Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Lost in the Sea of Serenity: An Altered Destiny ❯ Chapter Two ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Moonlit_Angel
Villians revealed...sort of. Usagi and the gang try to decipher the enemy's plot, but end up getting a little help...

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is not owned by me...unfortunatley

Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Comedy / Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 07.16.2007 | Updated On: 07.17.2007 | Pages: 12 | Words: 17.8K | Visits: 199 | Status: Work In Progress

Lost in the Sea of Serenity: An Altered Destiny
By: Moonlit_Angel
Wanna contact me?: silverserenity0905@yahoo.com
 
 
Chapter Two
 
 
 
In the deep recesses of space, a lone evil planet spun, swirling on its axis, slowly coming within the orbit of the Milky Way. Upon this planet, dwelled evil reborn, martyring its evil presence through a maniacal being: a magnificently demented Queen of her domain.
Some may think that this dark Queen was new to the evil empire. No, this Queen was much older than appearances may give: millennia old, in fact. Her glory days dated as far back as the reign of the great White Queen, Queen Serenity: supreme ruler of the Silver Alliance. Yes, Queen Serenity, the very Queen that she despised.
How could one ever hate Queen Serenity you may ask? The answer is simple when coming from an evil entity. Is it simply because she is more beautiful? Oh, no. The dark Queen was as breathtakingly beautiful as she was evil. Long black hair stained with red ends, framed an exquisite face, bronzed from the long years of living on her home planet. Her hazel eyes always blazed with a fury that she was never afraid to unleash. Her firm, red, pouty lips were always set in a straight line as to never unveil her emotions to others. Yes, despite the evil interior, the exterior was quite lovely. Even with all of her beauty, the dark queen could not compare to Queen Serenity.
Queen Serenity was the very essence of life, as beautiful and pure as the stars in the heavens. She promoted love and peace throughout the world, and had compassion for all. Queen Serenity thrived in the love and light of the world. Evil beings hated that damnable light. The light that broke through their once thought indestructible barrier of darkness. The light that illuminated all of their evil intentions. The light that drew any and all to it, like moths to a flame. Oh, how the dark Queen hated that light.
Queen Serenity's light stole from the dark Queen everything that she held dear. She took something from her that she could never get back: her love, and her rightful place as the ruler of the universe. The dark Queen was not always so. . .dark, however. She used to be almost as full of love and happiness as the White Queen herself, but that all changed when Serenity stole what was rightfully hers: her seat at the head of the universe.
Throughout the millennia, the dark Queen had to sit and stew in the pain and agony that she felt from her loss. As time went on, all of the pain and agony turned into hatred and resentment. She wanted the White Queen to suffer like she had suffered. Before she could implement any plans, the Silver Millennium was destroyed. When Queen Serenity used the Silver Crystal to send everyone in the Silver Alliance into the future to start new lives, the dark Queen was among them. Fortunately for her, her own little time capsule hit a wavering planet's orbit and pulled her in. Here is where she concocted her devious plans. Her plans to regain her kingdom and take revenge on the White Queen. Though the White Queen had long passed, the dark Queen knew that her daughter was alive and well and reeked of that loathsome Lunarian stench. The dark Queen made a vow to end the Lunarian line, one way or another.
In the present day and time, the dark Queen believed that she had the perfect plan. She would find the three main crystals that held incomprehensible strength. The crystals of unimaginable magnitude. The three crystals that would control the universe: The Golden Crystal, The Solarian Ruby, and the Imperial Silver Crystal. In order for her plan to work, it would take immense planning on the dark Queen's part. That Lunarian brat was a crafty little spore. . .and her little prince too. The Solarian Ruby, however, was a different matter, and would take a bit more craft.
The dark Queen studied her blood red nails nonchalantly. She was tired of waiting; She wanted to act, now. But she knew that it was too soon. Too much was at stake to make any rash judgments. She would be patient. Besides, she had numerous minions she could take her frustrations out on. Fortunately for her minions, she figured that she would handle her business first, and indulge in her pleasures later. Brushing her hair out of her face, she beckoned her highest warriors in command.
“Come forth, Daughters of the Sun!”
Seconds later, four different colored specs of light flew in from different corners of the throne room, and materialized in front of the dark Queen: one red, one ice blue, one pink, and one gray. As one, the specs of light morphed into four very different young women, all bristling with a warriors skill, all bowed in respect to their mistress.
“We come as you have summoned, my Queen,” the Daughters of the Sun chorused, slowly rising from their bows.
“What is it that you wish of us, your majesty?” The woman that materialized from the pink spec of light asked, looking squarely at the Queen.
“Ah, Kokuten. As blunt and straightforward as always.” The dark Queen said, smiling faintly. The warrior called Kokuten faintly nodded in acquiescence to the Queen's statement. She looked upon her quartet of assassins with pride. They had been there with her from day one, and were the only friends that she could say that she had, even though they weren't really friends. Even though she acknowledged them as more than just minions, she would not hesitate to discipline or terminate them. Secretly, as she looked at the women, deep down inside, she hoped that it wouldn't come to that.
Kokuten is the leader of the group of aggressive and impeccable warriors known as the Daughters of the Sun. The group of four young women were some of the most skilled fighters in the universe, and they made sure that they everyone knew it. Their reputation among the universe was legendary. Back in the dark Queen's heyday, the four were her most trusted security. . .in the public's eye. Behind the palace walls, they were assassins who would do anything, anything to protect the crown. Being that they serve only the Queen, they accompanied her in the wayward time capsule to the once abandoned planet, and aided her in her evil ways.
The four were not always pure evil, but once their Queen turned, so did they. They each hailed from various stars and asteroids throughout the universe and came to be at the side of the Queen by their birthright. Each girl possesses a unique kind of power that separated her immensely from her comrades.
Kokuten, hailing from the same galaxy as those of the Starlights, is the appointed head assassin of the Daughters of the Sun. As a result, she was the most lethal and aggressive. She is a no-nonsense type of girl who always makes sure that things go according to plan. While under her command, nothing ever went wrong. If it did, there would be hell to pay for the one who obstructed her from achieving her goal.
Kokuten is also the most skilled fighter. Known as the Mistress of Knives, she could cut an object 20 times before it hit the ground. Coupled with her agility, speed, aggression, and endurance, she is a force to be reckoned with. When overlooking her rougher tendencies, she is a very pretty girl. She has a heart shaped face, flattered by the fact that her rose pink hair was pulled back into an extremely tight Jeanie tail. Her comrades often teased, saying that the ponytail is the reason for her eternally sour mood. With her cute button nose, and full pouty lips, one could easily forget that she was a dangerous weapon. That is, until you looked into her eyes. Those piercing blue eyes could see right into your soul, wrench it from your body, and ignite it into flames for even looking at her the wrong way. Her athletic body was clothed in a body suit. It was solid black, with the exception of hot pink streaks running in various directions. There are also two holes at the shoulders, and a yellow sun medallion on her chest to signify her leadership status. Two metal bands covered her forearms, which carried more of her deadly knives. On her feet were knee high, high-heeled boots that looked impossible to fight in, but she somehow made it work.
Kousen, hailing from the sunspots of the Sun, is second in command to Kokuten. She was aptly dubbed the fire assassin, for obvious reasons. Able to ignite her entire body into flames with a snap of her fingers, as well as fully control the element, Kousen is as deadly as she is stunning.
Flaming red hair done up in two buns on the sides of her head with short spikes circling them bring out the sharp features of her heart shaped face. Two soft tendrils float down from her forehead to land lazily in front of her stunning topaz eyes. Though not as wrathful as Kokuten's eyes, Kousen's liquid pools of fire held a distinct power that let enemies know that a cold calculated killer was in their midst.
Kousen's lean body made it easy for her to ride the wind in her wo-man made fireball. Her outfit was similar to Kokuten's, apart from the red streaks flowing like fire about the suit, and her striking red stilettos. Who needs to run when you can fly? To accentuate her ensemble, Kousen's blood red nails erupted into flames whenever her temper flared, making for one hell of a fist fight if she ever got down to it.
Nisshoku, the Mistress of Shadows, hails from the mysterious inner rings of Saturn. Third in command and second cousin to the planet's princess, Hotaru, Nisshoku inherited some of the princess's traits: the healing ability, the foresight ability, and a withdrawn, melancholic demeanor.
Never one to say much, Nisshoku lets her actions speak for her. Mainly keeping to the shadows before her attack, her prey never knows from which direction she is coming from. The power that brings her the envy of her comrades is that she can transform into different beings to make her attacks more efficient. Her favorite is the ability to transform into a black panther, made entirely of shadow that has been known to strike fear in more than one beings heart.
Nisshoku's uniform is not very different than her sisters in crime. Her black body suit is accented with gray streaks, and on her feet are all black, soft-soled shoes, so she can sneak around with greater ease. Her dark black hair is in a short stylish crop on top of her head. Her dark, smoky gray eyes always held a bit of mystery. Surprisingly, she is the least ruthless of the four.
Hatsugoori is the last of the Daughters of the Sun. She is also the coldest, but the greatest ditz. Hailing from the canals of Mercury, Hatsugoori has always had a sense of disdain toward the Mercurian Princess. She always figured that she should have been the princess instead. Hatsu believed that she looked better anyway. With that ice-cold demeanor, and the aloof personality of ancient royals, Hatsu believed that everyone should treat her like the royalty that she was born to be. Unfortunately for her, this really didn't sit well with the dark Queen.
True to her native planet, Hatsu prided herself on her ice breath, the ability to shoot ice daggers out of her eyes, and her ice slide that transports her to wherever she wants to go. She also has total control over the ice element, making the 3rd in command assassin pretty darn cool.
Hatsu's long, luxurious, ice blue hair, and cerulean eyes made her the glamour model of the group, and she was very proud to remind you of that fact. The blue streaks in her outfit matched her eyes perfectly, as well as her cerulean ballet slippers. She believed that only the daintiest of shoes should grace such dainty feet.
Together, the four were an indestructible force.
“Kokuten,” the dark Queen began. “I want you and the other Daughters to be on high alert. It is finally time for all of our planning to be put to the test.” Kousen's topaz eyes widened slightly. “You finally want us to go to Earth my Queen?” she asked, slightly hesitantly.
“Yes.” Agreed the dark Queen. “It is finally time. The Heat Seekers are ready, and you four are beyond ready.” Her eyes darkened slightly, as her words became more menacing. “I want those crystals. I want my kingdom resurrected. I want the Solarian kingdom to take its rightful place as the center of the universe. Not the earth. And most definitely not the moon!!!!!!
The entire chamber was succumbed to silence as they watched their Queen end her tirade by bringing her fist down hard enough on her throne to crack the arm. The many minions scattered about the chamber glanced at each other warily, as they knew where her anger would lead. They just hoped that they weren't on the receiving end.
The Daughters knew this as well. So, Kokuten, being the reasonable one, decided to speak up. “Your majesty.” She began. “We all know that the seat of the center of the universe should have always been yours. No other Queen could compare to your rule. We will do anything that we can to help you gain your proper royalties.”
Every occupant of the chamber `aye'd' and `here, here'd' their agreement.
The dark Queen's eyes narrowed as she studied Kokuten. The warrior didn't even flinch under her scrutiny. “So, Kokuten. You say that you would surely do anything to aide me with my quest?”
Kokuten nodded curtly. “Yes your majesty. Even if it means our lives.”
All of the minions cut their eyes at Kokuten. They didn't know about that part.
This seemed to please the Queen though, as a corner of her mouth twitched upward in a slight smile.
“Good.”
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
Back on Earth, within the shadows of the supernatural graveyard of Juuban Park, a lone figure materialized. In a small flurry of snow about 3 feet off of the ground, Hatsugoori emerged. Landing gracefully, she glanced around at her surroundings with slight distaste.
“This is Earth?” Hatsu muttered, as she gazed about the supernatural graveyard. “I always thought it would be a bit more. . .colorful?”
Suddenly a black worphole appeared to the side of her, and Kousen's head peered through.
“Try turning around, genius!” Kousen yelled at Hatsu. Blinking in confusion, Hatsu about-faced, and saw Juuban Park in all its splendor and beauty.
“Oh.”
Kousen rolled her eyes as she stared at her ice blue friend. “Hey, remember your mission Hatsu, and don't mess up. The Queen'll have your head if you do.”
Hatsu huffed in indifference. “I can handle it, Kousen.”
“For your sake, you'd better hope so,” With that, Kousen pulled her head back into the warp hole and disappeared.
Hatsu sighed, and flicked her wrist, making an icicle nail file appear in her hand. Walking to the edge of the graveyard, she glanced at the patrons of the park and wondered who would be her first target.
Kousen thinks that she's so smart and powerful. Hatsu thought bitterly. Well, I'll show her who can get the job done. At this, she inwardly groaned. This really wasn't a job that she wanted in the first place. In fact, she had been tricked into the assignment. Hatsu rolled her eyes again. How could she refuse her Queen?
 
[flashback]
 
Nisshoku stepped forward during the debriefing with the Queen. All of the Heat Seekers stared in awe as Nisshoku made not one sound as she approached the Queen's throne. As she opened her mouth to speak, the room was forced into silence, as her soft, yet demanding voice filled the space around them.
“My Queen,” she began. “How exactly are we to determine who holds the crystals of which you seek?”
“Good question, Nisshoku,” the dark Queen replied. Waving her hands ever so slightly, a fireball formed in the Queen's right hand. As she gazed at the fireball, her hazel eyes seemed to take on a reddish tint. The Daughters recognized this sign as a manifestation of her power. Blowing on the flickering flames softly, the Queen raised her hand and released the twirling ball into the air, and watched as it began to expand.
Soon, the ball expanded into a ring of fire, with a dark center, creating a viewing screen for all present. A featureless woman appeared on the screen with a long flowing white dress.
“The crystals that I search for are the very essence of life for their carriers.” The dark Queen began. An image of the Imperial Silver Crystal materialized next to the woman on the screen. “Because of this, the very soul of the carrier burns the most bright amongst the galaxy. The heat radiated by the crystal courses through their entire body, giving off a large amount of heat that can be detected by my Heat Seekers.” The image of the Silver Crystal transposed itself over the woman's body, transforming into the tiny veins of the woman's body and seemed to pulse with a light that steadily grew brighter with each pulse. The Heat Seekers almost salivated at the thought of the one's who would radiate such heat. They would be the most fun to play with.
“For the crystal to remain with the carrier,” the Queen continued, “They must have a pure soul, and generous heart; one of the most gracious on the planet. Since their essence shines greatest of them all, they should not be hard to find. Once the target is located, the Heat Seeker will descend upon them, draining them of their very essence. Once devoured, a screen will appear on the Heat Seekers chest revealing if that person is the carrier of any of the three crystals of which I seek.”
The viewing portal shifted again, showing a Heat Seeker standing next to the woman in the white dress. With a feral grin upon its face, it grabbed the woman by her neck, with her struggling fiercely. The Heat Seeker's grin grew as it stared into where her eyes would have been, and felt the heat of the woman's body as it visibly twirled around it's flesh. The color drained from the woman's body as her struggles diminished. As the last of her essence was drained from her body, the Heat Seeker let her go and she crumpled to the ground. The tendrils of the woman's essence formed a small, glowing ball that the Heat Seeker jumped up and swallowed. As the glowing ball reached it's chest, a screen appeared, and began analyzing the essence. Suddenly, a light burst forth from the screen, and an image of a crescent moon appeared on the screen, displayed next to a green check mark. The Heat Seeker smiled and gave its audience a thumbs up.
The Heat Seekers in the room let loose a tremendous cry, as they anticipated the joy that removing a victim's essence would be.
“Once identified, it will be up to you, my faithful Daughters to retrieve that crystal.” The Queen finished after the uproar had settled down.
“How would you wish that to be accomplished my Queen?” Kousen spoke up.
“In whatever manner you wish,” the Queen replied. Faint smiles graced all of the Daughter's faces. . . all except for Hatsugoori. This mission sounded like strenuous labor. She hated hard work. She'd rather find much more interesting things to do with her time. Like finding some new worshipers to follow her every whim. She already had 10 in her collection, and she was looking to expand.
In an effort to speed things along, Hatsugoori finally spoke up. “My Queen,” she started. “How long do you suppose that this mission will take?” The Queen's eyes narrowed slightly as she regarded Hatsugoori. To take a little of the bite out of her statement, and to save herself from punishment, Hatsu quickly added, “I mean the sooner that we start your glorious reign, the better my Queen.”
“Hmmmmmm.” The Queen said speculatively, eyes still narrowed. “Well, Hatsugoori,” she began, “This mission will last until you retrieve my crystals. And because you are so eager to please me Hatsu, you will be the first to aide my hunt, retrieve my crystals, and remove any opposition in your way.”
The Daughter's ears perked up at the word `opposition'. They didn't think that there would be anyone to stand in their way. Hatsu paled slightly. Though she could easily handle any foe, she hated to get her hands dirty.
“Opposition my Queen?” Kokuten asked. “Should we really worry about human interferences?” The dark Queen didn't answer right away. “Just…” she began. “Be on your guard.”
With that, she looked away from the quartet, actively dismissing them. Taking, their cue, the quartet bowed and began to shimmer away.
“Hatsugoori.”
The blue clad assassin materialized again at her Queen's command. The dark Queen stood then, letting her power radiate around her. Her hazel eyes burned bright red as they bored into Hatsugoori's ice blues.
“Do NOT fail me.”
Gulping, Hatsugoori bowed once more before she shimmered out.
“Yes my Queen.”
 
[End of Flashback]
 
 
 
 
“Ha. Do not fail indeed,” Hatsugoori mumbled to herself as she surveyed the park. “I may be a bit aloof at times, but I'm not a failure.”
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
BACK IN THE DAUGHTERS OF THE SUN'S LAIR
 
Kousen stood at a podium, facing the other two daughters. Nisshoku floated on a shadow cloud, lazily reading a magazine. Kokuten was in a corner practicing her judo. The pitch-black lair had no furnishings whatsoever, as it was subject to the imagination of the Daughters. Currently, it was a blank slate, as the Daughters didn't feel too imaginative.
“So.” Kousen said, readjusting the bidders hat on her head. “Any bets on how soon Hatsugoori fails?”
“20 on 2 weeks,” Nisshoku whispered, a twenty-dollar bill floating towards Kousen.
“40 on a week.” Kokuten said, kicking her bid to Kousen.
“Aaaannd 50 on today.” Kousen said, pitching her own money into the pool.
Kokuten and Nisshoku's eyes boggled.
“What?” Kousen asked innocently, while smiling evilly internally.
I am SO gonna be rich!
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
Hatsugoori sneezed.
“Hmm,” she thought aloud as she collected herself. “I must be allergic to this stupid planet. Oh, how I miss the ice caps of Mercury.”
Spotting a group of people sitting over by the lake, Hatsugoori sighed. “Well, might as well get to—“ The black and blue clad warrior froze in her tracks as a tall, dark, and handsome male walked by. Dark sunglasses hid his eyes, and his brown wavy hair blew softly in the wind. Hatsu's eyes grew to twice their size and blinked rapidly to dispel the hearts.
“Hello new target!!” She said bubbly. [And possible new minion] She thought evilly. [I've never had a brunette before…]
Making her decision in that split second, Hatsugoori snapped her fingers and a small blizzard erupted around her. When the blizzard dissipated, Hatsu stepped out of it now clad in an ice blue sundress and blue strap heels. Her hair was pulled back using two snowflake clips, and a snowflake pendant hung from her neck. Not even bothering to look in a mirror to judge her appearance because she knew that she looked spectacular, Hatsugoori smirked and set off to get her target.
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
A young woman about twenty years old strolled down the Juuban shopping district. Being new in town, she felt a bit out of place, but shopping always cheered her up. It seemed as if all eyes were on her as she went about her business. Her brown skin seemed to glow in the afternoon sunlight, making her stand out in the crowd. Her calf length black hair, tinged with hints of red billowed behind her to an invisible wind. Her dark brown eyes were full of joy, with just a hint of mystery. She was obviously a gaijin.
A very beautiful one.
The girl walked over to an open mart, selling various types of beaded jewelry. Just as the girl bent over to examine the jewelry more closely, she bolted upright. Eyes narrowed, she seemed to be deep in thought as a shadow passed over her eyes.
Something was wrong.
As quick as she could, she turned and hurried back in the direction that she came.
Straight towards Juuban Park.
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
The girl was trouble.
That much was obvious.
Unfortunately for a handsome brunette, he had found out the hard way.
“HOW DARE YOU REFUSE TO GO OUT WITH ME!!!”
Hey, you know what they say, `Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'.
Backing himself into a tree, the man realized that there was nowhere else to run. So, he futilely tried to defend himself.
“H-Hey! I'm sorry ok?!” he stuttered. “It's not that you're not pretty, you're gorgeous!” he tried playing the flattery card. It worked for a split second, as Hatsu's rage simmered at bit. Thinking that he could win this war, the hunk added, “You're just not my type.”
Bad move.
“Not. Your type?” Hatsugoori said, dangerously low as she advanced on the now quivering male. “Not, your type?!” she repeated. “I am EVERY guy's type, got that buster? Men are honored even if I glance their way, and you have the nerve to say that I'm not your type?!” Hatsu finished through gritted teeth.
The man had the nerve to nod.
Just as quickly as it had arisen, Hatsugoori's anger faded away. “Ok then,” she chirped a pleasant smile on her face. The handsome stranger blinked in surprise. [What just happened?] He asked himself.
“O-ok?” he asked. “Yep,” Hatsu said. “I can accept that I'm not your type.”
The stranger smiled slightly and let out a deep sigh of relief. Straightening himself, he ran a hand through his hair and put back on his wayward sunglasses.
“Great!” he replied, smiling still. “I hope that there's no hard feeli-!“ Before he could finish his sentence, Hatsugoori had snapped her fingers and her blizzard returned, with it, bringing back her assassin's fuku. His eyes widened in fear.
“Yes,” Hatsugoori purred as she came face to face with the brown haired man. “I can accept that I'm not your type.” Hatsu's eyes started to glow a brilliant white, and a split second later an ice dagger formed in front of her eyes, angling itself at the young man. Snatching it out of the air, Hatsu held it up to the young man's throat.
“I just hope that you can accept the fact that you won't be around long enough to discover what your type truly is.”
The handsome stranger paled as he asked his next question.
“Who-who are you?”
Hatsugoori smiled feraly as she regarded him.
“I could've been the woman of your dreams.”
Suddenly, Hatsugoori flung herself backwards about ten feet, and crossed her arms at her chest. Flinging them open towards the petrified man, she called out, ”Koori no hime!” Sheets of ice shot from Hatsugoori's body and wrapped themselves around the man, effectively trapping him to the tree. Helpless, the man just looked about himself in shock; too stunned to scream.
Smiling at her handy work, Hatsugoori dusted off her hands nonchalantly. “Oh well,” she said aloud. “Might as well have a look at your essence while I'm here.”
Forming a snowball in her hands, Hatsugoori tossed said ball into the air, and shouted, “Reflector! Come forth and serve your superior!”
The snowball started to twist and morph at Hatsugoori's command. The Heat Seeker's legs and arms materialized first, followed by it's torso and head. Several mirrors adorned it's body and covered it's more personal parts. The Heat Seeker's face resembled that of a human girl's with hair the same color as Hatsugoori's, and it's feet were bare. After it struck it's pose from coming out of it's transformation, it called out “Reflector!”
By this time, the people around the park had started to notice what was going on, and started screaming and scattering in all directions. Oh, how the brunette wished that he could have been one of them.
Hovering in the air about six feet, Hatsugoori giggled to herself. “Do your worst Reflector!” she commanded. Thinking for a few seconds she added, “Just don't hurt his face.” [After all, I can't have an ugly minion now can I?]
“Yes, your highness!” Reflector called as she leapt in front of the handsome stranger. Too afraid to scream, the man just looked at Reflector in horror.
“Hmmm, such a pretty man,” Reflector cooed. She brought her chest area up to the man's face and let him gaze into the mirror that was there.
“Don't you agree?”
As the man looked into the mirror, he didn't particularly like what he saw. He saw himself all right, but it wasn't what he'd known himself to look like. Before him was an unkempt, broken man. His hair was disheveled and uncombed, his eyes dull, sunken, and unfocused, and his skin was pale and ashen. He looked dead.
Reflector saw his distress and chuckled merrily.
“This is the part where you scream.”
And scream he did.
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
The Senshi and Mamoru arrived just as the Heat Seeker began draining the handsome stranger's essence. At first, they stood in shock at the sight before them. Never before had they encountered anything of this nature.
“Told you it was a monster.”
“Oh, shut up Rei.”
“What is that?” Michiru asked, one hand flying to her mouth.
“And what is it doing?” Minako asked.
The mirror-covered monster had a look of pure content on her face, as it made tendrils of the brunette's essence drift from his body. Slowly, his handsome features began to suffer. Instead of deep chocolate brown, his hair slowly took on a gray tinge, his bright eyes became sunken and vacant, and his skin paled to a slight gray. All the while, Hatsugoori sat back enjoying it all, oblivious to the warriors that just arrived on the scene.
“I don't know,” Makoto said, cracking her knuckles. “But it's about to find trouble!”
“You said it!” Rei said, popping her neck, “Ready everyone?” Everyone nodded.
“MARS CRYSTAL POWER,”
“MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER,”
“JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER,”
“VENUS CRYSTAL POWER,”
“URANUS CRYSTAL POWER,”
“NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER,”
“SATURN PLANET POWER,”
“MOON ETERNAL,”
“MAKE UP!!!”
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
Hatsugoori chuckled devilishly as the last of the stranger's essence was drained from his body. As the essence coalesced into a glowing ball of earth green tendrils, Reflector happily jumped up and swallowed it whole. She turned toward Hatsugoori for appraisal.
“Very good,” Hatsugoori commended. “Now, to see if he has what we're looking for.” Eyes glowing white for a brief second, she triggered the essence i.d. program. Using Reflectors chest mirror as her viewing screen, Hatsugoori watched as countless rows of ancient script ran through the screen. After about two minutes, the script stopped, and three words flickered across the screen in bold red letters.
`NOT A MATCH'
Hatsugoori stamped her foot in agitation. Letting out a string of Mercurian curses, Hatsugoori's eyes flashed angrily as she turned toward the fallen man. “You worthless piece of—ooh!!!” Whirling, she faced Reflector angrily and screamed, “DESTROY HIM!”
Reflector smiled as her mirrors had a slight gleam to them. “As you wish, your highness.”
Just as Reflector was about to descend upon the handsome stranger, a dart-like red rose blazed by her, embedding itself in the ground, stopping her in the tracks.
Puzzled, Reflector looked around frantically, looking for whoever threw the rose. Hatsugoori blinked in surprise, then her anger boiled over. Again.
“What the--? Who threw that?!”
“I did.”
The two evil-doers looked toward the entrance to the park where eight short skirted warriors and a tuxedo clad gentlemen stood, another rose poised at the ready in his hand, glowering at them.
Stepping further into the park, the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen took up fighting stances in front of Hatsugoori and Reflector. Hatsugoori's eyes narrowed as she regarded the justice fighters.
“And, who exactly are you?”
Taking this as her cue, Eternal Sailor Moon faced Hatsugoori and began her speech.
“How dare you interrupt such a beautiful day for the park goers? This day is to be filled with fun, sun, laughter, and the company of your loved ones. You and your hideous monster have ruined this day for this once incredibly gorgeous young man!”
Tuxedo Kamen shot Sailor Moon a look as she started going through her normal poses.
“I am the pretty sailor suited warrior Sailor Moon! In the name of the Moon—“
“In the name of Mercury—“
“In the name of Mars—“
“In the name of Jupiter-“
“Venus-“
“Uranus-”
“Neptune-”
“And in the name of Saturn,”
“We will punish you! We are the Sailor Senshi!”
“And I am. . . not impressed.” Hatsugoori drawled as she floated closer to the Senshi.
Massive facefault.
[Wait,] Hatsugoori thought to herself. [Did that short-skirted freak just say she was from Mercury?]
“We're not here to impress you, slimeball! We're here to stop you and your hideous monster!” Sailor Jupiter ranted as she recomposed herself.
“SLIMEBALL?!” Hatsugoori screeched as she floated down to stand on the earth, all previous thoughts forgotten. “You dare to compare me to some nasty, disgusting ball of goo??”
Sailor Jupiter nodded, while wondering how that vein the enemy's neck pulsated like that without bursting.
“Yeah, ok, I don't mean to interrupt your little tirade here,” Sailor Mars said. “But who exactly are you, and why are you here?”
Hatsugoori took a breath, and regarded the red clad Senshi for a moment. Then she turned and beckoned toward Reflector. Seeing her mistress' intention, Reflector hurriedly ran up to the front of Hatsugoori. Pulling a scroll from some sub-space dimension, Reflector began to read.
“Presenting, her royal Highness, Hatsugoori, hailing from the illustrious ice canals of Mercury! Bow down before your superior!!” As she finished, Reflector bowed low, and went back to stand slightly behind a very smug looking Hatsugoori.
The Senshi's eyes boggled. As a group, they all turned towards Sailor Mercury, who looked as confused as they were. She just shrugged helplessly.
“You're. . .royalty. From. . . Mercury?” Sailor Moon squeaked out, obviously confused.
Hatsugoori rolled her eyes, huffing in irritation. “Where I'm from is irrelevant right now.” She said. “I am here to serve my Queen, nab his essence,” she jerked her thumb toward the once handsome brunette, “And find what I'm looking for.”
Sailor Uranus stepped forward. “Steal his essence? What do you mean? And what are you looking for?”
Floating back to her original spot in the air, Hatsugoori scoffed and flicked an ice shard at Uranus. She barely dove out of the way in time.
“Yea, I'm pretty much bored talking with you now, so get out of my sight,” With that said, Hatsugoori flicked her wrist again, and a fierce blizzard rained down on the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen.
Taken completely by surprise, the Scouts were blown backwards by the force of the wind. Taking this to her advantage, Hatsugoori opened a portal back to her home, and beckoned towards Reflector. “Come along. It's time to go.” Looking at the man, “And bring my little boy toy with you. I can use someone like him.”
Just as Reflector was about to heed her mistress' command, they both heard a cry from behind them.
“I don't think so! FIRE SOUL!!”
Suddenly, a blazing ball of fire shot out and blasted Hatsugoori, just as she was about to jump into her portal.
Screaming, Hatsugoori hit the ground hard. Reflector just looked on in shock. Without another word, Hatsugoori jumped up, eyes glowing. Ice daggers formed in front of her eyes, and with a grunt, Hatsugoori sent them flying for Sailor mars. Ducking just in time, Mars didn't realize that she had just left Sailor Venus open. Seeing the daggers coming her way, Venus twisted out of the way, just as the daggers flew past her. Bringing her arm up as she completed her turn, she cried, “Crescent Beam!”
Unfortunately, the beam met open air. Venus looked around in confusion. In the nanosecond it took for her to be confused, Hatsugoori appeared behind her, ice dagger in hand. Just as she lunged for Venus' throat, Sailor Jupiter ran up from behind and rammed Hatsugoori, sending her back only about 3 feet.
Landing on her feet, Hatsugoori charged for Jupiter. As she reached the green clad warrior, Jupiter caught her wrist, planted her foot firmly in her gut, rolled backwards, and flipped Hatsugoori over her body. Expecting this, Hatsugoori instantly righted herself, calling down her ice slide to soften her landing. Soon, she started to create a ring around the Senshi.
“Fools!” Hatsugoori called, as the ring got tighter around the Senshi. “Do you really think you can beat me?”
“Yep!” Came Uranus' reply as she pulled her Space Sword from her sub-space pocket. Saturn, sensing her movements, twirled her Silence Glaive in the air, and brought it down on the ice, the same time as Uranus brought down her sword, effectively shattering the slide.
Hatsugoori gasped as she came crashing down with her slide. Landing hard on her back, she groaned as she felt the weight of the impact. Opening her eyes, she saw all of the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask standing over her, staring at her angrily.
“So,” Sailor Uranus, who was standing directly over Hatsugoori, began. “Are you ready to tell us why you're he—oof!” Uranus was abruptly cut off, as Hatsugoori kicked her in the chin as she rolled backwards into a standing position.
“Uranus!” Neptune cried out, as her partner was knocked to the ground. Obviously pissed, Neptune and Saturn ran for Hatsugoori to avenge their teammate. Seeing Neptune and Saturn charge at her, Hatsugoori willed an ice block to form around her right fist, and punched both Saturn and Neptune out of the way. With those two out cold, Hatsugoori immediately jumped into the air, summoning her portal.
“What the hell are you standing there looking stupid for?” she yelled at her minion. “Annihilate them!” Without a second glance at her once precious prey, Hatsugoori disappeared into the worp-hole.
At first, Reflector just stared at the group of warriors, confused as to what to do. She was a Heat Seeker for Kami's sake! She stole essences, she didn't engage in hand-to-hand combat!
Groaning, Uranus got up rubbing her chin, muttering a string of curses as she looked around for Hatsugoori. Eyes settling on Reflector, she said the first thing that came to her mind.
“What the hell are you?”
Then again. . . hand-to-hand combat didn't sound so bad. . .
Reflector charged at Uranus, screaming bloody murder. Sighing, Uranus thought to herself. [This is just not my day].
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
A lone figure sat hidden in the trees of Juuban Park, watching the Senshi battle the mirror monster. Taking out a prism shaped crystal, it pointed it toward the soldiers and the once handsome stranger. Waiting about 10 seconds, the figure snatched the crystal back as nothing changed. Still, the figure felt a strange aura floating around amongst the fighters.
Its mission done for the moment, the figure was faced with a decision.
To help, or not to help??
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
“CRESCENT BEAM!”
“SUPREME THUNDER!”
The beam of electrically charged light shot straight for Reflector. Merely turning around so that her back was exposed, Reflector shot the beam straight back at Venus and Jupiter, reflecting it off of her mirrors. The two Senshi dodged for what seemed like the millionth time since the battle began.
“Dammit!” Uranus exclaimed as she regained her footing. “Why won't this thing fall?!”
Neptune glanced at her as she dodged a particularly nasty blow that would have taken off her head had she not moved. Beginning to get angry, she replied, “I don't know, but it's starting to piss me off!” Uranus stopped dead in her tracks and stared at her partner. Neptune never spoke like that unless she was really upset. Gulping silently, Uranus actually felt a little bad for the monster if Neptune was to get her hands on her.
Reflector saw Uranus' hesitation and decided to use it to her advantage. Turing the mirror on her right forearm toward the sun, she waited until the perfect moment and sent a heat beam Uranus' way. Never seeing it coming, Uranus turned toward Reflector at the last moment. Her eyes widened as she saw the beam heading right towards her. Closing her eyes momentarily, she braced herself for the impact. When it didn't come, Uranus' eyes popped open to see what had happened. Luckily for her, Sailor Saturn had seen the beam, and erected a shield just as it was about to hit. Sighing internally in relief, she nodded an approval to Saturn and jumped away when the Senshi lowered her shield.
The other Senshi weren't having any better luck. There were tired, breathing hard, and downright pissed that one monster was getting the best of nine warriors.
Moon dashed out of the way as another one of Reflector's heat beams headed her way. One thing was for sure, the thing was fast. Internally, she wanted to kick Uranus for making it mad.
“Mercury!” Moon called out as she landed next to Tuxedo Kamen. “Have you found it's weak spot yet?”
Safely hidden behind a tree, Mercury fiddled with her computer. Pulling her visor down, she scanned the monster looking for any signs of weakness. Coming up short yet again, Mercury let out a frustrated sigh. “Not yet!”
Just as Moon was about to respond, she saw Mars dart by with Reflector hot on her heels. “Well hurry up will ya?!” Mars screamed at the water Senshi. Mercury grumbled under her breath, and Moon could have sworn she'd said something along the lines of `Do you wanna do this?'
Suddenly, everything went quiet. Knowing that this wasn't a good sign, everyone turned toward the center of the park. Reflector stood there with a feral grin on her face. Turning slightly, she waited until the sun's rays bounced off her mirrors again. This time, the glare from the reflected light was so intense that the warriors had to cover their eyes. When they deemed it safe to lower their arms, the Senshi's jaws dropped. Instead of one Reflector, now there were nine; one for each soldier.
Sailor Moon was the most flabbergasted. “Oh come ON!!” she whined. “As if one wasn't bad enough!”
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well, well, well, the lone figure hidden in the trees thought to itself. Isn't this a rather interesting turn of events. The figure leaned its head to the left in thought. Hmmm, why does the energy coming from that monster feel so. . . familiar? Gazing at the way the monster was giving the warriors the run around, the figure sighed.
I guess I could give them a hand…
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
“VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!!!”
Sailor Venus flung the energy charged heart toward the duplicate Reflector as it charged for her. The orange clad Senshi whooped internally as it hit the double square in the chest. Soon realizing her mistake, Venus gasped as her attack was reflected right back at her. Tumbling out of the way, she believed that she was out of hot water…
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
“SUBMARINE REFLECTION!!!”
Sailor Neptune could have kissed herself for her brilliance. Something had clicked in her mind that, hey, she had a mirror too! And it did more than reflect an attack. Calling forth her talisman, she aimed the attack at the Reflector double who blocked it's face with it's forearms, predictably sending the attack back to the Senshi of the sea. Because of her mirror, Neptune's attack rebounded yet again, heading back toward it's initial target. Reflector II wasn't expecting that, and blinked in surprise.
The two were at a stand still. The rushing waves of the water was constantly pushing against one or the other, scooting them back about half an inch at a time. Sweat began to bead on Neptune's forehead as she tried to formulate her next move…
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
Tuxedo Kamen had reached a decision. He didn't like mirrors. You think he would've figured that out from the whole Nehelenia thing. He would never keep more than one mirror in his apartment ever again. If he ever saw another stupid mirror again he'd scream. Ok, really, who needs mirrors anyway? One is more than enough. He's a hot guy; he looks good in whatever he wears, right? So why worry about taking a second glance? Vanity? Nope. No way. Don't need `em.
Skidding to a stop after being chased a couple of meters by the mirror monster, Tuxedo Kamen backtracked two steps and flipped over the monster's head. While in flight, Tuxedo Kamen twisted his body, flinging a barrage of roses at the stunned duplicate's back. For what seemed like the hundredth time, the roses bounced right back off of the mirrors surface. . .or so it seemed.
Tuxedo Kamen landed as he heard a small cry of pain. In shock, he looked toward the monster and saw that one of his roses had penetrated it's back mirror, creating a spider web crack right in the center. A realization began to dawn on him. [Maybe if we break the mirrors, it'll destroy this thing!] Just as he was bout to congratulate himself, and yell a warning to the other scouts, the duplicate turned his way with a look of pure malice on his face. If Tuxedo Kamen was any less of a man, he may have actually been scared. With a cocky little smirk, he held a rose at ready as the duplicate charged.
Bring it on…
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
Sailor Moon was not having fun. She wasn't getting anywhere with the mirror creature! Every attack she threw, it dodged. Every kick, punch, knee, whatever, it blocked. Squaring off with the monster, Moon tried to think of something that she could do to beat the blasted thing. She didn't dare use the Honeymoon Kiss to destroy it because she knew that the stupid monster would just blast her in return. And that attack was not something she wanted to get hit with.
While Sailor Moon was thinking, the Reflector duplicate was powering up. At the least possible second, Moon saw what the mirror monster was doing and dodged the first heat beam easily.
“Ha!” She cried in confidence. “Is that all you got?” The cocky smirk soon died from her lips as she saw the barrage of heat beams shooting at her. Yelping, she ducked, dodged, and danced, trying to keep from getting hit. Realizing that this was going to get old really quick, in a brief surge of courage, Sailor Moon charged at the monster, ducking and dodging each beam along the way. When she was face to face with the monster, it reeled back in surprise, not realizing Moon had gotten so close. Moon smiled as she saw the look of shock on it's face, jumped in the air, and kicked it square in the nose with a Sailor Moon roundhouse kick. The monster cried out in pain as it fell to the ground clutching it's nose.
“Yes!” Sailor Moon cried out pumping her fist. “You, my friend,” she said, pointing to the duplicate, “Are one step closer to being moon dusted!”
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sailor Mercury wiped the sweat from her brow as she stared intently at the computer screen. Brows furrowed in concentration, Mercury was soon losing her patience. [Why the hell is this taking so long?] she thought to herself. As soon as the thought entered her mind, her computer screen began blinking rapidly, signaling that she had finally found the weak point of the monster.
Cheering in victory, she shot up from her seated position at the base of the tree.
“Guys!” she called out. “I found the monster's weak—“ she couldn't finish the sentence as she had to duck to avoid the tree bark which exploded around her. As the dust settled, Mercury came face to face with her reflection. Gazing upward, she saw Reflector looking down at her.
Smiling, the evil mirror said, “Why sit here and be so anti-social? Don't you want to play?” As Reflector finished her comment, her chest mirror began to glow, directly in front of Mercury's face.
Realizing what was about to happen, Mercury's heart was gripped with panic. Not taking her eyes off of the monster, she wondered how she was going to get out of this.
Oh, dear.
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
“Guys! I think I found the youma's weak-“
Sailor Venus heard Mercury's shout as she backflipped away from the monster. Not paying attention to where she was going, Venus was distracted from what she was doing when she heard an explosion come from the same direction that Mercury's voice had come from.
Venus instantly righted herself to see if Mercury was ok, which happened to be a little too instant and began to lose her balance, arms flailing as she tried to get it back. Subconsciously wondering why she heard rushing water behind her, Venus had no idea that she was headed right for Neptune and her little stand off with the Reflector copy.
Sailor Moon noticed it though. She had begun to look around and survey everyone's progress as she waited for the monster to right itself so she could have another go at it. Moon's eyes widened as she saw that Venus was on a crash course for Neptune's body.
“Venus! Look out!”
It was too late. Venus back-pedaled right into Neptune, making the water Senshi lose her concentration. With the connection broken, her submarine reflection shot at her at full force after bouncing of the copy's mirrors for the umpteenth time. Neptune barely had time to scream as the force of the wave knocked into her, sending her and Venus flying back about 10 feet, crashing into a giant tree. The two Senshi fell to the ground, out cold.
Sailor Moon gasped in horror and, momentarily forgetting her foe, ran to her two friends. She didn't even make it half way as the two Senshi-less mirror monsters cornered her. Seeing that she was trapped, Sailor Moon tried to jump over the duplicates, but her efforts were futile. One caught her by her foot, and brought her crashing down hard into the dirt. Wincing, she wished that Tuxedo Kamen had been there to whisk her away as he always did, right in the nick of time. Too bad the caped crusader had his own problems.
Just as Reflector III and IV were about to send heat beams straight through Sailor Moon, the champion of justice heard someone call out in the distance, “Shabon Spray!”
Instantly an ice cold, blue mist covered the entire park, making it impossible to see. Moon sighed in relief as Sailor Mercury's familiar attack wafted across the field. Scissor-kicking her foot free, Sailor Moon ran from the confused copies and tried her best to follow Mercury's voice.
She didn't have to travel too far, as her communicator beeped two seconds after she began running. Faintly, she could hear the beeps of everyone else's communicators around her. Pressing the talk button, she was relieved to see that Mercury was all right, albeit a bit scratched up.
“Mercury!” Sailor Moon exclaimed. “Boy, am I glad to see you!” “Likewise,” Mercury responded. “Listen up everyone, I've found the monster's weakness!” Sailor Mars head split screen with Mercury's. “It's about time!” she yelled. The rest of the Senshi could hear how out of breath she was and the distinct sounds of hand-to-hand combat. Mercury's eyes narrowed at the comment, but didn't reply. “Anyway,” she continued. “All you have to do is break the chest mirror on the duplicate's body. Once we narrow down which is the actual Reflector, just aim for it's face and we're home free!”
Sailor Moon nodded. She had suspected as much after she knocked her opponent out. Remembering her fallen comrades, she spoke urgently into the communicator.
“Guys, we have a problem!” Moon said. “Don't have room for anymore problems!” the group heard Jupiter grunt out. “Supreme Thunder!” The group collectively heard Jupiter hit the copy at close range with her most basic attack. Because of the force of the hit, it really struck a nerve with the duplicate. Screaming in agony, the monster's mirrors glowed slightly, and soon filled the air with the sweet sound of glass shattering.
“Alright, Jupiter!” Mars congratulated. Jupiter beamed as her face appeared on the communicator screen.
“No sweat!”
Moon was as happy as the rest to have one less hassle to worry about, but they had bigger issues.
“Guys, problem?” Moon reminded the soldiers. “What is it, Moon?” Uranus' voice cut it. Everyone could hear her sword as it tried to slice through one of the copy's mirrors. Taking a deep breath, Moon continued, “Venus and Neptune are down—“ “What?!” Sailor Moon winced as Uranus' voice damn near shattered the circuits. She knew that the Senshi of Wind would react that way when hearing that her partner was down. The princess rushed to continue before she could get interrupted again. “Venus and Neptune are down, and now we have two extra monsters on our hands.”
“One.” Jupiter corrected. “I can take on the extra.” “Alright, everyone knows what to do, so let's destroy some monsters!” Mars shouted. Sailor Moon nodded, but was still worried about Venus and Neptune. Before she signed out, she called out to her caped protector.
“Tuxedo Kamen,”
“That's my name!” Moon heard him call out. Rolling her eyes, she pressed on. “Can you go and check on Venus and Neptune. You know, get `em to a safe place?”
She heard Tuxedo Kamen grunt as he dodged a blow. “Umm, I kinda have my hands full on this end, Moon.” He said. Suddenly, Moon could hear glass shattering on his end.
“Tuxedo Kamen?”
“. . .Ok, scratch that. Sooo, where are Neptune and Venus?”
Moon giggled slightly and gave him the coordinates.
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Before the mist could consume the entire park, the figure in the
trees jumped down and hid behind a bush. It didn't want to risk
breaking anything if it tried to jump down in the mist.
The figure watched as the Senshi began to get the upper hand.
They had finally figured out the evil entity's weakness, and were
slowly destroying each one. [Hmmm,] it thought. [Maybe they don't need
my help]
The stranger's head shot up as she heard cheering in the
distance. Waiting until the mist cleared, she saw that the warriors had
destroyed the last monster, and was helping their fallen comrades to
their feet.
Glancing at the remains of the monsters, an uneasy feeling crept
through the figures bones.
[I don't think that this is over. . .]
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
"Woo hoo!! We did it!" Sailor Moon cried, jumping up and down.
"Yeah," Uranus said sarcastically, while holding up a shaky Neptune,
"And it only took us a year to do it." Sailor Jupiter helped Venus from
behind the bush where Tuxedo Kamen hid them. The orange clad Senshi
groaned, and staggered to where the other Senshi stood.
With a hand to her head, Venus groaned out, "Did anybody get the
license number of that boat?" Jupiter just giggled sympathetically.
"I wonder where those two came from?" Saturn mused aloud. "I
couldn't really get a good reading of them." The Senshi looked to the
firefly then. "What do you mean, firefly?" Neptune struggled out.
Saturn shrugged her shoulders, and shifted her Glaive so that she could lean on it. "I mean, their signatures were definitely evil, but it was something else there. . . something I just couldn't put my finger on."
"Hmmm," Sailor Moon thought, tapping her chin with her finger.
With a jerk, she turned toward Sailor Mercury. "Hey, Mercury," she
started, but stopped as soon as she saw the look on Mercury's face. She
was staring intently at the remains of the shattered Reflector.
"Mercury?"
Turning towards her dark protector, Sailor Moon saw the same look
on his face. Looking at the other scouts, they had the same puzzled
expressions that she had as they regarded their friends.
 
"Is everything ok?"
"I don't think that it's destroyed, Sailor Moon." The moon
princess's eyes widened as Mercury's whisper registered in her mind.
"Why would you say that Mercury?" Mars questioned. Mercury
pointed at the fragments of the glass. "Look at it." She said. "In the
past, every time that we defeated an enemy, it always turned to dust. .
."
As realization set on everyone's faces, they took on a fighting
stance. It just took one sentence from Tuxedo Kamen to finalize what
everyone was thinking.
"The damn thing's not down yet."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the scattered fragments of
glass began to tremble. The warriors gasped as they watched the pieces
move. Out of the blue, the shards shot up and swarmed around the Senshi
like angry bees, nicking and cutting them in various places; snagging
fukus, and embedding themselves in some places. All they could do was
cry out in pain as they were brought to their knees by the shards.
Satisfied with their work, the shards coalesced in front of the
group, swirling around a central object. Before the group could blink,
Reflector once again stood before them, laughing madly.
"HA HA HA! Did you really think that you could stop me? I was
specially chosen by her highness Hatsugoori because of my immense skill
and talent! I will NOT be beaten by the likes of you!" "Now," the evil
mirror began as she gazed upon the group, overly gleeful that she had
the upper hand. "Now tell me. How would you like to be destroyed?"
Struggling to stand up, Sailor Moon replied, "I'd rather not,
thank you."
Snarling, Reflector shot out an array of shards, cutting Sailor
Moon as she flew back. Tuxedo Kamen barely had enough strength to reach
out and catch her.
"Infidels!" Reflector screeched. Raising her arms above her head,
a ball of light started to form in her hands. "I'm going to get rid of
you, once and for all!!"
The Senshi watched as the ball grew bigger and bigger, rooted to
their spots because they knew it was nothing that they could do. They
just hoped that they could survive the impact. Sailor Moon knew that
she could use the crystal, but something deep down inside told her not
to.
As the scouts braced themselves for the impending attack, they
were not prepared for what happened next.
 
~*Scorching Flame!*~
 
A blazing ball of red, orange, and yellow sped towards the
unsuspecting Reflector. On impact, Reflector screamed in agony as she
lit up like a dying star. The Senshi and Kamen had to shield their eyes
as the attack blazed brilliantly for about 10 seconds. They could hear
the flames searing Reflector's body, and the glass as it melted,
shattered, and fell.
As the light died down, the champions of justice uncovered their
eyes and gaped at what they say. In front of them was Reflector, with
every one of her mirrors broken; in their place a charred cardboard
backing. It's body was blackened in many places, and a small fire still
blazed in her hair. The mirror monster was brought to it's knees and
was struggling to breath.
The Senshi were in shock, and whirled around quickly to see who
could have possibly done this.
 
No one was in sight.
Looking back at the broken Reflector, they scratched their heads
in puzzlement.
"Well," Venus said finally. "You'd better finish her off, Sailor
Moon."
Still a little dazed, Sailor Moon nodded. Going through her usual
motions, she pointed her staff straight at Reflector and cried out,
 
"SILVER MOON CRYSTAL POWER KISS!"
 
As the silver and rainbow colored specs of light surrounded
Reflector, it looked up and gasped in horror. With a final, "Your
highness, forgive me!!" and the cry of "BEAUTIFUL!" she was turned to
dust on the spot.
All of the warriors collapsed from exhaustion. No one said a word
but knew what they all were thinking.
Who destroyed Reflector?
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
 
IN THE DAUGHTER'S OF THE SUN'S LAIR
 
Kousen was ecstatic. Watching as a begrudged Hatsugoori trudged
into the lair from her wintry worp-hole, Kousen's smile only got wider.
Hatsugoori was NOT in the best of moods. Knowing that Reflector
had just lost the battle, she hadn't gotten the right essence, and that
she lost a potential new minion didn't help her mood. To top it all off, she had to come back to the lair to see Kousen grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Looking about the lair, Hatsugoori saw that Nisshoku and Kokuten didn't look quite too happy either. Hatsu was smart enough to know that their sour looks wasn't because of her failure, and she was too upset to care to ask.
Glaring at Kousen, Hatsugoori snarled, “What the hell are you so happy about?”
Kousen's smile impossibly got even wider.
“Oh nothing,” She singsonged.
Hatsugoori huffed, and went somewhere to sulk.
She completely missed Kousen's victorious chuckle and the dollar signs plastered in her eyes.
[Cha-ching!]