: :
Senshi Kurai
Part 3: The Not-Too-Exciting Third Part
Jackie ChiangQuick Copyright notes: This is a fanfic based on Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, an anime/manga created by Takeuchi Naoko. Characters belong to her and all others associated with rights [Toei, Bandai, Kodansha, etc], but the storyline, ideas, and any other characters are created by me. 1996 - Jackie Chiang
There was a silence. The nine girls, three cats, and man sat in various places in front of Rei's temple. The five Inner Senshi were sitting on different steps leading up to the front of the building. Haruka was standing against a post, her arms crossed in front of her. Setsuna was sitting next to Hotaru on the top step. Michiru, wearing a thoughtful expression on her lovely face, was sitting near Haruka.
Finally Minako spoke up, interrupting the quiet. "So what happens now?" she asked bluntly, voicing the question that they all were thinking.
"Well," Luna said, "we know that we have a new enemy and a new Sailor Senshi."
Minako, Usagi, Ami, and Makoto all nodded. They were the only ones who had seen both the enemy and the senshi.
"So this Ares girl looked like me?" Rei asked. It was obvious that she had some trouble with that aspect. Something in her tone implied offense that there should be another as pretty as she.
"Yes," Ami said, recalling their encounter with Ares. "It was odd, since she looked exactly like you, with the exception of her fuku."
"She sure acted like you," Usagi murmured under her breath, glancing at Rei. "Bossy as anything, with a laugh to wake the dead..."
"What did you say, Usagi?" Rei asked sweetly, an underlying tone to her voice.
"Nothing, Rei-chan," Usagi answered, forcing an equally sickeningly sweet smile to her lips. They stared at each other.
"It's OK," Rei said, her smile twitching. "Tell me what you said."
Oh, she's itching for a fight, Usagi thought. "I said I said nothing."
"Rei-chan, Usagi-chan," Luna sighed, twitching her tail around, "control yourselves. This is serious."
"Sorry, Luna," Usagi said, making a face at Rei. Rei stuck her tongue out at Usagi, and Usagi returned it, but one glance at Luna made them both restrain themselves.
The black cat sighed, giving her full attention back to the group. "So how should we deal with this?"
Everyone looked at Usagi. "What?" she asked, confused.
"You're the leader," Makoto pointed out reasonably. "Think of something."
Rei snorted, crossing her arms. She glanced at Usagi with a smirk on her face. "Usagi thinking? Now there's a scary thought!"
"Rei-chan..." Ami said warningly. The black haired girl immediately closed her mouth.
"Luna," Haruka said thoughtfully at the cat, "do you remember a Sailor Earth?"
Luna and Artemis looked at each other. They shook their heads simultaneously.
"We don't," Artemis said. "I thought that we had found all the Sailor Senshi from the Moon Kingdom by now."
Luna looked at him. "True, but then again, there might be exceptions. We thought we had found all of the Senshi until we found the Outer Senshi."
The Inner Senshi nodded.
"But still," Michiru interjected, "she's the Senshi of the Earth, so she would most likely have come from the Moon Kingdom..."
"Setsuna-san," Usagi asked, "do you know of a Sailor Earth in the future?"
Setsuna smiled but shook her head. "No. I don't know any one by that name. But then again," she pointed out, "as the guardian of the time gate, I didn't have much time for socializing." Everyone grinned at that statement.
"Well," Hotaru said quietly, her voice reasonable, "it seems that all we can do is wait now."
"Hello?" a voice said.
The girls turned to look at a very pretty red haired girl standing in front of them. Her hair was shoulder length, and she had green eyes.
Rei stood up, brushing off her robe. "May I help you, miss?" she asked politely. She walked down the steps, the other girls scooting out of her way, until she was next to Usagi.
The girl nodded. "Yes, I'm looking for someone," she said. "Does anyone know a Yukiru Terra?"
Rei shook her head. "I don't know her. But maybe my friends do," she said, turning to look at them. Ami, Mako, Usagi, and Minako all nodded.
"She's in our class," Usagi said, then bluntly adding: "What do you want with her?"
Rei gasped, turning and hitting Usagi on the head with the long stick she held in her hand. She swerved back around, laughing nervously. "I'm sorry," she said, amending for Usagi's rude behavior, "but my friend usually isn't so obnoxious..."
The girl laughed, the sound sweet, gentle, and soothing. But her eyes, Usagi thought as she rubbed her head... They were odd...
"It's all right," the girl said. "I'm her cousin and I need to find her so she can help me. Oh, my name is Yaiko Miten."
Minako smiled in a friendly manner. She went up to the girl and shook her hand. "I'm Aino Minako," she greeted. She introduced everyone else, who all acknowledged her in some way.
"Nice to meet you, Minako-sama," Miten said, smiling, her eyes fastened on Minako's, glowing in an eerie fashion. Minako stood a minute staring at Miten, then Rei coughed. Minako shook her head, her eyes refocusing.
Miten looked at Usagi. "Have you seen Terra? I go to another school, and I am transferring to Juuban High School. I need to tell her, but she's not at her apartment..."
"We could help you look for her," Ami offered.
"No!" the girl said, her voice loud and rushed. The others stared at her oddly. "I mean," she amended softly, "I wouldn't want to trouble you. After all, you looked like you were discussing something important."
Makoto gave an uneasy smile. "All right, if you insist," she said.
"Thank you for offering," Miten said, her smile relieved. "If you go to my school, then I'll probably see you around some time."
"Right," Minako said cheerfully. She waved to Miten as the girl left, oblivious to the tension around her.
Miten waved back, going down the steps that led to the street, smiling to herself. She took out the dark crystal that hung around her neck, stroking it, her eyes glowing with a strange light.
Meanwhile, the girls continued talking.
"Miten seemed very nice," Minako said happily. Her friends stared at her, stunned at her obtuseness. "What?" the blonde asked, looking around. "What did I say?"
Everyone around her sweat dropped.
"Minako-chan," Rei said slowly, "you're becoming worse than Usagi!"
Usagi declined to comment, as she was watching the area where Miten had just occupied. "She acted so strangely..."
Setsuna frowned. "I think almost all of us felt something wrong about Miten..." She looked pointedly at Minako.
Minako made a face. "She seemed perfectly fine to me," she said, looking away. Artemis sighed, dropping his head, obviously disappointed in his owner.
Haruka was on the verge of making a sarcastic comment, but Michiru cut her off. Shaking her head, she studied Minako with narrowed eyes.
"Anyway," Haruka said, "we need to be on our guard at all times. Evidently this Ares has friends and power, or she wouldn't be able to almost defeat you."
"Right," the others agreed, but Minako was already jumping away after a butterfly. Everyone face faulted again, sweat drops forming on their heads.
"Princess Hecate," the woman said, bowing, "you requested reports from our spies?"
Hecate nodded, her dark eyes glowing. She crossed her legs. "They may enter."
The woman nodded, and opened the door to the Princess's private throne room. Two women entered and immediately knelt in respective stances. The servant then left, closing the door softly on her way out.
"Princess Hecate," the first woman spoke, "I am Commander Eris, and at your will." She wore a gray uniform, black boots, and a trailing cape.
"I am Commander Gaia," the second woman said, "and ready to do what you please." Her uniform was new and yellow, her boots black, with no cape.
"Good," Hecate said, smiling brutally, looking her nails. "Now, which one of you is our new edition?"
Gaia stepped forward. "That would be, Your Majesty," she said. "I have been placed in four of the Sailor Senshi's class at their high school. Everything is going according to plan."
The Princess nodded, examining her from head to foot. "You have been observing them?"
Gaia nodded, pushing her black bangs out of her eyes. "Yes."
"What do you plan to do about this Sailor Earth?"
"She will be exterminated at once," Gaia said curtly. "I will not fail you, my Princess."
"Very well," Hecate responded, pleased with Gaia's attitude. "You are dismissed, Commander Gaia."
Gaia bowed and left.
Hecate turned to Eris. "I want you to watch Gaia. I wouldn't want to have to terminate her brainwashing spell comes into play. Remind me to compliment Poseidon on her excellent mind controlling spell."
Eris replied affirmatively. "Yes, my lady."
"Very well, give me your current reports."
Eris spoke, explaining how she had met the Senshi, while privately studying the Princess. Beautiful, she thought privately, but with an edge. Her long black hair had been styled into two odango shapes at the top of her head, and two ponytails from them drifted downwards. Her blue eyes were cold, concealing an angry bitterness that everyone knew of. Of course, she didn't know all of the details, just that the Sailor Senshi had wronged Hecate and the Senshi Kurai and therefore must be eliminated. She wore a dark black dress, with golden threads and pearls near the top of the dress. It was long, reaching all the way down. Next to her throne was her scepter, a long black stick with a shiny black crystal at top. Around her neck was the black crystal that was rumored to be the source of the entire kingdom. The Senshi Kurai each had one of corresponding color.
Hecate smiled at the conclusion of Eris's report. "Well done. You are dismissed," Hecate said, flipping her hand disinterestedly.
The commander left, leaving Hecate alone. She snapped her fingers, and at once she was with her guardians and friends in another room. She took her place on the throne while the others watched.
"Everything is going well," Hecate announced. "Our spies are doing an excellent job, Eris managing to meet with all of the Senshi and recruit Gaia."
"So when do we attack?" Zeus asked, leaning forward from her usual sitting position on the chair, her eyes glowing excitedly.
"Yes, Hecate," Aphrodite added, dropping her book to the floor with a thump, "we are all rather bored."
"Actually," Hermes said, "this has given me time to practice and study up on my magic skills." Aphrodite subtly kicked her leg while Ares rolled her eyes.
"Soon," Hecate said. "Very soon. When we receive our next report, I will give you my orders to attack. Our revenge is in our grasp, my friends." She laughed, and her friends smiled, certain of their coming victory.
: :