Chapter Five

About-Faced

Minos ignored her fatigue, her entire being consumed with hatred for the enemy she faced. Janus danced around her, a smirk on her face as Mercury’s powers rejuvenated her. She would not win, Minos promised herself. The inner senshi had proven that they were too weak to face her. She knew know that if she died, all the senshi of the world died with her.

Janus struck her hard in the stomach, winding her and forcing her back a few steps. As she gasped for air, Minos heard the inner senshi gasp collectively and raised her watering eyes to gauge Janus’ reaction. The turquoise eyed senshi was still smiling.

“You’re slowing down,” Janus remarked. “Is it past your nap time?”

“Shut up and fight,” Minos snarled.

Janus dodged a sloppy blow and spun around in a pirouette. Minos waited for her to make the next move. She risked a look at her audience. Sailor Moon was crouched on the ground, her face streaked with tears. Mars knelt next to her, one hand on her shoulder, staring at Janus with hate-filled eyes. Jupiter and Venus stood behind them, hard eyes watching the battle eagerly.

“Minos Sacred Axe!” Minos called, sending the weakened attack at Janus.

She spun around and caught Minos’ power in her small clay jar. Minos’ eyes widened in sudden fear. She was in no condition to survive Janus’ evil fog, if the wicked senshi chose to use it. She needed to goad Janus into using Mercury’s attack, and hopefully gaining the upper hand enough to chase her away.

“Not that same old trick again,” Minos said, panting slightly.

Janus paused, surprised that her enemy was speaking plainly and not begging for mercy. The smile quickly reappeared on her face. “I see. You have a special attack in mind to die by. How sweet.”

Minos also forced a smile. “You know me too well, Janus. I love seeing your new tricks almost as much as you love showing them off.”

“Minos!” Sailor Moon gasped.

“Are you crazy?” Jupiter called.

Minos ignored them. Her blue eyes were locked on Janus. She could tell her nemesis was considering her words, in fact she could almost hear the internal dialogue. Breathless seconds passed as Minos waited with her heart in her throat.

Janus smiled. “You’re right. I’m dying to try out my newest trick.”

Minos almost smiled in relief when suddenly, Janus was flying towards her, hands outstretched and an expression of fury on her face. Minos did her best to fight her off, but Janus was too strong. Finally, Minos managed a lucky kick at Janus, knocking her away.

“Minos Ivy Whip!”

The green chain when flying towards Janus, who grabbed the end with lightning fast reflexes and pulled strongly. Minos yelped in surprise as she was yanked forward, towards her enemy. She became entangled in her own attack as Janus drew her close.

“One final battle,” Janus whispered, her lips next to Minos’ ear. “And one final secret. I killed your parents.”

Minos was too shocked for words. The night came back to her vividly. Crouching at the top of the stairs, watching her parents being murdered, seeing someone dressed like Janus fleeing the house. She was crying at the top of the stairs, smelling the scent of her parents’ blood mixed with her mother’s perfume. She barely heard the sirens or the police as they found her, still on the stairs.

“Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!”

She didn’t see the attack. She was once again the child on the stairs, the child with the powers of the Earth Goddess, who did nothing as her parents breathed their last. She was the child who cried herself to sleep every night until she found Mikko, her only friend. Tears streamed down her face as the attack threw her into the air, with Janus only seconds behind her. She hit the ground hard enough to force all the air from her lungs, but she barely felt it. Janus crouched next to her, and the inner senshi were screaming frantically, but Minos felt almost peaceful. The fighting was over.

Dark hair and turquoise eyes filled her vision as two glowing hands descended closer to her chest. Minos smiled dreamily and closed her eyes.

“Mikko,” she whispered.

Janus blinked as she heard her enemy speak her name. Her hands had already plunged deep into Minos’ body, searching for the soul that would soon be hers.

“Calli?” Janus murmured. “It can’t be…”

Minos screamed as her life ended, and Janus cried out as her best friend died in her arms.

*****

“Minos!” Sailor Moon yelled, scrambling across the roof to where Janus knelt over the body of her friend.

“Sailor Moon! No!” Mars replied, trying to grab the princess as she crawled away.

Suddenly, Minos and Janus were consumed by a white hemisphere of light. The inners could only stare as the two senshi vanished and the dome exploded. The remaining four senshi were thrown backwards, blinded by the dazzling light. It lasted several seconds and when it finally faded, Sailor Moon gazed back to where the two senshi had been.

Minos was gone, and Janus lay unconscious on the ground. Blinking, Sailor Moon stumbled to her feet and made her way slowly to where her enemy lay. She heard her friends behind her, recovering from the blow, but ignored them. She fumbled for her crystal, hoping to heal Janus of whatever evilness consumed her before she woke. She thought maybe by saving Janus, she could redeem herself to the spirit of Minos, wherever it now was.

Abruptly, Janus sat up, gazing wild eyed at the senshi and the rooftop. She didn’t speak and shrank back from Sailor Moon, her turquoise eyes full of fear. Sailor Moon stopped, taken aback by the reaction of the once fierce Sailor Janus. Frantically, Janus rose to her feet and ran off, tripping once or twice as she headed to the edge of the roof. Without hesitation, she leapt and disappeared from view. Sailor Moon stared after her until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s over,” Sailor Venus said. “Let’s go home.”

*****

Usagi was surprised at how quickly life settled back into a normal routine. Only a few weeks after the rooftop battle, she was laughing again. She went to school, went out with her friends, wrote letters to Mamoru, and endured scoldings by both Luna and her mother. She ate deserts, played video games, and occasionally even did her homework. The fierce pain in her gut that had come after Ami’s death had settled into a dull ache, and she found she could think of her friend without bursting into tears.

Her friends coped with Ami’s death by never speaking of it. They would remember Ami fondly, but the conversation would not go as far as to remind them she was never coming back. If people asked, they would say that Ami was on a trip and would be gone for a while. None of them could admit out loud that she was gone forever, even though deep down the all knew the truth. They had seen it with their own eyes.

Usagi found herself walking to school alone, without Étoile or Ami for company any longer. It was during these walks that she felt their deaths most severely. Even if Naru managed to catch up to her, she still could almost feel Étoile walking behind her, and Ami at her side. She would smile at Naru, and laugh where appropriate, but her heart was always heavy on those early morning walks.

The senshi were all surprised to that neither Shade nor Janus ever attacked again. The enemy that threatened to take all their lives vanished in an instant along with Sailor Minos, as if Minos continued to protect them after death. Life settled into a semblance of peace and order, the cost having been three lives.

*****

One afternoon, Usagi found herself in the downtown shopping district. She was heading towards the woodworking store where Calliste had once lived. Across the street was the empty lot where Étoile had lost her life to Sailor Janus. Usagi stood facing the lot, cars passing unnoticed behind her. She willed herself to see Étoile’s last moments, the heroic battle she must have fought, but the dirt and brick yielded nothing. She would never know exactly what had happened to her friend.

Across the street, the woodworking store was closed. It looked as if it hadn’t been opened for several days. Usagi thought that Calliste’s friend Mikko must have moved on after hearing of Calliste’s death. She wished Mikko well, hoping she had a good life. With a sigh, she turned to walk away from the scene of so much sorrow.

Suddenly, she heard a noise from the empty lot. Spinning around, she saw a man leaning casually against the brick wall. He was clapping his gloved hands together slowly, applauding Usagi for an unknown reason.

“Bravo, Sailor Moon,” Shade said. “I wondered how long I would have to wait for you here.”

“Shade,” Usagi replied angrily. “How dare you show yourself here?”

The man smiled. “I don’t know what you did to my sister, Janus, but I would like to thank you. Wherever she is now, she’s out of my hair at last. My employer will recognize my talents now, instead of hers.”

“Your employer?” Usagi questioned.

Shade waved a finger at her. “No tricks, Sailor Moon. Your powers will be mine!”

He snapped his fingers, and a snarling tiger youma appeared. It bared its fangs at Usagi, drool falling to the ground like rain, and roared. Usagi yelped in surprise and scrambled backwards until she was against the wall. The tiger crept closer, its beady eyes never leaving her face.

“I’ll give you a chance,” Shade called. “Transform and surrender your powers willingly.”

“Never!” Usagi replied.

The tiger snapped at her and she shrank away, flattening herself against the scratchy brick wall. Shade laughed. Usagi glanced around, frantically trying to think of an escape. The tiger was watching her every movement, and she knew she could not get far with this animal chasing her.

“Mamo-chan,” Usagi whispered. “I wish you were here!”

Unexpectedly, someone else appeared in time to save her. Usagi stared in disbelief as Sailor Janus leapt down from the rooftops and stood between Usagi and the tiger. Without saying a word, she lunged at the youma, knocking it down with a single tackle and escaping its vicious jaws. While the creature lay on the ground, Janus moved with unspeakable agility from youma to master, striking at Shade with her fists. The gloved man held up both arms to block her, but Janus forced him back against the wall. Janus raised a fist for a final blow, when Shade vanished along with his youma. Janus turned to look at Usagi, who was still trying to figure out exactly what had just happened.

“Sailor Janus!” Usagi exclaimed.

Janus cocked her head at the girl, as if confused by what Usagi was calling her. As Usagi approached, Janus became nervous and quickly jumped to the rooftops of the nearby buildings. She ran, leaving Usagi standing alone in the empty lot, wondering why their fiercest enemy was suddenly an ally.

*****

“You’re sure it was Janus?” Rei asked.

Usagi nodded miserably. She had hurried from the empty lot to the Shrine, calling her friends on the way. She had even tried calling Ami, absentmindedly waiting for her dead friend to pick up her communicator. The others had made it to the Shrine before she had, and now the four of them along with the two cats, were seated in Rei’s bedroom.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Luna commented. “Why would Janus save Usagi from Shade?”

“And then run without trying to steal Usagi’s powers,” Artemis added.

Minako was pacing around the room, deep in thought. She paused as the cats spoke, glancing from Artemis to where Usagi sat on Rei’s bed.

“Something must have happened… that night,” Minako said.

The others knew exactly to which night she was referring.

“Minos completely vanished when that dome exploded,” Mako agreed. “Do you think she survived?”

Usagi shook her head. “As much as I miss Calliste-san, I saw Janus take her life. And that wasn’t Sailor Minos who saved me. It was definitely Janus.”

“What else can you tell us about that explosion?” Luna asked.

“It was very bright,” Rei said, thinking with difficulty to the night when Ami died. “It happened just as Janus finished with Minos. When the light faded, only Janus was left, but she seemed different somehow.”

“Less likely to attack us, you mean,” Mako said dryly.

“But she could have, fresh with Minos’ powers,” Minako pointed out. “We would’ve been sitting ducks.”

“But she ran,” Rei mused.

“And she was frightened,” Usagi added quietly. Everyone turned to look at her. Usagi was staring at her hands, folded in her lap. “I saw her eyes. She was terrified of me. Of all of us.”

The girls fells silent as they pondered Usagi’s statement. The thought of Janus frightened of anything was almost too ridiculous to understand. The wicked senshi never showed any mercy or fear.

“So what do we do now?” Minako asked, breaking the silence. “Shade is obviously still around and out to get senshi.”

“And somehow he knows who we are,” Rei added.

“We do what we always do,” Usagi told them. “We fight.”

*****

Shade paced back and forth in front of the Boss, absently pulling at his gloves and muttering to himself. The Boss watched him move, his beady eyes following the steps of his henchman as he continued to eat. Finally he could stand the motion no longer, and he threw his half eaten chicken leg at Shade. The young man stopped abruptly as the bone hit the ground with a loud clatter. He turned to face the Boss, a startled expression on his face.

“Enough moping, Shade,” the Boss snarled, bits of food falling from his mouth. “And enough excuses. You have nothing to fear from me.”

Shade remained silent, his eyes focused on the fat man’s face.

“I forgave you for losing Sailor Janus,” the Boss reminded him almost gently.

Shade’s mouth twisted in suppressed anger. He still had bruises from the Boss’ forgiveness. Wisely, he remained quiet.

“But I won’t keep giving you chances,” the Boss continued. “Bring me more senshi essences, or next time I won’t be so kind hearted.”

“She came to stop me,” Shade said.

“Who? Sailor Minos?”

“No. Sailor Janus.”

The Boss stared at him hard. His face turned red and his enormous body began to shake with anger. “How dare you! Janus was a daughter to me. She would not betray me for senshi!”

Shade was both amused and frightened by the Boss’ rage. He shrugged nonchalantly. “Believe what you want. Janus is the reason that I don’t have Sailor Moon right now.”

“Liar! Get out of my sight!”

Dodging more thrown food, Shade disappeared into the shadows of the room. The Boss calmed down a bit, breathing hard from his recent exertion. Janus had not died, but turned traitor. The thought was too alarming to be real.

“She was a baby when I found her,” the Boss said aloud, even though the room was empty. “Just an infant, barely old enough to be away from her mother. I sensed a great emptiness in her, and I filled it with hatred. I taught her everything she knows, I nurtured and raised her. I gave her a life worth living! And this is my payment?”

He screamed, and the sound of his outraged voice echoed through the building. From the shadows, Shade listened with quiet delight. The favourite was gone. At last he would have the recognition he deserved.

*****

She lay still, curled into a fetal position in the corner of the shop. Around her was darkness and silence, except for the voices in her head. She shut her eyes tightly against them, hoping to absorb the stillness around her and impose it on her mind, but nothing worked.

She saw visions, of a royal palace with a beautiful starry sky, of a desolate wasteland of ruined buildings, of herself smiling at herself, of pain and torment, of sadness, of happiness, of everything. The images rolled across her mind like a tidal wave, completely incoherent and jumbled. Sometimes she would be calm, her mind in a state of peace, while other times she wanted to scream with anger and frustration. She was being torn apart from the inside out and had no way to stop it.

The people, the senshi, she could see them all. They were enemies. They were friends. They were victims. She could remember names briefly, before they were gone. She recalled moments in her past or present, or maybe even her future. She had no idea what her mind was showing her, or if she would stay sane long enough to sort it out.

She opened her turquoise eyes enough for a tear to squeeze through before the torment began anew.

*****

Scanning the city, Shade could not see any signs of the senshi. He knew four remained, four weak girls whose spirits were necessary for the completion of the game. He wondered if they were sleeping, oblivious to the death that stalked them. He also wondered where Janus was hiding, why she had saved the girl when only weeks ago she had been thirsting for blood.

“Youma,” he called to the creature standing patiently behind him. “Go.”

With an appreciative snarl, the youma vanished from the rooftop.

*****

“Usagi! Wake up!”

Usagi rolled over in her bed, vaguely aware of the voice calling her. She was dreaming of Mamoru, as she often did. They were on the Moon, during the Silver Millennium, and he was battling Queen Beryl’s army for her. She was watching him bravely defending her, and knew at the end of the dream he would be victorious. Her dream this time, however, was not the same as it usually was. She could sense a figure behind her, but when she turned no one was there.

‘The Crystal, Princess. It will set me free…’

“Usagi! Up! Now!”

Usagi sat up quickly as four sets of claws embedded themselves into her leg. She cried out in pain, then rubbed her sleep-filled eyes wearily. Luna was standing on her bed, staring at her impatiently.

“Are you awake now?” the cat asked.

“Luna, it’s the middle of the night,” Usagi mumbled.

“There’s a youma attacking in the park,” Luna told her. “Hurry up. The faster you defeat it, the faster you can go back to sleep.”

Usagi pulled herself out of bed and began to dress. “Did you tell the others?”

“Yes. They’re probably already there. Come on!”

*****

The battle was already underway by the time Sailor Moon and Luna arrived on the scene. Sailor Mars was attacking a small child-sized youma with long pink hair and blue skin. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus were standing by, ready to jump in where needed.

“It’s about time,” Mars managed to say as Sailor Moon arrived.

“Now the fun can really start!” the youma squeaked excitedly.

Without moving, the monster telepathically shoved Mars aside, sending her flying into a tree. It did the same thing to Jupiter and Venus while it turned to face Sailor Moon.

“You’re the one,” the youma said.

Sailor Moon’s eyed widened and she gasped uncomfortably. “Me? But you hardly know me!”

“You’re the one,” it repeated. “Come.”

Sailor Moon found herself being pulled towards the monster. The childlike creature didn’t even have to move to attack, and as Sailor Mars struggled to get to her feet, the creature sent another psionic wave to knock her to the ground.

“Sailor Moon!” Mars gasped.

“Mars! Help!” Moon cried as she struggled in vain. “I don’t know what’s going on! I can’t move!”

“Venus Love and Beauty Shock!” Sailor Venus called, awkwardly tossing her attack at the youma.

It exploded near the monster, but did little damage. The child squeaked in surprise and turned its head to stare at Venus. Its large eyes became hypnotic, luring Venus into unconsciousness. Jupiter struggled against her invisible bonds as her friend sagged and fell to the ground.

“It’ll take more than that to stop us,” Jupiter promised. “Jupiter Oak Revolution!”

The leaves sped towards the youma, but bounced aside harmlessly as if they had hit a wall. The monster kept its eyes on Sailor Moon as it pushed Jupiter to the ground and held her there.

“You’re the one,” it said again. “The only one. Come.”

“Luna!” Sailor Moon exclaimed. “What do I do?”

Before the cat could think of an answer, another figure appeared. It took the cats a moment to realize it was Sailor Janus. The dark haired senshi moved with incredible speed, kicking the youma in the head and knocking it aside. Suddenly, Sailor Moon found herself able to move and she fell to the ground. Sailor Janus didn’t let up her assault, striking the youma repeatedly with her hands and feet. Finally the monster recovered enough to launch a counter-attack, and Janus was thrown across the part and slammed into a tree. She slid down the trunk and disappeared into the bushes.

“Mars Flame Sniper!” Mars called.

The youma spun around, realizing too late that it had let its concentration waver on the imprisoned senshi. It cried out as the flaming arrow consumed it and it vanished into dust. Sailor Moon ran over to the bushes where Janus had fallen, passing Sailor Venus who was waking up from her hypnosis.

The dark haired senshi lay still, as if she had fallen asleep. The other senshi and cats crowded around her, watching her.

“It is Janus!” Mars exclaimed.

“She saved us,” Jupiter said.

“And now I’m going to save her,” Moon decided, removing her crystal from her brooch.

She knelt next to the girl and passed the crystal over her sleeping body. Janus moaned softly once, and then lay quiet until Sailor Moon was finished. The senshi waited in breathless anticipation for the girl they had once called their enemy to wake up.

Slowly, Janus opened her eyes. She saw the inner senshi crowded around her, and was immediately alarmed. She sat up quickly and back herself against the tree, her turquoise eyes wildly moving back and forth. Sailor Moon held up her hands in a peaceful gesture, hoping to calm the girl down.

“It’s okay,” Sailor Moon said. “We’re friends.”

Janus’ expression suddenly became hurt. She shook her head as if dispelling an unwanted image. Mars and Venus exchanged skeptical looks.

Janus shook her head. “No. We’re not friends. We’re enemies. I remember you! I remember you when you were different. I watched over you, but now I fight you and protect you. That’s how it is, but …”

She scrambled to her feet and backed away. Sailor Moon rose as well, following the girl, trying to make sense out of what she was saying.

“Stay away,” Janus warned. “I’m dangerous. Your mother doesn’t like you going too far from me. I can’t save you all!”

Spinning around, Janus ran off and disappeared into the night.

“That was unusual,” Venus remarked. “What do you think she meant?”

Sailor Moon shook her head. “I have no idea, but I hope she figures things out.”

As the senshi began to walk away, Jupiter lingered behind them. Luna and Artemis sat at her feet, looking up at her expectantly.

“For a moment,” Jupiter said thoughtfully, “she almost sounded like Sailor Minos.”