Author: Mako-chan (Real Name – Lita Morris)

Disclaimer: Although I don't use any of the characters created by Naoko Takeuchi, they are based upon the story she created. The Sailor Senshi were her idea and I can't take credit for them. However, the original characters in this story are mine and are not to be used w/o permission - and are especially NOT to be claimed as your own.

Rating: PG-13 for swearing

Author's Notes: This story does not take place in Japan, but instead in the United States. More specifically in the city of Annapolis, MD. Oh, and I can't remember for sure the inside of the Smithsonian, so forgive me if I add things that aren't there. :)

Feedback: Please feel free to email me at OakRevolution@hotmail.com

Johnson held the canister up to the light. It was an oddly shaped piece of pottery bearing symbols he'd never seen before, in his entire career as a paleontologist. He glanced over at the man who had brought it. "What did you say this was?"

"I didn't." the man replied. "That's why I brought it to you."

Johnson sighed, taking the time to glance around the room. Damned it was freaky down here after dark, he thought. They were in one of the basement storage rooms of the museum, normally where artifacts were stored until they could be put on display. Shelves with bones, jarred animals, and other such things lined two of the walls. Storage areas, looking much like filing cabinets took up a third wall. Johnson couldn't remember what they stored in there. The fourth wall held the only door.

Turning his attention back to the canister, he examined it once more. It was obviously ancient. It was made out of marble, as far as he could tell. Black marble. That intrigued him. He'd never seen anything like this. The pictograms themselves were very clear, despite the obvious age of the artifact. Of the few he could definitely define, which there weren't that many, were the symbols for "star" and "evil".

"Based on what I can tell." Johnson began, the man leaning forward to listen. "The writing on this is a detailed account of something. Maybe a legend or story from some old civilization, but not one I've ever encountered. Not ever."

His interested party flopped back in his chair with a disapproving look on his face. "You mean, that's all you can tell me?" The tone of voice let Johnson know that this probably wasn't the first time this man had asked someone about the canister and gotten just as vague a response.

"That's all from just looking at it." Johnson turned the artifact around in his hands for probably the thirtieth time. "Have you ever tried opening it? There may be more of a clue on the inside."

The man shook his head. "If I know anything about what you hold in your hand, I know that it's one thing you don't want to go poppin' the lid off of."

That did it. This, this man had just revealed to Johnson that he knew more about it than he was letting on. But why would he want me to look at it?, he thought. Surely if he knows enough not to want to open this.... thing, then he knows all he can. Johnson glanced at the man sitting across from him warily.

The man stood, presumably to leave. Johnson held up the canister so that he might take it. He didn't want to have anything more to do with this man or the canister.

Just then, one of the security guards pounded open the door, gun drawn, yelling at the top of his lungs. "I don't know what's going on in here but you're both under arrest!"

It all happened with in the span of a few seconds. Startled, Johnson lost grip on the canister. It teetered on his fingertips and began to fall towards the floor. The mysterious man, surprisingly quick to react, dove after the artifact. A single shot fired. Johnson stood there dumbfounded as the strange man fell limp to the floor, the canister following shortly after - shattering into thousands of pieces.

"I.....I.....I thought he was going to.....do something." Stammered the guard.

Johnson didn't even hear him. He was too busy staring at what used to be a probably priceless artifact. Eventually, the guard stopped stammering to look as well.

Both of their faces were frozen in horror - the guard with his gun raised in front of him - as a strange black mist began forming around the shattered pieces. Neither of them found themselves able to move as the mist began taking on a more dense being. It was as if the air around them had suddenly gone foul. Almost at the same instant, both Johnson and the guard began to scream.

The screams were cut off instantly as the black mist enveloped the men completely. And then, seemingly from nowhere and everywhere came an almost melodic voice. It rang with harmonious chords that could almost be pleasant to a persons ears if one couldn't sense the immense evil behind it. And it spoke of only one thing.

"And now.......revenge."

Tara handed Misty the crumpled envelope. She was almost bouncing up and down, turquoise hair following suit, as her friend looked over the wrinkled item. "Well, aren't you going to read what it says?" Tara was almost pleading.

Rolling her eyes and trying to ignore her friend's enthusiasm, which was next to impossible, she read the return address out loud. "Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C...." She looked up at Tara. "Is this what I think it is?"

Tara nodded. "Yup! I was accepted to their summer program! It starts a week after school ends!"

Misty placed her hands on Tara's shoulders. "Calm down, ya Spaz. This is great and everything, but don't forget, you've got two days of Final Exams before you get to go off and be Miss Museum Curator."

Tara's happiness faded noticeably. She jerked the envelope away from Misty, almost ripping it in the process. "You always know how to ruin my day don't you, you bitch queen. I can't believe this, I come up to you with this great news, knowing you'd be jealous, you being the All-and-mighty Bookworm and this is what I get! You...."

Misty just laughed. "Oh, would you shut up already!" Tara fell silent. "I just wanted to remind you that you need to pass these Exams, or you dear ol' mum won't let you go traipsing off to the museum anyway." She waited to see her words dawn on the excited girl.

Tara hit her forehead with the heel of her palm. "Right! Mom wouldn't let me go if I didn't do well. Thanks."

"Yes, well, sometimes my intellect astounds even me." Misty grinned.

Tara slapped her upside the head and walked down the hall. "Come on, Miss Know-it-all, time to head home and study!"

"That hurt, Tara!" Misty yelled as she made her way down the crowded hall trying to catch up.

Solaris looked about at her surroundings. The dark and dusty basement room did not impress her in the least. Never the less, she knew it would probably be the best place for her..... plans to be carried out.

"And believe me," she said to herself. "I will have my revenge for the humiliation and suffering those damned Do-gooders put me through."

Solaris didn't care that her mother was dead. She had known that before she was free. Let the woman rot in hell for all she mattered. Solaris had power now, that was all that mattered. She would take up where her worthless and arrogant mother had left off. Or rather, she thought, where she failed.

She glanced down at the shattered remains of her prison. Enough of the shards retained their full sigils that she would not need to spend precious energy creating new servants. She simply called to those also trapped within. The coercions locking them inside would be gone now.

She called, not with her voice, but with her mind. Urging through simple thought and will that her servants once more awaken. Sigils began glowing with a dark light. Brightening suddenly, they would erupt into a tower of black energy and then fade, revealing the trapped person. More and more of these demons arose, glancing around as if not sure whether they were truly free.

"It is time...." Solaris began, catching their attention with the authority in her voice. "It is time to take back what is ours."

"What power do you have over us?" Came a voice from the back. "And where is Empress Nova? We serve her, not you, Whelp."

Solaris turned to face the nodding crowd of demons. Sarcasm ran heavy in her voice. "The Empress Nova is dead. I am now Empress. You serve me." Her eyes dared any of them to say otherwise.

It was a dare that did not go unheeded. A cloaked figure stepped forward. "And what if we refuse?" Solaris recognized the voice as the one that had challenged her earlier. "What will you do then, Empress?" he mocked.

Solaris merely smiled. The demon's eyes glowed. "You will not even answer my challenge then? Some Empress." The demon straightened, obviously now very sure of himself.

Raising a hand, Solaris' smile widened. Palm out towards the questioning demon, she started to laugh. Unsure as to what was going on, the demon backed up a step. Others behind him smiled knowingly. After this display, they would serve Solaris, willingly or no.

"Farewell." Solaris said nonchalantly. A rune began to glow in the center of her palm. A rune that's meaning was "death". A bright flash followed, and the upstart demon was no more. That was it. He was there one second and gone the next. None of his comrades seemed eager to share his opinion now. Solaris returned her hand to her side.

"Well now, any other objections?"

She was met with a chorus of mumbling, which all amounted to the same thing - No. Smiling, she began ordering demons about. It would not take long before she came to permanently rest within these "walls". Not long at all....

Tara glanced up at the clock. Only an hour more and she would be free for the whole summer. Which also meant she only had an hour to finish her Algebra II Final. She sighed, turning back to the packet of problems in front of her. This is why I hate math, she reasoned to herself. Oh, she wasn't terribly bad at math, it was just not one of her best classes. I think I studied too much, I can't remember a damn thing. Oh, well only twenty more questions to go.

Misty waited for Tara at her locker. It had been ten minutes since the final bell had rung, if she didn't get here soon, they were going to miss their ride. Justin never did learn the meaning of patience, Misty's mind began to wander. Too bad he's not such a jerk, he's almost cute.

"I don't know what you're thinking about, but based on the look on your face, he's tall, dark, and handsome." Tara's voice startled Misty from her thoughts.

"I hate it when you do that to me!" Misty complained. "And no, I was thinking about how good it'd feel to kick your ass. Honestly, making me wait. A.J.'s going to leave without us!"

Tara laughed. "Well, then let's get going. You don't want to miss your chance to sit beside A.J., now do you?" She grinned as Misty's face grew red.

"You know, I'm beginning to understand why Crysta hates you so much." Misty teased as they made their way through the bustling hallways, knowing that Justin was more likely to become president than to leave without them. He'd only made that mistake once. A mistake Tara was quick to fix.

Tara made a face. "Ugh! You had to mention that name! Come on, Mist, I'm on vacation! I don't have to see that smiling face for two months - and I don't want to hear about her either!"

No one really knew when or why the complications between Crysta and Tara had begun. Everyone simply assumed it had started before they were born - a genetic defect or something. Misty sighed.

"Fine, but only if you stop saying that I like A.J. I mean, come on, he's a tool."

Tara smiled. She and Misty had been friends ever since they were little. A.J., on the other hand, was a fairly new acquaintance. Tara had met him at her dojo. His parents were military, and he had just moved in when school started. She had also noticed how much more she saw Misty after A.J. showed up, but decided to let it go. This time.

"So tell me when being a tool has ever stopped you from latching on, huh? Or am I supposed to forget about Robbie?" Tara grinned evilly. It was a big joke that Misty's last boy toy, Robbie, was the King O' Tools. Misty had even complained once that Rob probably couldn't even tie his shoes without direction.

Tara ducked under the friendly punch that flew her way and ran for the door. "Tara, you're dead!" Misty yelled, charging after her friend.

"That's what you think!" Came the reply.

"So, what have you guys got going over the summer?" A.J. asked, glancing in the rearview mirror. "Not too much, I hope. It'd be pretty lonely if I didn't see the both of you." He grinned at Tara.

"Oh, A.J., you know I couldn't resist showing you up at Tae-kwon-do. You'll see so much of me you'll be dying for an escape." Tara loved to rub it in that every time they sparred in class, she was the victor. Misty just rolled her eyes and prayed they got to her house soon.

"You better watch it, Spaz. Now that you're not needed for softball, I won't be holding back. You're going down."

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before!"

"Would you two shut up already!" Misty interjected. "I'm almost home, at least wait until I get out of this death-trap."

"Misty," A.J. looked to her in the back seat. "are you insulting my car?"

Misty blushed. "No....." she replied softly.

Tara burst out laughing, A.J. only smiled, and Misty turned a deeper shade of red.

A.J. stopped the car in front of the door. "I still don't see why you don't want to go home....."

"Listen, Just, my mom's been putting in a ton of extra hours at work. Now that I don't have school to worry about, I can help." Tara stepped out of the car and leaned in the window. "Besides, I can't miss a chance to brag that I'm free for the summer and she still has to work!"

"I should have known." A.J. replied. "Well, see you on Thursday!" He pulled away.

"Be prepared to go down hard!" Tara called after him. She turned to go inside, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Well, mom, what are you up to now?"

It was that voice again. Always that voice. Nothing else. Simply the darkness and the voice. Tara stood alone in the middle of literally nowhere - there were no trees, no buildings, no shadows - just darkness. The voice echoed around her.

"Power beyond the Twilight,

Midnight tide that flows,

Buried in the Shield of Time,

It's where your power grows."

The continuous repeating voice. No tone infliction - no urgency, no mockery. Just that flat, resounding voice.

"The Power beyond the Twilight!"

Tara jerked awake with a start. It was the third time in just as many days that the dream had haunted her. Drenched in sweat, she clutched at the bed sheets, trying to relax, maybe calm her breathing. It wasn't working. And for some reason, she never could figure out why, she knew that she wasn't going to tell anyone about these dreams.

"But, why?" she asked out loud, even though no one was home. "Why can't I tell anyone?"

She knew that she had to get back to sleep. She was tired after going to Tae-kwon-do the night before. She had actually lost to A.J. That in itself told Tara there was something wrong with her. Fortunately, she knew what the problem was. Sleep. She hadn't been getting any while these dreams haunted her. And now, again, she would struggle to go back to the wonderful caress of sleep.

"I need to be in good working order. I go to DC tomorrow."

Not that that was such a big treck, Annapolis was only forty-five minutes away from the nation's capital, but she wouldn't be back until well after eight at night. The summer program that the Smithsonian put on every year only chose 13 out of the countless thousands who applied. Tara had almost died of shock when she recieved that envelope.

"All right, Tara, sleep. You can do it."

With that, she turned herself away from the wall and closed her eyes, though it would be hours until she finally succumbed to sleep's gentle hand.

Her cold gray eyes scanned the room. She shifted, smiling at the many nervous glances she received from her toys. For that's what these demons were, toys. Solaris played with a lock of her dark blue hair, wondering if she should speak now. No, let them wait a little longer. Make them fear a little longer. Longer....

Solaris gazed around her throne room with satisfaction playing over every feature. Her loyal subjects all stood about her, waiting for her to say something. Her subjects. Solaris' smile widened. This turn of events had long been coming. Her fool mother couldn't do anything and get it right. Thinking of her mother only turned Solaris' smile into a fearful frown. Some of the demons before her slunk back, as if to hide behind their brothers. She laughed. The power she had now was ridiculous. Except for one thing.....

"Kaoru!" she bellowed.

A midnight-blue clad demon moved forward from the shadows. His long brown hair fell freely around his shoulders, accenting his green eyes wonderfully. His uniform, standard to those that had served the old Empress, did nothing to flatter his muscular build. Solaris, however, saw none of this. He was a pawn - to be molded and manipulated at will. She glared at him.

"Didn't I tell you to get rid of that awful piece of trash you insist on wearing?" she asked, the tone in her voice dangerous. "Or do you defy me?"

"Of course not, Empress." he replied, voice strangely clam as he bowed. When he straightened again, he wore not the old uniform, but a wonderfully tailored suit. "Does this please you Highness?" His smile was cold.

"It will be fine." Solaris huffed, waving her hand disdainfully. "But now, I have a job for you."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow noticeably. He hadn't expected to be moved to the position he was in now, and actually having this brat ask him to do something was amazing. Considering how much she had hated him while her mother sat on the throne. He tried to cover his surprise, and succeeded, though not before Solaris had seen it.

"Yes?" he coaxed tentatively.

Solaris addressed the entire throne room in answer to his inquiry. "You have long known of the source of Our power - those who have sat upon the Throne." her voice rang with wondrous melodies that hinted at something Otherworldly. Murmurs from the crowd of "courtiers" met her ears. She silenced them with a flick of her wrist. "Yes, the Chaos Sabre. We have need of this great weapon again, don't you think? To take revenge on this pitiful star that has imprisoned us for so long! REVENGE!"

Now the crowd cheered whole-heartedly. Solaris smiled. They would be faithful hounds at her feet so long as she preached the definite revenge against being sealed in that awful prison for so many centuries.

"However," her voice was dull, and brought silence back to the room. "this is where our plans stand at the moment." She motioned, and literally out of the floor rose a large crystal. Black crystal. Clear crystal. And sealed within this, a mighty blade, it's true shape distorted by its casing.

"This is what has happened to the key to our ultimate revenge. This is what those damned Star-dwellers did to us! Look around you! How many of us are dead because of them?!? How many gone?!? Look around!" Solaris truly didn't care about the missing demons, save the fewer number of them meant fewer weapons for her use. That was one of the faults with these demons the First Emperor had created, he gave them hearts. Cold ones, but none the less there.

She looked about, smiling as she saw her false words bring emotion to the demons that stood before her. Kaoru, however, showed none of the others idiotic feelings. Which was in part why she had chosen him. He would never betray her because of his "heart". Another wave of her hand brought the crystal-embedded sword to rest behind her throne, still visible on it's elevated platform.

"Now. Kaoru." she waited as he once again looked to her. "You have seen where we stand. What we need now is power."

"To release..." he interrupted.

"No." she glared at him. "Not to release Chaos, I could do that with a mere thought. We need the power to sustain It. Else, our revenge will never be. So. Go, do what you must. But one thing is certain. If you fail, you will die."

To her surprise, he showed no waver of fear. "Yes, Empress." He bowed and was gone.

Solaris leaned back into the comfort of her throne and smiled. It would only be a matter of time.

The basement wall wavered, becoming black then its original gray over and over. The gray and black eddied around each other, like water flowing into nooks and crannies of a river. Kaoru stepped out of this dimensional rift and into the basement where they had first been freed. The wall returned once again to its normal state.

How cowardly, he thought, that We must hide from them. Hide here in this pitiful hole, away from the world We should be ruling. He spoke in the plural he had no right to use, but thought he did. It wasn't too long ago that he had held power of his own. Now, look at me, I serve that bitch of an Empress. Even her mother wasn't this bad. At least then....but what's the use? This is the way things are now, and as long as she has that Oracle and that damned blade, I don't have the power to confront her. Not even if I called upon everyone to rally against her. Damn. The bitch.

Sighing, he moved to the real door into this room. Now that he had left the protection of the despised hiding place, he must go about as an ordinary being, so as to not attract attention. If he had had it his way, they would have come up from the earth like a raging storm, cutting down anything that had stood in their way. But it wasn't up to him. And that irked him more than anything else. He put his hand to the doorknob.

"Look out world......here I come."

Tara glanced around at the others on the bus. Not surprisingly, she didn't know any of them. That was okay, she'd get to know them soon enough. She looked once again to the notebook in her lap. She had written something without realizing it. Tara's heart leapt into her throat as she read her handwriting. Power beyond the Twilight...." It was the same thing she had heard time and again in her dreams! She shut the notebook hastily and crammed it back into her backpack. Looking back to the others on the bus, she found a few of them staring at her strangely. She smiled at them. No need to stare. See? Nothing's wrong. her smile said. Luckily they went back to whatever it was they had been doing.

She shut her eyes, trying to shut out the voice. She could hear it now, and she wasn't even asleep. Gods, she thought. I must be going insane. I need to be home right now.

But she couldn't go home, not now. The bus was almost at the museum. The Smithsonian, to be precise. The Museum of Natural History. She would finally be able to see what went into running such a large and scientific place. Tara had always wanted to be.....well, to be famous. But not the fame of movie stars or singers. She wanted the fame that came from discoveries, from scientific developments. That was her dream. And today, she would be well on her way to making it happen.

The bus squeaked to a stop. Tara opened her eyes, the voice had stop plaguing her. It was time to go. Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she stood and waited for someone to let her into the isle to depart. It was going to be a long day......

Kaoru watched the latest group trickle into the building from his vantage point on one of the balcony. This one seemed as useless as all the previous groups that had entered the building. Until.....That's the one! Kaoru stood, his eyes fixed on the tall blond in the center of the crowd of teens. She's just what we need.

"Shizuko."

"Yes, Master Kaoru?" The lesser demon stepped through a dimensional doorway similar to the one Kaoru had exited from, save this one appeared in mid-air.

Kaoru turned to look at his servant. Shizuko had served him faithfully since before the Sealing, as it had now come to be called. She stood slightly shorter than his six feet and her pale green hair trailed to her ankles. She too wore the old uniform, but in a dark lavender. Kaoru wondered why he hadn't asked her to remove yet. It didn't matter. What mattered now was the job at hand. He turned back to the crowd gathered just inside the doors.

"Do you see the tall blond in the crowd down there?" He motioned with his chin, arms crossed. "She seems ripe for the picking, don't you agree?" A sinister smile crept across his lips, marring his otherwise beautiful face.

Shizuko stepped to the railing and glanced downward. "Indeed. How shall I go about this - speed or discretion?" She didn't take her eyes off of the target.

"Discretion. That's is what is important to Solaris."

Shizuko sneered. She too held the Empress with as much esteem as Kaoru did. "Fine. This should be fairly easy, she can't be with someone all the time. Her Trillium will be ours before the day is out."

"See to it then." Kaoru turned away and walked down the hall, disappearing as he rounded the corner.

"Show time." she whispered.

Tara glanced up at Katie. And I thought I was tall.... Katie was an impressive 5' 11", but she seemed to tower over Tara. Katie and Tara had begun talking during the first of the activities, when they had been paired. Tara liked her new friend's out look on life, it was much like her own - take nothing for granted and no one will take you. Tara smiled, seeing the excitement on Katie's face. It was time for one of the more relaxing and less educational of the weeks activities - the scavenger hunt.

"I'm glad we got to pick our own partners for this one." the tall girl was saying. "I don't know how I'd get along with anyone else here. Nobody else that I know of is from Virginia."

"Same here, only there are some people here from Maryland, just other cities." Tara glanced at the list. "Well, are we off?"

Katie smiled. "You bet. The first thing on the list?"

"Ancient Civilizations...." Tara read. "An artifact over 5,000 years old. That should be easy enough, don't you think?"

"Should be."

The girls headed down a hallway they hadn't been down before, eager to see all of the museum, as well as win the scavenger hunt. They turned left into a room filled with life-size dummies wearing recreated armor and clothing from some civilization neither Katie nor Tara recognized.

"We should definitely be able to find something in here..." Katie whispered. She seemed to be in awe of what the room contained, not that Tara could blame her. The room was full of interesting artifacts and displays.

Tara found herself drawn towards a collection of the dummies, while Katie wandered off towards something that had caught her interest. The dummies were arranged as if they we all talking to one another, two men and three women. They were all dressed fairly simply, the men in something resembling a toga and the women in beautiful skirts and a kind of halter top. One thing surprised Tara. Unlike other civilizations occupying the Southern Americas - assuming that was their origin, they seemed similar to the Aztecs - she had read about, the men wore no adornments. The three women however, were a different story. Their wrists shone with golden bracelets, their ankles were decorated in silver chains, and each one of them wore gorgeous earrings. One of them carried an odd staff. Tara found her eyes lingering on the woman with the staff.

Something around the dummy’s neck glinted in the soft light provided by the lamps overhead. Careful not to disturb the exhibit, Tara leaned forward, eager to see the necklace, needing to see it somehow. She was almost infatuated.....

Shizuko watched the girls from the shadows. The tall blond and the turquoise-haired girl whispered something to each other and then separated. Damn. she thought. Kaoru said to use discretion, but this is the perfect opportunity, even with that other girl..... If she sees me though.... Suddenly, Shizuko smiled. If she sees me, which she undoubtedly will, once I go for the other one.....then, I'll have some fun with her.

Staying in her shadow form, Shizuko moved closer and closer to the blond, the excitement showing on her face. She hadn't killed in such a long time.....

Tara was still staring at the exhibit when Katie screamed. She whirled to see what could have possibly made her friend react that way and almost screamed herself. Hovering in mid-air above Katie was.....

"A ghost!" Katie finished her thought for her. The terrified girl fell as she tried to back away, and continued to scramble on her hands and feet after she fell. It was no use, the monster moved right with her.

"Katie, run away!" Tara yelled, running toward her friend. She lifted the girl up onto her feet, never taking her eyes of the hovering figure. Standing in front of Katie in a protective gesture, Tara glared at the woman – if that’s what that thing was.

Shizuko laughed. “That’s right, try and protect your friend silly mortal. I haven’t had this much fun in a while. Oh, and while I’m at it, your blond haired friend is wrong. Don’t you know a demon when you see one? Ah, well, you’ll learn soon enough. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to play around today.” With that, she thrust her arms out in front of her and blasted Tara with pure dark energy.

It looked like a ball of blue flame flew towards her. Tara, brave though she was, screamed. Katie, horrified, could only watch as her would-be protector was thrown the far distance to the opposite wall, crashing into an exhibit.

“Tara!” she yelled. “Tara, no!” But the other girl did not move.

Shizuko laughed once more. “Silly little girls. But, what fun you are! Too bad I must end it now.” She straightened her right arm out in front of her, hand tilted down, palm showing. The skin of her wrist twisted in an unnatural fashioned and something disgustingly pink flew out at Katie.

Katie found herself unable to move. Oh, Tara, please be all right. She turned as the thing – no, she had called herself a demon – laughed once again.

“Too bad I must end it now.” the demon had said. Katie felt that she knew only too well what that meant. And there was no where to run or hide. She saw them, the disgusting pink strands of the demons flesh as the flew for her chest. She couldn’t do anything – except scream.

Tara had been knocked unconscious when the demon’s blast had blown her back into the wall, and through the exhibit she had been so fascinated with earlier. Now, she felt tingling along her left arm and a severe pounding in her head. The pounding wasn’t the only thing in her head though. The voice. That awful, horrifying voice.

Power beyond the Twilight,

Midnight tide that Flows…..

Tara’s hand curled around something long and smooth. She had not yet opened her eyes, the thought of the light shining in them was enough for her to keep them as they were.

Buried in the Shield of Time,

It’s where your power grows.

YOUR POWER!

Tara’s eyes snapped open. Her head had titled to the right when the impact occurred. There was only one thing in her field of vision now – the head and neck of the dummy that had enthralled her. And around the dummy’s neck – the choker she had so wanted to see. Reaching out gingerly, for she hadn’t gotten back all the feeling in her body yet, Tara slid the choker off. And just as gingerly, she unfastened it and snapped it around her neck – one-handed, as her left hand didn’t seem to want to let go of what it held. She did this for reasons she would never understand, driven by a force she would never see. And then…….

This was as easy as it was enjoyable. Shizuko’s tendrils had already pierced the human’s fragile flesh and would soon remove from her the Trillium that all of her species carried. These Trilliums were great sources of energy, should one choose to tap into them, and that was just what They intended to do. Shizuko couldn’t help but smile.

“CORVUS TRINITY POWER, MAKE-UP!”

Shizuko looked, startled, towards the powerful voice that had come from the other side of the room. The side of the room where she had thrown the other girl. The was a bright flash of light. So bright, that Shizuko recoiled, drawing her tendrils from the blond girl without extracting her Trillium. The light was pure – and painful.

Suddenly, the light was gone. Shizuko could uncover her face without fear of pain. And she did so, looking to where she had heard the voice. Standing there, amidst the wreck of the exhibit, was a beautiful warrior. She posed confidently, legs planted firmly on the ground, left arm extended to support the immense black staff she supported. But the other girl was no where to be found.

“Who are you and what have you done with my other toy?!?” Shizuko demanded, voice raspy.

“I am……”

Kaoru heard them screams, though he doubted anyone else in the museum did. That was an advantage they had over these mortals. Damn it, he thought. She’s gone and done something rash, I just know it.

Focusing on Shizuko’s energy trail, he literally flew through the many hallways, doors, and walls that separated him from his servant. It didn’t take him too long before he found her, he was extremely fast, even compared to the others. But what he saw, was more than he was prepared for.

Shizuko coiled back in fear, the chosen victim lying crumpled on the floor – breathing, so she hadn’t gotten the Trillium – and someone else. Someone who looked slightly familiar. He employed the old trick of invisibility now, lest he be spotted by either party and given away. Shizuko could be sacrificed, he had other servants. What was important now was the identity of this third party. He listened intently.

“I am….”

Tara was yelling now, for some reason no longer afraid. And she spoke the words that came to her, words that she had never heard before.

“I am Sailor Corvus…… bearer of the Power beyond the Twilight…..once buried in the Shield of Time….. and in the name of the Stars, I will vanquish you!”

She twirled the long staff as easily as a baton and held it above her head. The staff began to glow, a red light forming around its black form. Then, turning to crystals of this same red light, it collapsed into her hands, becoming crystalline dust. Lowering her arms and placing her hands in front of her mouth, she blew the crystals like you would blow a kiss – straight toward Shizuko.

"SHADOW FALL!!!!!!"

Shizuko looked almost fascinated by this display. She certainly wasn’t moving. And as for himself, Kaoru felt a lump forming in the bottom of his throat. This was definitely not good. And definitely not something that the Empress would enjoy hearing about. Still, he watched….

The crystals flew out of Tara’s – no, now Sailor Corvus’ hands as if they were blown by a fierce wind. Turning into shards of black light as they flew, their target unmoving, their course true. Shizuko was hit full force in the chest. A piercing scream rocked the air. And then, as if she had never been, the demon was gone – leaving behind nothing, not even the slightest bit of dust.

Weary, Sailor Corvus collapsed to her knees. The black staff – Raven’s Claw, she would call it – was once again in her hands. Were those bands near the top there before? They look just like my choker, only they seem to be a part of the staff…. The red light returned to it, but this time it was not as intense as before. Corvus felt a slight tingling all-over and then looked down to see she was no longer Sailor Corvus, but Tara Lambeth once more. The choker she had used to transform was still about her neck, but Raven’s Claw, the staff , was no where to be seen. For some reason though, she was not worried, she new it would appear when needed. She could think about this later, now she needed to help her friend……

Kaoru sighed. The Empress was not going to like this……

The bus ride home was long and tedious. People always checking in on her and Katie to see if they were “okay” after such a terrible ordeal. Tara wasn’t even bruised, Katie however had a strange dull throb in her chest. The medics had said she would be fine, it was nothing. Huh, if they only knew. Tara spent most of the trip staring out the window at nothing, answering Katie occasionally so she didn’t feel ignored. Katie would be staying at a hotel in Annapolis before heading home the next day. They had already exchanged addresses.

This is all so strange. she thought. I don’t know where the power comes from, where Sailor Corvus comes from, or even who she is for that matter. I mean, I know I’m her, but she wasn’t always me. What was she like? That woman at the exhibit? This is way too much…

Tara fell asleep in the midst of her thoughts, not to awaken until the bus squeaked to a stop outside of the station. Her mom was waiting. When she asks what happened, I’ll tell her the story Katie told the police. It’ll be in the news soon anyway. She’ll worried to death of course, and it’ll be worse than the ride home. She sighed. Oh well, time to face the music….

Tara flopped down on her bed, glad to be rid of all the attention. Was she the only one who remembered the way things had really happened? Probably she thought, Even Katie had told the guards that some weirdoes in Halloween costumes had jumped us. But, it’s probably better that she doesn’t know the truth. Everyone else seemed to buy it too. Well, it’s too bad they had to cancel the program, I was having fun. She smiled.

Heck, it was hard for Tara to accept the truth. The fact that, like in all of her favorite books, she had become a super hero. It was even harder to accept when she thought of the demon, what it had tried to do to Katie. And for some reason, something she yet again did not understand, she didn’t question any of this. It just felt……right. And just like she knew her life would never be the same again, she also knew that it wouldn’t be the last time she would face such a monster.

Tara stood and walked over to her desk, taking out a pen and a pad of paper. There was something she had to do even before she called Misty. She sat down and began to write, her left-hand absentmindedly caressing her choker as she did so.

“Dear Katie….”

Kaoru stood once again on the balcony overlooking the museum entrance, brooding. This new inconvenience hindered his plans greatly. He would wait before telling Solaris. She didn’t need to know right away. But one thing was certain, she wasn’t going to be happy……