Title: Children of Fire - Chapter 3 Author: Viper Inferno E-mail: viperdvman@hotmail.com Rated: PG Howdy, Sailor Moon Fans. Welcome back to the World of Y2V. We left off with the Sailor Scouts in a big mystery" Why is Titanius after Russell, and what does he have to do with Tuxedo Inferno? To give an answer to this Sailor Scout mystery, I've got here for y'all a revealing chapter in "Children of Fire", so enjoy. Here's the Y2V... ...Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and most of the characters ain't mine. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank that woman for creating such great entertainment for all of us with a lot of free time on our hands to enjoy. The English dub belongs to DiC Entertainment, and I thank them for bringing' it to America, even though they lost the rights. Finally the S season's in America, it's goin' pretty good so far. Anyways, Russell Hino, Hino Kyodai, Tuxedo Inferno, and all his other identities are MINE (in a deep, dark, growling voice). Titanius is also mine. So, please don't sue me, I'm just a lonely college student who's barely surviving college payments. Well, y'all enjoy this fanfic and e-mail me. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Children of Fire By Viper Inferno Chapter 3 "Yeah, she's really something," Russell says. "Go get her tiger," says a girl resembling Sailor Mars as she winks at him and walks off. Russell rests his arms on the balcony rails and stares up at the night sky. A beautiful young lady walks out onto the balcony and right next to Russell. "Nice night, isn't it," she says, "Yeah," Russell responds, "So many stars, billions of miles away. It's wonderful how massive balls of fire could make the night sky look so beautiful from such a distance." "But, up close, it is just a burning mass of hydrogen and various other gases that gives life to all," she adds. "I heard from Tuxedo Mask that the moon is a captivating site from Earth, with the water sparkling in the moonlight." "The Earth makes a beautiful site from here. The waters glisten it its light too," she says. Russell looks into her eyes and sees the very sparkle he saw after their dance. "The Earth makes your eyes glisten beautifully." She advances slowly towards him, seeing the same fire in his eyes. Russell leans close to Her. "More beautifully than Darien described the Moon," he softly and deeply says, then softly kisses her on the lips. She looks into his eyes, feeling the intense flames, "And the fires of the sky burn beautifully in your eyes." She wraps her arms around the tops of his shoulders and kisses him with passionate love. He takes the rose the other girl had given him, knowing it was for a special girl he'd find at the ball, and puts it in her hair. They sit together and enjoy the beauty of the water glistening in the Earth's light. The sound of the alarm clock brings Russell out of his dream of that same girl. He looks at his alarm clock, "7:25, it's too early," Russell says as he throws the blanket over his face. The alarm goes off again minutes later. "Alright, alright, alright, I'm up," Russell says as he turns the alarm off. He climbs out of bed and walks over to the window. The light emanating from the window seems to be a little brighter than usual. He opens the shutters to find the entire area blanketed with snow. "What the... It snowed," Russell says to himself, loud enough for others in the house to hear. "Hey Russell," Raye's voice calls from his door. He turns around, only to get smashed in the face by a ball of snow. He wipes the snow from his face to see Raye fully dressed for the snowy outdoors. "I'M GONNA POUND YOU, YOU LITTLE FREAK. WAIT 'TIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU," Russell yells as he chases Raye. Raye only giggles at him as she flees from her irate brother. She runs through the living room and out the front door. Russell follows her outside, only to get pummeled by more snowballs as Grandpa and Yuuichiro lay it down on him. Russell falls to his knees after the onslaught, the cold getting to him, "It's FREEZING out here," he says. "You should know better than to come out here in just your boxers, so..." Raye says as she drops her eyelid and sticks her tongue out at Russell. He jumps back up and gives chase again. The cold doesn't seem to be bugging him when he's chasing Raye around. Finally, the cold overwhelms Russell so much that he turns and begins running back to the temple. He makes it inside and immediately runs into his room to grab another pair of underwear, then dashes into the shower and turns the water on. After it warms up, he jumps in and yells in pain as the warm water comes in contact with his frozen skin. "Dang that feels so fragin' hot," says Russell. "That's what you get for chasing me outside with hardly any clothes on," Raye yells through the door. After spending a half hour in the shower warming back up after his short adventure in the snow with only his boxers. He turns the water off, hops out of the shower, dries off, puts the fresh pair of boxers on, and walks out of the bathroom and into his room. He jumps into some black jeans, a purple T-shirt, black boots, and throws on a dark brown leather jacket with cream wool lining around the collar. He grabs his car keys and his black leather gloves and walks out of his room. "Where are you going," Raye asks. "To the Tour de Corse Café and see Darien," Russell answers. "I'm sorry about earlier," Raye says, "We were just having some fun with 'ya." "Yeah, fun indeed," says Russell as they walk out the front door and towards Russell's car. He opens his door, grabs a scrapper, and begins scrapping the snow and ice from his windows. "Well, I'll see you later, Russell. Have fun out there in that snow," Raye says as she walks out to some undetermined destination. After scrapping off all the ice, Russell hops into his car, starts the engine, and drives off. "Good thing I put the anti-freeze in last week," Russell says to himself, commenting on the fact that his old coupe started on the first try in the frozen environment, which would normally makes it difficult to start an engine. He drives off toward the café, honking at Raye as he passes her by. Tour de Corse Café... Russell easily finds a parking spot right near the café, though it's mostly covered by snow. He manages to push his way through the snow and into the parking spot. He shuts his engine down and struggles to get the door open, pushing over a hundred pounds of snow out of the way. "Well, at least they got most of the snow off the sidewalks," Russell says to himself. Even the tops of the Christmas decorations are covered in snow. Icicles hang from the edges of the buildings as the heat from the buildings slowly melts the snow on top of them. Though it's freezing with another round of snow beginning to fall, numerous people walk the streets. Russell walks into the café to find literally every seat filled with freezing customers. It's no surprise that the tables on the sidewalk and patio are empty since nobody wants to sit out in 20-degree weather with snow falling. Most of the people are talking amongst themselves, creating quite a roar throughout the café. The sweet aroma of mountain-roast, decaf, cappuccino, espresso, and even tea and hot chocolate fill the interior air, already giving Russell that warm feeling. "Russell, over here," a voice calls over the noise of the crowd. Russell scans the crowd to find Darien waving his arm for Russell to see him. He squeezes his way through the crowd and makes his way to Darien. "I saved a seat for you," says Darien as he waves in the direction of the empty seat. Russell takes his seat and relaxes after the tough trip from the temple to the café. "There sure are a lot of people here," Russell comments. "Yeah, everybody's coming here to warm up from the winter weather outside," says Darien. "I never knew it snowed last night," says Russell, "It didn't even look like it was gonna snow." "Some arctic air moved in last night," Darien explains, "As a result, we had ourselves a nice snow storm. It dumped a good 9 inches in a matter of a couple hours." "And it's snowing yet again," says Russell. "The weatherman said that we're supposed to get another 4 to 6 inches today," says Darien. Russell gets up, "I'ma get some coffee. You want any?" "Sure," Darien says, "Swiss mocha for me, please." Russell fights his way through the crowd and to the counter. It takes some tome for the people to serve his and Darien's coffee since people are ordering the entire café out. Russell finally gets his coffee and fights his way back to Darien, being careful as not to spill the coffee. Darien takes a sip of his mocha and notices people clearing the snow from the tables outside. "It's really getting crowded here," says Darien, pointing outside. Russell turns around to see some people taking their seats outside in the cold. "They must be getting really desperate as to sit out there in that cold," he comments. "Doesn't look like that many people want to be out in that cold," Darien concludes as he sees only a few people occupying a couple tables, while the rest crowd inside. "It's bad in here," says Russell, "Too many people wanting coffee and hot chocolate." Russell gets up for a second, "Care to switch places?" "Why?" Darien asks. "'Cause I want to, plus the TV's behind me," Russell answers. "Sit next to me, these booths can take 4 people you know," says Darien, "Might as well make room for anyone else who wants to come in." Russell settles down and takes a sip of his cappuccino. He savors the sweet aroma as a warm sensation overcomes him. He has found his refuge from the frigid outdoors. He takes a few more sips, further satisfying his sensation. Then he turns to Darien. Meanwhile, Gabianni walks through the front door of the café moments later. He scans the crowd, looking for Russell since he had seen his car outside. Gabianni fights his through the crowd and begins scanning each of the booths. All of them are fully occupied, some with 5 or 6 people squeezing into them when they were designed for 4. "This is worse than the mall was on Friday," he says to himself, "At least I was able to move there." Gabianni finds himself stuck between the crowd and a couple occupied booths. Russell finds Gabianni stuck in the crowd and sets his coffee down, "Hang on a sec, Darien. Gabianni's here, I'd better go get him." Russell gets up and stays close to the booths in order to avoid fighting the crowd. "Gabianni, I think you'd better sit with me and Darien," he says as he reaches Gabianni. The two men follow the booths back to where Darien is sitting. "Care for a cup of joe?" Russell asks. "I need my chocolate fix, and a hot one too," Gabianni replies. "I'll get some for you," Russell replies as he finds a passageway through the crowd to the bar. 'My powers could really come in handy right about now,' Russell thinks to himself as he reaches the counter, 'I'd melt all of this snow in an instant with Inferno Fury.' After he orders the chocolate, he looks outside to find another person taking a seat at an empty table outside. "Sir, your hot chocolate," the lady behind the counter says. Russell pays her, takes the chocolate, and walks back toward his booth. He looks outside and stops, for the person who had just taken their seat is a rather familiar face, reading a book under the umbrella, shielded from the falling snow. She is dressed in a tawny heavy snow jacket, a white scarf, a white snow cap, and white ear muffs. The facial features and sapphire blue eyes immediately give her away, plus the fact that she seems to be studying something. 'What the heck is Amy doing studying outside when it's 20 degrees and snowing?' he asks himself. He realizes every seat inside the café is filled, leaving her with no other choice. Besides, it's quieter outside. Russell walks back over to Gabianni and hands him his hot chocolate before it gets cold. He then takes his seat and pays attention to Amy sitting outside as Darien and Gabianni begin talking. 'It must be so tranquil out there for her to be studying, even in such harsh weather,' Russell thinks to himself, 'But snow can be so serene unless it's a blizzard.' Amy looks up from her book, then inside the café through the window. She notices Russell among the group of guys, turning away from her. Russell turns back to Amy, their eyes meeting from opposite sides of the glass. She smiles at him and turns back to her book. "Who 'ya lookin' at?" Darien asks. "Amy's outside reading," Russell replies. "What's she doing out there?" Darien asks. "Probably the same as everyone else out there is doing," Gabianni answers, "avoiding the crowd in here." "I gotta be getting home," Russell says as he gets up, "I gotta take the car home before the roads get worse." "I'll see you back at home," says Gabianni as Russell fights his way to the front door. He makes it outside and looks in the direction of his car, then to Amy, whose back is halfway turned toward him. He glances upon her pale facial skin and wonders how someone so delicate can stand such frigid air. He then walks toward his car, walking past Amy and not even paying attention to her. He finds that snow is already beginning to accumulate on his windows again. He grabs his scrapper and begins scraping the snow and ice away. Amy looks up from her book at Russell and watches as he continues scrapping the snow from his old coupe, not even paying any attention to the area around him. She notices he's not even wearing a snowcap or a snow helmet. She glances at his long, jet-black hair. 'Just look at how he takes to the snow, just like pure fire,' Amy thinks to herself. Russell then walks around his car, sweeping snow away from his tires so he could at least get back on the road. 'Leather looks so handsome on him,' Amy thinks to herself, noting the features of his wool-lined leather jacket. She turns back to her book as Russell opens the door to his car and hops inside and drives off. Negaverse Headquarters... Queen Beryl sits at her throne, waving her hands around her crystal ball, looking for an energy source. "Snow in Tokyo, this should prove interesting," she says to herself, "People seeking refuge from the cold and children seeking fun in the snow, their energy will be ours in no time. But, where to attack." She continues to wave her hands around the crystal as she searches for the best target in the snowy weather. The park immediately appears in her crystal ball, with hundreds of teens and children playing in the snow. "Ha, ha, perfect. We'll take the children's energy. Titanius, come," Beryl says, summoning her bounty hunter. Titanius walks in moments later, "You summoned me, Your Highness." "I have a mission for you," says Beryl. "What about Tuxedo Inferno?" Titanius asks. "He'll have to wait for his impending doom. For now, we need energy. With the snowy weather in Tokyo, many children are at the park enjoying it," Beryl explains. "So you want me to steal their energy," Titanius concludes. "Exactly. I've got a few soldiers at your disposal for this mission," says Beryl. "And what if the Sailor Scouts show up?" Titanius asks. "Then you'll just have to dispose of them," Beryl answers. "Consider their energy ours for the taking," says Titanius as he gives her a British salute and leaves the throne room. Park... Titanius enters the snowy park with three of his soldiers at his side. They watch as numerous children run about the park, having a good time in the snow-filled park. The snow continues to fall as predicted by the weathermen. "Perfect," Titanius says, "Like shooting fish in a barrel. Get them." The soldiers immediately rush at the children and teens, causing some to scatter, but hardly distracting most of them until a soldier attacks some siblings building a snowman. That attack causes the crowd to run amuck, trying desperately to avoid the soldiers. One of the soldiers blasts the crowd with a wave of energy, knocking all of them down and allowing Titanius to drain them of their energy. Russell walks the snow-covered trail by the lake, enjoying the beautiful, but frigid snowy environment. Snow days were always fascinating to Russell, even if he is a warrior of fire. Every snow day, he'd venture outside and just spend surround himself in its beauty. How the snow purifies the land, giving Russell the sense of being in Heaven itself. It's when the sun shines on the snow-covered land, causing the light to vividly reflect, that really gives him the sense of being in Heaven. Distant screams grab Russell's attention. He looks to see the serenity of the frosty park broken as people run amuck through the park in terror. What started as teens and children having fun in the snow becomes a stampede of terrified people. Russell runs in that direction to find out what's going on. It is there that he finds the truth behind all panic as Titanius and three of his soldiers terrorize the people and drain their energy, obviously trying to lure him. Russell removes the glove from his left hand and grabs his obsidian jewel ring to prepare for transformation. "Hold it right there you snow party crasher," a familiar female voice yells in his direction. He turns to see the Sailor Scouts facing Titanius and the three soldiers. "We won't let you ruin the children's fun on this snow day," says Sailor Moon, "On behalf of the Moon, I will right wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means you." "You AGAIN! You're always meddling in my affairs, Sailor Scouts," says Titanius, "Get them." His soldiers draw their swords and take to the Sailor Scouts. The soldiers combine their powers and fire a ball of dark energy at the scouts, scattering them about the grounds. Russell watches as the Scouts struggle with Titanius' soldiers. He looks at his ring and prepares to transform into Tuxedo Inferno. With the Scouts scattered, Titanius sees Russell in the background watching as the battle unfolds. His only response is a smile with pure delight. Titanius sees an opportunity to rid the Negaverse of the Mars Prince once and for all. "There you are," he says, "Soldiers, stay on the Sailor Scouts. This kid's mine." "What's he talking about?" Sailor Venus asks as one of the soldiers takes to her. "Over there," says Sailor Jupiter, pointing in Russell's direction. "Oh my gosh, it's Russell," says Sailor Mars, "Why is Titanius after him?" Russell sees that Titanius is advancing toward him, knowing he is Titanius' intended target. Titanius must have brought his soldiers here to lure him to the park. Titanius engulfs his arms in dark energy, preparing to end the career of Tuxedo Inferno all together. Russell turns and runs for a hiding place so he can transform. "Where do you think you're going. You're not going anywhere," Titanius says as he charges up his energy. "Forget the soldiers, get Titanius," Sailor Mars orders, "He's after Russell again." But it's too late. Titanius throws his arms forward and fires a swirling beam of dark energy at Russell, striking him in the back. He screams in pain as he flies into a tree with sheer force. "RUSSELL, NO," Sailor Mars yells as she runs over to where Russell lies unconscious. Luna hops down from a nearby bench and joins her. "What about the battle, Sailor Mars?" says Luna, reminding her that she's gotta help the scouts defeat Titanius' soldiers. "Titanius just got Russell," says Sailor Mars as she continues running towards him. Titanius walks toward where Russell landed and draws his sword, "I'm gonna drain your energy before you perish by my blade." Sailor Jupiter becomes infuriated at Titanius' cruel act of attacking an innocent, and her friend. "Titanius," she yells, grabbing his attention, "How dare you hurt my friend. You're gonna pay for your cowardly act with blood." Sailor Jupiter rushes him and spears him with her body, shoving him into a snow drift and keeping him occupied. Sailor Mars makes it over to Russell's unconscious body, lying half buried in the snow. "No, don't you die on me Russell," she says her eyes begin to fill with tears. "Titanius, how could you," she gasps. "Check his pulse, Sailor Mars," says Luna, "I'll go check on the other scouts." Sailor Mars lays her hand on her brother's neck. "He's got a pulse, but it's faint," she thinks aloud. Suddenly, his forehead begins to illuminate, surprising Sailor Mars. She jumps back and watches, wondering what's happening. Then, a red R-shaped symbol with the Mars symbol behind it glows on his forehead. At the same time, his obsidian jewel ring glows a bright amber color. "What the hell?" Sailor Mars says out loud, "That's the crest engraved in his ring." Luna, some distance from the two, turns around and sees the very symbol glowing on Russell's forehead. Something then hits her, like a faint memory, "It can't be." The symbol on his forehead disappears and the light emanating from his ring dims out. Sailor Mars turns and searches for Titanius, ready to get her revenge on him for hurting her brother. She finds him moments later getting the upper hand on Sailor Jupiter. "How could you hurt my... an innocent like that," Sailor Mars scolds Titanius. 'He's gonna pay for hurting my brother,' she thinks to herself as she clasps her hands together, hiding the fact that Russell is really her brother. "Mars Fire, IGNITE!" She fires a ball of fire at Titanius, but it is a futile effort as Titanius recovers from it in seconds, and becomes quite angry too. "That's it, the kid can wait. You're mine," Titanius says as he blasts Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter with dark lightning, knocking them both into the snow. Sailor Mars recovers first and rushes him again, but is struck and electrocuted by Titanius' chain. Then, something flies around Titanius at near light speed, blasting him with fire and setting everything around him ablaze and releasing the chain's hold on Sailor Mars. She looks behind her to find Tuxedo Inferno staring at Titanius straight in the eye. Titanius recovers to see his adversary glaring at him, ready to pounce at any moment. "So you do have some fight in you," says Titanius. "What does he mean by that?" Sailor Mars asks. "I have no clue," Sailor Jupiter replies. Sailor Mars looks toward where Russell had landed earlier, only to find him gone. "Where's Russell?" she asks. "He's safe for now," Tuxedo Inferno replies, "It's me Titanius is after. Go concentrate on the soldiers, I'll take Titanius myself." "But it'll be a tough battle," Sailor Mars says, trying to convince him not to fight Titanius alone. "His beef is not with you," Tuxedo Inferno reassures, "It's me he wants. Go get the soldiers; help Sailor Moon." Sailor Mars growls as she and Sailor Jupiter turn and run towards the other scouts engaged in battle with the soldiers. As Tuxedo Inferno stares at his adversary, he reaches behind him, pulls out his voice synthesizer, and places it at his throat. "YOU WANT ME, YOU'VE GOT ME," he says in a monotone synthesized voice. He replaces his voice synthesizer, draws his sword and clashes with Titanius. Meanwhile, with all 5 scouts battling the soldiers and Titanius distracted, the battle leans in their favor. "Round 'em up Scouts, yee-hah!" Sailor Moon yells with a fake Southern accent as she and the scouts lure the soldiers into a close group. With them only a few feet from each other and surrounded by the scouts, it looks like disaster for the soldiers. But they're not ready to submit to Sailor Moon's rodeo round-up. They create an explosion of dark energy, blasting the scouts with a powerful shock wave. Sailor Moon recovers first and decides to take the soldiers on one at a time. She removes her tiara and targets a soldier running towards Sailor Venus. "Hey Nega-Creep," she yells, getting his attention. "Not Today you won't," she says as she begins spinning her tiara, "Moon Tiara, Magic." She strikes the soldier with her tiara, disintegrating him in a matter of seconds. "One down, two to go," she says to herself as she helps the other scouts in their battles. Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter have their hands full with another soldier. Sailor Jupiter grabs a hold of his arm and gives him a few good kicks to the ribs, then tosses him some distance from them. "Let's get him, Mars," she says as she prepares to blast him with her thunder attack. "Right," Sailor Mars complies, "Mars Fire, Ignite!" "Jupiter, Thunder crash!" With their combined attack, they completely incinerate the soldier, reducing him to a pile of embers. They then turn to the remaining soldier, who is struggling with Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Venus. "Hang on Scouts, we're coming," Sailor Jupiter says as she and Sailor Mars run toward the battling gladiators. The Scouts group as the soldier falls to his knees, weakened from Sailor Venus' crescent beam shot to the chest and Sailor Mercury's bubbles attack. "You're the one who gives "Mr. Scrooge" a bad name. You give even "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" a bad name, coming here and ruining the children's fun in the snow. We are Sailor Scouts, and on behalf of the Moon, we will punish you." Sailor Moon removes her tiara as the other scouts power up for their attacks. "Mercury Bubbles, Blast!" "Mars Fire, Ignite!" "Jupiter Thunder, Crash!" "Venus Crescent Beam, Smash!" "Moon Tiara, Magic!" Their combined attack pummels the soldier, burning him, freezing him, electrocuting him, and blasting him all at the same time. He can't take this kind of beating, and as a result, he disintegrates into a pile of ash, leaving only his armor plates. The Scouts look back to find that Titanius as already given Tuxedo Inferno the beating of his life. But Tuxedo Inferno still battles on, blasting him with Inferno Flame. Titanius recovers moments later, "That's it, I'm ending this now," says Titanius. The Scouts run over to try and help, but it's to late, Titanius blasts Tuxedo Inferno with a beam of dark energy, then entangles him in his chain. Titanius gives Tuxedo Inferno a nasty shock, zapping away the last his of energy. Sailor Mars clasps her hands together and tries to make Titanius stop his onslaught. "Mars Fire, Ignite!" Her fireball strikes Titanius in the face, blinding him while Sailor Jupiter charges for her attack, "Jupiter, Thunder Crash!" She strikes Titanius in the chest with her lightning, sending him flying into a tree. With him out of the way, the Scouts turn to Tuxedo Inferno, who lies unconscious. Luna hops down from a nearby tree after witnessing the battle. "He fought hard, Sailor Scouts..." Luna says, but is cut off by a light emanating from Tuxedo Inferno. His mask falls from his face as a the same red R-shaped symbol with the Mars symbol behind it found on Russell glows on Tuxedo Inferno's forehead. "It can't be," says Sailor Jupiter. "The same symbol I saw on Russell after Titanius struck him with his beam of energy," Sailor Mars adds. "Could it be," says Luna. Suddenly, Tuxedo Inferno's body glows a bright orange as flames surround his body. The light dims and the flames extinguish, revealing something very shocking to the Scouts. "Russell!" they all say in unison. "Could he be the one..." Luna says, with the same thought as the first time she saw the symbol hitting her head. "Russell is Tuxedo Inferno," says Sailor Jupiter. Sailor Mars falls to her knees, completely overwhelmed by what had just occurred. "All this time," she gasps, "Those few months we knew Tuxedo Inferno. Of all the 14 years I knew Russell, I never knew he had this kind of power." "All this time when I doubted Tuxedo Inferno," says Sailor Jupiter, "He was really Russell this whole time. I never knew, I just feel so stupid." "None of us knew," says Sailor Venus, "Not even Tuxedo Mask, whom Tuxedo Inferno claims was his best friend." "That's it," Sailor Moon says, with past events hitting her head involving Tuxedo Inferno, "That's why Tuxedo Inferno saved me from the burning theme ride at Dreamland two weeks ago." "And that's why he tried to get me out of the Chinese Embassy before he attacked it," Sailor Mercury adds. "He must've remembered his friendship with you, or rather your civilian forms when he was controlled by the Negaverse." Titanius laughs in the background, startling the Sailor Scouts. "It seems you now know as I do who Tuxedo Inferno really is," says Titanius, "He's nothing but a petty boy. My mission here is done, I claim my victory over Tuxedo Inferno." Titanius throws a smoke bomb and vanishes in a matter of seconds. The scouts turn back to the unconscious Russell. Sailor Mercury lays her hand on his neck, "He's got a pulse. I'm sure he'll be all right." "I'm gonna take him back to the temple," Sailor Mars says. "Ahem! Sailor Scouts, I think it is time you reveal your identities to Russell since you know his. I may know something about him, and Tuxedo Inferno," says Luna. "Let's take him to my place," says Sailor Jupiter, "in our Sailor forms." She picks up his limp body and follows the rest of the Scouts. Lita's Apartment... The Scouts arrive at Lita's apartment. Sailor props Russell's 6-foot plus tall body over her shoulder and puts her key in the door. "Sometimes, I admire her strength," says Sailor Venus, commenting on the fact that her friend can carry a man Darien's size over her shoulder. Of course she can, she's Sailor Jupiter. But she could do it even in her civilian form. The Scouts walk inside after Sailor Jupiter opens the door. She lays Russell on one of the couches and waits for him to come to. "Why have you called me here, Sailor Venus?" Artemis asks, "And why'd you bring Russell here?" "Because he is Tuxedo Inferno," Sailor Mars answers. "Russell is Tuxedo Inferno," Artemis says in shock as beads of sweat fly from his face. "He also had this weird symbol on his head," says Sailor Mars, "Like the one matching the crest engraved in his obsidian jewel ring." Artemis walks up to Russell to examine the ring on his left hand. Engraved under the jewel, he sees a fancy R with the Mars symbol under it. "This symbol looks familiar," he says. "I remember a few things about that symbol," says Luna, "And it's bearer." "Uuugh," Russell grunts, "Umm." Russell struggles to sit up, "Man, that was one hell of a fight." "He's waking up," says Sailor Mars as Artemis begins rubbing himself on Russell's leg, purring. Russell opens his eyes to see all 5 Sailor Scouts sitting on a couch. He looks around to find that they're in Lita's apartment. He then examines himself and sees a leather jacket, black pants, and only his right hand with a glove on it. "What happened to me, and why are we in Lita's apartment?" Russell asks, coming to his senses. The Scouts look at him with half-suspicious, half-concerned looks on their faces, as if something was wrong. "Why have you brought me to Lita's?" Russell asks. "Russell, we know you're Tuxedo Inferno," says Sailor Moon. "How do you figure that," Russell says, trying to deny the fact. "After your battle with Titanius, you lost your power and transformed back into your civilian form," Sailor Venus replies. "And how do you know my name?" Russell asks. "Tell him, Sailor Scouts," Luna orders. Russell looks at her in pure shock, almost jumping off the couch, "Whoa, whoa, wait a second here. Did that cat just talk?" He looks to find Artemis sitting beside her. "And you look just like Mina's cat," he says, pointing out the crescent moon on his forehead. "Tell him," Luna presses on. "Russell, there's something we've gotta tell you," says Sailor Mars, "Come on, Scouts. Do it." All five scouts remove their transformations right before Russell's overwhelmed eyes. He nearly faints when he sees that the Sailor Scouts are really the 5 girls close to him, including his sister. "You guys are the legendary Sailor Scouts?!" he says with his mouth hanging open and his eyes enlarging to three times their normal size. "I realized why you got me out of the burning theme ride at Dreamland while you were under the Negaverse's control," says Serena. "And I see why you acted so strangely at home those couple weeks ago," Raye adds. "At least I know how Sailor Mars knew about my civilian form, and why she was so concerned about me," says Russell. "I'm sure all these revelations are fascinating," says Artemis. "Whoa, you talk too," Russell says, shocked at the fact that there's not one, but two talking cats. "But didn't Luna say she knew something about Tuxedo Inferno?" Artemis continues. "You mean this black cat knows about my... distant past, the meanings of my dreams?" says Russell. "I don't remember everything, only parts," says Luna, "Russell, I am Luna, the guardian of the Moon Princess." "The Moon what?" Russell asks. "The Moon Princess, from the Silver Millennium," Luna clarifies, "Daughter of Queen Serenity and heir to the throne of the Moon Kingdom. 1000 years ago, in a time period known as 'The Silver Millennium', peace and tranquility reigned over the universe, where there was singing and dancing every night. Queen Serenity ruled the Moon Kingdom. She had only one daughter, Princess Serena, whom she spent a lifetime teaching what it means to be ruler over kingdom." "You mean Serena here is this Moon Princess," Russell concludes. "You're a very smart young man, Russell," Luna praises, "The Scouts were the Moon Princess's bodyguards, and also princesses of their respective kingdoms." "So Sailor Mars is the Princess of the Mars Kingdom, Sailor Venus the Venus Princess and so forth," says Russell. "You catch on quick, Russell" Luna comments, "Their task was to guard the royal family. Artemis and I were Queen Serenity's court advisors. The Moon Princess often looked down on the earth from the balcony of the Moon Palace. She had fallen in love with a man from the Earth, Prince Darien of the Earth Kingdom." "Darien. Why does that not sound familiar?" Russell says, with a deduction hitting his mind. "Because Tuxedo Mask was Prince Darien, and is Darien in the present," Serena answers. "Then why doesn't he remember us?" Russell asks. "Because like you, Darien doesn't remember anything about his distant past either," Luna answers. "I remember Tuxedo Mask from my distant past, but I don't remember him being this big Prince of the Earth Kingdom," says Russell, "I only remember being really good friends with him." "Prince Darien and Princess Serena were destined to be married," Luna explains, "Even with their love, Prince Darien had one very close friend, you. I don't remember any details, but I do remember that you two often trained together and even fought together in the last days of the Silver Millennium." "What happened in the last days of the Silver Millennium?" Russell asks. "The Negaverse," Luna answers, "Queen Beryl escaped from her prison and, with her generals, launched a full-scale attack on the Moon Kingdom. Each of the Scouts fell, one by one. Even you fell in battle. Prince Darien and Princess Serena were the last to fall. Deeply saddened by the loss of her only daughter, and the fall of the Moon Kingdom, Queen Serenity summoned the last of her strength and sent Princess Serena, Prince Darien, you, and the Scouts to the be reborn in the present and live normal lives. Now, the Negaverse returns and the Sailor Scouts have been called back to once again protect the Earth from evil." "If I was sent here from the Silver Millennium, then who am I, or rather who was I?" Russell asks. "The Mars Princess, Princess Raye, was the heir to the Mars Kingdom. She, unlike the other Scouts, had one brother, Prince Russell, the Mars Prince," Luna answers. "No wonder I get this feeling that I'm of the planet Mars when I'm Tuxedo Inferno," says Russell. He then remembers his dreams, especially the ones of that one special girl, "Was I ever romantically involved with anyone, or in love with someone like Prince Darien was?" Luna lowers her head, with sadness in her eyes, "I don't remember anything else about you. The symbol you bear on your ring, and the one that shined on your forehead, is that of the Mars Prince." Russell thinks about everything Luna had told him, "All this time, my sister was the Mars Princess, and I was the Mars Prince. Was Titanius involved with the Negaverse attack?" "Titanius wasn't at the Moon Kingdom when the Negaverse attacked," Luna answers, "He had already gone bounty hunter before then." "Then who was the one who killed Sailor Mars those many years ago?" he asks. "We don't even know who exactly killed us," Lita answers. "I can hardly believe that Russell is Tuxedo Inferno, the Mars Prince and my brother from the Silver Millennium," says Raye. "Now you at least somewhat realize your importance, Russell, and why the Negaverse is after you," says Luna. "They see you as some kind of threat to them," says Lita. "I need to go home and sort all this out," says Russell. "Scouts, Russell, I'm sorry I can't remember anything else about the Mars Prince. All I remember is who he is and his friendship with Prince Darien," says Luna, "Do be careful, especially you Russell. The Negaverse will see you as more of a threat now that you are fighting closer together." Everyone except Lita walks out the front door and heads toward home, with the great revelations still fresh in their minds. Negaverse Headquarters... Titanius enters the throne room to inform Queen Beryl of a partial mission accomplishment and of the events that had unfolded. "I see you only half-way accomplished the mission, Titanius," says Queen Beryl, "But that was the best fighting against the Mars Prince I've seen yet." "I saw the opportunity to rid us of Tuxedo Inferno and I took it. At last I claimed my victory against him," says Titanius. "But you fell to those Sailor Scouts after you had claimed your victory," says Beryl. "They're always getting in the way, but Tuxedo Inferno nobly challenged me since he knows that it's not the Sailor Scouts that I'm after," says Titanius. "Yet, by battling the Mars Prince, you allowed your soldiers to fall to the Sailor Scouts," says Beryl, "That is unacceptable." "At least I gathered some energy for you," Titanius argues. "It wasn't enough, Titanius. I'm sending Malachite in on the next energy gathering mission," Beryl states, "Your strategy is getting a little rusty. I suggest you rethink it before your next mission." "Tuxedo Inferno and the Sailor Scouts are beginning to work together against us," Titanius points out, "Now that they know who Tuxedo Inferno is, they're gonna be fighting more closely together against us." "Then we'll just have strike first and ask questions later," says Beryl, "Malachite's gonna be gathering energy tomorrow, that'll help us out in our battle against the Sailor Scouts. You are dismissed, bounty hunter." Titanius gives a British salute and turns toward the doors. As he reaches the doors, he turns back to Beryl, smiling, "You know, Your Highness, this is only the beginning between me and Tuxedo Inferno, Mua ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hah." Titanius continues laughing maniacally as he turns and leaves the throne room. ------------------------------end of chapter 3------------------------- Well, there y'all have it, the most revealin' chapter yet for the Sailor Scouts. At least the big mystery is solved. Russell is Tuxedo Inferno, no wonder Titanius wanted Russell so badly in Chapter 2. Luna had revealed much to Russell and the Sailor Scouts. Yet, it leaves more to explore, like everything else that's missing. With their newly revealed identities and new found relationship, we'll just have to see what future chapters and future fanfics bring, eh? This story ain't over yet, we still have to see where these revelations go for Russell the Sailor Scouts, especially Raye. Well, I gotta take care of some stuff and get started on Chapter 4. E-mail me with comments, a'ight? OOOOOOO O O O U O U BOOMER O U O U SOONER! O U O U OOOUOOO U U U UUUUUUU Have fun Sailor Moon fans, Viper Inferno (Y2V)