Earth Guardian Prince Endymion
By Senshi
of Ruin and Mizu no Senshi
Act Eighteen Recap:
“Give up yet?” Venus smirked, “It would be better for you
if you did. Struggling with only bring you more pain. We don’t want to hurt
you. We are only following our orders.”
Using illusionary Youma as a distraction, the Dark Senshi
went after the Prince and tried to capture him.
“There is no time to explain that” the plushie cried, “You
must come with me unless you want the Dark Kingdom to capture the Prince.”
Zoisite-sama also has a feline Guardian, like Sailor Moon,
and Artemis led us to him and we were able to fend off the Dark Senshi.
“The Dark Kingdom attacked the world of the past, but it
was the Princess who destroyed the planet.”
Zoisite-sama explained that it was the Princess who
destroyed the Earth, but that can’t be. I’ve always suspected but to have my
fears confirmed…. I don’t know why this pains me so much. Perhaps it is because
of my dreams about her and the Ginzuishou?
“Where do you live? Is it close by?” Tuxedo Kamen wanted
to know, “Can we help you get there?”
“No” Zoisite pulled away from Nephrite and this time
managed to take a few tentative steps away from them, “I can teleport back
there easily enough.”
Whereas Zoisite-sama was grateful to us for saving him, he
still doesn’t want to entrust us with knowing his true identity. I can respect
that and, being the Prince, Zoisite’s responsibilities are far greater than
even my own leadership. Kisho doesn’t agree. He does not trust the Prince and
wants answers, answers that I think Zoisite-sama is afraid to give him.
“You’re the leader” Kisho pointed out, his voice taking a
hardened edge that he normally reserved for Taro or even Masaki at times, “He
told you this himself. How can you lead blind?”
Mamoru shrugged; almost as though he were afraid of the
past life, “I just think we should treat him with some respect…” he trailed off
and then added, “Though it would be easier to protect him if we knew who he
was.”
Despite Kisho’s reservations, I feel as though I can trust
Zoisite-sama. He is only looking out for us… isn’t he?
*****
Act Nineteen:
“The Dark Kingdom attacked the world of the past, but it
was the Princess who destroyed the planet.”
“You two act like you are married the way you argue.”
“Princess” Mamoru whispered to his reflection in the
bathroom mirror, “Did you really destroy the planet?”
He frowned, splashing some water on his face as though to
wash away such thoughts. Zoisite-sama wouldn’t lie to them… but Mamoru just
couldn’t believe that such a thing had happened. Who were the true foes? Was it
the Dark Kingdom or would he truly have to fight the Princess who had been
dominating his dreams for so long now?
“Where did you go the other day? I was made to clean up
that mess with the paint all by myself! I should have known that a pig like you
would leave me to do all the work!”
“I think you are getting confused as to who’s the pig,
Tsukino Kobuta.”
“It’s Usagi!”
“I know that, but piglet suits you so much better.”
Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? Tsukino Usagi…
Sailor Moon…
“Mamoru-kun?” he jumped slightly when Hina rapped on the
bathroom door “Are you nearly ready?”
“Hai” he called as a reply before unlocking the door and
stepping out into the hallway. Hina greeted him with a beatific smile and held
up the picnic basket.
It was Saturday and Mamoru had decided to take Hina out
for a picnic lunch in the park. He supposed that part of this was guilt for
thinking about Usagi so much and that he hadn’t been spending much time with
Hina lately. His fiancée had been happy to take the Saturday off and Mamoru
smiled at the excitement in her eyes as she took his hand in her own.
“You spent so long in that bathroom,” she chided playfully
as they left the apartment.
“I was thinking” Mamoru replied softly.
“Thinking?” Hina repeated, “You’ve been doing that a lot.
If there is anything the matter… I would like to help.”
“You two act like you are married the way you argue.”
“There is nothing wrong” Mamoru said at length, as he put
an arm around her shoulders, “I just feel as though I should be spending more
time with you, that is all.”
Hina smiled, “Don’t be silly. We don’t have to be joined
at the hip. We both have other commitments as well as commitments to each
other. Is this what the picnic is in aid of?”
“Of course not! I wanted to spend the day with you.”
His fiancée nodded, suddenly her expression becoming
serious again, “If there is anything… anything at all. You can talk to me,
okay?”
“Hai” Mamoru nodded.
“You two act like you are married the way you argue.”
Anything… Mamoru sighed. If only she knew…
*****
“What good would that do? What in hells could you tell
him? That we were fighting to save our Prince from the Dark Kingdom?”
“I was just saying…”
“Well don’t”
Before going to the park, Mamoru had decided to stop off
at Crown to see Taro. He had felt bad that his friend was so angered and upset
over the events of yesterday and, even more so, that they had to part on such
angry terms. Mamoru, being like Kisho, was quite reserved and did not know what
to say to calm Taro down. He suspected that much of Taro’s anger was really
frustration at his inability to remember the past life. Mamoru considered him
lucky, as the past life was nothing but a curse, yet he was sure that Taro did
not see this in such a way.
Mamoru had no idea what he was going to say to his fiery
friend. What could he say? Only Zoisite-sama held the answers that Taro sought
and, so far, the young Prince wanted his identity to remain a secret.
In the end, Mamoru decided that, as the leader, he had to
make sure that Taro was comfortable with the situation and, if he wasn’t, there
had to be someway for Mamoru to make things right. He hated such discord
between any of the Shitennou, especially as it would seem that they needed to
work together more than ever as the Dark Kingdom were after Zoisite-sama. He
sighed. Kisho and Taro were now on civil speaking terms with each other and now
this had to happen. No wonder Zoisite-sama did not want the burden of
leadership.
Still, Mamoru was surprised when he pushed open Crown’s
doors and found Motoki running around all over the place, trying to serve about
five customers at once and stop three toddlers from taking CD’s from the CD
racks and snapping them in two. Currently, Mamoru’s friend was juggling a kid
in one hand and trying to answer the telephone with the other.
Hina gasped slightly at the juice machine lying on its
side and spilling orangeade over the tiled floor. She quickly set the basket
down and hurried to get a mop to clean up the mess whilst Mamoru hurried the
toddlers into one of the karaoke rooms and set them up with a DVD before
rushing back into the main reception to give Hina a hand.
Motoki smiled gratefully at this and Mamoru enquired to
know what was going on.
“It’s all Kimi-kun’s fault” Motoki complained and Mamoru
couldn’t recall ever seeing his friend looking so angry. “He was supposed to be
here at 9.00am! He knew we had some parties on and I would need his help.”
“Did you try calling him?” Mamoru wanted to know.
“Of course” Motoki rolled his eyes, “There was no answer.
This is probably pay back for making him clean until the small hours, but what
did he expect after he locked up early and cost us an afternoon’s custom?”
Mamoru frowned. He
couldn’t imagine Taro being this petty, but there were lots of other things
going on, too, at the moment.
“Do you want me to try his house?” Mamoru offered at last,
deciding that Taro’s behaviour was probably typical, especially as Motoki had
been a little too harsh yesterday.
Motoki shook his head, “Your other friend offered to go…
though he hasn’t called back.”
“Other friend?”
“Tamura Kisho.”
“Really?” this surprised Mamoru. Though there was an
uneasy truce between them, he couldn’t imagine Kisho wanting to go out of his way
to help Taro. Maybe there was something more in this…
“Do you need a hand this afternoon?” Hina asked shyly,
breaking into Mamoru’s thoughts.
“No” Motoki sighed, “You two look like you have somewhere
to be. I’m sure I can cope. The parties are due to end at lunch time.”
“If you are sure” Hina replied gently, “I don’t like the
thought of you struggling here alone. We really don’t mind helping out.”
“I’m fine” Motoki insisted, as though sensing that Mamoru
had a lot to make up for, “Enjoy your date.”
Hina smiled, “Thank you. We will.”
“Will you call me when Taro-kun does show up?” Mamoru
requested as they left Crown.
Motoki nodded, and Mamoru added, “Don’t be too hard on
him. He’s got some stuff going on at the moment. You know what he’s like, especially
when he’s angry.”
Motoki sighed, “I know. Believe me, I know.”
******
Stunned, Nephrite raised his cape to shield him… too late…
the fire tore through the fabric and he almost screamed in agony as it burned
through his uniform. Nephrite hit the ground, hot tears searing his eyes as the
smell of scorched flesh invaded his nostrils. He was dimly aware of blood
leaking from his left shoulder and more welled up in his mouth and dribbled
down his chin to mix with the already darkening pool beneath him. Painfully, he
turned his head slightly as the girl knelt down beside him. His vision started
to swim as he felt her magic take hold of his helpless body and then they were
gone.
He supposed he was dimly aware of his transition into the
darkness. His whole body felt as though it was on fire as the teleport spell
tore him away from the Earth realm and thrust him into the obscurity and
dominance of the dimension he now found himself in. He lay on his back, his
gaze focused on the darkness above and he chose to blot out the steady dripping
of cave water and the droplets that splashed down onto his face. Inwardly he
felt numb, and he could only suppose that it was the shock that caused this. He
lacked the ability to feel any sort of emotion at all. He knew he should be
afraid. He knew that this hellish world was the Dark Kingdom and that he was a
prisoner here, but this did not affect him. He was unable to feel anything… he
wished this could be said for the outside pain.
His entire left side felt as though it were on fire. Short
bursts of raw agony shot down from the deep burn in his shoulder, almost
forcing him to cry out. He could still taste metallic blood in his mouth and
could feel it drying on his skin and any movement, even of the slightest, would
bring fresh tears to his eyes as the fabric of his uniform had melted into his
wound. This caused the already torn flesh to tear even more and, therefore,
inflicting yet more pain on the red haired king.
Time seemed irrelevant and he was only forced from his
daze when he sensed movement above him. A scream of pain did escape his lips as
his captor knelt down beside him, a hand clasping around his wrist and seconds
later Nephrite heard a telltale click as a shackle was snapped into place. Dark
Mars repeated this motion with his other wrist and then cruelly yanked his arms
upwards, this causing him to scream, and forced him to sit up as she fastened
the chain, linking the shackles high, above Nephrite’s head to the cave wall.
He bit his lip, resolving not the give her the
satisfaction of hearing him cry out again, but the agony had now spread, owing
to his arms being forced upwards and a low whimper did escape him, despite his
resolve.
Dark Mars smirked and took a step back to admire her
handiwork. “What’s the matter?” she mocked, “Can’t you take a little pain?”
Nephrite didn’t answer as red and white stars flashed
before his vision and he could feel his consciousness slipping. If he passed
out he would de-transform and then there would be no hope. If this was the
intenseness of the pain in this state then he couldn’t even begin to imagine
the agony that his normal self would have to endure.
Gritting his teeth, Nephrite forced himself to slow his
panicked breathing and he closed his eyes to help get a better focus on his
pain. All pain was relevant… he told himself, especially if you were the one
feeling it.
“The Shitennou… the four heavenly guardians” Dark Mars
continued and started to pace up and down in front of him, her heels clicking
loudly on the stone floor, “Your name makes you seem as though you are Gods.
Yet, judging from this poor performance, you are just as mortal as the rest of
us and feel pain, too. Interesting…”
Nephrite turned his head to one side, knowing that silence
was the best option. He would not speak… he would not give her what she wanted…
whatever that might be. However, her next words almost caused him to look back
at her.
“Kimura Taro, correct?” she announced joyfully, “Oh come
on,” she pouted when he failed to answer, “Give us Dark Senshi some credit. We
already knew who Kunzite was, so it was hardly rocket science to work out who
the rest of you were. Ueda Masaki and Chiba Mamoru, am I right? Of course I am.
We could kill you all any time we wanted too.”
“Why don’t you?” Nephrite challenged. He couldn’t help but
reply, not when her revelation shook him to the core.
Dark Mars frowned, “Now that wouldn’t be very sportswoman
of me, would it? And, I must confess, I love a good battle. You put up quite a
fight against my Youma.”
“It was a set up?”
“Good boy. Don’t look so horrified. Youma are dispensable
and easy to create just as they are easy to destroy. We, on the other hand, are
so much different.”
“What do you want with me?”
Dark Mars smirked, “Information, of course.”
“Why? You already know who we are.”
“I know who four of you are, but none of you are what
interests me. I want you to tell me who your Prince is.”
Nephrite forced out a bitter laugh. How could he tell?
Even if he did wish to betray Zoisite-sama, which he didn’t, he couldn’t tell
because he didn’t know. Still, if he admitted this then he would die. Nephrite
did not wish to die, despite the agony he was in. There had to be a way…
“I thought you were smart? Surely you don’t need me to
tell you that?”
Dark Mars scowled, not liking this one bit as he knelt
down beside him and hissed, “You would do better to tell me now. Otherwise I
cannot be held responsible for what my Queen decides to do with you. Tell me
who he is in civilian form and I will let you walk from here alive. I can’t be
much fairer than that, can I?”
“No.”
“No?”
“I won’t tell you anything, bitch.”
Dark Mars snarled and lunged forward, clasping Nephrite’s
injured arm in one hand and digging her nails into the bleeding flesh. A scream
tore at his throat at this new wave of agony and he felt yet more blood welling
up around her hand.
“Tell me” she applied even more pressure when Nephrite
shook his head.
Enraged, fire burst from her palm, aimed directly into the
wound. Nephrite screamed again and tried to tear himself from the wall, his
shackles digging into his wrists in his desperation to escape as the attack
tore into his body.
“Who is he? Where can I find him? I can stop the pain if
you tell me… if not…” she attacked again to emphasize this.
Nephrite weakly shook his head, blood now pouring steadily
from the wound and the loss was making him light-headed. His head slumped
forward and Dark Mars grabbed a fist-full of his hair, slamming his head back
into the wall. Again stars danced across his vision, and, for a moment, blotted
it out completely. The almost dizzying waves of pain were almost too much and
then…
This voice, in his head, tore through the agony and
Nephrite fell forwards again, wincing as the shackles cut more deeply into his
wrists as he did so. The voice… it filled him with dread as it sliced through
the stillness of the Dark Kingdom and even Dark Mars shuddered when the voice
added:
And bring the prisoner, too.
*****
“It’s useless to fight” Mercury said, the gentle edge in
her voice was unmistakable, even now.
Zoisite’s reply was to conjure a ball of green energy in
his right hand and hurl it at her. Mercury leapt aside and the chairs behind
her were incinerated in an instant. Mercury’s gaze darkened and she fired an
attack straight back at him. Zoisite blocked her assault, but Venus struck him
from behind catching him a glancing blow. He stumbled and barely managed to
fend off Jupiter’s ‘flower hurricane’. No sooner had he done this did Mercury
attack again.
Beryl sighed softly as her crystal repeated the images
from the day before in its silvery glow. The Prince… she had been so close to
making him her own. Bitter disappoint ravaged at her soul as she recalled the
Dark Senshi’s failure. Still… she had to admire the determination of the man.
He had held his own for far longer than Beryl or her Senshi had anticipated. She
had gravely underestimated his strength, but she would not do so again.
Dark Venus knelt before her awaiting Beryl’s reaction to
the news that Mars had captured one of the Shitennou alive with the hopes of
finding out the Prince’s true identity. This angered Beryl. They had tried this
before and had been met by failure. Lambent with fury, Beryl demanded that Dark
Mars appear before her to explain her incompetence.
This was no good… no good at all…
The Queen of the Dark Kingdom snarled under her breath as
she struggled to recall visions from the past. It was all so hazed and jumbled
in her mind’s eye, but one day, when Metallia awoke from her slumber, Beryl
would know all. Then she would truly be the Queen and the Shitennou would pay…
in blood…
******
“Queen Beryl wants me alive and, I suspect, that death
would be preferable to whatever it was that she had in store for me.”
Masaki stared up at the Okura hotel, toying
nervously with the sleeves on his shirt as he debated whether or not to go
inside. Even being here felt like a betrayal towards Mamoru and the others and
Masaki was not used to feeling this way at all.
I just want to see if he’s all right… what harm can there
be in that? Masaki wondered. Mamoru was obviously worried about him,
too, and Masaki reasoned that he had to see that Seiichi was fine, even though
he couldn’t tell his friend he would be able to reassure him of this with a
clear conscience.
“Will you be staying in Tokyo for a while?”
“Most probably. The Dark Kingdom seems to focus its
attacks on this region.”
“I see. In this hotel?”
“As long as nothing happens to change that, but if it does
I’ll let you know.”
Seiichi didn’t strike Masaki as the type to demand the
best and this luxury hotel was certainly that. Masaki could only suppose that
it hadn’t been down to him. Still, it meant that getting in could prove to be a
problem. This was why he had dug out one of Haru’s suits to wear in a bid to
make him look a bit more respectable and not just another fan.
Whether this would work or not would remain to be seen
and, as Masaki walked inside and up to the receptionist, his heart sank. There
were security guards everywhere so even sneaking past wouldn’t be an option.
“Can I help you?” the receptionist was in her mid-forties.
Her black hair was tied up into a tight bun atop her head and she looked down
at his through thick-framed black glasses. She was wearing a grey suit and had
been filing her nails until Masaki had stepped up to the desk.
He nervously nodded to her question and said, “I was told
that Komoro Seiichi was staying at this hotel.”
“I’m afraid it’s against hotel policies to give out the
names of our guests.”
“I see, but I’m a friend of his. I was in the area and
heard that he was staying here.”
“Komoro-san is not greeting visitors right now.”
“He will want to see me. Can’t you call his room and ask
him?”
“Look” she leaned forward and pulled her glasses down so
that she was making direct eye contact with Masaki, “Komoro-san was adamant
that no one disturb him. If I do then it will mean my job on the line.”
“Please. It is very important that I speak to him. He will
thank you for disturbing him.”
“I suppose I can try. What did you say your name was?”
“Ueda Masaki.”
“Take a seat,” she indicated some blue velvet chairs near
a water fountain, “I’ll call his Manager and see.”
Masaki did as she said and, after what seemed like an age,
he heard Tetsuya’s voice.
“Masaki-kun” he greeted the younger man, whilst quickly ushering
him to the stairs “How are you?”
“Fine” Masaki replied, feeling a little uncomfortable as
Tetsuya continued to hurry him along. “How is Seiichi-kun?”
Tetsuya frowned slightly at this; “He’s feeling a little
under the weather at the moment. You know what he’s like. He does too much and
he’s so stubborn. He takes things too seriously.”
Tetsuya stopped outside a door at the end of a corridor,
“Try to talk some sense into him, Masaki-kun. He’s obviously still unwell and
is talking about going down to the studio tomorrow. Do us both a favour and
talk him out of it.”
Masaki nodded and Tetsuya sauntered away down the
corridor, muttering to himself as he did so.
He shook his head slightly in amusement and knocked on the
door before entering. Seiichi was seated on the white sofa, dressed in a pair
of jeans and a black jumper. He would appear to be fine, apart from the dark
marks under his eyes and the almost defeated tone in his voice as he bade
Masaki to sit down. Artemis sat on the bed, his green eyes staring directly at
the two men, though he did not say a word.
“I know you are disappointed. There are so many things
that are still unclear and I know you were hoping that I could answer your
questions, but I know as little as you. All that I can remember I have told
you”
“How are you feeling now?” Masaki asked quietly, hoping
that the mistrust was not evident in his voice.
Seiichi must have sensed it anyway as he did not reply
with the expected retort of ‘I’m fine’ and said instead, “Better than I was,
thank you.”
“It must have taken a lot out of you, to keep the Senshi
at bay for as long as you did.”
“It did” Seiichi admitted, “It was lucky that Artemis
found you when he did. A few more minutes and…” he broke off, thinking about
what could have happened obviously disturbed him somewhat and Masaki couldn’t
blame him for that.
“Did you mean what you said? Would you have killed
yourself?”
Seiichi shrugged, keeping his gaze fixed on the ground,
“Sacrifice can be noble, but there are other ways.”
“Which are?”
“I don’t know. Beryl can never capture me alive.”
Masaki didn’t quite know what to say to counter this. Was
he implying that they might one day have to kill the Prince that they were
supposed to protect?
Seiichi must have read his mind as he added, “Do not look
so shocked, Masaki-kun. I could never ask that of any of you. What happened
simply accentuates the fact that no one else must find out who I really am.”
“And who are you, really? You said yourself that nothing
you do in this life matters. Are you Komoro Seiichi or Zoisite?”
“Zoisite” he said without hesitating.
Seiichi smiled, “Don’t look so serious, Masaki-kun. Of
course I’m different. I’m the Prince, remember?”
“I love to play the piano. It’s my escapism from the real
world and the responsibilities that I have. Tetsuya-kun happened to know the
right people and before I knew it…”
It couldn’t be true. Masaki had seen the sparkle in his
eyes when he spoke of his stardom. That was not Zoisite speaking then. Seiichi
was wrong… the present was what mattered.
“So” Seiichi said suddenly, changing the subject
completely, “Tell me about yourself.”
“What?” This new line of questioning took Masaki aback and
Seiichi laughed softly and added:
“I may have known who you were in civilian form, but it
doesn’t mean that I know everything about you.”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I’m curious and I am sure that you already know
everything there is to know about me, being a fan and all.”
“You really are full of yourself aren’t you?” Masaki tried
to sound angry, but he couldn’t help but smile at Seiichi’s nerve.
He held the other man’s gaze for a few seconds and then
started to speak, carefully avoiding mentioning certain aspects of family life
as he did so.
******
Kisho paused outside of the Kimura household, taking a moment
to marvel at the neatly kept garden and the clean white walls of the house
itself. It seemed like something directly from out of a watercolour and, as an
appreciative of nature, Kisho took a little longer than usual to observe the
garden and collect his thoughts.
When Motoki had told him that Taro had not shown up for
work, Kisho had felt a pang of concern. Of course, he knew that the probable
reason was that Taro was angry with Motoki and was deliberately staying away.
Still, this didn’t stop the anxiety and Kisho had taken it upon himself to obtain
Taro’s address and go round to check that he was all right. Of course, this
went against his pride, but after what Taro did for Ayame, Kisho decided that
his conscience wouldn’t rest until he had seen for himself that Taro was at
home sulking. He did not care to admit that he was worried about his friend.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Kisho stepped up to the door
and rang the bell. After the second ring the door was answer by a man, whom
Kisho could only assume was Taro’s older brother.
“Taro. A funny choice of name. Especially for someone with
an older brother.”
He shouldn’t have referred to Taro’s parentage in such a
manner, but Kisho chose not to dwell on this as apologising was beneath him
anyway.
“Is Taro in?” Kisho asked, whilst trying to recall the
brother’s name.
The brother – Kanaye, Kisho remembered – frowned slightly
at this. “No, he’s not.”
“Do you know when he will be back?”
Kanaye shrugged, the worry clear in his body language
though his voice gave nothing away, “He didn’t come home last night. He’s
probably with friends” Kanaye said this last part, probably just to convince
himself of this rather than Kisho.
“I see” Kisho replied, “Thank you.”
“What’s your name?” Kanaya called as Kisho started to walk
away, “I can tell him you called when he does come home.”
Kisho ignored this; already his own thoughts were turning
back towards the events of the day before.
“You…” Jupiter seethed, “This is unforgivable!” she
teleported away in a flash of green light, taking the fallen Venus with her.
“We won’t forget this” Mercury warned before following
suit.
From what Kisho had gathered, Taro looked up to his
brother and would not cause him any unnecessary worry, even if his temper had
got the better of him. Something had happened… Kisho was sure of this.
******
And bring the prisoner, too.
Nephrite was in near agony as they neared the throne room.
Dark Mars dragged him along, half in anger and half in fear and this fear was
the cause of his pain. She clutched onto the chain tightly, as she walked ahead
of him, yanking cruelly on it if Nephrite stumbled thus the shackles cut deep
into his wrists. Blood trickled down both of them to stain the cuffs of his
jacket. His shoulder, though now had stopped bleeding, still ached furiously
and occasionally bursts of agony would cause Nephrite’s vision to deteriorate
and he would be forced to stop. Dark Mars hated this and would pull hard, once
causing him to fall down and still she kept going, half dragging him across the
rough gravel floor of the kingdom until Nephrite could gain his footing once
more.
Finally they reached their destination and Dark Mars
halted in front of a dais. She dropped to her knees, her head bowed
submissively and she pulled Nephrite down beside her. He, too, kept his head
down though out of fear, not respect. A quick glance to his right showed him
that Jupiter, Mercury and Venus were also present. Mercury’s gaze rested on him
from a brief moment and then she refocused her eyes on the floor.
“Dark Mars” a woman above him said, her voice was as hard
as nails and as chilling as ice and Nephrite felt himself trembling even though
his pain. Her very words dripped poison as she continued:
“What is the meaning of this? Explain to me why you have
brought the enemy to my Dark Kingdom?”
“My Queen” Dark Mars replied, her own voice soft and
shaking slightly, “I seek to use him to gain information about the Prince that
you are in search of. Once we know Zoisite’s true identity then we can capture
him in his normal form with ease.”
“You fool!” came the incensed reply, which made Mars jump,
“The Shitennou do not know who Zoisite is! We have tried that before! Do you
not learn from your mistakes of the past? Or do you take me, your Queen, for a
complete idiot?”
“N-no, of course not, Beryl-sama” Dark Mars stammered and
Nephrite heard the other Senshi sniggering at her reprimand. “I merely thought…
Please forgive me. I will get rid of him for you” she stood, pulling Nephrite
up with her with the intension of fleeing the throne room as quickly as
possible when Beryl’s next words stopped him cold.
“No… I wish to kill him myself” and then, in a louder
voice she commanded, “Bring him to me.”
Nephrite started to shake at her words, he couldn’t help
the fine tremors that racked his body as Dark Mars dragged him to the foot of
the dais and forced him to kneel before the Queen of the Dark Kingdom. Then,
Nephrite dared to raise his head to meet her gaze and sorely wished he hadn’t
done so.
His trembling increased as his gaze locked upon her own.
Queen Beryl was a terrible woman. Her blue eyes were large and cold, with no
feeling in their icy depth. Her hair was red and curled around her shoulders
like the flames of a fire. She was not very tall, but her presence dwarfing
him, as it did the Senshi. A cruel smile flickered across her face when
Nephrite realised that he knew her. Something inside of him instantly
recognised her and loathed her, though fear was also a factor and, alone in the
Dark Kingdom, he was very frightened.
Her right hand closed around the hilt of the silver dagger
that Dark Jupiter presented her with and Mars entangled a hand in Nephrite’s
hair, pulling his head back and exposing his throat. He tried to struggle,
indeed he wanted too, but his body was no longer obeying his commands. Pure
terror had rooted him to the spot and he could do nothing as Beryl stepped
towards him and then reached down, resting the tip of her blade against the
taunt skin of his throat.
As the metal made this contact, Nephrite was horrified to
find tears leaking from the corners of his eyes, no matter how strong his will
was he just couldn’t… he wept silently, even as the knife was removed from his
throat.
“No” Beryl decided and Mars allowed him to slump down onto
his hands and knees before her, tears still staining his cheeks. “I think I
have found a better use for you” and as she said this she cupped Nephrite’s
chin in a clawed hand, smirking in delight at his tears before summoning Dark
Mercury.
“Get him out of my sight” she commanded, “I was wrong. I’m
going to find a use for him after all.”
Dark Mercury seemed furious that Beryl would dismiss her
in such a manner and unwillingly took the chain from Dark Mars and dragged
Nephrite from the room.
Once clear, the relief showed itself. An immense wave of
dizziness overtook him, and Nephrite fell to his knees, gasping in pain as he
hit the floor.
“Get up” Mercury hissed, jerking on the chain to emphasize
her impatience and anger.
Nephrite tried and fell again, biting his lip to hold in a
cry of pain as more blood flowed freely from his wounds.
“Get up!” Mercury repeated.
He shook his head and, hating the defeated and agonising
tone of his voice, Nephrite whispered, “I can’t…”
He heard Mercury’s sigh of impatience, before he felt her
kneel down beside him…
*****
Masaki set the bowl of green tea down on the tray and
glanced out of the window at the darkening sky. It wasn’t supposed to rain, he
mused to himself and vaguely recalled that Mamoru was taking Hina for a picnic
in the park today. That would be ruined, he thought and felt a little bad for
his friend. Mamoru was constantly trying to juggle the burden of the mission
with his normal life, as were they all, but he seemed to take it to heart more
than the rest of them. Again, it was not in Masaki’s nature to comment on this
or even show that he cared. Instead he asked Seiichi about the possibility of a
storm. The pianist shrugged, suddenly becoming uneasy.
“Don’t tell me that Zoisite-sama is afraid of a thunder
storm?” he couldn’t help but tease him. Seiichi did not rise to the bait and
stood, walking over to the window to get a better look at the darkening sky.
After their talk, the pianist had insisted that Masaki
stayed for some lunch and, as neither of them fancied going down into the
restaurant, they had ordered room service. Artemis had been content to curl up
asleep on the bed, being surprisingly passive and failing to contribute to
their conversation.
Masaki’s earlier suspicions of Seiichi had melted away and
he felt that the man could be trusted, despite what Kisho might think.
“That’s strange” Seiichi commented, breaking through
Masaki’s thoughts as he continued to look out of the window, “It doesn’t look
like rain. I don’t---” he broke off and his sentence ended in a small gasp.
Masaki instantly jumped to his feet as a flash of, what he thought, was
lightening lit up the sky.
He hurried to Seiichi’s side, just as there was another
flash and a gap tore in the sky itself and a shadowy figure appeared directly
overhead.
“Beryl” Seiichi whispered, recognising the woman who sent
a chill down Masaki’s spine, even before she spoke.
Her voice echoed like thunder over Tokyo City, “Zoisite”
she called, and Masaki instantly stepped between Seiichi and the window and
tensed, readying himself for an attack, “Since the past life I have sought to
make you my own. You might have eluded my Senshi, but your Shitennou cannot
protect you forever.”
The hologram flickered for a second and when it restored
itself a gasp caught in Masaki’s throat as he recognised the man lying helpless
before Dark Mercury.
“Nephrite!”
“We have one of your Shitennou, Zoisite, and, unless you
give yourself up, we will kill him.”
*****
“Whoa! Now hang on a minute!” Mamoru started as she stood
up and waved it threateningly in his face. The tip of the paintbrush brushed
his nose and Usagi’s giggles became louder, until Mamoru flicked some red paint
down the front of her already paint-stained dress.
“Stop it!” she wailed, “Mama will kill me as it is” but
that didn’t stop her from bursting into laughter and flicking some green paint
down Mamoru-baka’s shirt.
Pretty soon they were covered from head to toe in
different coloured paint, not that Usagi minded. She hadn’t laughed like this
in a long time so it was a welcome release from the stress that she was under.
Usagi sighed to herself as she entered the park and she
smiled fondly at her most treasured memory. This was countered by a frown as
she also recalled the Prince from her dreams and that she also loved him. It
was a stupid crush, Usagi told herself. Luna had said so and the best thing
Usagi could do was to forget about Chiba Mamoru and concentrate on the mission.
Still, it was a nice Saturday and Usagi had opted to go
for a walk in the park to clear her head. Now, it would seem that rain was
going to set in as the sky had clouded over and Usagi shivered as the air
turned cold.
Debating whether or not to go back, she turned a corner
and her heart sank. Chiba Mamoru was here. He was laying out a red and white
rug whilst the girl standing next to him looked on, a delighted smile spreading
across her lips as Mamoru sat down and started to unpack a picnic basket.
“So that’s his fiancée” Usagi whispered to herself, the
happy couple scene was like a knife in her heart and for a moment all she could
do was stare. Then Mamoru saw her.
“Usagi-chan” he got up to greet her, which was very unlike
him, but, unfortunately, the fiancée did, too.
“Hello” Usagi returned the greeting somewhat shyly and
wished that she could just leave. Mamoru was now introducing ‘Hina’ to her and
the woman in question smiled encouragingly at Usagi.
Sensing that, after the introductions, Mamoru and Hina
wanted to be alone, Usagi tried to make her leave, but out of politeness Hina
asked her if she would like to stay.
“We have plenty” she coaxed, “And I really don’t mind.”
“No, thank you” Usagi shook her head, “I should really be
going. Mama wanted some chores done and---”
She broke off as lightening flashed across the sky and a
voice echoed:
“Zoisite. Since the past life I have sought to make you my
own. You might have eluded my Senshi, but your Shitennou cannot protect you
forever. We have one of your Shitennou, Zoisite, and, unless you give yourself
up, we will kill him.”
Usagi trembled at the woman gazing down scornfully at all
of Tokyo, but when her vision wavered to Mamoru and Hina she saw him putting
his arms protectively around his fiancée, as though to keep her from harm.
Then the woman continued.
“At sunset you will come to the Ueno Park, alone, and give
yourself up. If you do not then we will kill him.”
The hologram faded and the sky once again became clear,
but Usagi’s mind was in turmoil. Zoisite… why would Beryl want him? An uneasy
fear ate away at her soul at the thought of Beryl taking the Prince away.
“Usagi-chan?” Mamoru called, he had gone pale and was
shaking ever so slightly and Usagi could only suppose that this was fear.
She shook her head and turned away, so was startled when
Mamoru reached out and grasped her hand in his own. Hina, too, let out a small
cry and Mamoru instantly released her, though his touch had caused a blush to
flood across Usagi’s cheeks.
“Daijobu?” he asked softly.
“I’m fine” Usagi tried to laugh it off, “Crazy weather,
right, Mamoru-san?”
“Crazy” he agreed softly.
“At sunset you will come to the Ueno Park, alone, and give
yourself up. If you do not then we will kill him.”
Zoisite… Usagi knew what she would do if it were one of
the Senshi, yet this caused a pain in her heart. If he gave himself up…
“I have to help” Usagi vowed to herself, “I have to find
someway to help him.”
******
Act Twenty Preview:
“We have to rescue him,” Kisho was saying as he paced up
and down, already tensing for a fight. Mamoru was a little more reserved,
sitting alone on the sofa, his guarded expression and sadness in his eyes
displaying his own sense of loss.
“How?” he also seemed defeated, which alarmed Masaki
somewhat. “How can we get into the Dark Kingdom?”
“Then we agree to her terms” Kisho said, “We’ll give her
the Prince.”
~~~~~
“What… what is this?” he whispered softly and then,
realising how close she was to him, Taro struggled to pull away.
“Don’t move” Mercury commanded, not as a warning, but
simply because she was afraid that he would hurt himself more. Taro was not as
strong as he was in his Nephrite form.
He obeyed, mostly out of fear, but partly, Mercury hoped,
because he understood that she was trying to help him.
~~~~~
“You are doing the right thing,” Artemis said. The plushie
nuzzled against his hand in a gesture of comfort after speaking and this
surprised Seiichi as Artemis, usually, could barely stand to have him hold him.
“You knew what was at stake from the beginning. There is nothing you can do to
save him.”
“Isn’t there?” Seiichi replied, even speaking of it was
painful to him and reassuring Masaki of this and trying to appear impartial had
been the hardest things that he had ever had to do.
“No, there isn’t” Artemis insisted, “Even if you
surrender, Beryl will not let Nephrite live! Surely you know that?”
“I do” Seiichi stood, making a decision, “But I can’t just
sit here. If I do and he dies then what sort of Prince does that make me?”
~~~~~
“You should go,” he added in a softer voice when he saw
the look on Jadeite’s face, “You want to see how your friend is, don’t you?”
“He’s your guardian” Jadeite pointed out as Zoisite turned
away, “Don’t you want to come?”
“It would probably be better if I didn’t.”
~~~~
“Sailor Moon” he said, “We trust that you heard of Queen
Beryl’s ultimatum?”
“I did” she admitted shyly, “But how do you know who I
am?”
“There is no time for explanations” Kunzite snapped, “The
fact of the matter is--”
“We need your help” Tuxedo Kamen cut him off.