An Ancient Evil
Part 7
By Mystic Jade

Disclaimer: *sigh* Do I really need to put this? You all know the drill! I don't own the rights to any of the characters. Enjoy! An Ancient Evil, Part 7

An angry Sekhmet punched a hole in the side in the wall of the building that the Warlords called their temporary home. They had taken shelter in the abandoned gymnasium since the day they landed in Tokyo. He snatched his helmet off of his head and ran his hand through his short, green hair. Finally, he couldn't contain his anger any longer. "Kayura, what was the meaning of your interruption earlier," he demanded.

Kayura sighed and slowly turned towards Sekhmet. "Honestly, how many times must we go through this," she asked in a bored tone. "Lord Talpa put me in charge, and we'll do things my way."

"I don't give a damn about who's in charge, Kayura," Sekhmet snapped. "We missed a great opportunity tonight because of this power-trip you're on, and now we've got to hunt the Ronins down again." She rolled her eyes and turned on her heel to leave. However he grabbed her by the arm and turned her around to face him. "Damn it, don't you walk away from me."

Kayura yanked her arm from his grasp and raised an eyebrow. "But the hunt is part of the fun," she said mockingly. She smiled as Sekhmet balled his fists angrily. "I do believe that's what you said, isn't it?" She walked away from him as she laughed. Sekhmet was about to follow when Kale stopped him.

"Kayura, don't start," Kale said. "If you hadn't stopped them, we would be well on our way home."

"Silence, Kale. You weren't there, so you can't fully understand the situation," she replied angrily. "These new pawns in our game with the Ronins interest me. Who were those girls, and why have they aligned themselves with our enemy?"

"They are obviously powerful, whoever they are," Anubis replied. "Perhaps they are guardians of this world."

"Maybe they're the same girls the soldiers reported back to us about a few nights ago," Kale suggested. Kayura looked at him skeptically, and Kale glared back at her. "I may not have been there, but it can't be just a coincidence."

"Well, whoever they are, we'll make them pay for defying the great Dynasty Empire," Dais stated.

"Yes," Kayura said thoughtfully. "I suggest we find these girls, then." With that, she left the Warlords to go up to the roof of the gymnasium.

"Damn her," Sekhmet grumbled as he watched Kayura's retreating figure. "I don't know how much more of her I can stand."

"Don't worry, Sekhmet," Kale said. "If she fails our Master, she'll most likely suffer the same punishment we all have. And at this rate, her failure is inevitable."

"Serena, honey," Serena's mother said as she knocked lightly on her daughter's door. "Honey, it's time to get up."

"Ok, Mom," she replied sleepily. Serena slowly sat up in her bed and stretched. After a quick shower, she got dressed and made her way downstairs. "Good morning Kento," she greeted the boy as she grabbed a donut and sat down across from him at the dining room table.

"Morning," he replied. He stuffed the rest of his toast into his mouth and pushed the newspaper towards Serena. "Check out the front page. News around here spreads fast." As she reached across the table, the phone rang.

"I've got it," she yelled out as she grabbed the portable phone and sat back down at the table. "Hello?"

"Hello, Serena? Hey, this is Molly," the girl on the other end said.

"Oh hey Molly, what's up," Serena asked.

"Did you hear about what happened? Half of the school was destroyed last night. The police are saying it was a terrorist attack," the girl replied breathlessly. "But I don't think the police really know what happened. Who ever heard of terrorists targeting an empty building at night? It just doesn't make sense."

"Yes, Molly," Serena answered. "I'm just reading about it in the newspaper right now."

"Serena, are you feeling alright," Molly asked.

"Yes, I feel fine. Why do you ask," Serena said.

"Well, you reading any part of the newspaper besides the comic section is unheard of," she exclaimed.

"Oh very funny," Serena replied sarcastically. "Well, for your information, Kento just handed the paper to me and . . ."

"Wait a minute. Who's Kento," the girl inquired.

"Who, Kento," she began. "Well he's . . ."

"There's a guy over at your house, at this time in the morning? Well, that explains why you're up so early," Molly exclaimed. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend, Serena. I'm surprised your dad hasn't killed him yet."

By this time, Serena was beginning to blush. "Molly, you're jumping to conclusions. He's not my boyfriend," she said. At this point, Kento looked up from his food and sat back amused.

"Sure, Serena, that's what they all say. So, is he cute," the girl pressed.

Serena looked over at Kento, who smiled at her. "Yes, Molly, he is," she replied, turning a deeper shade of red.

"Oh, he's sitting right there in the same room with you, isn't he," she asked. "So, when do I get to meet him?"

"Listen, Molly, I've really got to go now," Serena said apologetically. "I'll call you when I get the chance."

"Ok, Serena. I've got to go meet Melvin soon anyway," Molly replied. "I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye," Serena said. She hung the phone up and set it down on the table. She could feel her face growing hotter, so she picked up the paper to read the article in order to hide her embarrassment. 'Wow, I didn't realize how much damage we did to the school last night,' she thought as she skimmed the article. She set the paper down, and as she absently reached for the box of donuts, she was surprised when Kento grabbed her hand.

"So what are we going to do today, sweetheart," he asked. She giggled and slapped his had away playfully.

"Oh stop it," she said in a mock-stern voice. "You're almost as bad as my friend!"

"Still nothing," Rei said as she sat back, disappointed. She had been awake since before dawn performing fire readings in an attempt to locate the Warlords. However, she had not been having any luck. "Where could they be?" Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. She walked over to open it, and saw Ryo standing on the other side holding a tray with tea and breakfast rolls. "Oh Ryo, come in," she said as she stepped to the side.

"Thanks," he replied as he stepped in, followed by White Blaze. "Where can I put this?"

"Right over here," she said, clearing off a spot on the table. "How did you know I was in here?"

"Well, I was up pretty early because I thought I heard a noise," he began. "I was walking past here and the door was open a bit, so I peeked in and saw you. You were concentrating really hard on something, and I didn't want to disturb you. So, I thought that I'd fix you something . . . You haven't eaten anything have you?"

"No, I haven't. Thanks so much! It's really nice of you to think of me," she replied.

"No problem. It's the least I could do in exchange for your hospitality," he replied with a shrug. "Well, I'll leave now so you can eat. Come on, White Blaze."

"Wait," she said as he turned to leave. "Why don't you stay and join me? If you're not already busy, I'd really love to have some company."

"Sure," he replied as he sat down across from her. "So, why were you up so early this morning?"

"Oh, uh, I was just doing some chores. I couldn't sleep, so I figured I might as well get up and start them early," Rei said, choosing her words carefully.

"Oh, I see. So that's what you were doing. When you were kneeling down in front of the fire, was that some sort of ritual, or were you in prayer," Ryo asked.

"Well," she began slowly, "you could call it a little bit of both. Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious," he replied. "It just seems like you lead a double life."

"What," she shrieked, choking on her tea.

"Are you ok," he asked, patting her on the back.

"Yes, I'm fine. What do you mean by what you said," she asked suspiciously.

"I didn't mean anything by it. I would think it's hard to be a priestess in training," he replied.

"It's nothing," she said. "I wouldn't use hard to describe what I do here."

"Well, not hard . . . Difficult. Yeah, that's a better word to use." Ryo sighed as Rei suppressed a yawn. "I'm sorry. I must really sound like an idiot, so I think I'll be quiet now."

"No, it's okay. Really," she assured him. "I just . . . overreacted, I guess." She took a sip of her tea and then smiled. "Ha! The one time I admit I'm wrong, and Serena's not here to witness it."

Ryo stood up, and Rei gave him a questioning look. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go and get another cup for some tea," he said as he left the room. 'Boy, I messed up that opportunity,' he thought. After he grabbed the cup, he returned to the room only to find that Rei had fallen asleep on the table. He set the cup down and shook the sleeping girl gently. "Rei, wake up," he said quietly.

"Okay, Grandpa," she replied sleepily. She mumbled something else incoherently and grew silent.

Ryo smiled and picked her up gently. "Come on White Blaze," he said to his pet. "Let's get her to her room."

Later that afternoon, the girls were sitting on the steps of the Cherry Hill Temple. Serena, Mina, Amy, and Lita had showed up for lunch unexpectedly, with the other Ronins in tow. As they sat there watching the Ronins spar with each other, the girls were talking in hushed voices about the previous night's events.

"These Warlords are a lot tougher than some of the Negaverse monsters we've fought in the past," Serena said. "I was knocked out cold from just one attack!"

"Dais was hardly phased by my attack," Rei replied with a frown.

"And the woman the Warlords called Kayura must be really strong," Lita added. "She batted my attack away like it was nothing."

"The only good thing about this situation is that the Warlords don't need to collect energy as the Negaverse did," Amy added. "We would seriously be in a jam if they did."

"Don't you remember what the boys told us," Mina asked. "The Warlords are only interested in the armor the Ronins wear. I'm sure that if they got their hands on it, we'd be in a lot of trouble. The Ronins would be harmless, and there's no telling what the Warlords are truly capable of doing."

"Last night was a great example," Rei said. "If and when we fight them again, it's going to have to be somewhere a lot less populated. Hundreds of people could have been killed last night in that confrontation. We were just lucky no one was around. Our luck may not be as good the next time."

"Which is exactly why you need to find the Warlords as soon as you possibly can," Luna said suddenly as she and Artemis ran up the stairs, causing the girls to jump in surprise.

"Geez, Luna! Give us a heart attack. You scared us," Serena said through gritted teeth.

"If we surprised you, maybe you girls shouldn't be talking so openly," Artemis stated. "We could have easily been the Ronins."

"Well unlike you, Artemis, they aren't cats and can't sneak up on us," Mina replied. "But he does have a point. We need to be more careful."

Meanwhile, the Ronins had long since taken a break from their exercise. All five were sitting around panting and dripping off sweat, and each one had a variety of scrapes or bruises.

"That was a tough workout," Kento said.

"Yeah, but it was necessary," Ryo replied. "Last night's scuffle proved that we all need to be on our guard."

"We were almost wiped out," Sai commented. "The Warlords were a lot more aggressive than usual."

"If it weren't for the Sailor Scouts, I don't think we would have been as lucky," Rowen stated. "Their presence gave us just enough time to suit up."

"Well, I don't think we should depend on them so much," Sage said slowly. "They're great allies, but I don't think they'll be able to handle the Warlords. The Scouts were doing all right, but Sailor Moon was knocked out just by one attack. The last thing we need is to have to protect them and fight at the same time."

"So you don't want the help of the Sailor Scouts," Serena asked as she crossed her arms. The Ronins jumped in surprise and looked up towards Serena and the others. All five of the girls were glaring at them.

"Uh, n-no," Sage stuttered as he and the others picked themselves up off the ground, "that's not what I meant. What I meant was . . ."

"For your information," Serena interrupted, "the Scouts just had one of the toughest battles they have ever fought a few months ago. The fate of our world was in their hands, and all the Scouts died, except for Sailor Moon. The only thing that kept her motivated was the fact that everyone was counting on her, and she knew she had the love and support of her friends. The Scouts are going out on a limb to help you. They didn't know anything about the Warlords, or the Dynasty, yet they were quick to offer to help you. And you're sitting here saying how they may not be strong enough?"

"Serena, hush," Rei began.

"No, Rei," she shouted, turning to face her friend. "They don't know what we've gone through."

"Well, make us understand," Sai began.

Serena turned back around towards the Ronins, and each saw the look of pain and anguish on her face. She lowered her gaze as tears began to form in her eyes. "Excuse me," she said as she backed away and ran.

"Serena, wait," Kento exclaimed as he stepped forward to stop her.

"Just let her go," Lita said.

"I didn't mean to upset her, or any of you," Sage stated. "What I meant is that maybe we should handle the Warlords, and the Scouts should keep the soldiers occupied."

"Why was she so upset," Ryo asked, confused. The girls looked at each other nervously. "Is there something you girls aren't telling us? You know you can trust us."

"There's just a lot you guys don't know about our lives," Amy said. "The whole situation is very emotionally draining, especially for Serena. Some of it has to do with our personal lives, and it's really hard to explain."

"Right now, we need to go find Serena," Mina said quickly. "We'll go look for her. You guys stay here just in case she comes back."

The Ronins watched as the girls ran off. "Now I'm more confused than ever," Rowen stated.

"Serena, where are you," Rei said over the communicator as soon as the girls were out of sight.

"I'm right here," she replied quietly. The girls turned towards her voice and saw Serena sitting up against a tree. "I didn't go very far, did I," she asked as another wave of tears fell down her face.

"Serena, are you ok," Lita asked as she and the others sat down around their friend. "You said a little too much back there."

"I know, and I'm so sorry about that," she apologized. "But what Sage said made me so mad! I still blame myself for what happened to you guys, and what he said made me snap. If I had just been more mature and accepted my responsibility, none of you would have died, and Darien would remember who I was."

"What happened wasn't your fault, Serena," Mina exclaimed. "We were fulfilling our duties. We were protecting our Princess. No one could have prevented what happened."

"Old habits die hard, Meatball Head," Rei said. "Last night, you weren't read to fight. None of us were, but we did, to protect you."

"That's not it," Serena said sadly as she brought her knees up to her chest. "Let's just face it; I'm a horrible leader."

"You're just so damn stubborn," Rei exclaimed. "We know you're still physically drained from that fight with Queen Beryl."

"Don't look so shocked, Serena. We know you a lot better than you may think," Amy added. "We know that using the Silver Emperial Crystal takes a lot of energy from you, and requires even more time for recovery. You never got the opportunity to fully recuperate from the times you used it."

"And that's why Dais' attacked knocked you out," Lita said. "It wasn't because you're not strong enough. It's because you're still not up to your full fighting potential."

"So you don't blame me for being hurt so easily last night," Serena asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Well, we didn't say that," Rei replied with a wink.

"What would I do without you guys," Serena asked. "Thanks so much. You guys are the best!" As the girls continued to talk, none of them noticed the slight rustling of the bushes around them.

To Be Continued . . .