Rating: blah blah blah, whatever you rate something where people swear a little. PG, PG-13, whatever. I don't know. I never know. Got that yet? This is no worse than any of the others I've written... I think... aw, geez, I dunno.
Summary: Hahahahahaha, wouldn't you like to know? The Senshi go looking for Tuxedo Kamen and don't find him until too late. Hehehehe. I love these things.
DIC warning: Um, yeah, I refer to that guy that Ami met way back in the first series as "Greg" because I can't spell his Japanese name. Um, yeah, I know it's only three letters, thanks. Sorry!
Personal Author's Warning: Okay, I wrote part of this while I was reading The Scarlet Letter for school. If anything sounds overly-flowery or just plain damn hard to understand, blame it on Nathaniel Hawthorne. I know I do. That has to be one of the worst books ever. Seriously, though, if you get to a few solid paragraphs and don't want to read them, you can skip them. It's not like anything important isn't mulled over later--again, and again, and again. Sometimes even unimportant things will be reminisced about-- and look how long this little paragraph has grown! Wow! Okay, Cassima, time to stop.
Website: The Scribs: Home of the Insane Fanfiction Writer Cassima
Before criticizing, walk a mile in the other person's shoes. That way, if you have something cruel to say, you're a mile away and have their shoes.
Pluto groaned and rolled over onto her back, considering just sleeping there for a long, long time. Screw the Gate of Time; it could just watch itself for now.
Suddenly, she felt the sensation of eyes staring at her. Vigorously willing them to go away, she waited. When she finally couldn't take it anymore, her prayers going so unanswered, she cracked her eyes open to survey the miscreants.
It's not everyday you awake to find all the rest of the Sailor Senshi gathered around you, eyes pleading with your still form.
"Wha...?" she managed to croak out, voice cracking.
"Pluto!" Unshed tears glimmered in Eternal Sailor Moon's eyes. "You're all right!"
"Thank god," murmured another senshi; Pluto suspected Uranus.
"Princess." Pluto smiled up at her leader and friend. "What's going on?"
"You were... I thought... you looked... I... the monster..." Tears welled up in the girl's eyes again and she burst out in grateful sobs. "Oh, Pluto, you're alive!"
Awkwardly patting the girl that was suddenly in her arms, Pluto turned to the others, a plea in her eyes.
"We thought you were dead," translated Saturn, who herself had shiny eyes. "The rune had so little power left."
"Rune?" Suddenly, it all came flooding back to her: Pluto, on the verge of unconsciousness, unable to find the strength to stand and save her Princess. A muttered curse. A yellow rose darting through the air. A black-cloaked figure. A confrontation. A glowing symbol in the air, fading to the blackness of near-death. She frowned. I've seen that figure before... she thought with a frown.
"Pluto, what's wrong?" Neptune inquired tentatively, afraid of the answer.
"I've seen her before." The muttered answer brought an exchanged group glance.
"The monster?" suggested Uranus. "Where?"
"No, not the monster," deterred Pluto, deep in thought.
"Eternal Sailor Moon?"
The innocent question brought on many disgusted looks; even Sailor Moon stopped her bawling to blink at the Senshi.
"Venus..." Jupiter murmured in a tone that is most commonly used to speak to the mentally unstable. "That's sad."
"What?" demanded Venus, indignant. "It's Pluto who doesn't remember her!"
Pluto stood, stopping the ensuing argument. "The figure. The black-cloaked one. I've seen him before."
"Who is it?" Sailor Moon asked, also pulling herself to her feet. "And, why did he take Tuxedo Kamen? Where did he go?"
Pluto shook her head, thoughts confused. "I don't... know. I can't... I can't remember. I'm sorry, Princess," she added, attempting to comfort her leader.
"It's not your fault, Pluto." Sailor Moon suddenly seemed very old. "He's only been kidnapped yet again. If I didn't love him so much, I'd be furious at him for making me go through this."
As the rest of the senshi comforted Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury pulled back from the group with a worried expression. The person they were dealing with was very powerful. Kidnapping Tuxedo Kamen was a difficult task, even if the man did appear to be a numskull some of the time. Plus, she had a rather disturbing feeling at the moment: calm. How could she be so calm? One of the guardians of the Moon Princess had been kidnapped! Somehow, though, she just couldn't make herself feel angry or upset about it.
This, perhaps, is what upset her the most. How could she feel no trepidation at the idea that he had been stolen away again, right from under their noses? Was she so disloyal to her Prince and Princess that she could hope disaster on them?
Suddenly, she felt a pang of loneliness. She was no stranger to the mano-a-mano clause; in fact, she often found herself considering herself alone, even when in her group of best friends. Maybe it was because she was so quiet and shy that she naturally wrapped herself in a solitary aura when confronted by people. Maybe it was because the others were always quibbling, and she felt like the helpless mother, left to pick sides and enforce discipline. Maybe it was because the others paired up, common interests bringing them together, leaving her to tag along and remind them of their duties.
Not that she minded. It was her way of life; she wouldn't have it any other way. When people got to close, it made her afraid that they would finally look into her soul and figure out what a terribly dull person she actually was. Even though her brain disagreed, it could not convince her stubborn heart that she was actually quite well liked.
Tuxedo Kamen had a way of doing that. Oftentimes, Tuxedo Kamen and Mercury had found themselves turning to each other in a moment of crisis, knowing that they could talk. They were almost best friends, but neither of them could bring themselves to admit that they could possibly be that close to another human being who didn't have Eternal Sailor Moon's beautiful, life-giving soul. Each felt proud that they could be strong for themselves, without begrudging others who could be so blessed to love and be love.
So, why Mercury felt calm at the prospect of her good friend being kidnapped yet again was a mystery to her.
"This," moaned Lun@, "has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever done." Shifting the man's heavy weight on her loudly complaining shoulder, she staggered a bit before continuing her rant. "I mean, that little day trip in the Vatican, that was stupid. That thing with the Canadian Mounties's horse was just idiotic. I even admit that the stunt I pulled during the taping of The Wizard of Oz, the one with all the munchkins--"--she grinned at the memory--"--was not one of my better moments. This, however, takes the cake. And, dammit, what did you eat for breakfast," she demanded of her limp passenger, "Cementy-Os?? Honey-flavored bricks? You weigh like a truck, man!" Her sarcasm faded into worry, though. "And you're barely breathing. I'm sorry, please don't die. I would have healed you, but I don't have the strength anymore. Please don't die. Please. I'll never forgive you if you do." A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "Isn't this a turn of events? An Angel of Death begging for life. Makes me wanna vomit."
And, indeed, she did have that urge, however well contained. Lun@'s exhaustion was so immense, she felt like she just wanted to throw up and sleep. Preferably in that direct order.
I don't remember Rei's temple being so far away, she puffed, a tad desperate.
Suddenly, Buffy was at her side. "Lun@, what's going on? Here, let me take him." With gentle hands, she pulled the dying man out of Lun@'s arms.
With a sigh of relief, Lun@ let her burden go, not even thinking to question Buffy's appearance. "He needs help. Be careful of his wounds."
Buffy easily carried the comatose body up the mountain of stairs to the temple. "Where did you go? We were worried."
"I don't know. Put him in the room with the sacred fire."
Buffy looked doubtful. "I dunno, the Priestess really seemed adamant about keeping us out of there. You sure it's a good idea?"
"I'll deal with Rei and whatever hissy fit she throws. That's the cleanest, warmest place in the temple, though, and he needs it." Pushing open the door to the room, she pushed Buffy through gently.
Besides, she thought, suddenly having an insane desire to giggle, Rei's hissy fit will be the least of my problems. No, I had to go piss off the ENTIRE Sailor Senshi team. They're gonna kick my ass. One lone, strangled, hysterical giggle escaped before she managed to contain herself. "Here, set him down here," Lun@ indicated, ignoring the concerned glance her student had just thrown her. "I'm... uh... I'm gonna need blankets, a pillow, warm water, bandages--"--a miracle--"--er... Angel and Scully. Wait, on second thought, hold the Angel until I get the blood cleaned up a little more. There's no use in tempting fate or demons."
"'Scully'?"
"Agent Scully is a doctor. Why, she's not asleep, is she?" Lun@ looked around, confused. "What time is it?"
"About one, local. I'll look." Buffy turned to go and abruptly changed her mind. "Uh... Are you okay?"
Lun@ looked down at herself. "I think so," she answered absently. "Why, am I bleeding?"
"No, you just look a little--crispy... who is this guy, anyway, and why is he wearing formal wear?"
"Tuxedo Kamen, and I have no idea."
Reluctantly, Buffy left her spacier-than-usual mentor to go find the appointed help.
Examining the body in front of her carefully, Lun@ frowned and carefully reached out with both hands to the mask on his face. Delicately holding the corners of the white piece of fabric, she froze. Should I protect this man's identity, or find out who the hell he is? Is this need in me to know idle curiosity or something deeper? Arriving at her decision, she gently lifted the mask from his pale face.
I knew I'd seen him somewhere before! she gasped with horror and recognition. "Mamoru?"
His eyelids fluttered slightly and he moaned, turning. "Usako...?"
Staring at the man, a feeling of dread settled over her suddenly weak shoulders. "Oh, man, Eternal Sailor Moon's gonna pound me into the floor."
"He's not at any of the hospitals, he hasn't gone home, and for some reason, I'm having trouble finding him with my computer," Mercury summed up, still typing furiously away at the keypad on her mini-supercomputer. "I mean, I know he's somewhere in Tokyo and somewhere in this 6-km radius--which is only 36-pi kilometers square--but it'll take at least six hours to triangulate his position tonight." Mercury looked up at the sky. "The weather channel predicts an 80% chance of thunderstorms in the next couple of hours, which means that there's too much electricity in the air right now to get a clear reading of much of anything until I re-install the--"
"Thanks, Mercury," Eternal Sailor Moon cut her off, "but we're all too tired right now to do anything. You look like you're about to fall over, and Pluto, well..." Everyone followed her gaze over to where the tallest of the women, Sailor Pluto, had fallen asleep against a tree. Her long time staff was grasped loosely in her hands, and her long dark green hair streamed around her, waving gently in the light breeze. "Ever since you guys've been healed, you've been really tired. Go home, get some sleep. There's nothing that can't wait until morning." Her wings faded as her transformation wore off, and Eternal Sailor Moon once more became Usagi Tsukino.
"Usagi--" Sailor Jupiter began.
"Go home. We'll meet at nine o'clock tomorrow down in the arcade. Please, everyone," she changed her tone, eyes gently tearing up, "please."
Gently, Uranus and Neptune lifted the sleeping Pluto and bore her towards their shared home, Saturn following silently behind with Pluto's time staff. "Goodnight, Princess. Don't worry; we'll get him back."
Tall, blonde, and beautiful Sailor Venus de-transformed into her normal clothes. "Don't worry, Usagi; I'm sure he's fine," Minako Aino whispered.
"Yeah, he's probably staying at a friend's house, in bed and asleep," agreed Sailor Jupiter, once more become the tall, athletic Makoto Kino.
Waving an awkward goodbye to their best friend, they began to walk home.
Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars exchanged a glance, allowing their eyes to speak. "Do you want us to stay over?"
"No, that's okay, really," Usagi insisted. "Go home. Sleep. I'll be fine."
Blue-themed Mercury melted down to the blue-haired Ami Mizuno. "I'll walk you home, Usagi."
Mars understood instantly, and allowed her costume to change back to her normal clothes. "Nine o'clock, Usagi. I'll see you then."
The other two girls waved. "Goodnight, Rei."
And Rei Hino turned back towards her temple.
Scully found herself at the door of the room housing the Sacred Fire. Inexplicably anxious and therefore overly cautious, she slid the quiet door open to find Lun@ kneeling next to man with cuts and bruises covering his body. "Lun@?"
"Scully." Lun@ didn't turn around. "Care to lend a hand?"
"This is..."
"Tall, dark, and handsome from dream world, yes."
Amazed, and not a bit creeped-out, Scully knelt next to the man and began examining him. "He has several abrasions on his epidermis--"
"Small words, Scully. Please, small words."
"It looks like he's been in a fight, Lun@. What happened to him?"
"He was in a fight."
Scully took a better look at him. "In a tuxedo?"
"No, I dressed him like this. Yes, in a tuxedo! Help me get it off of him! Unless... are we not supposed to move him? 'Cause, then, I did a bad." Lun@ swallowed hard and crushed Mamoru's mask harder in her hand. "Is he going to die?"
Scully sighed and began to remove his jacket. "I'm not sure yet," she admitted. "I can't tell how bad his wounds are. Besides, it looks tricky. He could either give up or keep on going."
Lun@'s face hardened a bit. "If he dies, I have to do it." She squeezed the mask tighter.
"Do what?"
"Kill him."
Scully drew back, shocked. "What?"
"You heard me." Her lips pressed into a line.
"Why?" Scully demanded. "That's murder!"
"So they tell me. But his soul is mine. He's not allowed to die! Do you hear me, Mamoru? Who'll protect Usagi if you die? Who?? Answer me, damn you!" she snarled her plea, grabbing his hands. Her angry expression broke. "Please..."
"Usagi, are you sure you'll be okay?" Ami put her hand on her friend's shoulder.
"I'll be fine, Ami-chan," Usagi smiled wanly, eyes averted. "Really." She turned to walk into her house.
"Usagi!" Ami cried suddenly. Usagi turned. "Usagi, you... you're the first friend I've ever had. I know... I know we've only become friends in the past couple of years, but... please... I have to... Usagi, you don't have to be alone right now. My mom's out of town on a business trip. You can stay at my house. It'll be all right." Her blue eyes pleaded with her friend.
Her leader's eyes were similarly bright. "I have to stay home tonight, Ami. Just in case..." She looked up at the window of her bedroom. "But, you can stay over here, if you want."
Usagi sat on her bed and thought. Though Ami was in the bathroom now, her friend would be back soon, and Usagi couldn't think about what she needed to mull over with Ami around.
Ami wasn't just concerned about her friend.
Of course, she was, but that wasn't all that was bothering her. Ami was being reminded of when her friend had left. Of course, Ami and Taiki hadn't been dating, but the relationship had had potential. The three Starlight's quest had ended, however, and Taiki, Yaten, and Seiya had taken their princess, Princess Kakyuu, home to their distant empire to rebuild.
It was as close to a dating relationship that Ami had ever gotten, not counting Greg, of course. But Greg had moved on, and evidently now had a steady girlfriend from France, or one of those other weird Western European countries.
And here Usagi was, abandoned by her boyfriend, and here Ami was, abandoned by her... potential boyfriend.
For these brief moments in time, Usagi and Ami, klutz and girl genius, cry baby and patient protector, the bottom and top of their class, were the same.
It was both wonderful and frightening.
Rei felt the uneasy tingling of danger tugging at the edge of her consciousness as she approached her home. Her frown deepened.
Something's wrong.
"Lun@, he's in a lot of danger. It doesn't look good," Scully bluntly told the uncharacteristically quiet girl squeezing Mamoru's hand.
"Lie to me," Lun@ begged, staring at the man lying on the floor.
Scully sighed and pushed a bright red strand of her hair behind her ear. "It's not that simple. Why didn't you take him to the hospital? This man needs professional care."
"I wasn't... I didn't think. I don't know. What's the number for 911 in Japan?"
Scully rattled off the number without thinking. In answer to Lun@'s questioning glance, Scully shrugged. "When traveling with Mulder, you learn to be prepared."
Rei stood at the top of the steps, the wind rustling her hair and the moon casting an ominous shadow across the path in front of her.
"Mars Crystal Power, Make Up!"
His breath caught in his mouth, and he began to choke.
"No, no," whispered Lun@, "don't you dare!" Her hands clutched his harder, twisting them and eventually meeting palm to palm. "Please, Mamoru, please!"
Scully was half-way to the door to get her cell phone before a bright burst of light stopped her in her tracks.
Sailor Mars threw open the door to the room with her Sacred Fire furiously. Her command, "Hold it right there!" was forgotten as she stared at the two figures on the floor, fingers intertwined.
Light streamed out of their hands, and Mars and Scully stood in shock as the two yelped in surprise and yanked their hands away.
Lun@, dark cloak billowing, collapsed on top of Mamoru's body and lay still.
Mars raced over, high heels clicking on the wood, and carelessly pulled the kidnapper's limp form off Usagi's boyfriend. "Mamoru! Mamoru! Are you okay?"
He opened his eyes, blinking a few times. "Mars? Where's Eternal Sailor Moon?" He looked around.
Mars found herself being pushed away by the frenzied, red-haired FBI agent in full doctor mode. "Impossible! He was near death! What happened to all his wounds? How do you feel, sir?"
"I feel... fine. Is Usako all right?" He rose and rubbed a scratched shoulder.
"Usagi's at home..." Mars trailed off and whipped out her communicator. "Usagi... I found him."
"So, she should be fine?" Buffy delicately removed a wisp of hair from her guardian's cheek.
"It looks like she collapsed from exhaustion," Scully replied with a yawn. "After some sleep, she should be fine."
Buffy covered her gently with another blanket. "Good." Standing, she stepped outside to face the music.
Sailor Mars was standing there, hands on hips, looking positively evil. "You're harboring a fugitive in this temple!"
Buffy glared back, their respectively large tempers crashing together. "Oh, yeah? And who do you think you are?"
"Hey, Buffy, Rei. Woah, what's up with the costume?" Xander tried to keep from staring at the short skirt and tight body suit that the senshi fought in. "Are you supposed to be one of those Sailor Sen... oh." He paled. "Nevermind, I can see you two are busy. Carry on!" He backed up.
"Rei?" Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Look, if this is about us using your fire room..."
The black-haired girl looked as if she were about to speak before a hand descended upon her shoulder. She looked up in surprise.
"Rei," Mamoru cajoled in his quiet tone, "let it go." Usagi hung at his side, eyes wide and shining happily.
And only Buffy noticed the blue-haired girl in the background leaning against one of the over-hang supports, a black cat draped over one shoulder.
"But she--"
"It's okay. She meant no harm." The man and the warrior exchanged a hard look for a few minutes before the hot-tempered priestess let it drop.
Scully looked on from the side lines, her curiosity of the man standing there pulsating through her. She still remembered that voice from her dream, the whispered desperation that oozed through the whole sequence: "Come, come join my quest."
This man, this... dark knight that stood before her... who was he? And, why did she have this insane desire to kneel before him?
Something was not right. No, no, no, not right at all.
After his little staring contest with the priestess, the tall man turned towards her and extended a hand. "Thank you for your help," he said warmly.
She took it and shook firmly. "I'd like to know what's going on."
Mamoru smiled at the tiny, strong woman. "An endless cycle, a battle between good and evil." He turned to go.
"Wait! What do you mean by that?" she demanded, frustrated, her hand still tingling from grasping his.
He turned and glanced over his shoulder.
And suddenly, Dana Katherine Scully knew.
There were more dreams ahead of her.
This wasn't over yet.
"Well, you're looking better." Buffy handed her mentor a glass of juice. "I bet you're glad to know I cleaned up that mess with the Sailor Senshi for you."
"This experience has taught me two things," Lun@ replied ruefully, sipping her orange juice. "The first: there is a God."
"And the second?"
"I'm not Her."
Buffy emitted a quick chuckle. "Seems somebody woke up on the reality side of the bed."
"Yeah, sure, go ahead and chuckle. Laugh at my expense. Go ahead, yuk it up." Lun@ threw a mock-agonized look. "I'll just sit in my corner over here and drink my acidic, pulpy orange juice."
"You like it pulpy."
"Oh. Yeah. Right." She blinked. "Okay, then... maybe life isn't so bad after all."
The Slayer laughed and ruffled the other girl's hair. "You know, you're actually kinda cute after you pass out."
Lun@ stuck her tongue out at her.
"Your face is going to freeze like that."
A knock at the door interrupted their playful camaraderie. Rei slid the door open. "There's someone here to see you," she informed Lun@ stiffly. The ex-Angel of Death squirmed anxiously. Stepping aside, the priestess admitted the visitor.
In stepped a small, black cat.
"Hey!" cried Buffy, "that's one of those cats with the bald spot!"
The cat glared at the Slayer.
"Well..." sighed Lun@, "I never expected my next visitor to be all the way from Mau."
A person followed the animal into the room.
"Warrior of Mercury!" Lun@ smiled. "This is an honor!"
"What?" demanded Buffy.
"Remember how Rei was Sailor Mars? Well, I recognize this fine young lady from the pictures. She's the senshi of ice, Sailor Mercury."
"We need to speak with you, Lun@," Luna told her gravely.
"My God, it talks," Buffy groaned. "I'm hearing things."
"Do not talk to creatures you do not wish to understand," Lun@ advised gravely before turning back to the cat. "I see."
"Perhaps we could take a walk," the blue-haired girl suggested. She stuck out her hand. "My name is Ami Mizuno."
Lun@ shook it. "Call me Lun@, until I come up with a new name."
They left the room and began to wander the temple grounds. Luna began. "I need to know your intentions. Are you friend or foe?"
A bitter smile crept upon her face. "Am I a good witch or a bad witch? 'Oh, I'm not a witch at all,'" she quoted. Seeing their confused looks at the missed cultural reference, her smile slipped. "I'm here to fight the forces of evil. Whatever side that is in relationship to you, I'm there. I'm sorry," she apologized abruptly, "I didn't mean to kidnap Tuxedo Kamen. Well, I mean, I did, but not forever. I just... I... I don't know what was going on in my head. It's all so muddled..."
Buffy watched, disturbed, as her strong and tough mentor wrapped her arms around herself and emitted fear. The lost look on her was extremely disheartening.
Lost.
Lun@ was lost.
"Scully, what's wrong with you?" Mulder demanded, a bit concerned. His normally clear-headed partner was acting like a fruitcake.
"I'm sorry, Mulder," she apologized, massaging her sinuses and temples alternatively. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."
"Bad dreams?" he asked, a bit softer.
"More like one big nightmare, starting from when we got here. Mulder, this case is a mess. Sure, it's strange, but it's no X-File. Some girls in bathing suits are parading around, declaring themselves Sailor Soldiers of justice, defeating 'evil'. So what? This is a job for the media, not the FBI! Okay, and lets pretend, just for the sake of argument, that there really is a big, magical battle going on, and these children really are protecting the world. What can we do? They've kept us safe so far. And, if we discover these Girl's secret identities, say, for example, if the Priestess was one of them or something, what then? We turn in our report and say, "Adios, amigos, we've got a plane to catch! Hope the government doesn't hold you for secret testing or anything"? Mulder, we're just doing the Consortium's bidding again, no matter how we play this."
"What happened to you last night, Scully?" Mulder demanded jokingly.
She took a deep breath. "I met one of them," she said with a sigh. "Well, two of them, actually. Maybe a few more, but it was dark. Lun@ brought in one of their friends; he was badly wounded, almost dead. Then..." She wondered how she should phrase it. "I saw... He was healed. All better. He had been going into cardiac arrest, and then he was fine. It was a miracle."
"And to think I slept through it," Mulder murmured. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"I don't know. Hell, maybe I slept through it, too. Maybe it was a dream. I don't know anymore." She shook her head, setting down the file she was working on. "I just don't know."
