Moon Revenge

Crashing footsteps woke Rei from her deep sleep. Darkness filled the lab and she was grateful for that. It meant no one was here watching her. She stood up again, relieving the pressure on her wrists. They hurt from the shackles, as the added weight on her arms when she slept caused the metal to dig into her wrists, causing chafing and some bleeding from time to time. Not that her captor would have done anything about it anyway. Ever since Seldane captured her, he had been content to ignore her for his other research. Pain was something she could deal with until his princess was ready for her. She’d tried to get his attention, to at least not feel so alone or find out more about what was going on, but he’d either been unable to hear her or he didn’t care.

The only break she’d gotten was a small time every day where one of his assistants had undone her long enough for her to relieve herself and eat, then she was chained back up. She’d tried to escape at first, but she never made it very far. What was a quick step sideways for them was a long cold metal freeway to her. She quickly stopped trying after it became clear it was futile. The last thing she wanted was to get up close and personal with that damnable snake and its unswerving gaze every time it could see her. It made her cringe every time.

Someone was coming into the lab and Rei was sure it wasn’t Seldane from the sound of his steps. She was sure the person coming was lighter than he was. She feigned being asleep still, hoping whoever it was would come in, get what they wanted and leave. All she wanted right now was some peace. Escape would come soon enough. Until then, she just needed to wait and rest.

Whoever was coming entered without the lights on and began skulking around in the dark. Someone up to no good? Rei couldn’t think of any other reason to not use the lights. Maybe things weren’t as united against the Senshi as she initially believed. She couldn’t even make him out in the dark, so whoever it was had to have excellent night vision. Rei strained to hear anything at all from the stranger, but all she did hear was what she would describe as water sloshing around a tub. What is this person getting into? One of the animal tanks? She believed whatever trouble was going on, she needed to know exactly what was coming. If a fight did break out, she needed to try and escape during the confusion. Or help someone who might be able to help her. Then she could warn Usagi.

There was a soft clinking of glass and the sound of something being poured, then shaken. Clinking again and more sloshing. Rei tried to remember what she could of the lab, but her knowledge was limited to what she could see. Finally, whoever it was slipped out and Rei was alone with her thoughts again.

Sometime later, bright lights woke Rei from troubled dreams. She squinted, waiting for her eyes to adjust as Seldane walked in, humming to himself. He seemed inordinately pleased with himself, which could only bode ill for her. The cage was unlatched and one of Seldane’s assistants, a younger boy named Kage who seemed fascinated with her, reached in, releasing the shackles and scooping her up.

He was gentle with her, unlike the other assistants, and he never took liberties with his fingers. Still, he was a captor, and he had no intention of letting her go. She was like a pet to the boy.

He set her down in a cold glass Petri dish and rushed about, gathering the instruments he needed. He kept brushing strands of ash-blonde hair out of his face as he muttered to himself. His hair hung below his shoulders and he did not keep it tied up like Seldane wanted in his lab. His brown eyes always held a strange glee in them as he worked in the lab. Most of the things he worked on held a strange sense of wonder to him. He was almost childlike in that regard, though he had to be older than Rei for sure.

Rei stood, looking around. Escape was impossible without killing herself from this high table. There was nothing to stop her fall all the way down to the cold tile floor. However, no one said she couldn’t warm herself while she waited to be examined like an insect under a microscope.

Seldane was checking on his penned animals and Rei took the opportunity to try and figure out which one might have been the intruder’s target. There were several water creatures on one side of the lab where she’d heard the sloshing coming from, but since she didn’t recognize any of them. Figuring out which would be useful and for what would result only in a headache.

She shuddered as she watched him feed Skithe. He was deliberately playing with the mouse, twitching it back and forth as it hovered above the snake as it followed the movement. The mouse squealed in fear, but Seldane dealt with its squirming and finally threw it into the corner. Skithe slithered toward it, stalking the frightened creature and just chasing it around. If Rei didn’t know better, she’d have thought it was toying with the mouse.

The snake finally struck, trapping the mouse between its jaws. The creature gave a final squeal before Skithe clamped down and the mouse was still, then swallowed. Rei tried not to wretch as she turned away. As she looked away, she saw someone hiding in the shadows of the doorway to the lab. She gathered herself, trying to focus on something besides the thought of Skithe’s jaws, and see who was hiding there. The shadows twitched, as if alive, and the person’s form darkened. She couldn’t even tell if it was male or female.

Whoever it was, it caught Seldane’s attention right away. He hurried to the doorway, muttering something to Kage about him keeping busy, and began to talk with the person in hushed tones. It has to be his Princess. Rei didn’t know how, but she was certain of that fact. She doubted anyone else would cause him to scurry off like he just did. She wanted to see more, to find out who wanted her and her friends, but those damned shadows kept her cloaked from Rei’s view.

Kage interrupted her, clamping around her waist with some padded tongs. Her breath rushed out from the collision and she struggled even as he brought her over to the tests again. She wished she knew what they were looking for, but she couldn’t stop him as he began prodding her body all over. The Princess was soon forgotten from the humiliation she was enduring.

Once again, he tested her sensitivity to touches and took a sample of her womanly juices. He also began testing with strange flashing devices and things with blindingly bright lights that warmed her skin at an alarming rate. The first time she was mortified. Now she just wanted him to be done, even as her body reacted in ways she hated. He spent too much time leering at her for her tastes and he loved touching her body, knowing she couldn’t prevent it.

This time, however, he used a pair of restraints on her to keep her from moving. Better than pins, she thought, trying to keep her fear down as she imagined bugs in a child’s collection. When she saw the needle, she nearly screamed, only just keeping her fear in check. She kept frighteningly still; knowing to move might do more harm than her wiggling ever could. The machine injected her with precision, a yellow liquid draining.

Rei’s eyes widened as her body went haywire. Her limbs moved without her consent, restrained in place, but her lower half went warm and she began to take quicker breaths as something rose in her. Without anything touching her, she orgasmed and then again. It was five times before she cooled down enough to breathe normally again. She felt light-headed and numb, the unexpected pleasure more than she anticipated today. They had acted like men of science since her arrival, but they were men after all. She shouldn’t have been surprised.

“Hmm, I’ll need to adjust the mixture. Can’t have the subject choking during the ceremony.” He turned away, leaving her shackled and helpless. Rei wanted to struggle, to fight. No one was paying her any mind, and if she could slip out of the shackles, she could hide and get away in the confusion.

But she couldn’t. Her energy was spent and all she did was hang there. She looked past Kage at the doorway, barely seeing Seldane. She wanted to see this Princess, to learn about her enemy, but those damnable shadows were keeping her from seeing anything. She could hear Seldane talking, however, his voice amplified a little in the lab. She shut her eyes, wanting to listen in.

“Are you sure…?” Seldane asked. Rei couldn’t hear her response, but she heard part of what Seldane responded with. “…just a child…”

“…daughter of a traitor…” Rei heard that from the Princess and it was filled with anger.

“I understand your loss…your judgment…” It was frustrating Rei to only catch bits and pieces of this conversation.

“…tell me of…exile was…all gone…”

Seldane seemed to realize this conversation was not going well and slipped out of the lab, leaving Rei alone with the purrs and snorts of the animals and the clinks coming from Kage as he worked with different vials and formulas in silence. She growled in frustration. So much for getting information. It looked like all she was going to do was hang around.

Seldane slipped back in minutes later, his face set and betraying nothing about the conversation. He walked over to Kage and began talking in a low voice, the whispers coming fast and harsh. Rei couldn’t hear a word, but they seemed to be arguing. Kage finally rolled his eyes and nodded, wandering off while Seldane strode quickly from the room. Rei sighed, wishing she could strangle one or both of them. Whatever they were so interested in, they’d left her alone and strung up.

Kage returned shortly, leaning down over her. “You’ve been quite lonely, haven’t you?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “Well, don’t you worry. You’ll have one of your little friends here soon, and then you’ll get to meet our princess.” He acted like she should be thrilled, but she just felt sick as she was handled and put back in her cage. As she hung from the chains once again, she hoped he was lying, or that her friends would destroy the creature they faced. She didn’t want any one of them to endure the horror she was going through.


* * * * *


The bright lights flashed as Minako hunched over the Sailor V video game in the arcade. Her fingers flew as she controlled the character as she dodged and fired at the incoming monsters. Artemis sat bored at her side as she made several small sounds that increased in volume as the situation in the game became more desperate.

“No!” she cried in horror as her character was blasted from behind. Minako slumped, dejected, then perked back up as she searched her purse for another coin.

“Minako, weren’t you supposed to meet Rei at 4?” Artemis said softly, the white cat trying to make sure other players did not hear him.

Minako flashed him one of her winning smiles. “Relax,” she returned dismissively after the nearest player got up and wandered over to another game. “I’ve got plenty of time.” The blond girl looked at her wristwatch, her blue eyes suddenly widening, and the smile slowly faded. “Oh no! I’m going to be late!” She grabbed Artemis, unceremoniously shoved him into her purse, and raced out of the game center as she slung the purse over her shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me we had to go sooner?”

Artemis poked his head out of the purse. “I tried three times, but you kept saying ‘One more game’,” Artemis yowled at a violent bounce as he was bouncing around with the purse.

“Man, Rei’s gonna kill me…”

“Quit talking and run then,” Artemis chided, ducking to avoid a swipe from Minako. He chuckled since Minako couldn’t spare the breath for a response.

By the time they reached the shrine, Minako’s chest was burning and her legs hurt and wobbled with exertion. The top of her school uniform was sticking to her chest with the sweat. She’d barely made it. Rei was not out to meet them, though. Minako gave a sigh of frustration and bent over, her hands on her knees. “All...that effort...and she’s not ready?”

Minako paced around the courtyard, figuring Rei would be right out. Her friend did not disappoint, hurrying out in her school outfit, the burgundy of the bow offsetting the dark gray of the skirt and top. But there were little things wrong, like how her hair was slightly messed, as though it had been combed in a hurry. Her necktie was in a bow, but it was loose and rumpled. Her socks were uneven and only partially pulled up. And the blouse was not tucked in neatly, bunched in a few areas.

“Sorry about that, Minako. I lost track of time.” She was a bit flushed.

Minako shook her head. “Oh, don’t worry. We weren’t waiting long.”

“You mean we just got here too,” Artemis said snidely, earning himself a glare from Minako.

Rei laughed, leading Minako away in a bit of a hurry. “So, what’s this new place you found Rei?”

“It’s a large greenhouse garden. The flowers there are gorgeous and I thought you’d appreciate them. The atmosphere inside is incredibly peaceful.”

Minako smiled. “It sounds great. Why just us though?”

Rei shook her head. “Makoto had some school work she had to catch up on and Ami was volunteering to help watch some kids after school. Usagi was spending the day with Mamoru, so it’s just us.”

Minako sighed, putting her hands behind her head. “It’s so nice those two have gotten together finally. I can’t wait to find my prince charming.”

Rei laughed a little. “I think princes like Mamoru are hard enough to find.”

“Hey, a girl can dream, right?”

Rei laughed. They made their way through the streets, talking about boys, school, life. For Minako, it was a happy reminder that life had returned to a state of normal again. She’d spent a large part of her teen years fighting evil, both as Sailor V, the video game’s namesake, and as Sailor Venus alongside her other Senshi friends. It was nice that, even if only for a little while, peace reigned.

The walk through the brisk air was a great calming agent and even Minako’s enthusiasm was tempered by the time they reached the greenhouse. It was larger than Minako expected and she could already see a wide variety of colors from the flowers on the other side of the glass. Rei offered to pay the admission fee and they descended a stone staircase with an intricately designed, black-iron handrail. They walked inside, mingling with others who were taking photos with digital cameras and wandering around. The best part was that it was not very crowded, and the two girls could move wherever they pleased without feeling stifled.

The inside of the greenhouse was beautiful. Small but intricate star sculptures hung from the ceiling. The warmth from the sunlight took away the chill from the breeze outside. Flowers of several colors were arranged together in ways that pleased the eye. A small stream of water ran down the center, the splashing of water soothing to the ears. There were even a few evergreens, most lining a wall and surrounding an exit on the opposite side.

Minako was entranced. The vibrant colors, the warmth, the smell of the flowers were all so wonderful. “I could stay here forever…”

Rei laughed. “It’s a nice place. I was glad I heard about it. The others would definitely like it.” She yawned a little, then kept looking around.

Minako stifled a yawn herself. She wondered if she’d gotten enough sleep last night. She had been reading this romance novel, but she thought she’d fallen asleep in plenty of time. She rubbed her eyes, but kept walking. The flowers had such a sweet smell and the fragrance was wafting over her in waves. It was such a nice feeling and she wanted to lie down. Rei was kneeling down near one set of flowers and Minako let herself sink to the ground, her legs feeling so heavy. She sank down, her hands trailing through the grass at her feet and her eyes started to close.

Sharp pain ran up her right arm and she cried out. She looked down to see Artemis with his fangs buried in her arm. “Artemis!” she cried in indignation.

Artemis released his grip. “Sorry, Minako. You were almost asleep, and I couldn’t wake you any other way. There’s something wrong here.”

Minako frowned, then looked around. There were no other patrons anymore. And where stone had been before, now there was grass and dirt. She couldn’t see outside the glass anymore. She crawled over, having to shake Rei very hard to wake her up. Rei blinked sleepily at her, but soon came back to herself. “Minako…what’s going on?”

“I don’t know, but I think our lives just got interesting again.” Minako pulled out her transformation stick. “Venus Crystal…”

“Mars Crystal…”

“POWER!” they cried together. The power flooded Minako, her school outfit changing into her Senshi one, the orange skirt and trim to the Senshi outfit and the blue and yellow bows. It had been a little while, but she never forgot the power or her mission. Rei stood next to her, now Sailor Mars, as they looked around, waiting for the attack.

“Aww…” came several children’s voices. “You don’t like our aroma?” Venus couldn’t see who was speaking. “You don’t want to play with us?”

“Where’s it coming from?” Mars asked.

“I think…it’s from the flowers.”

Giggles came from the plants all around. “Are you here to play with us?”

“No,” Venus said, starting to back away from them.

“You won’t play with us? Because we want to play with YOU!” Vines shot out from the ground. Venus leapt out of the way, but Mars was ensnared by them. She struggled as they squeezed her tighter and tighter.

A simple Crescent Beam wouldn’t help, but Venus took aim. “Crescent Beam Shower!” The beam spliced into many and tore through the vines, knocking Mars on her butt.

She quickly recovered. “Thanks.” More vines shot, but this time Mars incinerated them with her Fire Soul. “There’s so many of them.”

“We need the others!” Venus cried, using her Shower attack again, trying to buy time.

“I’m not getting anything on the communicator in here. We better book it!”

“You got it. C’mon Artemis!” The white cat didn’t hesitate as the three of them ran for it. The evergreens had moved and were blocking one exit, so they ran back towards the entrance.

A giant crash drew Venus’s attention. “Minako, look out!” Artemis yelled. She turned just in time to duck under a massive branch that would have taken her head off as it swept by. She leapt away as a giant tree slammed the ground trying to pulverize her. Thankfully, she was none the worse for wear as it got back up. But she realized she’d lost Mars and Artemis. Neither of them was in sight. She hoped they weren’t hurt…or worse.

Venus had no time to think about that, right now. Somehow, even without a mouth, the massive tree gave an angry roar and lumbered toward her. It was slow moving, and Venus was grateful for her enhanced speed. She easily stayed out of its reach. She leapt around, dodging another slow strike. “Love me Chain!” she cried, the chain of hearts shooting out and wrapping around the tree, pinning its branches to the trunk. The tree flexed, shattering the chain, but it gave Venus the time she needed. “Love and Beauty Shock!”

The giant heart shot out, striking the tree. There was a bright flare of light and Venus had to cover her eyes. “Gotcha…” she said softly. The light died down and Venus searched around. “No way!” The huge tree was still standing. Its bark sizzled a little, but it otherwise appeared undamaged. Venus backed up. What she needed was fire. “C’mon Rei,” she muttered softly, “Where are you?”

“Fire Soul!” came the cry from behind her. Elation filled the Senshi of love. She was saved. The elation soon turned to pain as the flames slammed her in the back. Venus slammed into the ground and she began to roll around to put out the flames. She got to her knees, wondering what happened. Before she could do anything, a giant branch filled her vision, pain became her world and her body sailed through the air. She crashed to the ground, stars taking over her vision. She tried to get back up, but strong thin vines began wrapping around her body. Her arms and legs were soon immobilized, even as she struggled. One began wrapping around her chest, ensnaring her breasts and squeezing them painfully. Worse, one came between her legs and pushed upward on her pussy as though trying to dig into her there.

Sailor Mars walked in front of her, looking her up and down, and every cry Venus gave made the grin on her face go even wider. “Rei…why?” Venus said, trying to hold back tears. Betrayal by her friend was too much to bear.

Mars slid up next to her. Before Venus could react, Mars was kissing her, sliding her tongue along Venus’s lips. Sailor Venus wanted to back away, but she was helpless to stop the assault. Something had to be brainwashing her. As Mars pulled back, she ran a gloved finger along her lips. “Who said I was Rei?” she said, giggling and reaching for Venus’s chest.

“Arvis, that’s enough.” The gravelly voice belonged to a hulking monstrosity that stepped out from behind the tree. It was definitely male, and his gray skin looked almost carved on. Over the stone-like skin was a glistening slime, making it look like rocks near a waterfall. The muscles in his arms and legs looked like boulders and those muscles were along his chest and abs as well. His face was set back in his head, his features almost lost to her. His beady eyes roamed over her.

Behind him was a skinny, female youma, almost a third the height of the rocky one. She seemed to be the one in control of the plants. Her body was comprised of large twists of vines, green and sinewy on her arms and legs. Her long hair was a collection of several yellow flowers, each pistil connected to the stalk of the next. She was almost flat chested with small pink flowers for her nipples and a much larger and darker pink one between her legs. The same slimy texture was all over her skin as well. The female seemed to cower behind the larger male, as though afraid Venus might hurt her. Or maybe it was this copy of Venus’s friend, this Arvis character, which scared her.

“Dammit, Hoyuno. You always ruin my fun.” Mars shimmered, a dull greenish-grey overtone flowing over her body, and then an ugly green-scaled creature took her friend’s place. He glanced back at Venus and blew her a kiss.

Hoyuno did not appear to be in a joking mood. “You’ve done your job. Now it’s time to retake your place out there. Myeni here will join you soon.”

Arvis looked past Hoyuno at Myeni, who shrunk back, then turned to Hoyuno. “Oh this gets better and better.” He shifted back into Rei’s form and began to walk out. He paused near Myeni. “You’re going to like the human form. It’s so…sensitive.” She ran a hand along her vined arm at that last statement, then laughed as she left.

“Spread her wide,” Hoyuno said. Myeni started out of her trance, then timidly nodded. The tension in Venus’s limbs was unbearable and she screamed. Hoyuno ignored her, the creature grabbing her breast in one hand.

“What are you doing?” Myeni said softly. “Seldane said…”

“He’s not here. And I’m taking some of my reward now. I’ve been patient enough with our Princess.” His large hand traveled down, cupping her between her legs and pushing the vine in tighter to her folds. Venus protested, but he ignored her completely.

“Yes sir.” Myeni said, saluting him. “Just don’t damage the uniform.”

“I don’t intend to,” he said. He began to chant in a language Venus had never heard before. Her Senshi outfit began to glow an intense yellow and then she felt the wind on her body, all of her clothing lying neatly on the ground. With the protection gone, the vine pushed harder against her exposed pussy and up between her ass cheeks, rubbing both holes with a coating that was uncomfortably cold. It also tingled, a maddening feeling.

The rough palms of the youma’s hands scraped against her sensitive skin as he rubbed her breasts. She bit her lip to keep from crying as he manhandled her. The vines around her breasts squeezed harder, pushing them out as he took one nipple in his mouth. She expected it to be rough as well, and was shocked as it was soft and pliable. He teased her nipple mercilessly, rolling it along his tongue.

She began to feel warmth in her pussy, her body reacting to both his tongue and the motion of the vine as it rubbed that liquid back and forth. Despair and humiliation filled her and she cried out for him to stop, begging in a way no enemy had gotten from her before. It didn’t matter. He was ruthless in his assault, his moves for his own pleasure only. His huge hand pushed aside the vine, a large finger pushing into her body.

The vine between her legs vibrated, the pressure lessened slightly. Then it went lax, falling to the ground. Myeni cried in rage, extending her arms and Venus heard a yowl and a lot of rustling before Artemis bounded past her, running as fast as he could to keep from being snared by the plants. He must have been trying to free her by biting through the vines. “Run!” she cried. “Get the others!”

Artemis looked back as he ran, pain evident on his face. He turned around, as if determined not to leave her, and Venus’s heart leapt into her throat. She wanted to yell something, anything, but her heart was torn. The Senshi in her wanted to tell him to run and protect the Princess, and yet the girl in her hoped he stayed and helped her.

Artemis charged at Myeni and leapt, claws slicing into her face. She screamed, a greenish blood flowing from where Artemis caught her. There was an angry murmur rising and the plants began trying to attack the guardian. He was fast enough to stay ahead of them, and determined to save her in a way she hadn’t seen since the Dead Moon Circus came to town. He dashed in and out, neatly avoiding the plants or slashing at ones he could, all the while trying to attack Myeni. Venus wanted to cheer, hoping that maybe Artemis could save her after all.

Hoyuno grunted, frustration setting in. He left Venus alone, trying to stop the nuisance once and for all. Venus bit her lip and began working on the vines that held her. Artemis must have torn into them a little because her arms weren’t held as tight as before. She pulled her arms in, trying to snap the vines. She couldn’t worry about Artemis, couldn’t waste time watching to make sure he was all right. She needed to get free.

Snap! One of the vines holding a leg broke. She could hear both the youma yelling and scrambling about as she strained against the vines on her right arm. She could feel it loosening and she gave a sharp tug, pulling free again. She turned her focus on the left arm, firing a crescent beam through it.

Artemis’s howl caught her attention and she jerked her head up as she saw her guardian wrapped up in an energy net held by a man with black hair. He wore a labcoat and was floating just above the ground. “Focus! Your target has nearly freed herself!” he yelled.

Venus gasped, but quickly pulled out her best attack. “Love and Beauty Shock!” The golden heart spun out towards both youma. Because she watched the heart close in on her enemies, she never saw the small boulder hurtling toward her until it was too late. She heard Hoyuno cry out in pain just before it hit her in the head and then she was falling into darkness.