So here it is. Finally. My 3rd attempt at a story...

I'm sure for the most part, any readers who've followed any of my
previous writings have noticed my taste for dark male figures, or
just a presence of darkness alone.

Well, this is no exception to the cause. This story is very dark. If
you don't like reading about murder, or blood, or anything of the
sort, I suggest you really don't follow along with this story, because
it will have more than it's fair share.

In any case... I hope whoever does run across this story, does at
least enjoy it. Thank you for even clicking to check it out, it's much
appreciated!

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Unwelcomed Return
Chapter 1
by: Destiny
rated: PG13
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Usagi stood in the darkness. The cold winds wrapping themselves
around her body and torn fuku as she turned her head, waiting for
something to happen. She could hear the ragged breaths. Of her friends
and of her foe. But they offered her no comfort. Her team, her protectors,
her friends, were all but dead. She would give anything to have the
power and energy left to save them all, but she simply did not. She
very well believed at this point she could not even use the energy left
in her life to save them. She could die for them, sure, but it would not
bring them back once they were gone.

Dropping her head, she wished she could see the light of her crystal
now. It had disappeared inside her when she sent out her last attack
at their enemy. The Dark Knight, as he called himself. What a name,
eh? She clentched her teeth. His presence had been more than a surprise
to wreck their peaceful rest after the battle with Galaxia. She had begun
to change, she guessed the time for Crystal Tokyo was approaching
closer and closer with each year, and with the changes, it was not far
off. Why had she not expected there to be one more enemy before all
of her dreams finally came true. She'd spent her days studying, learning
all she could to be a better Queen. Speaking with Luna, trying to
understand how difficult the change would be, what she had to do to
achieve it. How alone she could very well possibly feel at times. She
thought she was ready, for anything.

She'd been so dead wrong. So very, very wrong. The new evil had
caught them all off guard. No one was prepared for a sudden onslaught
of massacres that followed the Dark Knight. What was his purpose? Not
to take over the world, but to destroy it. Piece by piece, and every living
thing in it's path. Total, utter, destruction. He did not seem to care to 
rule
it, to take over as so many others had. He just killed. A filthy murderer.
With not regard to the lives he stole, nor the families he crushed. Death
was something not even Usagi could protect the world from - not
completely. Gods knew she would try.

Usagi snapped her head up at a glint of purple light. She could see the
Dark Knights form surrounded in it. She glared at the figure, gripping
tightly around Mamoru's sword which she still held in her hands. She
could not use the crystal as far as she could tell, and no one was there
to help her. The sword would have to do. She hoped it was enough.

The figure shook with laughter, it's volume increasing with every
passing moment.

'What does he find so funny?' Usagiquestioned, her morbid curiosity
getting the best of her. She narrowed her eyes. The onslaught this beast
had carried out over the past month was entirely unwelcomed, and the
sound of the foul laughter ringing in her ears made her grip tighter still
onto the large sword in her hands.

"Show your face, Dark Knight." Usagi said in an icey tone. "And enjoy
your laughter, it will be your last." she seethed.

The laughter died down to a slight chuckle. "You wish to see my face,
you tired little pest? Perhaps it is time... just before I lay you to rest."
He pulled up a gloved hand, and gently removed the full face covering
mask he'd wore to every battle, hiding his face from them. Hair fell over
the Dark Knight's shoulders, and cold, angry eye's flashed from behind
red bangs. In a new voice, the Dark Knight spoke, "Not all things, are as
they seem, and tonight, you will die."

Usagi's eyes were wide. She nearly dropped the sword to the ground
when the mask came off. Cold recognition pulsed through her blood,
but the surprise of their enemy sent her mind reeling.

"It's... you!" She gasped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mina ~

Hearing my princess' gasp shook me from my near death sleep. Cradeling
my head I didthe best I could with opening my eyes. I recognized our enemy
immediately, but I couldn't withstand the pain in my body any longer, with
a silent prayer, I laid my head down on the cold dark ground, and slipped
into the memory of how it all began...

~*~

Graduation had all left us all with a certain spark about our lives. We were
truly happy. At peace, with everything. Since the healing of Galaxia we'd
finally become what we'd always wanted - just normal, teenage girls. 
Granted,
more than once in our times, we've believed the enemy was gone for good,
any enemies for that matter. But when Usagi's hair began to slowly turn to a
beautiful silver tone, we all began to believe the hardest battles for our
teenage years were past us, and it'd be a good long while before we had
to work to protect Crystal Tokyo with Usagi as our Queen. What does all
of this mean?

Party!

Just a short 5 days after graduation, months after the final battle, 
downtown
Jubaan was holding a huge festival! Which in turn, meant lots of CUTE guys!
I can still smell the popcorn and cotton candy. People were happy, hell, WE
were happy. We'd all decided to meet up there, near Motoki's shop. I was
walking with Ami and Makoto, and believe me when I say, the looks on their
faces when they saw Usagi was already there, were priceless! Everything had
started to change just a week prior, and Usagi was becoming more responsible
by the day. She was still Usagi - I mean, some things are just impossible to
change - and of course we all loved her. But she was a little taller now, no
longer the shortest of our group. Her hair was a mix of gold and silver 
streaks,
and the silver was beginning to take over. We would joke about her worrying
so much her hair was turning gray. And her whole demeanor. She was more...
what's the world? Regal? She seemed to be blossoming into what some day
soon would be a beautiful Queen. I was so proud of her just then, being 
there,
being Usagi. Her road to Queendom would set her apart from all of us, and I
wouldn't miss a moment of it.

Anyway! Surprise of all surprises, Rei was the last one to show, can you 
believe
it? She couldn't either. Being the senshi of fire, I was used to seeing her 
in red -
but never turning it! Usagi had a pretty good time holding this one over her
head. But it was all in the name of fun, those two don't argue nearly as 
often
as they used to.

There were several acts going on in the park, and I was most interested in 
the
love match game. Why not? Everyone seemed to agree, though Makoto
wandered off not long after we'd gotten there to check out the weight 
lifting
competition. We watched happily as Usagi and Mamoru took the stage, the
love contest was a real hit with the crowd. And believe me when I tell you
this group of three girls were the loudest off all there. They're just so 
beautiful
together!

That's when it took a turn for the worst...

You'll have to excuse my pause, it's upsetting to even remember the gory
scene. It'd never in my life seen something so... .... so like something out 
of a
cheesy horror flick. Honestly, that's how it was.

Three figures appeared on the stage right after Usagi and Mamoru had exited
to the side, waiting for the results. Each darkly clothed, masks hiding 
their
faces, swords at their sides. A forth floated to the ground, his mask the 
most
distorted. I could see the worried looks on the other girls faces as well. 
This
wasn't good. But we didn't know how bad it was about to get...

When the masked figures decended onto the stage, I found myself frozen in
place. Of course throughout my training as a senshi, I knew how to act fast 
in
a battle situation, but this was nothing like what we have battled before.

What I guessed was the leader of this band of hethens, landed softly on the
black stage top. You could barely see his eyes through the thin slits of his
horrifing mask. But the worst was yet to come. As we stood, watching as he
drew his sword he pointed it at the crowd, his booming voice nothing like
anything I'd ever heard before in my life, "You've all been chosen, to be 
the
first of many to follow. Your execution day, is now!"

His goons pulled out their swords, jumping into the crowd, hacking away
violently at anything in their path. The screams were enough to push me
into action, with a heavy heart I lifted my wand into the air and cried out 
my
command to transform. The girls followed in suit, and Usagi and Mamoru
did the same.

~~~

The battle had been harsh. I kicked angrily and one of the swordsmen's
motionless bodies. Anger and hatred I'd never known before pulsing
through my veins. I could hear Usagi weeping, weeping for her future
people, for her world. They had indeed, brutally executed nearly every
single being in that crowd, save for us, and the few that had managed to
escape. There were at the very least, 60 people in that crowd. The loss was
massive, and the blood that littered the ground made me weak in the stomach.
It was almost as if I were walking in a shallow pond of blood.

The leader, whom we had earlier learned was to be called "The Dark Knight",
had naturally escaped as soon as we began blasting the hell out of them. The
coward. How I would've liked to have gotten my hands on him. How ANY
one of us would've liked to have gotten our hands on him.

I looked down at my feet, my orange shoes tinted a red hue now. My eyes fled
up, and around me. For the first time taking in the true sickness of 
everything
that has just happened. These people weren't just drained, they weren't just
temperarily harmed - they were dead. Their lives, their souls, their hopes
and dreams were forever gone. I kneeled over as the urge to vomit took over
my senses, I could hold the vile taste in my throat no longer. The park 
where
so many loved, lived, and enjoyed with full, beautiful memories looked like 
a
war zone. Pieces, bodies, blood, all drowned out the green of the grass. I
couldn't bring myself to look at their faces. At anyone's faces. How could 
we
let so many die?

Even as we had attacked, they never let down their murderous rage. Even if
they were hit, they would chase after those left fleeing away and cut them
down. Usagi had used her crystal. She'd shot a hole right through one of the
beasts and with it's last BREATH it flared it's sword through a girls 
stomach.

How could we fight an enemy so... beyond evil? This was nothing we'd ever
experienced in any of our battles before.

These, were murders. And this, was only the beginning.
_____________________________________________________________________

So there it is! What did you think?

dreemwrld@hotmail.com

Ja ne, minna-chan
Destiny