"Hold it RIGHT THERE, you!"
Mina felt a strange rush as she stood on the roof of the museum, facing the burglar as he attempted to flee the scene of the crime.
An odd one he was, too. Who the heck wore formalwear to commit a felony?
The burglar stared at her for a moment, then bowed, tipping his hat and smiling graciously. "Good evening, miss. It's a lovely night, don't you think?"
"Oh yeah, such a great night to rob a museum, huh?" She'd muttered this to herself, in English; she was surprised to hear the thief respond—also in perfect English.
"What? You're planning to rob a museum? Why, madame, I'm surprised!"
She stared at him incredulously for a moment, then spluttered, "I'M not! YOU are!"
He faked astonishment and hurt. "Why, madame! What terrible accusations you make! I'm simply enjoying a nighttime stroll—"
"In and out of the ventilation ducts of a museum? Skip it, pal. You went in there to steal something—now hand it over, or else!"
He sighed. "Or else..." He reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out a small black snub-nosed revolver. "what?"
Mina blinked. "Uh...good question."
"You know, I really don't want to have to shoot you," the tuxedo-clad thief said in a conversational tone. "For one thing, you're far too pretty to mess up your face with a gunshot wound. For another, I'm not fond of killing people. And it's really hard to get bullets for this thing here in Japan, so I hate wasting them if I can avoid it." He shrugged helplessly. "Now, run along home like a good little girl, and we can skip the bloodshed, okay?"
Mina stood rooted to the spot, terror gripping her heart. What did she think she was doing? She was okay in sports, sure, but this was a whole other matter! He had a gun! She couldn't even fight...
She once again thought about the bracelet Timothy had given her earlier that day. He'd said not to use it, but...she'd just gotten herself into one hell of a mess. And if there was even a chance she was what he said she was...
"Well? What's it going to be, miss?"
Mina scowled, thrust her hand into her bag, and pulled out the bracelet. She slapped it around her wrist, and as she did so, words began to buzz in her mind. Acting on pure adrenaline, she shouted them...
"MOON POWER! TRANSFORM!"
The rooftop was bathed in brilliant golden light. The thief's eyes widened behind his silk domino mask.
And seconds later, a completely different young woman stood on the roof across from him. She seemed taller, more vivacious. Her clothing had changed—she now wore a short navy blue skirt, matching spike-heeled sandals, a red-and-white top with a red bow and a blue naval collar that left her midriff exposed, elbow-length white gloves, and a red mask from behind which her large sapphire eyes shone with intensity. The faintest outline of a glimmering crescent moon was visible on her forehead.
"Now, drop the gun—or else."
"I've found you at last, Princess Serenity," the panther rumbled in a deep, throaty female voice, fangs glistening.
Usagi screamed.
The panther stalked forward slowly, eyes burning brighter than the security lamps in the park. "Calm down...I'm not going to eat you or anything."
"S-stay back! Somebody help! There's a monster! Big...big...BIG KITTY! It's gonna eat me HELP!"
"Didn't I just say I wasn't going to eat you, you stupid little bi—" the panther coughed. "Your Highness?" As if to demonstrate this, the large cat sat primly on her haunches, front paws stretched out before her.
Usagi blinked. "You're...you'renotgonnaeatme?" she squeaked out in a small, timid voice.
"For the last time, NO, though if you start screaming again, I'll be sorely tempted."
"Eep! I'll be good!" Usagi replied, sitting as far back as she could on the park bench without tipping it over.
The panther nodded satisfactorily. "Good. Now..." She took a tentative sniff of the air. "Is that salmon I smell?"
"Ah...hai?"
"Couldn't spare a bit, could you? I haven't had a chance to hunt tonight."
"Hai!" Immediately Usagi reached into her bag and withdrew a bento full of rolled sushi. She slid it across the ground toward the panther. "Help yourself!"
"Thanks." For a moment, the large black cat ate silently. "This is really good. You make it?" she asked at length.
"N-no...my mother did..."
"Ah." Nodding, the panther licked her lips. "Okay, that's done. Now..."
"H-how come you can t-talk?" Usagi asked.
The panther sighed. "I was about to get to that."
"Okay! Sorry!"
"My name is Luna," the cat said. "I was sent to find you, Princess Serenity..."
"I'm not a princess and my name isn't Serenity," Usagi interrupted. "You've got the wrong—"
"YOU are Princess Serenity," Luna informed her. "You don't remember it yet, but you will. You were the princess of the Moon Kingdom thousands of years ago during the Silver Millennium."
"I was—what?"
"A princess," Luna repeated. "Of the moon."
"Of the moon?"
"Yes." Luna began to pace around the bench; Usagi grew more nervous as the cat drew closer. "Your mother the Queen—"
"My mother's not a queen—"
"Your mother BACK THEN the Queen," Luna snapped, causing Usagi to flinch, "sent you and her little whor—warriors forward in time when you died to be reborn so that you could all fight again if you needed to. Though why she sent you is beyond me, but...anyway." She drew herself up and fixed Usagi with her fiery gaze. "The forces that wiped out the Moon Kingdom before are on the move again, the elite warriors of the moon are being revived, and you, Princess Serenity, must lead them." She dipped her head slightly. "And I have been tasked with the job of finding and protecting you." Her eyes flared brightly, and a small crimson flame erupted at her feet. "I was instructed to give this to you once I found you."
Usagi blinked as the flames resolved into a small golden brooch with a silver-white crescent moon engraved on the front. "Pretty."
"Well, go on, take it."
Usagi stood hesitantly and reached forward, very wary of Luna's sharp teeth. "O-okay..." Once she had hold of it, she admired it for a moment before pinning it to the bow on the front of her school uniform. "Now what?"
"Look up, Serenity. Look up at the moon."
Usagi did so. A long moment passed. Nothing seemed to happen. "I'm looking at the moon, Luna."
Luna frowned. "Okay, this isn't going as smoothly as I ho—"
The brooch began to flare with blinding silver light, and shot a beam into the sky. Usagi rose off the ground, her ponytails streaming behind her.
Luna hissed and shied away from the intense light. After several seconds, it faded—and a very different girl stood in Usagi's place.
* * * * *
The thief stared at the transformed schoolgirl, unable to believe his eyes.
"What the—"
Mina didn't give him a chance to react before charging, aiming a flying kick at his gun hand. The revolver went flying, bouncing once on the edge of the roof before going over and plummeting to the street below.
The thief blinked, then ducked a second kick, backflipped across the roof, and drew a rose from his jacket, which he threw. It clipped Mina in the right arm, but she ignored it. "Give it up. You can't win."
"Who—what—who ARE you?" the thief asked.
"I'm a warrior for good, and I punish evildoers and pretty cooks!"
The thief blinked at her. "Um...you mean petty crooks, don't you?"
Mina blinked back at him. "Uh...yeah." She scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess I'm getting a little exci—HEY! Why am I apologising to you?" She scowled. "Stop distracting me! You're gonna give back what you stole and turn yourself in, or I'll—"
"You'll what?"
"I'll punish you!"
"Oooh, kinky."
The blond blushed furiously. "NOT what I meant, you pervert!"
The thief chuckled. "In any case, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I must decline—you see, I make it sort of a rule to never get caught, and I'm certainly not going to start turning myself in for breaking and entering just because some British schoolgirl in a skimpy outfit tells me to."
"We'll see about THAT," she said, scowling. She extended her right arm, index finger pointed at his heart. "CRESCENT BEAM!"
The thief's eyes widened as a bolt of golden light lanced out, catching him in the chest and slamming him across the roof. He went over the edge of the roof, and barely had time to fire an anchor line from his glove. It sank into the side of the building, and he hung for a moment, shoulder aching, before lowering himself to the ground. "What...the hell...was THAT?" he gasped out, clutching his chest as he stumbled toward his bike.
Three seconds later, he was thankful for the armoured lining of his cape, as a second beam pierced the gas tank of the motorcycle, causing it to explode. The fireball singed him and threw him into the street; he rolled, smothering the flames in his tuxedo, and staggered to his feet.
Mina leapt off the roof and landed lightly before him, hands on her hips. "Now do you give up?" she asked.
He coughed. "Fine, you—what the hell?!" He glanced up sharply, and pointed. "Behind you!"
"Oh, please. I'm not stupid enough to fall for that," the blond retorted.
Three roses were suddenly in the thief's hand. He threw one in Mina's direction; she ducked and prepared to return fire, when she heard the sound of flesh being pierced behind her, followed by a scrape of metal on pavement. She whirled—
A massive, bloated green fist attempted to separate her head from her shoulders. "Gah! What the hell?!"
"I tried to warn you!" the thief replied, already aiming another rose at the strange creature.
Mina backflipped down the street, coming to a rest beside the tuxedo-clad burglar, and took stock of the situation. The monster bearing down on them stood over two metres tall, with green, swollen skin, sightless yellow eyes, and a thin thatch of dirty grey hair which seemed to be falling out with every step it took. It wore filthy, frayed brown clothes which were split at the seams, and was surrounded by a stink of alcohol and formaldehyde and a swarm of flies. One hand was oozing a sickly grey-green pus; there was a large meat cleaver lying on the street behind it, covered with more of the same and pinned down by a rose. Its other hand was shedding a dull amber glow on the pavement before it.
"Ugh, this thing's gross."
The creature hissed wordlessly at them, advancing with menace.
* * * * *
Usagi stared at the white silk gloves covering her hands. "What the—?"
Luna dipped her head, eyes burning darkly. "As I said...you are Princess Serenity."
The teenager picked at the broad white skirts of the dress she now wore. "How did—?"
The panther muttered something under her breath. A disc of silver light flickered between them. "Take a look at yourself," she advised.
Usagi blinked and looked up at the floating disc, which now bore her reflection. "Aaah?" she breathed, lips pursed in a small 'o' of surprise.
She wore a long, flowing gown of shimmery white silk, the hem of which swept the ground at her back and parted in front just above the ankle, showing a pair of pearlescent high-heeled slippers. The low-cut bodice was trimmed in silver and gold lace at the top, and a brooch—the very one Luna had given her earlier—rested upon the centre of her chest, just below the modest cleavage the gown afforded. Elbow-length white silk gloves graced her hands, with a bracelet of small, softly glowing pearls on her right wrist. A delicate silver tiara was balanced upon her head, and earrings of pearls and golden crescent moons dangled from her earlobes.
The clothing, however, was not as great a surprise as the changes to Usagi herself. Her skin had become pale, nearly translucent; her normally dark brown eyes were deep, crystalline blue, and her hair, tied in round buns on each side of her head and trailing to her ankles in long, streaming ponytails, was pure gold.
"What...happened to me?" Usagi asked, placing her hands upon her cheeks.
"This is who you were in the past," Luna rumbled. "This is your true self. You are Princess Serenity."
The princess stared at herself in the magical mirror for a long moment. Then...
"OHGODWHATAMIGONNADOICAN'TGOHOMELIKETHISMAMAANDPAPAWON'TRECOGNISEMEANDI'LLGETTHROWNOUTONTHESTREETANDI'LLHAVETOEATGARBAGEANDSLEEPINABOXWHATDIDYOUDOTOMEYOUSTUPIDCATWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Luna stared for a moment. Then, she sighed. "This isn't permanent, you know."
"ANDNARU-CHANANDEVERYONEWON'TKNOWMEANDI'LL
HAVETOSELLMYBODYANDI'LLGETARRESTEDANDGOTOJAILANDTURNINTOAHARDENEDCRIMINALAND—"
*SMACK*
"Ite!" The blond sank to her knees, nursing a scratch on her cheek. "What—?" She looked into the fiery crimson eyes of the panther, and gulped nervously. "Wh—"
Luna snarled. "Listen, and listen well. The brooch I gave you will allow you to transform into your true self, and into the girl you are in this time. You will be able to change back and forth from now on."
"Change—you mean I'm not gonna look like this forever?"
"Not if you don't want to."
"Oh." Usagi paused. "Okay. So what now?"
* * * * *
"So...what now?"
Mina and the thief stood side-by-side, several metres down the street from the putrid green monster. Several of the thief's roses protruded from its flesh, and its shoulder was singed where Mina had nailed it with a Crescent Beam, but it continued to advance, once again holding its wickedly sharp meat cleaver.
"I don't know about you, but I'm thinking of running for my life," the tuxedo-clad catburglar said.
"Hey! I'm not finished with you yet," Mina snapped.
"And that monster seems a lot more interested in you than it is in me," the thief pointed out. As if in agreement, the green monstrosity threw its knife at the blond. Mina yelped and dove to the side; the cleaver embedded itself in the pavement behind her.
"CRESCENT BEAM!" Mina shouted, taking aim. A shaft of golden light pierced the monster through the chest. It staggered, then continued its advance.
"Well, I'll be seeing you," the thief said. He launched a line from his glove at a nearby building and swung away, cape billowing in the night breeze.
"ASSHOLE!" Mina bellowed at his retreating form. "Just wait till I—ack!" She rolled away from a clumsy swing by the monster, coming up in a sloppy defensive stance. "I am so dead," she moaned.
* * * * *
The thief looked down at the battle in the street from the balcony of a condominium. "Poor girl. Ah well." He turned to leave—
—and was brought up short as he collided with a man in a white suit. "Going somewhere?"
"Yes, actually. Away from here." The thief drew a rose from his jacket—
—which promptly burst into flame, forcing him to drop it.
The man shook his head, his long white hair swaying behind him. "I don't think so." His eyes glowed silver. "Get back down there and help that girl, or you'll be sorry."
The thief stared at him for a moment. He then sighed. "This just isn't my night."
* * * * *
The princess sat on a bench, head in her hands. The panther sat nearby, eyes burning dully as she watched her. "Well?"
Usagi sighed. "I don't know what to think of all this, Luna."
Luna shrugged her shoulders. "There's nothing for you to think about. You're the Princess of the Moon Kingdom."
"But there IS no Moon Kingdom. So what was the point of bothering me with this?"
"Because my que—" Luna coughed. "Queen Serenity's enemies are returning to this world. Without you and the Senshi, Earth will be overrun with darkness. Humanity will be enslaved by demonic hordes."
Usagi sighed. "And what am I supposed to do about it?" she asked.
"You must use the light of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou to save this world from the Dark Kingdom," Luna advised.
"The what?"
"The crystal that belonged to your mother. It..." Luna frowned. "I don't know what became of it, actually. But now that I've found you, you should be able to find the Ginzuishou."
"How?"
Luna blinked. "You don't know?"
"No!"
"Ah well. We'll figure something out."
Usagi stared at her. "You're serious."
"Dead serious."
The princess sighed. "I don't know, Luna. I—"
"Wait."
"Eh?"
Luna stared off into the night, her nose twitching. Her eyes flared, and she hissed. "Serenity, something is..."
"What?"
"We've got to move. Quickly! They're coming for you!"
"Who?"
"THE DARK KINGDOM! Hurry! Get out of here!" Luna turned to run.
"But how—?"
"MOVE OR I'LL EAT YOU!"
"EEP!" And so the princess and the panther ran off into the night.
A red-haired, pale-skinned woman stood on a burnt-out streetlamp, smiling thinly. "Kill them."
And below her, four monstrosities shambled across the park...
* * * * *
Mina shrieked as the monster's fist crashed into the wall just above her head. Things were going very badly indeed—she was down, she was trapped, and the hideous green thing was about to splatter her all over the city she hated more than any other place in the world.
And then its head vanished.
She blinked. "What the—?"
"I figured it wouldn't stand up to my Smoking Bomber," a familiar voice drifted from a short distance away. The blond looked up, eyes wide...
The thief stood nearby, casually hefting a grenade launcher from which trails of smoke curled into the night air. He grinned at her. "So, still want me to go to jail?"
She stared. "What—where did you—?"
"Lucky thing you didn't get this when you blew up my bike earlier," he replied, reloading the grenade launcher. "I hate to use Smoking Bomber here, but..."
Mina stood up, brushing herself off. "You came back to help me..."
The thief shrugged. "I figured you might be grateful enough to join me for a nightcap or something," he said.
The blond glared at him. "Don't push your luck, buddy," she snapped. She looked down at the headless monster. "Well, that about—"
"Look out!"
Mina leapt instinctively away as the arms of the monster flailed about where her ankles had been a split second earlier. "No way!" she cried.
"What the hell IS this thing?" the thief asked, bracing to fire his grenade launcher again.
"Whatever it is, KILL IT! QUICK!" Mina snapped.
"Okay, okay." Once the blond was clear, the catburglar fired again, blowing the top of the monster's torso completely away. Greyish gore splattered the street, some of it splashing onto the two of them. The thief wrinkled his nose. "You're paying for my dry cleaning," he grumbled.
"Ewww, I've got this crap on my LEGS!" Mina whined.
"On second thought, nevermind the nightcap. Maybe just a shower."
Mina glared at the thief, kicked him squarely in the balls, then stalked off.
"A cold shower," the thief wheezed, clutching his groin as he collapsed to the ground.
* * * * *
Usagi stood behind a pair of tall trees, peering nervously through the narrow gap between their trunks. "What's going on here, Luna?" she asked.
Beside her, the panther's hackles were up, her fangs bared. Trails of crimson sparks erupted from her eyes. "He told me they were ready to move, but I didn't think they'd start operating in the open so soon..."
"Who?"
Luna sighed. "The Dark Kingdom, like I said before. Your enemies. They've come back from their prison, and they must know you're here. That's why we've got to get away as fast as we can...they'll want to kill you."
"Kill me?!" Usagi squeaked.
Luna nodded. "Duck low, stay still, and don't make a sound."
The princess swallowed nervously, but at a fiery glance from the panther, she complied.
Luna closed her eyes, the scar on her forehead dripping fresh blood on the ground. *Master. I've got her. We're in trouble. They're coming. We need help...*
* * * * *
*Master. I've got her. We're in trouble. They're coming. We need help...*
Atop the roof, he cursed. He could feel the Princess, knew she had been Awakened. He could now dimly feel the auras of other Senshi, scattered throughout the city. And below him, the lone active Senshi had just nearly gotten killed by a single agent of the Dark.
There was absolutely no way he could see to salvage this situation without overplaying his hand. And yet...
He bit off a curse as two unnatural forms emerged from opposite alleys, positioned to ambush the awakened Senshi below. While not nearly as menacing as the first one, they would be difficult for her to defeat, and there would be no chance of reaching the Princess in time...
* * * * *
Mina swore vehemently as she backed into a wall.
Two more monsters had appeared out of nowhere. They weren't as impressive as the one the thief had destroyed, but they looked decidely homicidal nevertheless. They had greyish-green skin and thin, frayed hair—the word 'zombie' was the most fitting description the blond could come up with for them. One had torn a dustbin lid in half and held it like a fan in one hand, while holding a length of metal pipe in the other; the other zombie had found the museum robber's gun.
"God, what is this, night of the living dead?"
The zombie with the gun fired at her. She tensed, raising her arm to shield her face, and was surprised when the bullet bounced harmlessly off her glove. She blinked. "Okay, so I'm bulletproof. That's a relief." Smiling grimly, she dropped into a combat stance and prepared to enter the fray...
* * * * *
"Accursed..." Luna spat, and began hissing vehemently in some arcane language. Usagi glanced at her.
"Wha—what's wrong, Luna?"
"Princess, I don't think we're going to be getting help here. We might...be dead."
"Dead? But...but...you're a big kitty with teeth and stuff! Can't you do anything?"
Luna gave her a flat look. "Sure, I can probably take one, maybe two of them before they kill me. Plus, whoever's controlling them is still floating around somewhere, and I'm nowhere near strong enough for that."
"Oh. Well...um..."
The foliage around them rustled as the shambling horrors drew closer. The city lights shone down upon them, and Usagi could now see that they were—or had been—human. Now, they were twisted, misshapen things, soulless corpses whose sightless, jaundiced eyes rolled madly in sunken sockets as they lurched unsteadily toward their goal. One of them touched a bush, and the princess stifled a shriek of horror as it began to wither and die, leaves immediately browning and shrivelling.
Luna sighed. "Oh well, best to go out fighting." With a terrifying roar, she leapt from hiding, tackling the nearest monstrosity and sinking her jaws deep into its rotting flesh, tearing its arm off at the shoulder. Another one came up behind her and grabbed her head, pulling her away; the downed zombie kicked sharply upward, and Luna yowled.
*Luna...she's fighting to protect me...*
The other monsters shambled closer, manic glee on their grey faces, rotten teeth bared in sadistic leers. The panther struggled, lashing out with teeth and claws, blasts of flame erupting from her eyes, but she was slowly being overcome by the zombies.
*I can't...just sit here. But what can I do...? I'm just a normal girl...I'm scared...*
And then, suddenly, from somewhere inside, a voice told her not to be afraid.
A pale silver light shone from the brooch on her chest.
And Usagi's eyes widened.
"I understand."
Luna roared out a warning. "Serenity! RUN!"
The zombies bore down on her, trying to break her, trying to tear her limbs off, trying to gouge her eyes out, break her jaw.
The princess stood and emerged from hiding. "Stop."
The four corpses turned to stare at her.
"I'm the one you want."
"Serenity, NO—!"
"So come get me."
As one, the nightmarish horrors advanced on their intended victim...
"Moon Prism Power..."
Luna's eyes widened, and she hissed, recoiling. A power—! Such POWER—!
"MAKE-UP!"
The world exploded in silver flame.
* * * * *
His head snapped around sharply, white hair fanning behind him. "What in the—?"
* * * * *
Mina paused in her fight with the corpses as a sudden intense feeling of...something washed over her. She was at a loss to explain it. Then, in a heartbeat, it was gone. "CRESCENT BEAM!" she cried, drilling yet another hole in the nearest zombie.
* * * * *
Behind his silken mask, the thief's eyes widened. *I feel something...strange...could it be...?*
* * * * *
Luna's eyes widened.
The princess' silken white gown and delicate appearance had vanished in a silver flash. In its place...
She was still unmistakeably Serenity. But there was a harsh intensity to her sapphire eyes now. A set to her jaw, a certain air of confidence about her.
She wore highly polished knee-high red boots that gleamed in the streetlights. The white trim at the tops sported golden crescent moons. A dark blue miniskirt flared about her hips, attached to an immaculate white leotard with ribbed cuffs at the shoulders. A naval collar, matching the skirt in colour, was attached to the top of the leotard, and the front was adorned with a red bow, the centre of which sported a familiar golden brooch. Elbow-length white silk gloves with red trim graced her hands. A red choker with a gold crescent moon adorned her throat. A slim gold tiara with a ruby in the centre graced her forehead. Round, bright red jewels shone from the buns in her hair. Pearl and golden moon earrings dangled from her earlobes.
She dropped into a combat stance that appeared flawless to the black panther. Her eyes flickered across the four zombies, who had backed away uncertainly in the wake of her transformation.
She nodded grimly, and raised her right hand.
"Silver Tide."
An intense, nearly blinding wave of rolling silver energy boiled outward from the transformed princess, sweeping over the four attackers. The zombies roared in pain as their flesh began to crumble. Dim, flickering amber flames erupted from their mouths, floating into the night. Luna turned her head and looked away as the brilliant light from the princess' attack burned the unholy monsters into nothingness, leaving little more than piles of ash and soiled, foul cloth.
The princess collapsed.
"Serenity?" Luna asked tentatively.
* * * * *
The pale woman cursed as the captive souls of her minions faded away, the gems shattering in her hand. The four that had been sent after the princess had died all at once, and the remaining two were on the verge of defeat.
Something was horribly amiss with this entire situation. Could the princess already have the—?
As her remaining minions faded away, she felt a violent tug on her very soul. She screamed in defiance, but was unable to resist the pull...
In a flash of ebon fire, the redhead vanished.
* * * * *
The phone rang.
"Hai, moshi-moshi?"
//Mamoru-kun? This is Tsukino Ikuko.//
He blinked. "Hai?"
//I was just wondering...is Usagi there?//
"Usagi? No...why do you ask?"
The woman sighed. //I sent her over to your place to share a snack with you, and for the two of you to get acquainted. She called to say you weren't there, and I was just wondering if—//
"I just got home, actually," he replied. "I was tied up in research. Usagi certainly wasn't outside I arrived."
//...oh. Then...//
"I wouldn't have any idea where she is, I'm sorry." A pause. "Tsukino-san, I'd appreciate it if you not send Usagi over without calling to check with me first. I'm very busy with studies and other commitments. I'm often in and out at odd hours. I respect and honour the arrangement between our families, but I'm afraid I don't have a great deal of time to spend on frivolous encounters."
A very long pause. //...I see. Very well, Mamoru-kun, I'll respect your wishes.// Another pause. //You're not seeing other girls on the side, are you?//
"Tsukino-san, I have neither the time nor the inclination for such encounters, with anyone."
//Alright. I'm sorry for accusing you. If you hear from Usagi, please tell her to come home straight away, alright?//
"I'll do that. I hope she's not in any trouble."
//Arigatou.//
With a long sigh, Mamoru hung up the phone, then reached up to remove the silk domino mask from his face. The night had been a total loss. His gun had gone missing, he'd had to use up expensive ammunition for the Smoking Bomber, much of his gear would need extensive cleaning and repair, his bike had been blown up, and on top of all that, he'd been relieved of the spoils.
Of course, he'd known the instant he removed it from the museum that the Platina Selen was not the gem he was seeking. He also knew there was absolutely no chance of fencing it—it was too rare, too recognisable, even if he had it cut. He'd toyed with the notion of ransoming it, but that wasn't his style.
In any event, the night's work would put a serious dent in his cash reserves.
And to top it all off, he hadn't gotten anywhere with that cute chick in the skirt...
Peeling off his tuxedo and tossing it on the sofa, Mamoru collapsed into bed to catch a brief nap before heading off to an early class.
Complete and total loss.
* * * * *
"FOOL."
"Y-Your Majesty, I—"
"SILENCE!"
The redhead quailed.
Upon a throne caked in dried blood and decorated with gruesome, inhuman skulls, a woman in flowing black silk robes sat, glowering menacingly at the pale woman. She, too, had fiery copper hair, as well as cold grey eyes. Long ornamental spikes protruded from leather shoulderguards, and a black crown topped her head. Her chalk-white face was set in a mask of rage; a slim hand with long, slender fingers ending in three-inch, black-painted nails pointed at the pale woman cowering before the throne.
"I did not authorise your incursion to Earth. I did not authorise your attack. And now, thanks to your incompetence, one Senshi is revived, the Princess herself is awakened, they are aware of our existence, and furthermore, you FAILED TO KILL EITHER OF THEM!"
"B-but, Your Majesty..."
"However, this is not entirely due to your incompetence. That...power. Princess Serenity never possessed such power in times of old. Something is not right. You may have performed a useful service despite your inexcusable failure."
"Your Majesty, I—"
"HOWEVER!" The woman upon the throne stood now, descending the rough black stone steps, "This does not excuse your open defiance. What possible reason can you give for your disobedience, Morganite?"
"I...Your Majesty..."
"You have no defence of your actions, then?"
"N-no, but..."
"I see." The taller redhead nodded. She then thrust a hand forward...directly into the chest of the other woman, whose eyes widened in shock. Green-tinged blood began to ooze down her tunic.
"B-Beryl...sister..."
"As a sister and as a servant, you are useless to me," Beryl spat. She wrenched her hand out of Morganite's chest, pulling a rough-hewn yellow crystal which pulsed with an inner glow, the rhythm much like a heartbeat. Smiling coldly, she closed her hand, and the crystal shattered, raining fragments on the cold stone floor.
Morganite gasped out one last painful wheeze and fell dead at her sister's feet.
"JADEITE!" Beryl snapped. "Now that my dear sister's incompetence has exposed us, we must begin gathering energy for our defence. I entrust this task to you. Work quickly, and work in secret—do not allow the Princess or her Senshi to interfere. We must restore our fallen Master!"
A man who had been standing in the shadows bowed deeply, clenching one white-gloved fist to the breast of his iron grey jacket. His blond hair gleamed in the dim light of the throne chamber. "Hai, Queen Beryl-sama." With that, he vanished in a pulse of darkness.
