Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ All's Fair in Love and War ❯ Luna ( Chapter 22 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 22 Luna

Two weeks earlier:

Kino stared out the window of the small tavern they were staying in. It had been a rough trip up until then, avoiding Aminiha's spies and armies. Kino knew that if they found him and found out who he was, he would have pretty much no chance of getting back home. The small crew of five had desperately needed a break though, so they landed on a small planet that had surrendered to Aminiha soon after she began her attacks. The people could not defend themselves, so they submitted, although there was a wave of discontent among the citizens.

Kino had decided that they would land there since there was little chance Aminiha's men would be keeping an eye out for him here, especially since no one even knew he had left his planet. Still, there was a small chance that he would be seen and recognized here. He knew the son of the owner of the tavern they were staying at, so he knew they would be welcome, and their arrival kept a secret. The boy was more than happy to see them and offer them rooms. After dinner, Kino and two of the men with him decided to go and arrange for supplies for their ship. They knew of a small shop where once again, their arrival would be kept a secret, as would their purchases. Their capes swirled around them in the gentle breeze that was blowing, but they were careful to keep their faces concealed. They arrived at the small shop at dusk, and knocked on the back door. An old man with a long white beard opened the door.

"Eh? Who's there?" he asked.

"We are travelers in need of supplies for tomorrow morning," one of the men said.

The Old Man scratched his head. "Well now, uhh, lets see….oh yes, the shop is closed for the night. You'll have to come back in a few days, since we're closed tomorrow too."

Kino stepped forward. "We need to leave tomorrow, and we need supplies as quietly as possible," he said. As he spoke, he drew back the hood a little from his face so the man could see him.

The Old Man's face broke into a grin as he recognized who he was talking to, and he stepped aside to allow them entry. "Well why didn't you say so, please, come in, come in!" Kino gave him a quick nod of thanks and stepped into the small building, followed by the other two men. The Old Man quickly rushed to close the curtains on the windows and to lock the front door, after which he locked the door they had just entered. All the men pulled their hoods off their heads in the safety of the mans home.

"It is good to see you again, Master Kinotsu," the Old Man said as he shuffled into the room again.

Kino smiled at him. "It is good to see you again as well. It's been too long."

The Old Man nodded and offered them seats at the table. He then went to pour them all some wine. "Please tell me, what brings you to our small planet? You must know that the Dark Queen already has control of it."

Kino nodded. "Yes, we know. However, her men will not be on the lookout for me since she does not know that I left my planet. Besides, no one would expect me to come here, so it's a safe place. We are coming home from Jupiter, and we needed to get some supplies."

The Old Man nodded. "I will be happy to provide you with anything my humble shop carries." Kino nodded, and started going over the supplies they would need. "I will have them delivered first thing in the morning to the tavern you are staying at."

Kino smiled and nodded his head in thanks. "Thank you. I just hope that we can get home without being stopped along the way. I'm actually somewhat happy that this planet is no longer in danger, and that you and your family are safe."

The Old Man looked at Kino sadly. "Aye, I am grateful too. My daughter, may her spirit rest, died six years ago not too long after your last visit. Now it's just myself and my granddaughter."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Kino said gently. "She was a beautiful woman. It's a pity she is no longer here, I would have liked to see her again."

"Yes, well, she would have liked to see you as well. You can still see my little Kitten though, she should be here soon. She just went over to the neighbours to pick up a package, but she'll be back soon." He sighed then. "I worry about her walking around at this time of day alone, even if she did just go a few doors down."

One of the men with Kino leaned forward. "Why is that? Are not Aminiha's men here to keep order?"

The Old Man stroked his beard. "Yes and no. They do keep order, but since their arrival our girls have not been…safe when they are alone. Too many of them come home, crying, and more than just a few are starting to be swollen with child."

Kino frowned at this, not happy about the new bit of information. "I don't like to hear that. Maybe you should not let your granddaughter out alone at all, at least until things are more stable here."

The Old Man smiled. "You remember bow stubborn my Kitten was when you last saw here. She still is. I don't mind it if she goes just a few doors down and back. I would not allow it if she was going further away."

Kino nodded. "That's good."

The other man with Kino spoke now. "We should be returning. We told the others that if we were not back within an hour that they should come looking for us."

Kino rose from the table. "Yes, we should," he said, and then he turned to the Old Man. "Thank you once again for your hospitality and help. I wish I could wait for her to get back, but I really must go."

The Old Man stood too. "That's alright. It will simply give you an excuse to visit again. She will be happy to see you."

Kino smiled. "Please send her my greetings."

"I will," the Old Man replied. After they had paid him, they left.

As they walked down the street, Kino paused. "Did any of you hear that?" he asked. The other two men shook their heads, but listened intently. After a moment, Kino took off in a sprint down the alley they had just passed, the other two men following. They could hear it now too, the distinct sound of struggle and someone crying. They rounded the corner and froze.

Before them, at the dead end of the alley, were four men, and by the look of their uniforms, they were Aminiha's soldiers. Two of them were on the ground, holding a girl down, while the other two stood by, jeering them on. The girl had tears streaming down her face, and was kicking wildly. Her skirt was hiked up to her hips almost. Kino drew his sword, and the sound of sliding steel caused the men to snap their heads around to look at him. "Let her go," Kino said as his comrades drew their swords as well. The men looked them up and down as if they were crazy.

"You’ll do well to turn around, and walk away, like you saw nothing," one of the standing men said. The others snickered. The girl tried to scream, but her mouth was covered by the hand of one of her assailants.

Kino took a step forward. "Let the girl go. You should be protecting these people, not raping their women."

The man who had spoken earlier took a step to Kino. "You seem rather pushy for a man who I could-" he was cut off as he got too close, and found himself in a rather uncomfortable situation with Kino’s sword placed across his throat, his arm locked behind his back. The man tried to gargled something, but the cold metal made him stop. He dropped his sword at a not too gentle nudge from Kino. Kino then looked back to the others and at the girl.

"I’ll say it one last time. Let. Her. Go." On the word 'go' he slid the blade across the man’s throat just enough to cause a trickle of blood to run down his skin. The feel of broken skin was enough to make him gasp out a command to let the girl go. The men did, and she quickly scrambled to her feet, adjusting her skirt and running behind her saviours.

Kino leaned a little so he could whisper into the man’s ear, "Wise choice, my friend. Now you will let us leave, and you will not try to touch another woman on this planet again." The man nodded and Kino let him go. As soon as the man was out of his grasp, he leaned over with lightning fast reflexes and retrieved his fallen blade. The others, taking their cue, drew their blades as well.

"You will pay for this you son of a-"

"Tsk tsk tsk, please don’t swear in front of the lady," one of Kino’s men said, grinning.

"This will cost you your lives!" the man yelled, and, followed by his companions, attacked.

Kino parried the sword of his first attacker, and turned his head to look at the girl. "Get out of here!" he yelled at her. She nodded, and dashed in the direction Kino and his men had come from. Kino then turned his attention back to the man he had blocked, who was now getting back up and stumbling towards him. One of Kino’s companions was fast, and the man who had attacked him fell, no scream coming from his lips as he fell to the ground. Now it was three against three at least.

Kino attacked the stumbling man, bringing his blade down hard and twisting it, trying to wrench the mans sword from his hand. He didn’t succeed, and the failed attempt cost him. The man swung his blade out in a wide arc, and Kino just managed to jump aside before being sliced in two. The tip of the mans sword didn’t miss it’s mark completely though, and the steel left a gash on Kino’s stomach.

Kino winced at the sudden pain, but pushed it aside as he attacked again. The man had not been able to recover from his arc yet, and Kino used the opportunity to his fullest advantage. Another body fell lifelessly to the ground. Kino’s comrades were still not wounded, but the sword dance they were performing was very intricate. Kino went to help one, and together, made another man fell. The last one, seeing that his companions were dead, turned on his heel and ran down the alley. Kino and his men followed, but could not keep up. Kino stumbled at the end of the alley, clutching his stomach. His men stopped too, and by the time Kino yelled at them to keep following the runaway, he was gone.

Kino kneeled on the ground and tried to examine his wound, when two small hands came out of nowhere and started to unbutton his shirt. He looked up, and found himself staring at the girl they had just rescued. She looked oddly familiar.

Kino’s men kneeled next to him and the girl. "What is your name lass," one of the men asked. The girl pushed a loose curl behind her ear, not once taking her eyes off her task at hand.

"My name is Luna, and I owe you gentlemen much gratitude," she said, and then finally looked up into Kino’s eyes. "Please, follow me to my grandfather’s home. I can get you cleaned up there."

Kino stared at the girls eyes. She reminded him of a cat, her eyes big and slanted. "I know you. We just visited your grandfather, I have known him for years. You’re his...Kitten."

Luna looked shocked. "How do you know him?" she asked.

One of the men put his hand on her shoulder. "This is not a good place to explain. Come, let us go back to your grandfather’s home, and we will discuss things there." Luna nodded, and stood up. Kino stood with the help of his companions, and they quickly made their way back to the small building. The Old Man was rather surprised to see them, and even more so when he saw that they had Luna with them, and that Kino was injured.

"Almighty Spirits! What happened!" he gasped as he ushered them into the home once again. Luna brought Kino to the small couch and instructed him to take off his cloak and shirt. Kino complied as she dashed out of the room to the kitchen. One of his crew came and sat next to him and helped him undress, while the other tried to sooth the shaking Old Man.

"We just left when Kino heard some sort of struggle down an alley. We followed the sound and found four of Aminiha's men with Luna," he said as he helped the man sit down. "We were able to fight the men and kill three of them. The forth, however, got away."

"He's going to be back soon, and with more men," Luna said as she strode into the room, carrying a bowl of steaming water and a cloth flung over her arm. She reached Kino and sat next to him. Kino flinched as she started to clean the wound. "You should get out of here as fast as you can," she murmured as she scrubbed the blood away.

Kino stared at her. "What about you? The man will be able to identify you, and you could be in a whole lot of trouble as well."

Luna shrugged her shoulders, bringing her eyes up to meet his. "Where would you suggest I go? There is nowhere on this planet where I can hide, and I don't think I would be any safer coming with you to your planet, Prince Kinotsu," she said.

Kino smiled. "You do remember me," he said softly. She smiled, then resumed her work. Kino glanced over to the Old Man and took pity on him. He knew, as well as everyone in the room, that they were all in big trouble if they were found now by Aminiha's men. His shoulders were sagged, and his face looked ten years older then it had earlier.

"My Lord, do you think that there is a place we could take the girl to be safe?" one of the men asked.

Kino looked at him. "Aye, we could send her to Jupiter."

Luna's gaze shot up to his. "That is very kind of you, but I cannot leave my grandfather."

Kino gave her a sad look. "I know how difficult it would be for you, but you are not safe here anymore. If you are found, which I can almost guarantee you will be, you will be punished, if not put to death," he said, and then paused. He gave a sigh. "I could arrange for you to go to Jupiter, at least until things cool off here, then you could come back. I would hate to see you hurt, and your grandfather would be punished as well."

Luna looked back down to the wound and continued cleaning. "I cannot leave my grandfather he need me and-"

"No Kitten, you must go," came the Old Man’s voice. Luna's head snapped up to look at him, a look of shock on her face. The Old Man looked at his hands sadly. "What Master Kinotsu says is true, if they find you, you will be killed, as will I. I have lived a long life, but you are still young," he paused and looked up at her, a sad twinkle in his eyes. "Besides, you would not be leaving me forever. You can come back soon enough. You can't help me though, if you yourself are not alive."

Luna stared at her grandfather, then looked back to Kino, not knowing what to say. One of the other men who was standing by the window looking out, turned to them. "Either way, we need to leave soon. We can't wait until morning to leave anymore, we have to leave tonight." Kino nodded, and then brought his gaze back to Luna, who was busily dressing his wound.

"Luna, I would hate to leave you here. Please come, and I will make sure you get to Jupiter safely. You can come back, but for your safety, as well as your grandfathers, it would be best if you could disappear for a little while."

Luna looked like she was blinking back tears. Finally, she looked up to her grandfather, then nodded her head. "Very well. I'll just go and grab a few things." She then stood and ran to the stairs, disappearing up them. The Old Man sighed, bringing his hands up to his face.

Kino stood and put on his bloodied shirt, making sure to hide it with his cloak. He walked over to the Old Man and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Please take care of her for me," he whispered. Kino nodded, and tightened his hold on the man’s shoulder. The old man stood, and shuffled towards one of the back rooms. "If you are leaving tonight, I will give you some supplies to take with you right away, whatever you can carry without looking suspicious."

Kino nodded, and motioned for the other two to follow him. They came back into the small living room soon after, loaded down with packages hidden by the folds of their cloaks. Luna was just coming down the stairs, a cloak wrapped tightly around her, carrying a small bag. After a tearful goodbye, they left. It was the last time that Luna would ever see her grandfather.

Along the way, they met up with their other companions, who had come looking for them. They could give no detailed explanation as to why they were late or as to why they had a woman with them, but by the time that they reached the inn, they knew enough to go straight to action. Kino took Luna's hand as he barked a few instructions to the crew, and headed to see the owner of the inn.

The owner greeted them, but upon seeing the grave looks on their faces, ushered them into a little private room. Kino quickly explained what had happened. "Can you rent me a ship, as well as a small crew that can get Luna to Lord Jupiter safely?"

The innkeeper nodded. "I will be more than happy to oblige, even though it is a considerable risk…" Kino untied the purse at his side and threw it onto the table. "But of course, that should cover the cost of any risk," the innkeeper finished.

Kino placed his hands on the table. "I need for her to leave within the hour. My men and I will also be leaving in that time."

The innkeeper nodded. "That can be arranged. Please be in the loading dock within the hour, and I will have a crew and ship ready to take the young lady to Jupiter."

Kino led Luna to his room where he grabbed the things they had left there, then led her to the loading docks. His own crew was busy readying the ship already.

"We are almost ready, my Lord," one of the men said, coming up to his Prince.

Kino nodded in approval. "Good. Now I would like you to go along with Lady Luna to Jupiter. I know the innkeeper is a good man, but I would feel better if someone I trusted was on that ship with her. Take one of the others with you as well."

The man nodded, and quickly went back onto the small ship to carry out orders. Kino then turned to Luna, who was starring at the ship. She brought her gaze over to his. "Don't be frightened," he said gently upon seeing her quivering lip, "You will get there safely, and Jupiter is a good man, he will take care of you. My friend and advisor Artemis is there as well, and he will be happy to oblige you with whatever you might need."

Luna nodded, and attempted to smile. "I thank you for your kindness to me, my Lord. I only hope that I will be able to repay you some day."

Kino smiled. "Think nothing of it," he said. Two of his men descended the ladder from the ship along with their belongings. Kino led the three of them to the area where he knew the innkeeper would be waiting for them. He was, standing before a small, creaky ship. He turned when he heard them approaching.

"It's the best I can do on such short notice, but the crew is good and will get the girl to her destination within three weeks. She's a slow ship, but sturdy enough." He glanced at the two men flanking Luna. "I assume these two will be accompanying her?" Kino nodded. The innkeeper gave no protest. Kino looked at one of the men as the innkeeper went to shout a few orders.

"Please explain everything to Jupiter and Artemis, and make sure nothing happens to her," he said.

The man nodded. "Have no fear, my Lord, we will protect her with our lives." Kino nodded, and after saying his farewells, turned around and left. Both ships left within the hour, as predicted.
Kino and his crew worked hard to navigate their ship. "We should be there in a little over a week at most," one of his men commented. Kino nodded, and they sailed on. He winced and touched his stomach gingerly. He would be happy to get home, and he wanted to get there as fast as he could. Again, the odd sense of foreboding loomed in his heart, but he pushed it aside. He would be home soon, and hopefully not too long after that he could see Selenity again. His heart leaped into his through just at the thought of her, and he absentmindedly brought his hand up to rest on the ring hidden below his shirt. He smiled as he navigated the small vessel, his mind thousands of miles away in the arms of the woman he loved.
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A/N : Well, now you know how Luna is introduced. Next chapter we'll go back to Selenity and more of the gang. Also the question of whether or not Kino is dead will be answered.
Next Chapter : Chapter 23 A Daughters Confessions