Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Alone No More - Minako's Story ❯ Chapter 18 ( Chapter 18 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Alone No More: Minako's Story
by Jason C. Ulloa


Chapter 18

"Are you two okay?" Alan asked as he and Katrina caught up with Minako and Ryoku. "We were
looking all over for you! Where have you two gone?"

"Alan! Katrina-oneesan!" Minako exclaimed as she and Ryoku ran up to them. "You're both
okay!"

"Of course we were!" Katrina told them with a grin. "Now, please tell Alan what happened to
you two. He's been worried out of his mind since we were separated."

"You were worried, Alan?" Ryoku asked, frowning penitently. "We're sorry if we caused you
to worry about us."

"I'm just glad you two are all right," he said as he smiled down at them. "I don't know
what I'd do if you two were killed...."

Ryoku and Minako shared a long look. Minako's expression asked a silent question to Ryoku
which he silently agreed to with a slow, grave nod.

"Alan... there's something I think that Ryo-kun and I should show you," she said quietly.

Katrina gave them a surprised look, but then nodded in silent understanding. "Alan, this is
very important, so maybe we should all go somewhere a little more... private?"

Alan frowned in confusion, but nodded in agreement. "Let's go home, then," he suggested.
"I can't think of any place more private than that. You'll join us, right, Katrina?" he
asked as he turned to her. "After all, it sounds like you already know about this."

"Well... yes, I do know about it," she admitted with a chagrined smile. "I suppose I should
come as well. This is a very important matter, anyway."

**********************************************

" I can't believe this...," Alan whispered in shock as he stared at Sailor V and Masked
Knight. "It's like something out of an anime...."

"This is very real," Masked Knight said solemnly. "Right now, Minako-chan and I, as Sailor
V and Masked Knight, are fighting against the Dark Agency in order to aid our allies back
home in Japan, who are less experienced in fighting than we are."

"Our efforts here in London are helping to slow down the Dark Kingdom's growth back home,"
Sailor V continued. "Until we are finished here and the Dark Agency has been stopped for
good, we cannot return home." She sighed as she gave Alan an apologetic look. "I'm sorry if
we made you worry, but we have a dangerous job to accomplish here. If we don't stop the
Dark Agency, then everything we have worked so hard for and risked our lives for will mean
nothing."

"I... understand," Alan said after a long pause. "It will be hard, but...." He shook his
head as he tried to make sense out of everything they had told him. "It is a lot to take in
all at once." He sat down in a chair as he continued to stare at nothing in particular
while his mind tried to process all the new information that kept flooding in.

"I know what you mean," Katrina agreed understandingly. "I had trouble believing at first,
even after everything that I saw that one day."

"So, that is what you both were doing when I couldn't find you," he said as he looked from
Masked Knight to Sailor V. "You were both fighting against the Dark Agency to protect
everyone."

Sailor V nodded as she and Masked Knight both reverted back to Minako and Ryoku. "That's
right, Alan. I'm so sorry that we haven't told you sooner, but we didn't want you to worry
about us. We never expected things to go as far as it did."

"Our fight only gets harder as the Dark Agency nears its end," Ryoku said somberly. "If
something should happen to either or both of us, then don't consider it your fault. You
can't protect us against something like this. In fact, it is the other way around.

"Also, if something should happen to either or both of us, we don't want you to contact
Minako's family to tell her that we died. They might take it the wrong way and blame you or
something worse. We don't want an international incident. Artemis will arrange things so
that it'll look like we died on our way back home in Japan. That way, none of the blame can
be shifted toward either of you."

"This is all so much different from what I'm used to," Alan said after a long period of
silence. "After all, you two are the first exchange students I've ever had in my home that
might die while under my care. I don't really know what to think of this."

"Then don't," Minako said quietly as she sat down in a chair next to Alan and put a hand on
his. "Ryo-kun and I will not die. Not as long as we look out for each other. We'll be fine.
Trust us."

"Yes," Alan said after considering both Minako and Ryoku. "Yes, I believe you. Both of you."

Ryoku nodded with an almost relieved expression on his face. "That's good to hear."

**********************************************

Ove r the next couple of days, things were quiet. After what had been happening up until
recently, this turn of events began to worry both Minako and Ryoku; especially Minako.

"What was that, Minako-chan?" Ryoku asked as he looked up from the book he was reading as
he laid down on the floor of their room where he usually slept.

"I said I wonder what Tempest is up to right now," she repeated as gave him a pointed look
from her position sitting on the bed. "Do you think she's getting ready to launch some
really horrible attack in order to gather energy right now?"

"You seem to be very preoccupied with the Dark Agency as of late," he commented. "At least,
you seem to be fixated on this one particular enemy."

"Of course!" she replied heatedly. "She almost killed you, Ryo-kun! I can't forgive her for
that!"

"Yes, I want to get even with her for that as well, but there's no use worrying about it
until she attacks," he replied as he went back to his book.

"I don't understand you, Ryo-kun," she said uncertainly. "When we first started going after
the Dark Agency here in London, you were the one who was all business. Now, it sounds as if
you're not that eager to get rid of the Dark Agency."

Ryoku sighed as he closed his book, sat up and faced her with a very serious expression on
his face. "I don't know, Minako-chan," he began as his features became very uncertain.
"It's strange.... I don't even know what Tempest really looks like. When I fought her, she
was wearing a disguise that made her look like Fluorite, so I never saw her true identity."

"I have," she said with a deep frown. "I'll never forget her face."

"Ryo-chan...," he murmured to himself as his expression became distant.

"Did you say something, Ryo-kun?" she asked as she saw that he had become lost in thought.

"Eh?" he said as he suddenly snapped out of his contemplative trance. "Oh. Nothing. It was
strange, though," he began as he frowned uncertainly. "I could swear that I recognized the
voice, though. Like I heard it before a long time ago. A lifetime ago, almost."

"A lifetime ago?" she asked as she blinked in confusion.

'She called me Ryo-chan. I'm almost certain of it,' he thought to himself. 'Only three
people have ever called me that in my entire lifetime and two of those people are dead.
It's impossible for Mako-chan to be Tempest, so who could she be?'

"Ryo-kun?"

"Oh, sorry. What were you saying?"

"I said do you want to go with me to go shopping for Katrina-oneesan's birthday present?"
she asked.

"Oh, yeah," he said, blinking in realization. "It's tomorrow, right?"

"Right. So, we should go find something nice for Katrina-oneesan." Minako pushed herself
off her bed and bent down to pull Ryoku up to his feet. "Come on, Ryo-kun! Hayaku! If we're
going to find something nice for Katrina-oneesan, then we have to hurry!"

"Oi! Hold on, Minako-chan!" Ryoku exclaimed as she started to drag him after her.

"Alan! We're going now!" Minako called out cheerily as she continued to yank Ryoku after
her.

"All right, then," he replied as he waved. "See you two later."

"Minako-chan!" he shouted in vain as he tried to get her to slow down, but she wasn't about
to yield. "Chikuso...."

**********************************************
< br> "Good afternoon," the salesperson greeted as Minako walked into the jewelry store with
Ryoku right behind her. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, thank you," she replied as she started glancing around with a small smile beginning to
spread across her face.

"I hope we can find something here, Minako-chan," Ryoku said, weariness slowly creeping
into his voice. "This is the sixth store we've been to in over two hours. Not only that,
but they've all been different stores. Do you have any idea of what you're looking for?"

Minako gave him a flat look. "Don't tell me that you're not even bothering to help me find
something nice for Katrina-oneesan?" she said with mild disapproval. "You're not going to
leave it all up to me, are you?"

Ryoku sweatdropped in chagrin. "I guess I could make a suggestion here and there...."

Her smile instantly returned. "That's more like it! Come on, Ryo-kun! Let's try to find
something here!"

"But you said that at the last five stores we've been to."

"Well, this one's different. I can feel it. I'm sure we'll find the perfect birthday gift
for Katrina-oneesan here."

"Of course," he replied noncommittally. "I suppose you can't go wrong with jewelry."

"Ooh! Ryo-kun! Take a look at this!" Minako said excitedly as she waved him over.

"Have you found something already?" he asked as he came over and glanced at what she was so
excited about.

"Oh, that's a great choice," the salesperson said as she walked up to them and smiled.
"Would you like to try it on?"

"Can I?" Minako asked eagerly.

"Certainly," she replied as she opened the display and brought out the ring. It was a
white-gold ring with a line of three precious stones on it. The middle stone was a good
sized orange topaz, while the two smaller stones beside them were diamonds.

"As you can see, it's a birthstone ring," the salesperson continued as Minako tried on the
ring. She turned to look at Ryoku and gave him a friendly smile. "So, is this a gift for
your girlfriend?"

"Not really," Ryoku replied after a short pause. Minako pretended to give the ring a close
scrutiny as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Was it just her imagination,
or did he sound almost... disappointed... when he said that?

"Oh, my mistake," the salesperson said with a polite laugh at her error. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he replied with a casual shrug. "It happens often."

"So, your birthstone is topaz?" the salesperson asked Minako as she turned her attention
back toward her potential customer.

"No," Minako replied as she shook her head. "It's opal. October 22nd."

"You're a Libra, Minako-chan?" Ryoku asked. "I didn't know that."

"Well, now you know," she replied with a wink and a playful toss of her long, blonde hair.
"And what about you, Ryo-kun? When is your birthday? I don't seem to remember you ever
telling me."

"February 28th," he replied.

"So, you're a Pisces, ne?" she said with a wide smile. "And your birthstone is an amethyst,
I think. I wonder if there are any nice rings around here with amethysts on them...."

"What about Katrina's birthday present, Minako-chan?" Ryoku quickly cut in before she
could get distracted any further.

"Eh? Oh! I almost forgot!" she said as she grimaced in chagrin and took off the ring and
handed it back to the salesperson.

"Minako-chan...," he sighed patiently as she went back to searching for a good birthday
present. As she was looking around at various rings and bracelets, something caught his
eye.

He walked over to a display of necklaces and examined one in particular. It was a simple
necklace, but it had a small, round pendant on the end of it. Upon further examination, he
found that the pendant could be opened. When he opened it, he saw that there was room for a
small picture inside. He was about to call out to Minako when she suddenly appeared at his
shoulder, peering down at the necklace and pendant he had found.

"I knew I could count on you, Ryo-kun," she told him as she gave him a quick smile and a
hug, then picked up the necklace and took it over to the salesperson for her to ring up.
Ryoku merely glanced after her for a moment, shrugged, then followed her as she left the
store with her purchase.

**********************************************

"So, what're we going to put in the pendant, Minako-chan?" Ryoku asked after they had gone
up to their room. Alan greatly approved of the gift and remarked that he hoped that the
present that he had chosen to give Katrina would be just as well received as he knew the
pendant would be. When she had asked him what the present was, he told her that she would
have to wait until tomorrow in order to find out. She pleaded and pouted, but Alan remained
firm, so she had to remain content with that.

"We have several photos of our time here in London, now," he continued as he studied the
pendant in its box. It rested nicely on its soft cushion while most of the necklace was
stuffed underneath it so that the small part of the necklace that was above the cushion was
straight. "We can only put one picture in it. Which one, though?"

"Ryo-kun, you have all of our pictures in that photo album book you bought two weeks ago,
right?" she asked as she laid down on the bed and rolled onto her side. "Bring it out and
let's look through it. We'd better hurry since we don't have a lot of time to choose one
and take it to be copied into a smaller version that'll fit."

"Right," he agreed and bent down toward the dresser and rummaged through his drawer,
looking for it. "Ah, here it is." He brought out a slim photo album and closed the drawer,
then walked over and sat down on the bed next to Minako.

"Let's see...," Minako said as she opened the album and started flipping through it. "Hey,
remember that?" she said as she pointed at a picture of them playing a game of volleyball
at their school with some of the kids in their class.

Ryoku glanced at the picture, then grinned slightly. "I remember. I think we lost that one,
if I remember correctly."

"I did say that I was sorry for hitting you in the back of the head with the ball...."

"Yeah, I know," he replied dismissively. "It was an accident. I remember." He shrugged.
"Still, it was fun."

Minako flipped through the album, going through the pictures with Ryoku and reminiscing. A
good deal of the pictures were of the two of them together, but there were the occasional
pictures of her and Alan, Ryoku and Alan, her and Katrina, Ryoku and Katrina, her and Ryoku
and Katrina, and her and Ryoku and Alan. When she started to reach the end of the album,
she stopped on one picture in particular that was exactly what she was looking for.

"Yes," Ryoku said as he nodded in satisfaction. "That one will be perfect."

It was a picture of all of them together. Katrina and Alan were standing together with
herself and Ryoku standing just in front of them. The picture was taken outside at the same
park where she had introduced Katrina to Alan, right next to the same tree that they had
had that picnic. It certainly was the perfect picture to put into the pendant.

"Let's go, Ryo-kun," she said as she sat up and pushed herself off the bed. "If we hurry,
we can get this done before tomorrow."

"I'm right behind you, Minako-chan," he said as he stood up and followed her out the door.

**********************************************

Temp est sighed to herself again. Once again, she was getting nowhere. She had told
Quartzite that she was going to get some more energy, but for the past few days, she had
done nothing but stealth strikes at night while searching for Ryoku by day. Things were
growing more and more out of control and, if she wanted to try to bring Ryoku over to her
side, she didn't have much time left. As it was, Quartzite was growing suspicious. She knew
him - he would kill her if she interfered with his plans. He had told her as such; he said
that whomever got in his way, no matter who it was, he would kill them.

Of course, that was after the whole fiasco that sent him from commanding Beryl's armies to
working for Danburite and the Dark Agency.

But then again, that was also when she started working for him as Tempest.

She had come a long way from the weak human girl, Hisakawa Keiko, to Quartzite's right
hand, Tempest. So had Quartzite, from the humiliated former army commander, to the
commander of the Dark Agency. Sure, he had gotten the command after Danburite died, but the
fact was that he KNEW that Danburite was doomed to fail after learning of his desire for
Sailor V. That was what ultimately killed him; at least, that was what Quartzite claimed.

Tempest frowned. Was what she was trying to do just as foolhardy? No, of course not. Her
case was different; Ryoku had loved her once before. She was only trying to get him to
remember her and to get him to join her so that they could be together again, as they
should've been.

But still.... No wonder Quartzite seemed to be suspicious. He probably already suspected
what she was doing. He was probably thinking that she would end up the same as Danburite.
Being his most effective warrior, he would certainly be dead set against anything that
would ultimately destroy her, since that would leave him without his best warrior. She
snorted. It wasn't like he didn't care for her, but she knew that she would always be a
distant second to his ambitions. That much was clear.

She was about to turn the corner and start down the next street when she halted in mid-step
and her breath caught in her throat.

There he was.

And he was even more handsome than she remembered.

She quickly ducked behind a building and watched as Ryoku walk down the street with some
blonde girl. A girlfriend? How could he! He said he'd never forget her! With a great deal
of self-control, she forced herself to calm down. She couldn't really blame him. After all,
he must've thought she had died. Of course, he'd try to move on with his life.

But, she still had first claim on him. He still loved her; she knew that for certain. She
knew him well.

A sudden realization hit her as she turned to study the girl he was walking with. Now that
she had seen both Ryoku and Masked Knight, she could see how the two were similar. When she
applied that to the girl he was with, she could almost clearly see how much that girl
looked like Sailor V.

So.

That girl wasn't a girlfriend. She was merely his partner. His friend. She still had an
open claim on him.

She grinned devilishly as she began to devise a plan. She couldn't just go up to him and
try to turn him on the spot. That girl would certainly interfere. Also, she couldn't kill
the girl yet. If she did, he'd be too upset to listen to her, even if she revealed her
identity to him. His sense of honor and loyalty was a big pain at times like this. She had
to be careful not to mess this up. One mistake and her chance would be blown.

Wait.

What if she brought him to meet Quartzite? Surely he could do to him whatever he did to her
to make her acceptable to Beryl. He wouldn't have to worry about being Kino Ryoku anymore.
He wouldn't have to worry about being Masked Knight anymore. He wouldn't have to worry
about being a weak human anymore. He would have power. She knew that after he had thought
she had died, he would've cursed himself for being too weak. Well, he wouldn't be weak
anymore.

A wide, eager grin spread across her face. There was no one around she had to hide from, so
she left it there. She giggled at the idea. Her Ryo-chan - strong, powerful.... He would be
absolutely perfect.

She took in his handsome features again and sighed with desire. Oh, yes. He would be so
perfect. All she had to do was entice him into coming with her to meet Quartzite. But in
order to do that, she had to get rid of that girl: Sailor V.

Damn. It all came back to killing that damn girl.

Well, she might as well kill her, then. She would have to come up with a way to use his
expected anger at his partner's death in order to lure him to her. Perhaps if she used one
of the warriors as a focal point for his anger. She could use his inability to protect his
partner as an excuse for him to see Quartzite and become stronger and turn him over to her
side in the process. Yes, that would work. But the problem was that they were only good for
fighting and not very good actors. She needed someone convincing. Someone....

Someone like herself.

Perfect.

*************************************** *******

"That was easy enough," Ryoku commented as they walked home. "It didn't take long at all,
did it?"

"It's perfect!" Minako exclaimed happily as she opened the box and examined the pendant
inside again. It was closed, but she already knew what the picture looked like inside the
pendant. It was a perfect fit, once they had shrunk the picture. "Now, all we have to do is
wrap it up for tomorrow."

"I hope Katrina likes it."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Ryo-kun," she said confidently. "I'm sure she'll like it."

Ryoku nodded, then paused as he cautiously glanced around as if searching for something.

Minako caught the expression on his face, then frowned warily. "What's wrong, Ryo-kun?"

"I don't know," he said as he looked around. "It was almost as if I could feel someone
watching me...." He shrugged as he relaxed and shook his head. "Never mind. It must've been
nothing. Let's go home, Minako-chan."

As they left for home, a figure stepped out of the shadows and smirked. "Kage, I want you
to follow them. Do not attack them, though. I want you to watch them and wait for my order
to attack. Do you understand?"

Another figure appeared out of the darkness. "Yes, Mistress," Kage replied as he sank into
the shadows.

"And what about me, Mistress?" another figure asked as she appeared behind her.

"You will wait, Jade. I must prepare a trap for Sailor V. One that will guarantee her
death."

"What about Masked Knight?" Jade asked.

She turned around and gave Jade a flat, icy stare. "When the time is right, I will tell you
when to strike. That is all you need to know."

"Yes, Mistress," Jade replied as she faded away.

The figure began to smirk again as she stepped back into the shadows. She ran her hand
through her short, bluish-black hair and grinned, but it was a cold grin that didn't touch
her now ashy gray eyes. 'I guess this disguise was good for something after all,' Tempest
thought as she disappeared into the shadows.

**********************************************

T he next day, Katrina hurried over to Alan's house after receiving an urgent call from
Minako asking her to come over as quickly as she could. She hoped that nothing bad had
happened, but when she asked her, Minako would only tell her to hurry. It was strange, but
she couldn't ignore the sense of urgency in her voice. What was even stranger was the fact
that it didn't sould as though it was a danger-type of urgency. Still, she hurried over to
Alan's as fast as she could go. She would find out what was so important when she got there.

She got out of her car, rushed up the walkway and reached for the doorknob, turning it
without even thinking of knocking on the door first. The door opened easily and she quickly
stepped inside.

"Happy birthday, Katrina-oneesan!" Minako shouted cheerfully as she rushed forward and
hugged her.

"What...?" Katrina said, too surprised to think clearly at the moment.

"Happy birthday, Katrina," Ryoku added as he grinned at the spectacle. Beside him, Alan
grinned as well as he watched them.

"Happy birthday, Katrina," he said as he tried not to laugh. "Sorry about the abruptness
of this, but Minako-chan said she wanted this to be a surprise."

"I am surprised," she said as Minako let her go, but was still grinning up at her very
eagerly. "How did you all know it was my birthday? I never told you...."

"We found out from a friend of yours at Interpol," Ryoku explained. "Mallory Hodgeson."

"Oh. Lory," Katrina said, nodding understandingly. That woman loved gossip and knew almost
everything about everyone, or at least she seemed to. But despite being very nosy, she was
a friendly, kind-hearted soul who meant well. Yes, she figured that Lory would tell them
her birthday.

"I'm sorry if I made you think something bad had happened," Minako said penitently. "I was
so eager to get you to come here...."

"That's all right, Minako-chan," Katrina said with a gentle smile on her face. "I'm not
upset. Actually, I'm glad."

"Really?" Minako asked.

"Really."

"Katrina-oneesan...," Minako said happily as she hugged her again.

"Minako-chan, do you mind?" Ryoku asked with a half-smirk on his face.

"Oh! Ehehehe...," she said sheepishly as she let Katrina come the rest of the way inside.
"Sorry, Katrina-oneesan. I guess I'm a little excited...."

"That's all right," Katrina said with a small laugh. "I'm happy to see you so happy."

"Here, Katrina," Ryoku said as he walked up next to Minako and handed her a small
colorfully-wrapped box. "This's from Minako-chan and myself."

"Open it up!" Minako said eagerly. "I just know you're gonna love it!"

"I wonder what it could be...," Katrina said wonderingly as she removed the wrappings and
opened the box. "Oh!" she gasped as she took out the necklace and pendant. "It's lovely!
Thank you very much, Minako-chan and Ryo-kun." She gave Minako a big hug, then gave one to
Ryoku. Both Minako and Katrina started to laugh as they noticed Ryoku beginning to blush
slightly.

"My turn now," Alan said as he walked up and handed her a similar-sized box.

"Let's see what this is...," Katrina began as she removed the wrappings and opened up his
gift. "Oh my...," she gasped again as she stared at the contents of the box.

"I wanna see!" Minako said as she tried to peer into the box to see what Alan had gotten
for Katrina. "Wow!" she exclaimed when she saw it. "Ryo-kun! Take a look at this!"

"What is it?" Ryoku asked as he glanced over to Alan. He seemed to be very pleased with the
reactions of the two females. He merely shrugged as he gestured for him to go take a look
for himself. "What's the big deal...?" He paused as he glanced down at what appeared to be
a pair of elaborately carved golden earrings.

"This must've been very expensive," Katrina began as she closed the box and began to hand
it back. "I appreciate the gift, but I can't accept these...."

"They didn't cost me much at all," Alan admitted as he gently pushed the box back into her
hands. "Actually, they didn't cost me anything at all. They used to belong to my mother."

"Your...," Katrina began, but Alan cut her off with a shake of his head.

"Don't worry about it," he told her. "I'm sure Mother would be pleased to have her earrings
worn by a lovely woman. Besides, I don't have much use for earrings, now do I?"

Katrina laughed softly as she conceded. "All right. I'm very grateful for the gift. Thank
you very much, Alan." She then gave him a hug as well, then, on an impulse, kissed him on
the cheek.

Minako blinked in surprise and began to frown. Ryoku noticed her change in expression and
sighed. "So his present was much better than ours, Katrina?" he asked in a mock-upset tone.
Minako glanced back at him in surprise, but so did Katrina and Alan.

"Oh, that's not it at all," Katrina laughed as she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek as
well. "I liked both your presents equally."

Minako's ire had suddenly subsided as she watched Katrina kiss Ryoku on the cheek. He
sighed inwardly in relief as he noticed this. "You haven't even looked inside the pendant
yet," he pointed out as he glanced over at Minako.

"That's right!" she chimed in, all smiles again. "Quick, take a look."

"All right," she agreed as she opened the pendant and looked at the picture of all four of
them standing together in a group photo. "Oh... it's wonderful. Thank you. Thank you all
for such wonderful birthday presents."

"You haven't even put any of them on, yet," Ryoku pointed out.

"Oh. Well, can you and Minako-chan help me put on my new necklace?" she asked. As Minako
and Ryoku helped her with the necklace, she put on her new earrings. "Well?" she asked as
she finished. "How do I look?"

"Very pretty, Katrina-oneesan," Minako said approvingly.

"I like it, too," Ryoku agreed.

"Beautiful," Alan said as he nodded his agreement. "Very beautiful."

"Thank you all," Katrina said happily.

"Well, now that all that's out of the way, what's next?" Ryoku asked.

"Yeah," Minako agreed. "We've got to do something special to celebrate Katrina-oneesan's
birthday, ne?"

"All right, all right," Alan said with a laugh. "I know just the thing."

**********************************************

Th anks to Kage's surveillance, Tempest could follow Ryoku and his partner no matter where
they went. For the most part, she was content to observe him from the shadows.

He had definitely grown into quite the young man. From what she could see, he wasn't too
heavily-built, which was good since she had grown a strong dislike for people that were
too thickly built. Having to deal with warriors who were mostly brawn and little brain
would do that to a person.

His silverish-gray eyes were just as she remembered, too. That was what she considered his
most attractive feature. A girl could easily get lost in the mists of his eyes and not give
a damn if she did. Sure, he was very handsome as well, but so were a lot of guys. However,
his eyes were captivating.

"Mistress," Kage said, interrupting her musings.

Damn. Right when she was beginning to enjoy herself, too.

"What is it, Kage?" she asked, keeping her ire in check.

"They are leaving the house and are heading out toward the downtown area. I overheard
something about a restaurant," Kage reported.

Tempest grinned. "This could be a useful turn of events," she said slowly. "I could gather
a good deal of energy in a restaurant full of people. Not only that, but this could be the
perfect stage to spring my trap. Kage, make sure you stay with them and wait for my command.
Sailor V must not leave that restaurant alive."

"What about Masked Knight?" Kage asked.

Tempest almost growled, but she held in her anger. First, Jade. Now, Kage? Those two were
going to be trouble if they decided to try and kill Masked Knight as well.

"You and Jade will kill Sailor V. Masked Knight is mine," she said coldly. "Do you
understand? You will both leave him to me."

"Yes, Mistress," Kage agreed obsequiously.

"Now, go."

"Yes, Mistress," he replied and disappeared.

"Jade."

"You called, Mistress?" Jade replied as she appeared before Tempest.

"Did you hear my orders?" There was no need to say which orders.

"Yes, Mistress."

"Good. Be ready. The trap is almost ready to be sprung."

"Yes, Mistress. Sailor V will die."

Tempest was tempted to laugh, but instead she allowed herself to grin coldly.

Yes. Sailor V would die.

**********************************************

It was a very nice establishment, Minako thought to herself as she sat at the table their
waiter brought them to. Since Alan insisted on going to a fancy place - one where you were
required to dress formal - Katrina had to go back to her place and pick out a suitable
dress for the occasion.

To be honest, she was quite surprised by the choice of resturaunt. If fhe didn't know
better, she could've sworn that this was almost like a date. But then, why would he want
to bring her and Ryoku if he was going to go out with Katrina?

Once again, she dismissed her suspicions. Why would Alan have to hide anything from her? If
he wanted to go out with Katrina, he would say so. After all, it wasn't like she was dating
Alan....

She paused as she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Ryoku's. She smiled at him, then
almost laughed as she watched him look her over and smile his approval at her attire. She
was wearing a light cream-yellow dress that left the tops of her shoulders bare and went
down to her just slightly below her knees, and red slipper-like heeled shoes.

Minako winked at him as she made a show of appraising his fashion sense. He was wearing a
very sharp combination of gray slacks and a gray dress shirt with a silver-colored necktie.
Even his belt and buckle was colored silver-gray. Only his polished black dress shoes were
the only things he wore that wasn't gray. It seemed to be his color. Then again, the entire
outfit completely matched his eye color.

She had been staring into Ryoku's eyes for quite some time when she realized that his hand
was still on her bare shoulder. All of a sudden, she was very aware of the sensation of his
skin touching hers. She felt her cheeks growing warmer as she let herself feel the touch of
her partner's hand on her skin while she continued to gaze into his eyes. It was enough to
almost make her forget about Alan....

All at once, she suddenly realized that she was still at the restaurant with Alan. What
would Alan be thinking? He must've noticed that she and Ryoku had been staring into each
other's eyes for the longest time.... 'Almost like lovers,' she thought to herself as she
turned to see what Alan's expression would be. Would he insist that they sleep in different
rooms now? She had grown so used to sleeping with Ryoku in the same room that she would be
very lonely at night if he would be forced to sleep elsewhere.

When she turned toward Alan, she blinked in surprise.

He wasn't there.

"Alan went to go meet Katrina at the front," Ryoku explained after he had took his hand off
her shoulder. He stared down at the table for a moment, giving the napkin a careful
scrutiny. "I don't think he saw."

"Saw?" Minako asked, not really trying to look at him. The intimacy of the look the two of
them had shared earlier still played through her mind.

"I think you know what I mean," he said quietly, and almost hesitantly.

Minako just nodded. "Ryo-kun, I...," she began, then paused, not knowing exactly what it
was she wanted to say. "I think... I'm confused."

Ryoku nodded. "You're not the only one, Minako-chan," he replied quietly.

Minako turned to look at him again. He did look very uncertain. "What are you confused
about?" she asked, half-wondering and half-hoping it was what she thought it was.

"I...," he began, then trailed off just before Alan and Katrina finally showed up.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting," Katrina said apologetically as she took her seat opposite
of Ryoku after Alan had pulled her chair out for her and pushed it back in as she sat down.
Minako couldn't help but grin at the gentlemanly gesture; Ryoku had done the same for her
when they had sat down at the table.

"You're the guest of honor at this dinner party, Katrina," Alan said as he took his seat
opposite of Minako. "We didn't mind waiting. Right, Minako-chan? Ryo-kun?"

"Of course not," Ryoku replied as Minako shook her head.

"It's your birthday we're celebrating, Katrina-oneesan," Minako said with a smile and a
wink. "There's no way we could start without you."

"Then, there's nothing for me to worry about, is there?" Katrina replied with a laugh as
their waiter came up to their table.

**********************************************

"Ka ge, Jade, report," Tempest ordered from the roof of the restaurant that Minako and Ryoku
were inside.

"They are inside, eating and talking with two older humans, one male and one female," Kage
reported. "They are sitting at a table in the center of the building."

"As soon as you give the word, I can seal off all the exits so that no one can escape,"
Jade informed her. "No one will be able to escape."

"Excellent," Tempest replied as she ran a hand through her short bluish-black hair. "The
trap is set." A slow, malicious smile slid across her face.

"Do it."

**********************************************

They were right in the middle of talking about how things were back in Japan - Minako had
called back home to talk to her parents to see how they were doing - when they heard the
scream.

Instantly, Minako and Ryoku were on the alert. Katrina slowly reached down for her purse -
and the gun she had remembered to bring, this time - and set it in her lap as she, Minako
and Ryoku all glanced around the restaurant. Alan looked from one of his companions to the
next, then grimaced.

"Over there," Ryoku pointed out as he spotted where the trouble had begun. A waiter had
suddenly collapsed for apparently no reason. He was lying lifelessly on the ground as a
couple of restaurant patrons were trying to revive him. As they did so, they suddenly
toppled over lifelessly. All three of them were now glowing faintly.

"The Dark Agency...," both Minako and Ryoku murmured at the same time.

As the glowing began to grow brighter, more and more people were suddenly falling over for
no apparent reason. People on the other side of the restaurant were beginning to grow
frightened as they suddenly stood up and made their way toward the nearest exit. However,
once they had reached the exit, it was discovered to be covered with a hard, green crystal.

"We're trapped in here!" a woman suddenly wailed.

"Try the other exit!" a man exclaimed.

"It's sealed shut, too!" another man shouted as they reached the other exit.

"We're trapped in here!" the woman wailed again and started to cry hysterically.

"What's going on?!?" another man demanded apprehensively as they all tried to find a way
out. "The doors, the windows, everything's covered by this green crystal!"

"It's a trap," Katrina said in a hushed voice as she and the others stood up.

"A trap for us," Ryoku said in a cold voice as he turned to Minako. "Minako-chan, we need
to find a place to transform."

"How about the lavatory?" Alan suggested as he nodded toward the restrooms.

"Perfect," Minako said as she turned toward the direction of the restrooms.
"Katrina-oneesan, take care of Alan for us."

"Right," she replied as she brought out her gun.

"Come on, Ryo-kun!" she exclaimed as she began to run.

"Look out!" Ryoku shouted as he dived forward and tackled Minako to the ground.

"What... what're you doing?!?" she exclaimed.

"Look," he said as he pointed toward what appeared to be a rippling in the air before them.
"I think that's what was draining the others."

"I'm not the only one," the shadowy figure said as it rippled and became visible. "Right
now, Jade should be finishing off the rest of the humans."

"Who are you?" Minako demanded as she and Ryoku stood up.

"Kage," he said simply. "Now, Sailor V, you and your partner, Masked Knight, will die
today."

"You know?!?" Minako yelped in astonishment.

"How?" Ryoku demanded.

"You," Kage said, pointed directly at Ryoku. "The Mistress, she knows who you are."

"Tempest???" Minako said angrily.

"No, not Tempest," another figure said as it strode into the room behind Minako and Ryoku.
"Gale."

"Gale?" Minako and Ryoku repeated questioningly.

"Yes, Gale," a third figure said as she suddenly appeared hovering over them. "Think of me
as Tempest's replacement. After all her failures, the Master had decided to send her back
to the Dark Kingdom for retraining."

"The Master?" they repeated, frowning in perplexity.

"Oh, yes. The Master of the Dark Agency," Gale told them with an evil smirk. "You shouldn't
worry about him, though. You won't live long enough to meet him, anyway. Kage, Jade," she
said as she glanced from one to the other, then back to Minako and Ryoku. "Kill Sailor V.
Make it quick; no sense taking any chances with her. I will personally take care of Masked
Knight."

"Yes, Mistress," both warriors replied as they prepared to attack.

"No time for hiding, Minako-chan," Ryoku said as he brought out his Star Sword. "It's now
or die."

"Katrina-oneesan, Alan, run!" Minako shouted as she brought out her transformation pen.
"Moon Power Transform!"

"Star Sword Power Transform!"

The last thing Alan saw before he and Katrina had run for cover was seeing Minako and Ryoku
once again transform into Sailor V and Masked Knight before preparing to fight for their
lives.

"Crescent Beam!"

"Earth Thrust!"

Each attack went toward a different warrior, but both managed to dodge the attacks. As
Masked Knight prepared to chase after one of them, Gale suddenly charged at him, causing
him to momentarily abort his previous plan. At the same time, both warriors suddenly
charged Sailor V at the same time. She tried to dodge both attacks, but she could only
evade one. As Jade's charge struck Sailor V at full force, she flew through the air and
crashed through several tables on the way down to the floor.

"Venus!" Masked Knight exclaimed worriedly as he tried to go help her, but Gale continued
to press her attack.

"I don't think so, boy," she said, unconsciously calling him by the same name Quartzite had
all those years ago. "You have me to contend with. Don't worry, Jade and Kage will show
your dear partner a good time... before she dies."

With a wordless snarl and a roar of rage, Masked Knight charged at Gale. It took all she
had to keep him at bay, but at least she had his full attention now. It was up to the
others to take care of Sailor V.

"Crescent Beam!" Sailor V shouted again, then dodged as Jade flung one crystal spike after
another at her. Just as she dodged the last spike, she had to leap to the side in order to
avoid another of Kage's charges. Fighting two warriors who were working as a team was
almost impossible; she was having a hard enough time avoiding both of their attacks.

"Avalanche Barrage!" Masked Knight shouted, firing a stream of stone spikes at Gale as she
leapt around the room, avoiding his attack. As she rebounded off one of the walls, she used
her momentum to charge into him, knocking him backward and sending him sprawling a good
distance away. As he struggled to get to his knees, she walked up to him and kicked him in
the side of the head, knocking him down to the floor again.

"Quit wasting your energy," Gale said in a mocking tone as she laughed softly. "You can't
win. Soon, Sailor V will die, then so will you. Give it up, boy."

"Knight!" Venus exclaimed as she saw Gale kick Knight a third time, lifting him up off the
floor and striking the wall before he hit the floor yet again. She glared at Gale angrily
as she prepared one of her strongest attacks. "You bitch!" she roared furiously. "Crescent
Beam Shower!" The attack sailed through the air and struck Gale in the back, knocking her
to the floor a good distance from Masked Knight as she ran toward his side.

"Damn that Sailor V," Gale growled as she stood up and glared at her. "Kage, Jade, why
haven't either of you killed her yet?"

"She's not that easy to kill, Mistress," Jade replied. "Remember, most of our warriors have
been destroyed by her and Masked Knight."

"No excuses," she cut her off shortly. "Kill Sailor V. Now."

"Yes, Mistress," both warriors agreed as they charged forward again. Jade flung several
crystal spikes at Sailor V, but they were quickly knocked away by Masked Knight's Star
Sword as it cut through the air in front of her.

"Knight, are you all right?" Sailor V asked as she helped her partner to his feet.

"I'm fine," he replied as he stood up. "Ready to go another round?"

Sailor V nodded grimly. "I still owe that Gale for what she did to you."

"All right, then," he said as he raised his Star Sword. "Keep your eye on me and hopefully
we can take out one of them."

Kage charged again, but this time, Masked Knight charged forward to meet his charge with
one of his own. He leapt forward and performed a quick jump kick on Kage. The kick was so
quick and unexpected that it knocked Kage a short distance back onto the floor. He used the
kick to spring off of Kage and leap toward Jade with his Star Sword held out at the ready.
Jade threw one crystal spike after another at him, but each one was slashed away by his
Star Sword. As he sailed over Jade's head, he threw his Star Sword at her, which stabbed
straight through her right foot and effectively pinned her in place.

"What?!?" Jade exclaimed in shock as she stared down at the sword sticking through her foot
and into the floor.

"Now, Venus!" Knight exclaimed as he landed. "Avalanche Barrage!"

Jade looked up from her tugging on Masked Knight's sword to see that she was now caught in
a cross-fire. "Uh-oh...."

"Not this time!" Gale shouted as she charged at Sailor V, but she was already too late.

"Crescent Beam Shower!" Sailor V shouted and fired her attack just before Gale stuck her.
The two attacks crashed hard into Jade, destroying her just as Kage had recovered enough to
charge Masked Knight. He was also knocked backward and hit the floor beside Sailor V.

"Damn you...," Gale growled seethingly. "Damn you, both! Another one of our warriors, gone
thanks to you two! I will kill you both for this!!!"

"Tempest!" a voice suddenly boomed out from nowhere.

"Master, this isn't Tempest," Kage said obsequiously as he bowed. "You sent Tempest back
to the Dark Kingdom for retraining, remember? This is...."

"Keiko!!!" the disembodied voice boomed again, this time impatiently and very irritably.

Masked Knight jerked in surprise at the name.

"Yes, Master?" Gale replied weakly.

Masked Knight's eyes widened in extreme shock after seeing Gale answer to the name. He
didn't say anything; he just stared.

"Whatever game it is you're playing, drop it and come back to the warehouse," he ordered.
"Now. It's almost time."

"Yes, Master," she replied with a cold grimace as she turned toward Kage. "We're going
back, Kage. Let's go."

"Yes, Mistress," Kage replied as he stepped into the shadows and disappeared.

"As for you two," Gale said as she stared coldly at Sailor V and Masked Knight over her
shoulder, "this is only a slight delay. I will personally see to it that you both die.
Remember that." With that, she disappeared.

"Minako-chan? Ryo-kun?" Katrina called out as she and Alan came out of hiding. "Are you
both all right?"

"We're fine, Katrina-oneesan," Sailor V replied tiredly. "Sorry about your birthday being
ruined like this...."

"Don't worry about it," Katrina replied as she hugged her. "I'm just glad that you and
Ryo-kun are all right. That's all I could ask for."

"Minako-chan," Ryoku said as he changed back from being Masked Knight. "Do you remember
what the Master said?"

"You mean, about it almost being time?" she asked as she changed back from being Sailor V.

"Yes," he replied grimly. "I don't think we have a lot of time left, Minako-chan. The Dark
Agency must be planning something really big. If we don't stop them now, then something
terrible could happen that could make everything we've done seem pointless."

"You really think so, Ryo-kun?" Minako asked worriedly.

"Can't you feel it, Minako-chan?" he asked, frowning.

Slowly, she nodded her agreement. "I can feel it, too."

"I don't think we can wait for them anymore," he said in a cold, emotionless tone. "I think
we have to go to them."

"You mean, we're going to take on the entire Dark Agency?!?" Minako exclaimed incredulously.

"We may have to," Ryoku replied evenly. "It's come to this: them or us. Once we go take on
the Dark Agency on their own grounds, one side won't be coming back."

"I really don't like the sound of that," Alan said quietly. "But I suppose that you really
don't have much of a choice, do you?" He sighed as he hugged Minako, then Ryoku. "I just
want you two to know that I have faith in you both. I just know that you two will make it
back."

"I remember overhearing that Master person saying something about a warehouse," Katrina
pointed out. "One of the criminals that we're currently after has his base of operations in
one of the warehouses near the harbor. If it's the same guy, then maybe I can provide a
little bit of backup for you two. I know that our guns may not be very effective, but maybe
a little distraction might mean the difference between victory and defeat."

"That's a good idea," Minako said as she turned to Ryoku. "Don't you think so, Ryo-kun?"

"I agree," he replied with a nod. "So, when is Interpol going to take down this...
'criminal'?"

"In two days," she replied.

"Then Minako-chan," he said as he turned toward his partner, "you and I have two days to
prepare ourselves for the final battle with the Dark Agency."

**********************************************

" What were you doing, Tempest?" Quartzite asked as he raised a disapproving eyebrow.
"Disguising yourself as another person? I can understand that, but why did you feel that
you had to fool Kage and Jade as well?" He turned around and took a few steps toward the
door, then looked at her over his shoulder. "Furthermore, you make up this story that you
have been sent back to the Dark Kingdom for retraining and that you, as Gale, were taking
your place. Why? What are you trying to hide, Tempest?"

"I'm not trying to hide anything!" she exclaimed.

"Then, what are you trying to accomplish?" he asked calmly. "Why not just kill Sailor V and
Masked Knight as Tempest? Why are you going through all this trouble?"

It was time to lie. There was no telling what he would think about her going to so much
trouble just to convert Masked Knight. "I was merely trying to confuse our enemies," she
told him. "I wanted to catch them off-guard so I could finally kill them."

Quartzite looked up to the evening sky and nodded slightly to himself. "So you say," he
said finally.

"It's true!!!" she shouted indignantly.

"I never said I didn't believe you," he said without taking his eyes from his contemplative
study of the stars. "Your defensiveness leads me to wonder, though."

Tempest winced. Damn. He certainly was a sly bastard. She wisely decided to keep her mouth
shut, lest she dig herself in further.

Quartzite nodded again, this time almost approvingly, as if he could read her mind. "Still,
you did manage to gather an impressive amount of energy. That is good. Unfortunately - or
fortunately, depending on how you choose to look at it - this will have to be the last
batch of energy we will send to the Dark Kingdom."

"The last?" Tempest asked, then paused and blinked as she realized something. "Wait. You
said 'Dark Kingdom' and not 'Queen Beryl' like you usually do."

"Did I?" he asked as he glanced at her over his shoulder with an insinuating grin, then
turned his gaze toward the rest of the harbor. Their warehouse was far from the water, but
it was still close enough to be considered part of the harbor.

Tempest's mouth curved slightly in vexation, but she decided to leave off the matter for
now. "So, what's going on?" she asked. "Are we going back to the Dark Kingdom, then?"

Quartzite was silent for a long time. The silence was beginning to disturb her before he
finally answered her. "We are going back to Japan, yes," he told her, then left without
even looking at her.

She was about to call after him, when she stopped. He was up to something. Something big.
Something very big. From what she could determine from his enigmatic words, she suspected
that he wasn't planning on going back to the Dark Kingdom. But, that made no sense.
Everything Quartzite did was aimed toward the goal of becoming a Dark Kingdom General. For
him to just leave the Dark Kingdom without any reason was the complete antithesis of
everything that she knew him to be. It made no sense at all. She had to be mistaken.

Unless....

She suddenly recalled what he had said to her when he had recalled her. He said to come
back to the warehouse.

He had revealed to Sailor V and Masked Knight exactly where they were hiding.

Normally, a slip-up like this could be considered to be the zenith, the apex, the pinnacle,
the ultimate of all mistakes, but she knew better. Knowing Quartzite, he had done this
purposely.

Now, everything was clear. Quartzite wanted them to come. It was going to be the final
battle between them and the Dark Agency with everything put on the line. Whether Quartzite
himself was planning on joining the battle remained to be seen, but she knew that she would
be there with the last two of their warriors, Kage and Chimei.

She knew that Quartzite was making plans for their return, but whether their return would
be in success or failure remained to be seen. In addition, she had to find a way to make
sure that Masked Knight survived long enough for her to turn him over to their side. There
were so many things to she had to think about and she didn't have much time left. Things
were becoming way too complicated. One thing was certain: whatever she had to do, it had to
be done now.

Time was running out.

**********************************************


Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective
owners. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and a bunch
of big companies. No copyright infringement is intended. This
story belongs me, so I would appreciate it very much if you
would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.
Thank you.

The Question and all stories included are:
Copyright © July 6, 2001 Jason C. Ulloa.
All Rights Reserved.