Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Black Moon Rising ❯ Deadly Intent ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Black Moon Rising
by Konran no Tenshi

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own it, I don't get money (unfortunately!), you don't get money either. Black Moon and Chandra still belong to Shinimegami-sama. No using them without asking her (nicely).


Part 2: Deadly Intent

Black Moon sat on the bed in the room she had been given, staring at the wall. She hadn't moved in over an hour. Her concentration was broken, however, as Safiiru entered and dropped a pile of books and papers on the small table.

"What is this?"

"This is information on Crystal Tokyo and 20th century Tokyo. You must learn all of this before you are sent out. You will have one day to study what I tell you to. The next day you will be tested."

Black Moon stepped over to the table and picked up the first book. The title read, "Advanced Geometry".

"You may start by doing the first thirty pages. And in these others..." Safiiru gave her the assignments for the day. "Study now. Food will be brought to you later. After you have eaten, the rest of the evening is yours to spend however you please, until time to sleep. You may go wherever you wish."

He handed her a small device. "This will help you to find your way around. You may go to the library, or the exercise room. The combat training room will be open to you as well." He did not tell her that she was in a section built especially for her, and she did not have access to anything outside her section.

Black Moon took the device. "Arigatou, my master."

"Do'oitashimashite. Study hard." Safiiru left the room.

Black Moon sat at the table and opened the book called "Advanced Geometry". She bent her dark head over the book and set to writing.

***


Black Moon's concentration was interrupted as the door to her room opened and Safiiru entered, bearing food. He set it on the table in front of her.

She looked at it with distaste. "My master, must I..."

"Hai," Safiiru interrupted, "you must. If you are to carry out your mission, you must behave in all ways like a normal person."

Black Moon wrinkled her nose, but set about eating. Safiiru watched her, correcting her occasionally. When she finished, he picked up the tray. "You have two hours to do as you wish. Then you will sleep. I will come for you tomorrow morning to continue your training."

He left. Black Moon watched him go, confused. The prospect of having two whole hours to do as she pleased was overwhelming. She decided to explore her surroundings to gain a better knowledge of what she supposed was now her home.

She opened her door and poked her head out, looking up and down the hallway. It was completely deserted. Tucking the small directional device Safiiru had given her in a pocket of her black robe, she crept out and walked slowly down the hallway.

Black Moon came to a door, and, curious, she opened it. Immediately she knew she was in the library. Computers lined the walls, and shelves of data disks and books filled the room. She decided that she'd had enough of studying, however, and moved on. The next door opened on something like a gym. This looked tempting, but she went on, resolving to return if she found nothing interesting.

Next, she found a room filled with all sorts of weapons. Black Moon gazed around in awe. There were so many, and of all types, ranging from swords and daggers to knives, guns, and what looked like a rocket launcher. She moved around touching things in wonder, like a child in a toy store for the first time. She paused to pick up an ornate-looking dagger and sheath.

It was silver, with a jet-black handle, and beautifully balanced, a black crystal set in the hilt. The sheath was intricately tooled in a series of swirls, and there was a black leather belt to hook it to. Black Moon stroked the deadly object reverently.

"You like that, do you?"

She gasped and dropped the dagger in surprise. A man stepped out of the shadows. He had white, nearly shoulder-length hair, and was dressed all in white. He repeated the question. "Do you like it?"

Black Moon stared at him. "Hai," she said softly.

He picked it up off the floor and slid it into her hand. "Let's see you try it out." He indicated one of the many targets set up throughout the room.

She hoisted the dagger, squinted, and threw. It stuck very near the center of the target with a dull "thunk".

The man went over and pulled it out. "This was stolen some time ago from a Sailor Senshi we defeated and refitted for our purposes," he said almost casually. "Fitting that you should now wield it." He stuck it back into its sheath and hooked the belt around her waist. "My gift to you," he said softly, "to aid you in your mission. I will instruct Safiiru to train you in its use."

"Ar-arigatou, sir," Black Moon stammered.

"You are most assuredly welcome." The man melted back into the shadows and disappeared as if he had never been there.

Belatedly, Black Moon realized that she had never even learned the man's name.

***

The next morning, Black Moon was awoken by Safiiru as he entered with her breakfast. She came awake instantly, reflexively reaching for her new dagger. But when she saw who it was, she relaxed and sat up.

"Come and eat," Safiiru said, "and then I will take you to the combat training room. And then, I will teach you to use your new... toy."

Black Moon got out of bed and sat at the table. This time, she ate hungrily. It was funny, but the food really wasn't all that bad. She was even beginning to like bread.

After she had finished, Safiiru took her to the same room she had been in the day before, where he had taught her the attacks. He ran her through them again a couple times, then took her to the weapons room.

"My master," Black Moon started, "who was the man that gifted me with this dagger?"

"Watashi no onii-san, Demando-ouji-sama. We will now begin. I hear you can throw, so today we will be focusing on combat. Let me see your knife."

Black Moon passed the dagger to him and he studied it. "Ah, yes, I remember when we got this. It is a good blade. Now... defend yourself!"

Safiiru lunged at her, slashing with the knife. She dodged out of the way. He came after her a few more times, then stopped and held out the blade with the handle towards her. "Good. Very good. Now attack me."

"My master?!?"

"Attack me!"

Black Moon rushed him. Safiiru grabbed another knife and they proceeded to fight, Safiiru calling out advice every so often.

"Now, slide your blade in under mine. Quicker, quicker! Your enemy won't wait for you to get it together. Look for openings. Keep your guard up!"

They ended in a stalemate, both blades locked against each other, neither Black Moon nor Safiiru moving an inch. By this time, both were breathing hard and sweating profusely.

"You are doing well," Safiiru gasped. "Now we will go to the gym and work out."

"Hai, my master," Black Moon panted.

He led her to the gym, and put her through an acrobatic workout. "A fighter must be quick and agile. She must move easily and without fear." Then he put her through an endurance workout. "A fighter must also learn to endure. During a fight there will be no opportunity to rest. You must learn to keep going, no matter what."

Finally, sweaty and breathing hard, Black Moon was allowed to rest. She sat on the floor as Safiiru once again drilled her.

"Oname wa nan desu ka?"

"Watashi wa Sailor Black Moon desu."

"How old are you?"

"Juu-yon sai desu."

"What is your mission?"

"To destroy the Sailor Senshi and retrieve the ginzuishou."

"What will you tell them that your mission is?"

"I was sent to 20th century Tokyo by Neo-Queen Serenity to join the Sailor Senshi in their fight against the evil of the Black Moon family."

"How did you get to 20th century Tokyo?"

"I was given a crystal Time Key; however, upon my arrival, it was lost, rendering me stranded."

"How did you really get to 20th century Tokyo?"

"I was sent by the power of the Dark Crystal and the Black Moon family."

"What is your history?"

"I was created by the power of the Dark Crystal, the perfect warrior, to infiltrate the Sailor Senshi as one of their own and utterly destroy them."

"What is your cover history?"

"My parents died when I was ten; I was taken in at Neo-Queen Serenity's palace. When it was discovered that I was a Sailor Senshi, I was trained, and when I was considered good enough, I was sent to help Sailor Moon in the 20th century. However, I developed partial amnesia as a result of a blow to the head, and I don't remember much, including my human identity."

"What is your access code?"

"Kurai tsuki."

Safiiru led her through a glassed-in door. Inside the new room was a large pool and what appeared to be a hot tub. "Take a swim, then relax in the hot tub. The hot water will keep your muscles from stiffening up. When you have finished, return to your room. Food will be waiting. After you have eaten, you will be tested on what you studied yesterday." Safiiru left the room.

Black Moon gazed at the pool for a moment, the water reflecting the overhead lights. Then she moved over to the bench attached to the wall. She unfastened her robe and let it slip off her shoulders. She dropped the robe on the bench, then walked over to the pool and dove in.

The water was cool and it felt good after her long workout. She swam around for a while, then got out and, as Safiiru had instructed, entered the hot tub. She sat in the tub until she became too hot, then got out and dried herself off with a towel from the rack situated near the wall. Black Moon dressed herself, and headed back to her room.

As promised, food was waiting. Black Moon ate it, studying as she did so. It was getting easier and easier to eat the food without making a face. It still wasn't all that great, but it wasn't all that bad either.

Just as she finished the food, Safiiru entered. "Come with me."

Black Moon followed him to the library, where she sat at a computer and took a test. She scored well; a 97 percent. Safiiru told her what to study for the next day, then took her back to her room. The two hours of free time that were allotted to her she spent in the combat room trying out her attacks on the holographic Sailor Senshi.

At the end of her time, she went back to her room and slept.

***

Weeks passed, then months. Black Moon continued with her training, and it became progressively harder. She went from fighting holographic Senshi that did nothing, to fighting holographic Senshi that defended, then Senshi that fought back. Then she was placed in the room with a few extra youma to battle.

She was introduced to her "guardian", a pseudo-neko named Cynthia who was really a creature created by Safiiru.

She was given various tests, both on mental and physical subjects. She ran an obstacle course, then she analyzed a poem; she spent a night out in the "wilderness" with "hostile wildlife" running rampant, then she multiplied large sums in her head.

Then, one day, she was given a different sort of test.

Safiiru came and took her to a blank white room. There was nothing inside. He told her to go inside. Once she was in, he shut the door and locked it. There was a window looking into the room, and he, Esmeraude, Demando-ouji, and Rubeus stood outside.

"This is a test of her conditioning," Safiiru explained to the others. "We'll see just how deep it goes."

Black Moon, inside the room, could hear nothing of this. She did see Safiiru fiddling with some sort of control box, however. A chair materialized in the center of the room. Then she heard Safiiru's voice. "Sit in the chair."

Black Moon sat.

Safiiru fiddled with the controls some more. Icy-cold water began to fall from the ceiling. Black Moon made a small sound of surprise as the cold water hit her skin. She tried to get up off the chair to escape the water, but restraints appeared, binding her by the wrists and ankles to the chair.

"My master?" She was sounding panicked. "Kore wa nan desu ka?"

Safiiru did not answer. He simply stood, watching. The temperature in the room slowly dropped. The water was turning to ice on her body.

Then the questioning began.

"Oname wa nan desu ka?"

"Watashi wa Sailor Black Moon desu."

"How old are you?"

"Juu-yon sai desu."

"What is your mission?"

"To destroy the Sailor Senshi and retrieve the ginzuishou."

"What will you tell them that your mission is?"

"I was sent to 20th century Tokyo by Neo-Queen Serenity... to join... the Sailor Senshi... in... their fight..." Black Moon trailed off. Suddenly, images were racing through her head, of a woman she didn't know, and a man standing beside her. Pain stabbed through her brain as she thought she recognized the pair, but she couldn't place them. She moaned slightly.

"*What will you tell them that your mission is?*"

"I was sent... to 20th century... To... Tokyo... by Neo-Queen... Neo-Queen... Neo-Queen Sere... Seren..."

Abruptly, fiery agony shot through her as the chair she was sitting in delivered her a hefty shock. Black Moon arched her back and screamed.

"Answer the question and the pain will stop!"

"20th century Tokyo... Neo-Queen Sere... fight... Black Moon... evil..." Her pain-fogged brain couldn't form a cohesive sentence. She writhed in the chair, desperately seeking the magic words that would make the torment cease.

Safiiru turned the power up a bit higher. "Answer the question! What will you tell them that your mission is?"

"I was sent to 20th century Tokyo by Neo-Queen Serenity to join the Sailor Senshi in their fight against the evil of the Black Moon family! I was sent to 20th century Tokyo by Neo-Queen Serenity to join the Sailor Senshi in their fight against the evil of the Black Moon family! I was sent to 20th century Tokyo by Neo-Queen Serenity..." Black Moon's screams died away as the pain receded. She collapsed against the hard, unforgiving skeleton of the chair.

Mercilessly, the questioning continued.

***


Black Moon lay curled up and shivering on her bed. She was still cold from her icy ordeal, but pain burned through her body like acid, the aftereffects of the electric shocks. A single tear was squeezed out from her eyes, clenched shut.

The door to her room opened.

Black Moon didn't move as someone sat down on the edge of her bed. A hand was placed gently on her shoulder. "You did well, Sailor Black Moon, all things considered."

She did not react to the voice of her master. It was too painful to move.

"Here." Safiiru pulled her into a sitting position and pressed a cup into her hand. It was filled with a warm liquid. "Drink this. It includes a painkiller." He put a blanket around her shivering form as Black Moon took a sip.

"Doush'te?" she croaked. "Why are you helping me now, when before..." She didn't finish.

"And I *am* sorry about that, but it was necessary. Demando-ouji-sama had me do it. Just don't let him know I'm doing this for you. He would rather have you suffer. But a person in pain does not think clearly, and you need to be as sharp as possible if you are to travel to 20th century Tokyo in three days. And besides... you did well enough that you deserve it."

But his last, almost grudging comment went unheard by Black Moon. "Three days? I'm to leave in three days? You mean..."

"Yes, that was your last test. And you passed. Not as well as we would have hoped, but well enough." Safiiru stood and took the empty cup from her. Already she could feel a soothing numbness spread throughout her body. "Sleep now, and when you wake up the pain should be gone. If it's not, go to the gym and work out, or swim, or something to work it off."

Black Moon stretched out on the bed. Her last fuzzy thought was that the stuff Safiiru had given her must have had a sleeping drug in it, she was feeling so tired...

***


"Are you ready, Sailor Black Moon?"

"Hai, my master."

"You know what you have to do."

"Hai."

"Do you have your dagger?"

"Hai, sir."

"All right. Stand in the center of the room and wait."

Black Moon picked up Cynthia and walked to the center of the room. She stared nervously off into space as Safiiru and the others made preparations to send her to 20th century Tokyo. This would be her first time away from her "home", and she hoped that she would be able to carry out her mission.

"Ready?"

"Hai."

Safiiru did something to the controls in front of him, and a time portal was opened. It moved towards Black Moon, and she stood and faced it without fear.

Just as it reached her, there was a sound like an animal yowling, and a funny noise, like a thud. Black Moon felt a sickening sense of something gone wrong. Something streaked past her, and she yelped as it brushed her arm.

Then she was in the portal, and immediately she knew that something *was* wrong. Safiiru had described the sensation for her, and it wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to feel like you were being ripped apart.

A scream - her own? - filled her head as she was sucked away into eternal blackness.

End Part Two