Dream World Part 8: Sylvite
A Sailor Moon fanfic by Mike Chenoweth [Ultrace@aol.com]
September, 1996
It was Brian's idea for him and Mina to have breakfast together at someplace he had only described as "private." Mina didn't object; it was just the sort of thing she'd been longing to do with someone. To top it all off, Brian said he would take care of everything.
"All you have to bring is your beautiful self," he told her. It had been the first time in a while that Mina could remember blushing at a compliment from anyone.
Getting up at five o'clock in the morning wasn't easy, but for a romantic experience like this, it was worth it. There was only one way to make sure Brian and Mina really did get privacy: wearing her favorite pale green dress, Mina snuck out of the house and left Artemis behind. He was probably still sleeping when she met Brian at the park.
She was a little disappointed when she saw Brian sitting on the bench with a basket, which she interpreted to mean they would be eating there. The park was empty, but it wasn't exactly what she had in mind when he said private.
He seemed to read her thoughts, and chuckled a little. "No, no. It's a little up the way."
Mina followed him for fifteen minutes along a trail that wound its way up a hill and through a sparsely-wooded area. If it had been summer, she would have been soaked with sweat, but with the cool air she was only comfortably warm when they arrived. Emerging from the trees, Brian threw his arm out to indicate the location for her.
She stepped out from behind him and looked in awe at the spot he had chosen. The two of them had a small, steep hilltop all to themselves, overlooking part of the city. They were just high enough that the tops of the buildings didn't intrude on the horizon. Their view of the ocean was unobstructed, and the night sky was just now beginning to brighten with the light of sunrise.
Brian, perceiving her expression as approval, pulled a blanket from the basket and spread it flat on the ground. The two of them sat down, and he started to take food out of the basket: assorted pastries, some butter and jelly, a few pieces of fruit and some juice.
For the next twenty minutes, they leisurely ate. Mina didn't have a lot herself, having never been much of a breakfast person, but she took a couple of small croissants and half an orange. Brian had much the same, finishing the other half of the orange, and also eating a danish. The sun had made its way partly into view and a golden glow was beginning to permeate the sky. "I'm glad you could meet me alone," he said with a smile. "I've got a surprise for you."
Mina was immediately apprehensive; surprises never seemed to work out well for her, but the morning was perfect... What could go wrong? It wasn't more than a few seconds before her nature got the better of her and she was practically jittering with excitement.
Brian became a little more serious. "You see, I've been meaning to tell you something."
Mina smiled now. "Like the other day at the mall, right?" she asked, and it dawned on her that she never returned after supposedly going to get security; she was so out of it after fighting the monster that it hadn't even crossed her mind. How long had Brian stayed there looking for her? "I wanted to explain why I took off..."
Brian shook his head. "You don't have to. I understand."
She smiled at his acceptance, but on the inside she frowned. He didn't really understand why; if he got the wrong idea...
"Maybe it would just be easier if I gave you this..." Brian said, breaking her thoughts. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, the kind you keep rings and such in. At his prompting, Mina took it.
"Isn't it a little early to propose?" Mina joked, prying open the lid of the box. Her smile disappeared, a look of astonishment left in its place. She gasped.
It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life. A pendant, little larger than a quarter, with a domed surface. The ornament was transparent and amber in color. Inside, somehow, was a bright orange jewel--topaz?--in the perfectly smooth shape of a heart. The entire thing was attached to a fine gold link chain. It must have cost an absolute fortune.
Mina removed the necklace from its box and turned it over and over in her hands, watching the morning sunlight catch its facets and magnify its luster. Apparently the inner jewel, while smooth on its surface, was crystalline inside; it sparkled with each different angle she turned it to, almost mesmerizing her.
She saw something engraved on the heart in a lighter orange, almost completely invisible until shone on by the sun in just the right way. Mina strained her eyes to make it out, and was instantly stunned.
The Venus Symbol.
It took Mina a few moments to recognize it, she had been so engrossed in the other wonders of the pendant. But there was no mistaking it. Uncertainly, she looked back up at Brian.
"Please don't get angry," he said. "I told you the other day I knew you were special--this is what I meant. I'm special too, because--because I can see what people dream. It's a power I have. And that's why I know you're Sailor Venus, Mina."
Mina wasn't quite sure how to react--this was all moving too quickly for her. She had gone from watching a beautiful sunrise to being given a gorgeous necklace, and now, Brian was telling her he knew who she really was. She was at least relieved that he was handling it well--better than she was, to be sure. "It doesn't bother you?" she asked.
"Even if it did bother me, I couldn't ask you to stop being who you are. But I don't mind. It's only been a few days, but you've changed my whole life. I... I love you, Mina, and it doesn't matter to me if you're Sailor Venus or not."
The last sentence made Mina's head spin a little, so she reached out for something to steady herself--Brian. She put him in a big hug.
"Does this mean I can propose now?" he asked. Mina giggled. Slowly, she let him go and hung the pendant around her neck, careful not to get it tangled in her hair. "Beautiful," Brian said.
Before Mina could ask if he was talking about her or the pendant, she heard her communicator's beep. For just a brief moment, she looked uncomfortably at Brian. "Old habit. I guess I won't have to worry about hiding this from you any more," she said, pulling the faux wristwatch from her pocket and turning it on. She was careful, however, to make sure he couldn't see anyone on the screen.
Artemis' face, panic-stricken, had appeared. "Mina, get over here--quickly!" he said.
"What is it?" Mina asked, switching in an instant from joy to worry. The screen went dead in response.
The wall behind Artemis had told Mina where she was needed. She and Brian were some distance from her house, but Brian told her there were shortcuts from where the two of them were. Leaving the basket, blanket and food behind, the two of them took off toward her house, running together the entire way. It only took five minutes for them to arrive.
They were five minutes too late. Several of the windows on the house were broken, there were gaping holes in the walls, and the door barely remained on its hinges. Mina threw it open and entered the living room. It was a shambles, with all the furniture and fixtures broken and torn apart. What she had seen on her communicator, however, was her bedroom. She ran to it and was met with a horrifying sight.
The Sailor Scouts, Artemis, Luna, all of them... Dead, the bodies smashed, beaten and bloodied. Amy and Luna lay in a corner next to where it looked like a chair, among other things, had been hurled. A smear of blood on the wall made it clear that Artemis had been crushed against it and then slid to the floor; Lita was near him. And at the far end of the room, Serena. Rei's body still draped over the still figure in what must have been a last-ditch effort to save the Princess.
"No..." Mina whispered. She couldn't believe it. `If I'd been faster...'
Brian, behind her, was at a loss for words. She turned and buried herself in his arms, quietly sobbing, tears pouring from her eyes. For a long time, she just stayed there, not wanting to move or think or even exist, but a noise from inside the room caught her attention.
She looked up, hoping to see that one of the Scouts was still clinging to life, but she found harsh reality instead. The monsters that did this--four of them--were still there, standing in the doorway, leering at their two new victims. Mina stared at them with a raw hatred, then grabbed her power stick. "Venus Star Power!"
The monsters didn't waste any time. No sooner had Mina transformed than they attacked, shooting energy beams, fire and small debris at her. In the instant before she was about to be killed by the assault she realized just how the monsters had beaten the other Scouts: their speed was phenomenal.
Brian proved to be faster than her, and fast enough to save her. "Mina!" he yelled, shoving her aside. She watched in what felt like slow motion as he was ripped through by several fireballs and bolts of energy. The monsters, seemingly satisfied, ceased their attack and watched him crumple to the floor.
"Brian!" Mina screamed, disregarding their attackers. She dropped down next to him and tried to hold him up. She didn't have to be a medical genius like Amy to know the truth: he was going to die, just like the others.
"Mina..." he started. "I love you..."
"No, don't die," she cried.
"Mina... I never got to tell you. I can do more than see dreams... I've got other powers. But they can't do me any good now... Let me give them to you... So you won't get killed... Please..."
"Brian..."
With a last few breaths, he weakly offered Mina his hand. She took it.
------------------
Amy stood over Mina, carefully looking into her eyes. "When did you find out?"
"Just before I called you," Artemis said, his voice filled with worry. "I wish I could've noticed sooner."
Amy shook her head sadly. "It's my fault. I should've figured out before now that Mina was the real target of this."
"What?" Lita asked in surprise.
"Last night, I wasn't thinking rationally," Amy said, still examining Mina. "And I considered the possibility that Sylvite might actually try to protect some of us, even though it didn't make sense. This morning, when I was more mentally capable I understood what made me think that: Even though Mina's been acting strange, it wasn't because she was having nightmares like the rest of us, or she would have remembered them. It must have been because something else was happening to her, something that Sylvite has been doing..."
Serena hadn't been involved in the conversation, being more concerned with Mina's condition than the whys and wherefores of it. "Is she okay?" she asked Amy.
"Well, we can't wake her up, and her heart rate and body functions are highly above normal. It looks like she's locked in REM sleep."
"You mean she's having a dream and can't snap out of it?" Lita translated. Amy nodded.
Rei had been standing next to Mina with her eyes closed, looking like she was straining to hear something far away. After a few moments, she reopened her eyes, with a surprised expression. "You're right. Something's got hold of her, I can feel it." She stepped back, pulled a piece of paper from inside her uniform and concentrated. "Evil spirits," she commanded. "Begone!"
The parchment was flung from Rei's hand, landing on Mina's forehead. For a few seconds, her body twitched violently, but then the paper disintegrated.
Rei shook her head. "Whatever it is, it's too powerful."
Serena's eyes lit up. "I can heal her with the Silver Crystal," she said, removing the broach.
"I can't let you do that," Sylvite said, stepping into the bedroom from the doorway. "Mina will awaken when I wish, and not sooner."
Despite a calm, gentle air, the man who had just walked in on them was definitely hostile. Serena, Amy, Rei and Lita moved to stand by Mina defensively. Luna and Artemis did the same.
Rei recognized him instantly as the person she had discovered in her reading of the fire. "You..."
Serena, Amy and Lita hadn't seen him before, and thus were suitably awed by his appearance. His hair was silvery, with almost a bluish hue to it, and he had dark red eyes which, if not for a slight glow, would be mistaken for black. Rei's description of his outfit was accurate; it looked much like those worn by Jedite and the others, but the trim that accompanied the stark grey was a bright silver and red, giving off something of a regal impression.
"That's right," he said to Rei. "The Negaverse's `mystery villain' you saw in your fire. But we've already met, you see." A dim light surrounded him as his features changed. The hair and eyes changed to a brownish-red and blue, respectively.
"Brian," Rei said, flatly. She scolded herself for not considering that if Brian had been from the Negaverse, he could very well be able to disguise himself.
Serena became impatient with the introductions. The only thing she found important at the moment was that her friend was in trouble. "What did you do to Mina?" she demanded.
"I've put her in a dream. Don't worry, she'll be fine--I won't let anything happen to her."
Amy looked at him in surprise. "Why are you doing this?"
Sylvite gave her a disdainful frown. "It's something you wouldn't understand..." His eyes drifted to Mina, and for a brief moment became softer. "I'm doing this to her because she touched my heart... Because I love her." A half dozen confused stares were all he received. He turned to meet their eyes again. "Like I said, you wouldn't understand. Before I met Mina, I thought love was just a myth, something that Zoisite and Malachite made up to taunt the rest of us in the Negaverse. They could never really describe it to anyone, and when I watched the dreams of human beings, I couldn't understand what it was that some of them felt toward each other.
Sylvite smiled a little. "Then I came across one of Mina's dreams, and the moment I saw her, I felt something so incredible, it must have been this `love.' I met Mina at her school, and whatever I felt was almost overpowering. For the first time, I didn't feel alone anymore; here was someone who was perfect for me."
Serena didn't understand. "But Mina loves you too. Why do you need to do this to her?"
The smile Sylvite had been wearing as he talked about Mina disappeared. His eyes became cold and hard again. "Mina loves Brian, not me. It didn't take long for me to realize that her heart is too pure. If she knew what I was really like, she couldn't possibly love me--she'd hate me. That's why I went through all this. When she awakens, she'll see everything as I want her to. She won't mind who I am. And we'll rule together, a King and Queen of Dreams."
Done explaining, he started to walk toward Mina, but Rei and Lita blocked his path at the same time. "No way," Lita said. Artemis was right alongside them, hissing and ready to slash Sylvite at a moment's notice.
"Everyone, transform!" Luna said.
Serena grabbed her broach. Amy, Rei and Lita went for their power sticks, and in moments, Sylvite was faced with four Sailor Scouts instead of ordinary girls.
"You're finished," Lita said. "Jupiter Thunder Crash!"
"Mars Fire Ignite!" Rei yelled.
A straight beam of fire wrapped with lighting blasted through Sylvite, who disappeared with a flash. The beam continued out through the wall behind him.
"It couldn't have been that easy," Rei said, looking around.
"Quite right," came Sylvite's voice from next to Mina's bed--right behind her. The six of them were suddenly thrown with a wave of force against the same wall that Rei and Lita had just blasted. The impact knocked the wind out of them all. Amy, Luna and Artemis fell unconscious.
Sylvite leaned over and kissed Mina gently across the lips. "Wake up, my love."
Slowly, Mina opened her eyes and sat up in the bed, glaring at the Sailor Scouts. With a frown, she reached into a pocket and pulled out her power stick.
"Venus Star Power!"
------------------
Mina could feel herself almost being reborn as she took Brian's hand. All the power and energy he'd possessed flowed into her. Her fear and sadness melted away, replaced by a bitter anger and hatred toward the monsters that had killed her friends--and her love. They were still standing there at the far wall, waiting.
She stood up to face them with her newfound vigor. They wouldn't take her by surprise this time. "Venus Love Chain Shower!" she screamed. Several chains of the glowing heart-links appeared at her command, and she flung them at the monsters, who were either too slow or too stupid to move in time. Her victims tried to squirm out of the near-unbreakable bonds they were now wrapped in. Mina glanced at the lifeless bodies around her.
`That's just the beginning,' she thought. `You are going to PAY!'
