Chapter 11 The Lost Senshi "Where to begin?" Kyoko said mostly to herself, her eyes momentarily looking at the floor. "I suppose Ruri here already told you about how Nemisess came to be in the Silver Millenium. Now I guess I can fill in the stuff she didn't cover. Like why we're here and," her eyes focused on Zukamori, sending a chill down Zukamori's spine, "who we--myself, Ruri, and Zukamori--really are." She ran her hand through her white hair in slight frustration. "No way else to start," she sighed. "We all know about the duties of the Sailor Senshi: the Inners Senshi protected the Princess, the Outers protected the Moon Kingdom from any threaths. But there was a third party of Senshi, known as the Lost Senshi. Their duties were done in secret and only a choice few knew of it. Each one had a different job. They ranged from leading battles to protecting the Queen to making sure everything worked in the Moon Kingdom. During the last years in the Silver Millenium there were only three of them. One was in suspended animation and and another was head protector of Queen Serenity. The other....I don't know what she did. During the battle against Beryal, one of them were killed and one survived. According to the computer's log, she died, though, from failure." "Failure?" Serenity questioned. "Yes. She thought she had failed in her duty, which only she knew of. After that, Queen Serenity sent her along with the others to Earth, but for a different reason that the rest. She knew Nemisess would return, even if Serenity never awakened as Sailor Moon, so she wanted to make sure they would be reborn no matter what and then gather the Senshi to beat Nemisess." "But who are they?" Rei asked. "Were they reborn? Are they alive now?" "Yes. They are alive." "Then we gotta find them," Makoto instisted. "We only have two months until Nemisess attacks us, but how will we find them? We're stuck here." "Don't worry about finding them, Jupiter," Ruri said. "They're already here," Kyoko said. A golden light flared at the center of her forehead. A symbol appeared; three stars arranged in a triangle, the lower left one glowed gold, and a faint outline of a woman. Almost at the same time, another appeared on Ruri's forehead. The same triangle was there, the lower right star glowed a light blue, and an outline of a dragon also there. "We are the Lost Senshi," Kyoko said. "I am Sailor Cassiopia." "I am Sailor Draco," Ruri said. Kyoko walked up to Zukamori. She raise her hand and touched Zukamori's forehead with her index finger. A white light surronded the two. A sign appeared on Zukamori's forehead. The same triangle with the top star glowing white, an outline of a warriors was present. Zukamori jerked. She felt like something inside her was struggling to break free, but something else was holding it back. Without warning, it broke its bondage. Horror filled Zukamori as she realized what it was that was surfacing: her own memories. As they finally came, Zukamori hung her head as they replayed in her mind. The signs and light vanished. "You are the last member of the Lost Senshi," Kyoko said, dropping her hand back down to her side. "Do you remember who you are now?" A moment passed, Zukamori didn't move. "Zukamori?" Kyoko said again. "Do you remember?" "You know perfectly well if I do or don't." Zukamori's hazel eyes flashed with hatered as she glared at Kyoko. Her head still hung down. "Zukamori--" Kyoko started, already regetting that she gave Zukamori back her memories. "Say nothing!" Zukamori snapped. Her hands closed into tight fists. She was shaking slightly. "Nothing you do or say will change my mind! Sailor Orion is dead! I am not her! I never was and I never will be!!" Quickly she turned and ran out of the room. "Zukamori!" Kyoko and Ruri shouted after her, but she was already gone. "I'll go after her," Adonis said just before following Zukamori. "Adonis! Wait a sec!" Kyoko ordered. He stopped and turned back. "Whatever happens," Kyoko said, "whatever she says, whatever she does, don't leave her side. She needs you more than either of you know." He nodded then continued on his way. ---------- Zukamori ran through the halls of the underground chamber, not caring where she was headed. She heard someone call her name. She ignored it and ran faster. She reached the stairs and ran up them, trying to get away. she thought bitterly. She close her eyes tight, fighting against the tears that threatened to pour out. A ways behind her, Adonis struggled to keep up with her. "Zukamori!" he yelled, trying to get her to slow down. He saw her disappear out the double doors they had entered. He called her name again as he came out the doors. He saw her a few yards in front of him, standing still. he thought as he cautiously stepped towards her. "Zukamori?" he said. Suddenly something slammed against him, sending him flying back a ways. He struck the white door and fell to the ground. He sat up, dazed slightly. "Stay away from me." Adonis looked up to see Zukamori standing in front of him. He saw tears running down her face. Her eyes expressed only one emtion: dispair. "Zukamori--" he started. "Don't try to change my mind," she said. Her eyes stared unseeingly at him. "Don't even attempt to. I know what I did, and I deverse to die for it." Her fists shook as she raised them. Her gazed turned to her hands. "I deserve death," she whispered. "No you don't!" Adonis replied standing up quickly. "What do you know?!" she shouted back, her eyes burning with anger. "You know nothing! You don't know what I did back then!" More tears streamed down her face. "You don't know!!" "Then tell me." His words surprised Zukamori so much she stopped shouting. "Please, Zukamori," he said, almost pleading, "I want to help you, but to do that I need to know what you did that you think is so horrible." A few seconds passed before Zukamori shook her head slowly. "No," she whispered. "No. No. No. No one can understand what I did. No one. Not even Sere- chan." When she spoke the name, her voice started to crack with emtion and more tears escaped her hazle eyes. "No one can. It's not possible for anyone to understand. No one." ---------- "What was that all about?" Serenity demanded as she turned back to the two women in front of her. Ruri sighed, frustated. "Should've saw it coming," she muttered. "Yeah," Kyoko agreed, looking equaly frustrated. "I asked you two a question," Serenity said, looking ticked off, "and I expect an answer." There was none. They just stared at the floor. "Well?" Nothing. Getting angry, Serenity slammed her fist on the table beside her. "Look!" she shouted, her eyes narrowed dangerously, "We are trapped in our own palace with only two months to prepare for a battle against a monster from our own past who we weren't able to beat then, I have just found out about three Senshi I never thought existed, one seems to have something wrong with her while the other two won't tell a thing about what is going on! I demand to know the whole truth!!" Everyone stared at her. They had only seen her like this very few times. "And I mean everything!" Serenity finished. It took a few second for Ruri to collect her thoughts. "All right," she said. "You all have the right to know everything." Her blue eyes locked onto Minako's. "Even you do not know everything, Venus. Some details were kept from you, the leader. Hard to believe, isn't it." "By the way, Ruri," Kyoko said, "they all have their own names now." "You could've told me sooner, you know," Ruri said, looking at her out of the corner of her eye, "instead of playing you little mind tricks." "Watch what you're calling tricks, girl," Kyoko replied. "Anyway," Ruri said, moving towards their left, "I might as well get stared on my explaination." A panel appeared in front of her. She punched a series of buttons. Suddenly the ground under her raised up and formed as soon as it touched her into a large chair. A visor ran across her eyes from behind her head. Within the visor, different colored lights blinked. The matrial of the chair under her arms moved and formed semi-globes over her hands. Screens appeared all round the group in the room. Ruri's hands typed inside the globes. All the screens blinked blue then went off except the largest one in front of Ruri. "Hello, Ruri," a voice said. The blue screen blinked as the voice spoke. "It has been a while." "Yes it has, MCC," Ruri replied. "This is the Moon's Centeral Computer," Kyoko explained to the surprised onlookers. "It has AI. We call it MCC for short." "'AI'? Serenity repeated. "Atificial Intellegence, your highness," MCC said. "Your mother devoloped this program long before you were born." "MCC," Ruri said, drawing everyone's attention, "pull up all the information concerning the Lost Senshi. Post at the time of the Silver Millenium on screen." Her hands cotinued typing on the keys inside the globes. "Posting..." MCC said, on it's screen Ruri's symbol appeared. It blinked again, then words appeared on the screen. MCC eletronical voice read: SUBJECT: Kyoko AGE: 19 BLOOD TYPE: AB SENSHI IDENTITY: Sailor Cassiopia ABILITY: pshyic/miniplulater STATUS: alive NOTES: Third in command of the Senshi, Kyoko was Cheif Protector Queen Serneity during the Sliver Millenium. Her pshyic powers along with her ability to minipulate inanimate objects proved useful in her duties. She lead the Lunarians against Beryal in the Last War. "Next one," Ruri commanded. MCC cotinued, SUBJECT: Ruri AGE: (physical) 21/ (actual) 300,000 BLOOD TYPE: A SENSHI IDENTITY: Sailor Draco ABILITY: light STATUS: alive NOTES: Second in command of the Senshi. Ruri was in hybernation at time of Silver Millenium. No data avalible. And lastly, on MCC's screen there was a third profile. Zukamori's. SUBJECT: Zukamori AGE: 17 BLOOD TYPE: O SENSHI IDENTITY: Sailor Orion ABILITY: energy pulses NOTES: *CLASSIFIED INFORMATION PASSWORD REQUIRED* "'Classified'?" Serenity repeated. "What does that mean?" "As it says, it classified information," MCC responded. "Sailor Orion's past actions are under a classification order, your highness." "What?" Serenity said, still confused. "You'll see," Ruri said, punching in another command. "Password accepted," MCC said, opening the file. Kyoko faced the group. "What we are about to see and hear will never leave this room and never heard of again," she ordered. ---------- "What are you saying, Zukamori?" Adonis asked. "No one can," she repeated. "No one." Adonis suddenly realized she was on the verge of madness. He had to find out what she did soon or else... "Zukamori," he said, "what did you do?" "No one....no one...." Her eyes were staring at the floor. "Zukamori--" he started. "No one....lived...." He stopped. She was speaking more. he told himself. "No one," she continued, ".....lived....because of...." "Because of what, Zukamori," Adonis urged carfully. "....no one.....survived.....because....of...." Another wave of tears flowed as she visably shook. "No one lived," she sobbed. "No one....because of.....becasue of....*me*.....I--I killed them all. I killed them.....I killed everyone! I killed them!!" She collapsed to the floor, consumed by her sobbing. ---------- NEXT: Zukamori reveils her actions that she thinks she should die for. MCC shows the others what was done also. Will Zukamori be strong enough not to go insane? Will Adonis be able to help her? Next time: Shadowed Past ---------- Sorry it took so long to get this out, minna-san! I suffered temendously from the dreaded desiese known as WRITER'S BLOCK!!! But I'm over it (I think), so the next part should be out soon. Send all e-mails to pchan@pernet.net. -Anaconda-