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Gaea
Kunzite sighed as she paced back and forth through the house for the millionth time that day. She was sure that she had felt energy from the Dark Kingdom very close to the house a short while ago, but there was no sign of her companions anywhere. There had been no sign of Shi or Zoisite either. Not since the day she and Miyo had arrived. Then there was the whole thing with Miyo suddenly becoming a child and not being able to remember much of anything. She had apparently lost all of her powers as well.
None of this bothered the brunette, who usually spent her days drawing intricate designs on the walls of the house. The white-haired woman, however, was worried. Since the sudden surge of energy, she could no longer contact Beryl. She feared that something may have happened ... and she was stuck in a strange world, with a child that had trouble remembering even the most basic things.
"This ... is ridiculous. How am I supposed to find the blonde when I can't even leave the house without Miyo freaking out?"
There was a noise in the bedroom and Kunzite sighed again. "If I ever get back to the Dark Kingdom, I am kicking Jadeite's ass." The white-haired woman walked into the bedroom and raised an eyebrow at all of the symbols on the walls. "Miyo, honey, what are you doing in here?"
"Drawing a door," the brunette replied, drawing a triangle around her feet. "You had better stand over here, though. It won't work if you're over there."
Allowing a small smile to cross her face, the white-haired woman walked over to where the brunette indicated. "This is a complicated door, Miyo. Where does it go? The Moon?"
"Don't be silly. You can't draw a door to the Moon. This is a blood door."
"Blood door?" Kunzite frowned as she looked at the younger woman. There were bandages on several of her fingers that the white-haired woman hadn't noticed before. She glanced at the designs drawn in red paint and could see traces of black blood mixed in. "This is ... your blood?"
Miyo nodded as she knelt inside the triangle. "Don't move. It's been a long time since I've done this and I don't want to mess it up." Before the white-haired woman could protest, she placed her hands over two of the designs and started chanting.
Zoisite watched as the blonde girl knelt outside of her drawing. "Whatcha doing?"
"Opening the door," Shi replied. She motioned him closer and had him place his hands on certain symbols. "Imagine a door in your mind and make it open, got it?"
Zoisite nodded, glancing down at the red designs on the floor. He had recognized the symbols almost immediately, although he wasn't sure why. Even the fact that he knew they were the other blonde's blood, didn't bother him. "This is for your sister, right?"
Shi nodded, moving to the other side of the complex pattern. "Yes, for Miyo, not Sarah. I don't want her." She put her hands on another set of symbols and started chanting.
Mars was nearly asleep when she felt the wards around the entire palace suddenly give way, then reform. Instinctively, she jerked out of bed and transformed. Alarms were going off everywhere. It was hard to tell exactly what had happened, but she knew that it was something big. Her wards were designed to keep out even the smallest unwanted pests, so for something to have broken them ...
The senshi of fire ran into the Throne Room, expecting to find Cronos and all of her warriors, staging a full-out invasion.
Venus and Uranus, having the closest rooms, were already there, barking orders to the guards. The blue-clad woman saw Mars appear and frowned. "You weren't playing with the wards again, were you?"
Mars shook her head as Lysithea ran into the room. "Whatever this is, I didn't do it."
Mercury and Dysnomia came running into the room next. "Are we under attack?"
Jupiter and several of the dimensional travellers appeared moments later. StarFighter frowned, glancing around the room. "What's going on?"
"I don't know what's going on," Mars replied, sounding exasperated. "Something broke the wards, then reformed them. I've never felt anything like that before."
Venus ordered guards to check every room and every entrance to the palace. She looked around the room, then turned to Uranus. "I want the children gathered here, now. All of them. Pull Edra out of the Temple if she won't come willingly."
StarFighter grabbed Saturn's arm and started toward the room where Shi and Zoi were staying. "If Cronos is there, I really don't care if that Glaive of yours ends up at her throat."
"If she shows her face around here again, I'll do more than put it at her throat." Saturn followed the other woman down the corridor. Before they had even reached the end, she could see the red liquid seeping under the edge of the door. "Fighter."
"I know," StarFighter picked up her pace as the red liquid spread further. Not even bothering to try the handle, StarFighter slammed into the door, sending it flying open. "Shi!"
Saturn followed her in a moment later and had to brace herself so she didn't fall on the suddenly slick floor. A scream escaped her throat when she realized the entire room was covered in what looked like blood.
StarHealer had seen Fighter run from the throne room and had followed a few moments later. She had just turned down the corridor where the kids' room was as a scream echoed throughout the entire palace. She slid into the room and was sure her heart stopped for a moment when she saw StarFighter holding her twin daughters, neither moving and both covered in what looked like blood. A third small figure lay beside her, the blond hair also streaked with red.
Saturn was kneeling beside the fourth figure, the only adult that had been in the room as StarHealer ran over to StarFighter and the children. She brushed her fingers against the woman's throat and sighed slightly when she realized she was alive. "Seiya-chan?"
"Th-They're okay, Hota-chan." StarFighter looked up at StarHealer and saw her nod. "So is Zoi."
Saturn relaxed slightly and was finally able to look around the room. "Damn. What the hell is this stuff?"
"Blood," Papillon replied, frowning. She had followed after Healer, with several more following after her. She stepped into the room and carefully walked over to them. She knelt beside StarFighter and smiled slightly when she saw a chibified Miyo. "You do know that the Shitennou were Alchemists, right?"
"What does that have to do with everything being covered in blood?" StarHealer asked, pulling Zoi into her lap.
Mars braced herself against the doorway and frowned. "Everything," she replied. She and Papillon had arrived shortly after StarHealer. Once she was sure the kids were alive, she told the guards that had followed her to go find the others. She stepped into the room and looked at some of the symbols that were still barely visible. "Now I know what happened. Since Shi couldn't teleport out and the guards were keeping her inside, she made another door."
"I don't understand," StarFighter replied, clutching the twins.
"My wards are designed to keep people from forcing their way in. But if someone on the inside opens a pathway, then ..."
"Kind of like the dimensional portals Beryl uses," Saturn replied. She looked at some of the red liquid on her gloves and smiled slightly. "There's only a very small amount of blood here. The rest of it is ... water ... and paint."
"Watercolors. Shi wanted watercolors." StarFighter smiled a little as she looked down at the blonde.
Kunzite groaned as she forced her eyes open. "If going to Gaea is this rough every time, my ass is staying home." It took several moments for her vision to clear enough to see the glaring purple warriors standing over her. "Oh shit."
Saturn smirked slightly as she brought her Glaive to the white-haired woman's neck. "Who are you?"
"Kunz?" Zoi blinked at the blurry white figure lying a few feet away. He reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes and frowned at the red liquid on his hands. "Yuck. Now I've got girl germs."
The white-haired woman looked at the blond boy and frowned. "Zoi?" A tap of the blade against her neck reminded her that she hadn't answered yet. "I-I'm K-Kunzite."
"Thought you might be." Saturn raised the Glaive as Papillon reached down to help the older woman to her feet. "Careful, 'Tomi-chan. The floor's still-"
Papillon moved her foot slightly to better balance herself. Almost as soon as she started pulling the other woman up, her foot slipped. The blue-haired warrior landed flat on her back right in the middle of the red liquid.
"-wet." Saturn knelt next to the other girl, then glanced over her shoulder at Mars. "I don't suppose you could maybe ... dry the floor?"
Mars shook her head slightly. "I've been trying. It won't dry." She managed to make it over to the others without falling and knelt to help both Kunzite and Papillon into a sitting position. They heard footsteps coming down the hallway and she turned toward the door. "Don't run!"
Kageshirou stepped into the room and almost immediately slipped and fell. StarMaker followed her inside, a lot slower and more carefully. "Is everyone okay?"
StarHealer nodded slightly, hiding a smile behind her glove. "So far it seems that the only injuries are your children's pride."
Two sets of giggles had the entire group turning to the twins. They still had their eyes closed, but the grins on their faces proved they were awake. StarFighter smiled as she hugged them. "Girls, don't laugh at your cousins."
Miyo opened her eyes and smiled up at her Dema. "But Shirou is funny." She wrapped her arms around StarFighter's neck, grinning when she felt Shi do the same. "I founded you."
StarFighter chuckled slightly. "Yes you did. Although, I'm sure Mars-san wishes you had done it a little less dramatically."
Shi frowned slightly, glancing over the former singer's shoulder at the red-haired woman. "There wasn't another way. Any time I found her, I'd lose her again before I could find Mars-san."
Mars smiled at the two girls. "I'll just have to remember next time to make sure no one can sneak in. Which reminds me ... how did the others get in this morning?"
Kageshirou laughed slightly as she carefully stood. "That would be a Hunter trick. They can get in anywhere they want to, usually without being seen."
StarMaker nodded, helping the younger redhead. "Kaish used to drive us crazy with that little trick. Made planning surprise parties for her and Yaten virtually impossible." Once the other woman was back on her feet, she looked at the new arrivals. "No Mi-ko?"
Kunzite frowned, glancing over at StarHealer when she shook her head. "You're Mi-ko's mother?"
StarHealer nodded again. "Mi-ko is my daughter, yes. Do you know where she is?"
Kunzite shook her head. "No, I don't. There was some kind of energy surge from the Dark Kingdom, then everything went quiet. I haven't been able to contact any of the others since."
"Maybe we should continue this discussion somewhere that isn't covered in ... paint and blood?" Papillon asked, smiling slightly.
"Oh crap. The door." The twins pulled free of StarFighter and knelt in the middle of the paint. Miyo looked up at her Dema. "Don't move."
As the two girls softly chanted, the red liquid on the floor began to fade. Once it was gone, Zoisite started laughing. "Kunz has pink hair."
Kunzite grinned at the little boy. "So do you, brat."
Once everyone was gathered in the Throne Room, and those that had been covered in the red liquid were mostly clean, Venus made the guards leave. She watched the young brunette that had arrived for several moments before turning to the white-haired woman that had appeared with her. "You work for Beryl?"
Kunzite nodded uncomfortably. "Y-Yes. But not by choice. Sh-She controlled the demons. If we didn't serve her, we'd-"
Venus waved a hand, cutting her off. "I had guessed as much. Several hundred of our people were sent to her realm centuries ago. Can you tell me how many are left?"
Kunzite frowned slightly. "Centuries? I had no idea it was that long."
The blonde 'Goddess' glanced over at her companions and their children. When a young blonde seated next to Serenede nodded, the older woman frowned. "How long did you think it had been?"
"I don't know for sure. Time is ... difficult to measure there, but there had only been ... 98 seasons when I was born."
"How old are you, Kunzite?"
"No clue. As I said, time is difficult to measure, there. You can lose track of it very easily. The only regular occurrence is demon mating season ... and even it isn't that predictable," the white-haired Shitennou replied. "I have served Beryl for my entire existence ... over twenty-six seasons."
Venus' frown deepened. "That's 124 seasons."
Mars glanced at the blonde before looking hopefully at the white-haired woman. "How ... how many humans were in the Dark Kingdom?"
"Full-blooded or half-breeds?"
"Both."
"Full-bloods, only five are left. Half-breeds ... I think there was about 100."
Mars sighed slightly. "Are you one of the five?"
Kunzite turned away from the older woman. "No. I am a half-breed, as are all Shitennou."
"Who are the five?" Dysnomia asked, watching the younger woman carefully.
"I ... I do not know their names. I only know that ... one of them is my father."
Uranus walked over to Kunzite and gently titled her face up. "What happened to the others?"
Kunzite sighed. "I ... I don't know."
"Demons killed them," Zoisite replied from his seat next to Yaten. "Most of them ... the others Beryl banished."
Yaten frowned slightly. "Banished? To where?"
"You'll have to ask Nephlite that question. He was the only one she trusted."
Venus nodded, glancing over to where Mars had turned away from the group. "Lysithea, once the guards have finished checking the palace, arrange quarters for our new guest."
"If we keep getting visitors, we'll have to add on to the palace."
"Isn't that what Usagi-chan said when we moved in to the mansion?" Tanetomi smirked slightly at her older 'sister'.
Yaten sighed, looking over at the white-haired woman. "Kunzite, do you ..."
"She can work with me on trying to find a way to track the others. It will be easier to base the readings off of an adult, anyway. And now that I know I'm looking for traces of demon blood, that will only make it easier." Mercury sighed, absently holding on to the younger woman beside her. "Unfortunately, there has been no sign of those warriors you met. I sent soldiers in to the house you told me about, but it had all been abandoned. However ... that was where the picture of Mi-ko and the two men was taken."
"So Aevor is working for her?"
Mercury spun to face Seiya. "What? Where did you hear that name?"
Seiya frowned slightly. "Aevor? That was the name of the man that helped us during the first fight. Why? Do you know it?"
Venus frowned. "Uranus, take the children out of here, now!"
The blue-haired woman next to Mercury frowned and held on to the older woman's arm. "Mother, what's-"
"Allisto, don't argue! Take Ryo and Trun to your chambers!"
Taiki frowned at the reaction of the older women. "Kageshirou."
Kageshirou nodded, standing. She picked up the closest twin, Miyo and saw Xavier picking up Shi. Devii grabbed Zoi's hand and Tanetomi was standing next to Sarah. The redhead glanced over at Kunzite and frowned. "What about her?"
Jupiter placed a hand on the white-haired woman's arm and smiled slightly. "Perhaps you should go with Zoisite. This really doesn't concern you."
Uranus returned moments later and took up her spot at Venus' side. "Souji is making sure the children all stay in their chambers."
Venus nodded slightly, watching as Tanetomi and Sarah left the room. "The reason we-"
"Hold that thought, Venus-san." Kaish replied as she walked to the door her own children had gone through. She placed a small device on the door and activated it. "There. They shouldn't be able to listen, now."
"Don't bet on it," Taiki replied, pointing up to where a small black butterfly was sitting on the chandelier.
Mars frowned, waving one hand toward the chandelier. The butterfly burst into flames and vanished. "Your children are as nosy as ours."
"Thankfully, we've already sound-proofed this room from them," Dysnomia replied, smiling sadly.
"Just be glad we didn't bring Nere-chan," Haruka replied. "Even Yaten-chan's toys can't stop her from listening in."
Venus allowed a small smile to cross her face, then sighed. "The reason we wanted the children to leave is ... there were others. Other children, born before the rift."
Uranus watched her for several moments before turning to look at the dimensional travellers. "When Cronos turned on us, she ... she killed the children. Aevor was the name of Mercury and Gaea's son. He ... he was the oldest."
"Mercury-san ..."
The blue-haired woman shook her head slightly. "It has been a long time. I ... have accepted it, I ..."
"You just weren't ready to hear someone else called by that name." Seiya replied, smiling sadly.
"I realize now that we never asked you their names. The warriors of Cronos. It didn't really seem relevant, at the time." Venus looked at each of her friends in turn. "But if she is using our children's names against us, we had better be prepared."
Minako frowned. "There was only one other whose name I ever heard."
Jupiter balled her hands into fists. "Who?"
"A redhead. He called her Fluri."
Mars gasped. "What did she look like?"
"Mars, don't-"
"Imari-"
"No! Damnit, I just want to know ... what color were her eyes?"
Minako frowned slightly, glancing at her companions. "That was the one that came with him, wasn't it?" When Seiya nodded, she turned back to the red-haired 'Goddess'. "Her eyes were yellow."
"And Aevor?"
"Blue hair, orange eyes," Seiya replied. He watched Mercury go pale and frowned. "Do you think she has made her warriors look like your children?"
"I think that's exactly what she's done," Uranus replied.
Jupiter frowned. "Were there two girls, one with green hair, the other a brunette?"
When the black-haired warrior nodded, Uranus felt a small flutter of hope. "Was there another girl? With white-blonde hair?"
Yaten shook her head. "There were three other girls, and three boys. None of them were blond. I think they were all their kids. That's what Ymede said."
"Ymede? Was she the brunette?" When the other woman nodded, Jupiter felt tears sting her eyes. "And ... and the other? Gesre?"
"Yes."
"Jupi ... Elara, they're not ... she's just made them look like the children," Venus replied.
The brown-haired woman shook her head. "No ... I can't ... I know she's ... mad, but ... even Puu could never do that to her own child."
Mercury glared at the brunette. "She has done it! When are you going to realize that? She killed her own children and is using their names and their faces to manipulate us!"
"Don't you think I know her powers?! I was closer to her than any of you! I know what she is capable of! Puu could never make anyone look her own child ... it is beyond her powers to do that." Jupiter watched the others as that started to sink in. A small smile crossed her face. "She CAN'T make someone look like Gesre, or Ymede. I think ... I think she never killed the children. I think ... my daughters are still alive."
