An Ancient Evil
Part 3
By Mystic Jade

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this story. All other disclaimers apply. Enjoy! An Ancient Evil, Part 3

"Kayura," Kale began, "it would seem that your soldiers have failed. It's been too long. Why have they not returned?"

"Perhaps they haven't found anything to report, Kale," she replied, glaring at the Warlord.

"Don't forget, Kale, that her failure is also ours," Dais said. "Although none of us may like this situation, we must work as a unified team for the time being. The soldiers will turn up something."

"Yes, patience is a virtue," Kayura stated.

Sekhmet snorted. "Funny you should say that, Kayura," he said as he turned to face her. "I overheard what Lord Talpa said to you," he continued, as he stepped in front of Kayura and looked down at her. "The only reason he even sent you along with us was so you would learn patience. You're nothing more than his lap dog."

"That may be so, but I'm loyal to our Master, and do not speak treason," she replied. In one swift movement, Kayura released one of her Starlight swords from its sheath and extended it towards Sekhmet's throat. "And now you walk on dangerous ground," she said in a threatening tone. She pushed her sword a bit further and smiled evilly when a dot of blood stained the tip of her weapon. "Do not mock me, Sekhmet. Ever."

"Enough Lady Kayura," Anubis said as he grabbed her wrist and roughly pulled her away from Sekhmet. "The three of you bicker as children would," he continued, looking at Kayura, Kale, and Sekhmet respectively. "I'll be surprised if we're able to successfully carry out Master Talpa's bidding."

"Once again, Anubis is right," Kayura said as she returned her sword to its sheath. She walked over to the edge of the building that the Warlords were still standing on, and peered down at the city. "They're out there somewhere. It's only a matter of time before we find them."

"What are we to do while we wait," Dais asked.

Kayura turned towards Dais and sighed. "I can summon more soldiers. The more that are out there searching, the faster we can get what we came for." Once again, the energy in Kayura's hands emitted the familiar black light, and a portal was formed.

Meanwhile, Serena and the other girls had long since returned to Rei's Temple. Each girl had called her parents and told them she would be spending the night at Rei's. Surprisingly, all of the parents believed their daughters. The girls were sitting in Rei's room, discussing that night's events.

"Do you think we can trust those boys," Rei asked skeptically. "I mean, come on! They call themselves the 'Ronin Warriors.' I think we're making a big mistake."

"I think what they said is true," Lita answered. "The story they told us was too wild to just be something they made up."

"And besides, they told us about their powers," Amy added. "If they were our new enemies, that would be too big a risk for them to take."

"I think that as long as they don't find out that we're the Sailor Scouts, everything should be fine," Serena said. "And as long as we're really careful, they won't ever find out."

"Well, I still don't know," Rei replied. "I guess only time will tell."

"There's one thing that has bothered me since we fought those soldiers," Lita started. "Just what happened to them after they were destroyed?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but do you remember what the Ronins told us," Mina began slowly. "They said that the soldiers weren't even people. They were evil spirits of the Dynasty."

"That sounds logical enough," Amy stated. "If you think about it, these soldiers are very similar to the Negaverse monsters we fought. The only difference is that they turn into smoke instead of dust when they're defeated."

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about hurting anyone," Serena said. The room grew silent, and each of the girls sat deep in thought. After some time, Luna broke the silence.

"You girls have a very busy day ahead of you. I think you should get as much rest as possible," she said.

"Luna has a point," Artemis added. "You'll have to keep an eye out for those so-called Warlords. And don't forget that after-school, you'll have to meet up with those boys."

The girls nodded their agreement. "Yeah, that's a good idea," Serena replied. "But I have a question about what happened earlier. What was that new power we used?"

Luna and Artemis looked at each other nervously. "I knew you girls would be wondering about that," Luna began. "It was a healing power that can only be used when the five of you, Artemis, and I are present."

"So why couldn't Serena just use her own healing powers," Mina asked.

"It wouldn't have been enough to save that tiger's life," Artemis explained. "He was too close to death. The Sailor Scout Healing Power was strong enough to save him. Also, in some very rare cases, it can revive the deceased, but only minutes after his or her death. All in all, it's a very dangerous power to deal with."

"But don't worry about that," Luna said quickly. "Right now, you girls need rest."

"There is one more thing," Mina said as the girls got into the extra cots Rei had at the temple. "Was it just me, or did anyone else notice how cute those guys were?"

"Are you kidding? I was practically drooling," Serena exclaimed.

"Kento reminds me of my old boyfriend. He seems like a guy with a healthy appetite," Lita said. "And cooking is right up my alley!"

"Sai reminds me of my Darien," Serena said with a sad tone in her voice. She smiled, and then added, "Silent, but strong!"

"Sage should be a model," Mina said in a distant voice. "He has such handsome features, and the perfect body for it."

"I could listen to Rowen's voice all day," Amy said as she blushed.

"And Ryo's eyes had me practically hypnotized," Rei said. "They're such a beautiful blue!"

"Well now you girls have something to look forward to tomorrow," Luna said sarcastically.

"Yeah, you better get your beauty sleep," Artemis added. This seemed to get their attention because they grew silent almost immediately.

"Wow, great line, Artemis," Luna whispered.

"Thanks," he replied quietly. "I just can't believe that it worked!"

At the same time the girls were falling asleep, Ryo sat deep in thought as he stroked White Blaze. He still couldn't believe what had happened earlier that night. The Sailor Scouts had suggested that he and the other Ronins stay out of sight until they could figure out a plan. So they had decided to stay in one of the abandoned warehouses for the night.

"Ryo, what's up," Sage asked as he sat down. He noticed Ryo jump. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"Hmm? Oh that's ok. I didn't know anyone else was awake," Ryo replied. "I thought everyone was sleep, except for me and White Blaze."

"Well, I couldn't sleep," Sage said with a shrug.

"An abandoned warehouse isn't exactly the best accommodation," Ryo said with a chuckle. "Then again, who'd have thought we'd end up in a place like this?"

"Is that what's bothering you," Sage asked.

Ryo nodded his head slowly. "That, and I just don't understand why the Warlords would bring us here."

"My guess would be so that they would have an advantage over us," Rowen said, joining in the conversation.

"Rowen has a point," Sage added. "I got the impression that the Ancient wouldn't be able to help us here."

"And what about those girls," Sai asked as he joined the others. "Can we trust them?"

"Looks like everyone's awake, except for Kento," Ryo said. "I think he could sleep through anything."

"Yeah, that's for sure," Rowen added. "Well, what do you think about the Sailor Scouts," he said after a couple of minutes.

"Their names are appropriate enough," Sai commented. "They're typical females. Did you notice how their costumes matched their name perfectly?"

"Yeah, that's true. I also noticed that if their skirts were any shorter, Kento's eyes would have popped out of his head," Sage laughed.

"I heard that," Kento grumbled as he joined the others in their laughter. Although there wasn't much light, they could all see that he was blushing. "It's not my fault. I'm just a very observant person!"

Ryo looked down at White Blaze, who had nudged his hand. "Well, I think we can trust them," he said. "After all, they did save White Blaze's life. Besides, we'll need someone who knows the city to help us out."

"Do you think we'll be able to trust the guides the Scouts said they would send," Sai asked.

"We don't have any other choice," Sage replied.

"So we'll just have to sit around here while the Warlords run loose," Kento asked incredulously.

"You don't remember what they said, do you Kento," Ryo asked.

"Nope, I guess not," he replied with an apologetic smile.

"They said they would provide us with guides who would help us out," Rowen began.

"And the guides would provide us with food and shelter," Sai added.

"Oh, I remember now," Kento exclaimed. "They also mentioned the guides would be our contact with the Scouts."

"Exactly," the others said in unison.

Kento scratched the back of his head. "Well, thanks for reminding me," he said. "I just couldn't really pay attention after those cats began to talk. That's one of the weirdest things I have ever seen in my life."

"I know what you mean," Sai replied. "Who'd have ever thought there was such a thing as a talking cat?"

"According to the one that called herself Sailor Moon, those cats are from the Moon Kingdom," Sage recalled. "And each of the Scouts represented the planet in their name."

"Now that's a wild story," Ryo said. "But we can't really be too judgmental. After all, our background isn't exactly what I'd call normal. We have to be able to assure the Sailor Scouts that we're on their side."

"Well, there isn't really much we can do until tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll find out everything we need to know then," Rowen began. "The best thing we can do for now is get some sleep."

The following day went at a very uneventful pace. Before long, the girls were out of school. They met at their after-school hangout in order to plan out the rest of the day.

"Ok, the first thing I think we should do is go home," Lita began. "We should make sure that our families know we're still alive."

"That's a great idea, Lita," Serena exclaimed. "I really want to get out of this uniform. And since today is Friday, I just know my mom will have some of her oh-so-delicious chocolate chip cookies!"

"Please, Serena," Rei began dryly. "I seriously doubt you'll change. Your mind will be too occupied on getting those cookies before Sammy does!"

"So sue me, Rei," Serena yelled.

"Come on you two. If we're going to meet those guys today, the two of you really need to get along," Mina interrupted. "They unknowingly saw you fighting last night, and if they see you fighting today, it won't take long for them to put two and two together."

"Then it's settled," Serena said as she stood up. "We'll go home, and then meet them at the old warehouses. It's 3:30 right now, so we'll meet them in an hour."

One hour later, all the girls, except for Serena, stood waiting in front of the abandoned warehouses. The Ronin Warriors were nowhere to be found, and they were beginning to worry.

"Oh, I knew Serena would be late," Rei said angrily. "She is so undependable! I bet more than anything it's her fault we can't find the Ronins."

"Now Rei, that's not fair of you to say," Lita said, jumping to the defense of her absent friend. "Maybe she just got the times mixed up. Or maybe we were supposed to meet them in a different place."

"Or maybe she's just a Meatball Head," Rei exclaimed.

"Granted, Serena is a bit absent minded, but not even she could make this big of a mistake," Mina said.

"Yes, let's not jump to any conclusions," Amy stated. "There has got to be a reasonable explanation."

"I'm afraid the confusion is due to our part, ladies," a voice said from behind the four girls. They spun around, and there stood the Ronin Warriors. "We had to be cautious of who we came into contact with," Sage continued.

"See, Rei," Lita began. "We found them."

"Well, just to be certain, just who are you girls," Ryo asked.

"You have the right to be suspicious," Mina began. "Yes, we're the guides the Sailor Scouts sent. I'm Mina. And this is Rei, Amy, and Lita," she continued, pointing to each girl respectively.

"Weren't there supposed to be five of you," Sai asked suspiciously.

The girls looked at each other. "Well, yes," Amy answered. "Serena is just a little late. It happens sometimes."

"Sometimes," Rei asked, raising an eyebrow. "Try all the time. It's just something you get used to with her."

"Not now, Rei," Lita said through clenched teeth. She turned her attention back to the Ronin Warriors. "I'm sure that Serena will be here any minute."

As if right on cue, Serena came running towards the group. "Sorry I'm late you guys," she said breathlessly. "Today is not my lucky day. First, my parents asked me a bazillion questions as soon as I walked in the door. 'Where were you last night, Serena,' and, 'Did you know it was a school night, Serena.' I swear! They act like I didn't call them last night!"

"Serena," Lita said.

"And then," Serena continued, "as soon as they were done grilling me, I go up to my room, and what do I find?"

"Serena, not right . . ." Lita began.

"I find out that Sammy, that little brat, trashed my room," she interrupted. "And to make matters worse . . ."

"SERENA," Lita yelled. Serena stopped talking and looked at Lita in confusion. Lita nodded towards the Ronins, who all stood in shocked amusement.

"Um, I guess the rest of my little story can wait until later," she said in embarrassment. "Hi, I'm Serena!"

"Hi. I'm Ryo. This is Sage, Kento, Sai, and Rowen," he said as he motioned to each Ronin. "It's good to finally meet you all."

To Be Continued . .