Story 2, part 1
A dark day.
Of late, they all seemed like dark
days. It could be said that waves were beginning to form on the ocean of
serenity. But, what no one knew was that, behind the small ripples in the
water, a tidal wave of enormous proportions was forming.
"Your Highness, a... strange-looking
man requests an audience with you. He says it's vital. What should I do?"
"Alright. Let him in. I don't have
much time, though."
"Of course, sire. I understand. I'll
bring him to you immediately."
The page swiftly turned and marched
down the small flight of steps, heading toward the large, golden doors
at the end of the hall.
The page was walking through the
Royal Hall of the Royal Castle of the moon that was nearest to the planet
Jupiter, Io. It was a grand hall, lined with jewels and other exotics from
the solar system. The most apparent and most abundant were the ones from
the small bluish planet called Earth. At one end stood large, gold plated
doors. These doors were the only way into and from the Royal Hall. As they
gleamed in the light, the royal crest of Io shone predominantly on them.
At the other end, at small platform
rose from the ground. The platform was accessible from the three steps
attached to the platform. As with the rest of the hall, the platform and
stairs were covered with a thick, red carpeting. It was considered the
perfect match for the crystal ceiling covering the top of the grandiose
hall. The ultimate accommodations for the ultimate ruler of Io, who currently
sat, waiting, in an even grander throne atop the platform at the end of
the Hall.
This hall was the meeting place for
the ruler and his subjects, the residents of the moon. Each day, citizens
of Io would come to ask favors, give praise, or make suggestions. Such
was the hierarchy of the moon Io. And from it, thousands of years of peace
had flourished. And each time an Iosion came to the Royal Hall, the ruler
would greet each with a genial attitude grand smile.
Yes, it was a dark day indeed.
In his thinking, the Ruler failed
to notice that the double doors at the opposite end of him had opened and
the page had reappeared. This time he was not alone.
"Your highness..." began the page
boldly. "I present the Baron of Helle, Traquen. He wishes to speak about
important matters concerning the state."
"Helle? Where is that?"
"I'm not sure, sir. I questioned
him, and all he said was 'far.'"
"I see. Show him in, please."
"Yes, sire."
The page quickly bowed, turned and
left the Hall. A moment later a new person entered the room. He was dressed
in
a solid black outfit. The color of his clothes, ironically, matched his
long jet-black hair, which was braided into a thick pony tail, and his
equally black eyes. A dark cloak wavered behind the tall figure as he slowly
advanced prominently toward the throne. His entire demeanor displayed a
sense of power and regality. He stopped short of the beginning of the platform,
a couple feet away from the first step. Giving a small smile, the Baron
Traquen knelt down in front of the throne, giving the Ruler of Io respect.
Turning his head toward the Ruler, he began to speak, his voice deep and
harsh.
"Good day, King Joshua. I trust your
feeling fine?" asked the Baron, taking in the sight of the Ruler completely.
In comparison to Traquen's jet-black hair, the King's own straight, whitish-silver
hair, which came to the base of his neck, was the complete opposite.
The only thing similar between the two men was the darkness of their clothes.
Even though the King was wearing a very dark green color, from a distance
it looked almost as black as Traquen's leather-like outfit.
"Yes. I'm as fine as I have ever
been, thank you."
As the King replied, he shifted uneasily
in his throne. Something wasn't right about the person who knelt in front
of him. He could not place the feeling, but his instincts were cautioning
him of something he could not detect.
"You may rise, Baron Traquen. Might
I inquire as to why you called this meeting? You said it was urgent...?"
King Joshua slowly began as he continued to ponder what he was feeling
from Traquen.
"Yes, your Highness. It is of the
utmost importance... I assure you." replied Traquen, rising to his feet
slowly. His words held a certain tone that made King Joshua grow even more
uneasy.
"Please continue, good Sir..."
"It has come to my attention from
my... estate, that this kingdom has hidden in it a potential that has yet
to show."
King Joshua looked Traquen perplexedly.
"Such as what?"
"You see..." spoke Traquen, smiling
slightly. "Your small kingdom has kept at the same level of existence for
the past... thousand years. In all that time, there has not been any significant
change of any kind. No new developments, no new technology. Just continual
moderation."
"But, we also have held a completely
peaceful existence in the past thousand years." replied Joshua, feeling
like he was suddenly defending Io's side in some debate. "You must remember...
the settlement of Io is not a big civilization. All we are is one large
Capital City, and this place, Castle Io."
"True... and that is quite an accomplishment."
spoke Traquen, quietly. Joshua couldn't be sure, but he thought he detected
a hint of sarcasm in Traquen's voice. "But... what I told you there was
a way you could easily increase your kingdom's prosperity and development
dramatically?"
"I'm listening."
"Do you realize, my good King, that
with a little help, Io could become the most sophisticated and powerful
force in the galaxy?"
Alarms suddenly went off in Joshua's
head as he listened to Traquen. There was something definitely wrong with
the whole situation.
"Is that so?" asked Joshua from his
throne suspiciously. "And I suppose that YOU know where we can obtain this
wonderful help?"
"Of course, my Liege. That's why
I called for this audience. I am offering the help that I have described."
"And just what is this help you are
so generously offering to my 'moderate kingdom'?"
King Joshua watched as the Baron's
facial expression suddenly changed from that of light geniality to grave
seriousness.
"King Joshua, I offering you and
your kingdom the greatest kind of help. I am offering you power. Pure,
infinite power. The kind of power I am offering could change this small
kingdom into the most dominant force in the galaxy."
"And just what is this power you
propose, Traquen?" asked Joshua, beginning to see what he had sensed what
was wrong with the situation and Traquen.
"It's the power of holding the fate
of dozens of worlds in your very hand. being able to decide whether they
grow and prosper... or... crease to exist."
Joshua instantly rose to his feet,
anger flaring in him. He realized finally what he sensed from Traquen that
caused him to feel uneasy.
He felt evil.
"I am sorry, 'Baron.', but I have
no use for what you propose. This kingdom neither has the desire nor the
right to receive the so-called 'gift of help' you propose. You may leave
now, and I'd appreciate it if you never set foot in this kingdom or this
castle again. Is that clear to you?"
Traquen's demeanor suddenly altered
completely. Joshua watched intently as Traquen took on an extremely dark
look. He took a step forward toward the platform and the throne, taking
up an aggressive stance. Traquen's solid black eyes seemed to pierce straight
through Joshua's body.
"I urge you to reconsider, King Joshua."
spoke Traquen, a threatening edge on his words. "You have no idea what
kind of future you are throwing away!"
"Oh, I believe I have a perfect idea
of what kind of future I am throwing away." said Joshua, his words just
as sharp as Traquen's. "GUARDS!!"
A second later, a group of four guards,
each wearing golden armor and carrying a long ranseur-like spear, entered
into the Royal Hall from the golden double-doors.
"Guards! Escort Lord Traquen out."
called King Joshua down to the group. "And make sure he does not return."
"Oh... I will return, my King." shouted
Traquen as the guards took hold of his arms. "And you'll regret ever declining
my offer! I will be back... and I will herald in the the end of this insignificant
kingdom! I hope your prepared for the kind of fate you have just insure
your kingdom!"
Traquen suddenly flung his arms outward,
causing the guards that gripped his arms to let go and stumble backwards.
Traquen continued to laugh as he sharply turned 180 degrees on his booted
heel and strode towards the entrance-way. He quickly walked out, laughing
dementedly as he disappeared around the corner. Even as he tried to push
the incident out of his mind, Joshua couldn't help but wonder if he should
have let Traquen just walk away.
He would find out later that he shouldn't
have.
****
Luna continued to stare at the communicator
for several moments, even after it had gone dead. The message that she
received caused her to convulse in shock and uneasiness as she kept replaying
the voice in message, that she knew so well, in her mind.
"Hello, Luna. I am sure that by now
you have figured out who's voice this is. You must realize now, by the
fact that you are getting this message, that I have finally found you again
after all these years. Please don't ask me how, because it would take much
too long to explain. What I do want to say, however, is this: Whether you
knew it or not, I have not forgotten you in these past thousand years.
I knew that you could not have died on me, just when you and I had reached
such an intense point all those years ago. And now that I have found you
again, I would like you to come visit me. Last time it was me visiting
you at your home, on Earth's moon. Please, if you still have any feelings
for me, come visit my at my home, on Jupiter's moon. I know it is alot
to ask, but I would not request it if it were anyone else. You still remain,
to this day, the most wonderful person I have met. Allow me to see you
with my eyes at least one more time. Please. Come to Io. I will be waiting.
Joshua Derimond out."
The message had utterly blown Luna
away. She could not even begin to imagine that the voice at the other end
of the communication had been who she knew it to be. Luna had no idea what
to do or think. After all the years apart, he had finally relocated her
on Earth. She just wished that the message could have come at a better
time. It had been only three days previous that the events as the Tokyo
Tower occurred. The scouts had not even begun to recover from the lost
of Darien and the shock of a new person who had become, in the most technical
sense, 'heir to the Tuxedo Mask legacy.' Luna couldn't even bring herself
to think of the kind of condition Serena was in because of the events.
In the days following the events at the Tower, she had taken to always
being by Matt's side and only talking to him. Any other time, she just
sat and cried for hours on end. No one blamed her, because they knew that
their own pain over the lost of Darien was paled in comparison to hers.
As for Matt, he had quickly became
an excepted part of the group because of the fact of his new powers and
that the fact that he was the only one Serena would talk to about what
happened. Knowing that he was probably going to be a major part in the
lives of the scouts from now on, and because he had no home or memory of
one, Matt was asked to take up residence at Rei's temple, using one of
the guest rooms. Because Rei's grandfather could use his help, and because
Matt was so thankful for the room and board, he quickly had become a welcome
addition to the temple within a day. As for Serena's reaction to him, the
others were slightly worried that Serena was trying to use the uncanny
likeness in Matt to Darien, in power and appearance, to believe that Darien
was still alive.
And now, Luna realized, a whole knew
problem had arisen with the reception of the message from the King of Io,
who she had not thought about for longer then all of the scouts year alive
combined. It was like her past was becoming resurrected.
The King of Io and Luna
went way back. Back to the days to the Silver Millennium, when all the
planets and moons had been in perfect harmony. Back in those days, one
kingdom had stood out from the rest. This was the kingdom one of Jupiter's
moons, Io. Luna had always believed that it stood out for two important
reasons. The first one was the fact that the Iosions had to endure severe
climates, making the paradise that Io was all the more spectacular. The
second reason was the one that caused all of Luna's shock and surprise,
however. Luna and King Joshua had fallen in love through a wild series
of events that came to a climax on the night Io had been excepted into
the Moon Kingdom. Unfortunately, Joshua had to leave Luna before their
feelings for each other could have been truly explored... and that was
the last she saw of him. Three days after his departure, the moon was attacked
by Queen Beryl and her forces... and the rest was history.
"What am I supposed to do? How will
I break it to the scouts that they might have to go to another planet,
in the wake of all that has happened? Not to mention that I have no idea
how Matt will react to the news either. He never wanted to be pulled into
the situation he's in, so how can I ask him to 'go to another world?'"
But I can't do it alone... and I owe it to Joshua... I owe it to myself
to go. What am I going to do?"
****
The two of them sat on the roof of
the house. They had come up here on Serena's whim, saying that this was
her favorite spot to think when things were difficult. And things had
never been so difficult. Darien was dead. Some kind of evil being had arisen,
and his actions and words suggested that he was acting under someone else's
orders. The future did not look to bright, not even considering what would
happened to the future. Without Darien... what would happen to the future
that was suppose to happen? What would happen to the future with Crystal
Tokyo... and Chibi-Usa?
"How are you feeling? I'm glad we
came up here. It's extremely peaceful... though it is getting a little
chilly..." whispered Matt softly, as he looked toward the setting sun.
It's beams flared across the sky, streaking everything in their path with
a red and yellow glow. The setting couldn't be more perfect or calm. Just
what Serena needed. Matt had quickly been filled in on who the scouts were,
and what they had done in the hours following the Tokyo Tower incident.
The scouts had filled him in on everything from the defeat of Queen Beryl,
to the Black Moon family, to their real identities, to their past back
on the moon and other planets. Surprisingly, Matt had took all the information
in stride. Only he knew, after what he had seen and what he had done that
night, that he wasn't sure that anything could surprise him anymore.
Slowly, Serena turned to stare up
at the soft eyes of her companion. As she did, she could not help but to
think of how much he was like Darien. It was almost as if Darien's presence
was residing along with Matt's. Serena couldn't help but begin to feel
again some of the feelings had for Darien, until he was taken from her
so suddenly.
Instead of speaking any of her thoughts,
she slowly turned her head as tears began to form again at the thought
of Darien.
"Serena? Are you... are you ok?"
Serena silently held back her tears
as she turned to face her companion.
"I'm fine. I-I was just thinking
about..."
"Shhh... It's ok. I understand."
Matt whispered quietly as Serena slowly took a step toward him and held
on to him tightly. She laid her head against his shoulder and began
to cry again. As she did, Matt slowly turned his head toward the sky and
gazed at the fiery sun with hardened eyes. He could not stand the fact
that so much had been taken from her. He barely had just met her, and already
he felt as if he had known her, and the others, all his life. It only been
a couple days since he first appeared, but he knew almost everything about
the scouts. The things he didn't know, he knew he would learn with time.
What he wasn't sure he'd learn in time, however, was any information about
himself. It had been days, and he still did not have a better idea of who
he was, or had been, then he did when he first started remembering.
All he had were the names 'Matt'
and 'Tuxedo Moogle', and even out of those, no one had a clue what the
word 'Moogle' meant. It appeared to be just some nonsense word that had
popped into his head. Even though that's what the scouts accepted, Matt
wasn't sure. The word... it meant something to him. He didn't know what
that 'something' was... but he knew it was there.
He turned his head down toward the
body that rested against his. Serena was a little less than a foot shorter
than him. He watched the tears continue to roll down her delicate cheeks.
He slowly laid his hand on her back and just looked on between Serena and
the sunset, trying to think of something helpful to do, but realizing he
could do nothing.
"Are you alright? Your shivering.
Here..."
Matt slowly pulled away from Serena
and striped from his cloak. He was wearing the outfit he had been wearing
when he first woke up. The group had agreed to go to Darien's now empty
apartment soon and find him some other clothes to wear. With a quick flourish,
he placed the cloak on Serena's shoulders and closed the button near the
neck of the cloak. As soon as he stopped, she slowly wrapped her arms around
him again. She looked up and met his bright, liquid green eyes. She realized
soon after meeting him that he had the most beautiful eyes. They were one
of his features that differed from Darien's completely. While Darien's
had been brown, Matt's were a liquid green that looked like they swam in
brightness and color. Besides the green, his eyes were also streaked with
light lines of silver, which Serena could help but compare to bolts of
lighting. She continued to stare at his eyes as he spoke again.
"Maybe we should head in. It will
be getting dark soon, and even colder. And I have to leave soon. Rei will
want to know what happened to me if I'm not back at the temple soon. I'm
so lucky she let me-- What's wrong?" Matt quickly cut in as he saw that
when he mentioned he had to leave, Serena looked downward.
"It's-- It's just... I don't want
to be alone. It's silly, I know, but I want you to stay. I mean... please
can't you stay a little longer? It's so lonely in the house."
Serena's house was completely empty
except for when she was there. Her family had gone away on a family vacation
to see her grandmother. She had balked at the trip, wanting to stay and
relax at home. She somehow had managed to get her parents to agree to let
her stay home. Now, she wasn't sure if she regretted that decision or not.
"Serena... Why don't you come with
me to the temple?" asked Matt. "You can sleep there, that way you I can
be there and so can anyone else."
"Really? Do you-- I mean... would
you? That sounds wonderful, Matt. But... why... why are you being so nice
to me? All I've done is cry and tell you my problems for the past several
days. Yet, you are always still there. Anyone else would have grown bored
and left or something... like Rei... or Luna..."
"Because, Serena I care for you.
I want to make sure nothing else happens to you. I feel like it was my
fault that this happened. If I could have just been quicker..." replied
Matt, his voice growing cold. He hated himself for allowing Tuxedo Mask
to die.
"Matt, don't say that!
It wasn't your fault! If you hadn't come when you did... I might have..."
Serena slowly turned away as the
tears began again.
"Shhh... it's ok. Why don't we go
get you a change of clothes and head to Rei's temple?" Matt said, changing
the subject.
"Ok."
****
By the time they made it to the temple,
the sun had completely set. The temple had finally gone silent. Matt and
Serena had arrived, catching Rei off guard when she saw them both standing
there. After some quick explaining, Rei agreed heartily that it was a good
idea. Though after that, Rei grew uncharacteristic quiet and subdued for
the rest of the night. More than once, Matt caught her staring at him,
though he said nothing. Slowly, the moment that Matt feared came. It was
the moment when the question of where Serena would sleep came up. She voted
to sleep in Matt's room, though not at first. At first, she just remained
quiet and continued to stare up at him, as almost afraid to answer. Seeing
this, Matt suggested that she should sleep in his room, though he really
wanted her to take her own room. He was afraid that Serena confused emotions
might overwhelm her, causing to do something she would regret. Either way,
Serena quickly agreed, almost as soon as he mentioned it. This made Matt
slightly uneasy, he enjoyed every moment she was with him, but he was scared
that she would mistake him for Darien. The other thing that concerned him
was that Rei quickly retreated to her room as soon as the decision was
made. She quickly said good night and virtually ran to her room.
After that, Matt decided to turn
in for the night, he fixed a cot for Serena across the room, said good
night to Serena and Rei's grandpa who was still talking. He told Serena
her bed was made, entered his room and fell asleep quickly. Like every
other night, Matt slept an uneasy, dreamless sleep that never seemed to
provide any rest. But, unlike the other nights, Matt eventually fell into
a deeper sleep that night for some reason, and actually slept peacefully
for the rest of the night.
****
Slowly, a light began to flood the
room with warmth and brightness. The light was enough to semi-wake Matt
from his incredibly peaceful sleep. He slowly shifted around in the bed
under the warm covers. The second he moved, he realized something was touching
him. It was pressed up against his back and something was between his arm
and stomach. As continued to become more awake, he realized something warm
was being blown against his neck. It was someone's breath. The thing pushed
against him was a body. The thing that reached from the back and reached
around and held his stomach was an arm.
Someone was in bed with him.
****
Rei awoke soundlessly to a bright
day. The light had streamed through the window and lightly warmed her face,
causing her to wake slowly. As she moaned in pleasure as she stretched
out, she realized that she was very happy.
She had been frustrated, almost mad
about something last night. She could feel where her tears had dried on
her face as she fell asleep crying softly. But, she could not remember
what it was that she was mad about. She was still too sleep to bring the
memories back.
"Oh well... AAHHHHH!!! Boy, I didn't
know stretching could feel so good..."
Rei slowly rose and stretched once
again. The sunlight peeped in through the window and caressed her body,
which was completely nude. She had tried sleeping nude a few years ago,
and decided that she liked it. It had always been so much better than sleeping
with restricting clothing on. She arched her back in one final stretch,
grabbed her robe and wrapped herself in it.
Rei slowly opened the screen and
tiptoed to guest room's entrance screen. She quickly opened it, making
all effort to not make a sound. Matt's room was still dark, but that did
not matter, she knew the room like the back of her hand. She slowly walked
over and grappled for the shade opener. As she opened the shade to let
light stream down on his face, his room became slightly illuminated as
more and more light shone through. As the direct beam of sunlight passed
his face, it touched another right next to his. The sight of the person's
face that was in bed with him caused her to freeze in shock.
It was Serena who laid next to him,
still sound asleep.
****
As his eyes cleared and focused, Matt
stared straight up into the frozen face of Rei. As he turned his head slightly,
he caught something that made him stop. It was the tip of Serena's blonde
hair. And it was flowing around to behind him. With the speed of a lightning
bolt, he made the connection. Serena was sleeping with him, and Rei was
staring straight at him.
"Rei! What the--?" Matt whispered
out strongly, afraid to wake Serena and have to confront her in the bed.
"I don't know! Why don't you tell
me?" Rei shouted, making no effort to keep her voice down.
"Rei! SHHH!!! Don't yell!" Matt whispered
as loud as possible. As he whispered, Serena moaned softly and shifted
position, almost waking. Her hand began to clutch his stomach even tighter.
When she moved, Matt could feel the rubbing of silk against against his
bare back.
"Oh sure, we wouldn't want to wake
your sleeping beauty, would we? How could you take advantage of her like
this? In her condition? I think I am going to be sick." Shouted Rei as
she stormed out of the room. Matt moved to get out of bed and follow her,
but the feel of Serena's hold on him made him stop quickly. He realized
the only to get out of bed was to detach Serena from himself. And the only
way to do that was to turn and pull away.
"Damn. I was afraid this would happen.
I should never have let stay with me in her confused condition."
Matt slowly took a deep breath and
held it, closed his eyes, and flipped onto his other side. He released
his breath and opened his eyes. He was about an inch from serena's face.
He paused for a moment to fully take in with was happening.
He and Serena were face-to-face.
He could feel her warm, sweet breath on his face. By turning, he had placed
a hand on Serena's waist, now making them wrapped up in each other's arms.
The silk that he felt before was a white underslip that came to about the
middle of her hips. Matt stayed unmoving for a moment, taking a shallow
breath. He suddenly made his move, grabbing Serena's arm and laying it
at her side. He paused, and in the blink of an eye was out of the bed without
making one disturbance in the bed. Ignoring the cold, he quickly walked
to the screen and left the room only wearing his black pants. He moved
away from the room, like the things inside were of a bad dream.
****
"REI! STOP! WAIT!"
"What do you want? I thought you
were enjoying Serena's company."
"REI! You know better! I would never
do something like that! NEVER! Rei, I went to bed after you left. And I
went to the bed alone! When I woke up, I find Serena in bed with me and
you standing over us!" Matt retorted as he took a step forward.
They were outside now. He had found
Rei siting on the steps to the temple looking up into the sky.
"How do I know that?" returned Rei,
looking away. Matt could barely hear her next words. "We barely even know
you."
"Rei..." Matt started, stopping without
going on. He didn't know what to say. "Rei... I know you guys haven't known
me for a long time... but... I feel like your the only people who I can
turn to for help. I feel like you are my family, and I believe you feel
the same too. Don't ask me how, but I just get these feelings once in a
while. Like, I can tell what people are feeling."
"I think I might know why that is."
Rei replied, alot of the anger in her voice gone.
"You mean.. there's a reason?"
"Yes." Rei said, turning to him.
"You see... you have one of the most strongest mental presences I have
ever felt. Like you, I can pick up on feelings and emotions, presences
and forces. Because you have no training on how to focus your ability...
your power is wild and uncontrolled. But, if someone, like me, were to
teach you to hone that ability, you could use it productively... like a
tool."
"Really?" Matt said, his voice hollow.
Rei's reasoning would explain alot of the things that Matt could explain
about himself. The only problem was... it didn't explain them all. Like
the urges he felt to fight off the thief, and go to the Tokyo Tower.
"Matt... would you like me to train
you? If I did, you might be able to harness your ability to trying to recover
your memory."
"Yes... yes! I would love it if you
could."
Rei suddenly stood up as he finished
speaking. She turned toward him and smiled.
"Ok... we'll start after breakfast.
And guess what? Today you can to make breakfast! Will you do that for me?"
Rei inquired as he grabbed Matt's arm and pulled him from the ground and
dragged him toward the temple.
"Umm... sure..." Matt managed to
get out as Rei suddenly yanked him into the temple playfully. He was glad
her mood had changed so drastically.
"One problem though... I don't remember
how to cook anything."
****
"Mmmmm... something sure smells good!
What are you guys cooking?"
Matt suddenly stopped scraping the
"stuff", as Rei had called it, from the cooking pan when he heard the voice
of Serena call out. Rei, who was sitting at the small table on her knees,
looked up at the source of the voice and grew dark in the face. Matt quickly
spun from the stomach-high counter and turned to face Serena
As he turned, he saw that Serena
was standing in the doorway to his room. She was still dressed in only
the underslip, which came, in reality, to about the top of her knees. One
of her hands was on her eyes, rubbing. The other gripped the frame of the
sliding door.
"Umm... good morning, Serena... How
do you feel?" Matt managed to get out nonchalantly.
"I feel great! Slept like a log.
But... why did I wake up in your bed?"
Matt turned to Rei and gave her a
questioning look. Rei answered only by shrugging. Matt quickly turned back.
"I.. uhh.. found you on the floor
when I woke. You...ummm... must have fallen out of bed."
Quickly picking up on his cue, Rei
chimed in.
"Serena, you ditz. Can't you even
sleep right?"
"Hey... I don't fall out of bed!
Most of the time, anyway...."
With the remark, the group broke
out into a huge laugh. As they continued, Matt motioned for Serena to come
and join Rei. He brought two plates with food on them as the laughter died.
Slowly, they began to eat breakfast, the incident and the problems of last
night forgotten.
****
"Wait, Luna. You want us to go where?"
Mina quickly spoke up, interrupting Luna as she explained the situation.
It was now late in afternoon. Luna,
wasting no time, had called the scouts together. She asked Matt to join
them.
"We... we have to go to one of Jupiter's
moons, Io. I know that this is unexpected and timed VERY badly, but like
I explained... the King of Io, Joshua Derimond, wants us to come to see
him. He... he's a very old friend that I haven't seen in a long time...
and I need to go. If wasn't of the greatest importance to me, I wouldn't
even think asking you. But, this really means alot to me..."
"We understand Luna. Don't worry
about us... we'd love to come along. But, how are we going to get there?
Take a bus?" quickly chimed in Rei, still trying to comprehend actually
going to another planet.
"We're going to
do it like we always did before..." Artemis spoke up, he was the first
person Luna told, "We are going to have to use the Sailor Teleport, like
we did when you went to stop Beryol."
"But, Io is a LITTLE farther then
the North Pole. There is no way we can do it alone!" Declared Lita, still
pondering the fact that it was one of the moons of Jupiter that they were
suppose to go to.
"Exactly, Jupiter. We are going to
have to combine the power of the Teleport with the power of the Silver
Crystal and... if we use Matt's power, we should have no difficulty." Artemis
spoke quietly. He had personal feelings in this situation, but he kept
them hidden. Joshua Derimond was not one his favorite people.
As he spoke, all of the scouts turned
to face Matt, who had until this point, been silent. As they did, Matt
slowly shifted uncomfortably.
"We all know what's being asked...
and I just want you to know that you never need ask me for something like
this. I will always join you in all your journeys, if you'd have me."
"Of course we'd have you! I know
the situation is strange, but we need your help. Your skills and powers
would be a valuable asset to this team. Even though you just acquired them,
you can handle them expertly. We really do need you."
"Then count me in... all I can do
to help, I'll do."
As soon as Matt finished, all the
scouts managed to smile in unison, Serena most of all. Luna grinned and
looked up.
"Thank you, Matt. You already saved
us once, when we might have not have survived--"
As soon as she said it, she realized
her mistake. Not all of them did survive.
"Serena, I'm sorry. I didn't mean
to..." Luna quietly spoke before she went silent. The mood of the group
had changed drastically. Slowly, the scouts fell silent. As they did, Matt
looked down and then suddenly spoke up.
"Perhaps we should go?" asked Matt
as he reached into his shirt and pulled out a rose.
"Right." replied Luna, trying to
change the mood of the group. "C'mon, Scouts... we're needed someplace.
Using Luna's words as a cue, the
group quickly transformed into the Sailor Scouts. Matt hesitated for a
moment, then suddenly sighed and raised the rose he held above his head.
"MOOGLE LIGHT TRANSFORMATION!"
For the second time, Matt transformed
in Tuxedo Moogle. He quickly turned to see the entire group staring at
him silently.
"I'm ready..." whispered Tuxedo Moogle
as he slowly joined the scouts. The entire group formed a circle, holding
hands. In the center stood Luna and Artemis. Tuxedo Moogle quickly took
the hands of Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars and smiled knowingly towards Sailor
Moon. For the first time since Tokyo Tower, Moogle was rewarded with a
smile from Sailor Moon. He quickly turned his head to face the group, a
sense of happiness filling him.
"Here we go." spoke Luna, turning
to Artemis.
"SAILOR....TELEPORT!" shouted Artemis,
bracing himself against the ground.
"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!!!" chimed in
Sailor Moon as she closed her eyes and channeled the power of the Silver
Crystal.
"MOOGLE LIGHT WARP!" shouted Tuxedo
Moogle finally as the group slowly raised off the ground. With a flash
of light and the sound of an explosion, the entire group disappeared.
Heading for the moon Io.