Title: Cold Inferno
Author: Ayrki
Email: [email protected], (or if no answer then use [email protected])
Disclaimer: IT WASN'T ME!!!! I SWEAR!!!! YOU CAN'T PROVE ANYTHING! I DIDN'T DO IT!!! YOU WILL NEVER GET THE TRUTH OUT OF ME!!!……What not that kinda disclaimer? Oh, oops. Hee Hee. Just ignore brief bit of insanity. Do you really think that a psycho like me would own Sailor Moon? Phffff, yeah right. I do how ever own a few people (Arica, Tarius, and a few other inconsequential.
Rating: PG-13-ish maybe I should bump it up to R
Summary: Set in the Silver Millennium era, though before Beryl, the galaxy once again finds it's self threatened by evil. This time Saturn is called upon to awaken if they fail and evil succeeds. It will centre mostly on Minako and Hotaru, though more on Minako in the first chapter and a half.
Author's Notes: Firstly, this story will have homosexual relationships in it, if this bothers you then this really isn't the story for you. There are bits of mythology interlaced in to this story and I will try to explain it fully, if there are any problems then please email me at one of the above addresses and I will better explain it. This story will be written in five different chapters, though I will probably break up the chapter and post it in parts so that I can get it out a 'little' quicker. As soon as I finish each chapter I will reload it (if possible) as one whole chapter that has been re-edited once again. This is Chapter one which include two of my previous posts, I edited a few things that didn't work but nothing essential; there is a lot added to it. As to the whole updating thing, I am really sorry about taking so long; this thing has just gotten away from me. Each time I was going to wrap it up another thing popped up and needed to be changed, I have been trying for the last week to get this out but something always delays it. Hopefully the delay was worth it because I proofread some parts of this about a thousand times. Oh, one last thing, if anyone has any free time and wants to help me out I could really use some help as a beta reader, there are just some things I don't catch. Thank you, and tell me what you think.
"For every evil there are but two remedies: time and silence." ~Edmond Dante The Count of Monte Cristo
Three things to think about before you read this:
I. Have you ever touched something so cold that it actually feels as if it is burning?
II. Has everything seemed so bleak that there can be no possible future?
III. Can you actually say that you have no bad qualities, or are you just human?
~~~ Dying ~~~
Staring into the deepest reaches of space, the darkest of Senshi sighed and turned away. She had been named 'she who walked with death,' she knew death; hell, she had wrought it upon countless races. She was the dark night and destruction that they all feared. To them she was death. She was the very creature that had served as their nightmares and caused them to unite against her when she sought to fulfil her role in destiny. When the death, hatred and evil arose to uncontrollable levels she reset the cycle, she made their lives begin anew, yet they feared her.
In front of her lay a planet untouched by the evil that plagued the universe. No evil dared to touch her planet, not while she slumbered; here good and evil held a common trait. Though they both feared her greatly, evil feared her far more than good; if she were to call upon the Silence then there would be nothing. Evil feared the dark, silent, cold Void far more than good, for when life starts anew it is pure and inclined to do shun evil. After the silence evil had to form a new foot hold in the universe.
The universe thought Saturn a cold dead planet; naïve to the fact that under the turbulent winds there laid a world as beautiful as Venus and Earth. As advanced as Pluto and Mercury, as passionate as Mars and Uranus, as courageous as its neighbour Jupiter, and as elegant as Neptune and the Moon, Saturn was the paradise sought by all but known to none. Not even the wisest of Pluto knew of the untold wonders that existed on the silent planet.
This was their destiny; it was hers too. She was only to awake when there was great need for the bringer of the silence. And of the cold inferno of death.
~~~ And thus the end begins ~~~
Staring at the same sky Princess Minako finally turned back to the cheerful scene inside. Though she was usually known as the cheerful, happy Senshi, recently a darker mood had descended upon her. She had a mysterious feeling that the prosperity that was the Moon Kingdom was coming to an end. She had not mentioned this to the others; it would most likely just upset them to no end. She had also begun to wonder about the burden that would soon rest upon her shoulders; soon she would not only be Sailor Venus but also queen of her patron planet. Perhaps that was all that it was, the fear of having innumerable lives depend upon her every decision. Finally expelling her melancholy thoughts she plastered a smile on to her graceful features and walked into the bright room that held her friends and fellow Senshi. As soon as Princess Serenity saw the princess of Venus she cried out, "Minako, Rei is being mean to me."
In spite of herself, Princess Minako grinned and simply asked, "When isn't she?" To the side of her, the tall princess of Jupiter laughed in agreement. She sat with the shy Princess Ami, who was attempting to teach her the finer points of Mercurian Chess.
"Mina…" the girl wailed.
"Forgive me, for no offence was meant to you, dear Princess," Minako said with a soothing smile as she sat down opposite to the princesses of the Moon and Mars, Serenity and Rei. An odd silence fell upon the group; they had all noticed the change in the blond-haired beauty, there were times when her sombreness would rival that of Setsuna, the eternal Keeper of Time. None had spoken of the changes, attributing it to the fact that they were all growing up. Growling inwardly, she mentally kicked herself for sounding so serious, "So, did anybody else hear the rumour?" She asked, hoping to lighten the mood.
"No, what have you heard now, Minako?" the raven-haired princess of Mars inquired.
"Well, when I was going to speak with Her Majesty I, by chance, overheard her and my mother talking about holding a ball. It would take place within the next seven-day."
"Really?" Princess Serenity squealed in delight.
"Yup, and guess what else I heard."
"What, Minako? If you don't tell us then Serenity might explode," the emerald-eyed thunder senshi said with a grin causing her blue haired companion to smack her arm lightly.
"Behave," Ami whispered, trying to conceal her own smile.
"You are all so mean to meeeeee!!!!!!!!" Serenity wailed at the top of her lungs.
"I heard that Princess Setsuna should be attending."
Princess stopped her wail in mid-breath, her mouth still open; the other princesses gaped too. The ruler of Pluto rarely visited the moon, too deeply submerged in her duties as the Keeper of Time. "How is that so?" Ami asked. "She never comes to any social gathering or event unless it is of significant importance."
"True, but she can not ignore a royal decree. Queen Serenity sent out a message that all but ordered Setsuna to come, it is supposed to be a 'coming of age' ball. What ever that means," Minako said as she made a face.
"Cool. It sounds like fun, and there should be lots of cute guys, eh Minako?" Makoto said with another grin.
~~~~~
Rising early, the Senshi of Love and Beauty quickly dressed in her practice cloths. Quietly, she padded down the halls, practising her stealth; in her wake she left many startled guards who had never heard her approach, nor pass. In a happier mood she walked out passed the multiple gardens, stopping once or twice to smell a particular flower, to the training grounds. Knights, wandering warriors, and soldiers preferred to practise and spar here, away from the passing eyes of wandering ladies and nobles. She preferred to spend her time there because few would recognise her in her sparring clothes, or after she was thoroughly coated in dust and mud. Though a few suspected as to her identity, they kept it to themselves and treated her as an equal. Exactly as she wanted, goddess at court but warrior on the fields.
Running a few warm-up laps around one of the fields, she took note of those present in the early dawn light. Most were guards or seasoned warriors who had learned the virtue of rising early. Kalian, a large brawny knight of Jupiter, was sparring with Merkerus, a quick tempered and cunning Mars knight. At that moment, Kalian was trying to fend off the furious Martian; she had taken a fall to avoid a violent thrust and had quickly found herself quite muddy. Grinning, Minako listened to the two opponents hurl insults at each other. To the casual observer they looked like mortal enemies but were, in fact, quite close. "'Tis only a matter of time 'til they realise it," she mused.
Across the grounds Minako saw the lithe form if Tarius, a Plutonian Knight. He, like the others of his people, tended to be mysterious and lethal fighters; though quite young, he was greatly respected. A cool-headed soldier in battle, he had proved to be invaluable in intelligence and strategy. Though seen as cold and unfeeling, Minako knew him to have quite a wicked streak when provoked into mischief. She had learned this the hard way when she was younger. She stopped her laps and began to stretch her limber body.
In the field next to her, she saw many young novice warriors following the directions of a trainer. Some were quite talented, whilst others continuously dropped their quarterstaves on each other. One such novice's grip slipped and dropped his staff upon the heads of the others. Enraged, another student turned to shout at the other; they ended up running two laps around the entire training grounds. This resulted in an eight-kilometre run (about five miles). In yet another nearby field, Minako caught sight of a familiar figure.
Princess Ten'oh Haruka furiously fought off three different, fully trained, knights in a whirlwind of thrusts, parries, and jabs. As she watched, the Uranian princess disarmed and incapacitated one man with a roundhouse kick and knocked another out cold with a harsh blow to the back of the skull with the hilt of her sword. The remaining knight succeeded in surprising Haruka from behind; unarmed, the wind senshi reacted quickly. With the heel of one hand she struck the woman's nose causing blood to freely flow, then brought her foot down upon the knight's. She then drove her elbow into the surprised knights stomach and used her other hand to roughly hit the other's causing her to drop the weapon. The knight had never known what had hit her.
"She's good isn't she?" Tarius' cool, quiet voice came from close behind her. Minako didn't even bother to ask how he had snuck up on her, she had long since gotten used to it. Turning from the sight of Haruka helping the knights up, she focused on the young man in front of her.
At six-foot-two the Plutonian towered above her, his eyes were the colour of blood and had onyx coloured hair. Like many of his people, his skin was quite tan, though darker than most as a result of his travels. Even though Pluto was not a largely populated planet, a few groups had settled on the distant planet. "Yeah, she certainly is. I wonder how they would react if they discovered that she was female, and that she was a princess."
"Ah, they would splutter about like fouls claimin' that they knew all along and were goin' easy on 'er," Tarius gave a rare grin. Around most he spoke in a well-educated manner but around Minako he slipped back into his childhood accent. "Rememb'r few know that Haruka is ah female, we know simply because o' the court. I'm sure ya kin understan' her reasons," he paused a moment before turning back to her, "Sew my Miko shall we dance?"
She grinned at his nickname for her, knowing that she wished her identity not broadly known unless necessary, he had introduced her as Miko to the regular knights and soldiers. "Aye, how shall it be today? Hand to hand? Archery? Your sai, or perhaps you would try a sword today?"
Tarius chuckled, "Well, I tend to match you at hand to hand; archery: 'tis no light nor mood. With the sai, my dear, you cannot equal me. Perhaps sword? Now I can see if you have practiced since I have last seen you."
"Tarius, you have been gone for close to seven months! Of course I've improved, but if you do not believe me then I will just have to show you," she said indignantly as she stalked over to where the swords were housed. Checking to see if any one was looking, she extracted her sword from her subspace pocket. Tarius raised an eyebrow at the fine craftsmanship of the weapon. The blade was made from the finest metal possible; it neither rusted nor dulled despite its age. Legend said that the blade's metal had been found in the heart of a comet that had crashed on Venus. The mysterious elves that lived on the turbulent planet had then crafted the magnificent weapon and gifted it only those that they thought worthy of its beauty and power. A senshi had never wielded it before.
"May I see that?" Tarius asked; hesitating for a moment Minako handed the blade, hilt first, to the Plutonian. Crying out in pain, he quickly tossed it back to Minako. "What the hell is that?" he asked, eyes wide. "The bloody thing burned me!"
Minako easily caught the sword and quickly apologised. "I thought that you at least might be able to handle it. After all you are one of the greatest warriors that I know." She sighed and hesitated before continuing, "None of the senshi or Princess Serenity can touch the sword without being burnt."
Tarius' eyes widened, "Not even the Princess? Gods, what is it, and how can you even bare to hold it?"
"It was a gift."
"A gift?" he asked disbelievingly as he crossed his arm across his muscular chest. "And who would gift such a powerful tool?"
"The elves."
"Aye, that explains the craftsmanship, but you know more, do you not?"
"Have you heard of the Crescent Sword?"
"Aye, it was a weapon given to the greatest of Venus' warriors, not only the greatest in battle but the purest of heart and light. But 'tis only a legend." Tarius said as he hefted his own sword, testing the weight. Minako glanced at him, but said nothing. "Miko?"
"That is the Crescent Sword."
"WHAT?!" Tarius shouted, gaining them curious looks from many of the occupants of the training ground. Much quieter, he asked "Truly?"
"Yes, at least that is what the elves told me."
"Damn, do ye know what that means? Accordin' to them they think ye to be th' best warrior an' purest ah heart," Tarius said in actual awe.
"Evidently."
"Well, shall we find out how much you've practiced in my absence?" he led the way to one of the spare fields. He swung his sword up into an attack position, after a moment he swung at Minako. When she blocked it he quickly struck again. He quickly began a rapid chain of attacks, forcing Minako into a defensive position. Relentlessly, he struck hit after hit, but to his astonishment she blocked each hit.
Minako searched for an opening, but Tarius was not a general in the Plutonian armies for nothing, he was an expert swordsman. Finally she saw an opening, quickly she lunged forward; she threw her body to the right to avoid his slash. The blade narrowly missed her shoulder as she as she quickly used her hilt to hit Tarius' hand where he held his sword. Turning quickly so that her back was to him, she then brutally drove her elbow into his stomach.
She ducked away as he sharply exhaled. Swinging her sword up into and attack stance, she waited for him to recover himself. After a moment he said, "Well, you learned a new trick. Dangerous though, what would ye have done if I'd had a dagger ready for yeh?" He lunged forward.
"I'm too quick," she stated simply, grinning as she easily blocked and thrust forward, but Tarius regained his composure and blocked her hit. They traded trusts, slashes, and blows as they parried the others attacks. As the two fighters exchanged blows a crowd gathered, many had seen the young addition and learned to respect her skills. Some began to comment on each of the combatants' stances, guards, attacks, techniques, and styles. A few even placed money on the outcome of the battle. Neither of the combatants noticed them, intent on finding the others weakness.
Still matching blow for blow, Tarius began to notice the strain on his muscles. They had been fighting for almost half an hour and the constant blocking and striking was tiresome. Minako didn't even look winded, as he expected she had improved, but he knew this would happen, she was going to become the leader of the Queen's senshi. Seeing an opening, using a complex twist he slipped the tip of his sword forward to catch Minako's sword and flung it away.
Much to Tarius' surprise, the second that her sword was pulled from her grasp she sprang backward. Performing a back flip, she caught the sword in mid-air and landed in a crouch; she held her sword just above her head, in an attack position. Rising in one fluid-like movement, she smoothly brought her sword so that the flat of the blade was facing her. Placing her first two fingers upon the blade, she began to chant softly in elvish. The blade began to glow a faint gold as she unconsciously summoned the power for an attack.
Tarius, unsure of what was happening, glanced around as the morning breeze picked up into a steady wind. He finally sensed the power as Minako finished the last of her incantations. He barely had enough time to throw up his own shield before she unleashed the power-ridden attack. He felt the massive power hit him full on, and then felt as his shield buckled and failed. The blast sent him flying backwards; when he was finally able to breathe and form coherent thoughts, he found himself about ten meters away from Minako. Closing his eyes, he laid his head back upon the ground, which was developing a fierce ache.
He opened his eyes again when he felt a soft, cool hand upon his neck, checking for a pulse, to see a very worried Miko. In a raspy voice he croaked, "I-I'm okay."
"Are you sure?" she asked, concern and guilt filling her sapphire blue eyes.
"Yeah," he sat up stiffly and groaned, "I just was not expecting that. I guess that you really did improve, though beyond my greatest expectations."
Minako blushed and helped him up. He moved gingerly, trying not to hurt or jar himself more. "I'm so sorry about that. I hate how the power can just get away from me. I just got so lost in that fight that the power took control," she explained quietly.
"It's alright dear Miko, I'm not angry with you. In fact, I'm rather proud."
Minako looked up, eyes wide, "You are? Why?"
"You have easily been my best student and you have advanced and learned the sword arts faster than any I know. It is always a proud day for the teacher when his student surpasses him," he explained as they carefully walked through the quiet, but parted crowd. "With that talent and power no wonder the elves named you their champion and wielder of the Crescent Sword."
"I still hate how I cannot control such a power. It's frustrating."
"Then perhaps ask someone, maybe Queen Serenity or even the princess, they each wield an awesome power," he told her as they paused to get a drink. "They may have some advice on how to handle it."
"There is a problem with that idea: no one but the elves and now you know about my being the wielder of the sword."
He looked at her in surprise, "Why've you not told them?"
"I don't really know. I mean it is as if something told me not to tell them." Glancing around to make sure no one saw, she quickly deposited the weapon in to her 'pocket'. With the powerful weapon away, she instantly felt the strain of the intense battle; she swayed and leaned against the weapons house. "And then to top it off I feel exhausted afterwards."
"It would be best to tell them, if I hadn't figured out what you were doing then I would have been toast. I was lucky enough to get my shield up."
Finding something rather interesting on the ground, she mumbled something incoherent.
"Pardon?"
"That wasn't a full blast. When I realized what I was doing I tried to pull the power back in to me, but I could not get it all. If I had the shear amount would have killed me or knocked me into a coma." She pulled off her warm outer tunic then shyly glanced up at Tarius.
He just looked at her and shook his head, "You are one in a million, dear Miko."
~~~~~
Trudging up the many white marble steps, Minako glanced up when she heard a voice call her name. The voice belonged to none other than Princess Haruka, who stood at the top of the stairs. Hesitating at first, Minako walked up the rest of the steps to where the sandy-haired senshi of the wind stood. "You fight well, and you seem to have an extraordinary talent. I don't know of any senshi so new to their powers that were able to call upon their attacks with out a transformation or words. Yet you just did, so my thoughts are that you have another power."
Tired and sore, Minako found herself in a foul mood, "What would it matter if I did? If I could better protect our princess then wouldn't it be a good thing?" she asked defensively.
A faint smile danced across Haruka's stern features, "I was not accusing you of anything, if anything I wanted to know if you would like to be my sparring partner sometime."
Minako couldn't keep the shock from her features. The Uranian princess was notorious for her solitude in training; normally the only one allowed to practice with her was Princess Michiru. Sometimes she would practise with others, like the guards today, but rarely did she approach anyone to specifically to become a sparring partner, only Michiru. "Uh…I would be honoured."
"Good, the next time I seek a partner I shall come to find you, but if it proves to be an inconvenience then tell me" Haruka said as she began to descend the white marble steps, "You know how annoying it is to practice with someone who won't do their best."
"Yeah, it sucks," she agreed.
"I'll see you later, Princess of Venus," Haruka said as she bowed at the first landing. Always the perfect gentleman; Haruka had better manners than most of the men at court.
~~~~~
Two weeks later Princess Minako stood in front of a full-length mirror, checking her appearance a final time. She heard an, impatient knock and couldn't help but smile when Tarius' voice called from behind the door. "Hurry up woman, or you'll be late for your own ascension ceremony. If you don't want to go then tell me because I have far more import-"
Tarius froze in mid-word as Minako pulled open her chamber door, "You are far worse than my cousin. Sheesh, talk about impatient." Minako then noticed that Tarius hadn't moved and was staring, wide-eyed. She shifted uncomfortably, wondering what had startled her dark friend in to complete silence. "Is there some horrible monster behind me or something?" she half-nervously joked.
Swallowing a few times, the Plutonian managed to untie his tongue, "Wow," he breathed, "You look…so…amazing."
Minako blushed and smiled as her tall friend struggled for adequate words. "Really?" she asked.
Regaining his composure, "Absolutely. I have never seen such a beautiful sight in all my travels." Colour again rose to Minako's cheeks, "I will defiantly be the envy of all the men tonight, to have the honour of being your escort."
Minako blinked once or twice. "Thank you," she said quietly before continuing, "You look great too, and I mean that." Tarius wore his dark Plutonian dress uniform; it consisted of jet-black trousers and a deep royal purple tunic. The black cloak with strands of garnet woven in caused his eyes to seem shades darker and more mysterious. With his dark complexion he was the epitome of 'tall, dark, and handsome.' "But you are right, we are going to be late."
Offering his arm Tarius grinned, "Well, I did try to tell you that." As they walked down the crystal and white marble corridors they slipped back into their usual, playful banter. A few minutes later, they came to a halt before a set of grand doors where Minako's fellow senshi stood.
The dark haired fire senshi of Mars grinned, "Glad you could make it, and even on time." Minako simply stuck her tongue out at her friend.
"I'll see you inside, alright my Miko?" Tarius asked.
"Yeah," she then blushed as Tarius gently kissed her cheek and murmured in her ear "You really are beautiful." She watched him walk away to enter the grand ballroom where the other guests waited. When she looked back to her friends she saw most of the gathered six with amused and curious expressions.
The mysterious senshi of time raised an eyebrow, "So you are the reason Tarius has been so anxious to return to the moon."
"Why is it you always manage to get the cute ones?" Makoto asked before grinning and continuing, "And he is really cute."
Laughing, Minako joined them before the doors, "We are just friends, you all know that."
"Mm-hmm," Rei said disbelievingly. "Sure, don't even tell your friends."
Giving the Martian a mock-glare she said, "There is nothing to tell." Looking over to Haruka, Minako asked, "How are your ribs?"
Haruka flashed a grin, "Alright, I just have to be careful with my left side. Sudden movements are not good." Before anything further could be said the herald signalled to them to get in to position. The ceremony was about to begin. Minako slipped into her place and tried to shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. She sighed; it was probably just nerves.
~~~~~
Inside of the massive chamber Tarius glanced around, it had been a long time since he had been inside of the Grand Ballroom. The vaulted chamber had been constructed from pure white and silver marble. Strategically situated throughout the room were solid pillars that supported the magnificent ceiling, inlaid in the white stone were rivulets of crystal and diamond. The highly arched ceiling stretched up, as if to the fabled heavens. The layers met in a massive crystal dome that refracted and reflected the light around the room in a dazzling display. The elegant Neptunians had masterminded the extraordinary architectural feat as a gift to the first Serenity. In order to stand the countless centuries, the Neptunians had laid spells and use long lost magicks to strengthen and preserve the treasure. Many who visited the Palace also came to view the beautiful sight, believing it to be a symbol of the Moon's power and grace.
Tarius stood near the throne, closest to the Queen and Princess. From here he heard the princess as she asked her mother, for the fourth time in the last five minutes, when the ceremony would begin. For the fourth time, Queen Serenity told her daughter, "Shortly." Looking around the room, her eyes fell upon Tarius; with a smile she beckoned him. He took a few steps closer. "It is good to see your face again at my court, General. I trust your journeys on Earth were successful."
"It is good to be back, and yes, they were quite successful indeed. We believe that the rebels were being influenced by an outside force, though we have little proof," he told her.
"That cannot be good. Then you think that perhaps the rebellions were part of a bigger plot?"
Tarius looked up at the queen, his blood red eyes saying what he could not, "My fellow colleagues do not share the same views as I. They believe the Earthlings to be mere savages and incapable to form large plots like the one I believe to exist.
Before the queen could reply, chaos erupted as the tranquil atmosphere was shattered. Royalty, nobles, and guards alike scrambled for cover as an explosion shook the Place, plunging it in to darkness. Tarius instinctually dove forward, knocking the queen and princess to the ground, shielding them from the shards that now rained down. When he looked up he could barely make out the Queen in front of him, but the darkness was not the only problem. Tarius' head snapped around as he heard a deep, guttural growl that came from the centre of the room, directly underneath where the crystal window had been. As he searched for the source he was able to make out in the shadows two faintly glowing light green eyes, and they were large. Then he heard an inhuman scream, one that he knew far too well. A Kaivanikyar had been released in to the ballroom with a large banquet of courtiers.
~~~~~
Outside of the chamber Minako snapped her head up at the sound of the explosion that was followed by the shattering glass and crystal. She barely looked at the others before she heard the blood-curdling screech that the creature in the ballroom emitted. Minako bolted towards the grand doors seconds ahead of the others; she furiously thrust aside the massive doors and stepped into the darkness. "Rei, can you get us some light?" she quickly asked.
"Sure thing," Rei said before summoning her power; torches throughout the chamber flared to life.
"Good jo-" Minako stopped in mid-word as she saw the massive creature in the centre of the room just as it lunged forward to snap a lord from Earth up into its jaws. The thing was absolutely enormous and beyond ugly. Almost six meters tall the creature had four long muscular arms and two short powerful legs that looked as if they had been made for jumping and leaping. Each of the four hands had six fingers, all very long and ending in 20 centimetre claws, two of them acting as thumbs. The claws were sharp and wicked looking, perfect for tearing and shredding. Maliciously and almost playfully, the beast threw the ill-fated man up into the air. The senshi and couriers watched in captivated horror as the beast then leaped up into the air to snatch the man into its jaws and devour him in a fury of gnashing teeth. Blood dribbled over the creatures jaw to mix with the thick drool that accumulated on its chin; a large blob of the think reddish mixture fell to the ground with a sickening in plop. Minako snapped out of her trance-like state and pulled out her henshin wand and called the words to transform. "VENUS STAR POWER, MAKE UP!!" she shouted. The other senshi quickly followed suit:
"NEPTUNE STAR POWER-"
"MARS STAR POWER-"
"MERCURY STAR POWER-"
"URANUS STAR POWER-"
"JUPITER STAR POWER-"
"-MAKE UP!!" Many of the people assembled shielded their eyes at the rush of light and power that accompanied the transformations; the kaivanikyar tried to cower at the sudden light. Sailor Pluto stood watching the beast, having already been in senshi form, she too had encountered a kaivanikyar in the past. They were next to impossible to kill and she had almost lost her life in the battle. Taking her eyes off the creature momentarily to look at the others, she advised "Be very careful, though the kaivanikyar is not intelligent it is extremely powerful and dangerous."
"A what?" Sailor Jupiter asked, grimacing as the creature seized a Mercurian woman and flung her against a wall with a nauseating crunch.
"A kaivanikyar, a beast not of this galaxy. It is semi-sensitive to light but has near-impenetrable skin, the last time I fought one of these things I had to resort to brute force because it has few weaknesses," Pluto said, eyeing the monster again. "What ever you do, don't let it get a hold of you or hit you with its tail, the barbs are highly poisonous."
"Great, couldn't be easy could it?" Sailor Venus muttered, louder she said to the others, "Lets see if we can surround it and confuse it. Mercury, stay out of reach and try and find something we can use against it. Mars, lets see if he is just sensitive to light or fire too. Everybody else…lets kill it before it eats any more people. We will let the guards get everybody out. Pluto, is there anything else you can tell us about this thing?"
The senshi spread out and began to surround the creature, with Mercury pulling back and beginning to scan it with her mini computer. Sailor Mars steeled herself for a hard battle before slipping in to position just behind the kaivanikyar, "FIRE SOUL!!" she cried, calling upon her first attack. The creature whirled its massive head with now bloodstained teeth that jutted out in all directions around to look at Sailor Mars; it seemed to consider what kind of threat this little thing posed before opening its great maw of a mouth, the disgusting and sticky saliva dripping everywhere. Mars was able to see the long nasty-looking teeth before the creature reared up and spit its own flame at her. She barely had enough time to throw herself out of the way before the white-hot flame scorched the spot where she had been just a second before. She looked over at Sailor Venus, "Well, we know it's not sensitive to fire."
Sailor Jupiter gave a short laugh, "We noticed. SUPREME THUNDER!" she shouted releasing her own attack. The blast of electricity caught the kaivanikyar in the chest, knocking it back a step. The creature turned its lime green eyes to Jupiter; it let out a terrifying roar and launched itself at thunder senshi. Jupiter's eyes widened for a moment before she sprang backward.
"Jupiter, look out for the tail!" Venus screamed as the creature ceased its charge and spun around to swing its tail at Jupiter. Jupiter barely ducked the swipe before the beast swung one of its muscular arms at her; it caught her in the stomach and threw her in to the solid wall. The marble cracked and broke off in flakes from the force of Jupiter's impact, she slid down the wall to the ground and did not stir.
"NO!!," Mercury screamed, "MAKOTO!" She dashed from where she had previously stood to where the thunder senshi lay, unmoving. Intent only on reaching Jupiter, Mercury did not see the kaivanikyar as it lashed out with its tail to attack the small water senshi.
As Sailor Venus watched the events seemed to happen in slow motion: Sailor Neptune cried out to Mercury and Sailor Mars threw another attack at the beast. Mercury heard the warning but couldn't get out of the way quick enough, Sailor Uranus, closest to Mercury, dived forward and slammed her body in to Mercury's, knocking her out of the way. The barbed tail seemed to barely miss them as it lashed over them. At the same moment Sailor Venus threw herself in front of the creature, aiming for its eye she shouted, "Crescent beam!" The strong golden beam hit its mark and caused the kaivanikyar to stagger backwards, clutching its head, and screamed in pain and rage.
Sailor Venus now stood in front of the creature ready to hit it again as she guarded Mercury and Uranus from an attack, Uranus helped the younger senshi over to where Jupiter lay, still unconscious. Mercury dropped to her knees and quickly began to check Jupiter for serious injuries; from where she stood Venus heard the senshi of thunder groan as she regained consciousness. Venus glared at the creature and prepared another attack when a voice called out, "Halt!" Surprisingly enough, all action stopped, especially the beast; Venus looked up to see a tall, beautiful woman float into the room through the hole that was once the crystal dome. Her long black hair was streaked with silver, though not from age for she seemed quite young. Her piercing yellow, slitted eyes roamed around the room, stopping on each of the senshi in turn but only for a few moments, eventually they came to rest upon Queen Serenity and the princess. "Ah, and so we meet at last. Queen Serenity," the woman said with a slight bow and wicked smile.
Queen Serenity stood from where Tarius had caused her and her daughter to fall in the initial attack, "Who are you, and what do you mean by causing so much terror?" the queen demanded.
The woman laughed, "Still so demanding after all these centuries? I see some things are truly passed down from one ruler to the next. I am called Jennkyra, Lady Jennkyra," a look of hatred replaced the smile, "and I am here…to kill you all."
Before Queen Serenity reply, Venus glared and said, "Well, you won't find us easy to kill."
"Ah, you must be one of the senshi," she paused for a moment and examined Sailor Venus, "Venus, the leader of the Queen's senshi, if I am not mistaken."
Still glaring, yet not taking too much of her attention off of the kaivanikyar - which still had not moved, she replied, "You are correct in both assumptions."
"You can save me a lot of time and yourself a lot of pain and eventual death by joining my army now. A warrior of such…talents would be very valuable indeed," the woman offered, promptly ignoring the Queen and princess.
"I speak for all of the senshi. Our loyalty's shall never change, we will protect our queen and princess 'til our last breaths, and beyond."
"Such a pity, but loyalty is something I do understand." The woman watched Sailor Venus for another moment before turning back to the Queen, "Now, you have a choice: surrender now or die in the coming battle. It is your choice when you wish to die."
Queen Serenity straightened, "It is not the way of the Moon Kingdom to simply surrender whenever a new threat arises, as Sailor Venus said before, we will not die easily, nor shall we ever surrender."
"Hmmm, the same stubbornness as before, as I figured," Jennkyra smiled wickedly before continuing. "Then you shall all find your deaths upon the blades of my warriors, that is if you survive my pet here." With shimmer the woman was gone, and the creature was released from its hold and promptly resumed its feast of courtiers.
Sailor Jupiter lost no time in returning to the battle, though much more cautious this time, "SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!!!"
"Deep submerge!!" Neptune quickly followed Jupiter's attack with her own, the large wave rose behind her as the aquamarine ball of energy formed in front of her hands. Her attack hit the same mark as Jupiter's, yet it did not seem to phase the monster very much.
Sailor Uranus growled in frustration, "Damn it! None of our attacks seem to effect it much; Mercury, have you found a weakness yet?" She raised her hand and summoned her attack, "WORLD SHAKING!" The golden ball of energy flew forward to hit the creature in the head; close to her, Uranus heard a whispered attack as Sailor Pluto released her own. Both attacks hit simultaneously and knocked the kaivanikyar back a few paces. Uranus looked over at the tall senshi of time, "Pluto, do you know how we can kill this thing?"
"Brute force, if we can, hit it with physical attacks. The skin is extremely hard but the joints still have weaknesses."
The small senshi of Mercury looked up from her calculations, "I'm sorry, I can't find anything. I think Pluto is correct, that brute force is the best option."
"Right, physical." Uranus glanced around the room trying to locate a weapon; her eyes fell upon the corpse of a half-eaten and chard courtier. "Neptune cover me," she yelled as she dove forward. Tucking herself in to a ball she rolled under the creature to where the body lay; she dislodged the blade from the bloody grasp it was still held in. Wincing at the pain in her back she quickly pushed it out of her mind; not wasting the opportunity offered, Uranus thrust upwards and drove the sword in to the kaivanikyar's left hip joint. She cursed as creature's blood dripped on to her, "You never said the blood was acidic!" she shouted and pulled the blade out and slipped away from the infuriated creature.
"I did not have the chance," Pluto replied, she then added, "Oh Uranus, the blood is acidic."
"Thanks," she replied dryly with a slight smile.
Venus watched as each of the senshi dove forward, trying to distract the creature, but nothing seemed to work. The beast was beyond powerful, each time a senshi tried to hit it the kaivanikyar hit them instead. Venus' eyes widened in horror as she saw the creature once again rear on its hind legs and prepare to spit a ball of fire. This time none of the senshi were the targets, the Queen and Princess were. "No," she whispered. The next events seemed to happen in slow motion, no one saw the danger to the monarchs but Venus. 'I have to, but what if I loose control again?' she thought as the kaivanikyar came down with all four hands and feet on the ground in a couch, head low and ready to release the white-hot searing flames. Sailor Venus shoved the argument out of her mind and dove forward, "Tarius, get them out of her!" she cried as she positioned herself in front of them, prepared to take the force of the attack.
Tarius' eyes widened when he realized her plan, "NO!" he screamed, "Get out of the way, Miko!"
"Protect them," he some how heard her whisper. The other senshi cried out as the beast shot its flame at her. Venus summoned the immense power that she had fought to keep at bay in the past, her blue eyes became tinged with gold as the power surged, still barely checked. She began to glow an eerie golden as the air around her crackled with energy, in her right hand the Crescent Sword solidified. She locked her golden tinged eyes with the beasts green ones before she closed them; grasping the power tightly, she felt it flood her senses and fight her control. The golden glow began to fill more of the room as she braced herself, preparing for the hellish flames. The senshi, Tarius, and the moon princess screamed her name as the beast shot its flames forward, directly at her. Gritting her teeth for a moment, the senshi of Venus began to chant softly in elvish her voice steadily rising in volume until her eyes shot open, now glowing an angry golden-blue. Using her power to convert the beast's flames in to her own energy she released the power in a concentrated pure white and golden beam.
The blast threw the surprised kaivanikyar into the wall behind it, causing some of the heavy marble to crash down upon it. Those still in the room watched in awe and astonishment at what had just happened, Sailor Pluto whispered breathlessly, "The Guardian of Venus, there has not been a Guardian seen for the last seven and half centuries."
"The Guardian of Venus?" Sailor Mars asked but Pluto was unable to answer because the kaivanikyar rose again. It staggered, unbalanced from the loss of one of its arms; the blast had mostly hit the creature on its shoulder and had stripped away much of the flesh there and on its chest. It looked at Sailor Venus with more caution then before, clearly understanding that she was a force to be reckoned with.
"It is time we finished this," Sailor Venus said quietly, her voice sounded different to the senshi, almost otherworldly. Her blue eyes were still aglow and the surrounding air still crackling around her, "Everyone, get a weapon and attack, the joints are its weakness so go for the neck, elbows, knees, hips, and shoulders. Those who don't have a weapon, cover the rest of us. Tarius get the Queen and Princess out of here now." Tarius didn't argue as he helped the monarchs up and ushered them out of the now ruined ballroom. "As I said, let's finish this. Attack without warning, don't give it a chance to have a go at us."
"Right, lets show this ugly thing why we are the senshi," Jupiter said as she picked up a discarded glaive, abandoned by one of the chard guards.
Nearby, Mars pulled a lance out of the rubble, "Pluto, cover me?" The dark senshi nodded.
Sailor Venus sprang from where she stood as the kaivanikyar swung its tail around, flipping she landed carefully on the creatures leathery back, avoiding the long spines that protruded from its skin. Switching her grip on her sword she drove it in to the beasts back at the base of its neck. Furious, it reared, exposing its vulnerable undersides; Uranus, Jupiter and Mars took the offered chance, each striking a blow. The beast then turned and bucked trying to dislodge Venus, but she held fast. Wrenching her sword out of the beast she plunged it in again, this time higher up on the neck. The blade still in the beast she wrenched the blade to the side, inflicting more damage; as blood seeped out of the wounds Venus allowed herself to be flung off. She landed in a crouch close to where the senshi of Neptune stood.
The power and energy still flowed freely through her veins like liquid fire, burning away any fatigue or weariness that she might have felt. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a cloaked figure drop into the room through the hole, she watched the figure closely. As if sensing Venus' scrutiny the figure looked over to her; running the short distance to where Venus stood the figure stopped a step away and gave a short bow. Then they reached up with one had to push back the hood, revealing someone Venus knew very well. Eyes widening in surprise the senshi of love stared at her the young woman for a moment, "Arica?" she asked, confused at seeing her cousin standing before her.
"Aye, 'tis good to see you, though I wish under better circumstances," the blond haired young woman replied with a smile. "I was sent here to help you, it looks like you could use the help, dear cousin."
"At this moment I will not refuse any help, though I wonder why you were sent," Venus mused for a moment before concentrating once again on the kaivanikyar.
"Because I am best suited to, as you shall soon see." Arica turned her attention to the beast too. She reached up and unfastened her cloak and let it fall to reveal a ninja style uniform. The darkish golden material was loose enough not to hinder any movement, though it was extremely strong. Strong gauntlets with an ancient symbol that Sailor Venus recognized, it signified the element of wind; a head band across Arica's forehead held another symbol of her element. Venus then saw that Arica had a quiver full of arrows and her bow in her left hand. "I've always told you things are always more then they seem, but we have more pressing matters." Arica withdrew an arrow and fitted on her bow, "You remember this game from when we were kids, don't you? I shoot you, you attack."
"Mm-hmm." Venus nodded.
"Oh, and Minako…"
Venus looked back at her taller cousin.
"Don't be afraid of the power, you were given it for a reason." Arica turned her attention back to the beast, drew her bow and aimed; she winked first at Venus before releasing the bolt. The arrow found its mark in the creatures left eye, another two buried themselves in the creature's throat. Arica had always been the best archer around, never missing a mark once.
Racing forward, Venus ignored the whistling as more of her cousin's arrows found their mark; she jumped over another body and rotated her wrist, again switching her grip on the Crescent Sword. Raising the sword above her head, she drove it into the beast's foot, effectively pinning it to the ground. Releasing the hilt, Venus called upon another attack, "Crescent beam shower!" The blast hit the already injured hip joint; grabbing the hilt of her sword she pulled it out of the creature's foot and danced out of the away as the beast stamped its foot in rage and pain.
Nearby, Jupiter jumped over the tail as it swung under her, she spun around and buried the blade of the glaive in to the back of the kaivanikyar's knee. Behind her Mercury released an attack, "Shabon spray freezing."
Neptune shot her own attack again as Sailor Uranus darted forward and plunged her sword deep in to the creature's ribs. This time expecting it, she jumped back as the corrosive blood gushed out over the sword. Mars and Pluto followed suit, Sailor Mars gave a fierce battle cry before she drove the lance deep in to the beast's left shoulder. The kaivanikyar backed off a few paces, its breathing becoming laboured. The senshi pulled back to regroup, many of them shot curious looks at Arica. Quietly Venus said, "Alright, we've weakened it now it's time we kill it."
"Defiantly," Sailor Mars agreed, but then glanced over at where Arica stood, her bow drawn taunt, "Not to be rude and all, but who is she?"
"She's a friend, I'll explain later. Let's finish this now," Sailor Venus answered.
She had just begun to outline a brief plan of attack when Arica's voice called to her. "I hate to break up you little pow-wow, but it is a bit angry and is looking for someone to bite." She let the arrow fly, it struck the in the forehead, the arrow actually piercing the armour like skin. Arica lowered her bow and in elvish said, "Ahkymia." The arrow glowed faintly before exploding; black blood flew in all directions. Arica growled in disgust as blood splattered on her and quickly wiped it off of her cheek. Quickly turning her attention to the tail that was lashing around the room angrily, she saw one of the Moon guards still in the room get in the way of the appendage and was flung against a marble pillar. Five stains of blood blossomed on his chest where the barbs had stabbed the man. "Minako, it's best if we deal with that damned tail before anyone else is impaled on it."
Sailor Venus nodded, "Same plan as before guys, swift attacks, but everyone hits this time. Arica, cover us?"
"Of course," Arica grinned and aimed another arrow.
Uranus jumped forward and pulled another weapon from the wreckage of the room, again a sword; shooting forward, she used her momentum to slice straight through one of the creature's wrists, severing the hand. The kaivanikyar, now blind with fury, swung its formidable tail at the wind senshi, but this time Sailor Venus expected it. Leaping in to the path of the creature's tail, she allowed the power the flow freely through her. Once again the room began to fill with a pale golden light, Venus began the incantations for her attack as the kaivanikyar lashed its tail at her again. She placed her first two fingers upon the blade, channelling the energies to the sword; the sword began to hum from the power that it was receiving. Venus swore she heard it sing. She felt the tail come towards her; waiting until the last moment, she swung her sword up and in one swift move she severed the kaivanikyar's barbed tail.
Across the room as Sailor Mars concentrated on calling upon another attack, the kaivanikyar swung around with a massive hand, trying to kill the fire senshi. Near her Arica saw the beast's intent out of the corner of her eye, when she realized that Mars didn't know of the danger she dashed towards her. Using her shoulder, Arica shoved Mars out of the way and ducked the swipe from the beast. Unfortunately, she didn't see the other arm behind her as the kaivanikyar seized her. Gasping for breath as the creature clenched its fist, driving the air out of Arica's lungs, the young woman fought to free her hands, but the beast's grip was far to strong. As the beast continued to crush her in its powerful grip she felt as her ribs began to fracture under the stress.
When Sailor Venus saw that the beast had hold of her cousin, she leaped in to the air; flipping, she landed once again on the creature, this time however, she drove the blade deep in to the creature's skull. Howling in rage, the beast flung Arica at the wall where she hit it with a nauseating crunch. From atop the beast Venus was able to hear her cousin groan, out of the corner of her eye she saw Sailor Mercury start towards the young woman. Mercury got no more than four paces before Arica pushed herself to her hands and knees, then her feet. She looked towards the creature with a cold glare; Venus snapped her attention back to the kaivanikyar and its attempts to dislodge her. Yanking the sword free again, she jumped to the beasts back and slashed the white-hot blade across the thick skin, flaying its shoulder.
She then allowed the beast to again throw her off, but before she could evade it, the beast snatched her. Sailor Venus' eyes widened when the beast brought her to its mouth, intending to make a meal out of her. The creature opened its massive jaws, the teeth were razor sharp and horrible looking. As the beast brought her closer she heard Arica shout out to her; turning, she saw her cousin throw a spear to her. How the spear was going to be any more effective than her sword Venus didn't know, but she caught it anyway. As the beast out her in its mouth, Venus realized her cousin's idea. Quickly plunging the Crescent Sword into the beast's lower jaw, Sailor Venus then drove the spear in to the roof of the kaivanikyar's mouth. Now when the beast tried to close its mouth it was unable to.
Watching the events with apprehension, Arica dropped to a crouch and retrieved her bow. From her crouch she leaped up; landing on the beasts head she quickly fitted an arrow on to her bow. Taking a moment she whispered incantations in elvish, infusing the bolt with her magick. She drew the string back passed her ear, the bow bending with the tension, and aimed directly at the skull of the beast. Inside of the beast's mouth Sailor Venus grimaced at the saliva and blood; in a crouch she summoned the power for an attack, but before she released it she laced her senshi magick with her newer. "Crescent Beam!"
The pure golden beam shot straight upwards, obliterating any trace of what had been the beast's brain; at the same moment Arica's arrow shot through the creature's skull and exploded. The blast knocked the young woman flying; she landed a few meters away. Looking up in time, she saw the beast fall to the ground in a bloody heap; to her happiness she saw Sailor Venus carefully avoid the jagged teeth as she climbed out of the kaivanikyar's mouth. Though she was now coated in the sticky saliva and blood, the senshi quickly pulled her into hugs.
When she detangled herself from them, she ran to where Arica was standing up; she quickly offered a hand up to the girl, who took it gratefully. As the two looked at each other, the other senshi began to notice how they looked very much alike. The two continued to stare at each other before Arica reached over and pulled her cousin into a hug. "It has been a while," Venus finally said.
"Aye, too long," her cousin agreed. "But I have not come here for pleasure," she said half-pulling out of the embrace. "Though it does my heart well to see you again." Before Venus could reply Arica snarled and whipped her bow up, an arrow sighted even before she knew what was happening. She turned to see what had angered her normally agreeable cousin, Jennkyra had returned. "Lady Jennkyra, don't you have any manners any more? When someone kills you it is normally considered common courtesy to stay that way," Arica growled
The yellow eyed woman glared at Arica, "Not one of you again. Didn't you die out?"
Stepping in front of the others, Arica grinned but did not lower her bow nor take her eyes off of Jennkyra. "You should know that we always shall exist."
"You Guardian's, as you call yourselves, have been a hindrance for far too long. I shall take particular pleasure in watching you beg for your soul," the woman spat. Arica's only reply was a short laugh, which only infuriated the woman further. "You call yourself Kazu, don't you? The Guardian of the element of Wind."
"Aye, that I do." Arica answered Jennkyra.
"Then I shall remember you, Kazu. You will beg for my mercy."
"The Tryad will fail again, you know it as well as I. Your revenge will fail, just as your pet did."
"Oh, but we won't fail, that I assure you of," turning her gaze to Venus she said, "My offer is still open if you wish to accept."
"Go to hell," was the growled reply.
"Tsk. Tsk. Temper, my little Venus, temper. Fine, you've had your chance, you will die with your friends." Without warning an arrow shot past Jennkyra, it barely grazed her skin but her eyes flashed with barely contained rage.
"I have tired of your words, witch, now leave, for next time I will hit you. I assure you, I never miss," Arica said with a slight grin.
Lady Jennkyra growled something at Arica in an unrecognisable language, though it seemed not to faze her in the slightest. "We shall meet again you insolent cur." With that said, Lady Jennkyra vanished from all sight.
~~~~~
Ten minutes later, all of the senshi stood near to the corpse of the kaivanikyar; the queen now re-entered the ballroom with her daughter and Tarius. She surveyed the wreckage sadly, though she smiled when she saw all of the senshi alive, even if they were a little ragged looking. All of them had obtained cuts, bruises, burns, and bumps; none of them had escaped unscathed. When her eyes same to rest on Sailor Venus she saw the leader of her guard with an arm around her cousin, Arica - or Kazu as she had been called - her eyes widened, "Lady Arica?"
Arica turned to see the queen, she bowed to Serenity, "It is good to see that you are uninjured, your majesty."
"If I may ask, why are you on the Moon, when did you arrive?" Queen Serenity asked.
"I came here because of my duties, I am sure you know of my…calling," she replied. "As the Wind guardian I protect life, no matter where it is. I may spend much of my time on Earth, but I will always protect the innocent."
"Of course, your presence here was just unexpected. We have heard so little of you since you left for Earth to train as a Guardian, though your selection came as a bit of a surprise. I was never aware that anyone not of Earth was ever chosen for those duties."
The assembled senshi exchanged puzzled looks; they all heard stories of Arica, she was Minako's closets cousin. The two were very much alike in looks and personality and nearly inseparable when they were children, when Minako was chosen as a senshi the two had unhappily parted, being more sisters than cousins. Though Minako would entertain all of them with stories of Arica's mischief and adventures that she enticed her cousin into, they had never actually met the girl. The girl in question blushed and looked down for a moment, she glanced over at her cousin for a moment before answering the Queen, "As I keep telling, my dear Minako, things are not always as they seem. My mother was of Earth"
A look of surprise crossed the queen's features; rarely, did anyone from the other planets visit the blue and green planet on a regular basis. Even then, it was rare for any relationship between the two peoples to survive because of the travel restrictions placed on the Earthlings.
Seeing the Queen's bewilderment Arica smiled, "My parents rarely listened to the rules and my father spent much time on Earth. But that is not why I have come." Arica let the smile fall from her features, "The galaxy, and probably the universe is in great peril, the woman that you just met tonight is only a third of your problems. She is part of what is known as the Tryad; Princess Setsuna, do you remember learning anything of the Tryad?"
Sailor Pluto frowned for a moment before answering, "Vaguely, what I did recognize was the kaivanikyar."
"Mmm, I thought so. It must have been too long since they were here last, though that is not a bad thing."
Queen Serenity asked Arica, "What do you know of this Tryad?"
Closing her eyes for a moment Arica frowned and took a deep breath, then winced at the pain in her ribs, "I must first ask one thing of you."
"Ask what ever you may, from what I see you helped us in this battle," the Queen answered.
A smile flickered across her features, "Then I simply ask to sit down, I think that we could all use a seat at the moment." The other senshi nodded in agreement.
"Of course! How foolish of me to forget?" the queen exclaimed. "Come, I believe the briefing room will be adequate enough for our purposes."
~~~~~
Five minutes later, the senshi, Arica, and Tarius all thankfully sank into chairs around the table. Arica let her head rest upon the back of the chair and closed her eyes, concentrating only on breathing for the moment. She felt a cool hand on her forehead and opened her eyes to see Minako, or rather Sailor Venus watching her, concern in her golden-blue eyes. "Hello, Ishtar," she said quietly, when she spared a glance around the room she saw that all but Venus had de-transformed. "I trust you are watching over Minako?"
"Of course, she and I are the same person, or so you keep telling us," Ishtar/Minako answered with a wry smile. "She still resists me though," she added quietly.
"It is because the power still frightens her, she is scared of misusing it. Anyway, you should power-down and put away that bloody sword of yours," Arica said with a tired grin.
"Maybe you are right, Kazu." Closing her eyes Ishtar slipped away from Minako and Sailor Venus. The Crescent Sword returned to Minako's subspace pocket, the golden aura around Sailor Venus faded, and the gold left her eyes. With the sudden loss of the energy, the exertions of the battle caught up with Minako and she was unable to keep her transformation, she wavered and fell forward, completely exhausted. She felt strong arms slip around her and pull her up, Minako looked up to see her cousin smiling at her; Arica pulled her up and kept a hold of her. Minako sighed and leaned into the embrace. "I hate that so much, after every battle I am exhausted," she then added, "I'm so glad to see you again."
"I know, don't worry you will become accustomed to the power in time." Arica hugged Minako tight for a moment before releasing her. "But at the moment we have pressing business." Minako slipped into the chair beside Arica and then looked up to see everyone looking in their direction, she looked down for a moment. "You all probably have many questions, but I must ask you hold them until I finish with my tales."
Arica looked at the others to see if any objected, when she saw that none did she began her stories, "First, you are probably wandering who I am; I am Arica, Minako's cousin. What few people know is that I also go by another name. Setsuna, do you remember the Guardians of the elements?"
The Plutonian frowned for a moment before answering, "Yes. I know very little of them because their actions are shrouded in mystery. They are extremely secretive and keep to themselves; they fight for good using the power of six elements. As I said, so little is known."
Arica considered this before continuing, "I thought that you knew more of us, I never thought that you were kept from so much of our activities." She paused for a moment, "We do fight evil, and we do fight it with the elements. Our powers and abilities come from six different elements that are derived from the four arcane elements: air, fire, earth, and water. I 'share' the element of air with my partner, the wind is my ally while my partners is the weather. Our leader fights with the earth, another with fire, and the last two fight with water and ice. I know that this is confusing but I will answer any questions you have in a moment." She paused and let the information sink in before continuing, "You are also probably wondering why I referred to Minako as 'Ishtar,' and where the powers that she exhibited came from. On Venus there is a legend about an elf warrior, she forged a sword from metal that she found in the heart of a comet. She used the sword in the great civil war that raged on Venus so many centuries ago. When the war ended and peace was established between the humans and the elves and Ishtar passed on she declared that her sword would only be given to the most worthy warrior of Venus. The Crescent Sword symbolised her power and strength. The wielder of the sword would not only have to be the best warrior but also the purest of heart."
The other senshi listened in amazement, Makoto asked Arica, "And Minako was given the sword?"
"Yes, and event that caused much commotion on our world for a senshi has never wielded the sword or Ishtar's power before. Many felt that if one being had that much power and was loyal to the Moon then the balance of power would be shifted." When she saw the confused look on the thunder senshi's face she explained. "Maybe I didn't explain it properly. Many see Sailor Venus and Ishtar as the two sides of Venus; each warrior fought for good but they each had a different mission. As you know it is Sailor Venus' mission to protect her Queen and Princess above all else, but for the Guardian of Venus, as some call her, her mission is to protect Venus. Thus having two different missions, both of which could impede the other." Arica waited until the others seemed to absorb the information. "The Guardian of Venus or the Champion of the Elves is normally called Ishtar because sometimes Ishtar's…spirit would influence them, she would guide them. After all they would have her memories and abilities, Ishtar would help the new wielder of the sword adapt to the power and teach her."
"So then it wasn't Minako in the room fighting the kaivanikyar?" Ami asked.
"Oh, it was me alright," Minako, said quietly, "Ishtar…well, she almost fought through me, she…" Minako struggled for the right words. "She guided me, she let me know how to use her powers."
"Minako will never loose herself to Ishtar, that is something she hasn't seemed to learn yet," Arica said with a pointed look at her cousin who blushed causing some of the others to smile and laugh lightly. "Ishtar simply…observes and directs sometimes. She does this so that Minako will not die."
"My problem is the bloody sword."
Arica couldn't help but laugh. "You are just not used to the power, you will adapt to it in time. The sword has an essence of its own you know," she told her younger cousin.
Setsuna straightened with interest, "An essence?"
Arica smiled again, "Yes, all powerful, old weapons do. I think that the Space Sword might even," she said glancing over at Haruka. "I am not positive on that though because I am not familiar with the weapon. I know that the Silence Glaive does have an essence, a very powerful one at that." At the mention of the sleeping senshi's weapon the room grew quiet, Arica glanced around then continued, "Which brings me to my last point, the Tryad."
"What does Saturn have to do with the Tryad?" Setsuna interrupted.
"That will become clear in a moment. The last time this galaxy saw the Tryad all life was nearly destroyed or enslaved. They are an enemy like no other: they seem to have no weaknesses, have a massive, nearly undefeatable army, and are relentless. The leaders themselves are worse then their army, each has their own strength; you saw Jennkyra tonight, I must say that she is the worst of them." Arica paused to take a breath and let them absorb the information, while she did this she looked at each person in turn. Setsuna seemed pensive almost worried, Michiru also looked thoughtful, though not as much. Beside the Neptunian, Haruka sat looking quite pale, but something told Arica that it was not her words that had produced this. She closed her eyes and felt for her magick, it responded quickly; upon inspection Haruka's blue aura was polluted by a sickly green. Arica opened her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, wincing when she hit a cut that she had gotten from the fight. She wondered what to do, that pale green colour in the Uranian's aura was not good.
Arica was snapped out of her thoughts when Queen Serenity asked, "Do you know what they want, besides to kill us. The woman, Jennkyra, seems to bear a grudge against us…me."
"That is because the last time she was here you defeated her, well, a former incarnation of you, if you will."
Princess Serenity sat up straighter and spook for the first time, "Do you know how?"
Arica smiled at the enthusiastic princess, "Yes, but it is a solution that I do not think will be well met."
The smile faded and the Queen asked, "Why is that?"
"Because it involves someone that has been forbidden to awaken unless all hope is gone."
"Sailor Saturn," Michiru said quietly.
"Yes, the last time the Tryad was in the galaxy we lost the battle and Saturn had to be called upon to stop the evil from taking Earth and the solar system. Evil wants this galaxy because it is considered a 'gateway.' In this galaxy there is so much magick and energy that evil can't help but be drawn to it."
"If Saturn ended the world then why does the Tryad still exist, and how do you know all of what happened?" Rei asked.
"We think that the Tryad found out what was happening and managed to escape. Their army was destroyed but not them. We know all of this because we carry the memories of the past guardians, when Saturn reset the cycle of life she merely restarted the physical realm not the spiritual. Our souls were unaffected by it, in time we regained our memories of what had happened. We had hoped that Jennkyra and the other two had not survived, unfortunately, we were not so lucky," Arica replied.
"Because you seem to know more about this foe, Lady Arica, what do you think should be done?" Queen Serenity asked.
Taking a deep breath first, Arica looked at the Queen, "My reason for being sent to the Moon was to advise you to awaken Saturn. If you would not then I was to meet up with Tempest, my partner, and continue on to Saturn. We hope that you will allow this journey because if we fail, and by we I mean the galaxy, then evil will have gained the means to enslave every race and world in the universe. With Sailor Saturn there is hope that the Tryad may be destroyed once and for all; if not then hopefully we will learn from our mistakes and defeat them the next time."
Queen Serenity leaned back in her chair and thought about what Arica had said. The young woman had a point, Serenity admitted to herself, but was it best to destroy everything? But if evil got the magicks of the galaxy then all life would be lost, it was the best plan. "You had better prepare for the journey then, I assume you want to leave right away?" the Queen said to Arica.
Relief flooded Arica, she had been worried that the Queen would object, "I do, before I do though, I have a question. Which of the senshi do you want to go on the journey?"
Queen Serenity smiled, "I actually want them all to." Before any of the senshi could object she held up her hand and addressed them. "My daughter will be accompanying Lady Arica and I would prefer that she be protected."
"Is it so wise to send the Princess to Saturn, we do now know what awaits them on Saturn," Tarius asked the Queen.
"Serenity must go, Saturn is to be her senshi. I do worry that something may happen but that is why I want the senshi to go too," she replied.
The young princess looked to her mother, "You want me to go so that I will know her, you hope that we won't need to use her and that she will become one of my guard, don't you?"
Queen Serenity smiled and reached out to touch her daughters arm, "And Luna says that you don't listen to your studies." She then addressed the others, "I think it would be best that you all leave as soon as you are able to, though after you all have received some medical attention, and I want know arguments." The last comment was punctuated by looks to both Rei and Haruka.
~~~~~
A few hours later the seven senshi, Arica, and Princess Serenity stood before the Queen and Tarius, ready to depart for the forbidden planet. "Do not worry about me, Tarius and my guard will protect me until your safe return," She told them.
The young princess of the Moon struggled to keep a tight reign on her emotions; she lost the battle and threw herself into her mother's arms. "I don't want you to be left alone, what if that horrible woman comes back?" she asked, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"Then my guard will do their best to defeat her, do not worry my child, I will be here when you return," her mother said soothingly.
"Promise?"
"Of course," she said with a smile, "Now you had better go. The sooner you awaken Saturn the sooner you may return. Stay safe Serenity," the queen said, releasing her daughter with a smile.
The girl, no, young woman turned to board the ship that would take her and the senshi to Saturn, with the others. Arica stayed behind for a moment. She swallowed before speaking, "I cannot thank you enough for allowing this. I will protect her with my life and return her safely to you," she vowed. Arica gave a short bow and turned to walk up the ramp of the ship.
Tarius led the Queen back off of the field, "I am sure they will return, all very safe." He told her, offering his arm to her. She took it and nodded, "I hope so, for all our sakes."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wow. 12,551 words, and this is only the first chapter. Oooh, I think I surprised myself. This was supposed to be a short fluffy little fic to get me started on this pairing, yet it has grown in to a bloody monster. Anyway it is 12:02 in the morning and I should post this and go to bed, 'cause of that evil place they always make me go (school). Please tell me what you think. Too long? Too short? Anything?