Sailor Moon Onyx

Darkness…

Darkness all around.

To the left and to the right, shadows from what was once a mighty palace now reflects the ruins that surround a fallen kingdom. On the ground, the tile of what was the dark royal court was now piles of ashes that once represented members of the Dark Kingdom; members that aspired to take over the world, members…that are now no more. Light that peers through the windows of the Dark Palace allow any observer to see the damage that actually has been done. The scattered rubble and torn down columns all over the ground give much evidence to a fierce battle that was once held here. At the front of the court floor, lies a chair; placed in a way where whoever was sitting in it would be looking towards their subjects with authority. In front of the chair, there is a wooden stand, looking a little bit like a giant wand that has been soldered in place and it is complete with a compartment for a crystal ball. But, there is no crystal ball. Instead, there is nothing but emptiness, although there is evidence that something was there by the shattered glass surrounding the bottom of this stand. Whatever happened here was serious, and even though the place looks very empty you can still feel the remnants of a not so distant past.

Everything is still and seems that there is no life here until out of the stale, dark air is a strong flash of purple light rising from one of the piles of ashes. It grows bright for a second and then dies down, getting slightly weaker but never quite goes out. The light compacts itself into a tiny ball and begins to blink. It stops for a moment as if it is thinking of where it wants to go. Then it begins to move very slowly. The light blinks and blips as it moves around the area as if it were searching for something. The more the light moves, the smaller and dimmer it gets.

Finally, in one dark corner of this desolate place, it finds a body. The body looks like something that someone started to work on but never quite finished it. It has a head and two legs, but one fully formed arm and one arm that's not quite developed. The face looks like a deformed clay project and the body itself just looks broken. The mysterious light moves more toward the body and then stops. It stays above the body just for a few seconds before entering the body through the chest.

A few minutes after the light enters the body it comes to life; gurgling loud, groaning noises emerge from the mouth of the horrible beast. As it tries to move, you can hear the bones crack as the body attempts to reset itself into place. Slowly, the body makes a way up to its feet, but can't quite stand for too long. The body begins to move, lurching with every step. The grunting, groaning noises continue to come from the mouth of this unidentifiable beast as it makes its way toward a circle platform nearby. The body finds a way to climb on top of this circle and then stands there. Breathing heavily, rhythmic noises begin to come from the body's mouth. Then, a flash of white light quickly encircles the body, causing it to vanish.

SOMEWHERE IN DOWNTOWN TOKYO

It is raining outside. Lightning lights up with the thunder making its' presence known with big and loud booms as the dark rain clouds hover over the Tokyo skyline this night. An old homeless Japanese woman is wandering the streets looking for shelter. The old woman is not particularly dressed for the weather, but has become so resilient over the years that it does not bother her. Her wrinkled skin and face would tell anyone that has had a particularly rough life. She is short and stubby and her looks would make you tired and full of pain just by the sight of her. Still, she manages to move rather quickly to avoid as much rain as possible. She manages to find an alleyway and decides to settle near a large dumpster. She sits next to the dumpster and covers herself, trying to warm herself up as much as possible. A few seconds after she got there, however, she saw what she thought was a flash of very bright light. It only lasted for a few seconds, but she knows that she saw it. She began to wonder has she finally lost all of her sanity.

Carefully getting up, she peeks around the dumpster and takes a look at where the light was coming from. What she sees terrifies her. Right in front of her eyes, she sees a…thing…just standing there. It looks human but, she's not really sure what it is. She stands and looks at it, with a million thoughts racing in her head. Should she run? Should she talk to it? Every thought she had was racing through her head at once. She didn't even have time to notice that the beast had fallen to the ground and there was a small light that was speedily heading towards her. When she saw it, fear took over and she froze up. She wanted to move, but she couldn't. Finally, it was too late as the light had entered her body and caused the old lady to fall to the ground.

The old lady lied there for a short while. Then, she slowly got up, trying to get her bearings herself in the process. She stretched, yawned and twisted her body as if trying to get comfortable. Something was different about the homeless woman. She turned around to the body behind her, which was now decaying in a very bad way. A smirk ran across her oriental face. Then, she turned around and calmly walked away. The lady was no longer attempted to try and shield herself from the rain, but let it fall on her while she contemplated her next move. Where to go now and what to do? She continued walking until she heard someone yelling.

"Neko-chan! Neko-chan! Wait up!"

At first, the old lady ignored it because she didn't think the voice was talking to her. And while that could be the old lady's name, it was no longer her who the old lady was. But, then she noticed that the voice became louder and louder until finally she felt a touch. She snapped around quickly to see an old man behind her. From the looks of him, he was homeless as well. He smiled as much as he could, but most of his teeth appeared to be missing.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you? Where have you been?"

The old lady thought for a moment as to how to answer his question, but did not respond, just smiled.

"Well, anyway, I've found a little food for us. It's not much, but it'll do at least for a while. Wanna come with me?"

The lady thought about it for a second, and then agreed. They both walked to another alleyway where there was a small fire fueled by newspapers and cardboard. The rain wasn't able to reach this area so the flames were safe from being quenched. The old man walked in front of the lady. The old lady cautiously sat down while watching everything he did. He appeared to be messing around with something near the fire. After a short while, he turned around with a strange smile on his face:

OLD LADY: Where's the food?

OLD MAN: I was hoping that you could get that for us, Neko-chan.

OLD LADY (NEKO-CHAN): What? You told me you had food? Where is it?

OLD MAN (laughing): I don't have any food.

OLD LADY: Then, why did you bring me here?

OLD MAN: Because, as my wife, it is your job to bring the food. It is my job to show you that I have a place where we can cook and eat it.

OLD LADY: Quit playing around, old man! I'm not your wife!

OLD MAN: You are my wife, aren't you Midori?!

OLD LADY: Who is Midori? You just called me Neko in the street?!

OLD MAN: Come here, Midori! Let me kiss you!

OLD LADY: NO!

The old man runs toward the old woman who immediately begins to run away. She runs until she hits a dead end. The old man, who now has her cornered, begins to slowly stalk her.

OLD MAN: I'll be a good husband to you, Midori. You'll see. All you have to do is whatever I tell you to do.

At this point, the Old Lady has figured out that the Old Man is mad and can probably hurt her. She has no choice but defend herself. The old lady runs to the old man, who has his arms opened up as if he were going to hug her, and punches him in the face hard. The old man staggers back trying not to collapse after receiving such an unexpected hit. Then, he looks at her and smiles.

OLD MAN: I'll teach you some respect, AKIYOOOO!

The Old Man charges toward the Old Woman, but she dodges his attack and hits him on the back of the head, causing him to fall face first on the ground. Before he could even get up, the old lady quickly grows fingernails that turn into claws. While this is happening, she quickly sits down on the old man and holds him there. Then, she digs the claws into his back, putting them deep into him. He begins to glow a silvery white light while he screamed. At first, they were loud. But, they gradually begin to get softer and softer until finally the old man went to sleep. At the same time, the old lady's eyes started to glow and her skin was just a little less wrinkled and her body became a little stronger. She began to laugh as she realized that her attack was a complete success. After making sure the old man was unconscious, she got up and walked back to the area where the old man was messing around in. Turns out, he did have food after all. She warmed it up over the fire and after it was too her liking, she devoured it. It wasn't much, but it was something.

After eating, she left the alley and begins to walk on a main street. Looking ahead of her, she was still wondering what she was going to do, when something caught her attention. It was a nearby TV shop, and they had a couple of sets in the window. The old lady ran to the TV shop and stood in front just in time to see a news report about a young girl; a girl that wears a sailor suit and with the help of her friends, defeated a major threat to Japan and possibly the world. She has since become somewhat of an icon to the rest of the country and they were officially recognizing her birthday as an official holiday.

The old lady began to seethe with rage as she watched the reports.

(NOTE: Though translated in the story, everything that is spoken or thought by the characters is in Japanese.)

OLD LADY: She thinks she's won. She actually thinks that she's won! She doesn't even know I'm alive.

The old lady began to mutter to herself and pace as she was watching the store televisions. Then finally, she screamed at the window. She wanted to go and find the young girl and exact her revenge for what she did to her. After watching the rest of the report, the old lady walked to the nearest alley she could find and stood there once she was out of sight. She folds her arms and begins muttering quietly to herself. A bright flash of light came and went but she was still there.

Looking around confusingly, she did it again. The light once again came and went, and she was still there. She began to look at her surroundings with a confused look on her face as she tried to figure out why her simple teleportation spell wasn't working. Then she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. She started muttering again. Again the light flashed on and off quickly, but she still was there.

OLD LADY (thinking): I can't tell where she is or even get some sort of energy readings from her. I can't even go back to the Palace.

The old lady sat down, slightly dejected. She began to stare at the ground.

OLD LADY (thinking): That brat has taken everything away from me. She destroyed my palace, turned my followers into dust…she ruined everything. I swear she's going to pay for this.

She got up and began to walk towards the main street. She made it on the main road when she saw a man who seemed to be waiting on someone. He leaned up against the wall and looking left and right, looking somewhat impatient and nervous, but he didn't appear to be a threat to her. The old lady continued to walk until the young man spotted her and started to watch her. A plan began to formulate in his head.

The old lady continued to walk, not really paying any attention to the man, but making sure she knew where he was. No sooner did the old lady began to cross his path, did the man then jump in front of her and pull out a small knife.

MAN: Alright, lady. Just be cool. I only want your money. Give it all to me and nobody gets hurt.

OLD LADY: And suppose I don't?

MAN: Let's not talk about that. It's very simple. You give me all the money and I leave you alone.

OLD LADY: I'm homeless. I don't have any money.

MAN: Why do I get the feeling you're lying to me. I hate liars.

OLD LADY: Yeah? Well, I hate thieves, so I guess we're even.

MAN: I don't think you're taking this very seriously, so I guess we'll just have to do it the hard way.

The man lunged at the lady and caught her. However, the lady punched him, lifting him into the air before his body came down on the pavement. It was a pretty nasty punch and the man was disoriented for a second. Then, he looked up at the lady and started to get up until the lady kicked him in the face. The man fell backwards in pain and began to moan.

MAN: Okay, okay…NO MORE! Please, NO MORE!

OLD LADY: What's the matter, thief? Your plan didn't work out as well as you thought it would?

MAN: You win! Please, just let me go!

OLD LADY: Well, thank you for stating the obvious. But, I'm afraid you're not getting off that easy.

The old lady mounted the man by sitting on his chest. Fear began to take over the man as he saw the claws come out of the lady's hand.

MAN: Who…who are you?! What are you?!

OLD LADY: Me? Who I am is Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom. As for what I am? I am the being that will now be sending you to your final resting place. Farewell, thief.

MAN: NO! HELP!

As soon as that yelp squealed out of the man's mouth, Beryl plunged her claws into the man's chest and a silvery light enveloped him as he screamed out for help. Then, the screams grew softer and softer until he stopped screaming and fell asleep. Beryl's eyes began to glow again and she smiled as she felt the energy course through her veins. Soon, her eyes stopped glowing as she got up, looking down at the used up body under her. From the outside it looks like the man is just sleeping…looks like.

She silently walks away from him and continues on her journey.

For the next three days, Queen Beryl continued on her rampage of attacking random people at night and stealing their energy. The more energy she obtained, the stronger she became. At first, it was weaker victims, usually homeless beggars or first time criminals. Beryl thought that she would be able to cover her tracks easily by attacking people that society thought was undesirable anyway and therefore not prompting too many questions if they went missing. Then, one night when she was still searching for another victim, a young, foreign woman came to her attention.

The young woman was a tall, but slightly chubby woman or at least that's what she looked like with her large, pink sweater on. Beryl watched the foreigner quietly as she walked on her way. By the looks of her clothes, she may have been either from Europe or America and judging by her darker skin, she must be some sort of African. The lady had a dark skin tint akin to milk chocolate. She had long, dark reddish-black hair that went down past her shoulders and stopped at the small of her back, and she walked with a confident stride.

Beryl watched her for a few minutes and then decided that she would be her next victim and began to stalk her until they got in a deserted area. The woman, who suddenly had the feeling she was being watched, turned around to see if anyone was there. Beryl stopped and hid around a corner thinking that she must've made a noise. After a few seconds, the woman turned around and continued to walk. Beryl followed closely and quietly behind while waiting until she and the woman became more secluded. Then, in the middle of an empty street, Beryl walked casually behind her.

Beryl began to walk at a brisk pace behind the foreigner while taking care not to make too much noise. Then, when she was just at the right distance, Beryl began to run and lunged at the woman's back. But, the woman heard her and turned around quickly. Using her purse as a weapon, the woman swung and barely missed Beryl. Beryl landed on her feet and faced the woman with a sinister smile on her face. The woman growled and held her purse as if she were prepared to swing it again. Beryl ran towards the woman and swung at her. A miss! Beryl then kicked in the air. Another miss! Whoever this lady was, she was fast! Beryl finally connected with a wild punch, though it didn't do very much damage. The woman backed up and then swung with a fist of her own. It missed, but the counter punch didn't. Her punch landed squarely on Beryl's jaw, sending her butt first to the pavement. The woman than stood over Beryl, with a smirk on her face.

WOMAN: Is that all you got?

Beryl was shocked. This woman spoke Japanese. How did this woman speak such fluent Japanese? No time to worry about that now. Beryl got up and got into a fighting stance. This time she began to circle the lady. She didn't know exactly how she was going to attack her and began to take that time to formulate a plan. The woman is fast and strong and obviously Beryl underestimated her. But, that doesn't mean the fight is over. Beryl stares at the woman for a second, deciding what would be the best way to attack. Meanwhile, the woman just stood there with a scowl on her face and waited to see what Beryl is about to do.

After a pause, Beryl then moves with a swift kick out of nowhere. This catches the woman off guard, but it does not connect. The woman backs up and grabs her purse. Then, she swing wildly, connecting with the top of Beryl's head. Beryl falls again, only this time the woman tackles Beryl and puts her in a headlock. Beryl tries to get out, but can't. Beryl struggles to get out of the hold, but the foreigner is not letting go.

Beryl continues to struggle until she finds herself slowly falling asleep. Beryl starts to notice that everything is getting fuzzy in front of her eyes. Her vision is getting blurry and what was once clear is now nothing more than a bunch of blobs. She manages to punch the woman in the face, but she may have well tried to tickle her with a feather because the punch was so weak. Beryl finally starts to see everything fade to black and tries one last time to get out of the sleeper hold. It's no use. Beryl blacks out.

The next thing Beryl feels is a splash of cold water hit her. She jolts up to find herself lying in a bathtub. She doesn't know where she is, except that she's in someone's bathroom. She breathes hard and tries to focus her vision. She sees a figure sitting on the toilet looking at her, but it's kind of hard to make out who it is. Her vision is still blurry at this time. Beryl looks to the left and to the right, trying to focus her vision until finally she starts to see clearly. She looks down to see that she is still wearing clothes and that they are wet from the splash. She looks to her right to see who it is sitting on the toilet. It was the woman from earlier. She has a smirk on her face as she watches Beryl gasp for air and try to regain focus with an empty mop bucket next to her.

WOMAN: Well, hello there sleeping beauty!

BERYL: Where am I? Who are you? *gasp* *choke*

WOMAN: I don't think you're in any position to be asking questions.

BERYL: You! You will let me go at once!

WOMAN: Let you go? I didn't drag you all the way here just to let you go.

BERYL: Then…what are you going to do with me?

WOMAN: We'll get to that. For now, I want to know why you were trying to rob me….and doing such a poor job at it I might add.

BERYL: I…I needed the money.

WOMAN: Money, huh? You could've just asked. Anyways, I don't believe you.

BERYL: Why else would I rob you, huh?

WOMAN: That's what I'm asking you. I would appreciate it if you told me the truth this time. Why did you try to rob me and what do you really want from me?

BERYL: ...How do you know I wasn't going for your money?

WOMAN: You never went for my purse. You were going for me. It's almost like you were trying to beat me up.

BERYL: …you have something that I need.

WOMAN: Go on.

BERYL: You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

WOMAN: Try me.

BERYL: Your essence….your energy. That's what I wanted.

WOMAN: My essence?

BERYL: I told you that you wouldn't believe me.

WOMAN: Yeah, it sounds pretty crazy. You wanna know what else is crazy?

The woman held up one hand and sharp nails began to grow in front of Beryl's eyes. Little by little, the nails became more like fangs and the woman began to laugh maniacally as the fangs grew longer and longer until they stopped. Beryl's face was covered in horror as she watched the nails retract into the hand and become like normal.

BERYL: Are you…one of my subjects?

WOMAN: If I was, how was I able to beat you?

BERYL: Maybe you've been alive longer than I have? Maybe you have more energy?

WOMAN: Maybe I have always had energy, Queen Beryl.

Beryl is shocked. How does this woman know who she really is?

BERYL: Lady…who are you?

WOMAN: …Beryl…Prince Endymion would not even recognize you now.

BERYL: It can't be…Metaria? QUEEN METARIA?! YOU'RE….YOU'RE ALIVE?!

Metaria silently smiled. Beryl jumped out of the bathtub and grabs her hand, kissing it and bowing to her.

BERYL: Master…I'm so sorry. I didn't know…I'm so sorry for my foolish attack against you. Please, do not punish me!

METARIA: It's alright, my child. Arise to your feet.

BERYL: Yes, Master.

Beryl slowly rises to her feet. There are tears in her eyes. She thought she was the only one that survived the attack by those…girls. She thought she was alone, but she wasn't. Metaria stood up in front of her.

METARIA: The Dark Kingdom is no more. I am no longer your Master or Queen. I am just Metaria.

BERYL: M…M…Metaria.

Beryl burst into tears and hugs Metaria as she returns it.

BERYL (crying): I'm so happy to see you. I thought…I thought I was…

METARIA: So did I.

BERYL: What happened? Where did you come from?

METARIA: Not here and not now. You need rest.

BERYL: Metaria…you've changed. You've become so…

METARIA: Human?

BERYL: Yes. Like, you're compassionate or…I don't know.

METARIA: We have much to discuss. But, for now, I order you to rest for the night. We'll have all the time to talk tomorrow.

Beryl walks out of the bathroom with Metaria to discover that they are in a hotel room. It's pretty nice, but nowhere near the comforts and luxury of the Dark Palace. Beryl looks around with a disappointed look on her face.

BERYL: *sighs* we used to have a kingdom.

Metaria silently helps Beryl to the bed. Beryl sits down on it, trying to get her bearings. Metaria continues to look at Beryl, noticing all the wrinkles and crow's feet under her eyes.

METARIA: The first order of business…is to get you a new body. This just will not do.

BERYL: It was the best I could find at the time.

METARIA: Not good enough. You smell horrible and you look horrible.

BERYL: Gee, thanks. I would've been in my original body but it's nothing but dust now, so. I thought I would go with a vintage charm.

Metaria handed Beryl a change of clothes and some soap. After a long shower, Beryl seemed to be somewhat refreshed but still tired from her days on the street. Looking forward to just lying in a deep sleep, she stumbles towards the bed and lies down. Metaria is at a nearby table, eating.

BERYL: Metaria?

METARIA: Hmm? *she says while having a mouthful of food.

BERYL: How long are we gonna be here?

METARIA: Sleep until you are fully rested. We'll worry about the rest later.

BERYL: Yes, Mast-

METARIA: I told you, don't call me that. I am a master of nothing now.

BERYL: I'm sorry, Metaria.

METARIA: As a matter of fact, don't even call me that name anymore. I'm no longer trapped in the earth. And, that name died with those…those…

BERYL: Let's not even mention them. So, what do I call you then?

Metaria went over to the nearby dresser and grabbed the purse that she was carrying around. After emptying it, she pulled out a wallet and opened it. Inside, there was an Identification Card with the lady's name a picture on it. It read 'Demetria Stone'.

METARIA: Well, since I will be keeping this body for awhile, you can call me Demetria.

BERYL: You're keeping that body? But, you're…African.

METARIA: Well, what better way to travel in Japan undetected? Besides, this body is very strong and it seems to magnify my own powers. After all, you saw what it did to you.

BERYL: *rolls eyes* Hmph!

METARIA: According to this, this person was an American. Hmmm… this gives me an idea.

BERYL: Do tell.

METARIA: Never mind right now, just get some sleep. I still have to think on it. We'll talk tomorrow…after we find you a new body.

BERYL: Quit complaining so much. I'm not that horrible to look at, am I?

Metaria, now Demetria, stayed silent. Demetria put the wallet back into the purse and walked back to the table where she continued to eat. Beryl, almost asleep, turned to her side and looked at Demetria.

BERYL: META-ahem-Demetria?

DEMETRIA: Hmmm? (once again with a mouth full of food)

BERYL: I'm glad we are together again.

DEMETRIA: (smiling) Go…To…Sleep.

Beryl turned over and fell asleep. Demetria turned her attention back to her food with a pleased satisfaction. She was no longer alone, and united with the person she started the troubles with so long ago back in the old kingdom. The Dark Kingdom as she knew it was dead and gone…but she saw the rise of a new Kingdom, one that will be more feared than the old kingdom ever was, one which will finally exact their revenge against the young girls who were responsible for their downfall. Demetria continued to eat and plan as the night went on.

The next morning, Demetria and Beryl began their search for more energy, as well as a new body for Beryl. Demetria noticed that Beryl's breathing has become short and labored. This body would not last much longer as it was old and worn out. Demetria decided to take Beryl to the docks, which was where she found her victim. By the time they got to the docks, Beryl's body was too torn down to continue.

BERYL: Stop…I need…to rest.

DEMETRIA: We've got to get you out of that body.

BERYL: What…what will happen if I don't get out in time?

DEMETRIA: I assume you'll just float around until you find another body, but I really don't want to find out.

BERYL: I thought I would be stronger after a good night's sleep.

DEMETRIA: We're almost there, keep going!

Demetria began to look around for anyone who seemed like an easy target. Beryl tried her best to follow, but had a very hard time keeping up. Her bones were beginning to rub against each other, causing great pain. Her head began to ache and her back gave her tremendous pain. Still, she soldiered on as best she could. They continued to search around the docks, full of ships that were letting off unsuspecting tourists and workers done with the day's duties. Demetria saw that there were plenty of opportunities, but they never lasted long enough. It was either too many people or the bodies' were just too weak to even be considered. Beryl, in the meantime, was getting weaker and weaker. All she wanted to do was sleep. Demetria continued to shake her every now and again to keep her awake, but it was working less and less.

BERYL: I gotta get out of this body. I'm not sure how much longer I'm gonna make it. I feel so…weak.

DEMETRIA: Hang on, we'll get you out.

They didn't have to wait much longer. In the distance, Demetria saw a lone woman who looked as if she were lost or looking for something. She had her hands up to her mouth as she was calling for someone.

WOMAN: DEMETRIA! DEMETRIA! CAN YOU HEAR ME?

Demetria squinted her eyes as she tried to get a closer look at the woman. She was a statuesque black woman with black hair and slightly darker chocolate skin. Demetria continued to look, watching the woman's every move. Then, she jumped in surprise. Her face…this woman's face….it almost looks exactly like the way Beryl looked before she was…

DEMETRIA: Beryl! Beryl! Look!

BERYL: Wha…?

Demetria grabs Beryl, who was sitting on the ground and panting, and picks her up. She focuses her attention on the lost woman. Beryl tries to look at her through her weak eyes, but can barely see her. Then, the woman gets a little closer, and Beryl begins to see the resemblance between this lady and what she used to look like.

BERYL: That woman…she looks just like me…well, except she's an African…but WOW! The resemblance is uncanny.

DEMETRIA: Yes…she has your same voice as well.

BERYL: Do you think she's pretty strong?

DEMETRIA: How about we go ask her?

Demetria continued her conversation with Beryl while looking in her direction. Just then, the woman stops and looks at Demetria. She begins to smile.

WOMAN: THERE YOU ARE!

Demetria's head snaps back to the woman who was now walking towards her.

DEMETRIA: Eh?

WOMAN: I've been looking all over for you! Why did you disappear like that?

The woman runs up to Demetria and gives her a big hug. Demetria stands there with a slightly confused look on her face. Beryl stares at the both of them, but says nothing.

WOMAN: Why didn't you tell me you were going out for a walk? Did you get lost?

DEMETRIA (speaking in English): Uh…yes…I did. It must have been a wrong turn.

WOMAN: Wrong turn?! You've been lost for three weeks. I've called the police and everything. I thought you were in somebody's trunk! You could've at least called.

DEMETRIA: Well…uh….I didn't have your number?

WOMAN: You forgot the hotel room's number? Demetria, are you ok? You usually have a better memory than this.

DEMETRIA: I'm fine…just…maybe just a bit tired that's all.

WOMAN: I'll bet you are! Let's get back to the hotel. I want you to get some sleep before we go sightseeing tomorrow. Please, don't ever run off again.

DEMETRIA: Uh…I'll try not to.

WOMAN (looking at Beryl): Who's this?

DEMETRIA: Who? Oh this? This is just an old lady that's been showing me around here. She's been keeping me safe, you know telling me where to go and where not to.

WOMAN: Oh…well.

The woman walks up to Beryl and holds out her hand. Beryl weakly extends hers and the two begin to shake.

WOMAN: Thank you for keeping my sister safe.

DEMETRIA: She doesn't understand you. She only speaks Japanese.

WOMAN: Oh? And how were you able to talk with her?

DEMETRIA: Well, if you'd have taken those Japanese classes more seriously, sister…

WOMAN: Excuse me? When did you ever take Japanese classes?

DEMETRIA: I…uh…

BERYL (under her breath): Shut up, big mouth!

DEMETRIA: I took them in secret…I wanted it to be a surprise.

WOMAN: Why? Why didn't you tell me? You knew we were planning on coming here for a while now!

DEMETRIA: Well, I asked you and you said you didn't want to!

BERYL (under her breath): That's right; just dig yourself into a deeper hole.

WOMAN: Have you been asking me questions in my sleep again?

DEMETRIA: You were sleep?

WOMAN: I TOLD YOU NOT TO ASK ME QUESTIONS IN MY SLEEP. YOU'RE ALWAYS DOING THAT!

DEMETRIA: I'm sorry. I thought you were awake.

WOMAN: Well, I wasn't. You could've waited until I was fully awake to ask me something like that. I would've wanted to learn a little bit before coming here.

BERYL (under her breath): Whew!

DEMETRIA: You're right. I should really stop doing that. Sorry, big sister.

WOMAN: What?! Big sister?! Why did you call me that?

DEMETRIA: Well, you are, aren't you?

WOMAN: I'm your LITTLE sister! I'm younger than you! Are you sure you're ok?

DEMETRIA: Uh….I….uh

The woman, who was talking to Demetria, never let go of Beryl's hand. Once Beryl saw that Demetria had gotten herself in a little trouble, she began to extract the woman's energy. The woman started to feel warmth all over her body and began getting sleepy. She immediately yanked her hand from Beryl's grasp.

WOMAN: What did you just do to me?!

While Beryl was doing this, Demetria sharpened her nails with her hand behind her back. As soon as the woman jerked her hand from Beryl, Demetria grabbed and embraced the woman, sinking her claws directly into her back extracting a great amount of energy from her in the process. The woman began to scream, but those screams turned softer and softer with the woman falling slowly to her knees. Then, once she was sure the woman was weak enough, Demetria removed the sharp nails from the woman's back.

DEMETRIA: Now, Beryl! Take her!

Beryl immediately left the old woman's body she had inhabited for the past few days and circled around the black woman's body to the front of her chest. The yellowish ball that was Beryl entered into the woman's body through her chest and she came alive. The woman's body fell to the ground and began to convulse and twitch in all directions as the woman became more and more possessed. After a few minutes of doing this, the woman stopped and lied there. Demetria began to wonder if it actually had worked.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, the body began to move. There was first an arm, then a leg and then the head. The woman began to make her way to her feet with bones cracking and popping all the way through. The woman stood up and cracked her neck by twisting it on both sides and then stretched, with all bones seemingly cracking into place. Then, everything came into focus for the woman.

Demetria walked up slowly to the woman and waved her hand in her face. The woman did not reply.

DEMETRIA: Beryl? Are you in there?

The woman's face remained blank and unresponsive. Demetria started to wonder if Beryl had actually done something wrong. Demetria started to reach her hand out to touch Beryl, just to see if she was still alive. Then, out of nowhere, the woman's arm grabbed Demetria's arm. Demetria tried to make her let go, but she couldn't. Then, the woman looked down at Demetria and smiled.

Demetria decided it was time to take the woman out. She didn't know whether it was Beryl or not. If it was the woman, she could easy bring unwanted attention by dragging her to the police station. If that happens, Demetria would be forced to kill the woman with Beryl somewhere inside of her. However, if she didn't kill the woman, there is a good chance that Beryl is still somewhere in there, but hadn't quite taken over yet. By the time she does, they could be in the hands of authorities. This was a setback that she just didn't want to deal with. Demetria raised her hand back, as if to give the woman a slap and was about hit her when the woman raised her other hand and laughed.

WOMAN: That won't be necessary.

DEMETRIA: Beryl?

WOMAN: It took me a little longer than usual to take over the body.

DEMETRIA: Oh! You're lucky. I was just about to….

BERYL: I know.

DEMETRIA (finally resting her guard): So…how do you feel?

BERYL: I feel good! Great, actually. Much better than before.

DEMETRIA: It'll be a few days before you really get used to it.

BERYL: More sturdy with a younger spirit. I like this. I like this a lot.

DEMETRIA: You look marvelous. A lot better than you did.

Demetria looks at the abandoned old woman's body. Beryl, after admiring herself for a little while longer, looks at the body as well. Just a few minutes ago, it was a live 'person'. Now…it looks to be just a cold carcass. There is no life, no movement, and no signs of a spirit. It's just laying there, a shell of what it once was.

BERYL: I feel that we ought to give it a proper burial. After all, it did serve me well.

DEMETRIA: So true. Let me see if I can still do that.

Demetria hand began to emit a soft glow from it. She held it out in front of her and shot a light beam from the palm of her hand to the body. It immediately disintegrated, leaving nothing but dust. The dust began to blow in the wind and all over the dock yards. Demetria looked at her hand.

DEMETRIA: I'm getting stronger, dear Beryl.

BERYL: A work in progress indeed.

DEMETRIA: Apparently. Still, I know I'm not at full strength yet.

BERYL: So what now?

DEMETRIA: It would probably be wise to go to their hotel room to rest and clean up a bit. Besides, I'm pretty sure you're more than eager to get a good look at yourself.

Demetria looks in her purse to find a hotel card key that has an address on it, and they begin to walk towards that destination.

They make it to Hotel Amihama where they enter into what was once the sisters' room. It seems to be a very nice hotel, though it doesn't look too expensive. The pair collapsed on the bed as they try to recover their strength. They both look at each other and start to laugh.

BERYL: Sisters…Ha ha ha.

DEMETRIA: …Why not?

BERYL: What? Are you serious?

DEMETRIA: There is no longer a Dark Kingdom, Beryl. In a way, we've both been reborn into new roles. If we ever expect to have a chance at taking over the world again, maybe we should do things differently than we did before.

BERYL: I see. It's just that, it's hard to look at you any differently than my master.

DEMETRIA: I understand that. But that is the old order of things. I'm no longer in the earth or in anyone's prison. I'm free and so are you. All of our subjects, however, weren't so lucky. We use the foundations of the old, but we build something new, something stronger than the world has ever seen. Day by day, we grow stronger, silently taking inch by inch of what we need. Then, the day will come upon us. The day when we will know that it is the perfect time to…

BERYL: …Strike!

DEMETRIA: So, you're starting to understand now. We can't try to rebuild what failed before. I mean, how well did that work the first time? It's insanity to think anything different will come of that. No, what we need to do is to find out what went wrong and what we got right. Then, we rebuild and tweak from there. And the first thing that I believe needed to be changed was the leadership.

BERYL: Okay, but, our kingdom will still need leaders.

DEMETRIA: Yes, true, but not the way it was before. We shall have a monarchy. There will still be a Dark Kingdom, and I shall still be its Queen. But, there is no reason why we cannot have two or more crowns. Our problem was that when I fell, the Dark Kingdom fell with me. And when you were destroyed, the entire organization came to an end. It didn't matter how many soldiers or subjects we had, the Kingdom as we knew it was demolished.

BERYL: But, if we have multiple crowns, the Kingdom could go on almost indefinitely. Of course! I see it now!

DEMETRIA: Exactly. We split up the whole kingdom as it were a pie. More rulers that are under us equal that many more allies and in turn more territory. Then, we shall rid the earth of all who oppose us and usher in a new order for our dark age. Our crowns will be the final authority. And with the army we will have in place, we will finally be able to take our revenge on them.

BERYL: Them?

DEMETRIA: You know who.

BERYL (squeals with delight): WONDERFUL! You are a GENIUS!

DEMETRIA: Yes, so I've been told. That woman's body that you inhabit right now is apparently the sister of the woman I inhabit. At this point, we are sisters, and I feel that two master crowns are more powerful than one will ever be. And with you by my side, we will raise this mighty army and unleash a hell the world has never known.

BERYL: Stop. You had me at Sister.

Demetria and Beryl laugh at each other and hug once again. For at this moment, they were no longer Queen and Servant, but now Sisters determined to make the world bow at their feet.

After showering up, eating and relaxing, both women end up falling into somewhat of a deep sleep.

Beryl is awakened a few hours later to the low sounds of the television. She wakes up to see something on the news. People have been reporting strange occurrences that have been happening in Tokyo's streets, mostly with people ending up faint on the pavement. Though all of the people affected survive, they have no memory of what happened, how they got there or what they were doing before. All they remember is being attacked by a monster of some sort.

The news reporter then states that the so-called 'Sailor Senshi' may be investigating the occurrences. Of course, it's kind of hard to know for sure since no one has seen or heard from them since the battles occurred in the not so distant past. Beryl sits up and begins to pay close attention. It doesn't take her too long to realize that whoever is investigating this will eventually link the attacks back to her and Demetria, especially if they know what to look for. On top of that, Beryl is convinced that they are nowhere near strong enough to fight off the Sailor Senshi at this point, and Any mention of monsters or weird happenings will more than likely get the their attention. Beryl turns to Demetria, who is still sleeping soundly, and begins to nudge her awake.

BERYL: Demetria. Demetria! Wake up. You need to have a look at this.

DEMETRIA: *mmmhhh* Can it wait just a few more hours?

BERYL: No! Wake up!

DEMETRIA: *grumble**grumble* Look, I'll just throw her into the pit later. No rush.

BERYL: WAKE UP!

DEMETRIA (startled): Ahh! Aaah! What?!

BERYL: Look!

Beryl pointed at the television just in time for a commercial about fried chicken to come on. Demetria gives Beryl an annoyed look.

DEMETRIA: You woke me up for this? If you're hungry, go get something to eat, but don't wake me up again!

BERYL: What?! No, the news report! I was trying to show you the news report.

DEMETRIA: Chicken is bad for you, everybody knows that. Good night!

BERYL: Demetria, they started finding the bodies! The Sailor Senshi might be investigating the people we left in the streets!

Demetria sits up slowly and starts to rub her eyes.

DEMETRIA: And you are surprised…why?

BERYL: Because the Sailor Senshi can link those attacks directly to us. After everything we did to take over Japan, they'll know we're alive and come back to finish the job. We don't have the energy to fight them off again.

DEMETRIA: And what makes you think they'll know it was us, Sister?

BERYL: Are you serious? I may not have been alive for as long as you, but I've been around to know there haven't been any strange attacks since our kingdom was destroyed.

Demetria, still half asleep, reaches her arm over and grabs her purse. After fumbling around, she finds a compact mirror. She opens it and turns it towards Beryl's face, making her look in it.

DEMETRIA: Do you see this mirror?

BERYL: Yes.

DEMETRIA: The Queen Beryl of the Dark Kingdom, did she look like this?

BERYL: No.

DEMTRIA: So, I ask you again. What makes you think they'll know it was us?

BERYL: We are the only ones that could or would do those types of attacks!

DEMETRIA: You're right. But, you're forgetting the facts in front of you. I had no shape or form when I was queen. I was just a shadowy figure, a ghost. You were a fair skinned woman with horns growing out of your head. These two women can perform these attacks. But I ask you, what can two black women who are not even from Japan do?

Beryl silently sat for a minute looking at the mirror. It started to come to her now. The fact that both she and Demetria were black women may prove to be the best of disguises after all.

DEMETRIA: You and I both know what we really are. But, to anyone on the streets, we are just two dumb tourists. We have no idea what happened those years ago, the true history of this place or anything. We don't even know where the best sushi bar is. To everyone else we are clueless.

BERYL: There is just one other thing. One of them has a scanner. They would be able to detect us no matter what disguises we wear. What about that?

DEMETRIA: Then, I guess we would have to fight.

BERYL: But, we are not strong enough yet.

DEMETRIA: True, but what do you want to do, just lie down and let them beat us?

BERYL: Of course not. But, I don't want to be foolish about this either.

DEMETRIA: Well…we can't gain energy without stealing it from the humans…we have nowhere to hide out in case things go wrong…and the more we do this, the likelihood of us getting caught goes up. However, we need energy if we're ever going to avenge our loss.

BERYL: A messed up situation.

DEMETRIA: True, but not impossible. I've been thinking about this idea since I came back to life and…well…it might be our best option.

BERYL: What is it?

DEMETRIA: Suppose we…left Japan.

BERYL: And go where?

DEMETRIA: If we stay here, it won't be long before our crimes catch up with us. As you said, they are investigating. And you're right about the Senshi. Now, I for one would love the chance to make them vanish from this place. I am also not a fool.

BERYL: Ok, but how does leaving Japan fix things.

DEMETRIA: The Sailor Senshi can't link us to any of attacks if we're not there. We can go somewhere new and start over. We can recruit new soldiers, build a new base and try again with a new strategy. And this place will have no idea what has happened here, hence they won't have any idea how to deal with it.

BERYL: I get what you're saying. And then, once we are strong enough, we can raise a mighty army that could exact our revenge against the Senshi, and possibly even….

DEMETRIA: Not possibly…that's exactly what we are gonna do.

BERYL: But, you still haven't answered where we will go.

Demetria fumbled around in her purse again to find a passport. On the front cover, there was an eagle with its wings spread wide. Demetria couldn't quite read the name at because it was written in English. Looking in the purse further, she found a pocket English to Japanese dictionary. As this was the only thing she could read, she flipped through it to find some words underlined.

I am American ='(Watashi wa) Amerika-jin desu.'

When Demetria looked at the translation and then looked at the passport, she got an idea of where the person was from. But, before she came to conclusions, she opened up the passport to see three letters in bold letters that were part of the pictures on the page: 'USA'.

DEMETRIA: USA.

BERYL: USA? America?

DEMETRIA: That is where this passport is from. We could go there and start over.

BERYL: I have heard kids talking about that place before. I don't know much about it, though.

DEMETRIA: Well, we are about to find out much because we will be living there for awhile.

BERYL: Ok, where at?

Demetria opened the passport again to see that ID card. However, she couldn't understand what it said. Then, she flipped around until she got to the back of the page to see a Japanese entry stamp which read:

'From New York to Tokyo'

DEMETRIA: I guess we will go to New York…wherever that is.

BERYL: New York…?

DEMETRIA: We may just have to do more research in the morning. I want to know exactly what I'm getting into.

BERYL: Agreed.

The news returned on the air and began to talk about an upcoming American Football Game that was to be played in a few weeks.

NEWS REPORTER: Well, coming up in just three short weeks, we will have the opportunity to witness American Football played right here on Japanese soil. The Japanese National Team, made up of the best American Football players from Japan's universities, will be teaming up to play in a friendly game against an American Professional Team known as the Dallas Vaqueros. This is indeed an honor for the National Team as the Vaqueros are one of the most famous American Football Teams in the world. You'll remember that they hail from the city of Dallas located in the prefecture of Texas. Of course, in the US, the prefectures are referred to as 'states'. The game will be held at the Tokyo Green Dome at….

DEMETRIA: Dal—las?

BERYL: I've never heard of it.

DEMETRIA: Hmmm….maybe this city would be better to go to?

BERYL: What?! Why?! We've just decided to go to America, and now you want to take us to some random town? The passport says New York. Maybe we should go there

DEMETRIA: Hmmm…perhaps you're right. Well, either way, we will be leaving soon. Let's do a little research in the morning. I'm going back to sleep.

Demetria put her purse back on the nearby stand and rolled over to go back to sleep. Beryl was still up, staring at the television. She never would've thought that things would come to this. Now, she is seeing the reality that she will be leaving Japan. Even when the Sailor Senshi are nowhere around, her actions still revolve around what she thinks they will do. To her, the worst part of the defeat wasn't so much getting destroyed by the Senshi, but it's the fact that in her eyes she is essentially becoming a coward. She wondered briefly if Demetria felt the same way. She must feel some sort of way. She went so far as to change her name and deny her title, so it must be just as devastating a thought. Beryl eventually turned off the TV and went to sleep.

The next day, Beryl and Demetria went to the hotel's business center, where they started doing their research on where they were going to go. Since the passport stated that the women had come from New York that is where they started to look at first. They found out that New York is a rather large city, almost like Tokyo. Beryl seemed to be impressed, but Demetria wasn't so sure.

BERYL: It looks, beautiful. It will be so nice when we take it over.

DEMETRIA: Yes, true. But, I don't think it's a good idea to start there.

BERYL: What? Why?

DEMETRIA: I've been going over things in my head. Things about what we did in the past that brought us to failure. I aim to not repeat those mistakes.

BERYL: Pretty smart. What changes you think we should make?

DEMETRIA: Well, as I told you yesterday, we need to have a new structure on things. The more people that rule their own little slice of land, the more of an empire we can build with us at the very top. But, I also think that one of our main mistakes was starting operations in a very large city. If we start off in this town, I feel that we may be making a strategic mistake.

BERYL: That makes sense, except for the fact that we still need energy. This town has over 8 million people. That is more than enough energy for us to become just as powerful as we were, if not more. I understand if this is too big of a city, but we don't want to go to a place too small either. True, no one will be able to find us, but where would our energy come from?

DEMETRIA: Hmmm….that other city…what was its name?

BERYL: Dallas.

DEMETRIA: Yeah, that's it. What can we find out about it?

The woman pulled up information on the city of Dallas. It looks to be a mid-size city. Nowhere near as big as New York, but big enough to where they could harvest enough energy to regain their strength as well as build the foundation for the new Dark Kingdom they need. Also, after further research, it turns out that Dallas is surrounded by open land which is perfect for building a new base.

DEMETRIA: This…this is perfect! Look at it! Smaller size means that no one can track us as easily, but it's just big enough for an energy harvest. We could easily take over this city and make it our base before spreading out.

BERYL: And it looks like there is a lot of land that belongs to no one surrounding the town.

DEMETRIA: Indeed.

BERYL: So what are you thinking?

DEMETRIA: I'm thinking I like this town. This would be the perfect place for us to rebuild.

For the rest of the afternoon, Demetria and Beryl learned as much as they could about the US, the city of Dallas and other cities as well. In the end, it was determined that Dallas would be the best place for them to start.

After they left the business center they went back to their hotel room. Each of them attempted to transport their body to a nearby place just to see if it would work. It didn't. This gave them the knowledge they still had a long way to go before they were at full strength. They decided to use the resources the women "provided" to them and with their money and passport to get on a plane headed to the USA.

After they had gotten all the resources they needed, they went to Narita International Airport, where they purchased their tickets and had settled. The news was on in the airport terminal and it was talking about a gruesome discovery found in an alleyway somewhere in downtown Tokyo. Police couldn't make out what it was, except to say that it was an unidentified dust. However, it was in the shape of what could've been human. The police weren't sure, but they think it may have had something to do with the attacks that have been going on lately. Beryl and Demetria both watch the screen, hoping that they haven't been discovered.

BERYL: That was the last body that was left in the Dark Palace.

DEMETRIA: You did what you had to do.

BERYL: They'll know we are alive just from that.

DEMETRIA: So what? We won't be there and the attacks will stop. With enough time, the case will grow cold and everyone will forget about it.

LOUDSPEAKER: Attention passengers. The 6 p.m. flight bound for New York, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles is now boarding. Please report to the S Gate for instructions and please have your tickets in hand. Thank you!

BERYL: That's us. Are you ready?

DEMETRIA: Yes. Are you?

BERYL (tearing up): No.

DEMETRIA: What did you forget?

BERYL: I have everything. I just meant that emotionally.

DEMETRIA: Oh…well at least you're honest.

BERYL: …Endymion…

DEMETRIA: So, that's what's really bothering you. Endymion is gone, Beryl. He left with that pork bun headed floozy.

BERYL: I know, but leaving Japan…it's like it's so…final.

DEMETRIA: I see nothing final about a brand new beginning.

BERYL: You're right, sister.

DEMETRIA: Of course. Big Sister is always right.

BERYL: So you're the big sister now?

DEMETRIA: Haven't I always been?

Beryl and Demetria walk towards the gate and walk to the receptionist, who took their tickets and allowed them passage. Beryl stopped and took another look back at the airport, as if remembering all she could before going to a strange new world. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, and then let it out.

BERYL: I'm ready.

Then, she walked side by side with Demetria into the sky tunnel that led to the plane.

Meanwhile, the news report was just wrapping up the story of the dust in the alley downtown. While the news caster was talking, a black cat walked up cautiously toward the dust. It sniffed at it and then took out a small plastic baggie and collected some of the dust with its paw. When it had enough, it took the baggie in its mouth and ran back into the nothingness from whence it came.

TO BE CONTINUED…