Disclaimers:
I don't own Sailor
Moon, and I don't have any money, so please don't sue me. However,
I do own the... uh... well, I haven't named them yet. Let's call
them the Fire Gang or something equally silly. Don't use them without
my permission (as if you would anyway).
This story has NOTHING to do with "Welcome Me" or the "Cycle of Our Souls" series. They are COMPLETELY independent of one another, so please don't get confused. :)
A little translation
guide for my names:
Kaen: Flame
Okibi: Blazing Fire
Yashahino: it's supposed
to be She Demon of Fire. I'm pretty much wingin'
it here, minna-chan
:)
Furea: Flare
Hibana: Spark
Kaji: Fire... Are
you noticing a theme here? :)
Also, a "turn" is basically the same thing as a month, a "cycle" is a year and a "sun" is a day. Just to clear that one up...
I was a kinda worried that the sections in this might be a little choppy, but then I read over it and realized I liked it that way. Short and to the point, ya know? But I'm ever verbose (as I'm proving right now!) so that'll probably change.
Please write and tell
me what you think. Thanks!
"She is powerful," he said, heat radiating from his tall, lean frame in a dark aura.
"Hai," the woman agreed, pulling off her red gloves and tossing them aside.
"You have done well."
"Hai," she repeated arrogantly.
"She agreed to this?" another man, this one older, more powerful, demanded in a disbelieving tone.
"Do you question my word, Okibi-san?" she asked defensively.
"Nai, Yasha... I simply wonder."
The woman's eyes flashed. "Kaen-san, tell him!"
Kaen glanced up from the still form of the small blond girl and said, "She agreed, Okibi-san. Leave it alone."
"I cannot. If the Firechild did not agree that we take this girl, then she can get her back. I do not wish to lose her. As you said, Kaen, she is very powerful."
Yashahino let out a little growl. "She agreed to pay."
"You did not specify a price?"
The woman looked away, anger boiling within her. How dare he question her as though she were some common henchman? "She said anything," she hissed.
Okibi frowned. "That leaves a lot of room to maneuver, Yasha. You should have been more careful."
"Okibi-san, it is all right. By the time the FireChild finds her -- if she finds her -- this little moon rabbit will be ours," Kaen said in an attempt to soothe the older man. If he went to Furea-sama about this... well, best to not think about it.
"She is daughter of Selenity of the Moon, Okibi-san," Yashahino whispered, her red eyes dark with greed.
Okibi's own flame-blue eyes narrowed as he contemplated the woman before him. In their system of hierarchy, eye color was determined by rank: red fire was the coolest, so Yashahino ranked the lowest of Furea-sama's generals. Furea-sama himself had eyes of white, the hottest, most deadly color of flame. Finally Okibi shook his head and turned away. "I will leave it to you, Yasha, Kaen; but if you lose her, Furea-sama will know whose failure this is."
Once he was gone, Yashahino glanced at Kaen with a frown. "The FireChild will look for her."
"Hai, of course she will. That is my plan."
"Kaen-san, if she succeeds--"
"Furea-sama would do anything to have the FireChild, Yasha, even if it means giving up the MoonChild."
Yasha stared at him, shocked. "You mean to make a trade, then?"
Kaen shrugged.
"If I must. I want both, though... and I always get what I want,
Yasha. Always."
"It's very faint, but maybe..."
"Ami-chan, are you sure it's Usagi?" Rei demanded again.
"I'm sure it's the ginzuishou, and where it goes, Usagi usually isn't far behind," Ami repeated.
"So where is it?" Mamoru wanted to know. "Somewhere in Tokyo?"
Ami shook her head slowly, not meeting anyone's eyes. "I think... well, I think it may be in another dimension of some sort. See here, this is Tokyo, then Japan, and Earth... and here is the ginzuishou's signal."
Makoto frowned up at the map. "That doesn't make any sense! It's just out there in the middle of space!"
"Another dimension... or another planet," Luna said slowly.
"Exactly," Ami agreed, her voice small and tired. "But I can't pinpoint exactly where. Until I can there's no way for us to teleport there."
"Minna-chan, look! It's fading!" Minako cried, alarmed.
Ami glanced up sharply and then set to typing at the keyboard a mile a minute. "Something must be happening to the ginzuishou! I'll try realigning..." The signal faded out altogether. "Kuso!" the blue-haired girl cried, surprising them all -- Ami had never been one to curse.
"Matte, it's back! And stronger than before... you did it, Ami-chan!" Makoto cried happily.
"Ami-chan, what does that mean?" Rei asked, gesturing to a read-out at the corner of the screen.
"Wakusei no Kaji...?" Minako read, confused. "Maybe that's where the ginzuishou is!"
"In all likelihood," Ami confirmed. "We have coordinates now, too."
"So we can go get Usako!" Mamoru cried, delighted.
"We? I don't know if we can teleport you without Usagi's help," Makoto said.
"Nai, I agree with Mamoru-kun," Rei spoke up. "He has a right to be there as much as any of us."
"I wasn't saying that, Rei-chan, I just mean that we may not be strong enough."
The dark-haired girl's
brow creased in determination. "Trust me, Mako-chan, we'll be strong
enough. I know we will."
"Mama, it's too hot...
can't I have something to drink? Luna... I'm so hot... Rei-chan,
matte! Gomen nasai, Rei-chan... please... Mamo-chan?" Usagi whispered,
trying to push the heat away from her and failing miserably. She
felt as though she was being burned alive from the inside out. The
fire
invaded her soul,
her mind, her heart... she couldn't breathe or think or feel anything but
the heat. Where was she? Where were the other senshi?
Gods, if only it wasn't so damn hot!
"I'm sorry for your discomfort, little MoonChild, but it is necessary. You must get used to the blood of our world," a man's voice said from somewhere far, far away.
"Be careful, Kaen. Overdo it and we lose her for good and all," another man's voice cautioned.
"She is resisting more than I expected. Something seems to be protecting her," the first man replied testily.
Usagi tried to lick her lips, but her tongue felt like sandpaper. "Who...?" she managed at last.
"I am Kaen Yellow. That is all you need to know."
But no, that was not
her question... she didn't care one whit who he was. She just
wanted to know who she was.
"What are we to tell her parents?" Ami asked as they all sat around the main room of Rei's temple.
"Forget that! What are we to tell our parents?" Minako cried.
"We could all say we're staying at Mako-chan's. That makes the most sense."
"And if they call looking for us?" Minako said.
Rei frowned. "Ok, then, how about we tell them we're going to Yuuichirou's ski lodge for the weekend? That worked before."
"But that doesn't take care of Usagi's parents. They'll want to talk to her, not any of us," Ami reminded them.
They all frowned, staring at one another... and gradually six pairs of eyes turned to Minako. "Nani? What did I do?" she asked, alarmed.
"She does looks an awful lot like Usako," Mamoru said slowly.
"Her hair is lighter, and her eyes too..." Luna murmured.
"An impostor will never fool her parents," Artemis said reasonably.
"Then you think of something!" Makoto challenged.
"We could use the disguise pen," the cat said after a moment.
"I don't know if just anyone can use it, Artemis," Luna cautioned. "It was made for Sailormoon."
Rei frowned dark as a storm cloud. "Do we have any choice?" No one replied, so Luna did a back flip and the pen was soon rolling merrily across the wooden floor. "So who's going to try it?"
Minako cleared her
throat and held out a shaking hand. "I will. I look the most
like her, ne? I guess this is the better than a bad apple spoiling
the whole tree."
Later that evening only Mamoru and Rei were left at the temple. He was worried out of his mind and she was feeling guilty enough to throw herself into a fire... yes, they were wonderful company. "I don't think anyone blames you, Rei-chan," Mamoru said at last, glancing up from his tea.
"I blame me. I did say 'anything.'"
"It took advantage of you. We all know you didn't mean Usagi... or any of us, for that matter."
She sighed and shook her head. "I just don't understand this, Mamoru-kun. Where did it come from? Why did it want Usagi? Why don't any of the others remember what happened?"
"I don't know, Rei-chan. I guess it was attracted by your fire power, but then it sensed that Sailormoon was the most powerful."
"Sometimes I wonder how much easier my life would've been if Usagi, Ami and Luna had never come up here that day. I wouldn't be a senshi, I wouldn't have to worry about giant flames stealing my friends... I could just be me."
He frowned and ran a hand through short, tousled dark hair. "You alone, Rei-chan. Usako taught me how important it is to have good friends, to love and be loved. It's difficult being Tuxedo Kamen and knowing that one day I'll be king of the whole planet, but I would never trade now for back when I was scared, confused and alone."
She looked up at him, purple-black eyes meeting indigo, and smiled. "You're right, of course... but sometimes things just get so damn hard. Usagi is my best friend, and I may never see her again."
He grinned back.
"Of course you will, Rei-chan. She's got a date to be Neo-Queen Serenity,
remember?"
"It appears to be some sort of crystal," Okibi said with a frown, staring at the sparkling silver object in his hand.
"Hai, Okibi-san, that wasn't the question," Kaen replied. "We want to know what sort of crystal."
"Is it Lunarian?" Yashahino asked, licking her lips hungrily.
"I believe it might be... damn strong, whatever it is. I sense the power of life and death trapped within this crystal. I should take it to Furea-sama."
"And take all the credit for discovering it?" Yasha said hotly. "I think not!"
"I am not as petty as you, Yasha; I have no desire for any sort of 'credit' with Furea-sama. I simply think he should know about this. Now if you will excuse me." With that, Okibi swept from the room to leave a fuming Yashahino and a speculative Kaen behind.
The latter shook his head and turned back to the Moonchild. "She will soon be ready, Yasha," he said, running a hand through short red hair. His yellow eyes, indicating that he was two ranks higher than she, brightened as he contemplated. "For this, Furea-sama will surely be pleased with us. I might even be promoted to Blue, you to Orange or Yellow!"
Yasha had rarely seen Kaen so excited about anything, and she felt a little taken aback. "What are you planning on calling her?" she asked at last.
"Hibana. It suits, don't you think?"
She frowned but nodded. "Hai, I suppose," she said, turning away in a swirl of black hair, so uncommon on Kaji where everything burned but nothing ever turned to ash. "What do you think Furea-sama will make of that crystal?"
Kaen's brow creased in frustration. "I care not for the bauble. He can keep it and mount it on his crown if he wishes."
"Watch yourself, Kaen-san! Furea-sama has ears everywhere."
He glanced up sharply, the look in his eyes changing from annoyance to subtle suspicion. "Is that a warning about yourself, Yasha?" he asked in a low, careful voice.
She laughed and smiled up at him sweetly. "Of course not, Kaen-san. I just worry about you, that's all. This girl is taking up so much of your time and energy... what if you fail?"
He let out a low growl. "I won't fail, Yasha. She's almost ours, I can feel it! See how the flames leap around her? She calls to them almost as much as the FireChild does."
Yashahino watched and wondered and worried. Why was Kaen so obsessed with this girl? Furea-sama had sent them to get the FireChild, but the gift of the MoonChild had appeased him... for the time being. Now he wanted both, as Kaen did, and Yasha was concerned. The other 'Children would accompany the FireChild when she traveled to Kaji, and they were a powerful force indeed. Look what they'd done to those fools of Nemesis!
"The 'Children of the Silver Millennium do not concern me," Kaen said suddenly, as though reading her mind, "but I do worry that Furea-sama will want them all. I'm not sure we have the power to convert all of them if this one is any indication."
"She is the most powerful,"
Yasha murmured, only half paying attention. All of them?
She wondered if he meant the boy, too. The Five 'Children of the
Silver Millennium, and one of the Five from the Golden Kingdom... such
an idea seemed unfathomable to Yasha, but then she remembered Beryl's success
in
converting four of
the Golden Kingdom 'Children. Crimson lips curved in a wicked smile.
"Hai, Kaen-san, I think capturing all of them is a marvelous idea,"
she hissed, her voice like silk and poison.
"It worked. They bought it completely, and even offered me spending money," Minako told them all the next afternoon.
"I hope you didn't take it," Ami said, more than a little surprised by how well the ruse had gone.
"Nai, of course not. That would've been rude. So when do we leave?"
"As soon as possible," Makoto said with a frown.
"Has anyone thought to tell Yuuichirou-kun that we'll be 'using' his family's ski lodge this weekend?" Mamoru asked suddenly.
"I'll take care of Yuuichirou," Rei said, a mischievous smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "We need to decide who's going."
"Well... we all are, aren't we?" Minako said, confused.
"I just mean... I don't think we can teleport Mamoru, Luna and Artemis without Usagi's help."
"Artemis and I will be staying behind," Luna said. "I'm not very happy about it, but... we think it's for the best."
Rei nodded. "I agree. We can't risk the two of you getting hurt, ne?"
They all nodded agreement and Mamoru said, "Ami, have you been able to find out anything about this planet?"
She shook her head. "Not much. The name 'Kaji' means 'fire', of course, and I don't think that comes as much of a surprise to anyone. I really don't know what to expect, but I have made these for everyone." She held up wrist bands that looked very similar to their communicators. "I designed them using the same principle as my mini-computer. They can hone in on the ginzuishou's signal as close as three meters... or so I'm hoping."
"Hoping?" Makoto questioned anxiously, studying the tiny computer.
Ami shrugged. "I've never had a chance to test them."
"How do we know Usagi still has the ginzuishou?" Minako asked.
"We don't. We're just going to have to hope that she does or that it's somewhere nearby. What other choice do we have?"
"None, I guess," the blond said with a frown, "but it doesn't make me any happier about it. Oh well..."
"We should go. There's no point in putting it off any further," Makoto urged.
"All right then," Rei whispered. "Mars... Star... Power!"
"Mercury... Star... Power!"
"Jupiter... Star... Power!"
"Venus... Star... Power!"
"Make up!" they all cried in unison as Mamoru transformed into Tuxedo Kamen.
They circled up, holding hands, with Tuxedo Kamen in the middle. "Are we ready?" Mars asked, glancing at each of them. They nodded, and each girl called to her planet once more.
"Ganbatte!" Luna and Artemis cried as, in a flash of colored light, the senshi disappeared.
Luna sighed.
"This is going to be a very long weekend."
"Hibana... Hibana... Hibana..." The word was whispered over and over into the blond girl's ears as she lay among the flames. Hibana, the thought, is that who I am? She couldn't remember, but it didn't matter so much anymore. All she cared about was that the fire wasn't as hot as before. Now it was warm, comfortable, like a mother's embrace or a good, long soak in the bathtub.
"She is almost ready," a voice said.
Kaen, some part of her mind identified. How do I know him and not myself?
"Almost. Give her another turn or so."
"An entire turn? You're insane, Okibi-san."
"Watch yourself, Kaen! It is imperative that this girl be completely ours. I would hate for Furea-sama to find out we lost her because you were too impatient."
She heard Kaen growl low in his throat. "We aren't going to lose her!"
"Not if you're cautious. You must be careful, Kaen. These Silver Millennium 'Children are not so easily swayed as most."
"Beryl got four from the Golden Kingdom, Okibi-san."
Beryl... I feel as though I should... but no, how could I...?
"Truly told, but may I remind you that their loyalty was more than slightly questionable at times. We want the MoonChild without doubt."
"Who... is... Moon...?" she whispered.
"There!" Kaen cried, triumphant. "Did you hear that? She remembers nothing. The flames have been whispering to her for almost three turns now, Okibi-san! She is ready."
Her eyes opened to see a man frowning down at her, concern etched in his pale blue eyes. "Her eyes are red. That is good," he said over his shoulder to Kaen. "What is your name?" he asked, glancing back down at her.
"Hibana... Hibana... Hibana..." the flames whispered fiercely.
"Hibana," she replied
in a strong, firm voice.
"She is Red, Kaen-san! Where does that leave me?" Yashahino demanded later.
"That is not my concern, Yasha," he replied mildly. "Take it up with Okibi-san."
"I tried! He said the same thing. Kaen-san... I'm not... Kaen-san, do you think Furea-sama is through with me?"
The honest fear in her tone gave Kaen pause. Yasha was loud, willful and immature, but she was one of their own, and the Kaji were nothing if not loyal to their own. He shook his head. "Nai, Yasha, I don't think so. You're probably being promoted, like I said yesterday. You are the one who brought us the MoonChild after all."
"Are we still calling her that?" she asked sourly. "I thought she was one of us now." She sat down in a nearby chair with an angry plunk.
"You must not be hard on her, Yasha. Do you remember how difficult it was for you when you were first made Red? Now you'll be Orange or Yellow, and her commander."
"Are you to be made Blue?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Where would that put Okibi-san? He is good at what he does, we all know, and very loyal to Furea-sama. Perhaps I will stay where I am."
"Does that not bother you?" she asked, enraged.
"Nai, Yasha. I am not as ambitious as you are. Once I help Furea-sama gain control of the Silver Millennium 'Children and the last Golden Kingdom 'Child, I'm sure to get my promotion. For now I'm content with Yellow."
"How do you know he won't make the FireChild Blue?"
Kaen turned to look her squarely in the eye. "He means to make her White, Yasha," he said slowly.
"White? But that's reserved for..." She let out a long breath. "He means to make her his queen!" she cried. "But that can't be!"
A smile flitted across his handsome features. "Did you really think he would make you his queen, my dear? You are only Red."
She glared up at him, eyes narrow and dangerous. "And the FireChild is a little girl! Why should she be his queen?"
"Why should you?" he countered, his voice calm as ever.
"I am at least Kaji! She is human!"
"True... but she is also Martian."
She snorted. "They were destroyed along with everyone else in the Silver Millennium."
"Yashahino," he said firmly, the use of her full name surprising her, "do not argue with Furea-sama. He wished to make the FireChild his bride, and that is his right. You are only Red. Pray you don't forget that."
"Trouble, Kaen-san?" a new voice said from the doorway.
"The MoonChild," Yasha
hissed, staring at the slight blond with a deep frown. She was beautiful,
no denying, but it was the beauty of a human, and that was a paltry thing
compared to the beauty of a Kaji. She was dressed in red, of course,
and that made Yasha angrier than ever. Red was her designation,
damn it!
"Nothing you need to worry about, Hibana," Kaen was saying smoothly. "How are you feeling today?"
"Oh, just wonderful! Okibi-san took me to meet Furea-sama. I have been made Red, Kaen-san!" she cried happily.
Kaen laughed. Wait... was Yasha hearing right? Kaen laughed? Gods, surely that meant the world would soon be ending!
"Yashahino-san," Hibana said softly, "Furea-sama wishes to see you." Suddenly she giggled. "Okibi-san said you're to be made Orange! Congratulations."
This was the strangest girl Yasha had ever met in her entire life. "Domo arigato, Hibana," she said after a moment. "If you will excuse me, Kaen-san."
Once she was gone, silence found a home between Hibana and Kaen. They stood staring at one another, unsure what to say. Finally Kaen spoke. "Furea-sama gave me orders to find them as soon as possible."
"Them? Oh, the 'Children. Of course. Would you like some help?"
"It would be much appreciated."
She nodded. "Then let's go. The sooner we find them, the sooner we show them the greatness that is Furea-sama," she said, red eyes glowing like embers in her joy.
End II