As usual, the night
sky flourished in the absence of clouds, but only a tiny slice of it was
visible from a room on the west wing of the hospital. Conversations
and footsteps echoes down the hall, the faint traces of which crept their
way into the room. The scent of various unsavory body fluids cling
to the air, and to the unaccustomed visitor the stench could be overwhelming.
Adam Eastman did not have this problem; he had long gotten used to the
smells, sounds, and sights of this dreadful place. This had become
like a second home to him and each time he looked at the unconscious woman
on the bed next to him, he was immediately reminded of how things came
to be this way.
Four months ago, Adam
and Rachel lived relatively happy lives as husband and wife. Like
all couples, they had their arguments and differences, but since they truly
loved each other, they were able to work their way past the troubles.
All that changed on cool autumn night, as Adam was driving Rachel home
from a party. Out of nowhere, a car crashed into their vehicle head
on, changing his life forever. Surprisingly, he had managed to escape
the wreckage with only minor injuries, but fortune was not so kind to Rachel.
She had suffered severe head trauma and as a result fell into a coma, never
to open her eyes again.
Ever since that fateful
night, Adam had been at Rachel’s side whenever he could. The physicians
continued to remind him there was almost no chance of her coming out of
this eternal sleep, but somehow, Adam knew she would awaken. Days
turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Still he refused
to give up hope and watched her lie on the bed. As long as she remained
connected to this life, via the life-support machines that performed her
autonomous functions, there was a chance that she could come back.
They bridged the gap between the realms of life and death. All that
was necessary was for her soul to return to this side.
Without warning, something
crossed that bridge. Adam, a man firmly rooted in the land of the
living, could not feel the presence but it was there. Something more
than simply a spirit or a mind traveled across that expanse, something
-- no someone -- separated from a body long ago had found the place
to make a return to the physical realm. When all was complete the
consciousness had settled into the vessel then responded in a fashion to
indicate everything was ready.
Rachel opened her
eyes.
Adam didn’t believe
what he had seen at first and jumped back in surprise. Rachel, though,
turned her head to the side and looked directly at her husband.
“Rachel...” he called.
He didn’t get a verbal response, but Rachel had her own way of replying.
She formed the once stiff, frozen features of her face into a cheerful
smile. Adam responded the only way his body would allow, and his
lower jaw slowly parted from the rest of his face until his open mouth
formed a perfectly round shape. Had the months of being patient and
his never ending faith in the power of love somehow paid off?
He wouldn’t know the
answer to that right away, for the next he knew, a nurse came in and gasped
at the miracle. Several people, nurses, doctors, and other technicians
came in not long after that, although it was all a blur to the loving husband.
Adam, frozen, looked at his wife as if his life depended on it.
And he kept his gaze
on her as he was escorted out of the room.
* * *
Several hours passed
after Rachel’s awakening, and for Adam, those hours lasted even longer
than all the months she had lied unresponsive to him. His faith in
the power of love was rewarded by the restoration of his wife and yet now
he was unable to even see her. To him, the doctors as a whole acted
almost as if they were jealous -- their science was unable to heal her
but Adam’s unchanging love could. In retaliation, they decided to
have him and his wife apart for as long as possible, Adam thought, his
mind caught up in the trap of emotion.
At last, one of the
doctors approached him. He was an older gentleman, a specialist in
his field. Adam couldn’t think of his name or department right now
nor did he care. He only wanted to know one thing and as soon as
the doctor came within range, Adam fired off the question that had been
locked inside of him for so long.
“Why have you been
keeping me from my wife?” he inquired.
“Mr. Eastman, why
don’t you sit down?” the doctor insisted, but Adam continued to stand.
“Please.” Adam sat down in a chair beside him, and the doctor also
sat in a nearby seat.
“Will you tell me
what’s wrong with Rachel?”
The doctor didn’t
answer immediately, and Adam momentarily thought he would have to jump
through a series of hoops to get the answer. “Normally when someone
wakes up from a coma, this long, there are bound to be some... problems.”
“You mean she isn’t able
to walk, or talk...”
“No, it’s nothing like
that at all. She seems to have full control of her motor skills
and isn’t having any trouble with any of her senses.” The doctor
paused for a second, and Adam’s eyes brightened
a little. He was relieved he and his wife would not have to go through
the long, difficult process of physical therapy. However, he reminded
himself that there was something else wrong, so he kept his emotions in
check as the doctor continued. “In fact, she is in near perfect physical
condition, which makes the only thing wrong with her even more puzzling.”
“Then what is it?”
“She has amnesia.”
Instantly, all of
the color left Adam’s face and it took him a while to find his voice.
“Does she remember anything?”
“Nothing,” the doctor
answered. “Normally when someone has amnesia this complete, he or
she is a blank slate, much like a baby or a child and has to relearn everything
from scratch. But with Rachel is able to function as easily as any
adult. And there is nothing wrong with her memory after her awakening.”
“So, it’s just like
in the movies. She doesn’t remember anything of her past, yet can
mysteriously read write and talk without a problem.” He stared at
the doctor, and the thought crossed his mind if this was some sick practical
joke. However, the old man’s eyes reflected the truth in his words
and Adam had no choice but to accept the bitter message.
“Since we can find
nothing physically wrong with her, we suspect the problem may be psychological
in origin.”
“Which means?” Adam
asked.
“There isn’t anything
we can do for you.”
Those words hit Adam
with the force of a meteor. “I see...”
“We’re going to release
her from the hospital.” Upon those words the doctor stood up.
“Even though she may look like your wife, she isn’t the same person you
fell in love with and married. The woman you loved is gone, possibly
forever.” He then walked away, leaving to deal with the burden that
had been dumped on him.
A solitary, silent
tear rolled down Adam’s cheek.
* * *
After Rachel was released
from the hospital, Adam tried to ignore the inevitable phantom reminders
between this woman and the person he had cared for. Although he knew
this was a different person, he could not completely escape the shadow
of his wife. There were times when Rachel would smile a certain way,
or turn her head in a familiar fashion, and Adam could momentarily believe
that this was the woman he loved so dearly. Yet this was not the
same person whom he had married, and despite how hard this new woman tried
to fill the role of her predecessor, a priceless essence had been eternally
lost.
Never was this more
clear than on one early Sunday morning. Adam started his day with
his normal ritual of drinking a large glass of orange juice. Slowly,
he stumbled to the refrigerator and opened the door, finding the juice
carton in its rightful spot on the top shelf.. He lifted the container
of juice and found it to be extremely light. Opening the carton,
the reason for the lack of resistance became apparent -- there was only
a tiny amount of juice left, not even enough to fill an eighth of his glass.
Frustrated, he decided that he would instead eat a bowl of cereal, and
quickly poured. Going to the refrigerator again, he picked up the
milk carton, expecting to feel the weight of the liquid inside. Once
again, though, he found that container was nearly empty as well.
Rachel used to tell
him when they were running out of essential items such as milk. Now,
he had to check for these things, or else he would find himself
in the situation he was currently in. He was certain that there was
plenty of milk and juice yesterday, though, and couldn’t figure out when
he had used either up.
“What’s wrong?” Rachel
asked, startling him for a moment. He had heard her approach, so
it was not her presence that gave him a shock but her attire. She
wore the flower-patterned bathrobe he had given her for her birthday a
few years ago. It was a robe she had avoided after coming home from
the hospital, but had worn every day before the accident.
Adam pushed past his
surprise to answer, “We’re out of milk and juice.”
“Oh.” She drew
near him began to lightly massage his shoulders, her touch as comfortable
to him as his own. “And I know much you like a glass of orange juice
in the morning.” It was frightening how much she sounded and acted
like her old self, which had hypnotic effect on him.
“Yeah.” His
reply was empty, as his mind was too preoccupied to lend his mouth any
words. Rachel ceased to rub his shoulders, and Adam turned around
to face her.
“Why don’t you go
to the store and get some more? I’ll be okay by myself.” She
looked into his eyes, giving him reassurance. “It’s only going to
be for a few minutes anyway.”
Adam froze in indecision.
He didn’t want to leave his wife alone in the house in the condition she
was in, but there was no reason why he had to be by her side all the time.
She didn’t seem suicidal, nor, other than her amnesia, were there any medical
problems that required him to attend to her twenty-four hours a day.
Eventually there would come a time where he would have to leave her on
her own for extended periods of time and he had to prepare himself for
those times.
“I promise I’ll be
back,” he said, giving Rachel a kiss on the cheek before running out of
the door. Rachel locked the door behind him and watched Adam start
his car through the window. She waited for him to pull out of the
driveway before taking any further action. Moving swiftly, she picked
up the phone and dialed a number. After a couple of rings, someone
picked up the receiver on the other end.
A low male voice answered
the phone. “Hello?”
Her eyes flashed white
as she began, “We have to talk....”
* * *
The Cherry Hill Temple
did not have the distinction for being a romantic spot, but recently a
couple had been changing its reputation. Serena and Darien had just
finished a passionate kiss, one of many they had been giving each other
recently. Raye, Mina, Amy, and Lita looked on from a short distance
away, sitting at their usual spot on the porch.
“Look at those lovebirds,”
Raye remarked. “I’ve never seen Serena happier.”
Amy countered, “But
it seems to me she shouldn’t focus so much on Darien and put more energy
into her studies.”
Raye gave Amy a sly
look. “Do I sense a little jealousy on your part, Amy?”
“No. Just concern.”
Amy then produced a folded piece of paper and handed it to Raye.
“If you took a look on this, I think you’ll agree with me.” Raye
cautiously opened the paper, unsure of why it would affect Amy so much.
Almost instantly after looking at it, she gasped, causing Lita to come
over to see what the fuss was about. It was one of Serena’s recent
tests, and the score was an all-time low.
“She got a five!”
Lita and Raye cried at the same time. Their voices were loud enough
to break Serena away from Darien.
“Hey!” Serena shouted
as she ran over to her friends, snatching the test paper out of their hands.
She crumpled it into a ball and threw it to the ground before going back
to Darien. The others were momentarily stunned by what they’d seen,
and it took Raye several seconds to break the silence.
“She can be such a
dunce sometimes,” Raye admitted, “but still I envy her in a way.”
“Why?” Amy asked.
“Despite all the pressure
of school, she has someone who’ll stand by her to the end. And what
do we have?”
“Each other!” Lita
proudly exclaimed. “We don’t need boyfriends.”
“This is from someone
who gets a crush on just about every guy she meets,” Raye remarked.
Amy and Lita laughed at Raye’s comment, remembering all of situations they
had gotten in due to Lita’s several infatuations. After a few seconds,
the three noticed Mina did not react at all to the statement; in fact,
for most of the day she had been conspicuous by her silence.
“Mina,” Lita asked,
“you’ve been pretty quiet, are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she answered
quietly. “I’m just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Nothing in particular.”
Mina’s voice contrasted with her words, as it was apparent the issue she
had on her mind was weighty indeed. Suddenly, without any indication
whatsoever she stood up and left her spot on the porch.
“I think I should
head home, ” Mina said and began to walk away, to the surprise of Amy,
Lita, and Raye.
“Mina!” Amy called.
Raye echoed Amy’s concern, shouting. “You can’t leave!
We’re supposed to go to the mall together.”
“I’m just not up to
it,” Mina replied, not even turning around or stopping. “I’ll catch
you later.” The others were saddened, but her manner that indicated
the issue was not up for discussion. All they could do was look on
and wish that they could help with whatever matter was bothering her.
* * *
Artemis lied on the
floor in Mina’s room, sound asleep. Normally, he accompanied Mina
everywhere she went, but today he and Luna were investigating a potential
threat from the Negaverse. Artemis didn’t feel like working, especially
on a day as nice as today, but if it meant being near Luna it was worth
it. Unfortunately, instead of getting closer to the female feline,
he ended up in one scrape after another that required Luna to rescue him
repeatedly. To make matters worse the lead the two had been following
turned out to be nothing extraordinary at all, so the day had been a total
waste. He went back to Mina’s house and decided to wait for her to
return home.
Mina came back much
earlier than he had expected, her countenance far from the usual bright
expression she nearly always wore. Immediately, Artemis woke up and
upon seeing her face filled with worry.
“What’s wrong?”
Artemis asked. “You haven’t looked this sad since you found out they
canceled the next Sailor V sequel.”
“I don’t know, Artemis,”
Mina answered as she sat down at her desk. “It’s just that I don’t
feel I really belong.”
“Belong? You
mean with the others.”
“Yeah. Serena’s
the leader of the group, Amy’s the brains, Raye’s the fire and Lita’s the
strong one. But what do I contribute?”
“You’re the pretty
one,” he joked.
Mina took his answer
all too seriously. “That’s the problem. My attacks aren’t all
that strong, and I’m not as sharp as I used to be. When I first met
up with the other Sailor Scouts, I was able to keep up the pretense that
I was the one who knew what to do and held the team together, especially
since Serena at the time didn’t want to be leader. But now that she’s
accepted her role, I really don’t have a purpose anymore.” She slowly
swung her head to the right until she was looking out of the window.
Her attention wasn’t on what was outside. “Maybe I should go solo again.
You remember those times Artemis, when it was just you and me, as Sailor
V? At least then I wasn’t a nobody.”
“You aren’t
a nobody now either.” Artemis leapt upon the windowsill so he could
get a direct view of Mina, who pretended not to notice him. “You’re
beautiful, athletic, intelligent, and you can do things most people could
only dream of.” She continued to ignore him, but Artemis wasn’t going
to give up on her. “Most importantly, you are a Sailor Scout and
you will always be one no matter what.”
Mina turned her head
to face him. “Do you really mean that?”
“Of course I do.”
“Thank you,” she said,
filled with a warm reassurance last her the entire night. For the
first time that day, a smile appeared on her face.
* * *
The effect of Artemis’
comforting words wore off, for the next day Mina's previous thoughts once
again returned as she walked home from school. While normally she
would go to her friends, it would only make her feel more dependent upon
them. All she wanted to do was get home as quickly as possible.
Fortunately, she didn’t have any plans for the day, so she wouldn’t have
to interact with them in person. Before she could think of what she
could do instead, a voice grabbed her attention, a voice with a simple,
but distinct message.
“Help!”
Immediately, Mina
ran toward the source of the cry. She had trouble finding the person
at first, but when she ducked into an alley, she knew she had located the
cause of the distress. A pack of four dogs had cornered a small,
young brunette -- a child no older than six-- and snarled at her menacingly.
The girl was so shaken she couldn’t even cry for help again, and she pressed
her body against the building behind her as hard as she could. Already,
parts of the child’s school uniform were torn, and Mina though she could
see a similar colored cloth hanging from the mouth of one of the dogs.
It was only a matter of time the animals mauled her, so Mina knew she had
to act quickly. She set her book bag on the ground and pulled out
her transformation stick from a hidden compartment. Not even forming
a plan in mind, she braced herself for the change that was about to occur.
“Venus Star Pow--”
Before she could finish the phrase, a young man approached the scene from
the opposite direction. His long, dark brown hair was pulled back
loosely into a ponytail, the end of which rested on the back of his denim
jacket. The rest of his attire, which comprised of a T-shirt and
pair of jeans, seemed to fit perfectly with his image, and infatuation
swiftly overcame Mina. It was clear from the expression on his face
that he was here to help the girl, but he hadn’t seen Mina, and the teenager
remembered she had an identity to keep secret. Mina stuffed her transformation
wand back into her book bag and watched the scene develop with the interest
of a spectator.
The pack of dogs left
their quarry and rushed over to the newcomer, surrounding him in the same
fashion. They bared their teeth and growled at him at first, but
his steely gaze shot straight through their menacing appearances.
Mere seconds later, their threatening stances were replaced by more submissive
ones, and the pack of dogs simply walked away.
“Thank you, mister,”
the girl said.
The man knelt down
to the girl’s level. “Now tell your brother to quit messing with
those dogs,” he instructed.
His answer amazed
both Mina and the girl, but the latter inquired, “How did you know that?”
“Because I know everything.”
The girl laughed at the statement, and Mina smiled as well.
“And I know you’re a good girl. So you’ll give your brother the message?”
“Yes, sir!” the girl
ran away with the speed of youth, but this time her legs were powered by
relief, not fear. The man was about to do the same thing when he
caught a glimpse of Mina. While she was beautiful, her appearance
was not what caught her attention. There was something about her,
something special that drew him closer to her and compelled him to take
more than a second glance at her.
At the same time,
Mina knew this was no ordinary man. As the two neared each other,
she could tell he was not yet an adult, but a teenager only a few years
older than herself. His eyes were the same color as his hair but
there seemed to be a touch of sadness in them as in her own.
“Hi,” Mina greeted,
taking the first step. “What’s your name?”
“Cain. Cain Rand.”
“I’m Mina. Pleased
to meet you.” She extended her hand, and he shook it with a manner
that was both firm and gentle. “You seem to have a way with animals.”
“It’s just something
that comes to me.” An uncomfortable silence followed as he was not
certain of what to say next. Mina, on the other hand, wanted to keep
this conversation going as long as possible.
“Do you think those
dogs will be back?”
“No,” he answered
with an assurance that was almost too confident for Mina. “If you’re
really that worried I can walk you home.”
Mina began to answer
by telling him that she could take care of herself, but remembered that
this was the chance she was waiting for. “Sure.” She was about
to pick up her book bag when he approached it to pick it up for her.
Wordlessly she insisted on carrying her book bag, which somehow felt less
heavy in the company of this young stranger.
* * *
A short distance away
Serena, Raye, Luna, and Artemis, walked down a sidewalk with the latter
two held in the arms of the two girls. While the cats would
prefer to walk on their own, it was easier to talk this way without drawing
attention.
“What was so important
that it couldn’t wait until I finished my Sailor V game?!” Serena asked
her companions with more than a faint trace of annoyance.
“It’s about Mina,”
Artemis answered. “I’m beginning to worry that she might do something
drastic.”
“You’re worried about
her?
She seems fine to me.” Luna and Raye both came very close to scolding
Serena for her thoughtlessness, but Artemis spoke before the two of them
could do so.
“Mina hasn’t been
feeling too happy recently. She’s starting to doubt her abilities
and her role in the team. That’s why I suggested the two of you give
her a pep talk.”
“Say!” Serena exclaimed,
pointing at a couple -- a young blonde in a school uniform and a dark-haired
man -- across the street. Instantly the four recognized the blonde
as Mina. “There she goes over there. I wonder who the guy--”
Serena didn’t complete
her sentence for suddenly, Luna and Artemis leapt out of the girls’ hands
and ran toward Mina and Cain. Surprised by the felines’ strange behavior,
Serena and Raye went after the cats as fast as their feet would allow.
When the two cats reached the couple they leapt on Cain with such a force
that he was knocked on the ground. Quickly, Serena and Mina pulled
their respective cats off of Cain, but not before Artemis tore the left
sleeve of his jacket completely off.
“Are you okay?”
Mina asked Cain while keeping a firm grip on Artemis.
“Yeah,” he responded
while he stood up. “I was just caught off guard that’s all.”
“I’m sorry for what
just happened. Artemis hasn’t gotten his shots yet.”
Mina didn’t even have to look down to know what face Artemis had made at
the word “shots.”
“So he’s your
cat?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
She surveyed the damage Artemis had done to Cain’s attire.
“Listen, I’ll replace the jacket--” Her offer was immediate and sincere,
but Cain shook his head, notifying her there was no need for compensation.
“Don’t worry.
I never really cared about this jacket all that much anyway.” He
could still tell the matter was still bothering her and wanted to get her
mind off of it. “Besides, you have to introduce me to your friends.”
“Serena, Raye.
This is Cain.” Raye lifted her hand in a slight wave and nodded.
Serena, on the other hand was staring at Cain’s exposed upper arm.
There was a series of discolored marks on his skin and from what she could
tell it looked as if it were a scar from an animal bite.
“Quite a big scar
you have there,” Serena commented.
“Serena!” Raye and
Mina shouted at the same time.
Cain hadn’t given
the remark a second thought. “It’s quite all right,” he assured.
“I’ve heard worse.”
“So what were you
two doing?” Serena asked.
“He was just walking
me home,” Mina replied.
“Ah. And now
we’re
here...” Serena finally realized that she and Raye had interrupted
the two of them.
Cain saw this as his
cue to exit. “It seems I’d better get going,” he said. “I don’t
think any dogs will be bothering you, especially with two fierce protectors
like these.”
“Yeah!” Serena shouted
enthusiastically. “We’ll take it from here!”
“Serena, I think he
was referring to the cats,” Mina explained.
“Oh.” Serena
looked down on the ground in embarrassment for a moment, but quickly recovered
with a laugh.
Mina turned to Cain. “I’m sorry for everything that happened
today,” she apologized. “I hope to see you again.”
“You will. I’ll
see you around.” Serena, Raye, and Mina then continued on the latter’s
course as Cain headed in the other direction. Once they had covered
a sizable distance, the three girls turned their attention to Luna and
Artemis.
“Why did you attack
him like that?” Mina asked Artemis and Luna in a soft, but angry voice.
The male cat answered, “Because there’s something fishy about
that guy!”
“Artemis!”
“I’m serious.
If you don’t believe me, ask Luna.”
“Didn’t you sense
anything, Raye?” Luna asked.
“No,” Raye answered.
“Why do you ask?”
“I didn’t like his
scent. There was something off about it.”
“That doesn’t give
you the right to just attack people,” Serena scolded. “After all,
you thought Amy was Negaverse agent once, and you were wrong then.”
Artemis replied, “This
is different. This wasn’t just intuition. There was something
about him that set us off.”
Serena had the final
word on the issue. “The next time you want to play ‘Attack of the
Killer Moon Cats’ make sure it’s with someone who deserves it, like Sammy.”
* * *
The dark-haired woman
positioned herself in front of a mirror to comb her hair, yet the only
thing on her mind was how to proceed in her current scheme. While
the Sailor Scouts had nothing to fight, it was this inactivity that disturbed
her. From experience, she knew that an idle mind could easily find
out about a plan by accident, and she also knew the Sailor Scouts, even
in times of peace, always kept their eyes out for anything suspicious.
Thus she had to act now, and keep them occupied as she went along with
her business unnoticed.
She wished she still
had the ability to create monsters by sheer will power, but found that
she had a new power which would do just fine. By concentrating her
energy, she could summon a spirit of warrior --human or not-- that
had been slain. That spirit would obey any command she gave it without
question, and she could finish what needed to be done.
There were a few limitations
to this ability, the first being that she could only summon one spirit
at a time. Worse yet once it finished whatever task she had in store
for it, it immediately vanished, and she couldn’t call on it again.
Fortunately, there were thousands of spirits she could call on. The
biggest limitation, though, was that she could only call upon spirits,
intangible beings who by themselves were useless in the physical realm.
Had she had the option, she would have picked a person who could conjure
demons, physical living creatures that dwelled in the underworld, as well
as spirits, but entities such as her had to work with what they could get.
That’s what she intended
to do.
“Spirit Sagittarius,
come forth.”
A creature several
feet taller than her appeared in ray of light. Carrying a bow and
arrow, Sagittarius resembled the various visual representations his human
head arms and torso ending with an equine set of legs and rear. The
woman had read about legendary centaur, and learned that it was a brutal
opponent. Now its spirit was free, and present in this realm.
Sagittarius was solid to her, but a quick glance to the mirror showed that
the creature was as invisible as the air between them.
“Find a suitable host
and take him over.” The spirit ascended, passing through the ceiling
as if it were not there. Only a few seconds later, Adam entered the
room through a door on the opposite side of where she sat.
“Rachel?” he asked.
“Is everything okay?” In response, the woman approached him and hugged
him in a loveless embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Everything is fine.”
Her eyes flashed white once again. “Just fine.”
* * *
On a two-dimensional
plane, two of the Sailor Scouts were engaged in a lethal encounter on a
narrow bridge. Sailor Mars faced her eternal rival, Sailor Moon,
in a battle to the bitter end. Mars, though severely outclassed,
would not let herself fall to such a lowly warrior as Sailor Moon.
Pulling out a piece of paper, Mars leapt in the air, attempting to place
it on her adversary’s head. Sailor Moon retaliated with a kick that
knocked Sailor Mars off the edge, and Mars fell to her death screaming.
It was only another
win on an incredible streak in the arcade game Sailor Fighter X,
but to Mina and Cain, this was more than a friendly contest. Fighter’s
pride was at stake -- Sailor Fighter’s pride that is.
“On behalf of the
moon I have punished you,” Cain gloated, repeating the winning quote that
came up on the screen.
“Yeah,” Mina answered.
“That’s only because I let you win.” She put her two tokens into
the machine, ready to fight once again.
“You’ve already lost
eight times.” Cain selected Sailor Moon, the same character he had
chosen for the previous matches. “Soon it will be Cain: nine, Mina:
love.”
“Not so fast.
I’m playing serious now because I’m picking my best character.” She
moved the selection box over to Venus, then held down the Jab and Start
buttons at the same time. Instead of Venus showing up as the character
selected, though, Sailor V appeared on the screen.
“Oh, so you want to
play like that?” he asked with a smile.
“Yeah.”
They waited for the
announcer in the game to finish the introduction and commenced the fight.
The battle was one-sided, as Sailor V easily countered Sailor Moon’s attacks
with unstoppable combos. Less than ten seconds later the fight was
over, and Sailor V was laughing at her fallen opponent.
“No fair!” Cain shouted.
“Even the computer doesn’t do that!”
“Ha! Excuses,
excuses.” She shook her head and waved her index finger in the air.
Round two was no different, with Sailor V completely dominating the match
between her and Sailor Moon.
“I want a rematch.”
Cain placed two more coins into the machine.
“Your loss.”
All of a sudden beeping sound came from her pocket. Mina had placed
her communicator there, out of the sight of any curious onlookers.
To anyone else it was just a message that could wait, but for Mina it was
a summons she could not refuse. “Um, listen. I’m sorry but
I have to go.”
Cain had heard the
noise, but pretended as if he hadn’t and fired one last barb at Mina. “Afraid
it was a fluke?”
“No,” she replied.
“I’m afraid I’ll beat you even worse next time. Until then, bye!”
She ran off so quickly that Cain didn’t even get the chance to say good-bye.
“Strange girl,” he
muttered while he returned to the game.
* * *
Once Mina found a secluded
spot outside she pulled out her wrist communicator. It was blinking,
which meant that there was no incoming message, but instead gave a coordinate
where the message originated. This feature came in handy in situations
when sending a verbal message was impossible in battle, and was used more
and more often lately. Looking around to make sure she would be seen,
Mina pulled out her transformation stick and said the three magic words
to initiate her metamorphosis.
“Venus Star Power!”
The next thing she
knew Mina found herself in a strange, but familiar area where bubbles flew
all around her. It wasn’t any surprise to her, though, as this happened
every time she transformed. She was all alone in what she liked to
think as her own pocket universe, a place where she could enter an ordinary
human and emerge as a confident warrior.
Mina slowly swung
the wand around her, waving it in a carefree but graceful manner.
She took her time, knowing when the transformation finished it would be as if
no time had passed in the real world. Stars flowed from the similarly
shaped end of the stick, lined up on a golden belt. After waving
it around a few times, the stream of stars stopped, and the belt of stars
fell to the ground. Upon impact, the belt disintegrated, allowing
the stars to rise freely, showering Mina in a golden light as her Sailor
Scout uniform covered her body. Once this was done she placed her
right hand in the air and her left hand across her stomach, before returning
to the normal world. No longer Mina, she was Sailor Venus, and she
had to get to the other Scouts.
Getting to the battle
scene only took a few minutes, as it was in the nearby vicinity.
In her sailor uniform, traffic literally stopped for Venus, and the other
obstacles she encountered she easily maneuvered her way around. Finally,
she arrived at the scene of the battle and spotted the disturbance, a centaur
with a bow and arrow. The other Scouts, all appearing to be in good
shape, surrounded the centaur. Had the Scouts been in trouble, she
would have fired her chain at the creature without hesitation. Seeing
that they were doing fairly well, she decided to join them first and see
if they had any helpful information for her.
Sailor Moon was the
first to notice Venus approach them, shouting, “Venus! You’re here.”
“Yeah,” she replied
casually. “What’s the deal on this creature? Is it something
we’ve dealt with before?”
“It’s a human,”
Mercury stated, the tinted blue visor over her eyes.
Venus eyed her teammate
suspiciously. “What are you talking about?”
“According to my visor,
this monster is really a human male, but some force has taken over his
body.”
“You mean this creature
is really a man possessed by an evil spirit?”
“Right.”
“Then let’s do some
exorcising.”
Once again, Venus
was in another pocket universe, but this one was different than the last.
This area was full of orange and yellow light, yet it was full of bubbles
like the one before. She lifted her arms then brought them down to
her sides, summoning an almost endless chain which spiraled around her
as it ascended. Venus then lifted her right arm, the chain coordinated
with her movements.
“Venus Loves Cain...Encircle!”
she shouted as she brought her right arm forward. She was oblivious
of her Freudian slip, but the chain shot toward the enemy regardless.
Sagittarius grabbed the chain and snapped it, but by doing so the creature
left itself open for another attack.
The others quickly
picked up where Venus left off. “Mercury Bubbles Blast!” A
disorienting mist pervaded the area, hiding the Scouts in a cloak of white.
By this time, Sailor
Mars had a slender piece of paper in her hand and held it between her fingers.
“Mars Fireballs Charge.” She leapt and placed the paper on the forehead
of the centaur, who was unaware of her presence until it was too late.
Sagittarius was completely paralyzed, and only one more action had to be
performed to end this battle.
“Do it Sailor Moon!”
Mars shouted.
“Moon Crystal Healing
Activation!” The spirit of Sagittarius was no match for the healing
light of the crystal, and the centaur cried out in pain as it reverted
to human form. Unlike their previous adversaries who had been healed,
the man did not pass out, but he did fall to his knees. All of the
Scouts surrounded him immediately, both concerned if he was all right and
ensuring that he had been totally healed.
“Are you okay?”
Mercury asked.
“Yeah,” he answered
as he got to his feet. “Everything seems to be a blur. Do any
of you happen to know what time it is?”
“We don’t carry watches,”
Moon replied.
“Oh great! I’m
going to be late for my meeting.” He immediately dashed off .
All of the Scouts except Sailor Moon turned away, but Sailor Moon couldn’t
believe what just happened.
She asked herself
aloud, “After all of that the only thing he can think about is a meeting?”
She then turned back to her comrades, but in the short period of time she
had let them out of her sight, a situation had developed that required
her attention.
“What was that about
back there?” Mars demanded.
“What do you mean?”
Venus asked.
“I know you and Cain
are close,” Mercury scolded, “but you can’t let it interfere with our mission.”
Venus asked once more,
“What are you talking about?”
Mercury let out a
sigh. “Instead of saying ‘Venus Love Chain’, you said “Venus Loves
Cain’.”
“I did?”
Mars seemed even more
angered by Venus’ ignorance than the actual error. “Venus,” Mars ordered,
“you have to get your head out of the clouds and your heart back into the
fight.”
Jupiter stepped to
Venus’ defense and said, “Lighten up, Mars. It’s not as if you’ve
never messed up on an attack name before.”
“Hey! Hey!”
Sailor Moon shouted while stepping in between her fellow Scouts.
“We’re a team. We beat the bad guys and then we go on with our normal
lives. Let’s drop this, okay?”
Everyone nodded in
agreement and remained silent, but even Sailor Moon knew the issue was
far from resolved.
* * *
Despite the indication
of calendars around the hemisphere indicating that the autumn season was
in session, summer continued to linger on in protest. Warm, fresh
air flowed past those enjoying the day in Fairview Park, a place which,
like the weather, remained in place despite the long forgotten decree calling
for its destruction. Plants everywhere took advantage of the rebellious
mood by continuing to have their leaves shine their brightest green, acting
in defiance of Mother Nature’s authoritarian rule. This attitude
did not go unnoticed by the many couples, who enjoyed the fruit of this
revolt.
Mina and Cain were
among those couples. Mina hung onto Cain’s right arm, her purse out
of the way on her outer shoulder. Her male companion could not keep from
smiling slightly as he looked down on the girl. So many thoughts
went through both of their minds, so much each wanted to tell the other
but were afraid to. Their apprehension manifested itself into silence.
Silence was a comfortable companion, but it was a third entity among the two young people, and its overextended visit with this couple was soon to come to an end.
“You know, “ Cain said at last, ushering out the quiet, , “you remind me of one of the goddesses.”
“Goddesses?” Mina
asked. “I had no idea you were into mythology.”
“A little.”
“So which one?”
“Aphrodite, goddess
of beauty and love.”
Mina was flattered,
but could not help but ask, “Why couldn’t it be her Roman counterpart,
Venus?”
A few small wrinkles
appeared on Cain’s brow. “No, that name reminds me too much of the planet,
and the Sailor Scouts.”
“You don’t like the
Sailor Scouts?” She stopped, bringing him to a halt as well,
and turned to face him. “But we were just playing Sailor Fighter
the other day.”
“Don’t misunderstand
me. I love the game and the entire series.” He let out a slight
sigh. “I can’t say the same for the group themselves. There’s
something strange about how they appear just when some trouble arises.”
“They’re superheroes,”
Mina answered all too readily.
“Really?” He
finally turned to face her directly. “Who knows? They could
be creating those monsters just to stop them and gain our confidence.”
“Now you’re starting
to sound like Janet Vaughn.” Mina had meant the comment as a joke,
but when she studied his face, she noticed he wasn’t taking it lightly.
There was a dangerous look in his eyes. It wasn’t outright hatred,
but Mina could see a glimpse of the anger that flowed beneath the surface.
At the same time, Cain could almost feel the pain on Mina’s face, not knowing
until that moment he how deeply he had hurt her.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just the name of the planet, even
the symbol sets me off.” Mina took a mental note of this and told
herself to make sure would never see any of her magical items. They
walked a bit further before Cain spoke again.
“Why don’t you come
over my house?”
“You mean now?” she
asked.
“Whenever you want.”
“Do you think your
parents would mind?”
“No. As I said,
it’s my house.”
For a second time,
Mina stopped in shock, causing him to interrupt his forward progress.
“You have your own house?”
“Actually, it’s my
aunt’s. She travels across the world and she’s never around, so she
lets me stay there.”
“And your parents?”
“My mother died when
I was young.” Mina listened carefully as he began to shed light on
his past. “My father and I grew distant after that. For
the past few years only drop in every once in a while. He pays most
of the expenses in case you’re wondering, but he doesn’t have a clue...”
He wanted to say more, to tell her everything about him, but he could tell
what she had already heard was almost too much. “I don’t mean to
unload all this on you.”
“That’s all right,”
Mina replied. “Most of my friends also have family issues.
I’m one of the few with a normal life.” Normal as a Sailor Scout’s
can get, she wanted to add so desperately. Before she could even
chide herself for even allowing a thought to come to mind, a slight gust
of wind caught her attention. A teenager in a hooded sweatshirt had
run past, so sudden that she almost didn’t notice him. In fact, she
wouldn’t have if she hadn’t noticed that her shoulder was unusually light.
Her eyes darted to her shoulder and widened as the sole object that was
supposed to be there was missing.
“My purse!”
She used her hands to feel for her purse, but there was nothing there for
her to hold. Reaching out to Cain, she nearly lost her balance as
she grabbed at the empty air where she expected him to be. She looked
up to see him running after the hooded teenager.
“Cain!” she shouted.
“Wait!”
Her cries were in
vain, for even if he heard her he was not about to give up the chase.
While Cain never lost sight of the situation, to him this was a hunt, with
the stolen purse being the prize. The young man was obviously a novice
thief, one who had never snatched a purse in his life. Cain showed
him no mercy in his pursuit, the distance between predator and prey shortened
by the second. The thief, sensing his time was running out, turned
his head to look behind him and found Cain ready to over take him in a
matter of seconds. Panicked, he ran out into the street and headed
for an alley, which he hoped would provide him with an escape.
Unfortunately for
him, the alley was a dead end.
The thief froze as
Cain slowly closed in on him. Running was no longer an option for
the rogue, and certainly he would be no match in a physical fight.
The only choice left was surrender, and the thief took the stolen purse
in hand extending his arm in an offertory fashion and began to plead for
his safety. “Please....take it. I’d have given it back.
I only took it on a dare. I promise never to do it again.”
Cain snatched the
purse from the thief’s shaking hand. The thief was cornered, with
no place to go, and Cain had the urge to ensure his declaration to repent
with a physical message. He was stopped, though, but the sound
of slightly rapid breaths behind him. Turning around, he found Mina,
who finally caught up with him. The young rogue used her entrance
as a distraction and ran for his life, but neither Cain nor Mina cared
at that point. Both were caught up in the moment of actually seeing
that no harm had come to the other. Cain then handed the purse back
to Mina, and she laid it back on her shoulder.
“Thank you...”
She wanted to say more, but a noise from inside her purse caught her attention.
Her communicator was alerting her once again, and there was no telling
how long the signal had been on. She gave Cain a look of sweet sorrow,
and he recognized the look all to well.
“Don’t tell me you
have to leave again,” he said.
Mina nodded.
“I’m sorry.” Like the thief before her, she made her exit with speed
and silence, and the once defiant air was now tainted with the touch of
loneliness.
* * *
“Moon Crystal Healing
Activation!”
A gentle radiance
cane from the Silver Crystal, returning an angelic creature to the form
of a young woman. Upon the fading of the light, a new figure emerged,
this one in a Sailor Scout uniform. She approached the Sailor Scouts,
ready to give them some aid.
“Venus!” Mercury exclaimed.
“Sorry for being late,”
Venus apologized.
“Late?!” Mars
screamed. “You’re more than late! The battle is over!”
“Cool it, Mars,” Jupiter
ordered.
“I’m sure she has
a perfectly reasonable explanation,” Moon assured Mars before turning to
Venus. “Right?”
She wanted to explain
to them what had happened, but something inside her told her that she would
be in for more of a verbal thrashing if she did. She lowered her
head and replied, “No.” Mercury, Jupiter, and Moon instantly fell
silent.
Mars, though, would
not let her off the hook so easily. “You were with him weren’t you?”
Venus lifted her head
and stared intently at her accuser. “Yes, I was.”
“So, I see.”
Mars put her hands to her hips and narrowed her eyes. “You were so
busy with your boyfriend that you ignored your communicator.” Those
words pierced Venus to the core of her being, but she resisted the temptation
to react in a violent manner.
Sailor Moon couldn’t
believe this accusation. “It wasn’t like that, was it?” she asked
Venus.
Venus turned her head
away from Moon, not wanting to face the leader. “It doesn’t matter
if it was, or if it wasn’t. The effect is still the same. I
failed you, all of you.” She pushed past the group and started to
walk down the sidewalk, with the intention of never returning to them.
Sailor Moon called
out to her. “Venus! Wait!” Her words had no effect, for
Venus continued walking away from the group. Sailor Moon the others
wordlessly looked on before walking in the opposite direction.
* * *
It was a mundane study
hall for Lisa, for as usual, she has done all her homework earlier.
Instead of listening to her weary eyes and going to sleep, she intended
to pursue her self-appointed task, to find out the whereabouts and motives
of the creature known as Evelyn. Ever since the being had been driven
from her body, Lisa could still sense that Evelyn was still around, lying
in wait. This feeling was weak, though, so Lisa dismissed it as
a product of her imagination until a few days ago, when the presentiment
moved itself to the forefront of her mind. Something big was going
to happen, and it was going to happen soon. Lisa hoped she could
find out in time before it was too late.
She stared straight
ahead at the blank blackboard, but her mind wasn’t there. What
are you hiding? she asked mentally. She knew Evelyn had something
powerful in mind, something so secret that not even her former host was
in on the secret. But Lisa continued to push her way past Evelyn’s
defenses, searching for anything that would help her figure out what she
was up to. Then an image of the moon flashed in her mind. It
was round, bright, and full, but nothing was unusual about it. Finally,
the meaning of what she had seen was made clear to her and she gasped,
fixing the eyes of her classmates upon her. She didn’t care about
their stares. She had to contact Serena or one of the others and
tell them about the breakthrough as soon as possible.
* * *
With the exception
of Mina, Serena and her fellow teammates were gathered at the temple.
None of the normal high spirits that accompanied this congregation, and
although Serena wanted to believe it was because this meeting was so unexpected,
she knew that without Mina, nothing was quite the same. A figure
from a distance was approaching them and Serena had hoped it was Mina.
All too quickly though, she recognized the figure as Lisa and tried to
put her disappointment behind her.
“I’ve got some bad
news,” Lisa informed as soon as she arrived at the rendezvous point.
Serena asked, “What
is it?”
“I know what Evelyn
is planning to do.”
“Evelyn?” Lita asked.
“I thought she was history.”
“No. You merely
pushed her out of me, but now she’s in another host.”
Amy wasn’t sure what
Lisa was driving at. “Another host?” she asked “Do you mean
another person?”
“Yes. Evelyn
is like a parasite jumping from host to host, though she can survive independent
of one for infinite amounts of time. She can’t take over an unwilling
host, so she either has to find a living body without a mind or slowly
convince the host to let her take over. Either way, she can tap into
her hosts’ dormant abilities...”
“Now everything makes
sense!” Raye shouted, cutting Lisa off. “She’s the one sending
those creatures.” Everyone gave Raye a look of disapproval, and she
blushed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry I interrupted you. Were you
saying something?”
“No,” Lisa answered.
“It wasn’t important.”
Serena spoke next.
“You say you know what she’s planning to do. But that isn’t bad news.
So tell us.”
“She’s going to unite
the Selenians.”
“The Selenians?”
Serena’s face shouted confusion. “Who or what are they?”
Luna, who had been
quiet until now spoke up. “They were Mona’s followers during the
rebellion on the Moon. But Serenity banished them to the Earth.”
She stared at Lisa, who was slightly afraid of the talking cat. “They
are surely long dead by now.”
“But the curse lives
on,” Lisa claimed.
Luna had a puzzled
look on her face, but it was Amy who had asked the question that was on
the cat’s mind. “What curse?”
“After I was defeated
in the rebellion,” Lisa explained, “Serenity locked me in the palace dungeon.
What she didn’t know, nor what anyone else knew was that Evelyn temporarily
left my body, since I was of no use to her being bound. She descended
to the Earth and took over the body of a woman on the verge of life and
death. Since the woman’s spirit was leaving her body, it didn’t take
much for Evelyn to make this place her new home. Instantly, the woman’s
physical shell had healed, but Evelyn was the one in control. She
wanted to get revenge for her defeat on the Moon, and directed her anger
toward the Earth. She had planned to destroy all human life on this
planet.”
Raye asked, “But why
would she do that? What did Earth have to do with the Moon?”
Lisa answered. “Though
not part of the Moon Kingdom, Earth was an ally. If Evelyn couldn’t
destroy Serenity, she would eliminate the next best thing.”
It still didn’t make
sense to them, until Serena whispered, “Darien.” Her thoughts began
to wander to their romance from long ago.
“I get it,” Lita said.
“The Moon and the Earth were kind of like you and Darien. Not one
in the same but dear to each others’ hearts.”
Serena brought herself
out of her reverie to ask, “So what happened?”
Lisa continued, “This
woman had hidden spell casting abilities which had previously lied dormant,
and in Evelyn’s control could be a powerful sorceress. It didn’t
take her long to find and gather the banished Selenians and offered them
a chance to become invincible, to use the power of the Moon against their
enemies. Eager for revenge, they agreed and she cast a powerful spell
on them. Whenever the moon reached its fullest, the Selenians would
transform into powerful, monstrous creatures. Any man bitten by one
would become a Selenian himself, and the sons of the Selenians would also
inherit the curse.” She stopped, surprised what she had said came
out so effortlessly and fluently.
“What happened to
them?” Amy asked. “And why did Evelyn return to you if she had a
new body?”
“Well, the Selenians
were successful at first in their plans to conquer Earth, as it was easy
to create an army of their kind. But when they tried to overtake
Earth’s palace, their weakness was discovered -- the rose. With this
knowledge the humans handily defeated the Selenians, but a few survivors
managed to escape and slowly bide their time, transferring the curse into
their children and a few others. As for Evelyn, the remaining Selenians
were angry at her for falsely promising them victory, but she escaped from
their grasp by leaving the body and returning to me, and I was more than
ready to welcome her back into my mind.”
“But why would the
Selenians follow Evelyn if she’s the one who cursed them?” Lita asked.
“These are a different
generation of Selenians. They probably don’t know she cursed them.
A thousand years have passed from then until now. Nobody remembers
the Moon Kingdom, do they?” A moment of silence dragged by as Lisa’s
audience carefully digested this comment.
“And the next full
moon is tonight!” Lita exclaimed.
“So how are we going
to stop them?” Serena asked. “We don’t even know how to find
them.”
“We don’t have to
find them,” Lisa said. “All we need to do is find Evelyn.”
“And how are we supposed
to do that?”
“Since Evelyn and
I were once bonded, I can sense her.”
“No, we can’t let
you do that,” Serena stated firmly. “I know you want to help...”
Lisa finished
the statement dryly. “...but it’s too dangerous and I’d only get
in the way.”
“What about the Selenians
themselves?” Amy inquired of both Raye and Lisa. “Can either of you
sense them?” Both shook their heads in the negative.
Raye added to her
nonverbal reply. “Occasionally, when there was a full moon, I could
feel something, but I had no idea what it was and since we never encountered
them, I thought it was a reoccurring, natural phenomenon. Most of
the time though, the Selenians are normal people according to what Lisa
just said. They aren’t evil by nature, and their energy must not
be high when they’re in human form, or else I’d be able to pick them up
by now.”
Lisa also spoke. “Evelyn
can sense them, since she created them. But I can’t. Still,
there is a way to tell if a person is a Selenian.”
“How’s that?” Serena
asked.
“All Selenians, whether
getting the curse from their ancestors or a bite, have the mark of an animal
bite on a part of their body, usually on an arm or a leg.”
Animal bite,
Serena thought. Who have I seen with one of-- Then she
remembered Cain and the nasty bite on his upper arm. “No!” she shouted
in horror and disbelief. “We have to find Mina!”
Raye’s violet eyes
shot at Serena upon the mention of the name. “Mina? Why?”
“Because Cain’s a
Selenian! Didn’t you notice that he had a scar from an animal bite?”
Raye took a moment
to recall the time she met Cain and how Luna and Artemis both went after
him, tearing his jacket and shirt. She hadn’t thought much about
it at the time but now the mark stood out like a badge of evil.
“You’re right!” Raye
exclaimed.
Serena brought her
arm to her face, urgently speaking into her wrist communicator. “Mina.
Mina, pick up! This is urgent. Mina!”
* * *
Mina slowly strolled
down the sidewalk as she made her way back home. It was quite warm
for a late afternoon in October, and she saw no reason not to enjoy nature’s
gift. She had just come from Cain’s house, and was in no particular
hurry to go anywhere. Cain had told her that he would be out tonight
and she hadn’t spoken with Serena and the others since she had walked away
from them. As a result, the last thing she expected was her communicator,
which she had put in her purse, to go off.
“Mina. Pick
up!” The voice sounded like Serena’s but it was hard to make out.
Hesitantly, she pulled the communicator out of her purse and answered it.
“Serena?” Mina asked,
surprised that any of her friends would even contact her. “Oh, hi.
What’s wrong?”
“Listen. Is
Cain anywhere around?”
“No. Why?”
Serena sighed in relief. “Mina. Listen
to me. Cain isn’t what he seems to be.”
“What are you talking
about?”
“I know he appears
to be a really nice guy, but Cain is a monster.”
“What!” The surprise Mina expressed was so strong that Serena could feel it on the other end.
“He is. And
he’s working for Evelyn.”
Mina narrowed her
eyes. “Raye put you up to this, didn’t she?”
“I’m telling the truth.”
“Look, I can see you
guys having a problem with me, but leave Cain out of this.”
Mina was not about to waste any more time on this issue. “So if you
don’t have anything else to tell me then good--”
“Wait!” The urgency in Serena's voice struck Mina, despite how much Serena's words had hurt. “Well,
we’re going to check on a lead on the attacks recently. We think
it might be where they’re building that new department store. It’s
up to you if you want to come.”
Mina’s first impulse
was to shut off the communicator. After the fallout of the recent battle,
Mina didn’t want to have to deal with her friends as fellow Scouts.
Worse yet, now Serena conjured up this ridiculous story about Cain.
Before she could do as she intended, though, Artemis’ words echoed in her
head.
You are a Sailor
Scout and you will always be one no matter what.
Mina tried to ignore
the phantom voice, but it kept repeating the same sentence.
You are a Sailor
Scout and you will always be one no matter what
Then Mina realized
she couldn’t refuse.
“I’ll be there,” she
answered, then shut her communicator off. This time she would compensate
for her recent failures in battle. She was not the weak link of the
team; she was Sailor Venus. Mina looked around once again, noticing
that there was an alley not far from where she was at and hurriedly entered
it. After making sure there was no one around, she reached
into her purse, only to find the very object she expected to be in there
was gone.
My transformation
stick! Her mind was in turmoil as she began to wonder what she
had done with the important item. She never left the bag the stick
was in out of her sight, and reasoned that it must have fallen out when
she opened it last. I must have left it at Cain’s. Maybe
he hasn’t left yet. She stepped out of the alley and ran back
the way she had come, the dying golden sunlight at her back.
* * *
Mina knocked on the
door of the red, brick house. The thuds on the door produced no answer,
and since the lights were out as well, she assumed that Cain had already
left. Just as she was about to leave, she tried opening the door,
certain that it would not budge. She did not expect the door to be
unlocked and when the door opened, both the lack of resistance and the fact
that it was open surprised her.
Although every piece
of knowledge, common sense, and instinct told her to run, she was determined
to enter the house. After all, she was a Sailor Scout and while not
having the fighting skills of Raye or Lita, she could certainly hold her
own even without her powers. She also knew Cain wouldn’t leave door
unlocked if he left, which meant either someone had broken in or something
happened to him. Most importantly, though, she needed that stick
back, so she went inside. After a quick scan of the area she began
looking under the cushions of the couch where she had sat earlier.
“You won’t find it
in there.”
Mina was surprised
to hear Cain’s voice and immediately ran into the kitchen. She found
him leaning over the sink, bracing himself on its edge, wearing nothing but
a towel.
“I know who you are,
Sailor Venus,” he declared. The discovery caught
her by surprise, but she was more concerned about his condition.
“You don’t
look well,” Mina noted. She ran over to him but he shoved her back. Mina
caught a glimpse of his face, which glistened in both anger and suffering.
“Did you think I wouldn’t
recognize the symbol? It didn’t take me long to figure out what
it meant. I should have known someone like you was too good to be
true.” After he finished those words, Cain cried out as another,
sharper pain struck him. Mina would have rushed to his side, but
she knew his reaction would be no different than the previous one.
Frantically, she picked up the phone to call for help.
But there was no dial
tone. Mina then belatedly realized what she had gotten herself into.
“I’m sorry that it
had to end this way.”
In reality, Cain’s
transformation took the span of only a few seconds, but to Mina time slowed
to the pace of a buffoon’s shuffle, allowing her to witness every detail
of the transition from man to man-beast. With each step Mina felt
as though she were watching a horribly twisted version of her own metamorphosis
into Sailor Venus. Claws swiftly substituted hands, feet changed
into paws, and a thick fur spread across his skin like a brown fire.
His body grew larger and the towel around his waist tore away, the fur
providing more than enough covering for his body. As the nose
and mouth began to elongate, the ears the eyes shifted from human to canine
in position and shape. From his back a lupine tail sprouted, a fitting
conclusion to this elaborate process.
In the end, in front
of Mina was a vicious creature one with almost no resemblance to the man
of before. She was so stunned that she almost didn’t notice him throw
her transformation stick at her. With the reflexes and intuition
of a trained athlete, she caught it and immediately initiated her own metamorphosis.
“Venus Star Power!”
Once again, Mina was in her own private space, but this time she couldn’t
relish in it. She wanted to get this sequence over with and waved
the wand over her body as quickly as her arm would allow. She didn’t
even strike her usual pose after the formation of her uniform and when
she emerged she was ready for battle.
Rapidly, Sailor Venus
headed for the exit. She had not planned to make a run for the door
simply to get away. She knew she wouldn’t be able to outrun Cain,
but at least if this fight were taken outside, she would have more room
to maneuver. Also, as long as she was in his house, she was in his
territory, and coupled with the advantage of surprise, this fight would
be next to impossible to win. Her plans were cut short as Cain followed
her into the living room. He leapt across it and landed across the room
between Venus and the door, turning the animal-like features of his face
into a menacing grin. Iron bars blocked the window to her right, and
the stairs were too far away, so the only path she could take led to where
she had come from. She hurried to the kitchen, with Cain taking his
time in following her. When he entered, Venus was ready for him.
“Venus Love Chain...Encircle!”
She threw golden the
chain of hearts at Cain, but he grabbed the end of it as it approached
him and tossed it to the side. He countered by lunging at her, but
Venus leapt on top of the kitchen counter, and the Selenian’s head rammed
into the lower cabinet. Quickly scanning the area for a weapon she
saw a frying pan on the stove and grabbed it. Before she could either
make a move to either escape or hit Cain again, she felt sharp, piercing
pain in her right calf and could feel blood running down her leg.
Looking down, she saw the beast sinking his teeth in her flesh. Fighting
the urge to scream or cry, she swung the pan and hit Cain’s head with it,
but instead of knocking Cain out, a huge dent appeared in the pan.
He released the grip on her leg though, and retreated slightly. For
almost a minute, the two of them simply stared at each other, their soft
hearts hardened by this experience. At last, for Cain was the one
to speak first.
“You should be growing
fur by now,” he growled, his voice still recognizable despite the metamorphosis.
He lunged at her again, but this time she leapt over him.
“Venus Crescent Beam
Smash!” She expelled beam of energy from her index finger.
Cain though, leapt over the beam. Venus attempted another run for
the door, but this time she was too slow. With a supernatural speed
Cain grabbed her by the neck with one claw and pinned her against the wall.
“If you’re not going
to turn,” he snarled,“I’ll have to finish this myself!”
“Please,” Venus pleaded.
“This isn’t what you want.”
“Don’t tell me what
I want.” He hesitated to give her a final blow, though, giving Venus
another chance at persuasion.
“I still love you.”
Cain tightened his
hold on her. “Why am I supposed to believe that? You’ve lied
to me before!”
“Because I know you
still care.”
The words pierced
through his anger and straight to his heart. She was right -- he
still cared deeply about her and loosened his grip, in regret at what he
had done. But soon the beastly anger filled him once again, and he
slammed her against the wall again.
“Nice try! Evelyn
said you Scouts always try to trick your enemies with that type of talk...”
“Evelyn!” Once
again, the conversation with Serena on the communicator replayed in her
mind, as if her current situation was not a reminder of her error.
“She’s the one I was
supposed to meet tonight. But it seemed I had some unexpected company.”
“Evelyn isn’t what
she seems. Whatever she’s promising you, she won’t deliver.
She uses people, plays on their weaknesses, and when she gets what she
wants--”
“She moves on,” Cain
finished for Venus, not impressed by her words. “You’d say anything
to save your life.”
“Please, listen to
me this one last time. Look past the anger, the hurt, or whatever
force is driving you right now. This is me, Mina, talking to you.
You aren’t a killer, I know it. You have a good heart. Otherwise
you wouldn’t have saved that girl. You remember how we met, don’t
you?”
Almost as if by magic,
the memory of their first meeting was renewed and thrust itself into the
forefront of Cain’s mind. He recalled how he froze when he first
saw Mina. It wasn’t her beauty that mesmerized him, but he could
sense her power, the power that flowed from her kind heart. It was
the same energy that he felt now, the one that reached into his heart and
begged him to listen. As much as he was ready to eliminate the Sailor
Scout, that power grabbed a hold of him an opened his heart to what she
was saying.
“I...can’t do it.”
He released her and turned his back.
A howl full of emotion
penetrated the crisp night air.
* * *
Disarray was the theme
of the area where the Sailor Scouts searched for any sign of unusual activity.
They were at the construction site of a partially completed building for
which only the metal frame was present. Under the bright light of
the full moon, shadows seemed to clash with each other, casting organized
messes of darkness on the ground. Heavy machinery used for the building
process lied in silent disorder among the bare dirt. The quiet surroundings
emphasized the feeling that something was just not right about this scene,
and the four heroines remained cautious.
“This place looks
deserted,” Jupiter commented.
“I wish we hadn’t
had to leave Lisa,” Mars remarked. “She could have been a huge help
in finding Evelyn. What if she’s changed her location?”
“Then we’ll have to
take that chance,” Sailor Moon replied instantly. “We couldn’t risk
bringing Lisa with us. There’s no way to ensure her safety.”
“Still thinking of
Lisa?” The question came from a tall brunette wearing a black outfit.
She was leaning against a crane, with her arms crossed. It didn’t
register to the Scouts who she was until she continued. “Lisa was
powerful and intelligent, but she had too much goodness in her heart for
me to use for a long-term basis. Even if you hadn’t so rudely kicked
me out of her body, she probably wouldn’t have gone along with the rest
of the plan, no matter how angry she was at you all. This body, though,
is so much more willing and gives me so fewer problems.”
“Evelyn!” the four
Scouts shouted at the same time.
The woman floated
up into the air at the mention of that name, studying the Scouts.
“It seems you’re one shy of a full team. This should be all the easier.”
She then raised her voice, calling to her allies. “Selenians! Avenge
the fate Serenity forced up you! Her daughter leads those who oppose
you!”
It was then the Scouts
first noticed the Selenians, and the girls were shocked at the sheer number
of claws and canines prepared to inflict the undeserved revenge.
They had expected three or four monsters to deal with, but Mercury lost
count at twenty and there were easily twice that amount. The creatures
resembled more of a swarm of fur than a pack, and while a considerable
distance lay between the Selenians and the Scouts, the former encroached
upon the latter with an amazing speed
“This doesn’t look
good,” Moon worried. Mercury pinched her earring to activate her
visor and pulled out her miniature computer.
“I’m not about to
stand here and wait for them to tear us apart!” Sailor Mars declared.
“Mars Celestial Fire Surround!” She flung the rings of fire at the
Selenians, who slowed down in their course but continued to approach them.
“It had no effect!”
Jupiter exclaimed.
“No wonder!”
Mercury shouted as she read the data streaming in from her visor.
“You should take a look at these defense parameters. Fire, Lightning,
Cold, Physical...all less than 30% effective.”
“Then what are we
supposed to do?”
“Run for it!” Sailor
Moon ordered. She and the others began to make a strategic retreat,
but found there was another group of Selenians not far behind them.
Glancing to her left and right there were several more Selenians, almost
as if there were no end to the creatures.
“They’re everywhere!”
Mercury exclaimed.
“Sailor Moon,” Evelyn
spoke, her voice covered with the mask of judgement. “You shall pay
for your mother’s sin.” As the Selenians came nearer and nearer,
Sailor Moon began to believe those words. At the current rate of
movement, the Scouts would be torn apart in under a minute.
Luckily, that rate
did not remain constant.
A red flash of light
knocked some of the Selenians back, driving away the angel of death.
When the brightness subsided, a single solitary rose revealed itself to
be the deterrent. More roses were thrown between the enemies and
the Scouts, each flower forming part of a protective circle around the
female warriors. The remaining Selenians who were approaching the
Scouts jumped back, but Evelyn appeared all too calm and turned to the
enigmatic warrior atop the beam.
“Tuxedo Mask,” Evelyn
called, almost welcoming his presence. Although he was the carrier
of the sole bane of the Selenians, she refused to let herself worry needlessly.
On the ground, the Selenians were still reeling from the sudden blows.
After the initial shock, though, they recovered and headed for the Scouts
again, beginning a second wave of attack. They neared the circle
of roses as if there was nothing there. Evelyn smiled as she watched
the flowers lose their effectiveness. Still, she wanted to make sure
he perished along with the Sailor Scouts, and to do that he would have
to lose his vertical advantage.
“Get him,” she ordered,
pointing at the caped man. A few of the Selenians obeyed Evelyn’s
command and headed over to the beam, ascending to his level in a single
jump. Tuxedo Mask could have fended them off with a few roses, but
it would leave the Sailor Scouts defenseless. He leapt off of the
beam and landed right beside Sailor Moon, throwing a rose at a Selenian
who had crossed the boundary of roses. Sailor Moon had no time to
thank him or lose herself in his presence, and maintained a serious demeanor
despite being near her lover.
“It looks like history
is repeating itself,” Tuxedo Mask said as he hurled another rose.
Sailor Moon asked,
“How long do you think you can hold them off?”
“Not long.”
A Selenian jumped over the circle, but was repaid with a rose that sliced
the creature’s side. It quickly fell back, but the Selenians continued
to close in despite this setback. “I have plenty of roses, but I
can’t throw them fast enough or long enough to keeep these creatures at
bay forever.”
Evelyn was not about
to lessen her resolve in the face of victory and continued to encourage
the Selenians. “Remember how Serenity cursed you!” she cried, inspiring
them even further.
“It wasn’t Serenity,”
Sailor Moon stated, hoping that there was a chance she could get through
to them. “My mother would never do such a thing!” Her words
fell on ears deafened by hatred, and did nothing to change her fate.
Evelyn wanted to laugh,
but instead continued in her role as instigator. “Who are you going
to believe? Your leader, or Serenity’s daughter?”
“Me.”
The answer came not
from Evelyn or Sailor Moon, but rather from a Selenian. It was Cain,
and alongside him was Sailor Venus, who had a bandage on her leg.
In response, the crowd of Selenians stopped. Evelyn couldn’t believe
her eyes. Not only was Cain, one of her most important Selenians,
speaking out against her, but he was standing side by side with one of
the Sailor Scouts as well.
“Can’t you see she’s
blinded you?” Evelyn asked him.
Cain ignored her and
spoke to the other Selenians. “Look past the curse. Look past
your desire for revenge. Look into your hearts and you know who is
telling the truth.”
Venus chimed in, “Think
about it. Would Serenity really pronounce a curse so cruel on her
own people and punish their descendants mercilessly, a woman known for
her benevolence?”
“Benevolent to those
who gave up their freedom and individuality,” Evelyn countered. “But
for those who did not share her beliefs there was nothing but pain and
suffering. She was powerful enough to kill us, but she instead decided
to prolong the agony by cursing you and sealing me away.” She then
turned to the blonde while slowly descending to the ground. “How
can someone like that be so benevolent, Venus?”
“Answer this question,
Evelyn.” Venus froze Evelyn with her intense gaze. “If you
were imprisoned on the Moon when the Selenians were banished to Earth,
then how did you know about their curse?” Some of the Selenians
looked at Evelyn for a response, but she didn’t answer. Her support
was waning with every second she was silent, but many of the Selenians
were still unsure of who to believe. Evelyn’s next words proved to
be her undoing.
“Destroy her!”
Some of the Selenians
moved toward Venus but stopped, and looked at Evelyn. Though Venus
was clad in the same type of outfit as the others, she had made no attack
on them or their leader. In fact, she had entered the area with one
of their kindred. They hesitated, which the rattled nerves of the
evil woman.
“Since when did I
have to tell you furballs twice,” Evelyn demanded. “Kill her!”
Instantly, a great
anger filled up in the Selenians, and now all were aware of the deception.
Even the ones most blinded by rage and instinct knew that Evelyn was the
liar. With her credibility lost, she lashed out at her former followers.
“You Selenians are
fools! Did you think Queen Serenity would have the knowledge or the
heart to place such a spell on you? She could never bear to replay
that nightmare over and over again, for a tragedy to repeat itself on innocents
who had nothing to do with the events of the past.” She rose to the
air once more, retreating out of the reach of the Selenians. “But
all that doesn’t matter now, because there’s nothing you can do to me.
You can’t kill me, and you’ll always be cursed.”
“No!” Venus shouted.
All of the anger she felt toward this entity could be contained no longer.
She initiated her attack before anyone else dared to move. “Venus
Love Chain Encircle!” The chain mercilessly directed itself straight
for Evelyn’s heart, becoming more like a spear of hearts as it neared its
target. Evelyn closed her eyes, letting the weapon strike her.
Upon impact, though, her body seemed to swallow the chain until every single
heart was gone.
“Hmmm, that was much
stronger than before,” she gloated. “Anger and love are a powerful
mix with you, Venus. Of course, all that power just goes to me.”
“Oh no!” Venus shouted
as she put her hand to her forehead, her mistake revealed to her.
“I forgot!”
“Don’t worry,” Sailor
Moon assured. “I’ve got everything under control.” She pulled
off her brooch and let the pink light shine on Evelyn. “Moon Crystal Healing
Activation!” But Evelyn continued to float in the air, soaking in
the pink light as if she were trying to get a tan. Moon turned to
Mercury who still had her visor on from earlier. “Why didn’t it work?”
“She’s filtering out
the healing part and simply absorbed the energy from the Crystal,”
Mercury answered as Evelyn waved her arms in front of her, creating a bow
and a set of arrows. When she was done, she had five arrows in front
of her, all of them blue.
“I’m doing things
right this time,” Evelyn said as she took one of the blue arrows and fired
into the air. The arrow exploded, releasing the energy-sapping powder,
and since those on the ground were in an open area, there was no where
they could hide from the dust. The Selenians, unaware of what was
going on, were struck first. The Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask ran
under the this frame of the uncompleted building but the thin beams offered
no protection from the powder. Slowly, all of the earthbound creatures
were brought to their knees by the powder, but Evelyn didn’t stop with
one arrow. She fired the second arrow right after it, speeding up
the energy-sapping process.
Venus searched both
her mind and the area around her for a weakness, a way to render her powerless.
Using her recent mistake to fuel her determination, she stared at Evelyn
her arrows and the bow, trying to come up with an idea. The answer
came to her with such a rush, she was momentarily stunned and couldn’t
speak.
“The bow!” Venus exclaimed,
trying to communicate the thought that laid trapped in her mind. Jupiter saw what Venus was driving at.
“Yeah,” Jupiter
agreed weakly. “You’re right. All those arrows are useless
without the bow. But can it be destroyed?”
Moon paused a second before replying, “I destroyed one of her
arrows once. Maybe her bows work...the same way.”
“Yes,” Mercury confirmed,
the visor still over her eyes. “Her bow can be destroyed, but it
will take all the energy we can summon. We have to pool our energy
together...and we need a clear shot.”
Sailor Moon didn’t like the last part of Mercury’s message.
It meant going back out in the open, and she wasn’t sure if they could pull it off. If they remained where they were, though, they would be finished.
“Are you ready?” Moon
asked the others. They all made noises of agreement and moved from
under the structure. Although exhausted from the effort, they wasted
no time and grabbed each other’s hands, forming a circle. They were
too weak to stand, and they hoped they had enough power left to pull this
off.
“Mercury Star Power!”
“Venus Star Power!”
“Mars Star Power!”
“Jupiter Star Power!”
“Moon Crystal Power!”
“Sailor Planet Power!”
Around each of the Sailor Scouts an aura formed. They glowed with
their respective colors until a sphere containing all of their power appeared.
The ball of energy headed for the bow. At the same time, Tuxedo Mask
mustered enough strength to throw a rose at the bow, and the two projectiles
collided with the target simultaneously. The bow crumbled to dust,
and the other arrows dissolved into thin air as well. The effects
of the dust quickly wore off as Evelyn’s weapons disappeared from the area.
“No!” Evelyn shouted
as her enemies recovered. For the first time, Evelyn’s face showed
true anger, not the slight hint of aggravation it had before. “Blast
it! I’ll destroy you even if it is with my own hands.” Her
eyes flashed an even more intense white, signaling her next action.
She dived at the Sailor Scouts, but just before she reached them, Cain
leapt in the air and tackled her, taking her by surprise. His momentum
canceled her motion, allowing him to pin her against the ground.
He could barely contain the fury inside of him as he raised his arm to
drive it into her body.
“Give me one reason
to let you live,” Cain ordered as he prepared himself to deliver the final
blow.
Evelyn answered, “Because
I’m not giving you the pleasure of finishing me off.” Her eyes began
to flutter and rolled back into her head. Without hesitation, Mercury
ran over to the fallen woman and checked her vital signs, fearing the worst.
She stepped back from the body, her suspicions confirmed.
“She’s dead,” Mercury
announced in hushed astonishment. “I don’t understand...”
She was not given time to speculate, as Mars’ cry caught her attention.
“Venus! Your
leg!” Mars pointed at the gauze, which had now started to leak with
blood. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing,” Venus
replied, even though the wound still hurt terribly.
Mercury came over
to her and dropped to one knee to inspect the injury. She noticed
the bandage wasn’t wrapped as well as it should have been. “Here,”
she said. “Let me see it.” She slowly undressed the wound and gasped
at what she had seen.
“You’ve been bitten!”
She didn’t have to say what it was that bit her. Everyone knew it
was a Selenian’s bite.
“Does that mean Venus--?”
Sailor Moon began.
“Don’t worry,” one
of the Selenians said. “She would have changed by now. For
some reason women are exempt from the curse.”
Lisa’s words echoed
in the heads of the Sailor Scouts. Any man bitten by one
would become a Selenian himself, and the sons of the Selenians would
also inherit the curse. They were surprised that they hadn’t
picked up on it sooner.
“Do you think they
might change back to normal if you used the Crystal on them?” Mercury asked.
Everyone’s eyes widened at Mercury’s question. It
would have been ironic, yet logical, if Sailor Moon, the one that the Selenians
were trying to destroy moments ago, was the key to their salvation.
“Let’s give it a try,”
Sailor Moon said, lifting her brooch in the air. “Moon Crystal Healing
Activation.” Once again, the bright pink light occupied the area,
bringing a calm to Scout and Selenian alike. Mercury, Mars and Jupiter
watched in excited expectation, but Venus somehow knew what the result
was going to be. For five minutes Sailor Moon stood, pouring all
of her energy into the Crystal with the slim chance that she could undo
the ancient spell.
“It’s not working,”
Venus observed, her voice drained of both hope and joy. Moon realized
that Venus was right, and the pink light faded until it was gone.
She lowered the brooch and put it back on her bow.
“I struck out twice
in one day,” Moon said. Mars rested her hand on Moon’s shoulder,
while Mercury and Jupiter surrounded her. Venus broke away from the
group and made her way past the other Selenians. She found Cain the
farthest away from everyone, staring at the moon.
“There are no easy
answers,” he said when she stopped beside him. “Not for us, anyway.”
Venus turned to Cain,
her eyes filled with tears. She took his claw in her hands, while
keeping her gaze steady on his face, and spoke with a steady voice.
“I promise you, on our love, I will not rest until Evelyn is destroyed.”
For an instant Serenity’s
face appeared in the full moon, witnessing the oath of love before fading
away into the night.