Discoveries The Dark Lord Saga - Chapter Three by Rick Federle "We are so late." Mina groused as she took the entranceway steps of the Temple two at a time. She heard William give a noncommittal grunt of agreement from next to her. "Where have you been?" Raye asked as the two approached. "We've been waiting forever for you." Raye thumbed toward Serena, who was seated at the top of the steps nearby. "Even Serena managed to make it here before you." "Sorry about that." Mina apologized as they joined the others. "Someone just couldn't get out of bed this morning." William commented as he plopped down on the walkway next to the steps. "So I got used to lingering in bed during vacation." Mina remarked as she sat down next to him on his left. "Lingering implies that you actually got out of bed, love." She crossed her arms, taking on a pouting look. "Humph." She felt him shrug and proceeded to elbow him in the ribs. "Back to business." Darien interrupted. Mina leaned back against William as Darien continued, resting her head against his right shoulder. "You were saying, Amy?" Darien prompted. William put his arms around Mina's shoulders as she turned her attention to her blue haired friend. Amy nodded and spoke up. "The residual energy patterns of the shadow creatures are of a strongly negative nature. In fact, they are the exact opposite of the energy used by William's attacks." "Which means what precisely?" Lita asked. "That they cancel each other out, like matter and antimatter." Mina felt the vibrations of William's voice through her back as he spoke. "That would explain why there was an explosion when I hit one of them with my sword." "I didn't know that." Amy frowned as she absorbed the new information. "Makes sense, though." Darien added. Amy nodded in agreement. "Did you come up with anything new?" "No." William said. "I've been distracted the past couple of days." Mina elbowed him gently in the stomach, which he apparently ignored. She felt his frown. "I'm . . . " Mina tilted her head and looked up at him as he trailed off. "What is it?" "I feel something." He replied, his voice distant. "A strange presence nearby." "Several of them." Raye spoke up. "I can sense them, too. Very evil and they're close." There was the sound of thunder nearby, followed by the sound of screaming. "Someone's causing trouble and we've got to stop it." Lita declared. "Let's go Scouts." "Right!" Mina agreed with Serena, Amy, and Raye as she sat up. "Moon Eternal Make Up!" "Mercury Crystal Power, Make Up!" "Mars Crystal Power, Make Up!" "Jupiter Crystal Power, Make Up!" Mina stood up. "Venus Crystal Power, Make Up!" She commanded and power filled her. "Guard Crystal Power, Make Up!" She felt the echo of power as he transformed. "This way." Sailor Mars took the lead, leaving the others to follow her. "Is that a Shadow Warrior?" Sailor Moon asked Venus as she lead the Scouts over a rise. "Yes." She agreed as they came to a stop. "There's seven of them." She heard Mercury comment. Venus yelped and flung herself to the side as a spray of energy released by one of the Shadow Warriors tore through the space where she had been. She rolled to her feet, turning her attention back to the Shadow Warriors. "She's not the one we seek." Another one of the Shadow Warriors hissed to the first one. "She looks like it." The first disagreed. "How dare you attack my friends." Sailor Moon began, leveling a warning finger at the first Shadow Warrior. "For love and justice, I am Sailor Moon. In the name of the Moon, I will punish you." "I am Sailor Mercury!" "I am Sailor Mars!" "I am Sailor Jupiter!" "I am Sailor Venus!" The first Shadow Warrior narrowed it's glowing red eyes as it took them in. "Do not oppose us." It hissed in warning. "If you do, you will be destroyed." "Not likely." Sailor Moon disagreed. "Silver Moon . . . " Another burst of energy tore into the ground in the middle of the group of Scouts, sending them all flying. Sailor Venus sat up and shook her head to clear it. She saw the Shadow Warriors pause as a red rose landed point first in the ground in front of the first one. "Do not give up, Scouts." She heard Tuxedo Mask call. "You can defeat them." "Sun Fire Flare!" The light beam appeared from her right somewhere and slammed into the lead Shadow Warrior. There was an explosion, accompanied by the sound of thunder as the Shadow Warrior shattered in a spray of rainbow sparks. Venus rose to her feet and looked over to her right to see the Guardsman standing near her. She turned her attention to the other Scouts, who were just now getting up. "That's him." One of them hissed. "Destroy him." She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her attention that way just in time to see the Shadow Warriors unleash a volley of shadow fragments. "Light Shield Barrier!" She heard him call and the wall of sparkling energy materialized between the two groups. She heard his agonized scream of pain as she doubled over, clutching her head as his agony tore into her awareness. She nearly blacked out as the pain grew more intense, a moan escaping her lips. "Sailor Venus!" She heard Sailor Moon call urgently, but was she unable to respond. "That's it." She faintly heard Sailor Moon say. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" She felt herself being flung through the air and then land on the ground nearby. She pushed away the pain, forcing herself to stand up. She looked and saw Sailor Pluto and the other Outers standing between the Shadow Warriors and the prone form of the Guardsman. Four of the Shadow Warriors hovered nearby, the ground around them cratered and charred. In a blur, they charged. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" "Dead Scream." "World Shaking!" "Deep Submerge!" "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" "Mars Flame Sniper!" "Jupiter Oak Evolution!" "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" She collapsed back to her knees as fresh pain shot through her then everything went black. * * * She forced her eyes open as the blackness faded and she became aware of the pain in her side and head. The room she was in was almost completely dark. She tensed then relaxed as she realized that she was in one of the inner rooms of the Temple. She became aware of the fact that her love's right shoulder was resting against her left. She weakly rolled up on her side, wincing slightly at the shooting pain in her ribs and head. Her husband lay on his back next to her, apparently still unconscious, his white armor visible even in the near dark of the room. Worriedly, she put her right arm over his waist as she rolled all the way over so she could lean against him. She rested her right palm against his chest to see if he was still breathing. She felt the slow rise and fall of his chest under her hand and after a moment she had determined that he was either fine or would be in the morning. She moved her hand back down around his waist so she could kiss his chest gently, then she rested her left cheek against his chest. She slipped her fingers under the hilt of his sword, resting her fingertips against his left hip. Wearily, reassured that everything was going to be okay, she closed her eyes and let herself drift back to sleep. When she opened her eyes again the feelings of pain and weariness were gone. She felt her love's hand curled around her head and she sat up, feeling his hand slip away as she did so, so she could look at him. "Good morning." The Guardsman greeted her. "Morning." She smiled down at him, relieved that he looked okay. "All better?" "More or less." He winced, pressing his right hand against his forehead as he sat up. "Unfortunately, I've still got a headache from yesterday." "Poor baby." She rested her arms on his shoulders, crossing her wrists behind his neck. "Want me to kiss it and make it feel better?" She asked as he put his arms around her waist. "Yes, thank you." He agreed, sharing her smile. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his as he pulled her close to him, feeling his warmth around her. She let the kiss linger for a time, enjoying both the kiss and the feel of his body pressed up against hers. "Better?" She asked after she pulled her lips from his. "A little." He stated. "May I have another?" "Of course." She agreed, leaning forward again to press her lips against his once again. With a thought, she willed away her transformation, becoming Mina once again rather than Sailor Venus. She felt his armor vanish beneath her stomach. Encouraged, she threw herself into the kiss, feeling his body respond to the closeness of hers as she pressed hard against him. She felt his love for her as the kiss began. When she pressed against him, she felt the intenseness of his passion for her as his body responded to the closeness of hers. She felt his heart race as the kiss grew more passionate, less controlled, and his desire to be one with her. She realized faintly that she wasn't just feeling her own emotions but his as well, and the back part of her brain informed her that it was a new sensation. She ignored it, encouraged by his emotions. It also reminded her that Raye probably wouldn't be happy if they got too intimate while in the Temple. "Wait a minute." She panted, shaking her head to keep him from kissing her again. "Wait a minute." He rested his forehead against her right shoulder as the adrenaline rush began to wear off, breathing heavily. "I hope you have a good reason." She let her breathing and pulse return to their normal pace before speaking again. "I don't think we should be doing this here." She explained. He blinked once and a frown appeared on his lips. "Probably not." He raised his head and looked at her. "Are you sure that you're okay?" "I'm fine." She reassured him. "Really." "The link seems to be getting stronger." "I noticed." She frowned, unconsciously echoing his. "It seems to get stronger every day. At first, I could just tell when you were hurt, but recently I've also felt your pain. And just now, I was feeling your emotions as well." She felt the pressure of his head against her shoulder and she took his head in her hands and held him close, closing her eyes as she felt his vulnerableness. She realized that he depended so totally on her and that he couldn't function properly without her anymore. She felt all the pain that the Negaverse had inflicted upon him and she smothered it with her love for him. She felt him hug her tight, his absolute and nearly overwhelming love for her. She had become the center of his universe and because she realized that because he depended so much on her, he had become the center of hers. After a moment, she felt him raise his head from her shoulder and press his lips against hers. She felt his love for her, his longing to always be with her, and his joy to be close to her. That they were together. She opened her eyes and smiled at him when he pulled his lips away, his nose resting next to hers. He shared her smile and her happiness. "Why don't we go home and find out how much it's changed." He suggested. "For scientific reasons, of course." "Of course." She looked over as sunlight entered the room, accompanied by the sound of a sliding door opening. "About time you two got up." Raye glared at them from the other side of the doorway. "I thought maybe you were going to sleep all day." "What time is it?" Mina asked. "A little after noon." Raye informed her, coming into the room and closing the door behind her. Mina realized that she was famished as Raye continued. "We managed to get the two of you back here after you passed out. The really difficult part has been keeping Grandpa and Chad away from here." "Is everyone else still at home?" William asked. "Should be." Raye told him. "We decided to wait until the two of you were awake again until we tried to figure out what's going on." "Thanks, Raye." Mina said. "Why don't you call the others and in the meantime we can grab something to eat." She looked inquiringly at William, who nodded in agreement. "All right." Raye agreed. "Try not to make too much noise on your way out." "We won't." Mina promised. "So where exactly do the Shadow Warriors come from?" Serena asked later that day when they were all had reassembled. "I don't know." William answered. "Perhaps I should explain." A bodiless voice answered from somewhere in the middle of the circle. "Okay, who said that?" Serena asked. Mina watched as a globe of white looking energy about the size of a volleyball materialized about a foot in front of her head. Instinctively, she shrank further back into the circle of William's arms. She could feel a sense of agelessness, of seemingly infinite wisdom, of vast and indomitable power from the sphere. As if all the elements were embodied in this one sphere of energy. It frightened her and she felt William's feelings, partly of fear but also partly of recognition as well. She felt William's arms tighten about her as she shrank back into them, partly for reassurance, partly to be reassured. "And you are?" She finally ventured after a moment of silence. "I am known by some as the Light." The energy sphere stated. "The Shadow Warriors are the creation of the Dark Lord." "Can you replay that from the beginning?" Darien asked, his voice firm. "As you wish, Highness." The Light responded. Mina realized that it's voice was a bit hollow sounding, as if it was coming from the bottom of a long depth, but without any sort of echo. She also realized that she could hear the voice with her mind as well as her ears. "Back at the beginning of time my opposite, known now as the Dark, and I came into being. Because of our natures, we struggled for dominion." "And what natures are those?" Amy asked curiously. "Good and evil." The Light explained. "But that's a bit oversimplified. Knowledge and willful ignorance would be a bit closer." Mina felt her love struggle with his emotions, the fear she had initially felt had begun to fade, and the sense of recognition was growing stronger. Perhaps boistered by his own lack of fear, she felt her own begin to fade, to be replaced by a sense of calm and a desire to protect the man she loved. "Because the Dark and I are unable to exist in harmony, we struggled against one another for a time." The Light continued. "Stalemated, we agreed to let two others stand in our place and settle our conflict. My opposite selected the Siriusian who became known as the Dark Lord." "And you selected me." William added dryly. "Thanks heaps." "You were the best choice available to me." The Light explained. "Unfourtunately, I had not counted on the Dark Lord's duplicity." "What do you mean?" Raye asked. "The Dark Lord supplied the seven shadows to Queen Beryl so she could destroy the Moon Kingdom. The Dark Lord's price was your destruction, Warrior of Light." An astonished silence hung in the air for a moment. Mina felt William's anger and it nicely matched her own rising anger. The home where she had been born and the peace that had been was shattered and forever destroyed because of a being like this one. "You mean the Dark Lord is responsible for . . . " Serena trailed off and Darien hugged her against himself as she began to cry. "I'm sorry, but yes." The Light apologized. "It's a little late for apologies." Lita snapped. "It's all I have to offer." The Light stated, pulsing brightly once. "If I may continue." Another pause hung in the air. "You, my avatar must go to Sirius and face the Dark Lord." "Now wait just a minute." Mina snapped as she straightened up, holding her arms protectively out to the sides as she placed herself between the Light and her husband. Her desire to protect her love made her glare at the sphere and caused a little of her anger to edge into her voice. "You can't just barge in here making demands. We don't know who or what you really are and certainly not if you're telling us the truth." "I have spoken the truth." The Light replied quietly, the sphere that composed it fading slightly as she directed her glare at it. "If you don't believe me, then tell me what your love thinks." "Just because I recognize you." She heard William begin as he rested his hands on her shoulders, his suspicion drifting into his voice. "Doesn't mean that I trust you or that I know what you really are." The Light gave a sigh that spoke volumes of patient suffering as the sphere returned to the intensity it had before. Mina blinked once in surprise as the answers to the questions that had hovered unspoken in the back of her mind appeared. "Do you understand now?" The Light asked. "Yes, but . . . " She felt William's reluctance to accept what was being laid upon him. "Do you understand what you must do?" The Light interrupted, repeating the question. "I do." She felt William's dutiful yet reluctant acceptance of the responsiblities that she felt had been laid upon him. "Now hold on just a minute." Raye spoke up. "You simply expect him to do what you ask just because?" "It's more complicated than that." William answered. "How?" Lita wanted to know. "Because there is no one else." Mina felt William's determination. "Because my refusal would be the same as defeat." "The avatars of Light and Dark must face each other." The Light interrupted before anyone else could throw out any more questions. "Well, he's not going anywhere without me." Mina demanded, directing the comment at the Light. "I wouldn't have expected otherwise." The Light said quietly. "Nor would I force you apart." "Good." Mina leaned back against William, satisfied that the matter could be resolved as quickly as possible. "Where is the Dark Lord?" Amy inquired. "Still on Sirius." The Light clarified. "Then that's where we're going." Lita smacked her fist into her left palm. "We?" The Light sounded curious. "Yes, we." Serena echoed. "The Dark Lord owes us just as much as he owes you." "As you wish, Highness." The Light agreed, a little too quickly for Mina's liking. "I will transport you to the foot of the house of Anna, Queen of Sirius." "Transport?" Serena asked. "How?" "Like this." The Light explained. Mina felt a touch of power about her as the world vanished around her in a brilliant flash of light, with only the touch of William's hands on her to guide her and the gentle presence of his emotions to steady her. * * * "The Warrior of Light has arrived." A dry hissing voice informed the robed form of the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord turned toward the speaker. It looked similar to a Dark Champion, only about human sized and without a tail. Small green scales covered the exposed flesh and it had no hair visible anywhere on it's body. It wore a suit of black plate armor, and a short straight bladed sword was strapped across it's back. Yellow eyes, identical to those of a reptile watched as it's master turned toward it. "Very well, Dark Warrior." The Dark Lord waved a robed arm dismissively. "Return to your duties." The Dark Warrior bowed and disappeared from the Dark Lord's sight.