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January, 2011
"Shi! Wake up! We're going to be late!"
The blonde jerked awake and glared at her sister. "Must you yell? We've never been late, never will be late. Or do you forget that we have access to inter-dimensional transport devices?"
"That we have been forbidden to use as long as we interact with a general populous that doesn't know we are Senshi." Miyo smirked at her sister, then tossed her clothes at her. "Get dressed. I'm going to go make sure the others are awake."
Shi looked at the clock. "Miyo! There's still an hour until we even HAVE to leave!"
"Don't you dare think about going back to sleep, or I'll get Usami to give you nightmares for a month!"
Shi grumbled as she climbed out of bed and trudged down the hall to the nearest bathroom. Along her way, she could hear her cousins grumbling at Miyo. Grinning, the blonde quickly showered, then changed clothes. She easily dodged the other girls as she ran back to the room to get her bag. Bending over to pick it up from the floor, she noticed the small box she always kept under her pillow lying next to the bed. She picked up the intricately worked wooden box and smiled sadly. "Urani ... I wish you were here."
She turned to place the intricately carved box back under her pillow when she caught sight of the window. "MIYO!?"
Seiya glanced toward the stairs, then over at the teenager sitting beside him. "When I asked you to tell your sister that school was cancelled because of the freak snow storm, I should have known this would happen."
Miyo giggled, heaping another spoonful of sugar onto her cereal. "It's not my fault she doesn't pay attention to the weather reports."
"Miyo Tesi Tamura, krrel defch itnai."
Seiya sighed. "No, you're not going to kill your sister."
Rei looked up from her cereal as the blonde came into the kitchen. "Why do you want to kill Miyo-nee-chan?"
"Because she woke me up when there's four feet of snow on the ground ... in the middle of California!"
"I was going to wake you up soon, anyway," Seiya replied. "Goodman-san is here and wants to see us all about something."
Shi growled at her older sister, then slumped into a chair beside their father. "It's way too early to have to deal with her. It's probably only going to be to tell us there's some new dimensional hole we have to avoid. That's all she ever tells us."
Seiya smiled a little. "Actually, she wants you all to go with her to a new world."
Taiki frowned. "You're asking the kids to check out a world that no one else has been to? Isn't that a little dangerous?"
"I've been there. And I assure you that there is nothing dangerous there." Argent replied. "I will personally be accompanying them, as will my own children."
"It's still too dangerous. I can't allow the Princesses to go."
Usagi glanced at Shi and frowned. "I understand your concern, Shi-chan, but isn't that decision up to their mother?"
Shi glared lightly at the wheelchair bound blonde. "No, it isn't. Aside from Dema and my uncles, I am the highest ranking member of the Kinmokunai Imperial Guard on Earth. The Princesses are my responsibility. Second only to that is their brother, my sisters and my cousins. I can not allow any of them to go."
"Shi-"
"No, Miyo, she's right. With no one here to guard the Princess, Shi can't let the rest of you go. Which is why I've asked Kageshirou to come here and watch over things." Kakyuu turned to the younger blonde. "Does this meet with your approval, Sub-Commander?"
Shi frowned, trying to ignore the pleading looks Tanetomi and Kai were giving her. "What about the surge of energy? With all of us arriving at once, surely it would attract attention."
"That's why I'm only suggesting taking you and the older girls. Sarah and the others have been to similar worlds many times. To them, trips like this have lost their appeal. But only the teenagers, the others are still too little," Argent replied. She smiled a little at the younger children when they frowned. "Just imagine, an entirely new world. One that doesn't have the problems this one has. One where there are no reporters or government agents hounding your every move. An entirely different world with new people, new technology, new ideas."
Miyo glanced at her sister. "It does sound like it'd be a lot of fun. Might be a good chance to just relax for a while."
Shi sighed, looking at all of the other half-Kinmokunai. "Fine. On one condition. If anything and I mean ANY thing goes wrong, we come back immediately."
"We'll have two days in which we can travel freely between worlds. After those two days, it'll be another two weeks before the portals can be opened again." Argent was quickly realizing just how much influence the young blonde had over her cousins. "We'll only stay if you think it's a good idea, agreed?"
"Agreed."
Usagi smiled. "Great. So who all is going?"
"If Shi and Miyo are going, I'm going." Mi-ko replied.
Kai grinned. "So am I."
'Tomi smirked. "You think I'm going to let them go without me?"
Seiya smiled, then looked at Usami and Tsuki. "How about you, Princesses?"
"I most certainly am NOT going." Tsuki replied. "This whole idea of travelling between worlds is ... not something a Princess should be doing."
Usami made a face behind her sister's back. "Well, in that case, I WILL be going. No ifs, ands, or buts, Shi. You may be a Guard, but I can still kick your butt at any version of Kektai there is."
"Kektai? What's that?"
Seiya chuckled. "It's a ... nonsense contest that Kinmokunai children play. Yaten taught the girls. So far, Usami has won every game she's played."
Shi muttered something in Hrrrrunai that had the Princesses blushing. Tanetomi started laughing and nearly fell off her seat. "Shi, that was mean!"
The blonde shrugged unapologetically and winked at the blue-haired woman. "Maybe, but you know it's true. So, Ms. Goodman, what do we need to bring with us?"
Argent stood, stretching. "Not much, just a couple of pairs of clothes. If we decide to stay longer, we can always arrange for more. Be ready at sunset, we leave tonight."
"I still can't believe I agreed to this." Shi tightened the strap of the bag she had slung over her shoulder and looked at her sister. "Please tell me you're not taking your books with you?"
Miyo shook her head. "No, just making sure I have room in case I find any books I want to bring back."
"This isn't a pleasure cruise, Miyo. It's purely reconnaissance."
"Dang, Dema was right ... you do need a vacation." 'Tomi grabbed her bag, then slung her arm around Shi's shoulders. "You're wound up tighter than aunt Michiru the night before a show."
Shi knocked her friend's arm off and frowned. "She's not our aunt."
"Why won't you relax and just be yourself around them? Every time we're in the same building with one of them, you tense up and start freaking out." Kai leaned against the doorway, idly playing with a strand of hair. "'Tomi and I are the ones that should freak out around them. They know who we are."
"They found you out?"
Kai nodded. "Afraid so. That little ice trick didn't go as 'unnoticed' as we'd have hoped."
Shi sighed, sitting on one of the beds. "Damn. Well, they obviously didn't freak out over you being here. You didn't happen to ... hello Sarah."
Miyo jumped and looked to the doorway where the other young woman was just walking up. "And I thought I was the telepath."
Sarah shrugged and looked at the group of teenagers in the room. "Argent's downstairs. It's time to go." She watched as the others grabbed their things, then stepped into the room and looked at Shi. "You're worried. About what?"
"About nothing that concerns you. How many times have I told you to stay out of my head?"
The two blondes glared at each other for a long moment before the Kinmokunai stood and held out a letter to Sarah. "Only if we don't come back."
Sarah looked at the envelope, then placed it on the other girl's bed. "Don't worry, you'll come back. Mom's right, you do need to learn to relax. Come on, I know it's freaky to think about going to another dimension, but there's nothing there to harm you."
"Not all harm is easily apparent. Even when you're looking for it."
As Shi stepped around her, Sarah caught a glimpse of a very frightened young man wearing a uniform that looked oddly familiar. "Shi-chan ..."
Argent waited until all 6 teenagers were gathered in the same room, then motioned for the others to leave. "Alright ladies ... time to go."
"Wow! This place is so cool!" Tanetomi nearly bounced out of the small room they had appeared in before Argent could grab her arm.
"Not so fast, 'Tomi. This world may be safe, but we still must exercise caution."
"This world isn't safe."
Everyone turned to Mi-ko, who was standing in same spot she had appeared in, eyes tightly closed. Usami stepped forward and placed a hand on the younger girl's arm. "What do you mean, Mi-ko? Why isn't it safe?"
Miyo gasped and grabbed her sister's arm. "She's here."
Shi nodded, pulling her twin to stand next to Mi-ko. "We have to leave this place. Now."
"But Shi, we just-"
"Now! Don't you understand?! This world isn't sa-"
Usami instinctively pulled back as Mi-ko vanished right before her eyes.
"Very funny, guys," Kai replied, glancing around the room. "Where did you go? You can come back now. I said now, Minako! If you don't get back here right now, I'll tell Dema!"
'Tomi grabbed Kai's arm. "They didn't do that. Something else ..."
Argent quickly called one of her daughters from another room. "Take them back to the mansion and tell Seiya to come with you." She looked at the remaining three teenagers, then at the floor where their friends had been standing. An ominous black smudge marked the place where the three had been.
Within minutes, Seiya, Yaten, Taiki and Sailor Venus were next to her. Saturn and Neptune were on their way to help with the search, but from what they could see, there was little chance they'd be able to help.
Seiya glared at the dimensional-traveller. "I thought you said this world was safe."
"It was supposed to be. I don't ... I have never seen this evil before. It has never shown it's face to this world."
Taiki frowned. "Then we have to try and contact this world's Senshi. See if they can tell us what it is."
Argent sighed. "You don't get it. There are no Senshi here. There has never been a need for them, so they don't exist." She sat in a nearby chair and looked up only when she heard another group arriving. "Seiya-"
"Save it. If we don't find them in two hours, I'll rip the barrier between this world and ours and bring the entire Kinmokunai fleet to this world. I'm not losing any more children." The dark-haired singer stormed out of the small house, followed by Yaten.
Taiki hesitated a moment, then took off after his companions. Venus sighed. "This ... stuff looks familiar. But without Ami-chan here to analyze it, I can't tell what it is."
"It's blood." Saturn knelt next to the blonde and ran her gloves through the edge of the smudge. "Demonic. Probably a sacrifice to gain enough power to kidnap the girls."
Venus frowned. "But why them? Was it because they were standing the closest together?"
"No." 'Tomi saw the older Senshi jump. "Usami was right next to Mi-ko. Shi and Miyo were about a foot away."
Neptune placed her hand on the younger woman's shoulder. When she and Saturn had agreed to come back, both the blue-haired girl and Sarah had demanded to come as well. Seiya and the others had refused at first, until Tanetomi had revealed a secret about the three missing girls. "Tell them what you told me, 'Tomi-chan."
'Tomi sighed. "Ever since Mi-ko was born, the three of them have been ... linked. At first, everyone thought it was just a twin thing, but when they showed the same bond with Mi-ko, who shared no blood with them ... Shi finally told me that they were bound together by their pasts. Their former lives."
"Meaning ... they are like us. Have known each other through different incarnations." Venus looked at the dark smudge on the ground again and gasped. "No ... it can't be."
The former General glared at Argent. "You brought them to a world where Beryl still lives?!"
Earth Date, January 2011
Xan walked into the small sickbay and frowned at the motionless boy on the bed. The human doctor next to him relaxed when he recognized her. "Xan, am I glad to see you. I'm not really sure what I've got myself into this time around."
"You've got a half-Hrrrrunai/half-Kinmoku telepath, is what you've got. Whatever you do, no skin to skin contact." Xan stepped closer to Urani and began examining him. As she did, she projected thoughts of Hiko's safety and her allegiance to Kageshirou. 'If you can hear me, Urani, we need you to wake up. Your mother and sisters need you.'
Urani forced his eyes open and looked up at the Hrrrrunai above him. "What ... happened?"
"Unfortunately, one of our people seems to have been a little trigger happy. Your ship spooked him. Don't worry, it's just disabled. And aside from a possibly broken leg, no one else was seriously hurt." Xan noticed the blue eyes drifting closed and placed a gloved hand on his arm. "Urani ... I need you to stay awake. There are a few things we need to know."
Images flashed in her mind faster than Xan could blink. Instinctively, she stepped away from the young boy.
"Xan, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, he just ... answered every question I could ever ask." She sat in the chair next to the bed and sighed. "Seems his father was behind the whole disappearance."
The doctor sighed. "We really shouldn't be surprised. From what I've heard, his father was a real piece of work."
"That is one of the strangest Earth expressions I've ever heard."
"Earth?!" Urani sat up and looked right at the female Hrrrrunai. "Did you say ... did we make it?"
Xan rushed to his side and helped him lay back down. "Yes. Well, almost. Once we get these Imperial Cruisers moving, it will only take a few hours. By that time, we should have you almost as good as new."
Urani relaxed into the bed and stared at the ceiling. "My ... Lady Seiya?"
"Lady Seiya is well and will be most pleased to know you are alive." Tavek entered the infirmary carrying Hiko. The small boy seemed to trust him completely, as he was currently sleeping in the older man's arms. "Your brother was most insistent on seeing you, even though he was exhausted."
Urani smiled a little. "He must like you. He doesn't normally trust anyone but me."
Tavek smiled. "I must just have that kind of face. People always seem to trust me."
???
Shi pulled her sister closer to her as the smell of death and decay overwhelmed them. The blonde grabbed the gray-haired girl beside her and put them both behind her. "What the hell happened?"
"I brought you to my home, dear child."
The blonde felt her heart sink as an all too familiar face appeared from the shadows. "Queen B-Beryl."
Beryl smiled darkly. "I'm glad you know me. It will make this much easier." She motioned to someone beside her and a young man stepped out of the shadows. "Jadeite ... summon the others. I have a new mission for them."
"Yes, my queen." Jadeite bowed, eyeing the three girls warily, then vanished.
"Now then ... how is it that I have never noticed you before today? My Generals and I have been trying to break into that world for decades. Yet you seemed to have no problems getting in."
Shi tightened her grip on the other two. "Don't say a word."
Beryl raised an eyebrow, then stepped closer to the three girls. "Ah ... you're not quite MY Generals. Though I do not doubt you are incarnations of them. Zoisite, Kunzite and Nephlite, if I am not mistaken. Shame. It would have been so much fun to have two copies to do my bidding."
"What do you mean?" Mi-ko ignored Shi's glare and stepped out from behind her to face the redhead. "What do you mean ... 'would have been'? Are you going to kill us?"
"It had crossed my mind, yes. Unless, of course, you give me a reason not to." Beryl smirked as four shadows appeared behind her. "I must also tell you ... there is no way out of here. Not yet, anyway."
Miyo pulled her glove from one hand and grabbed Shi's hand. "And if we agree to help you find a way out of ... here. Will you let us go? There is no one in the world you took us from to stop you."
"Are you saying you won't try?"
"That world is full of humans. I despise humans." Shi glared at the four people now standing behind the hated queen. Three men, one woman from the looks of it. "Do whatever you want with them. Just promise you'll let us leave."
Beryl glanced at the four figures behind her. "You have my word. Now ... meet your other halves."
