Promises, Flowers, & Farewells 3
Battle with Kisenian 
Darien was remembering his old, sad past. The way he ended up alone. His parents had driven off a cliff and Darien was the only survivor. No one could find grandparents, uncles, and aunts, nobody that could take care of Darien. “I'm afraid your parents did not survive the accident." Said a doctor. "We did everything we could to save them.”
“Father…why did you have to leave?" Darien asked, rubbing his eyes. "Why'd you leave me all alone?”
"You're not alone," said a voice.
Darien looked. It was Fiore.
"I'm here with you."
Tuxedo Mask woke up with the image of Fiore's face fresh in his mind. He looked upon the real Fiore. "Fiore…" Tuxedo Mask was inside a large crystal with a breathable fluid. He moved slightly then grimaced.
"You need to rest now, Darien," Fiore said, "We can talk later."
“You're real. You came back." Fiore recalled. "I thought you were someone I just made up to ease the pain of my orphanage loneliness.”
“I'm real." Fiore confirmed. "Our friendship is what sustained me all this time.” He recalled his own lonely past. “Before I came to the orphanage, I was drifting all alone in space. I had no idea where or when I was born. Finally, after a long and lonely journey, I was carried to Earth.”
A young alien Fiore laid weak in the rain. He couldn't move without putting enough effort into it. Suddenly, he felt a presence and the rain stopped falling on him but remained everywhere else. Weakly, he pulled his head up and saw a young human child leaning over him with a look of compassion and on his face wearing pajamas. That young boy was Darien. He took the young strange child in and kept him warm by sharing his bed with him. They both had lonely expressions on their faces.
“As soon as I saw your eyes, I knew it was your good energy that had drawn me." Fiore explained. "We became friends immediately: two lonely boys. But I wasn't able to stay on Earth, for my life there would've been too short. Leaving was the hardest thing I've ever done.”
That was when Darien had presented the rose to Fiore. "Thank you, Darien." Said a young Fiore.
“That simple flower, a red rose," Fiore recalled, "was the first and only gift I ever received.”
“I'll search the universe for the perfect flower to bring back.” Promised the young Fiore.
“I looked everywhere, and eventually I found a star where the perfect blossom grew. Finally, I could see you again.” Fiore went on. “When I picked the Kisenian Blossom, a thought struck me. On Earth, people had left my friend Darien all alone. I vowed then and there that they must pay. You deserved so much better.”
There was a problem, though. Fiore did not know that Darien was no longer lonely and he had plenty of friends now. “You're wrong. I have family on Earth. Let me go! I'm happy there, Fiore. That's where I belong.”
"No longer," Fiore insisted. "You belong here with me now, your true friend, Darien."
"Fiore," Tuxedo Mask began.
"For now on, only I will give you flowers."
Sailor Mercury, Mars, Venus and Jupiter finally came to and they met with Sailor Rainbow and Sailor Moon with Rini and the guardian cats in a nearby park to talk about the Kisenian Blossom and what had happened earlier. Sailor Mars sat close to Sailor Moon instead of her best friend, Rainbow, who was pacing with her hands clenched in fists. Venus, Jupiter and Mercury stood in a circle. Sailor Rainbow hoped she did not regret what she had done, letting Fiore leave with Darien.
“So the Kisenian Blossom comes from another galaxy?” Sailor Venus asked
“And she's the one who sent that vicious vine vamp before?” Sailor Jupiter added.
“That's right!" Artemis exclaimed. "The Kisenian Blossom is one of the most dangerous creatures in the universe: a most wicked weed, indeed!”
“Her aim is to try to gather energy from every star and planet." Luna explained. "This was the first time we'd ever laid eyes on her, but we'd heard the legend often when we lived in the Moon Kingdom. On her own, Kisenian's just another flower…”
“…So she needs someone to act on her behalf: a kind of pawn.” Artemis finished.
“So she waits for someone with a vulnerable heart to come along.” Luna said.
"That would be Fiore, in this case," Lucky said.
“And she somehow puts him under her spell.” Sailor Jupiter commented.
“Exactly. She plants the seeds of negativity and turns a pure heart into a dark one," Artemis said. "And from there, her power will grow until she destroys everything. Once Kisenian is finished with a particular star or planet, the pawn becomes dispensable and the planet filled with hatred.”
“So poor Fiore's just another one of her victims," Jupiter said.
"Truly," Sailor Rainbow whispered to her self sadly, "he's really hurt."
“She's got him brainwashed, rinsed, and dried.” Artemis said.
“I've analyzed the energy of that flower we fought with," Sailor Mercury said, "and I've found the same kind of energy is given off by planet that is approaching the Earth.”
Venus gasped.
“Then we've gotta go after her!” Jupiter cried.
“And fast!" Artemis exclaimed, "She must be stopped!”
“The future of the planet depends on you Scouts.” Luna said.
"Let's make that planet mulch!" Sailor Jupiter grunted.
“Remember, Tuxedo Mask's with them." Sailor Venus reminded. "We've got to make sure we get him out of there safe and sound.”
“Is there a way we can free Fiore?” Sailor Rainbow inquired.
“I believe there is,” Lucky answered, “if we get to him in time.”
Sailor Rainbow nodded.
"There's no way." Sailor Moon mumbled.
"Huh?"
“It's too dangerous." Sailor Moon said. "We're not going anywhere. It's my fault, and I won't lose any more friends. I'm not strong enough. Tuxedo…sorry I'm a wimp who needs protection.”
"Sailor Moon, dun't blame yerself!" Rainbow cried, rushing to her side. "I told yeh I'd get Tuxedo Mask back and by crikey, that's what I'm going to do!"
“Luna Ball, what's with the wimp talk?!" Rini demanded. "Work your magic on Sailor Moon!” Rini tossed her Luna P Ball in the air and it changed into a gun. She aimed it at Sailor Moon. "May I remind you you're a super hero? Bang!" She fired the gun and a suction cup dart stuck to the tiara gem of her tiara. "Why is it do you think that we fight for you?"
"Mental void?" Sailor Moon gasped.
"Because we value your friendship," Jupiter said.
"Yeah, and friends always fight on the same side," Venus added.
"You brought us all together," Mercury said.
Sailor Moon pulled the dart off her tiara.
"And keep us together," agreed Mars.
"And we'll get Tuxedo Mask back and save the world," Sailor Rainbow promised.
It was settled. The six sailors joined hands and formed a circle. "There's trouble brewing fast!" Artemis said. "SAILORS!"
"TELEPORT!" Luna shouted.
Their power built and came together. In a brilliant flash, they vanished and were on their way to the planet with a crash course on Earth.
"Good luck, sailors!" Lucky wished.
'Mama, Sailor Scouts,' Rini thought, 'come back safely.'
The sailors were zooming through space in a giant protective bubble. Sailor Mercury activated her VR visor. “Target ahead!”
They approached the target. It was the rogue planet. It began to open, revealing its true form as a giant flower. It was covered in pink flowers. They fly over it to look for Fiore or Tuxedo Mask.
"Weird." Venus commented. "The entire planet is covered in pink flowers."
"I wonder what they fertilize the place with," Rainbow muttered as they floated over it. “It is kind of pretty though.”
"Enemy on turbo approach!" Sailor Mercury warned as an alert blipped on her VR visor. Another flower creature was heading toward them with arm blades. The sailors guided their bubble away from it but the creature slashed through a stalagmite and the bubble smashes through loose stone.
"Man, we're sitting ducks!" Jupiter groaned.
"Hold on!" Venus exclaimed, "Got a plan!"
"Okay! GO!"
The creature came back toward them. It extended its arm blades, ready to attack.
"SAILOR PLANET…"
The creature laughed in excitement.
"ATTACK!" They ejected from their bubble and allowed it to detonate next to the creature. They fall onto the planet's surface. Sailor Moon is the only one that does not land on her feet. Rainbow helped her up.
The creature fell down to the surface also after being caught in the explosion. It writhed in pain then disintegrated.
The sailors noticed something in the center of the planet after landing on it. Sailor Mercury got busy and began to analyze it.
"What is that, Mercury?" Sailor Jupiter questioned.
"Hold on," she replied, "I'm analyzing it now. It looks like the headquarters." The visor zoomed in and she found the crystal Tuxedo Mask was held captive in. "Tuxedo Mask is in there!"
"Let's get him out!" Sailor Moon shouted. She is about to run onward but Jupiter stopped her.
"Wait! It could be a trap!" Jupiter cried.
"Ooh!"
“You've been trained well, Scouts…”
Sailor Rainbow twirled around, "his voice is everywhere."
“…But rest assured, I'd never use my friend as bait…at least, not for such an easy catch…” A patch of flowers rose from the ground and began to fall off the figure, which was Fiore. The remaining flowers on him were over his heart, where the Kisenian Blossom was. They fell down last, revealing the pretty yet evil flower.
"It's him!" Sailor Moon cried.
“…although I didn't think you'd actually come. You don't strike me as that loyal.”
"Hey, Fern Boy!" Sailor Moon hissed, "give Tuxedo Mask back!"
He approached them and Sailor Rainbow stepped in front of Sailor Moon. "Let me handle this," she said to the others and stopped in front of Fiore. “Listen, laddie, we thank yeh for healing Tuxedo Mask," she said, a few octaves lower than Sailor Moon. She believed if she stayed cool, she wouldn't have to fight Fiore. "And now we've come to take him back."
"And I thank you for letting me take my friend so I can heal him," Fiore said in the same tone.
"So, you'll give him to us?" she asked hopefully.
"No."
"Why not?" she raised her voice half an octave, but was careful not to sound demanding. Maybe it wasn't as easy as she hoped. "He's our friend too."
“I will release him." He replied. "I'll take him back to Earth myself…but not now. We're not ready.”
“Ready for what?” Sailor Venus demanded.
Sailor Rainbow groaned. 'Bad move!' she thought.
A flower at Fiore's feet began to glow and then some seeds emerged from the flower. “To set our plan in motion. These are the seeds of my flower, and pretty soon, we will be close enough to plant them on Earth: millions of pods, each containing the seeds of our power. They'll grow on any surface, and before you know it, Earth will be carpeted by Kisenian Blossoms!”
"I did not let yeh take Tuxedo Mask so yeh can destroy our home!" Sailor Rainbow hissed, pointing at Fiore through clenched teeth. So much for being nice. "How would yeh like it if we destroyed yer home?"
Fiore looked at her as if he was not offended. "I have no home for you to destroy."
Rainbow gasped and was suddenly no longer angry. 'No home or friends?' She began to pity him again. She cleared her throat and looked around. 'What are these feelings?'
"And the blossoms feed on," Sailor Mercury began.
"Energy!" Fiore exclaimed. "The human race will be sucked dry and become extinct!" He began to disappear.
'He wants us to feel his pain,' Sailor Rainbow thought, frozen in her tracks. 'Revenge for his unbelievable bad luck!'
"Not if I can help it!" Sailor Mars shouted and prepared to attack but before her firepower reached him, Fiore vanished.
"He disappeared again," Sailor Jupiter said.
Sailor Mercury gasped.
"What's wrong?" Sailor Venus asked.
"We're surrounded!" she replied fretfully, her scanner showed many enemies. It was blipping like crazy. “There are negative forces all around us!”
“I can feel the negativity!” Sailor Moon said.
“Oh no! They're multiplying!” Sailor Mercury cried.
Sailor Venus looked down. "The flowers…"
Sailor Rainbow's upper lip curled into a sneer. "I hate weeds! Especially the ones that can kill yeh! We have to destroy 'em before they grow!"
The sailor scouts closed ranks as the flowers grew and creatures pop out of the ground in dozens.
"They're just popping out of the ground," Sailor Rainbow said, "like daises!"
"Only uglier!" Sailor Jupiter grunted.
"Sailor Moon, now might be a time to take out yer moon scepter," Sailor Rainbow said.
"Way ahead of you," Sailor Moon said.
"Hey, Mars," Rainbow whispered, leaning to her side, "yeh know how we clear out our fields back home?"
"You burn them," Mars replied, winking.
"Lucky guess," Rainbow winked back, "Remind me to give yeh a treat for that later. But for right now, let's clear out this field, hmm?"
"Gotcha!" Mars nodded.
"DRUID FIRE!"
"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"
Sailor Rainbow started a large wall of fire and Mars used her attack to spread it down the rows of the creatures.
"Yeah!" Sailor Mars cried and slapped Sailor Rainbow's palm.
"Hey, Jupiter, and sometimes people lose their crops in a thunderstorm," Sailor Rainbow said. "Why don't yeh share the shocking news to our friends here!"
"I like the way you think, Sailor Rainbow!" Sailor Jupiter laughed, "SUPREME THUNDER CRASH!" Her thunder attack cleared a wide section.
"There's also morning frost we have to worry about," Sailor Rainbow said, elbowing Mercury.
Mercury nodded, "SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" She froze another bunch.
"And Venus, well," Rainbow began, "oh, toast 'em lassie!"
Sailor Venus laughed lightly. "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!" She took out a bunch of the bad weeds.
"And for the grand finale," Sailor Rainbow said, twirling her scepter, "RAINBOW…"
"MOON…"
"PRINCESS..."
"EXCECUTION!"
"ELIMINATION!"
Sailor Moon and Rainbow use their scepters to take out as much as they can of the rest. There were at least three-dozen of them. Fiore saw this and decided another way to stop the scouts. “Better retreat, regroup, and really nail them!”
The creatures regrouped and fell back. “Watch out, you guys!" Mercury warned. "The flowers are fixing to increase their fighting power!”
They all came together in a big wave.
"So long, Sailor sweethearts!" Fiore laughed.
"They're multiplying!" Sailor Mercury gasped.
"There's too many of them!" Mars cried.
Rainbow, without fear, ran toward the wave to fight. "We're not going down without a fight! RAINBOW PRINCESS EXECUTION!" The power of her scepter stopped the wave and took out three of the creatures but then they were quickly replaced with 6 more and continued onward.
"Oh, of all the rotten luck!" Sailor Rainbow grunted. She decided now to plead with Fiore. She looked up at him and ran in his direction but she was still in the path of the wave. "Fiore, stop this! Don't do this, please!"
"It's too late now, Rainbow," he said without any feeling. "Goodbye."
She gasped and stopped, Kisenian’s hold on him is getting stronger!'
"Rainbow, no!" Sailor Moon shouted, trying to stop her but Sailor Mars grabbed her by the arm.
"Sailor Moon, move!" Sailor Mars screamed and threw her out of the area. She tumbled down a hill and looked up just in time to see the creatures fall down on the sailor scouts. In moments, they are buried alive under a pile of flowers. She was stunned and quickly ran up to dig through the flowers with her hands.
“No! I don't believe this!" she mumbled. "Oh please, you guys! Don't do this! I need you! I can't do this by myself.”
“What a coward!” Fiore shouted.
She looked up and saw Fiore standing atop the hill with a number of the creatures.
“I saw how you abandoned your so-called friends! What a wimp!”
Sailor Moon stood and readied her scepter. "MOON PRINCESS…"
"Stop!" Fiore ordered.
The sailor scouts emerged from the ground, bounded up in vines, drained and weak, but luckily, alive. Sailor Rainbow was at the top, Mars under her, then Venus, Jupiter then Mercury.
“Oh no!” Sailor Moon cried.
“Sailor Moon, surrender! Hand over your magic wand or lose your pals!” Fiore blackmailed. To prove he wasn't bluffing, he sent a shock through the vines, forcing the scouts to scream in pain. They are left even weaker.
"NO!" Sailor Moon shouted. "You're so mean."
“All's fair in love and war," Fiore said, "Princess. I'm daring you: either your Scepter…or your fellow Scouts. It's your call.”
“Not the Scepter." Mars began weakly. "You can never give it up.”
“Don't let him use us against you," Sailor Venus added.
"And how do yeh know he'll let us go anyway?" Sailor Rainbow asked. "What proof do yeh have that he isn't lying?" But Sailor Rainbow was positive that Sailor Moon was going to give up the scepter anyhow. She grunted and clenched her teeth. She had an idea; maybe she could give her scepter up or something. There had to be a way. Rainbow tried to pull her arm out through the vines holding her captive as the sailors tried to talk Sailor Moon out of giving up her scepter.
“The Scepter belongs in your hands only," Mercury said.
“You cannot surrender it, not even for us.” Jupiter finished.
“What's your choice?!" Fiore demanded. "You're gonna abandon them again?”
Rainbow noticed Sailor Moon's fingers slipping around her scepter. "WAIT!" She screamed. She broke her right arm through some of the vines and grunted in pain. She held it up and in her hand appeared her own rainbow scepter. "Don't do it, Sailor Moon! Dun't let Fiore talk yeh into handing over yer scepter! Yeh need it to finish the battle!"
"But Sailor Rainbow…" Moon began.
"No!" she grimaced and turned her head to Fiore, "Fiore! Our friend Sailor Moon is not a coward! Yeh are! Yeh a liar and a coward! She didn't abandon us; we saved her! Now, I want to challenge yeh to a battle." This made the entire sailor scouts gasp. "Yeh tell yer vine-harlots to take a hike, give us back Tuxedo Mask and let Sailor Moon and the others go!" She pointed her scepter to his face. "Just yeh and me, laddie, one on one! What will it be?"
Fiore blinked. He couldn't believe she was serious any more than the others. 'She's risking her life for her friends?' But he tried to act like he didn't feel anything inside and laughed, "You dare challenge me?"
"Sailor Rainbow, don't be crazy!" Venus shouted.
"But I might just get lucky," Sailor Rainbow insisted. "Well, Fiore?"
Sailor Moon had enough. She dropped the scepter and Sailor Rainbow tightened her hand around her own. Fiore was even more confused than he had been before. "You win. I can't turn my back on them. Without my friends, it's not the same. I give up.”
"No, Sailor Moon!" Rainbow cried.
Sailor Rainbow looked up. "I couldn't let you get yourself killed. You're the reason why I have Tuxedo Mask in my life. You're my sister, Rainbow! I know you'd do the same thing for me."
"Sailor Moon…please!"
"Coward!" Sailor Mars shouted. "Fight them!"
“I can't. I know I can beat them…and then you'll get hurt…and I couldn't bear that.” Tears roll down her face as well as all the sailors' faces.
Fiore was shocked and moved by Sailor Moon's tears and devotion to her friends. He struggled with his mind as the creatures disappeared. He lost his control and the sailors fell free. Fiore reached a hand to his head and fell to his knees.
"You guys!" Sailor Moon cried, running to them.
Sailor Rainbow grunted and pulled up her head. "Fiore…" She pulled herself to her knees and eventually her feet. She stumbled.
"Rainbow, are you all right?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Fiore, what's wrong with Fiore?" she mumbled. "He's resisting, maybe--"
“What's happening to me?" Fiore wondered out loud. "I'm not used to these emotions.”
“Fiore, she's tricked you." Kisenian lied. "All she wants is for the Scouts to help her take Darien away from you again.”
“My friend." He said, eyes glowing. "She can't have him!” He struggled to stand and Sailor Rainbow, grimacing, walked forward. Fiore was not the only one experiencing new emotions.
'I think I know what to do,' Rainbow thought. ‘I must free Fiore before it's too late.'
"Rainbow, what are you doing?" Sailor Moon demanded.
"Stay out of this," Rainbow muttered, holding her hand out. "Kisenian! Kisenian! I'll make a deal with yeh! Let the laddie go free!"
"What makes you think I'm bonding Fiore?" she demanded.
"Let Fiore go, Kisenian!" she shouted with all her voice which became hoarse. She continued to walk to Fiore but her legs gave and she fell down. But she held on to her strength enough to pull up her head. "Take me instead!"
"Rainbow no!" Moon shouted.
Fiore stared at Sailor Rainbow. His heart ached for some odd reason. It began to pump faster. "You'll take my place, but why? Kisenian is helping me."
"Wrong, Fiore!" Sailor Rainbow cried. "She is not! She's plotting to destroy everything and she's using you to do it!"
"And why would you give yourself up for him if you know what I plan to do?" Kisenian asked. "Do you think you're better than Fiore?"
"You need a weak heart so you claimed Fiore's," Rainbow said, "well, let's see if you can handle a heart of stone! Then Fiore will see you for what you really are!"
"No, Sailor Rainbow!" Mercury warned. "Don't risk it! There has to be another way!"
"I don't understand what she's talking about," Fiore mumbled.
"She's just playing with your mind, Fiore," Kisenian insisted. "Don't listen to her." A pink gas floated from the Kisenian Blossom and swirled around Fiore. “If you help me fight her, I'll make sure Darien remembers your special bond, but your friendship with him will never come back to life until Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts are gone! Together…we are invincible!” Fiore glowed with red light and then his blue-green hair changed into pink with blue-green streaks at the top. His fancy white garb was replaced by an armor created by Kisenian and he has her arm draped over his shoulder and down his chest and dangerous tendril-like spikes around his whole body. He had to be at least ten times stronger now than he had been before.
"Fiore," Rainbow mumbled, "no!" She shook her head and pounded the ground her fist. She had tried to reason with Fiore to give Tuxedo Mask back, tried to fight him one on one and even tried to deal with Kisenian herself to free Fiore. Tuxedo Mask will probably not be returned. Her sailor friends were all weak and Fiore planned to kill them all, starting with Sailor Moon. Kisenian's hold was still too strong. It was hopeless. She remained strong and held on to her courage but all the same if they didn’t do something, the world was going to be destroyed. Now, she wasn't sure what to do. She never had such an unlucky day before in all her life.
Next Chapter: From Pity To Love
And as always, I just own Sailor Rainbow/Lydia, Lucky and Madam Indigo. Yeh know, the made up characters in this story