Wildfire by ViperInferno

Chapter 3: Failure, Again

Wildfire
By Viper Inferno
Chapter 3: Failure, Again
 
“You really are a great dancer,” a young woman commented, her gentle voice barely above a whisper, as she gazed into Kyodai’s eyes.
 
"Thank you, Princess," he replied, his eyes not averting from hers, “I have been practicing for years."
 
"I can tell," she replied with the same gentle voice. And as Kyodai gazed into her eyes, he noticed that all he could make of this princess was her eyes. Her form was but a silhouette, her hair difficult to make out, and her dress was but transparent fabric over her silhouette. Even her voice seemed more ambient than directed to him.
 
After a moment of gazing into each other’s eyes, another beautiful ocean-inspired song began and the couple began to move slowly to the serene melody. Sounds of the ocean sounded throughout the great hall, giving Kyodai and the princess the feeling of being underwater as they danced. The piano sounded away with a romantic melody while the strings section of the chamber orchestra provided the background music.
 
In the middle of the dance, the princess removed her head from Kyodai’s shoulder, gazed into his deep purple eyes, and wrapped both arms over his shoulders. As she gazed into his eyes, she immediately noticed the fire burning in them. And with the ocean glistening in hers, they danced to the captivating song with pure passion and emotion.
 
After the song, she gently laid her fingers on Kyodai’s cheek. “Thank you for the dance, Kyodai,” she said with her eyes glistening in her eyes.
 
Kyodai took that hand into his in response, “My pleasure, Princess.” She then let go, smiled at him, and quietly left the dance floor and walked toward the open balcony.
 
And before Kyodai knew it, he was standing out on that balcony. It was then that he realized where he was. Above him was the form of a beautiful and majestic palace, with a large crescent moon adorning the top of the large domed roof. It was overlooking a vast pond, glistening in not the Moon’s but the Earth’s light. He immediately concluded that this palace and his princess were of some kingdom on the Moon.
 
 “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” a voice said behind him. He turned around to find the very same princess walking out onto the open balcony to meet him. And just as in the dance room, when she leaned on the balcony railing next to him, Kyodai could only make out her eyes.
 
“Yeah,” Kyodai replied, “So many stars, billions of miles away. It’s wonderful such a destructive force such as those massive balls of fire could make the night sky look so beautiful from such a distance.”
 
“But, up close, it is just a burning mass of hydrogen and various other gases that gives life to all,” she added.
 
“I heard from my friend that the moon is a captivating site from Earth. With the water sparkling in the moonlight,” said Kyodai.
 
“The Earth makes a beautiful site from here. The waters glisten it its light too,” she said.
 
Kyodai then gazed into her beautiful baby-blue eyes to see the very same glistening of the ocean in her eyes that he had seen at the dance, “The Earth makes your eyes glisten beautifully.”
 
She advanced slowly towards him, seeing the same fire in his eyes, “And the fires of the sky burn beautifully in your eyes. So find me, my Prince of Mars.” She then wrapped her arms around the tops of his shoulders and kissed him with passionate love.
 
But halfway through the kiss, Kyodai pulled back from the princess, and noticed a rather sad look in her baby-blue eyes. “Find you?” he wondered.
 
“I am out there, somewhere,” the princess continued, “You know what my eyes look like. You know how they glisten like the peaceful blue ocean. Let your heart guide you and let my eyes be your beacon. Wherever you go, wherever you search in the world, no matter how difficult the journey, if you search for that beacon...your heart will guide you to it... and when you find the glistening of the ocean in a pair of baby-blue eyes...it is there where I will be waiting for you... I promise." Her last sentences echoed throughout the balcony as it, the palace, the pond, and the earth all slowly faded into the darkness.
 
 
That morning...
 
Kyodai sprung up from his bed, throwing the sheets from his chest in the process. “Baby-blue eyes that glisten in the moonlight just like the serene ocean,” he said to himself, “Perhaps that’s why Mako-chan wasn’t the one.”
 
“Are you talking to yourself again, Kyodai-kun,” another man’s voice mumbled to him as he to was waking up. And just as Kyodai was about to answer that question, the alarm clock went off next to Kyodai’s bed. He leaned over toward his night stand and quickly shut it off.
 
“No, just had another weird dream, that’s all,” Kyodai replied, not even looking over to his Physics classmate just waking up in the other bed in their hotel room.
 
“Same one as last night?” his classmate asked.
 
“Yes, the same dream again,” Kyodai replied. ‘That princess is out there, somewhere,’ he thought to himself as he tossed his legs over the side of the bed, ‘I can never see what she looks like. All I ever notice are those baby-blue eyes sparkling like the ocean. But is she back home in Juuban, or is she not even in Tokyo? Or maybe, just maybe, she could be in another country. I don’t know. But somehow, I have a feeling I’m getting close to her. So perhaps I’ll meet her as Tuxedo Inferno. Let her glistening eyes be your beacon, Kyodai.’
 
“Yeah, I get those dreams too and end up with restless nights,” his classmate said as he too threw his sheets off and threw his legs over the side of his bed to sit up, “C’mon, lets get some breakfast before the seminar.”
 
“Sure, I’ll go on ahead. Meet me there,” Kyodai replied as he stood from his med and walked over to his suitcase containing his clothes.
 
 
The Dark Kingdom...
 
After yesterday’s battle with the Sailor Team, Titanius had spent much of his time analyzing the data he had gathered on not only the Mars Prince, but also the Sailor Senshi which he helped in battle. He analyzed the circumstances of the battle, their tactics, and even how they interacted with each other. It took all of yesterday and much of the morning for him to finish going over all the data. Once finished, Titanius shut his computer off and left his chamber.
 
Despite studying his battle with the Sailor Senshi, he did lose to them, after all. And judging from what Kunzite had told him yesterday, he knew he was going to end up facing Queen Beryl’s wrath. So as he approached the throne room, he briefly paused to collect himself. And then, he opened the door and walked inside, where all 4 Shitennou had already arrived to discuss their next attack.
 
“Ah, Titanius, it’s great for you to finally drop in. I saw your battle yesterday,” Queen Beryl said upon seeing his entrance, and then raised her voice slightly, “You failed to destroy the Mars Prince, again, and after you had carried out what would’ve been a flawless plan. I can’t believe that I endorsed your supposedly ingenious mission only to see you mess it up.”
 
Titanius kneeled down before her as she gave him the verbal thrashing. Once she had finished, he glanced up to meet her eyes. “With all due respect, Queen Beryl-sama, defeating the Mars Prince was not part of my master plan,” Titanius defended, “Everything yesterday, including the battle and its outcome, went as planned.”
 
“What are you trying to say, Titanius?” Queen Beryl challenged.
 
“Yeah, Titanius,” Jadeite added.
 
“Enlighten us,” Zoisite also added.
 
“Why don’t you tell us what you really have planned,” Kunzite finished, “I told Queen Beryl-sama that you had something else planned. So you had better tell her.”
 
“My mission this whole week was to lure the Mars Prince and study him,” Titanius explained, “I wanted to study his methods, what draws him into battle, and how he interacts with the Sailor Senshi.”
 
“Studying is not good enough, Titanius,” Queen Beryl interrupted, “I hired you to do a job, and that was to destroy the Mars Prince and rid us of his meddling. You won’t get your pay until the Mars Prince is exterminated. Is that clear?”
 
“Understood, Queen Beryl-sama, but I did some planning last night after analyzing the data from yesterday’s battle,” said Titanius, finishing his previous statement.
 
“And what have you come up with?” Queen Beryl inquired.
 
“The Sailor Team still don’t trust him very much, especially that pyromaniac Sailor Mars and that muscle-head Sailor Jupiter. Tuxedo Mask doesn’t trust him much either. Only Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury seem to have any trust in him,” Titanius presented, rising to make his presentation.
 
“What are you trying to get at?” Queen Beryl badgered.
 
“He’s a powerful warrior and the Sailor Team doesn’t trust him. I think we should capitalize on that. He could make a powerful ally,” Titanius concluded.
 
“The Mars Prince, working for us?” Queen Beryl said, pondering his findings.
 
“Queen Beryl-sama, I love that plan,” said Kunzite.
 
“Titanius-san, you’re a genius,” Nephrite complemented.
 
“I like your strategy, Titanius. And I like your plan,” Queen Beryl praised, “So I’m going to count on you to bring that plan to fruition. Your mission is to capture the Mars Prince and bring him here. Use any means you deem necessary in bringing him to us.”
 
“And how will we make him ours?” Titanius wondered.
 
 “Don’t worry about that,” Queen Beryl sharply replied, “You just concentrate on bringing him here. I’ll make him ours myself.”
 
“Then the battle will have to be between him and me,” Titanius explained, “The senshi will get suspicious if they get involved. It may be tough, but I’ll have to lure just him.”
 
“I don’t care how you do it, Titanius. Just bring him here,” Queen Beryl ordered.
 
“Yes, Queen Beryl-sama,” Titanius replied. He gave her a quick British salute and then turned to leave the throne room and carry out his next mission.
 
“The Mars Prince as one of us, huh? That’ll be a glorious day for the Dark Kingdom,” Queen Beryl said to the 4 Shitennou before raising her voice, “You 4 had better start showing some progress in resurrecting our Great Leader. Titanius may have failed his last mission, but he’s showing a hell of a lot more initiative and tenacity than all 4 of you put together. Now get out of my face.”
 
All 4 Shitennou replied with a simple bow to their queen before teleporting away, leaving Queen Beryl to her crystal ball and her thoughts.
 
“With the Mars Prince on our side, that pesky Sailor Moon and her Sailor Senshi are a good as dead,” Queen Beryl said to herself as she filled the throne room with her evil laughter.
 
 
Hikawa Jinja...
 
Rei sat in the living room, waiting for her friends to arrive for the senshi meeting. Although she wanted to hold the senshi meeting yesterday after school, there was far too much going on at Juuban Junior High after the false fire at the school for a meeting to be held. Minako and Rei had made it to the shrine at the predetermined time, but Usagi and Ami had to wait on their parents to bring them home so the school could ensure that they were okay. Usagi had called Rei immediately after she had gotten home, and they decided to hold their meeting after today’s half-day classes.
 
So there Rei sat, waiting for her friends to show. It didn’t take long for the door to knock. Filled with anticipation, Rei went over to the door and opened it to let Ami and Minako inside. But as she was closing the door, a white streak flew through the door, narrowly missing getting locked out or even getting hit by the door. She turned around to find Artemis standing in the middle of the living room, panting.
 
Artemis caught his breath and turned to Rei, “Rei-chan, watch it when you close the door.”
 
“I’m sorry, Artemis,” Rei kindly apologized.
 
“You know I always accompany Minako-chan, and am not always carried by her,” Artemis added, “It’s okay, I accept your apology.”
 
After the three had gotten settled in the living room, Rei checked her watch to find that 15 minutes had gone by since Ami and Minako arrived, without much of a peep between them all. “Where’s Mako-chan and Usagi?” Rei wondered.
 
“They’re somewhere?” Minako responded.
 
“Usagi said she had to get Luna. But I don’t know where Mako-chan is,” Ami added.
 
“I just hope Usagi’s not late again,” Rei sarcastically commented.
 
And right as she had made the comment, there was a knock at the door right before it slid open. Before Rei could even stand up, Usagi and Makoto welcomed themselves right inside, with Luna in Usagi’s arms.
 
“Speak of the devil,” Rei commented, “If being late for a meeting wasn’t bad enough, you had to go off dragging poor Mako-chan into it as well.”
 
“Jeez Rei-chan, you never give up, do you,” Usagi argued.
 
“If you’re gonna be late, don’t drag us into it,” Rei scolded.
 
“But, you’re my friends, I would never do that on purpose,” Usagi pouted.
 
“You’re such a lollygagger,” Rei slandered, “You’re never on time for anything.”
 
“Why are you being so mean to me?” Usagi whimpered before she began to wail.
 
“Usagi-chan, it’s okay. Don’t let her get to you,” Makoto said, laying her hands on Usagi’s shoulders to comfort her. She then turned to Rei, “Rei-chan, she’s got a point you know. I went with her to her house and told her mother that she and I were coming over here.”
 
“Humph,” Rei snorted, dropping down on the floor with her arms crossed in defeat. Usagi and Makoto then joined the others around the big table in the middle of the living room, with Luna and Artemis taking their places right on the table.
 
“Hey Rei-chan? Are you sure it’s okay to hold the meeting now?” Usagi wondered.
 
“Yes, Usagi,” Rei replied, “Romano’s at soccer practice, Gabianni and Yuuichirou are out doing some shopping, and Grandpa’s still under the weather. And Kyodai doesn’t come back until Monday. So we have this room all to ourselves.”
 
“That’s good to hear,” said Usagi, “Shall we get started?”
 
“Yesterday was filled with the strangest of events,” Luna prompted.
 
“Yeah, I can’t believe Tidusu-san was Titanius,” Usagi stated, “How could a janitor as nice and friendly as Tidusu-san was turn out to be a member of the Dark Kingdom?”
 
“I can’t believe that he managed to secretly rig the entire school by himself,” Ami added.
 
“He’s seems to be an expert strategist,” Luna observed, “He’s one of the Dark Kingdom’s most powerful warriors. And the fact that they’re paying him to rid the universe of you seems to make him even more ambitious, and more dangerous.”
 
“His also had youmas of his own,” said Makoto, “And very powerful ones too.”
 
“He’s our primary threat right now. We need to keep on the look out for him,” Rei jumped in.
 
“It’s odd,” Usagi wondered, “We were able to easily defeat him since I destroyed his laser gun, but now he’s much more powerful.”
 
“He probably spent all that time since your last battle at your school training,” Artemis explained.
 
“And Tuxedo Inferno,” Minako brought up, “What about him?”
 
“He seems to be on our side,” said Usagi.
 
“He once again helped us out in battle,” said Ami.
 
“But he and Titanius seemed to be very interested in each other,” Rei explained, “It’s like Titanius laid off of us to go after him.”
 
“I still don’t trust him,” Makoto stated, surrendering to her suspicion, “He and Titanius could be playing some kind of trick on us, studying us.”
 
“I don’t trust him much either,” Rei added, “It’s not any kind of ruse that has me wondering, but it’s the fact that neither we nor Tuxedo Mask know who he is. I can’t even pick up on his aura to tell if he’s an ally or an enemy.”
 
“He is kind of cute,” said Minako, trying to look on the bright side, “And he’s such a great fighter.”
 
Luna cleared her throat to break up the discussion and add her own input to the rather rapid-fire meeting. “I personally don’t know whether to trust Tuxedo Inferno or not, especially since I have yet to meet him myself,” she explained.
 
“Even I don’t remember him that well,” Artemis added.
 
“So I think Tuxedo Inferno’s the least of our worries right now,” Luna continued, “Titanius is certainly not a force to be taken lightly. He’s powerful, he’s resourceful, and he’s ambitious. And he’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants. So I suggest you girls keep your communicators and pins handy.”
 
 “So is that all?” Usagi asked.
 
“I can’t think of anything,” Ami replied.
 
“I still don’t trust Tuxedo Inferno. I think he’s just pretending to be our friend like Tuxedo Mask used to do before he turned evil,” Makoto also replied.
 
“But Tuxedo Mask turned out to be our ally,” Usagi argued, “He only fought against us because the Dark Kingdom was controlling him.”
 
“And he’s Prince Endymion,” Ami added.
 
“Like I said, Mako-chan, Tuxedo Inferno’s the least of our worries,” said Luna, “So let’s focus on fighting the enemy we do know and worry about Tuxedo Inferno when he shows up.”
 
“I agree,” said Usagi as she stood up, “I have some shopping I want to do with Minako-chan. So I guess our meeting’s over.”
 
“Do be careful, everyone,” said Luna as the other girls stood and made their way toward the front door. Usagi took Luna into her arms and Minako took Artemis into hers and joined Makoto at the door. Meanwhile, Ami merely stayed seated at her table, having arranged a little studying with Rei after returning home from school last night. Usagi had slid into her shoes and turned back to Ami, “Goodbye, Ami-chan. Have fun studying.”
 
“Goodbye, Usagi-chan. I hope you and Minako-chan have a good time,” said Ami, waving at Usagi as she disappeared out the front door. Once alone, she turned back to Rei, “So Rei-chan, what do you want to do?”
 
“I thought we were going to study,” Rei questioned.
 
“I lied,” Ami said with a sheepish smile, “I don’t really have anything to study for, so I have a free weekend... that is, if Titanius doesn’t get his way.”
 
“I know what you mean,” Rei agreed as she began walking over to her room.
 
Ami stood and followed Rei to her room. Once inside, she looked around to discover that Rei had redecorated her room, adding more classic, antique, and Shinto-related décor. However, her bed and desk as well as her stereo still remained very modern. Rei took her seat on her bed while Ami sat on the chair at Rei’s desk.
 
“Rei-chan, in the time we’ve known each other, you never once told me you had a brother,” said Ami.
 
“Yes, I’m sorry I never told you guys, but I never talk about my family that much outside of what you see,” Rei explained, “Like I said when I first introduced him to you and everyone, he had moved with our Uncle Saki and Aunt Ryeka years before I ever met you.”
 
“Did he ever call you?” Ami curiously asked.
 
“Are you kidding? Not only did he call anytime he could, but he also visited often,” Rei replied, “He had just moved back in with us on the day before he met you and everyone.”
 
“I noticed all his trophies in the living room,” said Ami, “I can imagine that Ryo-kun’s collection is pretty big too. However, my own collection of academic trophies isn’t quite as big as Kyodai-san’s.”
 
“Well, that’s because he’s older than we are and he plays soccer,” Rei responded, “So of course he’s going to have more trophies. But I’ve seen yours, and you have a lot of trophies too from all your mock exams and academic competitions.”
 
“Well, Mother is proud of me and likes to show them off to our guests,” said Ami. After that, there was a moment of silence between them. Sure, Ami was always mindful of those who posted scores close to hers. In fact, Urawa Ryo’s score matching, even beating, hers was what had drawn interest from her. And now, it was Kyodai’s rather large collection of trophies that was sparking her interest. And that interest prompted her to break the silence between them. “Hey Rei-chan, can we see them?” she asked.
 
“Sure, that’s why I built the display case and put them there,” Rei replied as she stood up from her bed, “C’mon, I’ll show you.”
 
They walked out of Rei’s room and toward the display case, filled with nearly every soccer trophy, every academic trophy, and award that he had ever won. Ami gazed at the many soccer trophies from the time Kyodai was a kid, admiring their shimmering beauty. She quickly recognized the one he won at Juuban Junior High since it looked similar to the ones displayed at the school. She even noticed his individual achievement and Championship trophies. But what really caught her eye was his entire collection of academic awards and trophies. Many of them, like hers, were 1st place academic trophies and various mock exam awards.
 
“Wow, your brother was both smart and athletic,” Ami said with subtle admiration.
 
“He still is,” said Rei as she turned to walk toward Kyodai’s room, “Come with me, there’s more.”
 
Ami turned to follow Rei yet kept her eyes on the trophies for a brief second. They walked into Kyodai’s fairly clean room. His walls were littered with soccer posters, a couple Sailor V posters, and school spirit items from high school. Ami immediately noticed his cap & gown with his Salutatorian stole as Rei had walked over to one of Kyodai’s drawers and pulled out his high school yearbooks. She opened his yearbook from his junior year and turned to the massive soccer pages. She then waved Ami over to her.
 
“See, Ami-chan, High School Champions,” she said as she pointed to the bold print on the page and the picture of the championship team, “I have the ring from his second championship.”
 
“How’d you end up with his second ring?” Ami asked as she took Rei’s left hand into hers to examine the ring.
 
“When the OSA-P was getting the ring sizes for everyone on the team, Kyodai had his sized to fit my finger,” Rei explained, “He gave it to me as a gift for being there for him and supporting him so much.”
 
Ami smiled at the sound of Kyodai’s thoughtfulness and kindness. “It must be great to have a brother like him,” she commented.
 
Rei pulled her hand from Ami’s, closed the yearbook, and grabbed the one from his senior year. She opened it and showed Ami all the organizations and sports Kyodai was involved in, as well as his achievements.
 
“Wow. Class president, The Emperor’s Honor Roll, Kanto Region Honors, National Scholar, and the class Salutatorian. And he played on a champion soccer team on top of all that. He was a true Renaissance man,” Ami said in amazement, “You must be really proud of Kyodai.”
 
“Yeah, I’ve kept track of his progress after he moved away,” said Rei, “He may not have lived here, but we still remained close. It may not look like it all the time when he and I are together, but yes, I’m actually quite proud of him.”
 
After admiring Kyodai’s early years, Rei and Ami put his yearbooks away and then walked out of his room and back into Rei’s room.
 
 
After about an hour of girl talk, with Gabianni and Yuuichirou having already arrived home, both Rei’s and Ami’s communicator started sounding off. Ami was the first to grab hers and turned it on to see Luna’s face.
 
“Ami-chan, Rei-chan, there is a disturbance at Juuban Park,” Luna quickly explained, “It seems the Dark Kingdom has sent a youma to terrorize the people. Titanius could be behind this, so I’ll be going with you to observe and study him.”
 
“I understand. We’ll be there. Do be careful, Luna,” Ami replied.
 
“Titanius again?” Rei commented, “He just doesn’t know when to quit.”
 
“I was hoping that he wouldn’t ruin our weekend. Let’s go,” Ami said as they pulled out their henshin pins.
 
“Mercury, Power, Make-Up!”
 
“Mars, Power, Make-Up!”
 
 
Juuban Park...
 
After having transformed and flown through the Juuban district, Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury prepared themselves for whatever youma had decided to terrorize the people as they approached the park. Since Luna had not given them any details on the youma, all they could do was wonder what was in store for them when they arrived. However, when they did arrive at the park, all they found was a giant crab-like youma. Titanius was nowhere to be seen like Luna had earlier speculated. They also discovered that Sailor Moon was already battling with the giant king crab, so they took their places at her side and called out to the youma.
 
“Senshi of Water and Wisdom, I am Sailor Mercury!” Sailor Mercury announced, striking her battle pose.
 
“Senshi of Flame and Passion, I am Sailor Mars!” Sailor Mars also announced, striking a similar battle pose, “We won’t let you cause destruction and chaos in this beautiful park.”
 
“In the name of Mercury...” Sailor Mercury began.
 
“...and in the name of Mars...” Sailor Mars added.
 
“...you’ll be punished!” they finished together.
 
“Am I glad you guys are here,” said Sailor Moon at the sound of her friends’ voices.
 
“Where’s Luna?” Sailor Mercury wondered, looking around the park, “She said she was going to be watching this battle.”
 
“Over there by the tree,” Sailor Moon replied as she pointed over to a nearby sycamore tree where Luna was witnessing the battle.
 
Suddenly, as Sailor Moon pointed Luna out to the other two senshi, the large youma lunged at Sailor Moon.
 
“Sailor Moon, watch out,” Sailor Mars exclaimed. She pushed Sailor Moon aside and stood in front of the youma as it charged. The youma quickly grabbed Sailor Mars in its pincer and began to squeeze her like a vise. But Sailor Mars reacted quickly and engulfed her hands in flames. She grabbed its pincer and set it ablaze, causing the youma to release her and wince in pain.
 
While Sailor Mars was busy with the youma, Sailor Mercury had her goggled donned and her computer out and was studying the creature. “As with any crab-like youma, this one is a water type,” she explained, “It tends to find refuge in rivers, lakes, and even oceans. Thunder is its weakness, although I’ve found fried king crab to be an excellent dish myself.”
 
“Thank you for all that lovely input, Mercury-chan,” Sailor Mars sarcastically said, “I always knew my powers would be good for cooking.”
 
“Can I eat it after we kill it?” Sailor Moon ecstatically asked.
 
“Is food all you ever think about?” Sailor Mars criticized, “We need to vanquish this oversized crab before it causes us any more problems.”
 
“Hey, I’m the leader here, not you,” Sailor Moon argued.
 
“Then act like one and help us defeat it,” suggested Sailor Mars.
 
Suddenly, a beam of light smashed the youma as it was advancing on the bickering duo, sending it flying into the lake. The three senshi turned toward the origin of the beam and found that Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter had arrived on the scene.
 
“Venus-chan, Jupiter-chan,” Sailor Moon gleefully said. But neither senshi was paying any attention as they both glanced out toward the lake where the youma ended up splashing into.
 
“I wonder if I defeated it,” said Sailor Venus.
 
“I doubt it,” Sailor Mercury replied, “It thrives in the water.”
 
With that bit of information, Sailor Jupiter stepped forward and in front of Sailor Venus. “If it thrives in the water, then I’ll just have to flush it out with a little jolt,” she said as an antenna extended from her tiara. She crossed her arms in front of her and a bolt of lightning struck her tiara to charge her attack. “Supreme Thunder!”
 
She threw her arms forward, launching bolts of deadly lightning into the lake. Its electric power surged throughout the lake as it entered, electrocuting everything in it, including the youma. After jolting it for a few seconds, the youma flew out of the water and landing a hundred meters behind the senshi. As the youma slowly staggered to its feet, Sailor Jupiter dashed over to it. She grabbed a hold one of its pincers and swung it around like she was doing the hammer throw. She then released it, sending it flying into the sycamore tree where Luna was sitting on.
 
She reacted quickly and bolted down from the tree and away from the flying youma just before it connected. “Sailor Jupiter, would be so kind as to watch where you are throwing?” she kindly scolded.
 
“Sorry Luna, I didn’t know you were over there,” said Sailor Jupiter with beads of sweat dripping from her forehead.
 
“My tiara will be enough to finish it off,” Sailor Moon said as she removed her tiara and quickly charged her attack, “Moon Tiara Action!”
 
She threw her tiara at the fallen youma, striking it in the face and utterly destroying it. “Fried crab, on the house,” Sailor Moon yelled to her friends, “Who wants a leg?”
 
“Sailor Moon, would you stop thinking about food and concentrate on the matter at hand,” Sailor Mars demanded, “Luna, why did the gluttonous Usagi have to be the leader? Why not me?”
 
“Because I stand for love and justice, I’m Sailor Moon, and I’m the Princess,” Sailor Moon cut in.
 
“Yeah right, all you stand for are eating and crying,” Sailor Mars argued.
 
“Am not,” Sailor Moon argued back.
 
“Are too,” Sailor Mars retorted.
 
“Am NOT.”
 
“Are TOO.”
 
“Girls, stop your bickering right this instant,” Luna sharply ordered.
 
Both girls’ heads dropped at Luna’s rather harsh treatment. “Yes Luna,” they said in unison.
 
“This youma was easy to defeat,” Sailor Mercury observed.
 
“Yeah, a little too easy,” Sailor Jupiter agreed, “Why would the Dark Kingdom send in such a weak youma to attack the people, especially when they’ve been sending in stronger and stronger ones?”
 
“Who knows, maybe somebody over there lost a few screws,” suggested Sailor Venus.
 
“This is rather unusual behavior from the Dark Kingdom. I’ll have to contact Artemis and find out what he thinks,” said Luna.
 
“Well, there’s no use in us standing here still in our senshi guises trying to figure it all out,” said Sailor Mars, “Ami-chan and I had better be getting back home and... continue our studies.” Rei did her best to hide the fact that she and Ami weren’t really studying, but rather having some more mellow time together without Usagi’s boisterous personality to keep things interesting. So Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury turned and ran back toward the Hikawa Jinja and out of sight.
 
“Well, I’d better be getting home too,” said Sailor Moon as she too turned to leave the park.
 
“Stay alert Sailor Team,” Luna yelled as the rest of the girls headed home.
 
 
The Dark Kingdom...
 
Queen Beryl had witnessed the entire battle on the large image projected in front of her by her crystal ball. She personally wanted to see the battle through since she was quite eager to make the Mars Prince one of her minions. However, she growled in anger at the sight of the crab-like youma being easily defeated by the Sailor Senshi. She couldn’t bear it anymore and immediately ordered the free-floating image to vanish. “Titanius, get your ass in here. Now!” she immediately yelled loud enough for the whole Dark Kingdom to hear her, causing her many minions lining the walls to cower in fear.
 
Moments later, Titanius and Kunzite walked into the vast, arguing with one another over something that Queen Beryl was too angry to pay any attention to. “Excuse me, guys,” she said, trying to get their attention and stop their bickering. However, Titanius’ and Kunzite’s arguing only grew louder as they got closer to Queen Beryl’s throne.
 
“HEY!” she screamed, causing the entire of the throne room to quake. All but only a few of her minions in her throne room cowered even more at the volume of her resonant voice. “Oh no, you two are in trouble now,” one of her minions teased.
 
“Yes, it’s not nice to piss our Queen Beryl-sama off like that,” another random minion added.
 
 Titanius and Kunzite however, abruptly stopped their bickering and gazed at Queen Beryl in fear, their skin pale as a ghost. “Yes, Queen Beryl-sama?” they gasped in unison.
 
“How the hell could you send such a weak youma?” Queen Beryl said in disappointment, “That youma would’ve been better off on my dinner plate than in battle.”
 
“With all due respect, Queen Beryl-sama, my intention was to lure Tuxedo Inferno for me to nab him, not to destroy him,” Titanius explained.
 
“You failed your objective, you pathetic excuse for a bounty hunter,” Queen Beryl berated, “If I wasn’t paying you, I’d severely punish you for carrying out a mission as blatantly pathetic as just now.”
 
“My apologies Queen Beryl-sama, but luring Tuxedo Inferno alone is pure luck.” says Titanius.
 
“Not exactly,” Kunzite jumped in, with a light bulb clicking on in his head, “Before we hired you, I use to send soldiers out quite often. And often times, I would attract just the Mars Prince, or Tuxedo Inferno as he calls himself. Even Zoisite once attracted him alone. So it’s not pure luck that we get his attention.”
 
“I think I see where you’re going,” said Titanius, remembering some of the studying he had done on Tuxedo Inferno.
 
“I say we send in a soldier to do some scouting,” suggested Kunzite.
 
“But how does that attract Tuxedo Inferno?” Titanius questioned, trying to piece together his studies with Kunzite’s suggestion.
 
“He seems to have some kind of 6th sense, like he senses when we’re near,” says Kunzite, “It’s especially true with his connection with that pyromaniac as you had earlier observed. Putting her in great danger almost guarantees an appearance by Tuxedo Inferno.”
 
“But that is not the objective. Titanius is supposed to be luring the Mars Prince without the Sailor Senshi interfering,” Queen Beryl interrupted before taking a brief pause, “However, I like do your idea on how to attract Tuxedo Inferno alone. Titanius, Kunzite, send in a soldier to scout around all over Tokyo. He has to be around there somewhere. And keep him inconspicuous so he doesn’t get the Sailor Senshi’s attention as well”
 
“You got it Queen Beryl-sama,” Kunzite replied, bowing to his queen.
 
“Actually, Kunzite-kun, we’ll send two in succession of one another just in case he defeats the first soldier,” Titanius suggested, “He’s quite powerful and has shown the ability to defeat our soldiers. If that happens, we’ll just use the second one to take him when he’s exhausted from killing the first one.”
 
“Very well, Titanius. Carry on,” Queen Beryl ordered.
 
“Yes, Queen Beryl-sama,” Titanius replied as he gave her a British salute and turned to leave the throne room.
 
“This plan sounds a hell of a lot better than Titanius’ first pathetic attempt,” Queen Beryl said to herself. “With their ingenious plan, the Mars Prince will be as good as ours in no time. I just hope they can succeed in bringing him to me.” And with those final thoughts, she filled the entire throne room with her evil laughter, drawing cheers from her many minions lining the walls.

end of chapter 3
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Disclaimer: As usual, Sailor Moon and most of the characters ain't mine, but belong to Naoko Takeuchi. And God bless that woman for creating such great entertainment for all of us with a lot of free time on our hands to enjoy. The English dub belongs to DiC Entertainment and Cloverway, and I only thank them for bringing' it to America, nothin' more. But Russell Hino/Hino Kyodai, Tuxedo Inferno, Titanius, and Deanna Kokorono/Kokorono Meijin are MINE (in a growling voice). So, please don't sue me. I'm just a lonely man who ain't got anythang but his pride. Well, y'all enjoy this fanfic and e-mail me.

Have fun Sailor Moon fans,
Viper Inferno (Y2V)
 

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