The End of the Millennium: Guardian's Return A Xian Shade Production Author's Note: Finally, some reviews! See, it wasn't that hard, was it? I'd enjoy some further criticism, and perhaps some insight. While the chapters are already written, I feel they could use more. You may be wondering where all the R rated stuff is. Most of it is my foul- mouthed author's notes and comments at the bottom. But much later we'll see some gore and sickening stuff... not including romance, but there will be some of that too. :B Now onto the legal shit. Disclaimer: I don't own any aspects of Sailor Moon or Phantasy Star. If I did, this would be animated or a manga or both and you wouldn't be reading it right now. Thanatos and any other characters are © Xian Shade, and may not be used without my permission. People failing to follow this rule have broken Xian's Law #849, paragraph 3, line 2: Don't fuck with my shit. NEW THINGS: Tilde's between sentences represent a foreign language, translated for us to read. Guardian's Return, Chapter 4: "Ami-chan... what the heck happened?" Usagi asked, touching the dip in the blacktop, where people were gathering to see the mystery of the crushed car, emergency medical crews trying to wrench the doors open to save the very-scared but uninjured people inside. There were enough people that nobody could see her scanning the affected area, but the cramped space wasn't much fun to work in. "Well from what I can tell, the car stopped due to a sudden and very powerful increase in gravity, right at this point. The increase blew out the tires, and the weakest point of the car, namely the hood, collapsed from it, shattering the glass." "So this circle all around the car..." "...means that this was focused. An attack, maybe. But was it aimed at the car, or at Samuru-san?" she looked up at a beep on her computer, seeing a shady figure on a rooftop that quickly vanished upon being spotted. "Let's get back to the shrine. It's too crowded here for my taste." Rei suggested, and they moved out of the emergency area like the medics were asking people to do in the first place. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elsewhere: ~"You're home early."~ Echoed from a near-empty chamber, rounded on all ends save for the floor, after the heavy metal door slammed behind the one that stormed inside. ~"There's a problem. We were followed... in more ways than one."~ Samuru told the three others, who stood in the empty darkness. ~"Explain."~ One said. ~"I went to infiltrate the school, kept my cover low, socalized with few people. Then they jumped me. There was at least two dozen of them in the middle of the courtyard during a break period. I waited until the other students were clear, and I wiped them out with assistance from the targets... but that obviously means we were followed. They couldn't know the same information we do."~ ~"And the other way?"~ the second observed the comment. ~"A group of girls. They hadn't gotten clear when the attack happened, and they followed me partway here."~ He explained, still clutching his side. ~"Were you able to make contact?"~ a dark blue set of eyes shone from the first being. ~"I wasn't able to tap in, but I'm certain it's them."~ He sighed. ~"Patch yourself up. We're going hunting."~ The second spoke, red eyes glowing from the darkness as he turned to leave. Sam's eyes glowed green as the red eyed one passed. ~"Listen. This world reeks of the darkness... but it's older than the beings I found. Our targets are definitely here. We wipe this planet clean, we find our targets, and we get out of here."~ Samuru told the red one. ~"...And we're not to kill anything but the dark ones. You got that?"~ The red eyed being growled and sighed, nodding in affirmation, then spoke himself, back to their blue-eyed companion. ~"One last thing. We may need some mojo tonight. I sense a powerful conflict approaching."~ Meanwhile: During the walk home, Rei finally spoke up. "I've been getting a weird vibe from that guy all day. It's a strange one. I can't say for sure whether it's bad or not. He turned those creatures into dust with his bare hands, and I wouldn't say that's normal. The fact that his aura just vanished doesn't help his defense either. I felt that other presence also, Ami-chan. You didn't say anything, but I saw you look too." Makoto nodded. "I may be pretty strong, but there's no way I'd be able to hit most of those things without hurting my hand, much less destroying them!" "Could this be the one from the message?" Ami wondered to nobody in particular. "What's bothering me is those monsters... the sacred fire never with-holds information about our enemies. Could the force we face be so powerful that we can't sense it? It could have been here since before Galaxia came!" Rei ground her teeth, kicking a stray stone that stuck up in the path. "In any event, we know the message arrived in time, and that it was accurate. You should try to see if your contact DOES know something, Rei-chan." Ami explained. They headed for the Hikawa Shrine, and sat before the fire, as Rei prayed to it in silence. "Sacred fire, I am the flame. We seek your wisdom. Grant us the knowledge of our enemy and the one that's destroyed them. Tell us of the demon that plague's Ami's dreams." Nothing. The flame whipped about more violently, but did not speak to her. 'C'mon Ares,' she thought out to him. 'Don't leave me hanging here. We need answers.' Still the fire only crackled. "It's no good. I'm not getting anything." "Could it be broken?" Minako asked in her simple blondish manner. "Fires don't break, Mina... they burn out." Makoto corrected her, groaning. As if on cue, an explosion rocked the courtyard of the shrine, and the sacred flame indeed whipped and burned out. Whether from the lack of fire or not, the air seemed to darken and chill. An immense evil was here, and it overwhelmed Rei's senses. "No, not here..." she whispered, fear clearly showing from her eyes. Usagi poked an eye around the corner of the doorway, spotting a shaded form crouched on the ground. It stood, revealing a man with dark raven hair, covered in broad-expanse black armor, with a cape to match. The scorched area that he stood upon crackled with dark purple energy. He looked around for a moment, then shouted. "HEAR ME SAILOR SOLDIERS, FOR I KNOW YOU ARE NEAR! I AM ZIO, EMISSARY OF THE MIGHTY DARK FORCE! YOUR TIME IS NOW, CREATURES OF LIGHT! FACE ME!" "What should we do?" Usagi asked. "Rei, our enemy's never tried to face us outright... You don't think this is our new enemy now? This Zio guy?" Rei lowered her eyebrows, grasping her transformation crystal. "Whether he is or not, if it's a fight he wants, it's a fight he's gonna get!" "Right!" "MARS CRYSTAL POWER!" "MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER!" "JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER!" "VENUS CRYSTAL POWER!" "MOON ETERNAL POWER!" The five scouts transformed, but stayed out of sight from their enemy. Zio continued to look around, and then turned away from their direction. "Now or never guys!" Venus whispered. "VENUS, LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!" The heart shaped blast tore through the wall to their assailant. Zio spun around and grabbed the heart blast, crushing the power in a fist, the energy shattering and making a sound much like broken glass. He found his assailant, locking his coal black eyes with Venus'. He grinned and gestured his left hand out to the side and bowed his head, a slight chuckle forming in his throat. "So you've decided to fight? A choice I certainly wouldn't have made if I were in your position." Zio hissed through clenched teeth, his mood going from humorous to angered to gentlemanly in the space of moments. "...but since I'm sporting, I'll let you see if you can even hurt me before I destroy you all!" He raised his arms saying this, flames pouring from his hands, as though they were on fire. "Come then! Show me what you've got!" "MARS, FLAME SNIPER!" was shouted as Rei wasted no time, firing a blazing arrow from above, upon the roof. It was sent spearing toward Zio's chest and the fire extinguished as it touched him, as though it hit a wall. "JUPITER, OAK EVOLUTION!" Jupiter called out, the razor like beams of energy targeted at every aspect of Zio. Unfortunately, the attack had the similar effect, as each leaf beam went out upon contact. "This is all you've got? Pathetic!" Zio laughed, the smoke from his flames forming a cloud above. Sailor Moon looked worried and turned to Mercury. "Mercury, what's going on? Can you get any readings on this guy?" "I'll try," she said, activating her visor. The view screen showed the truth, and energy readings were off the scale. "Venus, try your crescent beam. I need to check something." Sailor Venus wasn't sure about that. The crescent beam was one of the powers she began her life as a senshi with, and more powerful ones were available now. Still, she complied, and confirmed the belief when the first time she fired, the beam seemed to ricochet, and thesecond time (at Mercury's request) the beam actually BENT out of Zio's path and around him. "It's what I thought... Zio has already erected a barrier that's negating our attacks!" "So what do we do?" Rei asked. "That's not all... the smoke he's releasing is emitting an energy signature as well..." "Giving up so soon?" Zio taunted. "Well, I'm afraid your time is up!" they watched in horror as the flames in his hands were put out, and the intent of his attack shown. Zio looked up at the cloud he created and smiled, a sinister laugh growing in his throat. The scouts looked at it too... ...and it looked back! Glowing eyes, claws, and a rotten maw gaped down at the scouts, letting out a glass-shattering screech, the scouts' hands clapped over their ears. Trees caught fire as lightning struck from the dark nimbus. Mercury squeezed her eyes shut and froze, this sceneall too familiar. The monster from her dream and from her former life was slowly blotting out the sky, staring them down. "My Lord Dark Force, I bring you this sacrifice!" Zio exclaimed. Its laugh boomed throughout the city, it's very voice sending chills through the scouts and people for miles around. It pointed at them and energy crackled from its outstretched finger... ...and it stopped when Zio grabbed a rose that was thrown at him. "The evil of this world has been vanquished several times before! You face the mightiest warriors of the planet, and still expect to come away laughing! I won't allow it!" Tuxedo mask shouted, leaping down from the light pole he stood upon. And when he touched to the ground, he fell to one knee, then flat on his face...the scouts gasped in horror, as they barely saw it coming... ...There was a scorched hole burned straight through his chest, and out his back by the Dark Force. ------------------------------------------------------------------- TBC.