"Reflections From the Past" A Sailor Moon Fanfiction by Deunan(deunan@aol.com) [ ]=thoughts < >=Dreams ( )=Memories Part 3 ____________ The first thing that came to him as he floated to consciousness was that he was sitting and bound to the chair. From the texture it felt like a chain, yet they lacked the harsh coldness of stainless steel or iron. He heard two voices talking in harsh whispers low enough that he couldn't hear a word. Slowly, he rolled his head forward and opened his eyes halfway. He could see a white cat talking to, what sounded like, a young women. The barren room was completely dark save a small glow that emanated from the chains. The cat's eyes leveled on him noticing, in an instant, that he was awake. "WHO ARE YOU!" the harsh voice shot. Arn shot his eyes completely open and whipped his head to the side removing the stray lock of hair from his eyes. Suddenly, a wave of dull pain shot up his body. He gritted his teeth and felt the after effects of his battle. "WHO ARE YOU!!" The familiar voice shot harshly. Artemis's face was contorted in an exaggerated look of rage meant to intimidate him. The white tail whipped back and forth in agitation. Behind him stood a unrecognizable young women who's face was hidden by the shadows of the dimly lit room. "Use your Lunar Mind Probe," he croaked through the dull pulse of pain. "Sharp as ever, Arn." The old soldier blinked away the tears of happiness from his eyes as he heard the words. "I only went in long enough to figure out who you were." The feline explained. "Never knew chains were your style. I thought you usually were an outdoor type," He quipped. A muffled giggle was heard. "Bodyguard?" Artemis nodded. "Thanks." "What?" "For saving my ass back their from those impostors," Arn said wearily. The cat averted his gaze from him. "There's a lot to be discussed," Artemis whispered. * * * Lunar looked to the door as it slid open. Artemis came in first followed by Arn who was then followed by Mina who was still in her form as Sailor Venus. The others had shed their identities as the senshi per her own orders. It was a precaution; she did not want a firefight starting in the close quarters of the shrine. She noted that Mina still had her attack charged ready at a moments notice. Arn looked like hell. She smiled inwardly at the irony; he was just as beat up, maybe even more, when she last saw him. His drab grey uniform was torn and slit in places. He walked in with his right arm tucked under his left, and their was a slight limp to his walk. Every feature to him matched her memory almost perfectly save his eyes. She found herself staring at the deep weariness they held that had replaced the lively look once their so long ago. Her gaze fixed on the silk ribbon wrapped around his right wrist; that too was new to her. He sat down before all of them. All eyes turned to him. Arn's eyes shot open in amazement as he saw the young man sitting behind a young girl with a strange hairstyle that consisted of two large buns with an set of long ponytail flowing from them. "My Lord," he said instinctively. "It is you...." Luna cleared her throat gaining the attention of the group, "Let me explain. Serena, Ami, Rei, Lita, Mina, Darien, this is Arn of Terra Guardsmen to Prince Endymion." She looked to Arn and smiled, "and an old friend." She expected a stunned silence to follow. Lita clenched her fist and rose violently. "IF he's such a GOOD friend, why did he attack us?" She demanded angrily. "Wait!" Arn shouted, "Luna, Artemis I recognize the one in orange and Endymion; but who are the rest?" "I assumed you'd see through the spell that masked their identities; their the Senshi and the Moon Princess," Luna explained. The shock of the statement combined with the injuries he took began to overwhelm him. He found himself staring at all of them. His mind felt spun wildly confusing his thoughts. Taking several deep breaths he tried to calm himself. "Are you alright?" A blond with ponytails voiced innocently. He looked up and everything fell into place. The faces of his past matched with those girls sitting before him. "Fine," he answered. He smirked, "So know what?" "You could start by telling us why you attacked us," Rei spoke up holding a cold compress to her back were he had hit them. "I thought you were impostors from the Dark Kingdom. I've searched so long for all of you that I guess that I had forgotten what I was searching ." Luna saw something; he was holding something back. She could see the twinges of pain on his face and sent a concerned look to Artemis. "How do you find us and how did you get here?" Rei asked, she was a bit skeptical of this man's identity. The man contemplated his answer for a moment gathering his thoughts, "I'll start from the way beginning. Back...then, the Terra and the Moon were at odds and their was a lot of friction. Luna was sent on a diplomatic mission to Earth and negotiated an alliance by ways of marriage." Serena and Darien blushed a deep crimson. "I was one of the Guardsmen, a unit of bodyguards to the Prince. We accompanied his entourage when he came to the Moon. Then the Dark Kingdom attacked Earth. They began corrupting Terrans adding them to their legions." Arn held on tightly to his self-control. "When they finally overran the Earth, then they turned their attentions on the Moon. This massive shadow blasted the Kingdom leveling everything. What was left fought on. It was one final all out charge when I...died." He tried to convey the insanity of the moment, the pure animalistic rage. "I still remember the ax hitting me," he shivered at the memory. "The next thing I remember is awaking somewhere in Europe. It was my duty to find the Prince so I searched. The Dark Kingdom found out about me somehow and began sending youma after me. I've fought and searched for nine years. It wasn't until I read a newspaper article about urban legends in Tokyo. I headed to Japan and found you." Luna caught herself staring at him. He remember it all. She began exited at the thought of him being here. He was like a key, for the two cats , he had the memories they were searching for. Not only that, Arn, was someone who had seen the Moon Kingdom felt its allure and felt the pain of its destruction. "I think this enough discussion for know," she announced. "All of you," she addressed the scouts and Darien, "need to recover from the battle. With so many questions still on their mind to ask the man, they left for their various homes. The shrine was soon empty, Rei had excused herself to another room leaving the three elders some privacy. Arn rose and turned his backs to them. "I should not have come," he said heavy heartedly. Artemis leapt his feet angrily, "What the hell are you talking about. You just told us you were searching for us ten years. Are you going to throw that away? What happened to the duty bound soldier I knew?" "Their not them," Arn replied. "Who?" Luna said confused. "The senshi. The looks in their eyes, the way they hold themselves; Its not THEM from the Kingdom. All of them are like...facsimiles with the same name." Luna sent him a look of understanding, "We both know what your going through. They are not the people we knew long ago. The soul is the same no matter how many times reincarnated. They have a density too, and you are a part of it now. You can't turn your back on it." The white cat spoke up, "Give them a chance. I'm asking you as a friend to stay. Your a great warrior; You could teach them a lot." The two looked at him hopefully. "I'll stay." * * * The last day had been the roughest in his entire life. His sense of duty was always strong. He assumed that he would resume his role as Guardsmen for Prince Endymion after all it was what he had pledged his life to do. Darien had used his sense of duty against him and dismissed him of his duty. He WAS Tuxedo Mask after all and did not need an older man hovering above his shoulder. Angrily, he slumped down onto the chair. His duty was always precious to him. It filled an emptiness in him that nothing else could fill. It also helped him keep his sanity. He punched the wall sending chips of plaster flying. "Planning on fixing that," Luna said creeping through the open window . She immediately saw the darkened look on his friends face. "What's wrong?" "Edymi...Darien," Arn corrected himself, "Darien says he does not need a bodyguard. I'm out of place here." "Your duty means a lot to you," Luna said softly. Arn nodded and untied the white ribbon around his wrist. The cat gasped as she saw the thin vertical scar. "I saw you staring at his. I thought I owed you an explanation. Psychologists call it survivor's syndrome. How did you cope with the memories? The endless beauty, the way the sun reflected off the Earth, all the ones that didn't make it..." He asked his voice becoming heavy with sadness. "Artemis and I did not have to," Luna explained, "We still don't have access to most of our memories. We just remember you the day before you came. I guess we were lucky," she said feeling guilty for being spared the pain here friend had. "I remembered all of it. I asked my self every day why I was spared. The guilt of being the survivor, the shame of letting Endymion die on the battlefield...all of it haunted me and to a lesser extent it still does. One morning I took a razor and slit my wrist. I couldn't take seeing the faces haunt me at night anymore. It felt I belonged in a different age. For months I laid their just staring at the walls in a sort of shell shock. Then the Dark Kingdom found me and a youma was sent to kill me. I remember hearing the screams as it tore its way too me. When it reached out and strangled me, all my instincts took over. The fight was insanely brutal. I don't know which spells I cast but I tore it to shreds. As I stood in its blood, I remember I had taken an oath, not just to the royal family, but the people too." "Wait, If you believed Prince Endymion and the Senshi dead, what were you doing of ten years." Arn's face looked at her, his gaze soft. "I lied to them when I said that. I only realized the Senshi may be alive when I read a newspaper article of urban legends. It had a blurry picture of a youma fighting the Sailor Senshi. I knew you and Artemis didn't die on the moon. I knew that your species lives a long time; I was looking for you. Luna....I still love you." He was risking so much by exposing his feelings like this. He did not wish to be driven away from her after searching so long. Luna took several steps back before plopping down onto the carpet. She was amazed by the pure trust he had given her by telling her of his near suicide and love for her. She gazed back in her memory of the one passionate kiss they shared when she was human. They both knew it wasn't love just a chemical attraction, but then their was him sending her an invitation to the Terran Ball. The invitation said her benefactor would be waiting for her on the balcony. Artemis arrived early and intended to intercept the 'cat' that had sent Luna the invitation. On the balcony he had found only Arn and the two got acquainted and became fast friends never once realizing that both were waiting for the same women. Actually, it was quit humorous when they all found met on the balcony. Arn was shocked that the beautiful women he had met was really a cat; he shed his ambitions to date her at that time. The three became friends thought their duties to their respective kingdoms rarely gave them time to meet. "Arn...was it because of that kiss?" She asked. It was hard for her to believe that what he felt was true love. "When I realized you were a cat, it shocked me a lot. Over the two years I spent before the attack I got to know you and care for you a lot. I saw past your feline body." Luna searched her mind, heart, and soul looking for her feelings. Deep within her she did not love him in the way that he loved her. The man she remembered was a friend, not a life-long mate. Quickly she formed a way to tell him her own feelings. "Arn, I know that we are friends, but its not as simple as you think. Theirs differences betw..." "Yes or no Luna," Arn said gazing into her eyes, "That is all I need to know. I want you to make this decision for you not me or anyone. I'll be hurt if you say no, but its not like I'll slit my wrist," he smiled nervously. "No," she said truthfully. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "Don't be your following your heart. Now, about my place here. I have nothing to do." Luna thought it over quickly for a moment. The answer was particularly easy to find. "Help Artemis train the Senshi. He can watch them for all its worth, but you can actually physically show them how to fight and such." Arn shrugged seemingly unhurt by her response. "Their hand-to-hand training is weak....," * * * Silk ran a hand through her fiery red hair. The new figure appearing disturbed her greatly. For the last two days she stalked the three scouts whom identities were known finding their routines and weaknesses. Man was a creature of habit and learning their habits meant finding their time of most vulnerable. The sudden appearance of the new white haired man upset the routine. The other two girls that she had observed contorting with the other three had to be the last two senshi. She took an object from the glove compartment of the car. [Jadeite, Nephrite...fools. Human technology is so innovative.] She cocked the hammer of the .38 caliber revolver. Tomorrow the senshi would be dead, or they would drag her broken body off the battlefield. It was time to stop observing and start taking action. She spawned a small portal and sent a message cylinder back to Negaverse, home of the Dark Kingdom.