Mamoru dropped Miranda off at the temple before taking Chibi-Usa back to the Tsukino residence. Then both he and Usagi returned to his apartment. She was still a little shaken by what happened to Miranda at the zoo, but was glad nothing serious had come of it.
~*~
“We made it back again, and now, at last… we can begin our conquest of this miserable planet, as we were destined to do before we were driven away to that horrible place,” Kenji declared, surveying their surroundings, propping his gloved fists on his hips.
“Don’t forget Mistress Hecate’s instructions. We mustn’t draw attention to ourselves in any way,” Osan reminded her companions.
“I know…believe me… I’m glad we have a free hand,” Kenji replied, smiling at the raven-haired woman in a black fuku and ankle length- cloak.
“Let’s not get too excited, shall we? We must track down Helios first. He’s bound to seek shelter here on this world. All we have to do is step through the door without a key, and enter the Kingdom of Dreams, and we’ll have him just like that,” Akinari said, closing his eyes, imagining capturing their quarry.
“I can hardly wait,” Osan chuckled, slapping her palms together-- smiling.
“Neither can I. Let’s not waste any more time and get started,” Akinari agreed.
“Right -- we’ll start looking for beautiful dreamers right away,” Osan put in.
“I like the sound of that,“ Kenji added.
“Good. Here’s our first target,” Akinari said as they gathered in a circle and discussed strategies.
“She’s not a bad looker. Can I take this mission?” Kenji offered, enthusiastically.
“Go right ahead. She looks the type who’ll fall easily in love,” Akinari gestured with a wave of his hand.
“Good luck,” Osan said, as he turned to go.
“Oh, I’ll be lucky. I will be back with Helios in less time than the blink of an eye. Just you wait and see,” Kenji boasted.
“Don’t get overconfident. You don’t want to screw up you know,” Akinari cautioned.
“I won’t. Trust me,” Kenji said, by way of reply.
~*~
It was late afternoon. Usagi and Chibi-Usa decided to pay a visit to the local cafe. Once Lizzi had finished serving them, Usagi asked her about something that had been puzzling her ever since the eclipse.
“Lizzi, what was Motoki-kun talking about back at the park?”
Lizzi blushed – her face turning the brightest shade of red imaginable and looked around hurriedly to make sure no one was listening. “There’s really nothing to tell,” she said, feeling the heat in her flushed cheeks intensify.
“Whatcha mean?” Usagi wanted to know.
Lizi’s eyes scanned the café once more and coughed. “He’s not really my boyfriend. I can’t call him that ‘cause he hasn’t opened his heart to me. I know he likes me, but I just don’t know what his real feelings towards me are.”
“You can’t just sit there waiting for him to spill,” Chibi-Usa said, surprising them both. “If you sit around waiting for your prince to come, you’ll miss your chance. Sometimes you have to go out there and find him.”
Lizzi was dumbfounded. “Wow, Chibi-Usa-chan. how’d you get so… wise?”
Usagi tilted her head and looked into her daughter’s eyes. “What’s up?” she asked, sensing something amiss, but couldn’t exactly put a finger on it. “You haven’t been yourself all day.”
“It’s nothing,” Chibi-Usa replied dismissively, turning her eyes away from those of her mother. “I was just thinking about stuff.”
”Okay… are you sure there isn’t something you want to talk about?”
”Aha.”
”Okay,” she said and let the matter drop. Usagi sat back and sipped at her shake. Both her daughters were causing her no end of concern. She hoped she could sort out whatever was going on with her girls and help if she could.
~*~
Lizzi sat looking out the window of the crowded bus, she was finally on her way home after another long day. It was late afternoon. Lizzi looked down at her watch and sighed. The bus of course, was running late, as usual.
A few seats away, a guy with shoulder-length ash-blonde hair and deep-blue eyes was watching her. She thought him incredibly handsome, he was dressed in a smart grey suit, pale pink shirt and black shoes that gleamed with a smooth polished sheen. His surreptitious smile of satisfaction hidden behind a paperback he was reading, ‘perfect,’ he purred. ‘I have her right where I want her.’ With a slight gesture of the hand -- a black-velvet purse instantly appeared. ‘I know it’s a trivial usage of my skills as an adept of dark magic, but hey, I’m damned good at whatever I do, and this… is a piece of cake!’ Kenji mused inwardly.
~*~
Once at her stop, Lizzi searched frantically for her purse. “Oh no! I must have left it behind on the bus.”
At that moment, the guy walked up to her. “Excuse me, miss?” he said, in a deep soothing voice. “This must be yours.”
“Oh thank you,” Lizzi said, gratefully accepting the proffered purse, putting it safely in her backpack. “That was very kind of you.”
“Oh, no trouble at all,” he replied, as he followed her off the bus. “It gave me the perfect opportunity to meet such a dazzling creature as yourself… Destiny placed us on parallel paths, and I owe fate one.”
Lizzi was quite bemused. “Thank you, I guess,” she said, unsure how to respond.
~*~
”Where are you taking me, young lady… come on, Chibi-Usa, is this a mystery tour or something?” Usagi said with a warm smile. Chibi-Usa didn’t answer; instead, she kept walking a little ahead as she led the way. “Isn’t there a forest and a beautiful lake nearby?” she asked, surveying the landscape as it unfolded before them. But before she could ask anything else, they heard a scream coming from behind a line of cypress trees. “That’s Lizzi!” she exclaimed as both she and Chibi-Usa ran towards the source of the scream.
After passing the trees and entering the park Lizzi usually cut through to get home, stopping a short distance away, they took in the sight of a guy with ash-blonde hair, grey shirt and denim jeans, who had Lizzi cowering against the wall of the fountain.
“Sorry to scare you, sweetheart,” he said, “but you have something I’m interested in.” He cracked his whip once again, and an aura of darkness surrounded him for a brief instant. When it cleared, the same guy stood in a black body suit lined in silver symbols and a tunic with ankle-length cloak of pure black with a matching headband keeping his long hair in place behind his ears and a pair of black-leather knee-high boots completed the outfit. Lizzi screamed in terror.
“I think we’d better step up,” Chibi-Usa told her mother, and Usagi nodded. They dashed behind the trees and instantly transformed.
“Who are you?” Lizzi demanded, pale with fright.
“I am Kenji,” the strangely dressed man replied, “and also known as the Black Shadow, at your service.” He said giving her a mock bow, his voice ice cold and menacing. “I want to look into your dreams; I seek a being that might be found within your dream world.” He cracked his whip, and Lizzi found herself shackled to a black shield, and cried out in pain as a silver mirror with ornate frame hovered before her within a glowing sphere.
“That’s your dream mirror,” the Black Shadow told her. “With it, I can look into your dreams.” With this statement, he moved towards her.
“Hold it right there!” two voices cried in unison.
“Huh?”
The Black Shadow turned to face the newcomers. Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon stood at the edge of the expansive lawn before the white marble fountain, hands on hips. “Just who do you think you are, taking the dreams of an innocent girl and violating her sacred space?” Moon demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at the Black Shadow. “I won’t allow an emissary of darkness such as yourself to harm her. We stand for love and justice, and are your worst nightmare! I am Sailor Moon!”
“And I’m Sailor Chibi-Moon!”
“And as for myself, I am Sailor Dark Moon!” a dark haired Senshi declared from her perch on the branch of a nearby tree, arms folded.
“And in the name of the Moon,” Moon began.
“We’ll punish you!” they chorused.
The Black Shadow looked bored. “Oh do save me,” he mocked. “Three adolescent girls are attacking me… I believe its time I let you meet my partner in crime.”
Cracking his whip, a ferocious snarl could be heard. Then a huge black hound appeared, it stood -- ears folded back, salivating as it fixed its gaze on the Senshi. He rose to a height of four feet with thick bristling fur, feral red eyes and long razor-sharp fangs.
“Deal with these inconsequential fools,” the Black Shadow ordered, and stepped aside allowing the Youma to make mince meat of his opposition. “Now then,” he continued as Lizzi stared in horror at the creature stalking the Senshi, “and now… for a look at your beautiful dreams, my dear.”
He seized the mirror, it expanded into a stone archway with a shimmering transparent curtain leading into a realm of great beauty, mystery and he stepped across the threshold, and she sobbed, as the pain of the dark energy tearing at the shimmering membrane of her soul was all too much to bear.
Meanwhile, the demented hound leapt at Moon, who dodged it with athletic skill. Chibi-Moon bolted as the beast turned on her, and for several moments, they evaded its relentless attacks. Finally, Dark Moon whistled from her lofty branch. “Up here, ugly!” she yelled, and the Youma snarled as it leapt for the branch upon which she stood. But she jumped clear and the creature growled in frustration as it once again leapt repeatedly at the empty branch.
Dark Moon landed lightly and sure-footed on the ground at the base of the tree and shouted, “Follow me, you rotten mongrel!” she called over her shoulder, and disappeared into the greenery. The hound unleashed its primal cry and bounded after her.
The Black Shadow, in the meantime stepped back over the threshold and the arch contracted into the form of a translucent mirror. “Your dreams are truly beautiful indeed,” he said regretfully. “But I am afraid my quarry wasn’t there to be found. I have no other choice; I must now destroy your dream mirror and fulfill my mistress’s edict… I must prevent him using any human’s dreams as a haven. I shall eliminate them all!”
Suddenly, Dark Moon emerged from the underbrush, the canine Youma close on her heels. “Time for a little drastic action!” she called to her mother and sister, who jumped aside as the lumbering beast charged once again. “This is one mean pooch… with extraordinary powers.”
As if on cue, the Youma came to an abrupt stop and cried its chilling refrain. Then a whirlwind of darkness wrapped itself about the hideous creature. Like a viper, it struck out at the Senshi -- each sent flying several feet through the air. They landed heavily on the ground and scrambled to their feet, as the Youma once more released a deathly chilling howl and the ground opened up at their feet. Teetering on the very brink of a deep chasm, eyes wide with terror, the Senshi stood precariously. “Not good,” Moon exclaimed, as the earth heaved and buckled around them.
“Please help us, Pegasus!” Chibi-Moon cried, at the same time as Dark Moon called out an entreaty of her own.
“Kantaro! We need your help!”
Golden light instantly exploded above, and the sky became a dazzling display of prismatic beauty. There was a high-pitched whinny, like the chiming of many tiny bells, these blending, and Pegasus appeared -- at the same time, an earsplitting roar echoed throughout the park. Kantaro surged forth out of the bushes, crashing into the hound at speed, sending it flying through the air. It landed on the ground with a thud and lay stunned on its side.
Pegasus landed with ease upon all fours, and Kantaro sauntered to his side. They faced the three Senshi, and then a change occurred. Pegasus tossed his head, and golden light danced about his mane, this shimmering wave swept across the clearing engulfing Moon and Chibi-Moon, and their fuku’s had undergone an incredible metamorphosis.
As Kantaro faced Dark Moon, his eyes flared with an intense golden light that encircled her body. When it cleared, all three stood in the fuku of a Super Senshi. The sleeves transparent, like flower petals, and the bows on the backs of their skirts larger and iridescent pink: Chibi Moon’s skirt, white with a hot pink and gold hem – Sailor Moon’s, blue and gold, while Dark moons was lined with black and gold and other accoutrements of an evolved Senshi.
The canine Youma clambered to its feet. Sailor Moon held a translucent pink scepter with heart-shaped handle, a pulse of golden light surrounding the powerful weapon as she stood in white leather knee-high boots -- feet apart ready to do, battle as a new power surged through her body.
Another weapon, not unlike a scythe appeared in Dark Moons hands, lucent obsidian with a throbbing cat’s eye at its tip, its shimmering blade throwing off waves of force -- runes inscribed upon its smooth surface.
“Well, let’s not stand here admiring them,” Dark Moon snapped. She lifted the scythe, and dark light poured into the blade, making it glow. She spun once and aimed the blade at the Youma. “Dark Moon Cosmic Charge!” she cried. A burst of dark light shot forth and struck the creature’s chest, sending it flying against a tree.
Moon concentrated her energies and the scepter began to throb with power. She went down on one knee; Chibi-Moon placed her hands upon her mother’s shoulders, lending her own power to that of her mother’s building magical force. “Super Moon Target!” Moon cried, as a ball of golden light shot from the scepter and struck the Youma as it attempted to rise once again. It screamed as its body glowed with an intense light, and dissolved into a thin shadow that collapsed in upon itself and was gone.
Kantaro blinked and bowed to each Senshi, his gaze falling upon Dark Moon, who couldn’t help but smile at the magnificent cat as he growled softly, and Pegasus whinnied -- his gaze lingering a moment upon Chibi-Moon before each vanished, and the Senshi reverted to their previous forms. Chibi-Moon stared up at the sky, still glowing as the northern lights poured their benedictions as libations to the trio of love and justice -- Moon nudged her, breaking the spell and put her question to her daughter. “Do you know Pegasus?”
Chibi-Moon blinked, and shook her head. “No,” she said, simply.
“Then how--” sighing exasperatedly, she gave up. Whatever happened to her daughter had happened, and nothing she said or did would change it. Dark Moon slid her arm through her mother’s and Chibi-Moon took her sister’s hand, and all three stood gazing into the sky, losing themselves in its wonder.
Lizzi watched from her place by the fragrant lavender bushes, drinking in their heady scent and moved by the sight of the three Senshi, her dream mirror recovered once the Black Shadow had vanished. Having seen the resplendent Pegasus and eyes aglow, as she looked into the glorious sky overhead, her heart filled with peace as she turned and walked through the gap in the hedgerow she regularly used to reach her street. She knew she was not only lucky to have survived, but fortunate the Sailor Senshi were on hand to save her life. She was in awe and grateful to them all and smiled, life suddenly taking on a new shimmer as she returned home.
Also, the Pegasus had inspired her to make her feelings known to Michael, and she would call him when she got home and tell him straight out that she loved him. Chibi-Usa was right; she couldn’t sit around and wait for him to tell her how he felt, she would lose him that way. She was determined this wouldn’t happen.
~*~
Somewhere amidst the smoldering mists of darkness, the Shadow Warriors gathered to lick their wounds and plot their next strategy, it seemed the Senshi had not seen the last of their new adversaries.
