"I want to hang around a while. I want to have some wrong fun with you." Amahl Farouk, AKA The Shadow King X-Calibre #4 1995, Marvel Comics Group _______________________________________________________________________ Kinmokusei Story Chapter Nine: Through the Looking Glass by Kotetsu _______________________________________________________________________ Taiki was sitting on the bed, cross-legged, eyes closed, meditating deeply, when Hideaki entered the bedroom later that night. Taiki blinked and opened her eyes when she saw him. "Oh. Hideaki." "Oh, Hideaki," he imitated her. "Might I ask what in the world is so terribly serious that you need to ponder it until you levitate yourself?" "I can't levitate myself," Taiki stated matter-of-factly. "I know. It was a joke." "Oh." Hideaki shrugged off his shoes and coat, and then plopped himself down on the bed beside her, wrapping one arm around her waist. Wordlessly, she dropped her head into his chest and relaxed in his embrace. With his free hand, he ran his fingers through her long, auburn hair. "Would you mind telling me what's on your mind?" he asked gently. "I'm just worried, that's all," Taiki sighed. "You worry to much," Hideaki murmured playfully as he finished playing with her hair and began cupping her breast. Taiki responded by snuggling up to him, shifting her weight against his. "The enemy has grown so bold . . . going after Seiya like that . . . I don't know if any of us are safe anymore." "Are you scared?" "No . . . not really." "You've been through worse." "That doesn't mean--" "If you live your life in fear, you'll never find a moment's happiness." "I don't believe in that live-for-the-moment philosophy." "I'm not a proponent of hedonism, by any means. But I think, my dear, that there are times when you need to relax and regroup. Otherwise, you won't be strong enough when the enemy does come for you. Stress can take a toll on a person, you know." "Stress?" Taiki shifted in his arms, again. "And how do you propose going about relieving stress, O Minstrel?" Now she was gazing into his eyes, defiant, daring, and at the same time, inviting. "Sometimes, old-fashioned methods work best," he grinned mischievously. Then he leaned forward and kissed her, hard and passionate, and she responded by wrapping her arms around him and leaning backward, pulling him down with her, until they were lying on the bed together, lips locked, legs entangled. Hideaki began unbuttoning her blouse, fumbling blindly as he kissed her again and again, she teasingly refusing to help him as she occupied her hands elsewhere on his still-clothed body, making him more and more frantic by the moment. Finally, after much fumbling (and groans of alternating pleasure and frustration on Hideaki's part), the two were finally free of their clothing, moving together underneath the tumbled bedsheets, kissing and embracing and cresting to a gentle climax. When it was over, Taiki flopped herself down into the bedsheets and sighed contentedly, holding Hideaki's hand as he laid beside her, relishing in the afterglow. "I love you, Hideaki," she murmured sleepily. " 'Luv you, too," he yawned drowsily. Taiki reached over her shoulder and clicked off the bedside lamp. The room descended into calm, quiet darkness. She lay in bed, thoughts drifting lazily, feeling peaceful and secure, just entering the blurred borderlands of the sleeping realm . . . Suddenly, her senses were aroused as a chill shiver wracked her body. Taiki blinked herself awake. No, it wasn't her Senshi senses, she knew that . . . Stupid, stupid, she admonished herself. You're lying in bed naked, and you're *cold*, that's all. The room was too darn cold. Careful not to disturb Hideaki, who was already sleeping peacefully, Taiki slid out of the bed and crept over to a nearby closet, pulling an old, oversized t-shirt at random from one of the hangars and slipping it over her head. There, much better. As long as her chest and stomach were covered, she could be comfortable. Satisfied, Taiki slipped back underneath the covers. She rolled onto her side and snuggled into her pillow, once again drifting softly into a deep sleep . . . Hideaki rolled over and stirred against her. "Not now," she playfully batted him away without bothering to open her eyes. "Not now, love. I'm exhausted." But he moved again, more persistently this time, pressing against her and worming his way between her legs. Taiki blinked the sleep out of her eyes, annoyed and angry. Curse it all, Hideaki should know better than that! Did *all* men have a one-track mind?! "Stop it, Hideaki," she commanded sternly, turning her head to glare at him. "But darling, I just can't help myself!" he grinned maliciously as he thrust out his hands toward her shoulders, twisting them forcefully until she was once again lying flat on her back, ignoring her startled gasp of protest and the sudden widening of her eyes, positioning his legs so that he was prepared to ride her again, sliding his hands down her front and then squeezing her breasts painfully underneath her shirt. "HIDEAKI!" Taiki was, for a moment, more surprised than angry. But anger quickly settled into her heart, and her face became a mask of cold fury. "What in the name of Maresuu do you think you're doing?!" "I'm just giving you what you want, dearest." "I hope, for your sake, that you did *not* just insult me the way that I think you did." "Shut up." And with that, he suddenly lunged forward and kissed her on the mouth, but hard, and furious, and his teeth nibbled against her lip and pulled down hard on it, and then his mouth was sliding, sliding down her neck and across her collarbone, and leaving a trail of teeth marks where it went, because he was *biting* her, biting her and lapping at her blood with his flicking tongue-- "FUCK YOU!" Taiki's arms shot outward, seeking his neck. But suddenly his arms pistoned outward, and he grabbed her wrists, slamming her arms back down onto the bed. Within moments he was effortlessly pinning her down, and although she struggled with all her might, she could hardly move, it was as if his hands were steel vices gripping her wrists mercilessly-- No. It couldn't be right. She was at least twice as strong as Hideaki, if not more. How could he be holding her down so tightly?! "You're not Hideaki." Her voice was icy with hatred. He laughed, smugly. "Bingo. No wonder they call you the brainy one." "Where's Hideaki?!" "What? No, 'who are you, and what do you want from me?' " "I know that you're an enemy, and I know what you want." "Well, then. If you ever want to see your beloved Hideaki alive again, you had better just shut up and give it to me." "Oh, no you don't. I think I shall scream. And if I so much as whisper a scream, or even *think* about whispering a scream, you can be sure that two Sailor Senshi and one very vengeful Queen of Kinmoku are going to be all over you before you can even blink twice." "Well, that *might* be true, if we were still within the royal palace," he mocked her, feigning disappointment, "but you see, my dear, I've already taken the liberty of transporting us to *my* realm. And in here, you're completely cut off from both your partners and the Queen." "WHAT?!" And then, for the first time, Taiki tore her eyes away from the false Hideaki's face and gazed at her surroundings. Dripping stone walls, stone ceiling, unnatural greenish-blue lighting, twisting, convulsing shadows lurking in every corner. Only the bed beneath her felt the same, and to a large degree it was, only the frame beneath it seemed to be made of stone instead of the carved wood that she was used to. For the first time, a trickle of fear slipped into Taiki's mind. But she pushed it aside, squashed it, ruthlessly, coldly. If she allowed herself to feel fear, she would never get out of this situation. Instead, a more pressing question was gnawing at her brain. "How?" "What do you mean?" "How did you take me here, without me even noticing?" "Your normal senses - not to mention your Senshi senses - are considerably dulled, or perhaps even nonexistent, when clouded with both sex and sleep." "So that's why you took on Hideaki's form. To get me to let my guard down." "And let it down you did. And how!" He laughed contemptuously. "You're pathetically easy to manipulate. Really, my dear, I expected more of a challenge from you." "I'll give you a challenge!" she snarled, straining against his grip and struggling to free her hands so that she could wrap them both around his loathsome little neck-- "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You're going to give yourself some nasty bruises come tomorrow morning." He pushed her wrists down into the bed, squeezing them tightly, painfully. "It's time for my favorite game, now. Isn't that wonderful? I call it Wrong Fun. Would you like to have some Wrong Fun with me, dearest? Actually, whether you want to or not doesn't really matter, because . . . you don't have much of a choice." Feeling herself beginning to tire, Taiki stopped struggling and began pondering how else she could possibly escape this unknown creature's grip. Physical strength was out of the question, that much was for sure. His grip on her was stronger than iron. But then again, she realized, it wasn't just a question of freeing herself, either. Wherever the real Hideaki was, he was in trouble, and only the thing on top of her could take her to him. "Show me your face," she snapped at him. "What? Wouldn't you rather see the face of your beloved Hideaki while he's fucking you?" "No. I want to see your real face." "It's your choice, then. I always try to please the whims of the ladies." His face melted, blurred, changed. Hideaki's muddy brown irises darkened to coal black, his chocolate locks of hair curled to fiery red, and his creamy skin paled to a sickly shade of white. His body rippled and changed all over; Taiki stared at his naked body with a helpless, sick fascination. Even in this nightmarish situation, her keenly observant brain was already categorizing and cataloguing information about this new man on top of her - taller than Hideaki, much broader at the chest and shoulders, less body hair, possessed of genitalia that was simultaneously terrifying and disorienting to look at, simply because it was unfamiliar, not Hideaki's, the penis of a *stranger.* Taiki forced her eyes back up to his face, feeling her own face go gray, struggling not to show the fact that the sight of his nude body had almost caused her to become physically ill. "I am Lord Reynard, the high priest of Delilah, servant of Malathos," he introduced himself cordially. "My friends call me One Sick Bastard. Well, then. Are you satisfied, now? Are you prepared?" "When you're done, you promise that you'll take me to Hideaki?" "I give you my word." "And that he's safe? Right now?" "You're not really in a position to be asking so many questions, or to make any demands at all, for that matter." He glowered at her. "But, yes, I will admit to that as well. The minstrel is incapacitated at the moment, but he is unharmed." Taiki paused, looking up at the strange man straddling her. She suppressed a shudder of revulsion that crept up her spine, and even more strongly, repressed the growing fear that was clutching her chest. No. She would not allow herself to feel fear or pain. And she would not cry or scream, for that matter. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. All she could feel was cold and hatred. It was all that she allowed herself to feel. Just like when Galaxia had destroyed Kinmoku . . . Just cold, and hatred, and vengeance. She would have her vengeance, she was sure of it, eventually. She took comfort in that thought. Finally, finally, her heart had grown cold again. "All right." Taiki closed her eyes and waited. "Do as you will." He set upon her. His hands finally let go of her wrists, and she lay still, cold but unstruggling, as he rolled up her shirt and alternatively kissing, nibbling, and clawing at her breasts. Convoluting his body unnaturally, he lowered his hips to hers, and finally thrust inward, and he pounded her and it hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt, it hurt so much that Taiki squeezed her eyes shut and bit her tongue to keep from crying out, because she could not would not cry out, she wouldn't let him hear her scream, no way nuh-uh never, and then she could feel blood running down her thighs and she wondered if he was somehow injuring or even ruining her, but then he started biting harder and it wasn't just her breasts anymore it was her stomach and side and shoulder and collarbone and neck, and he was writhing all over her, growing more and more frantic, his rhythm becoming harder and faster, pushing, pushing, hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt and finally shudder, release, pull out, he even pulled her shirt back down for her, what a perfect gentleman, licking his lips and looking at her with pride in his eyes, like he was the master and she was some sort of servant or slave or even a dog that he had just conquered and forced to submit. He smiled, and ran his tongue over his bloody fangs. Fangs?! Oh. So at least she knew who the vampyre was, now. He wrinkled his nose at her. "You're bleeding all over my bed." Taiki did not move. She glared at him. Hateful. Cold. Silent. "Well," he mused thoughtfully, "That wasn't as good as the first time. I must say, you were rather unresponsive this time around. But far be it for me to criticize. I suppose that you want to see your Hideaki now, don't you? Oh, really, now, stop looking at me like that. You look as if you want to kill me." "I am going to kill you," she said, slowly, carefully. "If not today, then someday." "Get up," he snapped impatiently. He stepped down from the bed, clothing swirling and materializing back around his body as he did so. "I'll take you to your precious minstrel. But I don't have all night, you know." Taiki rose upright, then slid off the bed. She stood up, shakily, her legs sore and wobbly. Suddenly, a cold, slimy trickle of semen dribbled down her inner thigh. She suppressed her gag reflex quickly, and took a deep breath. No way was she going to acknowledge her revulsion, not in front of him. No way. He had already turned his back to her and was walking away, so she followed. The cold stone floor was uncomfortable on her bare feet, she ached all over her body to the point where even walking was difficult, and, hell, she was naked from the waist down. But she clenched her jaw tight with anger and ruthlessly pressed forward, easily keeping pace with the vampyre named Reynard, willing herself not to fall behind him, not even for a second. Down through the dark, twisting stone corridors they went. As they walked in silence, Taiki made a mental note of every twist and turn that they took as they made their way through the labyrinth-like maze of hallways. This was ground zero, she realized. This was the enemy's home field. So far she had seen no other livings beings, or even youma for that matter, but she was certain nevertheless. The farther they walked, the more clear and detailed the mental map she was drawing in her head became. She wasn't sure whether she or her partners would ever be able to use it in the future, but then again, she had no intention of letting an opportunity such as this go to waste, regardless of the circumstances that she currently found herself in. And finally, Reynard stopped. "Your minstrel," he said nonchalantly, waving his hand toward an open space at the end of a long corridor. The lighting was dim, and Taiki squinted . . . There. Floating upright but clearly unconscious, slumped forward, arms dangling at his sides, feet hovering limply a mere centimeter off the ground, eyes closed and jaw hanging slightly open, sleeping peacefully and darn near snoring even, Hideaki hung suspended in a beam of sickly greenish light. Taiki suddenly bit down on her lower lip fiercely, suppressing the sudden insane urge to laugh. He looked just like . . . just like the peaceful moments in the middle of the night safe and warm in her own bed, the nights that they had spent together, when she had woken up and rolled over and looked at him, just looked at him, sleeping peacefully and innocently in the dark quiet of the bedroom. He looked just like that, right now. He was even drooling slightly. The moron. The lug. He truly could sleep through anything! He probably didn't have the faintest idea that he was trapped in another dimension-- No. No laughter. Not allowed. Down to business. "Return him to me," Taiki demanded. "Excuse me? That's awfully rude of you, to order me around like that." "Look, I gave you what you wanted. Now it's time to fulfill your part of the bargain." "Oh, no." Reynard laughed softly, smugly. "*That* wasn't what I really wanted. It was only the first step. Shall I wake him up?" Taiki's mind whirled with confusion. What was he talking about? Why wake up--? "No, don't do that!" But it was too late. Reynard snapped his fingers, and Hideaki's eyelids slowly fluttered opened. Taiki watched, silent and horrified. Hideaki blinked, once, twice, turning his head around in utter confusion. He still didn't seem to realize that he was floating. But it didn't matter. His eyes finally fell upon Taiki, and widened, larger and larger, growing with shock and horror. They flickered once, briefly, to Reynard; then back to Taiki, full of fear and sorrow. Taiki knew what she looked like to him. Naked except for her t-shirt, bloody bite marks covering her neck and arms (and even more of her body that was mercifully covered by the shirt), blood and semen still dribbling down her leg. Her cheeks flushed bright red. She hadn't wanted him to see her like this. Curse Reynard. "It's okay, Hideaki, I've got things under control," she told him, and he nodded and mouthed something back to her, only the strange light surrounding him absorbed the sound of his voice completely. Fine, maybe it was better that way. She wasn't exactly in the mood for Hideaki's wisdom at the moment anyway. She had Reynard to deal with. Taiki turned away from Hideaki, narrowed her eyes, and glared at Reynard with all of the hatred and fury that she could possibly pack into one steely glare. And that was a lot. "I suggest that you let Hideaki go - NOW - before I become *really* angry." "Tsk, tsk." Reynard shook his head. "I told you, you haven't fulfilled the requirements yet. I had your body, my dear. Have your body. But it's not enough. Malathos - and my Queen, Delilah - require the willing submission of your very soul." "What?!" "Your Sailor Crystal." Reynard's eyes glowed with lustful greed. He suddenly lunged toward her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and leaned forward until his desperate, yearning face was hovering close to hers. "Pledge the services of your immortal Sailor Crystal to me, Senshi. Do it. That's all I ask of you. You will have a beautiful new Queen to serve; you will continue to protect this planet and its people, as always; your friends will be joining you soon, I promise; and, best of all, I don't have to kill your minstrel over there." Taiki recoiled with horror. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Hideaki shouting silent protests and struggling to run toward her, but the strange green light kept him held firmly in place. Reynard's eyes glowed with triumph, and his smile was gloating already. His fingers dug into her shoulders, pinching them tightly. He began to shake her. "Well, what is it, then? Make your decision, I haven't got all night, I told you!" "I'm thinking about it!" "What's there to think about?! The minstrel's life is at stake!" "I know that!" Taiki squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out Reynard's horrible face, and took a deep breath. Think. Think, Taiki, think. Your brain is your best weapon. Use it now. Use it to save both yourself and Hideaki, and do it quickly! A memory stirred. << 'I sang my song . . . I sang my song, for Odango . . . ' >> Seiya's words, as she, no, he had been dragged backstage drained and exhausted, Taiki holding his hand and Yaten screaming into his face that he was a pathetic moron with no sense of his true duty. That night, on Earth. That concert. Seiya had somehow reached out toward Tsukino Usagi's mind, touched it, enveloped it, and shown her the mental images that revealed the history of Galaxia's attack on Kinmoku. It was a new trick at the time, an almost nifty new Senshi power that both Taiki and Yaten had experimented with several times since, but never to the degree that Seiya had on that fateful night. The ability to reach out and touch another mind had limited usefulness, and it usually made them uncomfortable, especially Yaten. But Taiki knew that she wouldn't have to transform in order to use that ability. Good. That meant . . . That meant that she could use it right here, right now . . . as a trap. A trap for Reynard. If Seiya could envelope another mind within her own, then Taiki could, too. Only there would be no mental images or narration this time, no visions, no revelations. Just pain. She would make him suffer. Yes, Taiki was sure that she could do it. Attack Reynard as she invited him into her own mind. But it would expend a great deal of energy, and she still had to save Hideaki and somehow teleport both of them back to their home dimension-- Reynard shook her roughly. "WELL, WHAT IS IT?!" Taiki's eyelids flew open, and she stared Reynard squarely in the eyes. "I'll do it," she said, slowly, distinctly, firmly. "But release Hideaki first. Give him to me. I want him in my arms. Because I don't trust you." "Understandable. I don't trust you either, but then again, you have nowhere to run to and no strength to teleport, so it can't do any harm, can it?" Reynard suddenly released the painful pressure on her shoulders as he pulled his hands back away from her. "I assume that you'll want your minstrel to stay with you in your new home?" She shrugged. "Either way, he can't get home without me." Reynard chuckled. "Excellent. Very well then, I shall release him." With a wave of Reynard's hands, the light around Hideaki dissipated. He fell to the ground with a sudden ungraceful thump, then scrambled to his feet, rushed forward, and threw himself at Taiki, almost knocking her over with his inefficient flying tackle, circling his arms around her waist and crying out desperately, "NO, NO, NO, DON'T DO IT!" Gently, Taiki wrapped her arms around his back, raising one to caress the back of his head, pulling him into her chest as he began to cry softly, running her fingers through his shaggy hair, comforting him as best as she could. "Hideaki, I have everything under control," she said, but kept her voice cold, unemotional, showing Reynard that she harbored no false intentions. "No!" Hideaki buried his face in her chest and trembled, clutching her tightly. "No, don't do it, not because of me! It's your DUTY to protect our planet! Think of your Queen, think of Fighter and Healer, think of--" "Shut up, Hideaki." The iciness of her own voice sent a shiver down Taiki's spine. But it had to be done. No more delays. She didn't have much time. Reynard regarded her almost warmly. "Are you ready?" The same question he had asked before, only this time, preparing for an even worse invasion. Taiki closed her eyes and relaxed, shutting Hideaki's quiet sobs from her ears. "I'm ready," she answered softly. "Come and get it." And then she *felt* Reynard's mind inside her own. It was a horrible sensation, like a snake sliding around inside her brain, but bleeding, spreading, growing larger, his will enveloping her own and subsuming it . . . Wait, wait . . . Searching, seeking, he was searching for her very core, the Sailor Crystal that he longed so terribly for . . . Wait, Taiki, wait . . . He was almost there, wrapping the glow of her Crystal with his loathsome darkness-- Taiki crashed down upon him. It was easier than she had expected. Like a building collapsing inward, she imploded her mental energies, smashing, crashing, shooting inward, ripping and tearing and battering Reynard apart, while at the same time, the light of her Crystal flared outward, searing him, scorching him, and then his presence was withdrawing, retreating, running away squealing-- "AAAAAAAAARGH!!!" Reynard wheeled backward, clutching at his skull and tearing at his hair, blood dripping from his mouth, screaming, "YOU BITCH! YOU BITCH! YOU HORRIBLE LYING BITCH!" Taiki's eyes flew open and she pulled Hideaki with her, rushing backward, down the hallway, retreating from the screaming, bleeding Reynard. Oh, honorable Maresuu, she had seen his *ears* bleeding. She had no idea, no idea, that her mental attack would be that strong! Too strong, perhaps. She felt her legs weakening underneath her. It was only a matter of seconds before Reynard came after them. Hideaki ran beside her, pulling his arms away from her waist and gripping her hand, shouting at her, she couldn't hear or understand what, she was out of breath and going to fall over-- She collapsed into Hideaki's arms. But he was surprised and completely unprepared to catch her, and the two tumbled to the ground. She was in his arms, lying on the ground, and he was struggling to upright her. Then he was shaking her, yelling at her, "How are we going to get out of here?! HOW ARE WE GOING TO GET OUT OF HERE?!" Taiki realized with grim fatality. Another problem to solve. And, suddenly, she saw the solution. Taiki lifted her arms upward and rested her hands on Hideaki's cheeks. "Forgive me my love," she gasped weakly, "but I need the strength so that we can escape . . . " Tears streamed down Hideaki's cheeks, wet and warm against her fingers. He smiled at her, so trusting and loving that it nearly broke her heart, and nodded, once. That was all. It was all that she needed, too. Suddenly Taiki realized that she wasn't exactly sure how to go about doing what she was about to do. But she willed it, wished for it, and hoped for it, ultimately the same method that she used to control all of her Senshi powers. And miraculously, it began, quickly and without warning. Hideaki's life energy drained into her hands and suffused throughout her weary body, warm, sustaining, healing, singing with the white heat of his love for her. It was the most beautiful sensation that Taiki had ever experienced, and she finally felt the tears sliding down her cheeks, salty and stinging her eyes, but she didn't care anymore, because Hideaki was with her - IN her - and she felt so marvelously strong and powerful, even immortal, invincible. When Hideaki's face had grown ghastly pale and he was struggling to breathe and stay conscious, she stopped. Then and only then. Taiki knew that she had drained a lot of energy from Hideaki - a LOT, probably enough to almost kill him - but she *hadn't* killed him, and he certainly wasn't going to die in the near future, because she was suddenly so strong and sure of herself that she *knew* she could control her powers enough to drain him without hurting him, drain him to the maximum amount of energy that he could provide. And she needed every single last drop of that energy to teleport. Feeling fresh and alive and glowing, Taiki pulled the exhausted Hideaki toward her and held him tightly. She kissed the top of his shaggy head. "Thank you, my love." "No . . . problem," Hideaki breathed out slowly, and then smiled wanly at her. There were dark shadows underneath his eyes. Down the hallway, Reynard's roars of hatred and fury reverberated against the stone walls. He was coming for them. He was getting closer-- "Close your eyes and hold on to me," Taiki ordered Hideaki. "I'm going to teleport now, and I'm sure that the space of this dimension is twisted somehow, so it more than likely won't be a very pleasant experience fighting our way through it." "You're crazy if . . . you think . . . I'm gonna . . . let go of you . . . " Reynard roared again. Taiki could sense his presence now, growing closer, moving slowly and in incredible pain, but closing in, all the same. Any moment now he would round the corner and start scrambling toward them-- Taiki suddenly realized. Reynard grew closer still, his dark aura looming toward them-- Taiki squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. "SAILOR TELEPORT!" Somewhere, somehow, glass shattered all around her. And, just like that, she and Hideaki fell with a thump back onto her own bed. Taiki took one look at the broken mirror beside the bed, and suddenly she felt broken glass crunching underneath her, not to mention fresh blood running down her arms and back. "Um, Hideaki . . . I think we just crashed through the mirror . . . " "Is it . . .broken . . .?" "Shattered." "Then maybe . . . he . . . can't . . . follow . . . us." Hideaki closed his eyes. "I'm tired." "So'm I." Taiki leaned back and closed her eyes, too. The wonderful feeling of euphoria, of being nearly drunk on her own energy and so powerful and even invincible, had left her completely. Gone, poof, just like that. She had used up all of her energy in the teleport, and now, all she wanted was to sleep. Bloody scratches and broken glass be damned, she honestly didn't have either the strength or the desire to move from her comfortable collapse on top of the glass- covered bed. But then, of course, just before she *could* fall asleep, two Sailor Senshi broke through the locked bedroom door. "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYA!" One swift kick from Fighter, and the door flew right off its hinges. Before Taiki could even open her eyes, Healer was all over her. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF MARESUU HAPPENED TO YOU?!" she practically screamed, shaking Taiki and slapping her awake. "ARE YOU OKAY?!" " 'M fine," Taiki mumbled, struggling to upright herself, then nearly collapsing into Healer's arms. " 'M drained, thaz all." Her speech was slurring. Drat. It looked as if there were two or three Fighters anxiously examining two or three Hideakis beside her on the bed. "Howdja geh here?" she managed to ask. "Drained," Fighter pronounced after checking Hideaki's pulse, "and out cold. How is she?" "Drained and almost out cold. And she looks like she just got into a fight with a pack of wild boars." Healer supported Taiki's back with one arm as she brushed broken glass off the bed with her free hand, then laid Taiki back down gently. "I think they need some sleep, that's all." "I think they need a doctor, that's what I think," Fighter retorted. "No doctor," Taiki gasped. " 'M fine. Howdja geh here?" "Taiki, you're mostly naked," Healer suddenly pointed out. "I know." "Before you pass out, would you mind telling us just exactly your mirror is broken, why you're covered in blood, and what on Kinmoku just happened to you?" "Howdja geh here?" Taiki repeated, slightly annoyed. "We sensed an enemy here--" "It was so strong that even SEIYA sensed it--" "But when we tried to get in--" "The door was locked." "So I kicked it." "Reynard," Taiki managed. "He said his name . . . Reynard. He named others . . . Delilah. Malathos. I remember." "Names?" "Who, Taiki? Who do those names belong to?" "The enemy." Taiki's eyelids drooped. "Please let me sleep." "No." Healer slapped her cheeks gently. "No, we're not leaving until you tell us what happened, and until we can be sure that the danger's passed." "Reynard . . . trapped us behind the mirror. But I . . . I teleported out." "You WHAT?!" "Oh my God, Taiki, tell me that you were transformed--" "No, I wazznt." "Are you out of your MIND?!" "Mirror's broke, so's he can't follow. Now lemme sleep." "Oh dear . . . " Healer looked at Fighter helplessly. "Now we really should take her to a doctor." "NO DOCTOR! 'M fine. Go away." "You most certainly are NOT fine, you're irrational and exhausted. And you're not telling us the truth about everything, are you?" Healer's accusation made both Taiki and Fighter wince, but Taiki just closed her eyes and rolled over. She didn't care. Healer was right, she was irrational and exhausted, but all she could think about was sleep sleep sleep sleep sleep sleep sleep sleep. So, she did just that. She fell asleep. Or, more like, passed out completely. Healer cursed with frustration. "Did you see that?! She has the nerve to pass out on us! She can be . . . so . . . difficult sometimes!" Fighter pursed her lips and stared at the two sleeping figures on the bed. Suddenly, she felt overwhelmingly sad just looking at them together, but she didn't have the faintest idea as to why. Maybe it was because Taiki was all bloody and haggard-looking, and Hideaki was just plain haggard-looking, and together, the two of them made the most wretchedly pathetic sight that Fighter had ever seen. But even more than sadness, Fighter felt a sharp and stomach- wrenching fear. The enemy had hurt another one of them, and badly, and they still didn't understand why or how or even how much. There was so much blood! Too much, Fighter thought. Something still felt wrong. For some reason she was still afraid. "Fighter . . . ?" "I'm okay." With a brief shudder and a whisper of wind, she transformed back into Seiya. "But I'm scared. They went after a Senshi again. I don't think that we should leave those two alone tonight." "Right." Healer followed suit, changing back into her normal self. "But I think I shall yell at her terribly tomorrow morning. She gave me such a fright." "You were worried." It was half-teasing, half-sympathetic. "I still am!" Yaten snapped. "I know when she's not telling me the truth!" "If there were still any danger or risk present, she would tell us. You know that." "I know. But you're staying with them tonight, anyway, aren't you." It was a statement, not a question. "Yeah. I guess I can sleep on the couch. But you're going to need to tell Kakyuu something. She sensed the enemy just the same as you and I did." "I'll tell her what Taiki told us. But then she'll be worried and won't sleep at all tonight. Well, neither will I, I suppose. Good night, Seiya." "Good night, Yaten." With a final apprehensive glance over her shoulder, Kou Yaten finally left, after picking the door back up and leaning it gently against the former doorframe behind her. "Oh, um, I'm sorry about the door," Seiya apologized to the sleeping Taiki. No response, just deep, quiet, breathing. "But I still don't understand. Why don't you want to see a doctor? Since when were you afraid of doctors?" No response, again. "Well, okay then. I know that you're tired. I'll just stop bothering you and go to sleep now." But Seiya didn't go to sleep. She pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed, watching the silent couple carefully and cautiously, like a protective hawk, never once falling asleep as the night wore on into daylight. ******************** Delilah regarded Reynard with barely concealed disgust. Not that he cared about the expression on her face. Not that he cared about much of anything, at the moment. He had collapsed in the middle of a deserted hallway and had passed out, so that Delilah had stumbled upon him nearly an hour later as he lay sprawled in an ungraceful heap across the cold stone floor. Dried blood had plugged up his ears and nose, and he was breathing loudly through his mouth. Hesitantly, Delilah toed him with her delicate shoes. He moaned and rolled over. Good, at least he wasn't dead. With a wave of her hand, Delilah summoned Reynard's mirror from wherever he kept it. "Show me exactly what just happened here," she demanded of the mirror. And the mirror obeyed, beginning with Reynard's abduction of the sniveling little minstrel from Kinmoku, and ending with the untransformed Senshi's impossible teleport. Delilah watched the scenes flicker across the mirror in front of her. *This* had been Reynard's plan?! Delilah watched the Sailor Senshi's face carefully as Reynard brutally raped her, a scene made no less gruesome by the watery, shimmering surface of the mirror upon which it played. It had been a good ploy, Delilah grudgingly admitted. Break the girl's spirit first, and then she wouldn't have any willpower or strength left to resist the final demand. But Reynard should have known, the moment that the cold, hate-filled expression had crossed the girl's face. His actions hadn't broken her will at all; it had just made her angry. It had made her hate him. It had made her will to resist him even more resolute. "Reynard, you fool," Delilah sneered at the prone body lying before her. "She really did a number on you, didn't she?" No response. But then again, Delilah hadn't expected a response. She turned toward the mirror again and watched the scene repeat itself. She had come to the grim conclusion that after two spectacular failures, she would have to change her tactics completely if she ever hoped to succeed in calling the Sailor Crystals her own. "But how can I take them?" she mused aloud. Forceful possession hadn't worked; neither had coercing the Senshi into a willful surrender. The harder Reynard pushed the Sailor Senshi, the more stubborn and resisting they became. Very well. She could learn from Reynard's mistakes. She could improve upon his methods. "What to do, what to do . . . " Delilah pondered as she stared at Reynard's mirror. "What to do, what to do . . . " And then, it came to her. Like a light bulb flashing on inside her head. "Of course!" The mirror disappeared as Delilah clapped her hands. "Why didn't I think of it before?!" It was so simple, so utterly ridiculously ludicrously simple. The answer to the problem of the Sailor Crystals was not *subjugation.* It was *duplication.* With a small, self-satisfied chuckle, Delilah continued down the hallway to begin her work. She left Reynard lying there, trusting that he would wake up eventually . . . and when he did, Malathos would have prepared a fitting punishment for his failures. Oh, but this was going to be fun! Delilah chuckled to herself again, a low, ominously cheerful sound that echoed up and down the stone hallway. ******************** Taiki stirred awake well after the sun had risen in the morning sky. She rolled over and found Seiya staring at her thoughtfully. There were dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept for the past twenty-four hours. "Seiya . . .?" Taiki rubbed her eyes. "You look terrible." "You look worse." "Touché." "Hey, are you okay now?" "Better. Yaten's pretty angry with me, huh?" "It's only because she cares about you. It's the same way that you react, sometimes." "And you . . . ?" "I was scared to death last night. I thought that if something had happened to you in your own bedroom, and neither Healer nor I were there to prevent it, then I probably wouldn't ever forgive myself." "Don't think like that. It's depressing." Taiki grimaced. "I need a shower." Hideaki stirred and yawned beside her. "Hello, is it morning yet?" "Contain your enthusiasm, love. We have company." Hideaki rolled over and glanced at Seiya. "Were you here all night?" "Yes." "Voyeur," Hideaki grumbled, and rolled over again, turning his back to both of them. Taiki and Seiya laughed softly. Then Taiki's smile faded, and she implored Seiya with her serious eyes. "If you don't mind, I'd like a moment alone with him." "No problem." Seiya lifted herself up and out of the chair, with some difficulty. Her joints creaked, and that made her feel old and feeble. "I'm all stiff, ugh. I think I'll go take a shower. Are you sure that you'll be all right?" Taiki rubbed her temples. "Yeah, we'll be fine for fifteen minutes, Seiya." "I'll be right back," Seiya warned, then left them alone in the quiet room. Taiki rolled over, spooning against Hideaki's back, and grasped his hand in hers. "We need to talk." "If you don't want to tell them everything, I understand. So we need to get our stories straight, right?" "No, it's not about that." Something in the tone of her voice made Hideaki's stomach twist with alarm. "What is it?" "Hideaki . . . about what happened back there . . . You didn't really think that I'd go through with what Reynard said, did you?" "I was so scared that I didn't know what to think. I was panicking. I'm sorry if I upset you." "No, you were right to act the way that you did. And that's just it. I wouldn't have gone through with what Reynard said, no matter what." "I know." "Even if my refusal would have meant my immediate death, I wouldn't have." "I know." "Even if my refusal would have meant *your* immediate death, I wouldn't have." " . . . " "Hideaki, I'd give my life to protect you. Without a moment's hesitation. But not my . . . " She stopped, shuddered, remembered what Reynard had proposed, and found herself unable to finish the sentence. She swallowed, nervously. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Hideaki?" "Yes. I understand. Nothing is more important than your Queen and your duty as a Sailor Senshi." "I wish things were different," Taiki sighed, not surprised to find tears sliding down her own cheeks. "But I want you to understand that, Hideaki. And now that I know you do, will you still . . . ?" The question that she could not bring herself to ask hung silent and ominous between them. Hideaki squeezed her hand tightly. "Taiki, do you know how many stars the naked eye can see on a clear night far away from this city?" "Around three thousand." "And how many stars are in this galaxy?" "Billions. But the exact total varies, depending on if you count black dwarfs or neutron stars . . . " She was staring at the back of his head, confused, curious, wondering, fearing where he was going with his train of thought. She wished that he would roll over, that she would be able to see his face. "It's strange, isn't it? When we look up at the night sky, all we can see are pinpricks of light floating through the inky blackness. Only we're not really seeing the stars at all, are we? We're seeing visions of the *past*. We're seeing light that departed those stars hundreds, or thousands, or millions, or even billions of years ago. Most of those stars are long-gone by now. They've exploded into supernovas that we won't see until thousands of years into the future. And there are new stars out there, too. New stars twinkling and glowing, but we can't see them at all, and may not see them until thousands of years into the future." Taiki closed her eyes. "I'm familiar with the concept, Hideaki." "I know you are. But my point is that the human eye is severely limited in its ability to sense and understand the universe around it. As is, too, the human brain. Most of us can't even begin to comprehend the vast distances between the stars and planets in this galaxy." "But we can travel those distances. Kinmoku broke the Subspace barrier thousands of years ago. Where are you going with this?" "Listen to me, please. This is important. The people of that planet that you last visited - Earth - they had just begun to expand their scientific understanding beyond what their physical senses could tell them, right?" "Well . . . Decades before we were there, the Earthlings had already discovered general relativity . . . But they're nowhere near applying it to manipulating an object's position in space. They understand that gravity is the curvature of space, but they don't understand the properties of Subspace at all, and they certainly can't imagine transporting ships into Subspace and using its properties to circumvent the curvature of normal space." "Earth is on the other side of the galaxy from Kinmoku, right?" " . . . Yes." Hideaki whistled softly. "That's a long ways away. And you can travel that distance in an eyeblink." Taiki remained silent, but squeezed Hideaki's hand tighter. Hideaki continued. "Here's the deal. The fastest spaceships ever created in this galaxy are still limited by the Subspace acceleration laws, and probably couldn't cross the galaxy in less than two year's worth of travel at their highest possible speeds. But you - and the other Sailor Senshi - can instantaneously traverse that distance through the use of your powers. This ability of yours has *nothing* to do with Subspace travel as we know it. In fact, it defies all laws of physics and nature. The scientific community has agreed that this instantaneous teleportation is a form of magic, pure and simple. The things that the Sailor Senshi do on a daily basis - the transformations, the attacks, the impossible influence over the elements - are completely unlimited by the laws of physics that bind us mortal humans." "Hideaki . . . " "Listen to me. You've traveled to many planets, haven't you?" "Yes." "And the aliens on those planets, they were always . . . well, they were like us, right?" "Yes. Physical appearance, anatomy, evolutionary history, everything. But that's a well-known fact in the intergalactic community--" "I know! Even the people of Mau and Chuu, they're basically the same as Kinmokuseijin, only with the slightest variations, right?" "Right." "And after millions of years of knowing and understanding this, scientists are still no closer to solving the mystery of how life develops on some planets, and why it always seems to evolve toward the same creature." "There are theories--" "There are scientific theories, yes. But the theological explanations, in all honesty, seem to carry the most weight. There is something Infinite and Eternal that sparks life on the select few planets that harbor it in this incomprehensibly vast galaxy of ours, and the influence of that Infinite, Eternal thing can guide that life as it shapes and forms itself into sentient beings. Some say that it is the Hand of God that guides us as we exist on these tiny little planets whirling through the darkness of space. But that Hand can sometimes be harsh and cruel, and other times gentle and nurturing. Others prefer the vision of a Goddess. Or to some, the Infinite both encompasses and nullifies both genders, it is a Thing, a Presence, a Being." "Do you believe in that?" "I can't look at an alien face and see my own reflected in it, and then refuse to believe in the Infinite which created both of us." "Oh." "The Infinite extends beyond the known Universe, beyond Subspace, beyond the laws of physics and nature. And . . . when I look at you . . . I see . . . I see the light of the Infinite, the light of the Eternal, shining in your eyes. I see a Goddess. Because that's what your Sailor Crystal has made you, isn't it? A Goddess, unbound by the limits of time or space or distance, free to bend and shape the Cosmos to her will, to sense and see stars born and dying before human eyes can, to be part of the dance of the heavens, to reflect a little bit of the Eternal light back onto our mortal civilization. And if you had to sell your soul to become such a being, which is what you did when it all comes down to the bottom line, then . . . then I don't begrudge you for it, not for an instant. And I love you. I love the part of you that is the part of the Eternal, but most of all, I love the mortal you. I love the Taiki Kou who sings with me and laughs with me and makes music with me and makes love to me in the darkness of the night. It's the Eternal part of you that gives you the strength and the ability to fight the evil in this world, but it's the human part of you that forms bonds of love and friendship, that knows how to laugh and cry, that makes sacrifices, that feels sorrow, that feels pain, that forms the resolve to fight onward despite all of that. The Eternal you, the Goddess you, is beautiful . . . but far more beautiful is your human side, the gentle, loving soul that has made me the happiest man on the planet just by returning the love that I've given her." Silence. Hideaki lay still, holding Taiki's hand tightly, feeling her warm body beside his back, listening to her breathe quietly. "Hideaki . . . ?" Her voice was trembling, watery, hesitant, unsure. "What is it, love?" She embraced him then, folding her arms around him and pushing her body against his back, holding him, squeezing him to her, tight enough to cause a little bit of pain, but Hideaki didn't mind, not in the least. She kissed the back of his head. "I was right about you," she whispered breathily into his ear. "You *are* a poet." Hideaki closed his eyes and sighed contentedly. She was an overwhelming presence, enfolding and engulfing him in a warm, loving aura in which he would have happily drowned. "I can't imagine being without you," he told her honestly. "I don't care what the conditions of the circumstances. It doesn't matter." "I can't imagine being without you, either." At that moment, their pleasant reverie was broken by Seiya's sharp knock on the bedroom door, which wasn't exactly back on its hinges yet, but sort of leaning against the gaping hole in the wall . . . "Hello, can I come back in yet? Is everybody decent? I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Taiki pulled away from Hideaki and sat up on the bed, slightly annoyed, but not very. "Come in Seiya. You have such a perverted mind. What did you *think* we were doing?" Seiya pushed aside the door that was no longer a door, and gingerly stepped back into the bedroom. She looked much better than she had before, now freshly showered and dressed. "Oh, I dunno. Just being polite, that's all. Geez, Taiki, you still look like a mess." "Thanks. I am aware of that." Taiki rubbed her temples again. "So, Seiya, do I have permission to go use the shower in privacy, or will you have to watch me there, too?" Seiya held up her hands. "Whoa, I've had quite enough of you naked for one lifetime, thank you very much." "Har har har. Very funny." Taiki stumbled off the bed and toward her dresser, opening drawers and gathering clothing into her arms. "Hideaki, you had better stay here with Seiya until I get back," she told him over her shoulder. "And Seiya - don't ask him any questions until I get back, you hear?" "What? Not even, 'where were you last night, and how did you manage to get back here alive?' " "I want my lawyer," Hideaki retorted. Then he and Seiya somehow managed to both chuckle at the statement. Taiki let their soft, hesitant laughter echo in her head as she stumbled toward the bathroom. It was all right. She clutched her towel and her clothing tighter to her chest. Everything was going to be all right. Hideaki loved her, and she had defeated . . . what was his name . . . Reynard . . . and everything was going to be all right. And when she was done with the shower, she would go back into the bedroom and talk to Seiya. And talk to Seiya. And that meant that she would have to tell Seiya everything about what happened last night-- Taiki sucked in her breath sharply. No, no, she couldn't do that! Just as the possibility of actually admitting what Reynard had done to her had never crossed Taiki's mind, equally as improbable was the possibility that she could tell a lie to Seiya. Both concepts were mutually exclusive, and yet neither was within the realm of the remotest probability. Taiki thought wryly. She supposed that she could solve both problems the same way that she had last night, by simply glossing over that part of the story. Then where did all the bloody cuts come from? Why, from the broken mirror, of course. Taiki turned on the shower, shrugged off her shirt, stepped underneath the spray, and then leaned her head against the wall of the shower stall, brow furrowing in thought. Did her cuts *look* like bite marks? No, only the ones on her breasts, stomach, and collarbone really appeared to be bite marks. She could only see a few spots where Reynard's fangs had actually penetrated her flesh. In fact, most of her wounds were already beginning to heal themselves and fade away. Ah, yes, she had forgotten about that. Her Senshi body healed much faster than a normal person's would. In a matter of a few days, her skin would once again be unblemished. If she dressed properly, nobody would ever see the rapidly fading scars that most resembled teeth marks. So, she could handle this easily if she just-- What about Yaten?! This new thought was suddenly very alarming. Taiki simply could not keep a secret from Yaten. Barring the fact that she was probably incapable of possessing the will to do so, Taiki knew that Yaten could read her like a book, whether she tried to or not. And Taiki had the faint suspicion that she *would* be trying, yes, very soon, as soon as she saw her again. Cursed empaths. Taiki bit her lower lip and chewed thoughtfully. She had honed her own weak mental talents enough to construct a crude wall around her mind that would completely shield her presence from Yaten's senses; but she couldn't keep that up *forever*, and besides, it was suspicious as anything. She might as well be holding up a giant sign that said, "HELLO, I HAVE A SECRET TO HIDE!" So, the complete block would not do. Nevertheless, her mental strength was turning out to be her greatest asset, and it seemed to be strengthened by her Senshi persona. Could she possibly construct a metal shield that would only hide *parts* of her memories from Yaten?! "Yeah, I know that," Taiki muttered angrily as she began shampooing her hair. "But I also know that at the moment, there are some things that I *don't* want to talk about." "Shut up, brain. I don't need you to undermine me right now." "He'll support any decision that I make, whether he agrees with it or not. If I don't want to talk, he won't talk either." < . . . > The silence from her inner voice was ominous and disapproving, but Taiki welcomed it nonetheless. After she was finally clean, she stepped out of the shower, dried herself off, dressed, and began blow-drying her hair. When she was done, she smoothed down her hair one final time and examined herself in the mirror. Calm, refined, cold. Like always. There were some suspicious bruises on her neck, and her lower lip was slightly swollen from when Reynard had nibbled it. (Not that her own nervous chewing hadn't contributed a bit to that.) But other than that, nothing out of the ordinary. She opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom. Hideaki and Seiya were both sitting cross-legged on the unmade bed, absorbed in an intense card game. For a moment, the scene seemed impossibly surreal - where had the cards come from?! Then Taiki blinked, and a moment later, she didn't care. Hideaki glanced up from his hand, and saw her. He immediately discarded his hand, signaling the end of the game, and smiled at her warmly. "Feeling better?" "Much better, thank you. It's your turn now, isn't it?" "Is that a hint?" Hideaki cocked his head. "And here I was, just getting used to being filthy and haggard." "I think you'd better listen to the lady," Seiya yawned as she stretched and slid off the bed. "And you'd better hurry, too. As soon as you're done, we should probably get out of here and report straight to the Queen." She began gathering up the scattered deck of cards in her hands. "If she doesn't kill us for taking so long this morning, then Yaten will." "Did you leave me any hot water?" Hideaki implored Taiki with his puppy-dog eyes. "Plenty." Taiki threw a clean towel at him. "But Seiya's right, we have to make . . . a report, or something. And soon. Get your clothes together." Even though he had only recently - very recently - acquired the habit of spending the night in Taiki's bedroom, Hideaki was still careful to bring a fresh change of clothes for himself to use the following morning. On this morning more than any, Taiki was grateful for his foresight. Once Hideaki had scurried into the bathroom and locked the door, and the sound of the running shower rumbled in the piping behind the walls, Taiki made the bed, quietly and calmly, then sat down on it and faced Seiya, who stood watching silently. "I'm sorry," she said. Seiya blinked, surprised. "For what?!" "For scaring you last night." "Hey . . . are you sure that you're okay?" Seiya was peering at her curiously. "I mean, you look like a wreck." "Is it *that* obvious?" "Well, you look a lot better than you did ten minutes ago. But . . . " Seiya hesitated. "I dunno. What happened to your wrists?" "What? Oh." Taiki looked down at her wrists, swollen and purple where Reynard had gripped her and held her down . . . "I had to fight a youma." "You never said anything about youma last night! Holy Maresuu, Taiki, why didn't you call us for backup?!" "I couldn't! I was already on the other side of the mirror by then!" "You were---" "Seiya, listen to me. I was behind enemy lines. I have some valuable information now, but I also know that I barely managed to escape that place, and in all honesty, I'm not sure if I could do so again if the same situation arose." She took a deep breath, calming herself, keeping the panic out of her voice. "From what I saw and heard there . . . I think . . . I think it's worse than we imagined." "Oh." Seiya shuffled her feet uncomfortably. "Well, this may not be the best time to tell you, but I think that it's about to get a whole lot worse. While you were in the bathroom, Hideaki and I were listening to what was going on out there." "Out where?" Seiya jerked her thumb behind her, indicating a direction through the broken bedroom door, through the living room, toward the outermost door of Taiki's apartment, which was, at the moment, locked and bolted shut. "There are people gathering out there." "Shimatta." It was a word that Taiki had learned on Earth, and a word that she rarely ever used in her speech. But at the moment, it seemed appropriate. "Why?" "Look, there were one or two eyewitnesses around last night when Healer and I . . . ah, broke into your apartment. They must have watched Healer leave last night . . . Word gets around the palace, you know . . . I'm sure that the Queen has been fielding questions all last night . . . There are probably reporters gathering outside that door right now . . . They'll want a statement, or something." "Seiya, I don't want to make a statement." "I know, I know, but the general populace is just as scared and worried right now as we were last night--" Seiya was interrupted by the sound of shouting coming through the outermost door. "Move over!" "Lemme through!" "Get OUT of my way!" "Hello, royalty coming through! Show a little respect!" "Yaten, you don't have to be so--" Taiki cocked her head. "Sounds like Yaten. And the Queen. Oh dear." Three sharp knocks rapped against the door. "HELLO, ARE YOU AWAKE IN THERE YET?!" Yaten's voice, unmistakably. Taiki slid off the bed. Together, she and Seiya peeked nervously around the broken bedroom door and across the living room, toward to larger, solid wood, securely locked door. Seiya squeezed Taiki's hand. "Should I let them in? It's your call." Taiki took a deep breath. "Sure. Okay. But just them. No reporters." Slowly, the two tip-toed across the living room. When they finally reached the door, Seiya, with exaggerated slowness, wrapped her hand around the doorknob, and twisted it. Immediately, dozens of flashbulbs burst into brilliant, blinding blasts of white light as the door swung open. Seiya and Taiki stumbled backward, blinking, as several people rushed through the open door, and suddenly, Yaten was slamming the door shut behind her, locking it firmly, muttering "bloody unholy vultures" under her breath. Kakyuu, Yaten, Belinda, Melinda, and Adella had managed to push their way into the room through the crowd of reporters. Both Adella and Melinda were carrying thick stacks of books in their arms; Belinda had a basket full of pastries, a jug of juice, and a stack of cups balanced underneath her arms; and everyone wore identical expressions of concern on their faces. Suddenly, Yaten rushed forward and embraced Taiki tightly, gasping, "Oh my God, you look SO MUCH BETTER than you did last night!" "Thank you. I think." Taiki returned the hug, gently, while part of her mind wondered with a rather morbid fascination whether she would be able to tell a lie in front of Kakyuu. And then, as if on cue, everyone rushed forward, embracing and laughing and talking excitedly and sometimes sighing with relief. In the midst of it all, Hideaki wandered into the room, freshly showered, dressing in clean clothes, still toweling off his wet hair, wondering aloud, "Hello, am I missing the party?" In response, Yaten actually swept him up into a hug, shouting, "There were the most HORRIBLE rumors floating around the palace last night, everybody thought that you two were DEAD and that we were trying to cover it up--" "At least one good thing will come from those reporters out there," Melinda grumbled as she set her stack of books down on a nearby coffee table. "With all those pictures they took of Taiki and Seiya, there's no doubt left that Taiki at least is alive and well." "Good, because for a while there, not even *I* was sure about it," Taiki joked lamely as she extracted herself from a crushing bear-hug being administered by Belinda. "Say, did I see you bring in food?" "I ran and stole these from the kitchens before we got here," Belinda explained as she held the basket of pastries in front of her. "See? I knew that you were too stubborn to kill," Adella said, almost admiringly, as she and Melinda began arranging the books on the coffee table and pouring juice from the jug that Belinda had brought in. Finally, Kakyuu advanced forward, slowly, regally, sweeping Taiki into her arms and holding her gently, silently, while Taiki relaxed, rested her head on her Queen's shoulder, and returned the embrace with one of her own. "I'm so relieved . . . You have no idea . . . " Kakyuu whispered into Taiki's ear. "Join the club," Taiki murmured in reply. The two laughed softly, together. And Taiki felt, for the first time that morning, that maybe things really *were* going to be all right. She was safe and sound in her own home, she was with Hideaki and her friends, and best of all, she was hugging Kakyuu, and somehow this last fact gave her more comfort and peace of mind than anything else. Then Kakyuu gently pulled away from Taiki, and recognizing the unspoken command, Taiki stepped away from her and stood aside, quietly. The Queen clapped her hands, once, and immediately everyone in the room fell quiet and turned toward her. "We need to have a discussion," she said simply. Hideaki jerked his head toward the dining room. "There's a table big enough for all of us to sit around over there." "Fine. We shall go." As Kakyuu glided toward the dining room, the others were quick to follow, scrambling to carry books, juice, and pastries as they went, finally setting everything down on the dining room table and arranging themselves carefully around it. Taiki sat down with Hideaki on one side of her and Yaten on the other; Seiya plopped herself down next to Yaten, and Belinda flopped down next to Seiya. Melinda and Adella sat down in front of the stacks of books, and the Queen sat at the head of the table. Melinda began the meeting, with her usual brusque, business-like manner. "After the events of last night, three names were brought to our attention, as originally uttered by Maker, and then relayed to the Queen by Healer. These names were Reynard, Delilah, and Malathos. And, as it appears, some of the Knights that were present in the Queen's chambers recognized the name Malathos." "It's appeared before in the more ancient history texts," Adella explained, opening one of the thick books before her and flipping through its pages until she found what she was looking for. "Nearly two million years ago, at the dawn of their recorded history, the Cerel civilization was attacked by what they labeled as a 'demon god' and his horde of youma. Of course, Sailor Cerel and her band of Senshi defeated the monster. The Cerel say that he disappeared into oblivion. Eyewitness accounts describe him as being torn apart by the Senshi's attacks. The great master painter Vondral depicted the final battle between the Senshi and the thing called Malathos in a mural. It looks like this." Adella slid the book toward the center of the table. The image of the painting covered two full pages. On one side, emanating a pearly, shimmering light, Sailor Cerel and the other Senshi stood on a rocky precipice, their lovely hair and ethereal sailor fuku blowing backward in a wind that was composed of broad, sweeping strokes of the paintbrush. Opposite them, standing atop a craggy mountaintop, stood a man with fire in his eyes and snakes seething and writhing atop his head where his hair should have been. He was not clothed, nor was he completely nude. His body seemed to dissolve into shadows. From beneath his feet, hundreds of dark, twisted youma spilled down the mountainside toward the defiant Senshi below. Yaten whistled softly. "Nice composition." "We're not here to critique the painting," Melinda admonished her sharply. Then she turned toward Taiki. "This man, here." She pointed to Malathos. "Did you see him last night?" "No." Taiki shook her head. "No, I only saw one man. The one who called himself Reynard. He introduced himself to me, and I guess . . . that he was trying to intimidate me, or something. He was very pompous. He called himself the high priest of Delilah, and said that he was a servant of Malathos." Taiki could feel everybody's eyes boring into her. All of them - everyone gathered around her at the table - were yearning to ascertain just exactly what she and Hideaki and been through last night. And she didn't blame any of them for it. After all, if she were in a position where one of her friends had been badly hurt and then refused to talk about it, her thoughts would become equally as meddlesome and probing. In fact, she should have been being interrogated by the Knights at that very moment, or at least making an official report to the Queen alone. But instead, she was still sitting at home in her own apartment, discussing ancient history with people who were left completely in the dark about the more relevant events that had occurred the night before . . . The Queen had manipulated the morning meeting to do just that, Taiki suddenly realized. Whatever Adella and Melinda wanted to talk about, it was just important enough to delay her having to testify about what had happened last night . . . And she certainly wasn't going to be asked to do so until everyone else was gone and she could be alone in front of Kakyuu. Taiki knew this for a fact, the moment that she glanced quickly to her side and looked into her Queen's eyes. "But I didn't actually see the thing called Malathos," Taiki finished. "Good. That fits with the scenario that we've begun hypothesizing. Because two thousand years later, a creature that called itself Malathos appeared on a planet in the Hyades cluster. Only this time, when it finally manifested itself in front of the populace, it was described as rolling black cloud, or a thunderhead." "And again, the Senshi drove it away!" Belinda piped up cheerfully. "And then, nearly a hundred thousand years after that . . . " Adella opened another book and pushed it toward the center of the table. "Here, in the Nerenes system. A witch named Fiona claimed that she could summon a demon god from within the bowels of the fourth planet. She called this creature Malathos, and prophesized that it would cleanse the Nerenes civilization of all who were weak and impure. The people thought that she was bluffing. "But they were wrong. "She summoned Malathos as a great dark cloud, and the survivors say that he consumed all that he touched in a blaze of fire. It took a team of Sailor Senshi to drive him away from the planet. The population was devastated." "They drove him away, instead of killing him outright," Taiki mused, "because he no longer had much of a physical body to kill in the first place. Am I right?" "Maybe." Adella tapped her fingers nervously against the open book. "If our hypothesis is correct, and Malathos started out as some sort of undead creature, then . . . as he aged and grew more powerful, he was able to shed most of his corporeal body. He still has a physical presence within whatever dimension he chooses to exist in, but . . . without a traditional body to mutilate - that is, without a heart to stake and a head to cut off - it's virtually impossible to *kill* an undead creature. The best the Sailor Senshi could hope for was banishing Malathos, sending him to the farthest corners of the galaxy, away from their planets." "So . . . " Seiya paused, almost afraid to ask the question that was on the tip of everyone's tongues. "So, how *does* one kill an undead creature like Malathos?" "Energy drain," Melinda stated flatly. "It's fairly simple. Drain its life energy until it has no more, and then it's dead." "But it's also nearly impossible, like I said," Adella continued quickly. "Normally, incorporeal beings contain an amount of life energy that it is impossible to quantify. In all honesty, none of the Sailor Senshi have ever been able to succeed in killing an incorporeal undead life form. The trick is to kill an undead creature before it can shed its corporeal body. Unfortunately, this Malathos has survived past the corporeal stage." "But look at this," Melinda said, producing another book and opening it to a detailed map of the Milky Way galaxy. "The planets that Malathos attacked follow a pattern. He started near the galactic core, and he's been steadily moving outward ever since. The last known planet that he attacked was Turan . . . here," she pointed. "And now, Kinmoku, here . . . on the edge of the galaxy." "We're checking into Turan historical records to see if we can find out any useful information about the defeat of Malathos," Adella informed the gathering. "But until we can find out more, we only know these facts: Malathos is undead, and incorporeal. He's very old, and probably very powerful. We have no idea what his motives are, or why he's interested in our planet. He resides in another dimension, but that dimension must have a 'location' of sorts within our dimension, where the separation between our two worlds is thin enough to allow for travel back and forth between the two worlds. That location is probably somewhere within this palace. Malathos uses at least two, if not more, servants - known only by their names, Reynard and Delilah. It is a safe guess that they are not as old or as powerful as he is, but still should be considered highly dangerous." Her eyes darted briefly toward Taiki, and then back again. "Our best hope for defeating him is not to destroy him, but to banish him from our planet." When Adella finished, there was silence. Seven pale, worried faces examined each other apprehensively. Suddenly, Taiki reached out with both arms and pulled the open books toward her. "Right. Turan. That's where the answer has to be. If we can find out how Turan did it, then we can banish Malathos, too. The library here doesn't have the best archives, but we can connect to the Turan congressional libraries on the Subspace net, and we can start researching there--" "No," the Queen said, softly, sternly. Taiki snapped her head around in surprise. "No," Kakyuu repeated. "You, Taiki, will do no such thing. Today, I want you to rest, and regroup. Let Melinda and Adella handle the research. I'm sure," she cast a glance at them, "that they'll do a thorough job." Then Kakyuu pushed her chair back, and stood up. "This meeting is adjourned." Obediently, every other chair around the table was pushed out, and every other person stood up quickly and began gathering their things. Belinda was gathering glasses and the juice jugs in her arms. Taiki hesitated for a moment, uncomfortable. Well, it *was* her home, and she should help clean up, so . . . "Here, let me help you," she offered to Belinda. "Oh, no, I'm fine," Belinda asserted, juggling everything in her arms. "I can do this by myself." "Belinda!" Melinda and Adella were already halfway out the door, carrying the books in their arms. Melinda tapped her foot impatiently. "Hurry up, child." "Coming!" Belinda scurried away. "She left the pastries," Hideaki observed drolly. Yaten suddenly appeared at Taiki's side, reaching out to grasp her hand in hers and squeeze it tightly. "Are you sure you're okay?" she whispered, worriedly. "I told you. I'm fine." "You're blocking me." "Because you're too nosy." "Because I worry about you--" "Yaten," Kakyuu warned sharply. Yaten's head snapped around. Kakyuu, too, was now halfway out the door, Seiya hovering a hesitant step behind her. Kakyuu's eyes met Taiki's. Yes, she could read the expressions on Seiya's and Yaten's faces. They didn't want to leave Taiki. But if the Queen ordered them to do so, they would. The question was, did Taiki want to be left alone . . . ? A moment of silent communication, as the two read each other's faces carefully. Then Kakyuu lowered her eyes. Yes, Taiki wanted to be left alone. "Seiya. Yaten. Mister Hideaki. Please come with me. Mister Hideaki, you are needed for questioning immediately." Reluctantly, Yaten let Taiki's hand slip from her own, and she turned away, toward the Queen. Hideaki stepped forward, too, darting his eyes sideways for one brief moment to meet with Taiki's eyes. It was amazing, Taiki mused, how much communication was possible just by one glance into another person's eyes. Yes, Hideaki knew what to say and what not to say. They were sure to be together again sometime before the Queen summoned Taiki herself to make a report; they could get their stories straight then. There was no lying going on, per se . . . just half truths. That was all. Kakyuu addressed Taiki one last time. "Don't worry about the research. Adella and Melinda are taking care of it. If there are any significant new developments discovered, I will send either Seiya or Yaten to contact you as soon as possible." Taiki nodded in silent understanding. Hideaki shuffled forward quietly. Seiya and Yaten fell in step behind him, and they followed Kakyuu out the door, silently, solemnly. The door closed behind them. And Taiki was left alone to brood with her own thoughts. - end part nine -