SAILOR MOON: DARK JEWEL by: Marie Kelly CHAPTER 3 A cold pale, hand grasped the brass knob, and twisted. Slowly... slowly...the door slid open, the lack of any squeak showing how well the hinges were oiled, how new and modern it was. "New....modern..." a slight chuckle rose in the girl's throat, and she smiled wickedly. "The new becomes the old, and the old the dead--" she pushed the door open some more. "Yet the timeless...that is *forever*." Standing just outside her bedroom door, she peered in, fixated at the sight...the wondrous site she had created! "Nephrite," There was no emotion in Naru's voice, only a strange tone...unplacable, and unnoticeable unless you knew you were to look for it. {Naru,} thought Nephrite, unable to talk, his spirit glued to his body. How long ago was it she was the sweet girl that had fallen in love with him? Now...now O'T'Shan had her. "They killed you, darling," she whispered, softly. "The Sailor Senshi...you owe your deaths to them." Gently she walked up to his corpse, and drew her fingers over his lips slowly...softly... gently. "But, sweetheart, you will have your revenge. I will kill them for you." {No....Naru...don't do it! Fight him, please...} His thoughts fell to empty ears, as Naru stood back. "They will die." Her voice was cold, and determined. She looked to the floor. "All I have to do is find out who they are. That should not be difficult. After all, I have the Dark Jewel." On the floor was a pentagram, with a different colored candle at each point. One candle was white, one was yellow, one was green, one was blue, and one was red. The pentagram was covered with strange runes, archaic. It seemed to have been carved into the ground. Naru grasped the Dark Jewel firmly in her left hand, and took a rod made out of willow in her right. Stepping inside the pentagram, she drew a perfect circle outside the pentagram, then chanted some words that seemed to be of bastardized Latin. The circle, which before had been invisible, flamed up, and soon yet another scorch mark decorated Naru's floor. Perfect. None should destroy this. She faced the white candle, and pointed the Dark Jewel at it. "Oh, Dark Jewel. Sailormoon is mine enemy. I may not have the power to destroy her as a Sailor Senshi! I beseech thee, show me her true identity, that I may destroy her!" The Dark Jewel began glowing, and the glow hit the wick. A perfect white flame leapt up, and inside the candle's flame Naru saw visions. Sailormoon, dressed in her Sailor fuku and tiara appeared. "Reveal thyself!" she screamed, and in the candles flames, Sailormoon's tiara slowly dissipated, her red hair buttons vanished, and her fuku reworked itself into a school uniform. Naru's eyes widened, and she stared, uncomprehending, at the sight before her. "Usagi? Tsukino Usagi? *She's* Sailormoon....?" She narrowed her eyes, and an undeniably pleasurable expression crossed her face. "I was growing weary of Usagi. It will be good to catch two rabbits with one snare." She giggled, and would have enjoyed her little joke further, had she not had more pressing business to complete. She turned towards the yellow candle, and held the Dark Jewel out to it. "Oh, Dark Jewel. Sailorvenus is mine enemy. She is strange, and new. I may not have the power to defeat her as a Sailor Senshi! I beseech thee, show me her true identity, that I may destroy her!" The Dark Jewel glowed, as before, and the yellow candle lit, a perfect red flame. In the flame, Naru saw the sight of Sailorvenus. "Reveal thyself!" she screamed and, once again, the power of the Dark Jewel worked. Sailorvenus's tiara vanished, and her orange fuku faded to a sort of non-color, and started growing on her. Her front bow reworked itself into an ascot, and her uniform gained the colors of red and white. Naru frowned. She did not know this girl's name. "Never mind...." she whispered. "I know what she looks like. That is all that matters. I shall find out who she is soon enough." She turned towards the green flame, giddy with her success. "Sailorjupiter in mine enemy! She is tough and strong! I may not have the power to defeat her as a Sailor Senshi! I beseech thee, show me her true identity, that I may destroy her!" The glow hit the wick of the green candle, and the green candle, like the others, leapt up in green flame. In the flame, Naru saw Sailorjupiter. "Reveal thyself!" she screamed. "Kino Makoto?" Naru stared at the picture that had revealed itself in the flame. The green and pink of her fuku had faded to brown and white, as her tiara had slid off her forehead. Her fuku reworked itself into a brown uniform, with lacing up the top. "So, the amazon is Sailorjupiter? Creatures that like to fight so are destined to die young...." Only two more. She could not fail. She turned towards the blue candle. "Sailormercury is mine enemy! She is weak of offense, yet strong of defense! I may not be able to destroy her as a Sailor Senshi. I beseech thee, show me her true identity, that I may destroy her!" It was the same for Mercury as it had been for the others. A glow of the jewel, a flash of blue light, the screaming of "Reveal thyself!" and the fuku melting into the school uniform of the genius girl with the 300 IQ, Amy Mizuno. "Ami...Mizuno Ami. So, She's Sailormercury. She doesn't seem to be a warrior...yet their personalities are so similar. I should have seen it sooner." The final one. Sailormars. Facing the red candle, Naru held the Dark Jewel out to it. "Sailormars is mine enemy. She is spiritual, and fiery. I may not be able to destroy her as a Sailor Senshi. I beseech thee, show me her true identity, that I may destroy her!" The Dark Jewel's glow struck the red candle, and a red flame burst up. Hino Rei's eyes opened wide, and she sat up on her futon, breathing heavily. She sensed evil...such *intense* evil. Where was it? She grabbed her ofuda, trying to sense out the location of the evil. Naru glared at the red candle. "Something is...amiss," she whispered. She held the Dark Jewel out to it, and let the energy oft he glowing gem enter the candle's flame. Rei clutched her chest, as the evil washed over her. Perhaps...was she the evil? It seemed to be coming from outside of her, yet it was also a part of her, invading her. NO! She couldn't let it! Rei drew the ofuda up to her face, and closed her eyes. In the flame, the form of Sailor Mars appeared. "Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen." The chant was slow at first, the words barely breathed, yet gained in speed and volume as it continued. "REVEAL THYSELF!" "ARKUYOU TAISAN!" Rei threw the charged ofuda on herself. In the flame the fuku of Mars dissipated, and formed itself into a white gi, and vermillion hakima. It was only there for but a second, before the flame was snuffed out, and the picture with it. It was enough, though. "That girl at the temple. Usagi's friend...Hino Rei." Rei peeled the ofuda off her forehead, breathing heavily. The evil....it was gone. But it wasn't. Rei sensed the evil still existed, and it filled her with fear. She had never been the type to feel such fear...Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, and that new man, Kunzite, were not able to fill her with fear such as this. This was a new evil, a pure evil. Rei stood up. She knew she would not get any sleep. The fire burned constantly, its bright orange flame leaping majestically towards the sky, yet never quite touching, the flame wild, free, yet contained. It could not truly be contained, she knew. Physically, it could--the boundaries were easily defined. Spiritually, the fire was free to roam as it pleased, never being tamed, yet giving guidance to those who sought it. The raven tressed maiden, clothed in her gi and hakima of white and red, pure colors, stood alone in the room, staring at the fire. "Such evil..." she whispered. "I must find out what it is." She had never done a fire reading in the middle of the night. She preferred to sleep, and always, before, she had been able to wait if she sensed something in the middle of the night. This evil, however, though it no longer possessed her, still existed. She could not wait. She *had* to find out what it was. Her fingers were placed together, as she knelt before the fire. Under her breath, the Shinto Shrine Maiden chanted. Naru stared at the extinguished red candle. "No...this is not good," she whispered, and knelt down next to it, touching the Dark Jewel to the wick. "She was able to extinguish my flame." Naru closed her eyes, and the red flame lit up again. Deep within her chant, Rei sensed the intrusion of the evil once again. "So," Naru looked at the flame. "Rei thinks to discover who we are by a fire reading? The flames shall grasp her, and burn her to a crisp. We'll like that, won't we?" Nephrite started. What--what did Naru say? Did she say "we"? No...no, it couldn't be. He remembered, unwillingly...he remembered. "Nephrite," Queen Beryl had said, her claws scraping her crystal ball. "My father enjoyed a good game. He would possess a person, and take their minds. They would think for themselves, for a bit, then would revert to we, as though they and my father were the same. Then, they would refer to themselves as I, yet the I referred to my father. He would leave them, then....and the weak soul would be destroyed." Nephrite had bowed. "My Queen, why are you telling me this?" "Your actions with Naru remind me of my father. Remember his fate." "Yes, my Queen." It was! So soon! Nephrite stared at Naru. O'T'Shan's control over her...so strong, so powerful...had reached the "we" stage already. "Sailormars shall be the first to die. How apropos that the Soul of Fire dies by the flame." NO! Nephrite could not permit that! He did not care if Sailormars...Hino Rei...lived or died. She was nothing more than a Sailor Senshi. However, he *loved* Naru, and would not let O'T'Shan get her fully. She would not be destroyed because of a *game*! Rei had knowledge. Perhaps her fire readings could alert the Sailor Senshi to the enemy, O'T'Shan, whom they could destroy, and save Naru. To save Rei, however, he would have to leave his body...his sanctuary.. Sweat dripped down Rei's face. Never had a vision been this long in coming. There was also fear, yet she could not let the fear intrude on her, it would only weaken her. "Flame," whispered Naru. "Hear us. Grasp the girl, and keep her in your fingers. Do not release her until SHE IS DEAD!" Threads from the Dark Jewel entered the candle, and began seeping around the Sacred Fire Such pain! Such agony! Nephrite gasped, in horror. His eyes rolled in the back of his head, and he began shaking. True, it was awful! "Naru," he whispered. "I must...be calm. I must...I must...save Naru....." The evil was closer, almost touching her. Rei continued to chant, knowing that *something* must happen soon. Naru glared. Strange, the flame should have obeyed the Dark Jewel by now. This Hino girl certainly was strong...yet not strong enough. Nephrite's spirit fled towards the Cherry Hill Temple, knowing that Raye's life hung in the balance. If he could only reach her in time... The Dark Jewel touched upon the flames, and the flames began reacting, drawing themselves towards the meditating girl. A dark shape threw itself between Rei and the flames, there was an explosion, and all was black. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. A steady beeping sound entered Rei's ears. Strange...this didn't feel like her bed. Eyes still closed she tried to sit up. "Rest, Miss Hino," said a strange voice, one that she had never heard before. Rei opened her eyes, and found herself in a room with a dull green color scheme. An IV dripped into her left arm, her chest was hooked up to a heart monitor, and tubes fed oxygen to her nose. "What...where am I?" She could deduce that she was in a hospital, she only did not know *which* hospital. "Tokyo General," the nurse replied. "Why...why am I here? Can I have visitors?" As if in answer to the latter question, her grandfather burst in. "Rei!" he called. "Ssshhh!" the nurse rebuked him. "Grandfather," Rei smiled at the small, old man. She turned to the nurse. "Would you mind leaving us alone?" Her grandfather looked serious, more so than he usually looked. Nodding grimly, the nurse left, closing the door. "Grandfather, do you know why I'm here?" Rather than answer her question, the old man replied something seemingly unrelated. "I don't want you to do fire readings any more." Rei gasped. "Grandfather! You can't mean that!" {I have to find out what the evil is.} "But....why?" "You nearly died." Died? Rei did not even bother to hide her surprise. "How?" Her grandfather answered the question she did not ask. "You were doing a fire reading, in the middle of the night." Rei nodded. That much was true. "Yuuichirou woke up when he heard a thump. He went to investigate and saw you, lying there, still as death. He went up to you, and saw you were not breathing. He also could not find a heartbeat. He knew CPR, and called an ambulance. Rei, if Yuuichirou hadn't been there you'd be dead!" Rei soaked in all her grandfather told her. So, *that* was why she Was in the hospital. Yet, why had a fire reading done all that? It was the evil. "Rei, I want you to promise me you won't do any more fire readings." Rei looked at her grandfather. She hated to let him down, yet.... This evil was powerful, it had nearly killed her. She had to find out what it was. "Grandfather..." she whispered. "Mr. Hino," at that moment, the nurse chose to reenter the room. "Your granddaughter needs her rest." Silently thanking the nurse for returning at that moment, Rei closed her eyes. She was rather tired.... "Miss Hino, you have visitors." Rei sat up in bed. She was glad. A few hours earlier, she had been moved to a regular ward, since it was clear that her life was no longer in jeopardy. Still, she was not allowed to leave the hospital yet. Three girls entered the room...one had short blue hair, and blue eyes; one was taller than the rest, with green eyes and brown hair loosely done up in a ponytail. One, however, could not be seen. She was hiding behind a pink bunny rabbit. The girl put the bunny on Rei's bed, revealing a sweet face, with blue-eyes and tails coming out of odangos. "Hi, guys, Rei said. "Rei-chan," Ami, the blue one, looked concerned. "What happened?" "I was doing a fire reading...there's a new evil." "A new evil?" Usagi looked scared, and she picked up the bunny rabbit, and held it to her chest. "Don't we have enough evils?" "Maybe if you'd fight, instead of whine, we could destroy this evil!" Rei instinctively snapped. She did not hate Usagi; in many ways, she was fond of the crybaby. Still, somebody had to tell Usagi how things were, without sugarcoating it. Usagi's response was to be expected. "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! You're So mean, Rei-chan!" "Hmmph..." Rei tilted her chin. "At least I'm not a dumpling head." "Guys, chill." Though she was tough, and could easily beat the others into submission, Makoto chose to act as a peaceful moderator. "We've got to find out what this new evil is." "That's right," said a strange, young, female voice. The others turned towards it, and saw a girl they did not recognize in the door. She was dressed in a blue skirt, and white top, with red ascot. Her hair was the same length as Mars, only it was blonde and pulled back into a bright red bow. "Who are you?" Makoto asked suspiciously, her hands balled into fists. "I'm one of you. I'm Aino Minako." Minako? The others stared at her, and slowly, her features became similar. Usagi was the first to speak. "Sailor Venus!?" she squealed, causing Ami and Makoto to clap their hands over her mouth. Minako apparently didn't notice this faux pas, for she simply flipped her hair. "That's me," she smiled proudly. "Wow...so your name is Minako?" Usagi's voice was quieter. From the yards of blonde hair, came a voice. "That's right. There is an evil. And you've got to stop it." Everybody fell down, stiff, and quickly recovered. (Except Rei, who was lying flat on the bed, and Minako, who seemed to expect it.) A white cat with a crescent moon on his forehead climbed out of Minako's hair, and dropped to the ground. "The Dark Kingdom is getting stronger. You have to defeat it." "This isn't the Dark Kingdom," Rei whispered, just as Usagi said, "I thought they didn't allow cats in here." "I...uh...snuck him him," Minako giggled. Just then, they heard Rei's words. "What did you say?" Ami inquired. "It's *not* the Dark Kingdom?" "No, it's a new evil. I sensed it. I could not tell what it was from my fire reading. Grandfather wanted me to promise to quit doing fire readings, but I can't. Not until I find out what this evil is." She drew in her breath. "I *must* find out what this evil is." She was terribly dissappointed. She had failed. *Something* had gotten in the way of the flames. Naru's fingers rolled over the dart she had between her fingers. She had chosen based on emotion, on whom she felt should die first. That was not right. "The best way," she whispered, sitting up in bed and closing her eyes, "is by CHANCE!" as she shouted "chance", she flung the dart at the far wall. On the far wall, there was a picture of all the Sailor Senshi. The Dart had lodged itself right between the eyes of one of them. "Sailorvenus."