Sailormoon Zodiac: #13 - Henka no Kaze // Winds of Change
By: Janelle Jimenez (miaka@bishounen.org)
Official Webpage: http://www.sailormoon-millennia.net/ [http://bishounen.org/smmillennia/]


	"Well, you always wanted to be something more dangerous and exciting than an 
Idol Singer, Natalia." wrote Natalia into her diary, "And now you are. You are a Sailor
Senshi, or rather more specifically, a Zodiac Senshi. 
	Oh, what a long night it's been... 
	I wake up to learn that I had allowed myself to be seduced by the enemy...and 
that I am truly a reborn fighter of evil...and I learned all of this from a talking cat."
	"I was Natalia Koorino with two faces: Natalia and Niko-chan. 
	Now I am Natalia Koorino with three faces: Natalia, Niko-chan, and Sailorgemini.
	Then there was 'Aya' who is really my enemy, Arseniru. And with this man, with 
this villain, I allowed myself to be taken. To be enticed and used for his own pleasure 
and purposes. Isn't that horrible? It's excitingly horrible."
	
	Despite the shame and embarassment that Natalia felt, she couldn't quite help 
but feel that the entire situation was very exciting. Writing down her thoughts onto 
paper was only making her even more and more excited about the entire thing. It was the
stuff that fairytales and romance novels were made of, the beautiful princess enticed 
by the wicked sorcerer. Natalia felt her face flush, why did she find the villainy of
Arseniru so...appealing? It was rather disturbing...
	But they were just fantasies, those didn't mean anything. Then again, wasn't it 
her fantasies and delusions that got her into trouble in the first place?

	"Now I have to face the rest of them, adoring fans and fellow-teammates, one and 
the same." she wrote, hestitating for a moment before she continued. "Will they treat 
me as a celebrity, or will they treat me as an equal? Perhaps neither, what if they 
view me with suspicion or see me as a weak-willed little girl who fell so easily into 
the grasp of the enemy?
	I suppose I shall soon find out."

		
		*		*		*		*		*


	"Leadan..." Shikami murmured as she gazed into the night sky. The incessant
chattering of the girls not reaching her as she set her thoughts on one thing only. 
	Her forbidden love.
	My dearest Leadan. Someday, I'll set you free too.
	Love, what a strange feeling, yet the only feeling that Shikami could really 
feel. Slowly, other emotions were starting to creep in, other positive emotions that is. 
She had all the negative ones: hatred, anger, jealousy--the ones that made her the 
excellent killer she had once been. Now these other 'good' emotions: remorse, caring,
loyalty were slowly creeping into her heart, but not without a fight of course. 
It wasn't that she wanted to stay 'evil', what was 'evil' to her anyways? She didn't 
know the concept of it. Deep down, Shikami was afraid of what might happen if she 
allowed anyone other than Leadan into her life and into her heart. Would they use her? 
Hurt her? Better to be soul-less than to feel more emotional pain. The anguish she 
felt from being away from Leadan was enough for her. Was she such a guarded and 
reclusive person in the Golden Millennium? Her memories seemed to tell her otherwise. 
It was strange to remember her past, but yet not be able to know how she felt about each
individual person. What she saw in her head were just pictures, not the entire story. 
She glanced at the others, they seemed so happy and animated, but if you could somehow 
stop time and just look onto the scene, you wouldn't be able to tell anything from it--
who were friends, what they were talking about, nothing very interesting. This was how
Shikami had to function, her current self unable to feel for these people--and her 
emotions not fully ready to comprehend the pictures of memories she saw in her head.

--

	"So, how about you, Mihana, do you have a boy you like?" Tien-Lei asked as she
stretched across the picnic blanket. She glanced over to Shikami, who as usual, was 
being antisocial. She was sitting apart from the rest of the group and staring into 
that curious red gem that she was never without. 
	"Well, there's no one really in specific...I mean, I'm not stalking anyone like
Joanna is..." Mihana replied, smirking slightly. Joanna flushed,
	"I am NOT stalking Kage Masaya." she protested.
	"Not anymore at least, not since you've become a Senshi." Tien-Lei added with
a grin. Joanna sighed,
	"That's right...it HAS been that long since I've seen him..."
	"Who needs a guy anyway? Why are you all so dependent on men? Do you need someone
to affirm your own self worth?" Jessica asked sarcastically. Mihana rolled her eyes, 
I don't even understand why we ask her to come anywhere with us. Probably because I feel 
sorry for her when it comes down to it, she has no one and will never have anyone.
	"Well, I guess we don't need to ask you if you like someone." Mihana said, biting
back anything else she wanted to say.
	"Oh, Jessica, there must be someone...you're the most popular person at T*A 
Academy..."
	Jessica was silent. She didn't quite know what to say, how could she explain to
them that she had never felt anything for anyone else? That she had never had a 
boyfriend she actually even liked...and that if anything, she felt guilty when she 
looked at people who were attractive...
	"It isn't your business." she muttered.
	"Some people aren't built for love." Shikami said turning her head, with a cold
smile on her lips. She had returned to paying attention to her surroundings, much to the
dismay of Jessica and the others. 
	"And some are built to falsely love others." Jessica bit back, she had felt a 
icy pang in her heart with Shikami's comments and she would definately not let that go
unanswered. But Shikami was definately not going to let Jessica's retort go without 
her own answer. The look of hatred that filled Shikami's eyes was enough to make 
Tien-Lei shiver.
	"If there is one thing you can be sure of, Sailorleo," Shikami began with a 
scathing tone, "it's that my love for Leadan was not programmed. If you value your own 
life as much as it seems you do, then you won't EVER say such a thing again." Shikami
replied with brutal sincerity.
	Joanna shifted her weight uncomfortably. As if it wasn't bad enough just having
one Ice Queen, now there was another. While Jessica didn't scare her as much as she 
annoyed her, Shikami completely terrified Joanna.  
	Jessica's a bitter girl who can't do any real harm, if you don't let it get to
you...but Shikami, she's another case. Shikami's a sociopath, Joanna thought, she knows
right from wrong, she just doesn't care. She CAN'T care.
	Joanna bit her lip and prayed for something to change the subject with. Luckily, 
her prayers were answered...for the time being.
	"Oh!" Joanna exclaimed suddenly, "Look, it's Niko-chan!"
	And only 30 minutes late, Joanna thought dryly. 
	Joanna jumped up, very eager to get away from the thick tension between Shikami
and Jessica. "Niko-chan! Hello, I'm glad you could make it." Joanna said with a smile.
Mihana also jumped up, very eager to see her favorite Idol. It was so amazing that one 
of the Zodiac Senshi was one of Japan's biggest celebrities.
	Natalia walked towards the five girls, she expertly hid her cringe as she heard
them calling her 'Niko-chan.'
	"Good afternoon." she said brightly, frowning at herself on the inside. Why am I
still acting like a different person? If anything, I should be the person I really am 
with these people...I spent a former lifetime with them, they're already closer to me
than anyone else by default. "You know, I'd really just prefer if you didn't call 
me that." she said as she approached the group. Natalia automatically took note of the
look of hurt on the brunette's face. Had I said that too sharply? she wondered. 
Natalia expertly flashed a beautiful, trained smile, "Since we're all friends and
team-mates," she added quickly, "And I want to be on the same level as my friends,
so please call me what anyone near and dear calls me: Natalia."  

--

	Arseniru watched the girls from his perch in a tree above them. 
	He smirked at the girl he had seduced just nights before. She was so predictable 
and false, just like every other woman, he thought to himself, they're so easy to use
because half the time they want to be used. These Zodiac Senshi...they're nothing but 
mere incompetant children, he mused, all of them except Scorpio.
	But there was no room for respect or admiration for Scorpio in Arseniru's mind.
She was the one who destroyed the idealized relationship between Arseniru and Leadan, so
he thought. Yet she was so irresistable to him, a beautiful creature, yes--but it wasn't
her appearance, since he had seen many a female more attractive. It was her hatred of 
him which aroused Arseniru. She was one of the few females who he knew he could never 
have by his normal means of seduction. But one day...
	However, this was no time for planning. He had a mission to accomplish, and 
while he currently controlled Princess Lithia, he knew he could not continue to fail 
and also keep her pleased with him, no matter how good of a lover her was.
	Arseniru looked down into the palm of his hand, in it was a small device that 
could be attached to any living object. An invention of Leadan's that Leadan didn't know
had been stolen from his laboratory. From what Arseniru had gathered from Leadan's
manuscripts, these 'Spawn' as he called them, were very powerful beings that could be
controlled by one's thoughts. The only stipulation was it must be attached to anything 
non-sentient, which wasn't difficult considering the ratio of non-sentient creatures to
sentient in the universe.
	Arseniru smirked as the word 'love' floated from below and reached his ears,
	"Love...what do any of you know of it?" he whispered, "The sole reason for its
existence is as a tool to weaken women--like you silly children." 
	With a crooked smile on his face, Arseniru attached the device to the trunk
of the tree and leapt downwards to make his grand entrance.


		*		*		*		*		*

	
	In the darkness of the shadows, a figure watched the group attentively. In the
trees, there was a man standing in the branches going seemingly unnoticed by the group
below...but not to the figure. Yet, the figure remained silent, she were there to warn
them, to help them, but not to interfere.
	Yet, something in the figure's heart made her want to protect them from harm.
	Do you even remember me? How I miss you all...its been so many years...
	Gemini, Capricorn, Taurus...
	Leo...
	Finally I've found you.

		
		*		*		*		*		*


	"Love?" a voice boomed as a figure jumped down from a large tree near the girls.
"What do any of you silly fools know of love?" asked the handsome man with flaming red
hair. He gave the girls a devilish grin, "Besides the things I've taught you." he added
with his eyes locked on Natalia.
	"Arseniru!" Shikami hissed, jumping to her feet.
	"Scorpio Cosmic Power..."
	"Leo Cosmic Power..."
	"Sagittarius Cosmic Power..."
	"Taurus Cosmic Power..."
	"Capricorn Cosmic Power..."
	"Gemini Cosmic Power..."
	"Make Up!"
	"What are you doing here, Arseniru?" Sailorscorpio demanded of the man who was 
leaning nonchalantly against a tree. It seemed to shiver under his weight.
	"Are you telling me that you've forgotten what the mission of the Black Star 
Army is? Surely, when you decided to go against the only things that have ever loved 
and cared for you, you didn't forget the mission?"
	"The Seven Stars, is it? Well, you can't have them." Leo declared, eager to 
reclaim her role as leader.
	"When will you realize that it is your destiny to be destroyed?" Arseniru asked 
smirking slightly. As soon as the last of his words left his cruel lips, the earth began
to tremble ever so lightly. The tree behind Arseniru seemed to shiver with life, it
strained its branches upwards, groaning all the while as its roots pulled themselves out
of the hard-packed dirt.
	"What's happening?" Sailorsagittarius gasped, a bow and arrow seemingly made of 
a bolt of lightning appeared in her hands. She aimed directly at Arseniru,
	"Silver Arr--"
	"Spawn, kill her." Arseniru said with a wave of his hand. 
	The being, which was once a quite lovely tree, had now metamorphosed into a 
hideous creature. A black ooze was seeping from its bark. With a strong movement, a 
"branch" grabbed Sagittarius and threw her aside with vicious strength. The silver arrow
flew into the air, completely missing any sort of target.
	"Spawn?" Scorpio gasped as she skillfully leapt away from the demonic creature
and towards Sagittarius. She knelt down by the fallen girl and placed two fingers on her
neck to feel for a pulse, "How do you have that?" she asked narrowing her eyes at 
Arseniru.
	Arseniru laughed gleefully at Scorpio, his eyes glowering at her.
	"I just thought you'd like a little gift from my brother." he said coyly. 
	"Scorpio! Watch out!" Sailortaurus screamed as the creature swept its 
tentacle-like branches towards her. Scorpio rolled out of the way, the tip of her skirt
catching on one of it's thorn-like claws.
	"Sun Lion, Destroy!" Sailorleo shouted sending the lion of flames towards the
spawn which was not nimble enough to escape it.
	"We are not so easy to defeat." Arseniru laughed, despite the fact that the 
attack had injured the spawn as charred chunks fell from its body.
	"How did you get that Spawn?" Scorpio demanded once more, with a flick of her
wrist she extended her nails as she stalked towards Arseniru. He stared back at her
fearlessly,
	"Would you believe that Leadan has grown ill of you, since you betrayed him and
abandoned him. He told me to use the Spawn to destroy you." Arseniru answered.
	"You're a liar!" she shouted and charged towards him.
	"Scorpio!" she heard someone cry, but her rage was too defening and blinding to
notice. The Tree-Spawn's tentacles grabbed her around the waist, extending its thorns 
into her body. She screamed out in pain,
	"You can't kill it with attacks!" she gasped, "You have to destroy the mechanism
that Arseniru planted on it..." Scorpio winced as blood dripped from her torso onto the
black oozing sap, the substances mingling in a vile mess. The charred portions of the
monster began to heal, new flesh growing over the burned portions.
	"There, there's the device!" Gemini cried out, pointing to the small round 
object on the back of the monster's neck. "Double Ice, Freeze!" she shouted as two 
braiding bands of ice and water surrounded her and flew towards the monster. She gasped
as the black ooze which was now pooled around the monster rose up and formed a wall 
around the Spawn to protect it. The wall then crashed downwards on a wave over Leo, 
Gemini, Taurus, and Capricorn.
	"You stupid girls, you should have listened to Scorpio. Your attacks are 
useless." Arseniru smirked as he watched in delight as the ooze burned through the 
Zodiac Senshi's uniforms and began to burn their skin as well.
	"You demon from the Black Star Galaxy..." whispered a figure from above 
Arseniru, "Return to the Hell from which you came."
	Arseniru whirled around, just as he did he heard the Spawn let out a growl 
of pain.
	"How?!" he exclaimed in shock before he noticed a metallic white star embedded 
in the Spawn's device. 
	"Wind Flash!" shouted a female voice from behind Arseniru. He spun around 
just in time to be struck with a gale of wind which threw his body against a tall 
oak tree. A man appeared from out of the shadows, in his hand he held a white star, 
his face covered with a black mask.
	Arseniru smirked through his pain at the man, in a burst of flame he disappeared
from the scene.


		*		*		*		*		*


	The Kageboshi Ninja turned away from site of where the red-haired man 
disappeared and towards the mass of Zodiac Senshi. The spawn had collapsed, its 
tentacles releasing its hold on Sailorscorpio. The black ooze which had enveloped the 
other Senshi, turned into ash and released the group.
	"Princess..." the man whispered as he rushed towards Sailorleo and held her in
his arms.
	"She is not your Princess." said a cold female voice. The figure stepped forward,
a gasp arose from those Zodiac Senshi who were conscious.  Their eyes beheld another 
Zodiac Senshi, one who looked vastly different from the rest of them. Her slanted, 
feline-like eyes stared at all of them with pity. Her eyes lingering the longest over
Sailorleo and the Kageboshi Ninja. In the gentle wind, her green hair waved slightly. 
	"Sailorcancer..." Scorpio said dully, her voice weak from blood-loss. She 
looked up at the Senshi whom she knew from her memories, who was yet another character 
in her dreams whom she felt no emotion for.
	"Sailorcancer?" Sailorleo whispered, lifting her head up. She looked at Cancer 
with curiosity, there was a strange burning in her heart. It was enough to distract 
her from knowing she was held in the arms of another man.
	Sailorcancer was so vastly different than the rest of them. Her whole being 
radiated an aura of ancientness and timeliness. Even her uniform was different than the
others, even more different than Scorpio's was compared to theirs. Cancer's uniform 
bodysuit was black, but unlike the sheen of the other uniforms, hers was sort of a dull
black. As if it were made of a more primitive material. Her green skirt shimmered as no
material ever seen on earth could, as if it were made of water. She had a long yellow 
bow in the middle of her green collar. In the center was a silver brooch lined with 
large, iridescent pearls, the sign of Cancer engraved in the gold. Around her neck 
was a choker of pearls, her symbol resting in the center. Upon her forhead was not 
a tiara, but two strings of star-shaped pearls, between the strands was large 
star-shaped diamond.
	She was beautiful, stunning, ancient looking.
	"Sailorcancer..." Taurus murmured, she was awestruck at the beautiful woman 
who stood near them. 
	"My Prince," Cancer said in a clear voice to the Kageboshi Ninja, "This is not
your Princess. I'm sorry, your search must continue." 
	The man looked down at Sailorleo, his eyes staring at her with gentleness.
	"It's been so long that I've forgotten her face. All I can remember is the 
sea of black hair and the beautiful face." he whispered. He kissed Leo gently upon the
forehead and set her down. "I'm sorry, my Lady, I had foolishly thought my search was 
over." he murmured. Wordlessly, he stood up and disappeared into the shadows.  
	Sailorcancer walked towards the Zodiac Senshi and bent down beside Leo. For some
reason, Leo didn't feel angered anymore, but much more calm. She felt as if some 
negative part of her was disappearing, her eyes reflected the confusion clearly to
Sailorcancer who laughed gently. The other Zodiac Senshi stared in shock, none of 
them had ever seen anyone touch Leo without encountering a sharp glare or word.
	"There was a Prediction made by a Wiseman in the Golden Millenium. He said that 
when Nine Stars had risen in the Future, and the Moon disappeared from the Earthen sky, 
that the Invaders will win their First Major Triumph." Cancer said aloud, "This is a 
prediction that I was sent to tell you all." she said with a gentle sigh as she 
looked down at Leo. "How I've searched so long and so far for all of you..."
	There was a tense silence as a wave of realization came over the other Zodiac
Senshi. There was some sort of bond between Sailorcancer and Sailorleo, something that
perhaps Sailorleo did not know of in her conscious mind, but in her dreams.  
	"The Prince's search may not be over," Cancer said wistfully, as she lowered
her head near Leo's, "But mine is..." she whispered as she gently kissed Sailorleo upon
the lips.