The
Sailor Senshi were brainwashed by Beryl to fight against their Princess until
the Queen used the power of the Ginzuishou to seal them all away. Beryl must
have broken the seal and now the Dark Kingdom once again seeks the control of
the Earth.”
“I don’t
understand” Usagi said slowly, “Why wasn’t I brainwashed along with the other
Senshi?”
“I don’t know” Luna sighed, “But the Senshi have a duty to
protect the Princess. Usagi-chan, you’re mission is now more important than
ever. You must find the Ginzuishou and use it to free the Senshi from Beryl’s
influence and then defeat the Dark Kingdom once and for all!”
“What of the Princess?”
Luna lowered her gaze, “I do not know,” she admitted.
Usagi sighed. She wanted to ask more about the Prince in
her dreams, but something was telling her to keep quiet about this… for now at
least.
*****
Dark Mars hurried towards her leader’s chambers, her heart
hammering loudly in her chest at the thought of what she was about to do.
Indeed she could think of no alternative. True she had obtained the energy they
needed, but she had failed to kill Sailor Moon or the kings. Even the goal of
finding the Prince or the Ginzuishou seemed unobtainable to the Senshi at
present. Beryl was growing impatient. She would not tolerate this kind of
failure from now on. Dark Mars knew that she had to do something.
The singing halted as she pushed open the door to Dark
Venus’s quarters. The lively blonde turned, a sly smile etched across her face
when she saw Mars. She set down her microphone and enquired to know what it was
that she wanted.
“Your help” Dark Mars replied, as much as it galled her to
admit it. “I want to kill Sailor Moon to make Queen Beryl happy.”
Dark Venus grinned, “I am busy writing a song for the
Prince and I’m sure Beryl-sama would not be happy if you interrupted me to
fight your petty battles, but…” Dark Venus looked her companion in the eyes,
smiling a smile that was bent on mischief. “I think I can heed your request.”
Dark Mars nodded, “Together we will earn Beryl’s respect.”
****
“So” Dark Mercury mused as she knelt down before the red
Queen. “Dark Mars seeks Venus’s help in killing Sailor Moon. Such a fool…”
“Silence!” Beryl snarled, “At least she is trying to earn
my love! What have you done that supersedes Dark Mars?”
When Mercury failed to reply, Beryl added, “Get out of my
sight. I will leave things with Mars and Venus… for now…”
Dark Mercury scowled and did as commanded.
****
“You are watching this store in case the Prince turns up
looking for the Ginzuishou?” Kisho asked.
Taro nodded and Kisho snorted in contempt at this,
“Fools.”
“Today was a waste of time” Masaki remarked when Mamoru’s
wound was cleaned and bandaged, “The Prince didn’t show up and we didn’t even
defeat the enemy.”
“You would have” Kisho cut in a little scathingly, “Had
you sensed Dark Mars’s presence sooner.”
Taro scowled and attacked the floor with his mop with a
renewed ferocity as he recalled the heated conversations of the night before.
How dare Kisho treat them like idiots? They were doing the best they could
under the circumstances! Taro knew how important the mission was and how strong
the Dark Kingdom had become, but how could they protect a man they knew nothing
about? It just didn’t make any sense! Then there was the Ginzuishou. With so
many parties after it, Taro knew that the pressure was on them to find it
first. Gods, he knew how important this was and he didn’t need Tamura Kisho
treating him or Masaki like children!
That was the problem. Taro had to admit, he had taken an
instant dislike to the forth member of their group. Kisho was arrogant and
tended to look down his nose at them, but, as Taro hated to admit it, he was
strong and they needed his strength. Mamoru seemed to get on well with him at
any rate. What did Masaki think? Taro wasn’t sure. The younger man was
strangely detached from them, even now. Just when Taro thought he had come
close to understanding his friend, he would say something or do something to
contradict them. This reluctance annoyed the hell out of Taro at times, though
he would not say anything. He was sure that Masaki was hiding something.
Whether it was to do with the mission or not, Taro did not know.
“Kimi-kun!” Motoki complained suddenly, jolting Taro out
of his thoughts, “You’ve rubbed the polish off of the floor! Now you’ll have to
start over!”
Taro snarled and slammed the mop down as he saw the other
three entering Crown. “I’m taking a break” he announced and quickly disappeared
into the gathering room before Motoki could start complaining.
Once there, Taro slumped down in one of the white
armchairs whilst Mamoru and Kisho sat at the table with cups of coffee. Masaki
leaned against the closed door, his expression guarded as he stared
thoughtfully at the floor.
“How’s the arm?” Taro asked Mamoru, a part of him feeling
a little bad that they hadn’t reacted quick enough to help him last night.
“Still a bit sore” Mamoru replied with a smile, “It’ll be
fine in a day or two.”
“Why did you save
her?” Taro asked next, a part of him wondering why he had started this
conversation and where it would lead.
“I don’t know” Mamoru admitted, “I couldn’t watch her die,
even if she is an enemy.”
Taro nodded. Despite the fact that he had only known
Mamoru for a short time, he had come to feel an empathy with the man. Sailor
Moon could not be trusted, but Taro knew that he couldn’t have watched her die.
She was younger than them. Appearing as about fourteen years old, Taro couldn’t
even begin to imagine how terrible it was for her. He had always known, deep
down, that he was meant for something more, but to be only fourteen and to have
this on your shoulders?
“We will have to fight against her eventually” Kisho spoke
up, his eyes narrowing at the thought of the champion of love and justice, “If
she is also after the Ginzuishou…”
Mamoru sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “I know,
but… do you think she knows whom the Prince is?”
“What makes you say that?” Masaki wanted to know and,
indeed, it was an interesting question.
“She must want the Ginzuishou for a reason?” Mamoru
explained, “Perhaps we could find her and ask her? If we knew then maybe we
could work together.”
“No” Kisho said immediately, “She cannot be trusted.”
“Taro? Masaki?” Mamoru turned to the others, “What do you
think?”
Masaki looked uneasily between Kisho and Mamoru before
replying that Sailor Moon was the enemy, too. Taro scowled, as much as he hated
to admit it, he didn’t want to work alongside her, but Mamoru was right. They
could learn more about her mission at least.
Kisho sighed and leaned back in his chair, and this small
action was enough to set Taro on edge. He made the mistake of scowling at the
black haired man. Kisho immediately called him on it.
“Do you have some sort of problem?”
“You are watching this store in case the Prince turns up
looking for the Ginzuishou?” Kisho asked.
Taro nodded and Kisho snorted in contempt at this,
“Fools.”
“What if I do?”
“Kisho” Mamoru said warningly as the other man made to get
up. He hesitated when Mamoru spoke, but then shook it off and crossed the room
to stand directly in front of Taro.
“This is not a game” Kisho said quietly, “Sailor Moon is
the enemy. You would do well to remember that.”
“I do” Taro sniped back, “But I also happen to think that
it would be good to learn things from our enemies as that will make us stronger
against them.”
Kisho smirked, “It seems I learnt more that night than all
of you put together. Sailor Moon is after the Ginzuishou. We do not know why,
but this Dark Mars… it is obvious that she and Sailor Moon are somehow
connected. They are both Sailor Senshi after all.”
This gave Taro thought enough to pause. He was slightly
embarrassed, as this had never crossed his mind to compare Sailor Moon to Dark
Mars. Evidently Mamoru and Masaki hadn’t either, though Masaki did not let his
embarrassment show.
It was Mamoru that broke the heavy silence that had
somehow befallen them, “If this is true… I think we should wait and see.
Arguing among ourselves will not get us anywhere.”
“He’s right” Masaki agreed.
Taro gave him an incredulous glare. Kisho had called him a
fool, too. Did Masaki intend to let that go? The man treated them like dirt!
Shaking his head, Taro left and was even more furious when
none of the others came after him.
*****
Kisho wasn’t sure what to think when Kimura Taro left. He
mentally winced at the harsh looks both Mamoru and Masaki directed his way.
Then Masaki, usually the passive one, stood as though to go after him.
“Leave him to calm down” Mamoru advised, halting Masaki in
his tracks, “I’ll speak to him in a bit.”
Masaki nodded and sat back down.
“You didn’t have to rile him so” Mamoru said to Kisho
after a few minutes silence, “I thought you wanted to work with us?”
“I do” Kisho admitted, feeling a little uncomfortable at
this turn of events. Both Mamoru and Masaki had known Taro longest and of
course they would side with him. Kisho knew his behaviour was intentional, but
it was just his way. Ayame often told him that he could come across a little
arrogant at times, and Kisho had learnt to be careful around her. Mamoru and
Masaki didn’t seem to mind this, but it would appear that Taro had a real
problem with it. Frowning, Kisho hadn’t exactly liked the fiery tempered man to
start with and it would appear that Taro had taken a dislike to him, too.
Mamoru sighed wearily and stood up, “I’ll speak to
Taro-kun. I don’t know how you both feel, but these gatherings are pretty
pointless. We cannot agree on anything and until we know more about our enemy I
can’t see how we are going to plot our next move.”
“We can keep an eye on jewellery stores in the mean time,”
Kisho said in an effort to cheer their leader up somewhat, “The Ginzuishou
could be there and perhaps this man that Taro saw will turn up again.”
Mamoru couldn’t help but smile and seemingly had forgotten
the arguments of earlier, until they stepped into the reception of the Crown
that was.
Two things happened. The first was that Kisho discovered
that Taro had left the building in his rage and the second thing was that
Mamoru was nearly punched in the face.
As they opened the door, a girl swung her arm around and
nearly smacked Mamoru on the nose. He jumped back just in time, wincing in pain
as his shoulder struck the closed door behind him.
“I’m so sorry!” a girl with black pigtails cried out as
Kisho grabbed a hold of her arm to stop her from flailing about further. She
appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen years old and wore a pink skirt and an
orange jumper with ‘mezzo piano’ etched across the back in grey and white
stitching.
“You again!” Mamoru complained as he stared at the girl.
“You appear everywhere, don’t you?”
“Just my luck” the girl moaned to her friend, “Why do you
always have to be in the way!”
“You’re the one who nearly hit me, Tsukino Kobuta”
The girl stamped a foot on the ground impatiently, tearing
her arm from Kisho’s grasp and throwing the piece of paper at Mamoru before
dragging her friend out of Crown as quickly as she could.
“What was that all about?” Masaki asked.
“She’s like a bad penny” Mamoru replied a little angrily.
“Always following me around everywhere I go!”
“Perhaps you’re fated to fall madly in love with her”
Masaki quipped.
Mamoru snorted, “I very much doubt it.”
There was more of this exchange, but Kisho paid it little
heed. His attention was fixed on the bundled up piece of paper that Tsukino
Kobuta had thrown at Mamoru. He bent down and retrieved it off the floor and
then lent across the count next to Motoki’s pet turtle and smoothed out the
creased paper.
“Win Kuroki Mio live concert tickets” he mused to himself.
Kuroki Mio was a teen pop idol; Kisho knew Ayame had posters of her on her
bedroom wall. He would have dismissed the flyer completely had the last
paragraph not caught his eye. Smirking, Kisho turned back to Mamoru and Masaki
who were watching him curiously.
He handed Mamoru the flyer and said, “Tell Kimura-san to
enter this. I’ll call you after the weekend to see how he did.”
Kisho hurriedly left Crown, ignoring Mamoru’s calls for
him to come back. It would be better if he stayed away for a bit. He would not
apologise to Taro, but perhaps this was another way of making amends.
****
Taro roughly slammed his front door shut; ignoring the
shouts of his older brother as he pushed passed Kanaye and raced up the stairs
to his bedroom or rather he would have done, had his brother not grabbed him by
the arm and halted him.
“Taro-kun? Daijobu?” he asked. Kanaye was not as tall as
Taro, though slightly better built and both brothers sported the same dark
brown hair and deep brown eyes. Apart from this, they couldn’t be any more
different. Kanaye was a lawyer, one of the most successful ones in Tokyo, a
huge achievement as he was only 27 years old. Kanaye was smart, not to say Taro
wasn’t but he paled in comparison to his brother. Kanaye was also very
reserved. He knew when to laugh and when to relax, but he was not known for a
terrible temper and this did more to separate the brothers. Taro hated it when
Kanaye saw him upset. It showed a lack of self-control and in front of his
brother it was humiliating.
“Nothing!” he snarled trying to pull free and failing.
“You haven’t been fired again, have you?” Kanaye asked
wearily.
Before working in Crown, Taro had a job in the local
library and the video store. He had been fired from both within a day. His
former bosses were not as tolerant or as stupid as Motoki.
“No I haven’t!” he sniped, “I just want--” Taro was cut
off when there was a knock on the door.
Kanaye sighed, “Wait here.”
“I’m not a child!” Taro sniped back, but did as asked.
He leaned back against the door that connected the kitchen
and the front room as he listened to Kanaye’s voice.
“Yes, he’s here, though he’s in a terrible mood. Taro!
You’ve got visitors!”
Taro sighed and stormed into the front room, seating
himself on an armchair seconds before Kanaye led Masaki and Mamoru into the
room. They sat down on the sofa and waited for Kanaye to take his leave before
Mamoru spoke.
“So that’s your brother?” he stated more than asked.
Taro nodded in a half reply, keeping his gaze focused at a
point beyond Mamoru’s head.
“We came to show you this” Mamoru set a crumpled flyer
down on the table between them. Taro, drawn my curiosity, forgot his anger and
picked it up.
“Win Kuroki Mio concert tickets at the Suisho Hotel this
weekend?” he read doubtfully, “What is this?”
“No. Look at whose presenting the prize” Masaki said a
little impatiently.
“Prince Thaia of the Diamond Kingdom?” Taro knew vaguely
of the Diamond Kingdom. It wasn’t really a country, not anymore. It used to be
situated along the border that separated Hokkaido and Honshu. Of course, that
was thousands of years ago and the sea had long since encroached on the old
Diamond Kingdom territory, its people dispersing, but they still carried the
values and spirit of the old kingdom and the Emperor respected that. Little was
known about the Diamond Kingdom’s heir, but it made perfect sense to Taro that
he could possibly also be the Prince that they were searching for.
The Diamond Kingdom relished these small honours when
handed to them and, Taro knew, they saw it as a big honour to have their heir
appear in Tokyo, even if it were just to give out a prize in a contest.
“We are going to enter the contest” Mamoru explained, in
case of any doubt, “One of us will have to win it in order that we get close
enough to ascertain whether or not he is the Prince that we are looking for.
Since you saw the possible Prince before, you might want to enter. If you
sensed something when you saw him then it makes sense that you might do so
again.”
Taro took a step forward, debating whether or not to go
and help. He was torn. Sailor Moon had saved Mamoru’s life, but she had also
been the one to cause him to risk it to start with. But who was this other
person? Taro frowned and took another step towards them. He felt like he knew
them… something… he wavered slightly as the battle drew to an end. Sailor Moon
turned and started to run as a police car swerved round the corner. Taro pulled
back into shadow once more, pausing long enough to see the man teleport
away.
“Taro-kun?” Mamoru prompted when all he obtained from the
fiery man was silence.
“Yeah?” Taro shook his head slight as thought trying to
focus his attention back on the mission.
“The contest is a quiz on Kuroki Mio.”
“I know nothing about her!”
Masaki grinned, “Which is why you’ll have too start
learning. You have two days. The contest is on Saturday at the Suisho hotel.
We’ll meet you there. The chances are that if the Dark Kingdom is looking for
the Prince, they will also be present.”
Taro nodded, “Fine” he sighed. He had better things to do
with his day than read about some flaky teen pop star, but if it meant
completing a part of their mission…
Masaki was the first to get up to leave, though Mamoru
lingered for a few seconds and asked: “Are you ok now?”
“Yes” Taro replied, knowing it was as close to voicing
what had happened earlier as Mamoru was going to get. As far as the other man
was concerned it was done with. It was over and Taro was content to let things
lie, for now at least. Though he still had strong reservations about the forth
member of their group. He just hoped that Tamura Kisho wasn’t going to be
present on Saturday.
*****
“Amazing!” Osaka Naru cried as she clutched tightly onto
Usagi’s arm as they made their way inside the Suisho Hotel. It was packed with
young hopefuls who wanted to win the tickets to see Kuroki Mio live. Usagi and
Naru were two of these hopefuls and, despite Luna’s strong reservations; Usagi
had stayed up all night studying for the quiz. She and Naru had made a pact. If
Naru won she would give the other ticket to Usagi and vice versa if Usagi won.
This meant that they had double the chance. Kuroki Mio was a huge star and one
of Usagi’s idols so she welcomed the chance of a distraction and the hotel was
simply beautiful.
It had been aptly named. The windows are doors were cut
out of the finest imported glass and crystalline droplets appeared in among the
weavings of colour, making it appear as though it was raining. The hotels
itself was a luxury five-star and normally, dressed in her denim skirt and pink
blouse, there would have been little chance of Usagi even being allowed
admittance. Today was different and she and Naru managed to push their way
through more crowds of people and they finally reached the contest hall.
To Usagi’s surprise there was lots of different age groups
present. She recognised many of her class mates, who waved enthusiastically
back at her from their seats.
“Hurry!” Naru urged, pulling Usagi to a free table and
sitting down. “We don’t want to miss the start or we’ll never get those
tickets.”
Usagi nodded, but her gaze was already darting round the
room, taking in all the young men sitting and talking among themselves.
“Stay away from Tuxedo Kamen”.
“Why? He’s hurt!”
“Stay away” he repeated.
“I can’t!” Sailor Moon cried, “How can I when he risked
his life for me! I owe him a thank you at least!”
Was Tuxedo Kamen here? How was he? Usagi sighed sadly to
herself. She felt so bad that she hadn’t been able to see if he was ok after he
risked his life for her.
“Usagi-chan?” Naru waved a hand in front of her face,
“Daijobu?”
“I’m fine” she grinned, “Just thinking?”
“About a boy?” Naru smiled, “Could it be a certain boy
that we met in Crown a couple of days ago?”
“What?” Usagi’s face flushed bright red at the memory of
nearly giving Chiba Mamoru-baka a black eye and unfortunately this served to
raise Naru’s suspicions.
“Do you have a thing for one of Motoki’s friends?” she
asked excitedly.
“No!”
“An older man. It’s so romantic!”
“Romantic!” Usagi squealed, thinking of Mamoru-baka, “He’s
the most obnoxious person I know! How can you even think that I like him?”
“It’s written all over your face! I can hear the wedding
bells now!”
“Naru-chan!”
Usagi pouted, it was so unfair! She was in love with
Tuxedo Kamen, not Mamoru-baka. Yet she found herself blushing deeper. Then,
thankfully, the woman organising the quiz came onto the mini stage at the front
of hall and asked for quiet. Usagi picked up her pen and got ready. This was
it! She was going to win the prize if it was the last thing she did!
*****
Masaki leaned back against the wall, occasionally glancing
into the hall as the woman asking the question droned on. So far it had been
simple things like ‘what was Kuroki Mio’s favourite colour?’ and Taro had
assured them before disappearing inside that he even knew that Kuroki Mio
colour co-ordinated her socks and that he would be fine.
Masaki wasn’t so sure. Anyone who wasn’t entering the
contest was made to wait outside until it was over, so only Taro had been
permitted entrance. Mamoru seemed equally as unhappy with this, and the fact
that Kisho had refused to come. He had thought it best that he gave Taro some
space and a chance to calm down. Masaki didn’t know why the two seemed to have
their own petty battles when they had enough to contend with, with the Dark
Kingdom and Sailor Moon! Not to mention finding the Prince and obtaining the
Ginzuishou. Still, Masaki had decided it would be best to let them get on with
it. He had no wish to become involved in their arguments. Kisho seemed ok to
him and Masaki suspected it was simply a personality clash. Masaki was also surprised
at how little Taro had protested when Mamoru suggested that he be the one to
enter the contest, especially as it had been Kisho’s idea. He suspected Taro
wanted to prove himself to the oldest of them, though he would never admit to
it. Masaki thought this to be a little foolish, but as he had no desires to
read up about Kuroki Mio for two days, he had voiced none of these thoughts.
He glanced at Mamoru, who was also staring into the
contest hall. What would the Prince be like? Would he be their Prince? Masaki
felt a little apprehensive at this. According to the flashbacks he had been
having, the Prince was their Master and the man that he had pledged allegiance
too. No, Jadeite had pledged allegiance too, Masaki reminded himself. He was
Ueda Masaki, still Jadeite of course, but somehow different. He had another
life, too and surely the Prince wouldn’t expect anything of them? He would
protect the Master, yes, but Masaki wasn’t sure if he wanted to serve him. He
looked up at Mamoru and wondered what his friend thought. So far Masaki had not
voiced his feelings concerning the Prince and was reluctant to do so. Perhaps
he should? Maybe Mamoru would feel the same way? Kisho, Masaki knew, would not
welcome anyone ruling over him, especially a man he had never met before.
“Mamoru-kun…” he trailed off, as he happened to look
inside the contest hall. The woman talking was doubled over on the stage,
seemingly in some sort of pain. One hand still gripped the microphone tightly
as she began a metamorphosis right before Masaki’s eyes. Her skin slowly
changed from pale pink to black, her nails became longer and sharper as did her
teeth. Her clothes tore from her body as she grew taller and became much more
muscled. She now wore a one-piece satin dress that was wrapped tightly around
her frame. Her eyes had grown bigger and become slit like a cat’s. Her hair
turned black and cascaded down her back, each fibre as glossy as a newly grown
shoot. Her teeth were clearly visible as she drew her mouth back in a sneer as people
started to run. Holding out a clawed hand, streams of smoke shot from her palm
and, whenever it touched a human, that human collapsed, their energy drawn to
the Youma’s body.
“Taro…” Masaki transformed, as did Mamoru and took a step
towards the hall. They needn’t have worried.
Just as the Youma lunged forward to seize a young girl who
had made it to the door, it was struck from behind by a mass of red energy. It
whirled round before lunging at Nephrite. Its claws ripped into the table
behind him as Nephrite jumped backwards to avoid being impaled by it. Yet he
was not the Youma’s true target.
“Moon tiara… boomerang!” the Senshi of love and justice’s
voice rung out across the panicked cries of the civilians as the magical weapon
struck the Youma in the head. Growling in fury, it snatched the tiara up in
mid-flight before it could be returned to its owner and hurled it at the closed
door. The door exploded in a shower of light and debris, throwing Jadeite and
Tuxedo Kamen back several feet. Jadeite lost consciousness before he even hit
the ground…
*****
Nephrite stared wide-eyed at the gash that the Youma had
made in the table, a gash that had been intended to tear him limb from limb. He
darted backwards, preparing himself for the next attack, all the while cursing
the fact that he had underestimated the Dark Kingdom again.
When the young quiz host had transformed, Nephrite had
hidden under the table he was sitting at to transform and luckily, as all the
normal humans had been preoccupied by the appearance of the ‘monster’ his
transformation had gone unnoticed.
Still, Nephrite was shocked that Sailor Moon should come
to his aid and even more so when the Youma used the Senshi’s own weapon to
blast open the double doors that led into the hall before racing out into the
hotel itself, sucking energy from any human who happened to be in the way.
“Matte!” Sailor Moon cried, darting after it in an
instant. Nephrite also made to follow it, but the two figures lying sprawled
under the remains of the door forced him to halt in his tracks.
“Jadeite? Tuxedo Kamen?” Nephrite knelt down beside them
both, clearing away the debris and for a moment he feared that they were dead,
had Jadeite not opened his eyes to stare groggily up at him.
“Taro-kun?” he murmured, using Nephrite’s Terran name
until his eyes refocused and he corrected himself, “Nephrite?”
“You ok?” Nephrite asked, trying to keep the relief from
flooding his voice as Tuxedo Kamen also stirred.
“It was lucky we transformed” Tuxedo Kamen stated as he
stood, carefully brushing some splinters from his cape, “Our powers must have
protected us from the blast.”
Nephrite nodded, this was the only explanation that he
could think of, too. He helped Jadeite up and the man smiled to express his
gratefulness and then inquired to know where the Youma had gone when a piercing
shriek tore through the air.
Nephrite grinned, partly still in relief, as he said,
“Just follow the screams!”
*****
Sailor Moon raced around the corner, her heart pounding
loudly in her chest as she chased after the Youma. It was fast, everywhere she
looked people were collapsed, their energy taken from them. She hadn’t seen
what had happened to Nephrite after the door had been blown off of its hinges.
She had, had no time to check on him or Naru. She just wanted to beat the Youma
so that she could go back and win the contest! Luckily when the Youma had
started stealing energy, Usagi was able to hide under the stage and transform
without anyone seeing her, which was just as well seeing as Tuxedo Kamen’s
friend had turned up. Sailor Moon bit her lip painfully as she thought of the
masked man. Was he ok? He hadn’t been there… could he be too hurt to fight? This
pained her even more than ever thinking that he might not be able to continue
with the mission of he were that injured. A mission that was the same as Sailor
Moon’s. Would she have to fight him, too? She hoped not…
Sailor Moon turned a corner and nearly ran into the Youma
in the lobby of the hotel. Some staff members were on the floor; all were
unconscious. It was just her and the Youma.
Sailor Moon grabbed hold of the Crescent Moon Wand and
prepared to attack when the Youma lunged forward, a clawed hand wrapped around
her neck. Sailor Moon gagged, even as a figure materialised at the Youma’s
side.
“Good work” Dark Mars said coyly, “She fell right into our
trap.”
“Trap?” Sailor Moon cried, tears springing into her eyes
at the sight of Dark Mars and the memory of what Luna had told her.
Usagi-chan, please believe me. Sailor Senshi protected the
Princess of the Silver Millennium.
Dark Mars was once a friend… we fought alongside each
other in another life. She gasped in pain as the Youma’s grip around her neck
tightened and her vision started to fade.
“Mars…” Sailor Moon implored, the hand that held the Moon
Wand allowed her only weapon to clatter to the floor as she reached out to the
Senshi instead, “Remember…”
“Finish her slowly” Dark Mars commanded as she slapped
Sailor Moon’s hand away, “Make her suffer” and with that she was gone. Sailor
Moon felt a tear roll down her cheek and barely felt the Youma release her and
hurl her to the ground.
Mars… What had she become?
Now the Youma advanced slowly, unsheathing its claws as it
approached the Senshi. Sailor Moon gasped painfully, her hand now reaching for
the Moon Wand, only to have the Youma kick it out of her reach. This was it…
she was going to die.
Sailor Moon winced as it raised its hand above her head.
She closed her eyes and prepared herself for death… the blow never came.
Cautiously she opened her eyes and gasped. Tuxedo Kamen
stood in front of her, his right hand clasped around the Youma’s wrist. Its
claws were still an inch away from his face, but Sailor Moon had little time to
worry for his safety. Snatching up the Moon Wand she quickly called out the
spell, even as the Youma threw Tuxedo Kamen to the ground.
“Moon healing… escalation!”
The Youma screamed as the light engulfed it and slowly
transformed back into the quiz host. She gave a surprised cry and fell to the
floor, even as Sailor Moon concentrated her powers outwards, restoring the
stolen energy to the rightful owners. Sighing she collapsed onto her knees in
relief. Tuxedo Kamen smiled gently at her:
“Well done, Sailor Moon.”
“Wait!” forgetting her exhaustion, Sailor Moon leapt to
her feet as he turned to make his exit. Pausing the masked man turned around to
stare at her with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity.
Now standing before him, Sailor Moon felt a blush adorn
her cheeks, “I… I wanted to thank you for the other day… and for now… you have
saved my life more times than I can count and I don’t know anything about you.
Who are you?”
“That is of little importance.”
“I see… then tell me. Why are you after the Ginzuishou?”
She regretted this question as soon as she had asked it,
but Tuxedo Kamen only smiled and walked away.
Sailor Moon sighed to herself. Why did she have to ruin
the moment with something as silly as that? Who cared what Luna said? Tuxedo
Kamen was not the enemy and unless he did something to the contrary, she
intended to keep on believing this. Now, standing alone in the lobby, Sailor
Moon remembered the contest!
“Kuroki Mio live, here I come!”
*****
“Usagi-chan!” Naru pouted angrily, “I can’t believe you!”
“Me? You only scored 99.5% too!”
“But you messed up on the easiest question! I thought
everyone knew that Kuroki Mio colour coordinated her socks!”
Usagi shrugged, “Who cares? We got the runners up prize
didn’t we?” she held up a box of chocolates, “And we can go to Crown and listen
to Mio-chan’s songs anytime we want. Who cares about a contest anyway?”
Naru sighed, “Usagi-chan” she said almost enviously,
“You’re so happy-go-lucky. I thought this contest meant everything to you?”
“No way!” Usagi smiled to herself. Tuxedo Kamen… I’m so
glad he’s ok… her smile and good cheer faded as Dark Mars’s words echoed in
her mind.
Mars… I will save you, Usagi vowed. I will save all of
you… no matter what…
*****
Mamoru avoided Masaki’s steady gaze as he stood at the
back of the hall, listening intently as the quiz host announced the winner of
the contest. The quiz had been delayed due to a ‘burglar’ trying to steal the
prize, but they had now finished and Mamoru was feeling very apprehensive at
the possibility at finding out if the Prince of the Diamond Kingdom was their
Prince.
He knew he shouldn’t have left the other two when he had
heard Sailor Moon’s cries and Taro had told him as much before he went back to
complete the contest, but Mamoru couldn’t explain it.
He couldn’t let Sailor Moon die, even if it meant his own
life. Deciding to ignore these feelings for now, Mamoru smiled when Taro was
announced as the winner.
“This is it” Masaki murmured as their friend hurried up on
stage to collect his prize. Two people also joined him on the stage. One was a
woman in her late thirties whom Mamoru recognised as the Diamond Kingdom’s
Queen. The other was a small boy no more than ten years old. Smiling he shook
Taro’s hand and gave him the concert tickets.
Masaki sniggered when he saw the look of horror on Taro’s
face. That was the Prince of the Diamond Kingdom? Taro was not going to like
this…
He was right. Ten minutes later the fiery man stormed out
of the hotel, just ahead of the media circus that had appeared to take photos
of the Prince.
“You didn’t tell me that the Prince of the Diamond Kingdom
was only ten years old?” he raged at Mamoru.
“I didn’t know!” Mamoru exclaimed, finding Taro’s temper a
little too much after the ordeals and trials of the day.
“Masaki?” he whirled round to address the other man.
He shrugged, “It was news to me, too.”
Taro frowned, “I’ll bet he knew and set me up! That
bastard!”
“Kisho didn’t know anything” Mamoru assured him, “But you
won, so it can’t be all that bad.”
“Here!” Taro handed Mamoru the tickets, “You keep them and
take that fiancée of yours. I’m going to work, if I still have a job that is!”
Mamoru sighed and glanced down at the tickets. Today might
have been a waste of his time, but Hina did like Kuroki Mio and these tickets
might make up for some of his neglect of late. But they were nowhere nearer to
finding their Prince. This dampened his spirits somewhat.
“We will find him” Masaki said, as though guessing
Mamoru’s thoughts, “Just not here. I’m going home. I’ll see you on Monday, ok?”
“Yeah” Mamoru watched him go. He was still bitterly
disappointed with the mission, but couldn’t help think that they had missed
something. Shrugging, he pushed passed the reporters and made his way back
towards home.
*****
He watched the three men leave, and couldn’t help but
smile as the oldest stormed off in a rage. They appeared to be all right, too
and for this he was glad. When the Youma had blown the door back on them, he
hadn’t been sure if his shield was strong enough to protect them from harm.
“You’ve improved” the being beside him said softly, “You
couldn’t have done that a year ago.”
“I know” he almost took a tentative step in their
direction. “But I…”
“Don’t,” his companions warned him, “Now is not the time.
They are not strong enough.”
He nodded in half agreement and stepped back into shadow
as Mamoru glanced around, confusion etched across his face. Then, shrugging to
himself he continued on his way.
“Come on” the companion urged the male, “Lets go home.
There is nothing else here for us.”
Again he nodded in agreement and walked away.
****
Act Nine Preview:
“Look at this one” Ayame beamed and held up a diamond on a
golden chain, “Do you think this could be it?”
“Be what?” Kisho recognised the piece. Ayame’s father had
given it to their mother. Looking at it reminded Kisho of the life they used to
have. Frowning he took the piece from his sister’s hand.
“What are you doing?” he asked again in a softer voice.
“I’m looking for the illusionary Ginzuishou” Ayame
replied.
~~~~~
Venus’s smile became a delighted grin at this, “The Kings
and Sailor Moon both also seek the Ginzuishou. I intend to let them find it
first and then steal it from them.”
“They won’t be so easy to defeat, especially if they do
find it first,” Mars warned.
“I know. That’s why I intend to kill them.”
~~~~~
“Usagi-chan, don’t let your guard down.” Luna warned, “The
kings are also after the Ginzuishou! We must hurry!”
~~~~~
A beam of yellow light shot forward from her fingertips
and Kunzite had to turn his attack into a shield to absorb this new onslaught.
He had to turn his back on the Youma; he had no other choice and it took
advantage of this. Fronds shot out once more and entwined themselves around
Kunzite’s throat, forcing the king to his knees.
“Now” the Senshi grinned as the Youma started to sap his
energy, “When your friends get here the real fun can begin…”
~~~~
Tuxedo Kamen shook his head, “I do not, but he is my
Master and once we find him and obtain the Ginzuishou everything shall fall
into place. You, too, are after the Ginzuishou. This might mean that we become
enemies.”
“Enemies? I don’t want to fight you!”
Tuxedo Kamen tossed his cape over one shoulder and walked
away, casually calling back to her: “Then don’t get in my way!”
“It can’t be…” Usagi whispered, “Enemies… I can’t fight
him… I can’t…”