Earth Guardian Prince Endymion

By Senshi of Ruin and Mizu no Senshi

Act Six Recap:

(Mamoru’s POV)

“You will forget the Ginzuishou for now” Beryl commanded, “Your target is this man. You will send a Youma to test him. If he is the Prince then he will use his powers to save himself. If he does so your Youma will then capture him alive and bring him to me.”

Queen Beryl is also after the Prince and targeted karate master Tamura Kisho.

He opened his eyes, unaware that he had even shut them, to see a man standing in front of him. He was dressed in a black and white tuxedo and was using his black cane to hold off the beast’s jaws from their intended target.

“Tuxedo Kamen?” the words burst from Kisho’s mouth before he knew where they had come from. He knew this man? Impossible? Was it? Then why was the familiarity almost frightening?

Little did she know that Kisho was actually one of us.

“Kunzite?” Tuxedo Kamen stepped forward, a little warily as two more figures appeared behind him.

But we still haven’t found the Prince and to make matters worse Taro and Kisho don’t get on at all.

I really hate taking charge, but…

*****

Act Seven:

“Why did you just let him go?” Taro demanded as the three of them walked slowly back towards Crown, in their civilian forms once more. “We don’t even know who he is?”

Mamoru shook his head, slightly unnerved by Taro’s anger towards Kunzite. It was true that they had no clue as to who he was, but Mamoru had this feeling that he could be trusted.

“Is he the Prince?” Masaki wondered.

Taro snorted at this, “Of course not!”

“How do you know?” Mamoru couldn’t help but ask though he knew it was unwise to rile Taro in the mood he was in, but his instant dislike for Kunzite was unfathomable and the last thing they needed was any despondency. Mamoru had been the only one to see Kunzite in civilian form and decided that the best thing would be if he could find him and speak to him. He was just in shock after what happened and quite rightly so, Mamoru thought to himself. Indeed he was glad that at least on of his comrades felt the same way he did about the mission. Despite being the leader, Mamoru had reservations about the whole thing.

Taro had suddenly gone quiet as though reluctant to voice his suspicions to the others. Masaki, however, did not seem as curious for reasons that Mamoru could not understand. He stopped and Taro, too, came to a halt.

“Do you know something?”

Taro shrugged uneasily, “I could be wrong. I haven’t had any flashbacks to our past lives, but… I think someone else is after the Ginzuishou.”

“Someone else?”

Taro nodded, “It was when you asked me to investigate the strange aura. I came across a robbery at a jewellery store. Sailor Moon was there and so was another person. 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?” Masaki looked down at the ground after voicing this thought. He seemed almost embarrassed at this possibility, though it seemed perfectly logical to Mamoru.

“I don’t know” Taro admitted, “I couldn’t get close enough and then the police came. If he was the Prince then why doesn’t he show himself?”

“The Dark Kingdom are after him, too” Mamoru offered, he too did find this a little strange, but Taro’s description of the man in question caused his own feelings of familiarity to surface. “Perhaps he is worried that they might find him?”

“If we knew who he was then we could protect him” Taro answered, “I could be wrong… I don’t know.”

Mamoru took a few minutes to think this through. So far their senses concerning the past life had been accurate enough and Mamoru had no reason to doubt his friend’s words.

“If you think this is worth investigating” Mamoru said slowly, “Then we will.”

“I do. If the Prince is in danger then it makes sense that we find him first.”

“Masaki? What do you think?”

Masaki shrugged, “The only problem is where to start looking? I am, of course, assuming that the Prince has a civilian form like us?”

That thought had never occurred to Mamoru in the slightest, but it did, indeed, make sense. Again, he was grateful for Masaki’s input. The second youngest of them might be quiet and reluctant at times, but he had this curious gift of being able to look beneath the surface of things.

“We could go back to the jewellery store?” Taro offered, “There might be some clues there. Or we could survey other potential targets and wait for him to show up and confront him?”

That sounded like a good idea to Mamoru.

“What about Kunzite?” Masaki wanted to know.

Mamoru smiled, “You two can start looking for the Prince. Leave Kunzite to me.”

Both were happy with this though Taro still looked a little doubtful at the mention of the forth member of their group.

Mamoru left them at Crown. They had discussed all they needed too and he wanted to spend some time with Hina. The black haired man sighed miserably. Lately his fiancée seemed to keep being pushed to the back of the queue each time something else came up. Mamoru felt terrible about this despite Hina insisting that she did not mind. He had resolved to make it up to her and that was just what he was going to do now.

****

“Dark Mars!” Beryl whipped round the face the terrified Senshi who knelt before her. “I count three times that you have failed me! And twice two more enemies have appeared. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Only that I am terrible sorry, Beryl-sama, and that I implore you to give me another chance. This time I won’t fail you! I shall obtain the Ginzuishou and eliminate the enemy.”

Beryl frowned. She was growing impatient. The Great Ruler needed energy and the Ginzuishou would fuel her awakening. There was also the matter of the Prince. Beryl’s face contorted into a frown when she thought of him. She could remember nothing more except for her own dark desires and that the Prince and her love for him cost her everything. It would not be like that again. This time she would make him hers alone.

“Redeem yourself by gathering some energy” Beryl suggested coldly to the Senshi of Mars, “And destroy the enemy” her lips tightened in a feral smile as she added, “If you can.”

Dark Mars nodded and quickly left the Queen to her own thoughts.

*****

“Beryl-sama” Mars whispered to herself as she hurried down the vast caverns that made up the majority of the Dark Kingdom. Occasionally rainwater dripped down onto her Sailor fuku but she paid this little heed compared with the intense fury that was building up inside of her. Beryl did not appreciate the precariousness of the situation. The enemy was strong, far stronger than any of them could have predicted and seemed to have an uncanny way of showing up at the right moment. They always appeared together and outnumbered her and the Youma. Mars bit her lip. If there was a way to separate them…

“Mars!” a voice barked out and the Senshi looked up to see Dark Mercury lounging back against the cave wall, a triumphant smirk upon her face. “I heard that Beryl-sama has assigned you to collecting energy once again. Isn’t she ever going to learn?”

“Back off” Mars growled, daring to storm up to the Senshi of Water, “I can’t even recall your last successful mission!”

Mercury smiled coldly, “That may be, but failure seems to follow you. You do know that Beryl-sama has assigned Venus the job of finding the Prince?”

“Venus?”

Mercury nodded, “She’s writing a song for him as we speak.”

“Creepy” Mars shivered. Their leader was the strangest of the Dark Senshi. She would lock herself in her chambers for days at a time and do nothing but sing. Not that she didn’t have a beautiful voice, but it did get rather tiresome.

“She should be finding a way to capture him, not writing him songs” Mars huffed as an after thought, “I don’t like Beryl-sama’s obsession with the Prince anyway. He led us all to ruin before.”

Mercury seemed in agreement with this, “But who are we to question orders? Better just let Venus do what she likes for now.”

Mars turned away, signalling that the conversation was over. Mercury was right. Venus might well find him, but the enemy was also looking for him. Mars was confident that the Senshi of unrequited love and vanity would run into trouble when she made her move. The Prince was not the issue. Mars had to gather enough energy to awaken Metallia and earn back Beryl’s love…

*****

When Kisho got home, Ayame was waiting for him and had obviously been worried. She leapt up off of the sofa and into his arms, her tearful gaze showing just how worried she had been and she had good reason to be so.

“You said you were spending the day here to recover” she pulled back from the embrace and glared reproachfully up at him, “Why did you lie to me?”

Kisho frowned slightly. Whereas Ayame was only concerned, he found her almost mothering attitude sometimes a little bothersome to say the least. “I went to the class” he lied, “I was feeling better,” he added when her own frown deepened.

“Are you sure?” she insisted.

Kisho nodded, and Ayame smiled. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want anything to happen to you, nii-san.”

“Kunzite?” Tuxedo Kamen stepped forward, a little warily as two more figures appeared behind him.

“Tuxedo Kamen” Kisho repeated his earlier words and then glanced to the other men and almost cried out.

The mission… Kisho frowned. The mission was to find the Prince. His Prince… the only man he would ever call his Master. Then there was the Princess. She had killed them before. She would do so again.

He turned, leaving Ayame and going into his own room and shutting the door behind him. Kisho had known all his life that his true powers would one day awaken and, now that they had, he was left feeling empty and a little saddened. As he had suspected, he and Ayame were different. She possessed no powers. Everything seemed to have changed between them.

The kingdom… the beautiful marble palace lay in ruins. The people crushed underneath fallen masonry. Smoke now covered the sun and blotted out the sky. It gave Kisho a chill to behold and at the same time was familiar. With it came anger. Anger so immense that he almost crashed to his knees. The Princess… all was her doing…

“No!” a strangled cry escaped him as he halted in the palace grounds, staring at the huge marble pillars that had fallen during the battle. A scream caught in Kisho’s throat as he recognised two of his friends lying lifelessly on the ground.

“Jadeite… Nephrite…” he whispered. Kisho stepped forwards as his gaze locked upon a third person lying further away. In all the dust and smoke, Kisho had trouble recognising him or even recalling his name. His sorrow deepened as he stared upon them.

The Princess had led them all to ruin and would do so again… Kisho screamed…

Everything in his life was now mundane and seemingly worthless. The karate classes, the apartment, his sister and even the nature that Kisho loved so much… it meant nothing next to the mission. He sighed, resting his head in his hands. Did he want to fight? Of course the answer was ‘yes’, but the main question was did he want the burden of the mission? Did he truly want to find this Prince and become in thrall to another’s commands and will? Kisho did not know.

The Princess had led them all to ruin and would do so again…

The Princess… The Prince might be the group’s goal, but the Princess was another matter. For reasons that Kisho could not fathom, it had been the Princess who had murdered his comrades and left the kingdom in ruins. Kisho would not allow this to happen again. When the Princess revealed herself he would kill her.

*****

Masaki sat in front of the TV screen mindlessly staring at the documentary and soap opera that Tori flicked between as she slumped into an armchair. Masaki cast a wary look in Haru’s direction; his father was busy reading the paper and seemed to be paying them little heed at the moment. Tori’s face had healed, but the mental damage would not heal so easily. Masaki sometimes cursed himself for not being strong enough or brave enough to defend her. Yes… he was afraid of Haru and had been since he was younger. Masaki supposed that part of this fear stemmed from the fact that he was afraid that he might grow up to be like his father. Masaki didn’t want that. His father was a bully and a coward, but still Masaki feared him. He feared what Haru might do to Tori if he intervened. It was better to turn a blind eye and look after his mother when it was over.

This was part of the reason that Masaki rarely went out in the evenings unless it was to do with college. The first thing Haru did when he got home was go for the liquor cabinet. Masaki was relieved that, for once, Haru seemed content with the paper and hadn’t had his usual bottle of wine followed by a large whisky yet this evening. But this evening was different.

Even as this thought was processed, Masaki heard the doorbell. He had been reluctant to give Taro his address and had tried to insist that they meet at the jewellery store. Taro felt that they should go together in case there was trouble so Masaki had give in.

He pulled on his jacket as he got up to answer it and announced that he was going out. Tori barely reacted to this news, though her lower lip quivered slightly at the thought of being left alone.

“I won’t be long” Masaki added as an after thought and she relaxed again.

He hurried to the door and pulled it open, even as Haru also got up and went after him.

“Is this your friend?” Haru demanded as his gaze locked on Taro.

“Yeah” Masaki replied trying not to let on just how tense he was, “We have to go.”

“But you haven’t introduced us?” Masaki froze when he felt his father’s hand clamp around his wrist, his thumb and forefinger digging painfully into his skin.

Wincing, Masaki roughly pulled free and said: “Taro, this is my father. Father, this is Taro. We have to go.”

To his relief, Haru let them and Masaki was able to hurry Taro down the garden path without too much protest. Only once they were clear did Taro request to know what it was all about.

“It’s just Haru’s way” Masaki allowed a little coldly, “I wouldn’t think much of it if I were you.”

Taro nodded, and Masaki studied the other man’s face for a few minutes until he was sure that Taro had accepted this explanation. He seemed to and Masaki enquired to know what exactly they were looking for or, more importantly, who.

Taro didn’t seem to be very sure and suggested that they start by going to the jewellery store that had been robbed the other day. As luck would have it, it was just around the corner from where Masaki lived, though he had not heard a thing when it happened.

Taro led the way, detailing exactly what he had seen and where the man in silver had been standing.

“I didn’t tell Mamoru-kun this” Taro confided to Masaki as they paused by the broken shop window. The window had been boarded over, but there were still tiny fragments of glass on the ground, which crunched underfoot as the two men walked. “But Sailor Moon was the one stealing from here. I think the man confronting her was trying to stop her, though he was after the Ginzuishou, too.”

“Really?” Masaki replied, managing to keep his voice even, “Are you going to tell him?”

Taro shrugged, “Mamoru thinks that Sailor Moon is a good person, but if her mission is also to obtain the Ginzuishou then it means that we are enemies.”

“Perhaps we should wait? If she has got a hidden agenda then it might well come to light soon enough.” Masaki thought that this made sense and Taro seemed to agree with him, but it shed no more light on the current situation or the identity of the Prince.

Sighing, Taro suggested that they hung around for a bit. It was growing dark soon and there were other jewellery stores in the Juuban District. Any one of them could be a target. Reluctantly Masaki agreed to this, but his thoughts did not cease from wandering back home and worrying about what could be happening.

*****

Mamoru stood outside the apartment block, staring down at the address scrawled onto a piece of paper in his hand. Tamura Kisho… Kunzite… Purely by chance Motoki had once looked into taking karate lessons and Mamoru had gone with him to meet the sensei though he doubted that Kisho would recall him since they had been sixteen at the time. His friend had managed to remember where Tamura Kisho lived and Mamoru quickly entered the apartment block, ignoring the fact his hands were trembling slightly. With fear? No, he decided. He did not fear Kunzite in the slightest. The man was a little imposing, but it was just his mannerisms. Mamoru felt as though he could trust him and hence the reason that he had decided to be the one to confront him.

He reached the second floor and found the right door. Hesitantly he knocked. After a few minutes the door opened. Kisho did not seem to recognise Mamoru as Tuxedo Kamen, but his eyes did widen slightly at the sight of him and Mamoru supposed deep down that he might have had an inkling.

“Tamura Kisho?” he said breaking the silence between them.

“Yes” his eyes were now narrowed in suspicion, “Who wants to know?”

“I’m Chiba Mamoru. We met yesterday.”

“Yesterday?”

“At the park.”

If Mamoru was expecting Kisho to welcome him then he was far from correct. The man opened the door fully and motioned for him to step into the room indicating that Kisho was alone. The front room was scarcely furnished in dark redwood. Kisho sat down on the cream coloured sofa near the window and Mamoru chose to sit on the matching armchair opposite. The man was imposing all right, even more so in his own home. Mamoru felt a little uncomfortable and wondered how the hell he was going to explain who he was. It turned out that he didn’t need to.

“Tuxedo Kamen” Kisho started softly, and Mamoru nodded. “Why are you here?”

“I was worried” and this was true. Kisho was an ally after all and Mamoru was concerned for him.

This amused the older man and he leaned back on the sofa and said, “There was no need to seek me out. I would have found you when I wanted too.”

“Did you want too?”

Black eyes met his own and held his gaze intently for a few seconds before Kisho replied, “We have a common goal. It would make sense that we work together.”

“The Prince?”

Kisho nodded, “Among other things.”

“I see” despite Kisho’s arrogance and almost frustrating calm, Mamoru found himself beginning to like him. Kisho obviously took the mission seriously and with a lot of thought and Mamoru would surely welcome having him on side for that alone.

“What of the rest of you?” Kisho asked next, “Are you their leader? Do they take orders from you?”

For some reason this question made Mamoru uncomfortable. He preferred to think of them as equals despite the fact that both Taro and Masaki looked to him for guidance with the mission.

“I’m the leader,” Mamoru said after much debating with himself over this, “But only until we find the Prince.”

Kisho nodded again, “Then you will be happy to allow him to take over?”

“I will” Mamoru said, keeping his voice even as he held Kisho’s stare.

This is a test… he’s trying to ascertain how dedicated I am to the mission.

“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?”

“Taro, Nephrite’s Terran identity, thought he saw someone trying to stop a robbery at one of the local jewellery stores. Apparently he was dressed in a similar uniform to the ones you all wear. It made logical sense to us so he and Masaki, Jadeite’s Terran identity, went back to the scene of the crime to hunt for clues.”

Kisho was content for them to do this and when Mamoru suggested that they might want to go along to see if Taro and Masaki had found anything he did not object at all. Mamoru knew that his friends were more than capable of looking after themselves, but he did want an excuse to introduce Kisho to them and Mamoru hadn’t liked the look Taro had given him at all.

****

Taro was bored. He learnt up against the wall, occasionally peering around the corner at Juuban’s other jewellery store and on seeing nothing unusual sighed again. Masaki, too, appeared a little apprehensive, but he kept looking at his watch and twice Taro had asked him if he had somewhere he needed to be. Each time, Masaki replied that he hadn’t, but Taro wasn’t sure that he believed him.

It was dark now, though fortunately the street lamps lit up most of the road apart from their little corner. From where they were they had a good vantage point of the entire street. Now all they had to do was wait for something to happen. That had been an hour ago and Taro had spent the hour debating on what they would do if the man showed up again. He was strong, probably stronger than Taro and Masaki put together. If he was the Prince, Taro reasoned, he would not harm them, but if he wasn’t…

Taro started slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Whirling round he was met by Mamoru.

“Don’t do that!” he hissed, trying to cover the fact that his friend had scared him whilst Masaki tried not to laugh.

Mamoru smirked, “Did you think I was a Youma?”

Taro almost laughed, too, until his gaze drifted to the man standing beside Mamoru. Despite the different appearance, Taro knew that arrogant expression anywhere and this gave rise to feelings of anger and some curious respect, even as Mamoru made the introductions.

“Tamura Kisho, this is Ueda Masaki and Kimura Taro. Taro, Masaki this is Tamura Kisho.”

“Kunzite” Taro said, his good cheer fading even before the man spoke to him.

“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?” he growled angrily, “What do you mean?”

“That bar across the road” Kisho indicated a small building with a nod of his head.

“What about it?” Masaki wanted to know.

“The enemy are harvesting energy from the people inside even as we speak.”

“Impossible!” Taro protested, “I would have sensed something!”

Youma had an aura… but even as Taro concentrated he could sense a different kind of presence and one that was just as dangerous.

“This is…” Mamoru trailed off, “Familiar somehow…” he stumbled backwards at his words.

“Sailor Senshi” Kisho said transforming even before he finished speaking and drawing his sword, “Lets go.”

Taro and Masaki were quick to follow suit, but Mamoru hung back slightly as though afraid.

“Mamoru-kun?” Nephrite paused, as did Jadeite, whilst Kunzite walked straight up to the bar and kicked the door in. Mamoru hurriedly transformed into Tuxedo Kamen, whilst cursing Kunzite for going in ahead of them and the three of them hurried inside.

The bar was silent, the barkeep and his staff lay sprawled out on the floor, along with some patrons, their energy sapped from them.

There was a girl standing in the centre of the room with her back facing them. As Tuxedo Kamen allowed the door to bang shut behind him, she turned around, a cruel smile flickering across her lips.

“Sailor Moon?” Nephrite gasped and true, the girl who appeared before them was wearing a similar fuku to that of the champion of love and justice, shaded in red and purple instead of blue and pink, but the similarities ended there. She had long black hair that cascaded down her back in waves. Her eyes were brown and cold and they narrowed when she looked upon them.

“You are…?”

“The Senshi of wicked flames and evil passions, Dark Mars” she introduced herself as she held up a glowing sphere containing energy before making it disappear in a burst of black magics.

“Dark Mars?” Tuxedo Kamen whirled around, he hadn’t heard Sailor Moon come in behind them. As her gaze locked on the Dark Kingdom Senshi, Tuxedo Kamen could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes.

“Sailor Moon” Dark Mars said, taking a step forward towards the Senshi of love and justice. “On behalf of Queen Beryl-sama, I shall chastise all that is pure and good from this world. Starting with you…”

With those words, Dark Mars thrust her arms out in front of her and fire lanced out from her fingertips and towards the blonde heroine. Tuxedo Kamen heard the others gasps of shock, even as he dived towards her…

*****

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.

The masked man winced and slowly got up, even as Jadeite and Nephrite raced to his side to help him. Only Kunzite remained where he was, staring coldly down at the blonde heroine.

She shuddered under his gaze even as, with a sweep of his cape he turned to follow the others from the room. Tuxedo Kamen was leaning against Nephrite, his face contorted in pain. Still he managed to give Sailor Moon a small smile as he went passed. Torn, she stared down at the victims of the Dark Mars’s energy gathering. They would all be ok, she thought, they just needed to rest.

“Wait!” Sailor Moon cried, taking a step in his direction, “What is your name?”

“Tuxedo Kamen”

“Thank you” she whispered shyly. “You saved me again.”

Twice the masked man had saved her and Sailor Moon, for the first time, realised that she knew very little about him and he was hurt! Her heart ached at the thought of him being injured because of her.

Making her decision, she raced outside in time to see the four men disappearing round a corner.

“Wait!” Sailor Moon called out and took a step in their direction. She halted in her tracks when a man stepped out in front of her, blocking her path.

“You are…” she trailed off as she recognised the strangely bedecked man before her.

She dodged the first shot of purple light that was hurled her way; cartwheeling to safety and then striking a pose whilst uttering her own attack. The magical tiara shot towards him, but he used his silver cape as a shield and blocked it before it could strike home.

Now all she could think of was escape. Rushing forwards, she cartwheeled again; this time spinning right passed him. She landed on her hands and knees, her palms scraping painfully on the gravel. Biting her lip, she silently cursed when he looked at her and smiled, holding up the supposed Ginzuishou by its silvery chain.

“Sailor Moon” his voice was soft, but it had a cold edge to it as he spoke her name. His ice blue eyes narrowed slightly when she craned her neck to look over his shoulder and see exactly where Tuxedo Kamen had gone.

“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!”

The white haired man glanced over his shoulder and then back at Sailor Moon, “Then perhaps it is…” he whispered almost to himself and then added in a louder voice, “Stay away, Sailor Moon.”

With these words and a flip of his cape he disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Sailor Moon wasted no time in racing down the dimly lit street after her saviour, but by that time Tuxedo Kamen had gone.

She sighed sadly to herself.

“Stay away from Tuxedo Kamen”

“Stay away…” she repeated, even as Luna hurried to her side and enquired to know what was wrong.

“Stay away? But why…”

******

Mamoru bit his lip to stop himself from crying out as he slumped down onto the white leather sofa. A hiss of pain escaped his lips as he pulled off his shirt to get a closer look at the burn in his shoulder. Luckily Taro had keys to Crown and Mamoru would rather that they go there than back to his home. He did not want to explain his injury to Hina just at the moment, not when so many thoughts raced through his head.

“Let me see” Mamoru looked up, expecting Masaki or Taro to be making this demand so he was shocked to see Kisho kneeling down beside him, a hand gently touching the scorched flesh.

“It’s not that bad” the older man said after a few minutes, “You just need to clean it and bandage it up and it will be fine in a couple of days.”

Masaki threw Mamoru the first aid kit and he proceeded to do just that.

“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.”

“At least we were there to begin with” Taro shot back acidly, “Where did you go, Tamura-san?”

Kisho stood up and walked slowly and deliberately towards Taro. The other man backed up slightly, despite the fact that he was several inches taller than Kisho, he recognised the hidden rage inside the man and wished to keep a respectful distance.

“Taro, Kisho, stop it” Mamoru snipped a little irritably, “It’s been a bad night. Why don’t we just go home?”

Masaki was in agreement to this and he and Taro left together, whilst Kisho announced that he would help Mamoru back to his apartment.

The leader of the four was glad of this, though he, like Masaki, couldn’t help but feel that they had wasted an evening and should have got there sooner.

“It wasn’t a complete waste,” Kisho allowed once they were outside, “I was able to meet your friends and see how you fight.”

“They’re your friends, too” Mamoru reminded him.

Kisho laughed at this, “Just because I am on your side does not mean that they automatically become my friends.”

“They are good people. You just need to get to know them better and you didn’t have to be so hard on Taro. This is all so new to us.”

Kisho shrugged, giving nothing away, “They must learn. The Dark Kingdom is strong.”

Mamoru halted and met his gaze, “Do you know something?”

“Fragments of memories” Kisho allowed, “We must obtain the Ginzuishou at all costs.”

Mamoru nodded, “And when we find it…?”

Kisho did not have an answer for this so they let the matter drop.

They must learn. The Dark Kingdom is strong

That was true and Mamoru couldn’t help but wonder what his friend was holding back. They continued walking in silence and Mamoru decided not to force the issue. Kisho, despite trying to distance himself from them, was a good person, too, and Mamoru knew that they needed to be strong if they were to defeat the Dark Kingdom. The evening hadn’t been a complete waste. He winced again, his thoughts now wandering to a certain blonde girl…

****

Masaki hurriedly unlocked his front door and took a deep breath as he headed inside. All was quiet. His parents were both in bed and the house appeared to be in good order. He sighed in relief, exhaling deeply and gently pushing the door shut behind him.

Leaving his coat in the hallway, Masaki sat down on the sofa and massaged his aching temples. If anything had happened… he didn’t want to think about it. He leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes, content to savour the silence for just a little longer for Masaki knew that it wouldn’t last.

*****

Act Eight Preview:

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?”

“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.”

~~~~~~

“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!”

~~~~~

“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?”

~~~~~~

“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…

~~~~

“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.