Elements of Eternity written by: Gina Biggs & A.N.Ferguson site: http://secondlight.animehunters.com/ contact: haruka@magworld.com date completed: August 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Episode 02 - The power of Serenity? Usagi's new ability. Four female warriors stood together. The flashing lights from the stage illuminated their faces ever so slightly. "I am the Sailor of the Wind." "I am the Sailor of the Water." "I am the Sailor of the Terra." "And I am the Sailor of Fire." "Soldiers of the Elements," said the blue clad Sailor Water. Sailor Terra, colors of the green earth, spoke, "Guardians of this planet." Red Sailor Fire called, "And defenders of the innocent." "In the name of the Earth..." Sailor Wind started. "We will punish you!" They finished in unison. Noting the yoma was weakened, Tuxedo called for Eternal Sailor Moon to destroy it. With a nod of compliance she held out her hand but the Silver Moon Rod did not appear. She gasped in shock and gaped at the empty air. The yoma, realizing this was its chance, jumped high into the air. It readied for an attack on the odango haired soldier and dark clad man. Its eyes gleamed as it neared the couple. Just when it's goal was almost in reach, Sailor Fire summoned her powers, "Flame HURRICANE!" Hundreds of fire sparks passed across the yoma, taking with it the creature's protective mist. It stood still, eyes wide in surprise, and with its hands tried to cover it's exposed body. Using the advantage, Terra yelled "Starlight BLOSSOM!" A vine of flowers whipped from the top of her staff, then grabbed the creature. Sailor Terra gave a firm tug on the vine pulling the yoma off its feet. Finally, Water took her turn. "Chaotic Rain DANCE!" Her attack sent a shower of needle-like drops that pierced and destroyed their enemy. The creature disappeared leaving nothing to mark it had ever been there except a black rose. Smoke curled up from the rose's petals as it disintegrated. Sailor Moon's shoulders sagged in relief. Remembering who had beaten their enemy, she turned toward the new soldiers. The lights still made their faces hard to make out but she was sure they were smiling. "Who are you guys? "What is your mission?" Luna added, jumping from her carrier. The soldiers stood upright, each clenching their staffs with a regal air. Water spoke first "I hold the restlessness of the sea in his eyes, but the grace in his steps." Terra stepped beside her, and said "I bear the name of the one constant in his life, like the ground that holds firm 'neath his feet." "I am the wind that blows through his hair and sends and the passion into his veins," Sailor Wind chimed. "I am the fire that burns in his heart and the spark of life in his soul," Fire joined them. Pausing for a second, she added "We are sworn to guard our prince and together we stand to protect what he holds dear." "Today we were called to the trouble that faced many innocents. Now that the danger has passed we take our leave. Farewell." Water turned from the couple. The other three girls followed her lead. The three stared at the departing figures in silence. Luna found her voice first, "New soldiers? This can't be!" "I wonder who their prince is?" Sailor Moon's eyebrows furrowed. Her thoughts turned to another matter, "What am I going to do? I forgot that my staff was broken in the fight with Galaxia. How can I fight this new enemy without it?" ****************** Rei, Ami, Minako and Makoto sat on the steps of the Hikawa Shrine waiting for Usagi. They had been there for almost half an hour and still she was a no show. Artemis sighed from his place on Minako's shoulder, "I thought our soldier meetings here had ended. Yet here we are waiting because Luna told us to meet." Before the girls could respond, Mamoru pulled up in his car. A worried looking Usagi and Luna stepped from the passenger side of the vehicle. The three walked to where the others were and sat down. There was a moment of quiet before they began to tell what had happened. After they had explained, Minako distressed, "A new enemy, Usagi-chan? Can't be!" "But when Usagi defeated Galaxia she defeated Chaos, the one who birthed all evil," Ami said nervously. Rei frowned. "I thought our battles had come to an end." "Back into action," Makoto exclaimed, then added in a more pensive voice, "I wonder who they are." Mamoru appeared to be uncomfortable, and his eyes held an indecisive light. Usagi squeezed his hand and he reluctantly offered what was on his mind, "I felt a strange energy from the four girls we met last Sunday. Maybe they have something to do with it." Usagi frowned at him, thinking "Mamo-chan, why didn't you say anything to me?" "It is true that the attack came while they were giving a performance at the Planet Academy." Luna observed. "The yoma came from the fog machines so it could have been a set up!" Usagi's manner suddenly turned defensive. "The enemy could have placed it there, but I don't think those girls could be evil." "Usa," Mamoru insisted, "it could be. There's something about that school that just isn't right. Can't you feel it?" Usagi gave an expression of defeat. "He's calling me Usa again. Why all of a sudden? Is he angry at me?" she thought to herself. She spoke up once more. "Even if they are the enemy, I have nothing to fight with." "We'll protect you, Usagi-chan." Minako patted the worried girl's hand. Usagi's face displayed a sad smile. She couldn't stop herself from worrying. Everyone snapped from their sullen state when a familiar voice called, "We will too, princess." "Setsuna-san!" Usagi cried. "We have to protect you from this new force," Haruka declared. Michiru smiled softly. "We'll protect you together." "Haruka-san. Michiru-san." Usagi gazed at the two with a type of awe. "We'll always watch over you, Princess," Hotaru assured. "Hotaru-chan. Everyone, you're all here." Water filled Usagi's eyes for a moment. She thought, "Everybody... Thank you." ****************** At the Tokyo Planet Academy, the four girls had gone through their day mechanically. Ever since the concert, they had been in a stunned silence and now they sat in their dorm simply staring at one another. They nearly fell off their beds when Pepper gave a cry of frustration. "What was that all about? We changed into sailor soldiers! I had heard of them before, but us...? For once I don't understand." Pepper shook her head in confusion. The girl did not like having no control or understanding over a situation. She felt powerless and weak even though she had just discovered great powers within herself. Bunny kept silent for a long while. She had always dreamed of becoming a magical hero, having her prince save her, and winning against the bad guy but she could not bring herself to believe it was real. She thought that a dream like this coming true would make her happy but it only scared her. There were real dangers and fighting. Someone could get hurt. Bunny curled up into her blond friend's arms. Oceanna patted her head reassuringly. The blond was worried as well, but she kept her fears more well hidden then the others. She knew that someone had to keep a cool head and give comfort to them. "Bunny, calm down. We can figure this out." "I've already figured it out. For the first time, I see my destiny clearly," Melody replied in a dreamy voice. She was calmer than expected, causing the others to stare at her in surprise. The short haired girl continued without hesitation. "This is what I was called here to do. This school was not meant for me to learn more of the world but more of myself. I am finding myself and my special place in this world." ****************** The next day, the bells rang the start of school, and all the academy students rushed to their classes. In Math class, Bunny worked diligently in her notebook. Oceanna smiled when she noticed her friend's effort. She was happy to know that she was concentrating even after all that had happened. She leaned forward about to compliment Bunny until she saw what filled her paper. "Bunny, what are you doing?" You shouldn't be drawing in Math. Eep! Here comes the teacher!" she whispered. Oceanna's warning came too late. Their teacher towered above them before Bunny could make a move. He eyed the sketch of girl and boy who resembled a royal couple. Quickly he snatched the page out of her notebook. "The proper place for doing art work is art class." Bunny sighed as she watched him move to the front of the room with her drawing bunched in his hand. When he was seated back at his desk, she opened her notebook and started to draw once more, this time something more dark and lonely. ****************** At lunch time, the girls hurried to get their food in the frenzied mass of hungry students. They finally managed to join each other outside the cafeteria and headed, trays in hand, to a shaded, quiet spot beneath a tree. They were almost there when they heard someone call out, "Norris-san!" Oceanna turned her head to find out who had yelled. Her face turned red when she saw Yukio running towards her. He stopped beside her and asked, between breaths, to eat lunch with him. Oceanna's face turned an even brighter shade of red. She looked at the others, questioning silently. "Heh, heh... Yukio asked you to lunch. You've got a--" Bunny's teasing was ceased when Melody pulled her head down by her ear. The dark haired girl gave our a howl of pain. A dust storm arose as the two wrestled each other furiously. Pepper gave Oceanna a nudge. "Go on. It's alright with us." "Okay." She offered her hand to Yukio. He took it and as they walked away they heard the distant shout of Bunny. "I knew you liked him!" Oceanna let out a breath of exasperation at her friend's teasing. The couple stopped when they came to a picnic table and sat across from each other. At first, they ate in awkward quiet, then Yukio asked, "So do you like the academy?" "Yes, very much. I do miss home, though." "You do? And where might home be?" "Oh, um... Scotland," she answered. Quickly, she turned the subject away from her, "Do you enjoy living in Tokyo?" "Yeah. I've never lived anywhere else so I don't have any thing to compare it to." "Do you miss your family, staying here in the school dorms?" Yukio took a bit of his food. "Only during the week." He winked at her. "My family lives a few miles from here so I get visit on Sundays when we have off." "If they live so close, why stay in the dorm?" "Well, since boarding is free, I decided to take advantage of it. As much as I miss them, I'm always reminded when I go home why I live to get away," he laughed. "Enough about me. Do you miss your family?" "Of course," she said matter-of-factly before changing the subject. "Isn't this food good?" Oceanna stuffed a forkful of dessert in her mouth. ****************** After school, Usagi went to the Planet Academy determined to prove the four girls were innocent. Entering the school grounds, she thought about how nice it must be to attend there. Her mind changed when she noticed everything was dead silent and dark. She could easily understand how rumors could spread about the place. It was like walking through a ghost town. She traveled through the halls for ten minutes until she realized she had no clue where she was heading. Just as she began to panic a black haired girl approached her. "Are you lost?" she asked Usagi. "Ye... yes." "Maybe I can help. I'm Kurio Kyoko." "Tsukino Usagi. I'm looking for some friends of mine that attend here. Oceanna-san, Bunny-san, Melody-san and Pepper-san." "Pepper-san?" the girl said recognizing the name, "I can show you where she is. The others are probably rooming with her." Usagi followed Kyoko up a set of stairs. When they reached the top step Kyoko stopped. Usagi looked at her, confused. "You're cute, you know." Usagi stepped back in shock. "Huh?" Kyoko smiled and shook her head. "Nothing. Their room is the second door on the left. I hope you enjoy your visit." Usagi watched the strange girl walk away, then went to the door. She tapped her fist on it just enough to be heard and awaited someone to answer. A tall red head opened it and smiled gently. She entered the room upon request and greeted everyone. ****************** Luna entered Usagi's bedroom expecting to find her taking a nap, but instead she found a note in her place. She jumped up onto the bed to read what was on the sheet of notebook paper. It was written in Hiragana: "Luna, I have gone to the Tokyo Planet Academy. I'm sure those girls are not evil. Going to find out. Usagi-chan" "Oh no! What is she getting herself into now?" Clicking the communicator watch Usagi had left behind, Luna began to contact the others. ****************** Having decided Usagi should see the campus, the girls showed her all the new twists and turns of the school. "This place really has changed since last year," Pepper commented in Japanese to the blond. "I think it switched owners and they must have decided to change it. I must admit, the place was more comfortable last year than it is now. It seems to have a darker air to it. Maybe it's just me but after what happened at the concert..." The rest of the conversation was lost on Usagi, who was now busy thinking. "She doesn't seem to know anything about the enemy." Spying a water fountain and coming to the realization of how thirsty she was, Usagi excused herself for a moment and went to get a drink. She pushed the handle to start the water, but instead of the tiny stream she was expecting, a wave of water gushed from the fountain. The liquid puddled on the ground and took shape of a yoma. The creature sprung at Usagi, but a pair of familiar arms swept her from danger. She looked up into the loving face of Tuxedo Kamen. The other eight soldiers surrounded the yoma who was now puddled once again. It quickly reformed and began to send a spray of heated water at everyone. The girls dodged as the water burned through everything it touched. Each Sailor Soldier took their turn in attacking it. With fierce determination, their enemy shook off its injuries and tried to break free of the circle that had formed around it. "We can't let it escape," Pluto called, bringing her staff down on the yoma's head. Usagi quickly hid and changed into Eternal Sailor Moon. When she called upon her Silver Moon Rod once again it still would not appear. She watched helpless as her friends were taken down one by one. Even the element soldiers, who had just appeared, were unable to stop the creature. "Everyone, it's not fair! Why can't I help?" With tears running down her cheeks and a firm resolve, Eternal Moon rushed at the yoma. She screamed as it clutched her with its watery claws. She could feel her energy slowly being drained. When it was satisfied, it slung her to the ground. Eternal Sailor Moon laid there, limp as a rag doll, wishing with all her soul that she could save her friends. By her will alone, she managed to rise to her feet. A bright light surrounded her body, and a new strength filled her. "I will save everyone!" Eternal Sailor Moon's voice echoed off the walls. Suddenly, something took a hold of her hand. Eternal Moon glanced to find Tuxedo Kamen by her side. Together, they called upon their powers. Two staffs appeared in the air and moved to their free hands. Combining their strength, the couple sent a blast at the creature. Its shrill yells filled the air as it tried to attack. Before it was defeated it managed to send two blasts at the couple. One grazed Eternal Moon's head loosening most of the hair held in her odango. The other knocked the dark man in the face, bruising him and knocking the mask from his face. Through hazy eyes Tuxedo watched as the yoma shrunk into a black rose and once again, disintegrated. ****************** The element soldiers stared, shocked, at the unmasked man in the tuxedo. At the same time, it dawned on them he was the one they were meant to protect. Tuxedo Kamen was and still is their prince. They bowed to the couple with deep respect. "Endymion-sama, we are but your humble guardians, and we promise to protect you with our lives," Sailor Fire vowed. A stunned Tuxedo Kamen could only watch as the four girls looked up at him. As they did everyone finally saw their faces but they did not recognize them as the Academy girls. He stared as they ran from his sight. End Episode 02.