chouso@aur.alcatel.com
If you have read the first three parts then you might be wondering
where exactly this little epic fits in. Well, I have watched the
North American version, along with some of the movies, and have
realized that this really doesn't fit in anywhere in particular. Call
it an alternate universe if you need to. I don't have Reenie in this
because I didn't much enjoy her. Other than that, I have the same
disclaimers that everyone else has. Enjoy!
-Soumitra Choudhury
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Mars Fire Ignite: Chapter 4: Soul Burned
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Cole felt horrible. He didn't know anyone could feel this bad
at all, but apparently one could. His stomach was all knots, he felt
alternatingly angry and worried, confused and rejected. He kept
breaking out into chills and sweats. And his overactive mind was not
helping him any either.
In general, Cole was thinking about Rei and what had happened
to her, or rather, what he thought was happening to her.
It was the night of the explosion that had rocked the
building, tearing a hole in a good portion of the seventh floor, the
floor that Rei had been staying on. In fact, when he had run to
investigate, it was Rei's room that had literally been dashed to the
four winds. In near panic, he had searched the whole hospital over for
her whereabouts, fearing the absolute worst. Luckily, a patient who
was at the scene when Sailor Mars and the masked intruder had had
their bout told him that Rei had been carried off by four girls and a
guy fitting the descriptions of Serena, Darien and the rest of Rei's
friends.
Somewhat rational by that time, Cole had returned to his room
at the urgings of several police and doctors, puzzled and worried at
the girls' action. Why would they take Rei away from here? Surely she
was not ready to leave the hospital yet. The fight had been right next
to her room. And what did that patient mean by "carried off"?
His concern grew as he was moved to a more secure room in a
lower level, and he had sent William to go find the girls, and Rei if
possible, and either bring them back here, or take them to the
penthouse. He would be leaving soon anyway, and this whole thing could
be straightened out then. He dearly missed his alluring Rei, so much
that it almost hurt.
After the doctors had left, his concern took a 180 degree turn
and transformed to blazing fury. Again, Sailor Mars had gotten his
beloved hurt, perhaps nearly killing her, with her antics! This is
getting out of hand, he thought to himself. Sailor Mars is supposed to
be a superheroine, along with the rest of the Sailor Scouts, and
Sailor Moon. They are supposed to help people, not bring their fights
so close as to injure the innocent. Why did she keep ending up hurting
Rei?
A small part of him rationally considered that perhaps this
was not Sailor Mars' fault, but that was a VERY small part of him. The
thought vanished as wisp of smoke.
William had returned later on that night and reported that he
could not find the girls anywhere, but that he thought perhaps they
were hiding at one of their houses, which he did not know the
locations to. Cole sent him off to go find out. Now, here he was,
laying in his bed, itching to go help William find Rei. He felt it
would be a good time to tell her his feelings about her, something he
had meant to do after the banquet, but the timing had not been correct
after the accidents and attacks. Later, though...
Cole fell asleep after a few moments.
* * * * *
A knock at the front door startled Mina and Serena, munching
on appetizers that Lita had prepared while she cooked dinner for
everyone at the apartment. Mina stood and went over to the door,
motioning the others to be quiet, and peered through the
peephole. "It's William, Cole's butler."
Puzzled, Mina opened the door. "Uh, hi Mr. William. What can
we do for you?"
William smiled down at her. "This might take a moment or
two. May I come in?" By this time, Lita had emerged from the kitchen
with Ami, and she motioned in the affirmative.
The man stepped in, Mina closing the door behind him, and he
took a seat on the couch opposite Serena, the others crowding in
around to listen. Taking a deep breath, William began, "Is the Lady
Rei alright?"
"I'm fine, William," replied a haggard, but rested Rei being
led in by Darien. Her injured arm hung in a sling, and dark circles
under her eyes spoke of her exhaustion, but she threw him a comforting
smile, running a hand through her unkempt hair. She took a seat next
to the butler. "What brings you here?"
"And how did you find us?" added a perturbed Lita, removing
her apron.
"Well, as to the second question, Gishumi has an extensive
database system, enough to find anyone in the country, and a couple
other countries as well. It was simple enough to find all of your
addresses, and then go to each of your houses to see if you were all
there."
He cleared his throat nervously, then continued. "As to your
first question, Cole is extremely worried about you and your
whereabouts."
Rei blushed slightly, and a look of pleasant surprise passed
over her face, but it quickly subsided. "Well, as you can see, I'm in
good hands, and I'll be alright."
"Then why aren't you at the hospital?"
She opened her mouth to reply, but Lita interrupted. "Why all
the questions? You know she's safe, so why don't you just go back and
tell Cole such and leave it at that?"
William ignored the tall girl's bluntness. "Because Cole will
not accept that answer." He turned to Rei and held her in a fatherly
gaze. "Rei, Cole thinks very much of you. He has been beating himself
up about not being there to help you when you needed it at the
banquet, and then today at the hospital."
Rei laughed nervously. "That's ridiculous. It wasn't his
fault, and he couldn't have done anything more than he did."
"Love does strange things to people," he replied softly.
The dark-haired girl gave William a startled look, all her
composure evaporating away at the words. She had waited months for
those words to show themselves, and now she didn't know whether to
jump up in joy or groan in despair. If it weren't for the current
predicament of the Grell and such, she would have had William take her
to see him, but she knew that would be too dangerous, for both of
their sakes. She let out a deep sigh, and a whimper escaped her.
Ami stepped up. "That will be nice and all for after the
resolution of the current situation, but only afterwards. For right
now, we have a powerful assassin trying his hardest to kill Cole and
Rei." Everyone, including William and Rei, gave her alarmed looks.
"How do you know he's trying to kill Rei?" the butler asked.
"Because she was with Cole at the banquet, and can identify
him," Ami lied easily. Lita and Mina breathed silent sighs of relief,
having thought Ami had slipped and almost given away their secrets.
William thought this over for a moment. "Well, if I could find
you this easily, then this assassin should be able to find this place
just as easily, especially since he managed to find Rei at the
hospital. It was a good thing that Sailor Mars was there to stop him."
Serena smiled knowingly at Rei. "Perhaps it would be a better idea to
take Rei somewhere more secure."
"Like where?" Lita asked.
"Our home."
Rei turned to William. "The penthouse?"
"Sure, why not? We have a top of the line security system, and
the only way to the top is the elevator. We'll be notified and ready
for any intruders long before they can get to Rei. Plus, I have been
teaching Cole in the martial arts for quite some time now, so between
us two guys, Rei will be more than safe."
Rei fidgeted with her fingers. "I don't know."
"There's plenty of room for your friends to come and go
whenever they please, if that will make you feel better. We have a
number of guest rooms."
Serena jumped up. "That would be great, right Rei?"
Ami added, "You would be safer there, and we could come visit
you after school everyday."
Rei considered this. It was a good thing her grandfather was
taking is spiritual journey around the world that he managed to make
every decade or so. He wouldn't be back for a few weeks at
least. Grandpa definitely wouldn't approve of me staying at Cole's
place, she thought in amusement.
Still, this would be a good time to have a heart to heart talk
with Cole. That thought made her feel strangely electrified, and she
considered that a good thing.
Finally, she shrugged. "I guess it would be okay. I don't have
much of a choice, do I?"
Darien smiled at her. "Nope."
"What about these Sailor Scouts," William interjected. "Does
anyone know how to notify them where we are, just in case they are
trying to get this assassin?"
Mina grinned. "Don't worry about it. The Sailor Scouts always
seem to know how to handle the problems. They'll probably be around to
add their protection."
"All except Sailor Mars, though," William said, getting up
from the couch. "Cole seems to have developed quite a hatred for that
one for all the pain she's brought upon Rei."
Everyone fell silent. Rei's face paled, and her eyes widened,
aghast. She hadn't known that her lie had been taken this far. It
hurt her tremendously that Cole felt this way, but what could she do?
Telling him her secret identity was out of the question... or was it?
She shook her head. No, telling him would do little good, and bring
more harm than needed. Cole would be in danger for the rest of his
life if he knew. Still, it hurt.
William noticed her chagrin. "What's wrong?"
Ami came over and wrapped an arm around Rei. "Oh, it
nothing. It's just that Sailor Mars is Rei's hero," she lied smoothly.
Serena glanced at Lita and Mina. Two lies in one day? This was
a part of Ami none of them had seen before.
Darien cleared his throat. "Well, in any case, we should get
her over to the penthouse right away and settle her in. When will Cole
be getting there?"
"Sometime tomorrow. I'm sure he'll be eager to get home."
They helped pack up some overnight things for Rei and Lita, so
that Rei wouldn't be there alone tonight, and prepared to visit the
rest of the girls' houses to get some other stuff. It would be a
regular sleep over at Rei's temple, or so the parents would
think. Darien, of course, returned to his apartment.
* * * * *
Jade, Opal and Pearl spent a good portion of the night seeking
out the one known as Rei Hino, but they came up empty-handed. It
didn't bother them too much, though. They knew where she lived, and
they knew that she was close to Master Grell's primary target. So, in
the end, they posted scouts at both the Cherry Hill Temple and the
Gishumi Electronics Building, and were rewarded when late that night,
a limo carrying their target and her friends drove into the supposed
sanctity of the underground parking deck.
"How do you suppose we can lure the Sailor Scouts out here?"
Jade whispered, the three ninjas crouched behind a dumpster across the
street.
"Perhaps a strike against the one known as Sailor Mars?"
offered Opal.
"Mmmm, that sounds delicious," purred Pearl, fingering the
hilt of her short sword.
They watched as the garage door to the underground lot closed
shut with a metallic grind, then silently padded across the street,
three dark shadows in a city of light. When they reached the great
metal garage door, the ninjas stopped, remaining motionless. They
entered a trance-like state, and in moments, their bodies became
non-corporeal and wisp-like. In unison, they stepped through the door.
* * * * *
"Be careful with her," said a concerned Lita as William helped
Rei out of the car. William merely grunted in reply. Rei threw her a
wane smile, looking quite exhausted as he drew her into his arms.
The girls stood around him, duffel bags in hand, waiting
patiently for William to lead them away, so they didn't notice the
attack until it was too late. Rei was too tired to register the sense
of evil that suddenly invaded the surroundings.
A dark shadow-like figure swept through their midst, slammed a
powerful kick into William's back, and leaped over the falling man to
land nimbly upon the hood of the limo. Two other dark presences
silently grabbed Mina and Ami about the throats in a strangle hold,
and pulled them back, away from the others.
"So," whispered the figure on the car, "you are the famed
Sailor Mars? You are much weaker than we have suspected." She slid a
short sword out from its sheath.
Lita and Serena, dazed and awed at the sheer speed with which
the ninjas had disabled them, remained planted on their feet. Mina and
Ami said nothing, firmly held as they were. William groaned as he
tried to get up off the floor, and Rei, who had fallen where William
had dropped her, managed to clamber up to her elbows, pretending to
look confused. "What are you taking about? What Sailor Mars?"
Jade's eyes flashed angrily through her mask, and her grip
tightened on her blade. "Don't play us for fools, fire-child. Or,
should I say, Rei Hino."
Rei's eyes stayed firm, betraying nothing, but the surprised
gasp from William told her that her secret was out. Slowly, she rose
to her feet, using the limo for support. "What do you want?" Rei
hissed menacingly.
A twinkle of laughter escaped the masked woman. "Why, we want
Sailor Moon and her band of empty-headed scouts."
"Why?" grated Lita, taking a step forward.
"Because they are a thorn to our beings! We are the
Ninja-Witches. It is our duty to promote havoc and chaos wherever we
go, taking what we please, killing who we must, instilling fear where
we can. The Sailor Scouts are our arch-nemeses, undoing what we have
spent so much time promoting!" Jade's tone wavered on the verge of
hysterics. "We must determine who is the better! We must, no, we will
destroy them!" She seemed ready to pounce on Rei, but held back,
calming herself. "Except you. The Master wishes to deal with you
himself."
Rei sighed in exasperation. "You're master wouldn't be the
Grell, would he?"
Jade chuckled. "Indeed he would. Woe to you who has raised the
ire of such a foe. I almost pity you." Her eyes suddenly
hardened. "Now, where are your friends?"
Rei's mind whirled. She couldn't just transform and attack, or
else Ami and Venus would suffer. Plus, she was still much too weak to
do any good. Lita and Serena couldn't transform because the ninjas and
William would see them. She needed to somehow get Tuxedo Mask over
here to help, but she couldn't do that without talking to Darien,
which was out of the question, or get Serena to change into Sailor
Moon, which looked well nigh impossible. On the other hand, a little
bluffing might give us some time, she thought.
"They won't know to come unless I transform," Rei lied, making
it sound like this was vitally important information. She reached into
her pocket for her transformation pen, but Jade jumped off the hood
and landed catlike near her, the tip of her sword pointing to her
throat.
"Any tricks, fire-child, and you will die."
Defiantly, Rei reached out with her bad arm and shoved the
blade aside. "You forget. Your master has requested that pleasure for
himself."
Once again, the ninja's eyes blazed in fury, and she stepped
around Rei to kick William solidly in the temple. William grunted and
fell back to the ground, unconscious. "Then these people will die
instead."
Though truly sorry that William had been dealt with in such a
manner, Rei's spirits rose slightly. The ninja had unwittingly aided
her cause in knocking out the man, for now Rei didn't need to worry
about William witnessing anything out of the ordinary.
Also, the woman had stepped a bit too close to Rei, and the
transformation would not accept such a near and present evil. Smiling
to herself, she brought out the pen and raised it high.
"Mars Star Power!"
Beams of red light strobed into being, twirling and whirling
at a maddening pace. They combined with streams of flame which swirled
about Rei and aided in the transformation. The light and heat forced
Jade to turn away and step back, stumbling over William's prone body.
Sailor Mars emerged from the vibrant show of power, and
immediately took advantage of Jade's clumsiness. Quickly removing two
small pieces of scrolled paper, each inscribed with ancient scripture,
she yelled, "I call upon the power of Mars!" The scrolls stiffened
straight, and she threw them unerringly at the twin ninjas holding Ami
and Venus. Caught off guard by the display, the dark garbed women
loosened their grasps upon the girls, who promptly dropped to the
ground, ducking. The scrolls slammed into the ninjas' foreheads, and
instantly they were paralyzed.
Lita and Serena didn't waste any time themselves. The taller
girl reached for her own pen, and yelled, "Jupiter Star Power!" Next
to her, Serena cried, "Moon Prism Power!" Their corresponding
transformations engulfed them.
Meanwhile, Jade recovered enough of her balance to fight
back. Sailor Mars looked drained after releasing the scrolls, and
couldn't block the kick that slammed her in the kidney. She collapsed
in pain, writhing on the ground.
Jade turned to examine the battlefield. As soon as Mars
dropped to the ground, the ninja's sisters were released from their
paralysis, but in that time, Ami and Mina had managed to transform
also. All the scouts were now accounted for.
The resulting battle was mesmerizing to watch. The triplet of
ninjas fought with astounding grace and agility, parrying away the
energy attacks of the scouts with great effort. The scouts, though
outnumbering the ninjas four to three, could not seem to gain the
upper hand. Both sides took fearsome hits, ranging from slashes from
blades to scorches from lightning and light attacks. Sailor Moon
spent most of her time dodging madly from flung throwing stars and
precise sword thrusts.
"Mars!" Sailor Moon cried as she sidestepped a blade
thrust. "Get up! We need you!"
The flame scout groaned, trying to get to her feet. She felt
stupid for falling for the kidney kick, an incapacitating blow which
was intended for a surefire knockdown with little permanent
damage. She also felt her powers waning, the anti-evil scrolls and the
transformation having taken a lot out of her. When will I get a chance
to rest? she thought numbly, and slid to a sitting position.
Just then, a rose flew from the rafters and slashed across
Opal's hand as she was about to decapitate Sailor Mercury. Dropping
the blade, she twirled around and saw a handsome masked man leap down
and stalk forward. "Who dares to attack the pure-hearted Sailor
Scouts?" he shouted, raising his cane as a weapon.
Pearl sent a mental note to her sisters, "I believe we are
outnumbered and outmatched for the moment. We must flee!"
"No!" returned Jade harshly, "we are better than they are! We
WILL destroy them!" And with that, she renewed her furious attacks,
this time augmenting her sword with magical energies that flowed from
her body. The blade took on a sickly mauve glow which hissed as it
sliced through the air.
With the other ninjas also focusing their magic through their
swords, the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask found themselves in dire
straits. These women could fight two, sometimes three, of the heroes
at the same time, their weapons and arms a blur of attacks and
parries, thrusts and dodges. In fact, Venus and Jupiter took a number
of painful cuts from their weapons, and the mounting number of
injuries were starting to take their toll.
Meanwhile, Mars had managed to get to her feet, knowing that
her enemies had forgotten about her in the midst of battle. Even
though her vision shifted dizzily from the effort, she struggled
against falling to the black void of unconsciousness. She was needed
right now, perhaps more than ever.
She mentally scrolled through her repertoire of powers, but
none seemed to handle the situation... except for her celestial
fire-rings attack. Mars chewed on her bottom lip, vaguely frightened
about what she was about to do. The fire-rings attack was quite
powerful, perhaps more than she had left in her weakened state. Plus,
she needed to modify it so that the various rings would strike at
three different targets, which would require a better control of her
energy than she probably had. There was a very real possibility that
this would require too much of her.
Valiant to the end, though, Sailor Mars shrugged off the
consequences. Sailor Moon, the princess of the Moon Kingdom, was in
definite danger, and wasn't it her duty to protect her, no matter the
costs? She gritted her teeth and raised her arms before her. Farewell,
my friends, she sighed silently as the proper phrase entered her mind.
"Mars Unerring Flames... Strike!"
All of the combatants stopped in mid-strike and twisted in
shock towards Mars. Three flaming spheres of light shot forth from her
hands, flying purposefully for the surprised ninjas. Even before the
last sphere left Mars' hand, she was falling, the blanket of darkness
snapping shut before her eyes. She never saw the results of that
powerful blast.
The first two balls of fire struck Opal and Pearl squarely in
the chests, tossing them back on the ground. With the distraction of a
burning torso, neither of them saw the killing strokes of energy that
destroyed them by Jupiter and Venus.
The third ball, weaker than the first two, clipped Jade in the
side, and she threw herself backwards, alertly landing on her toes and
dodging the attack from Mercury at the same time. Seeing her two
sisters decimated, and the odds greatly out of favor, she retreated
away, disappearing into a nearby wall.
"Damn!" cried Jupiter. "We've got to go after her!" She turned
towards Sailor Moon for support, and stopped dead in her tracks.
Moon had Mars' head gently cradled in her lap, yelling for her
to get up. Tears were streaming down Moon's face, dripping down and
splashing on Mars' ashen form.
"Get up Mars! Open your eyes! Tell me you're okay!" she cried
between sobs.
Mars was not responding.
Mercury rushed over, Venus, Jupiter, and Tuxedo Mask a step
behind. The blue haired intellect quickly checked for vital signs,
first her pulse, then her breathing. "She's not breathing, and I can't
find a pulse!" Mercury shouted back hysterically. She ripped out her
computer and began making scans, her fingers trembling as she tried to
punch in the proper sequence of commands.
Sailor Moon looked stricken. "No! Rei, can you hear me! Don't
do this too me!" She started shaking Mars, attempting futilely to wake
her up.
Mercury dropped her computer and grabbed Moon's arms. "Stop
it! She's drained! She doesn't have enough energy left in her to make
her heart beat! Her brain is barely registering any reactions at all!"
Jupiter gasped behind her. "What are we going to do?!"
The blue-haired girl slowly turned to the brunette, infinite
grief threatening to engulf her face. "I... I don't know," she
whispered.
There was a shocked moment of silent. Ami had never uttered
those words, and they sounded horridly final to the fire-child's dear
friends.
"No!" screamed Sailor Moon, and she tore out her
broach. Before anyone could ask her what she was doing, and upon
hearing her plan, stop her, she summoned the power of the Silver
Imperium Crystal, and everything disappeared in a flash of white
light.
* * * * *
Sailor Moon found herself in a ghostly, deserted
environment. Stark, drab, and thoroughly devoid of color, it surprised
her to realize that it was her neighborhood, nearby Rei's temple. The
sky was overcast and grey. She herself was dressed in her Sailor Moon
outfit, but that was also grey and and lusterless, as was her skin and
hair. The houses were familiar, but grey, and even a bit
transparent. In fact, as she continued watching the surroundings, she
noticed that things were slowly fading away. She turned around to
regard the distances away from the direction of the temple, and was
desperately shocked to see that, miles away, the neighborhoods
sloughed into darkness. And the darkness was slowly approaching.
More than a little frightened, she found herself running
towards the Cherry Hill Temple, away from the growing darkness. Down
the street she ran, turning corners and and leaping over fences,
trying to get to the temple before it was too late. Too late for what,
Sailor Moon wasn't exactly sure, but she knew instinctively that Rei
was in the middle of all this.
She rounded the last corner, and there it was. Cherry Hill
Temple. The only part of the whole landscape that was vibrant in color
and texture. Gauging the speed of the darkness, she figured she had
about 10 minutes before it would arrive, so she needed to hurry. Even
more than that, the tug of the Silver Imperium Crystal became
perceptible. It was using her own energy to propel her into Rei's
mind, but that power had a deadly price if not managed properly.
Sailor Moon would be in danger of dying if all her own energy was
expended before she could accomplish her task and get out.
She leaped to the top of the stair and quietly opened the
front sliding door. Inside was just as she had always seen it: a wide
room with hardwood floors, devoid of any furnishings except for the
hearth fireplace on the eastern wall. In the fireplace, a cheery,
pleasantly warm fire was crackling away.
Rei was about to step into those flames.
"Rei! Stop!" cried Sailor Moon, running forward.
The young priestess turned around, surprised at another's
presence. When she turned around, she was shocked to find out it was
her klutzy friend. "Serena! What the hell are you doing here!?"
The blonde came forward and wrapped Rei in a great
embrace. "Oh Rei! It's so good to see you! We thought you were dead,
but now I found you and you can come back!"
Moon expected an "Okay" or grumbling "Alright". What she
didn't expect was for Rei to gently disengage the hug and look at her
with serene sorrow in her eyes and to say, "No."
Serena's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean 'no'?"
"Can't you see the portal, Serena?" Rei asked, pointing to the
flames. "It's there. THEY"RE there."
"They who?"
"My parents. My family."
It all hit Serena like a brick. "You want to die?"
Rei didn't answer immediately. Her sorrow shone through her
eyes, along with a flicker of confusion. "I... I think I do. I'm so
tired."
"What about us?" Serena cried, grabbing a hold onto her
friend. "What about the Sailor Scouts? What about Cole?"
Rei's look of confusion grew. "Who?"
"WHO? Cole Gishumi! The guy you're in love with!" Sailor Moon
was getting flustered know. Rei didn't seem like she remembered very
much, and the princess didn't think she had too much time left. The
power drain was starting to take its toll.
Closing her eyes, Serena started again. "Do you remember being
Sailor Mars?"
Rei strained to bring back some recollection of such a person,
and something flitted through her thoughts. "Sailor...Mars?"
"Yes," replied a tired Sailor Moon, the energy dangerously
low.
Suddenly, the color drained out of the temple, leaving only
Rei and the flames as the lone bastion of hues.
"I'm sorry, Serena. I don't know how you got here, but you
should go back. I must leave now." And with that, Rei turned around
and stepped towards the flames.
"How dare you!" shouted a firm voice behind her, stopping her
in her tracks. Serena?"
"You have sworn to protect me, the Princess of the Moon
Kingdom. You have sworn fealty to me!" a commanding Sailor Moon
shouted.
Suddenly, all of the memories which had faded away from Rei
with her oncoming death swooped back to her, and she remembered. Just
as suddenly, the drab greys washed away, replaced with the sharp
vibrancy of colors that were common for the surroundings.
Rei twisted around, and gazed at Sailor Moon. "I... I
remember. I am Sailor Mars. It IS my duty to protect you. I can't die
just yet." For the first time, she realized what she had been about to
do, and it frightened her. "My god, Serena! What have I done! I was
going to-"
The blonde put a finger to Rei's lips gently. "It's
done. Don't... worry... I must... go..." and Rei watched as Serena
faded away, back to the realm of the living.
Some deep part of Rei's mind wondered if Serena would be okay,
but the thought fluttered away. She instinctively knew that her best
friend, her dear leader, would be just fine. Destiny would see to
that, with a little help from the sailor Scouts, of course.
The twittering of birds filtered through the air, and Rei
strolled to the temple doors. She slid them back to reveal a gorgeous
day, the sun bright and warm in the sky, cottony clouds scattered
throughout the azure expanse. Children played in the street beyond
the temple, laughing gayly at things only children could laugh at.
A delicate breeze slipped through the cascade of onyx silk
that Rei took considerable pride in as her hair, and she closed her
eyes to the feel of strands wafting in the wind. A gentle smile played
at her lips.
Her life, only moments ago slipping away, returned to her
command fierce determination, reminding her of the many things she had
to be thankful for, first and foremost, Serena, her princess, or
rather, her queen.
As Rei's thoughts wandered about her friends, ghostly images
of those same individuals materialized and floated about her, offering
lines of conversation that the priestess remembered from her
life. They were remnants of her memory, and she clung to them
tenaciously. These were the reasons she had nearly sacrificed her life
using powers beyond her limit.
Not one regret entered the soothing caress of Rei Hino's mind.
* * * * *
"Sailor Moon! Sailor Moon! Why isn't she waking up, Mercury?!"
cried a distraught Tuxedo Mask as Mercury scanned both Moon and
Mars. Only minutes before, their blonde leader had used the Silver
Imperium Crystal, and she had fallen into some trance-like
sleep. Tuxedo Mask had gone into a fit, thinking the worst had
happened. Venus and Jupiter stood over them like helpless
sentinels. They had no idea how to handle this, being warriors to the
heart. Mercury had quickly began scanning over the downed scouts,
worry creasing her face repeatedly.
"Mercury! What's going on?!" Tuxedo mask cried again, this
time grabbing her arms. He jarred her and caused her to drop the
computer. She blazed a furious glare at him and roughly pushed him
back.
"I'm trying the best that I can! Now, leave me alone!" she
screamed. Venus and Jupiter took a step forward, stepping between
them. Venus picked up the computer and handed it back to the genius,
placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Jupiter helped a devastated
and shocked Tuxedo mask to his feet and lead him away. She threw a
concerned and sympathetic look to Mercury before she moved away, and
the blue-haired defender slumped in exhaustion and shame.
"He'll understand," offered Venus quietly, kneeling beside
her. "We know you're doing your best." A weak smile came to the
golden-haired scout's face, but it dimly masked the deep fear she
felt.
Mercury took the proffered computer and went back to her work,
more determined than before.
Just then, Sailor Moon stirred, and everyone rushed to her
side, Tuxedo Mask gently cradling her head. "Sailor Moon?" he
whispered fervently.
With great effort, she opened her eyes and saw everyone
gathered around her, tears shimmering in their eyes. She then turned
to Mars, who still lay unconscious next to her, and witnessed the
slight smile that touched the fire-child's lips. Sailor Moon knew that
she would be alright.
"Mars will be back soon," Moon replied tiredly. "She needs
to... rest." And with that, the fearless leader of the Sailor Scouts
fell asleep.
* * * * *
The Grell had watched the whole battle through a mental link
with Jade, and he was not pleased. The foolish ninjas had nearly been
the death of Sailor Mars in their need to satisfy their own pride, and
such were not the orders he had given. The incineration of two of the
ninja-witches did nothing to satisfy his rage.
He summoned his prized pet to his side, and waited patiently
for Jade to return, tapping his index fingers together in a semblance
of thoughtfulness. His pet, difficult to see in the shadowed dimness
of the assassin's study, rumbled a deep contralto that nearly shook
the expensive wooden desk apart with its resonance.
"Patience, Droc'uh, patience," he telepathed to it, placing a
soothing hand upon its ridged brow, knowing instinctively where it was
despite the creature's camouflage that rendered it nearly
invisible. "You will have your fun."
Almost an hour later, Jade quietly knocked upon the Grell's
study, and he bid her enter. She slunk into the room, looking like a
beaten dog with her tail between her legs, her eyes downcast in
apparent shame.
She knew a second too late that she had overstepped her
bounds. She tried to draw her sword, to block the great mass of the
almost-visible beast that launched itself at her from behind the desk,
but it slashed away the pitiful blade, along with a good portion of
her hand and forearm, and bore her to the ground. She screamed out at
the explosion of pain, gazing up at the face of her death, though he
camouflage power of the creature prevent her from seeing even
that. The body rippled slightly in the light with a watery consistency
that forbade the eye from connecting the image of the creature, so all
that was seen was a huge, blurry, four-legged beast of water that
changed color to quickly adapt to the surrounding environment, in this
case, the study. The only thing visible were those horrid orbs on the
side of the head, those coldly pale pupilless eyes that nearly
hypnotized the prey.
"Master!" she pleaded hoarsely, the creature's weight pushing
out the air in her lungs. It didn't attack her... yet.
The Grell stood up, walked over, and kneeled beside her. He
placed a gentle hand upon her head, and she thought, momentarily, that
everything would be better now.
He ripped her mask off, revealing the beautiful woman beneath.
"I will keep this... to remember you by, my dear."
Jade's wondrous eyes widened in horror and tried to bellow her
rage, put all that came out was a terrible gurgling and a gout of
bright crimson blood as the beast rammed its pincered maw into her
chest, slashing through skin, bone and lungs. It was careful to avoid
the heart, which still beat rapidly in plain sight. It rather enjoyed
listening to death throes of its victims.
Jade spent many minutes in agonizing pain, drowning in blood,
before Death finally claimed her.
* * * * *
William came to soon after Sailor Moon passed out again. He
didn't question anyone about what happened when he revived, and no one
offered to fill him in. They all wondered, though, if he remembered
that Rei was Sailor Mars. He silently carried Rei and led the way to
the penthouse. Once there, he nestled her snuggly into one of the
guest rooms, a spacious and plush room with a great canopied bed of
red and black silks.
Silently shutting the door behind him, William led Darien, who
held Serena (she had reverted back after passing out), into an
adjacent room of like extravagance, and left the two there. Once that
was settled, he relented to Ami, who insisted upon checking the ugly
bruise that was developing on his temple, and led the rest of the
girls to the kitchen, a crisp and sterile affair of snow marble,
alabaster drawers and cabinets, and white appliances. It was much
bigger than any kitchen the girls had seen before. Lita's emitted a
longing sigh.
William sat at the breakfast table and allowed Ami to
administer his wound, all the while keeping his eyes closed in deep
thought. A quiet fell over the kitchen, one that made Lita and Mina
squirm uncomfortably.
Finally, William broke the silence. "So, what do I tell Master
Cole?"
Ami kept silent, but Lita and Mina jumped at his voice. "Er,
about what?" asked Mina sheepishly.
"Well," sighed the burly man, "about Sailor Mars... or rather,
Rei Hino." The girls suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable, and
avoided his piercing gaze. Ami managed to compose herself first. "You
must be mistaken," she replied nonchalantly, continuing with her
medical attention.
The other girls and William gave her a shocked look, speaking
volumes of disbelief with their stares. She shrugged it all off,
however, and added, "You got an awful blow to the head"
"But, she's... she's Sailor Mars!" he returned, outrage
creeping into his voice.
"And I tell you, she's not! You were hallucinating!" Ami
shouted back.
William glanced at the brunette and blonde, but they wore
masks of pity, pretending that he had gotten hit a little too
hard. The outrage slipped into doubt.
He shook his head, as if to clear it. "I'm sure I heard that
mugger say Rei was Sailor Mars," he mumbled aloud.
Ami gave him an amused grin. "Do you always listen to what
muggers have to say?"
William cracked a slight smile. "No, I guess not."
"Good. You have a mild bump on your head, and it's possible
that the blow caused you some confusion. I think you should go rest."
The butler, a burly and well-built man, suddenly looked aged,
immensely tired. "I suppose you're right." He got up to leave, then
stopped as if remembering something. "But-"
"We'll find the guest rooms just fine. Go on to bed,"
interrupted Ami motherly. William grunted and sidled off.
As soon as he left the room, Lita and Mina exhaled in
relief. "Wow! That was close!" whispered the brunette, collapsing into
a wicker breakfast chair. Mina did likewise, and flashed Ami with a
sly grin. "You know, Ami, this lying is starting to get into a habit."
Ami flushed rosily, and wrung her fingers. "I know, but I
didn't have a choice. We can't let anyone know about us, especially
Cole. He already hates Sailor Mars, and that could get a bit touchy if
he found out that Sailor Mars was really Rei."
Lita nodded in agreement, then stretched cat-like, and
yawned. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm beat. I
think I'm going to go to bed... er, as soon as I fix something to
eat. You guys hungry?"
The girls proceeded to make omelets, knowing in their hearts
that Sailor Moon and Mars were going to be alright.
They didn't notice William eavesdropping outside the kitchen,
or hear him walk away to ponder this interesting development.
* * * * *
Serena awoke early the next morning, fatigued but
recovering. Darien made sure that his love was going to be fine, then
promised to come by later after work and left.
William made them all breakfast (except for Rei, who was still
out in a coma-like state), then notified them that he would be going
to pick up Cole.
The girls spent most of the morning exploring the vast
penthouse, making sure to periodically check in on Rei to make sure
she was comfortable, though they needn't have concerned
themselves. Already, Rei's color had returned to her, and she looked
like she was quietly asleep. Ami was very pleased with this, for she
knew that the longer Rei slept, the more she would recover from the
last few days. It truly was a healing sleep.
One thing they had forgotten to do, hover, was come up with a
plausible story for incident in the garage.
Cole burst through the elevator door, startling the girls, who
were having a snack in the kitchen. They ran to see what the commotion
was, and caught a glimpse of him running up the stairs to Rei's room.
When they got to her room, they found Cole gently caressing
her face, holding tightly to one of her hands. It spoke of a tender
love that did not escape the gathered scouts, or William, who quietly
watched from the hallway.
Finally, Cole turned to the girls, and they were surprised by
a fierce and cold glint in his eyes. "Will she be okay?" he asked
tremulously, contrasting his hard look.
Ami nodded. "She's recovering quite well."
He turned back, and softly kissed Rei on the forehead. Then,
he stood up, and marched out, motioning for the girls to follow.
Closing the door quietly behind him, he calmly walked down the
stairs, through the foyer, and into the library, and sat down tiredly
into his chair. The girls, somewhat unnerved by his manner, remained
standing.
"What happened?" he asked after a moment of silent.
Realizing that they hadn't come up with a story to cover the
truth, the scouts glanced around nervously at each other, until
finally, Ami stepped forward.
"Well, William had found us at Lita's apartment, and convinced
us that it would be safer to bring Rei here, just in case the assassin
was looking for her," she began, settling into a convincing tone and
series of half-truths that were slowly becoming second nature to
her. "We cam here, but a trio of mugger managed to get into the garage
with us, and held us up."
"Muggers?" Cole raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Well, I guess you couldn't quite call them muggers. They were
more like bushi, for lack of a better term (*bushi is an old oriental
term hired mercenaries, sell-swords, etc.). Apparently they worked for
this assassin who has been so interested in you, and thought that if
they could take hold of Rei, then they could use her to get to you."
"Use Rei?"
"Well," Ami returned with barely perceptible humor, "some
people seem to think you and Rei are something of an item."
Cole's face remained stony and unamused.
Shrugging nonchalantly (Ami felt that this simple motion
helped carry her lies more convincingly), she continued. "Anyway, they
knocked out William, and would have kidnapped Rei, if the Sailor
Scouts had not arrived."
At this, Cole's hand clenched into fists. "Was Sailor Mars
with them?" he asked coldly.
Ami was taken aback, as were the other girls. This hatred for
their fellow scout was getting a bit out of hand.
"Well, of course Sailor Mars was with them!" Serena blurted
out, giving him an exasperated look. "Since when do the scouts ever do
things with all of them together?"
"What about the banquet?"
Serena opened her mouth to reply, then clamped it shut,
realizing she had forgotten about that.
Cole turned back to Ami. "So, once again this fire woman shows
up, and Rei pays the price."
"She would have been kidnapped if Sailor Mars and the others
had not been there!"
"Yes, but she would have been alright!"
"You can't know that!" Lita shout back, frustrated that Cole
was being so narrow-minded.
William maintained his silence.
Cole blinked, and seemed to change before their eyes. His
features sagged, and he looked haggard. "I'm sorry, guys. I don't know
what I was thinking. Of course, you're right. I'm just tired. You
know, getting out of the hospital and all. I didn't mean to snap at
you guys."
"Well..." Lita murmured, somewhat mollified.
"Would you guys please excuse me? I need to throw out a few
memos that I need to give to the Board of Directors, and then I'm
going to go to bed." he ruffled through some papers situated on the
desk.
"By the way, it's those same Board of Directors that hired the
assassin," Ami said, wondering suspiciously at the sudden change of
mood.
Cole smiled sadly. "Yes, William told me. I'll be dealing with
them soon enough."
Satisfied, Serena turned around and walked out, pulling Mina
in tow. "Thanks, Cole. I think we're going to go back to eating."
Lita followed, as did Ami, though a bit more slowly. At the door, she
gave him one last glance, but he had already swiveled his chair around
and was staring out of the window.
Something is not right, she thought to herself, but left
anyway.
Cole listened for the door to close, then proceeded to make a
few phone calls.
* * * * *
Outside, William followed the girls down to the kitchen, and
watched impassively as the girls raided the pantry. They seemed such a
close-knit group of girls, each complementing the others in style and
personality. No wonder they were the Sailor Scouts, he thought.
"William, are you alright?" questioned Ami, escaping from her
jocular friends and noticing the butler looking distant and
contemplative. She kept her voice down to avoid alerting the others of
their conversation. William didn't seem like he wanted a gaggle of
teenagers to talk to.
He gazed down at the pretty girl, and motioned her to follow
after a silent moment. Leading her to the dining room, he waved a
hand, indicating her to sit. He remained standing.
"When will you girls be heading home? Your parents are bound
to get worried, especially if your school calls home and wonders where
you've been," he began.
"Rei's and Serena's well being is much more important than
going to school," Ami replied airily, though a slight grimace passed
over her face, bringing the glimpses of a smile to William's
lips. "Besides, high school is a little more lenient than grade school
about missing classes."
"Ah, but what happens when the Sailor Scouts are needed and
none of you are there to help out?"
"Artemis and Luna will warn - " and suddenly Ami stopped,
realizing the trap she had just walked into. She attempted to recover
from her blunder. "Er, um, we're not -"
William held up a hand. "No, no. I'm not interested in hearing
your lies anymore. I overheard you're conversation last night in the
kitchen."
Ami appeared nervous at that. She suddenly wished that the
other girls would come see what was going on, and perhaps take this
out of her hands, but she could hear them laughing away in the
kitchen. "Well, what are you going to do now?"
"Nothing. This isn't the kind of information that needs to be
getting around. On the other hand, we still have this problem of
Sailor Mars and Cole." William mouth twisted into a wry smirk.
"Yes, I know. I can't imagine how she managed to tie herself
up in THAT noose. How could he hate Sailor Mars so much? She's a
heroine, for God's sake!"
The butler shrugged. "I don't quite know myself, but it has a
lot to do with what he feels for Rei. How many times does Rei normally
fall prey to being incapacitated so much?"
"Um, rarely." Ami didn't bring up the time that the Scouts
died and were resurrected after the defeat of Beryl.
"Well, then, it is only natural that he's extremely worried
about her. Aren't you guys?"
"Of course we are! It's just that, we've been doing this so
long that we're used to it. It's part of our job, if you will."
William smiled grimly at that. "Well, you'd better get rid of
that part. I don't think Cole is going to be rational about this too
much longer."
* * * * *
Cole closed the door softly behind, and strode over to his
laying goddess. Pulling up a chair, he gazed down upon her serene
face, and fought desperately to contain his rage. He reached out a
trembling hand and placed it upon her head, stroking through her hair
gently, marveling at the way it fell like silk through his fingers.
"I'm so sorry, my dear," Cole choked out, eyes misting
over. "If I could whisk away your pain, take into myself, I would
without question. I would keep it from you so that you would never
have to know its claw again." Tears brimmed over and streamed down his
face, blurring his porcelain image of her. He swept a sleeve over them
to clear away the haze.
"But I can't. With all the money in the world, with all the
power money can provide me, I cannot."
He stood up suddenly, and drank in the sight of Rei's peaceful
slumber, her arm wrapped in a bandage and placed in a sling, the
scratches and bruises that marked in creamy skin. He clenched his
fists, shaking with fury.
"Sailor Mars will pay for this. I promise you."
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