by Haruka

Setsuna was the last to arrive at the slaves' quarters after breakfast when the Lights sent everyone up. A general cheer greeted her entrance and Zoisite ran to embrace her.
"That was awesome!" she declared. "I was scared to death for you but you surprised everyone!"
"Including the Lights," Ves Ves remarked.
"Including _us_," Haruka said. "Calling up the Talisman never occurred to me."
"Nor me," Michiru admitted.
"It was a last moment act of desperation." Setsuna shrugged. "I'm just lucky it worked."
"It may not work for long," Zoisite said softly. "If your powers are ineffective against the Lights, the Talisman won't make a difference, will they?"
"It may depend on how they're used. I'll have to give it some thought." Setsuna sighed and sat down. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at Hawk Eye.
"I hope you can forgive me, Princess," he said earnestly. "I'm just as glad as you are that you stopped it, believe me."
"I do," she said with a gentle smile. "I know it wasn't your choice, Hawk Eye, don't worry."
"Taiki was so mad he didn't get to see it," Cere Cere said gleefully.
"Not just him!" Jun Jun added. "Seiya and Yaten were livid, too."
"I wonder what their next move will be," Fish Eye said softly. "They'll have to do something to reassert themselves."
"You're right," Tiger Eye murmured. "And that means one of us is going to get hurt."
"Hey, where's Nuriko?" Zoisite said suddenly, looking around.
"He was right behind me." Setsuna sounded puzzled. "Didn't he come in?"
Everyone fell silent as an ominous feeling settled over the group.

This is going to be bad, Nuriko thought. The Lights were furious over what happened--or rather, what hadn't happened. They'd sent all the slaves to their quarters, but at the last moment, Taiki had caught his arm and hauled him along to his room, standing him by the sofa. Seiya and Yaten were already there; apparently this was to be where they discussed the new revelation and what to do about it. Nuriko wasn't sure of anything else except that he wouldn't leave the room unscathed.
"How could all the research we did on the Sailor Scouts not include something this important?!" Yaten raved.
"Don't ask me!" Seiya snapped back. "I'm just wondering what else we don't know!"
"Do you think that thing can hurt us?" Yaten asked him. "She didn't use it against anyone, but then Hawk Eye backed off and we broke everything up right away."
"I'm not sure, but if I were you, Taiki, I wouldn't get too close to her again." Seiya looked toward the tall redhead, who was seated on the sofa, studying Nuriko through narrowed eyes.
"How much did you know about this?" he asked the purple-haired beauty.
Nuriko started. "Nothing!" he said honestly. "The new slaves aren't confiding in me, Master."
"You haven't overheard anything?" Taiki pressed. "Nothing that would suggest how dangerous that Orb is?"
"I know nothing, Master," Nuriko repeated.
"Haruka and Michiru would know," Seiya said. "But now that Setsuna's revealed some of her power, she might use it to keep us from beating answers out of them."
"Or she might not be able to do anything with it at all," Yaten remarked. "So there was a lot of light and that ball appeared, big deal. It didn't actually do anything."
"Doesn't mean it can't," Taiki said irritably. "And I don't plan to test it myself." He kicked the coffee table over in frustration. "I was looking forward to watching Setsuna be raped. I can't believe she took that from me."
"I know you're disappointed, Taiki," Seiya said, smiling knowingly. "Isn't that why you brought Nuriko here?"
"You know me so well." Taiki reached over and stroked Nuriko's arm thoughtfully. The older boy repressed a shudder, knowing what was coming next.
Seiya moved to Nuriko's side and began playing with some loose strands of purple hair. "I think we can help Taiki feel better, don't you, Yaten?"
"We can give it a good try." Yaten drawled. "But only if we get to rough him up a little. I'm in a bad mood."
Nuriko felt Seiya's hand sliding over his hair to the back of his head. He winced as the fingers tightened and Seiya covered Nuriko's mouth with his own. At the same time, unseen hands--Yaten's, of course- -unfastened the ties holding his dress closed. He felt the material slide off his body, pooling at his feet.
"Such a pretty male body you have," Seiya said, smoothing a hand over Nuriko's bare hip. "Slight, but nicely formed."
"Nice butt, too," Yaten remarked, pinching it.
"And such sweet, full lips." Seiya traced them with a fingertip. "As luscious as Haruka's."
Yaten suddenly hooked his foot around Nuriko's ankle and yanked. The purple-haired boy fell against Seiya, who threw him roughly to the ground. Nuriko raised himself to his hands and knees dazedly. His bound hair having loosened, it spilled onto the floor on either side of him. He sensed the other two boys were using this time to disrobe, and his suspicions were confirmed when Seiya stepped naked in front of him. At the same time, he felt Yaten's fingers dig into his hips. No, Nuriko thought fearfully, Yaten couldn't have had time to lubricate himself, and he certainly hadn't used any on him. They knew he always needed lubricant; he was too small, too dry--
"Open up, Sweet Lips," Seiya purred.
Before Nuriko had a chance to respond, Yaten drove into him fully from behind. The sudden shock and pain made him cry out, at which point Seiya entered his mouth. Nuriko's lips were crushed against Seiya's body and his throat rebelled at the sudden invasion. Yaten began to move inside him, driving Seiya in deep with every thrust. The fire that shot through Nuriko as Yaten slammed repeatedly into him was nearly enough to black him out. He hadn't been able to catch his breath, and with his throat constricting around Seiya every other second, he couldn't draw one at all. Dizziness overwhelmed him and all he could think was that his passing out wouldn't stop them. They wouldn't even notice. His vision blurred, but out of the corner of his eye he could still see Taiki watching intently. He closed his eyes and wished for the blackness to claim him.
Fate wasn't so kind. Yaten's climax prevented his descent into unconsciousness, and his was followed immediately by Seiya's. Nuriko tried to scream, but the flood of semen choked him, cutting off his air entirely. Both Lights withdrew from him at once, and he collapsed on the ground, coughing up semen and gasping for breath.
"That was even better than watching Setsuna get it," Taiki commented. "You'd think Nuriko was a virgin from his reaction."
Yaten used a toe to push Nuriko's buttocks apart. "You aren't kidding, Taiki. He's bleeding like a virgin, too."
"Tsk, did you not use the lubricant, Yaten?" Seiya asked casually.
Yaten snapped his fingers. "Gee, I knew I was forgetting something." He bent down and caught Nuriko's hair in his fist, pulling his head up. "On your feet, doll face. We aren't done with you yet."
Nuriko began to seethe inside. He had been the Lights' first slave. It was so long since he rebelled that he barely remembered doing it at all. With the addition of the male and female Amazons, he'd been relegated to the position of 'den mother'--babysitting the younger slaves, letting them know what was expected of them, trying to keep them out of trouble. It was a full-time job, and most of the time he was left alone to do it. Since then, he was only punished when one of his charges messed up in a way he could have prevented, or when he was caught visiting Erios. He was never used for a sex toy anymore. Why now?
That's easy, he thought grimly. They needed someone who wouldn't fight back. Setsuna had ruined their fun and damaged their show of authority. His obedience was guaranteed, and with good reason. He taught the others by example. Fighting the Lights only resulted in worse punishment, and there was no reason to suffer needlessly.
So why was he reaching for the sofa leg?
Seiya saw his intent a split second too late. "Taiki--!" he started to yell, but was interrupted as the sofa flipped upside-down--with Taiki aboard. He and Yaten abandoned Nuriko to help their bandmate, and the eighteen-year-old used the chance to get shakily to his feet. He watched with detachment as Seiya and Yaten strained to lift the sofa so Taiki could crawl out from under. It was true that the slaves couldn't use their powers directly against the Lights--if he'd thrown the sofa at Taiki, it would have bounced off an invisible shield. Apparently, though, the protective spell couldn't break apart and analyze roundabout intent.
Taiki certainly could, however, and as soon as he was able to stand, he directed a murderous look at Nuriko.
"Are you all right?" Yaten asked Taiki anxiously.
"I landed on my left shoulder," Taiki said, still glaring at Nuriko. "It hurts, but nothing's broken. Yet."
Seiya followed his gaze to where Nuriko stood. "It's your call, Taiki. What do you want us to do to him?"
"Nothing that he'd survive," Taiki replied icily.
"I have an idea," Yaten said. "The new slaves have been asking a lot of questions about Erios. Why not give them a demonstration?"
"Why not indeed?" Taiki went over to Nuriko and gripped his chin roughly. "Put an end to their questions and make an example of this one at the same time."
Nuriko closed his eyes and prayed for strength that wasn't physical.

"So you two have Talisman as well?" Fish Eye said in surprise, looking from Michiru to Haruka. The other slaves had gathered around them and were listening intently.
"Mine is the Deep Aqua Mirror," Michiru said. "It always shows the true image and can see through any illusion."
"I have the Space Sword," Haruka told them. "It can cut through anything."
"But the true power of the Talisman is that when brought together, they form the Holy Grail," Setsuna explained.
"Our last mission was to gather the Talisman, create the Grail, and use it to defeat our enemy," Michiru said.
"But we couldn't use it," Haruka continued, tight-lipped. "Not we, nor any of the other Sailor Scouts."
"What about Serena?" Zoisite asked. "Your Moon Princess?"
Setsuna shook her head sadly. "We gave it to her, but she couldn't activate it."
"It was a horrible shock for us all." Michiru sighed. "We were so certain she was the chosen one. She's always been the revered and respected Princess of the Silver Millennium, as well as leader of the Sailor Scouts."
"None could defeat her," Haruka said flatly.
"So how did you defeat the enemy?" Jun Jun asked.
"We didn't," Michiru replied. "We were all trapped and about to be destroyed when another Sailor Scout arrived."
"Sailor Saturn," Setsuna continued. "None of us knew where she came from or who she was, but she must have sensed our danger. She caught the enemy unawares and finished them off."
"Then she chose to return to her normal life rather than stay with us," Haruka said, then added dryly, "Can't say I blame her considering where we are now."
"Then the Holy Grail was useless?" Hawk Eye asked.
"Not useless," Michiru corrected. "Unusable, by any of us."
"We figure there must be another Princess, even more powerful than Serena, who could activate it," Haruka remarked. "And my guess is she's from Earth."
"What makes you think so?" Tiger Eye inquired.
"It's the only planet not already represented by a guardian Princess." Haruka shrugged. "And it even makes sense that Princess Earth would be more powerful than the Moon Princess. The moon revolves around the Earth, after all."
"Why haven't you been looking for the Earth Princess then?" Cere Cere asked.
"We haven't needed her since the last battle," Setsuna said. "Whoever she is, she's likely living a happy life right now, so why ruin it for her? We can reform the Holy Grail at any time for her to use, but all has been peaceful in the Silver Millennium."
"You'd better hope it's still peaceful," Ves Ves pointed out. "All hell could have broken loose and we'd never know it here. This is a world in itself."
"Ironic, huh?" Zoisite remarked. "If anything does happen out there, and your Earth Princess makes herself known, you three and your Grail-forming Talisman are stuck here, where no one could ever find you."
"Don't remind us," Haruka growled.
Seiya opened the door to the slaves' quarters. "All of you downstairs. We're going to put on a little demonstration for the benefit of the new slaves."
"Where's Nuriko?" Zoisite demanded.
"He's going to be part of the demonstration," Seiya said. "Hurry up."
The slaves exchanged uneasy looks and began to get up.
"What kind of demonstration do you think he's talking about?" Michiru murmured.
"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about it," Haruka replied grimly.

"Something's wrong with Erios," Alan murmured to Ann.
"He's been depressed for hours," Ann agreed. "And he keeps staring at the main house. I think he senses something."
They both looked toward Erios, who stood in the stable doorway. His melancholy orange eyes were gazing at the house in the distance. The tree sprites exchanged a glance and vanished, reappearing beside Erios.
"Are you all right?" Ann asked him in concern. "You've been preoccupied."
"Something's going on there," Erios answered, nodding at the house. "And it's getting worse."
"You say our friends are pleasure slaves and our magic is useless against their captors," Alan said. "But is there _anything_ we can do?"
"I'm afraid not," Erios said solemnly. "You'd better go up to the loft. They're coming."
The sprites disappeared again, returning to the hay loft. They peered over the edge just as Hawk Eye and Tiger Eye walked up to Erios.
"You're to come with us to the house," Tiger Eye told him.
"Why?" Erios asked.
"You know we don't have to tell you," Hawk Eye said. "Besides," he added in a softer tone, "we don't know. All the Masters would say was that we should bring you inside."
"If you refuse, someone else will probably suffer for it," Tiger Eye remarked.
"All right." Erios sighed. "I'll go."
Alan and Ann watched the three of them head back to the house.
"What do you think that was all about?" Ann asked.
"Beats me," Alan answered. "Let's find out."
They joined hands and vanished.

Nuriko wasn't nervous as he watched preparation take place for the 'demonstration'. He was angry and frustrated, but not frightened. Yes, he was bound to suffer, but he'd been familiar with that state of being his entire life. What angered him was that they were exploiting Erios to gain revenge on him. Erios was the sweetest boy he'd ever known. To torment him in this way was not only cruel, it was inhumane. Did the arrogant bastards think they could forever get away with treating the Changechild like this? He was a Pegasus--a rare and magnificent creature. Today he and Erios would suffer, but one day the Lights would be held accountable.
He heard footsteps at the entrance and turned to see Tiger Eye and Hawk Eye escorting Erios into the house, flanking him on either side like armed guards. Erios met his eyes and Nuriko saw both realization and dread enter them. The boy had figured out that whatever happened, Nuriko was the intended target. Nuriko knew he and Erios would try to resist, but he also knew that in the end, they'd wind up doing what they were brought there to do.
"Good, you're here," Seiya remarked, nodding approvingly at Erios. "Go over to Nuriko. Then we can begin."
Erios walked over to the purple-haired boy. "Are you all right?" he asked softly. "I've been getting a bad feeling all day."
"Your feeling was correct," Nuriko told him, not wanting to worry him further.
"What's this all about?" Zoisite demanded. "Is Nuriko in some kind of trouble or what?"
"You could say that," Yaten retorted. "Nuriko made the mistake of trying to strike back at Taiki."
"Trying?" Nuriko said in mild amusement, raising an eyebrow. "Seems to me the attempt was quite successful."
The younger slaves gasped, both at hearing Nuriko backtalk Yaten and at the revelation that he successfully hurt Taiki.
The Lights' eyes narrowed simultaneously, but it was Taiki who stepped forward to glare into Nuriko's maroon depths as he spoke to the assembled slaves. "This will be for the benefit of the new slaves who have asked questions about Erios. They want to know why he stays out in the stables and isn't a part of what goes on here."
"Because you're cowards?" Nuriko suggested.
Taiki's face reddened and he started to raise his hand, but clenched his fist at his side instead. "Nuriko," he said evenly, "will you kindly demonstate what would happen if Erios were treated like a slave?"
"No, I will not," Nuriko said. "Not to protect myself, but because I refuse to hurt the boy in order to satisfy you."
"Even if it means every other slave here will be severely beaten instead?" Taiki growled. "You'd hurt eleven to protect one?"
"Don't do it, Nuriko!" Fish Eye cried out. "We can take whatever they give us!"
"You're right, it's you they want to hurt!" Jun Jun declared. "Don't give them the satisfaction!"
Zoisite looked around at the slaves' anxious faces in total confusion. The only comforting thing was that the Sailor Scouts appeared as perplexed as she was.
"I won't be a party to this," Erios said firmly, turning to leave.
Taiki's jaw clenched. He strode over to the group of slaves and grabbed Palla Palla, wrapping his large hand around her small throat. Cere Cere screamed and Erios whirled around, his eyes widening at the sight.
"Taiki, what are you doing?" Yaten asked in horror.
"She can't breathe!" Seiya's voice was anxious. "Let her go!"
Taiki ignored them. "Erios, you'll stay put, and Nuriko, you'll do what we expect of you without pulling punches," he snarled. "Do it now or I'll crush her windpipe!"
Without hesitation, Nuriko spun around and slammed his palm against Erios' cheek. The instant his hand connected, an unseen force hurtled him back across the room. An audible crack was heard as he hit the far wall.
"Nuriko!" Fish Eye and the other boys ran to him while the remaining Quartet members tended to Palla Palla, whom Taiki had dropped unceremoniously on the floor. Zoisite and the Scouts went over to Erios, who had hit the ground himself when Nuriko slapped him.
"Nuriko ...," he murmured, tears slipping down his cheeks. "Is he badly hurt?"
"I don't know," Haruka said, glancing over to where the Trio surrounded the fallen boy. "I don't know anything about what just happened. What _was_ that?"
"I'm magically protected because I'm a Pegasus," Erios explained as Zoisite and Michiru helped him stand. "Anyone who hurts me receives worse retribution."
"So that's why the Lights won't touch you," Setsuna said.
"They tried when I first came," Erios said. "Seiya got hurt and they learned to leave me alone." He headed over to Nuriko, pausing by the Quartet. "Is she all right?" he asked gently.
Palla Palla was nestled against Ves Ves' shoulder, bruises already appearing on her pale throat. The red-haired Amazon glared at Erios. "She'll be just fine if you stay away from her!"
"Ves Ves, it wasn't Erios' fault," Michiru said. "He didn't want anyone hurt."
"Maybe," Ves Ves muttered. "But people always seem to wind up hurt whenever he's around."
"Nuriko?!"
Everyone turned at the sound of Hawk Eye's anxious voice. He was supporting Nuriko in a half-sitting, half-prone position, and the older boy had just opened his eyes.
"Are you okay?" Tiger Eye asked worriedly.
Nuriko tried to sit up, but gasped. Grimacing, he wrapped an arm around his middle. "I think something's wrong."
Haruka went over and crouched beside him. She carefully felt around his torso, watching his expression as she did so. Finally, she sat back on her haunches. "I'd say you've got a couple of broken ribs there."
Erios knelt by Nuriko's side. "I'm sorry," he said softly. Nuriko smiled and gently brushed a tear from Erios' lashes.
"So am I. The last thing I wanted was to hurt you."
Erios put a hand to his swollen cheek. "It will have healed by the end of the day. You had to do it or Palla Palla would have died."
"Looks like Taiki left," Zoisite said as she joined them. "I guess the fun is over for him," she added snidely.
"Seiya and Yaten don't look overly thrilled, do they?" Haruka remarked.
Fish Eye shook his head. "They'd never threatened to kill one of us before."
"I guess Taiki surprised them as much as he did us," Hawk Eye said.
"There they go," Tiger Eye remarked, watching the remaining Lights leave the room. "I wonder what they're going to say to him."
"Doesn't matter right now," Haruka said grimly. "We've got to get some binding on Nuriko's ribs and put him somewhere comfortable, because he's not going to be moving from that spot for a long time."

"That was horrible!" Ann whispered as she and Alan peered in the window at the group inside. "They made that girl hit Erios knowing she'd be hurt! And choking that other girl to make her do it!"
"Uh, the one who hit Erios was probably a boy, since they kept calling him 'he'," Alan said. "But you're right, it was awful."
"That big redhead is a scary character." Ann shuddered. "It looked like even his friends were upset with him."
"They went that way to find him, I'll bet." Alan pointed. "Let's go see if we can get in a position to listen in."
"Good idea!"

Yaten and Seiya exchanged a look, then both turned their heads toward Taiki. Their friend was calmly lowering himself into a chair, after which he poured himself a glass of iced tea.
"Uh, Taiki?" Seiya ventured. "Can we talk about what just happened out there?"
"What about it?" Taiki asked.
"Oh, nothing!" Yaten said caustically. "You nearly killed Palla Palla, that's all!"
"Well, as it turns out, I didn't have to, did I?"
"Taiki, come on!" Seiya exclaimed. "We agreed to make pleasure slaves out of these kids! To have some fun with them! Not threaten their lives!"
"Neither Nuriko nor Erios were going to co-operate," Taiki replied. "But you saw how fast their minds changed when Palla Palla was in mortal danger."
"And what if they hadn't changed their minds?" Yaten asked.
Taiki took a sip of his drink and shrugged. "Don't be greedy, boys. We'd still have twelve slaves left."
"Taiki!" Seiya gasped.
"What?" He looked at them, finally realizing how upset they were. "Do you two disapprove of how I dealt with things?"
Yaten's mouth fell open. "Disapprove?! Taiki, you acted like a homicidal maniac!"
Taiki got up and slowly walked over to him. "Is that what you really think, Yaten?"
"Yes!" the blonde declared.
Taiki slapped him hard across the face, knocking him down.
"Yaten!" Seiya ran over and crouched beside him.
Yaten's hand was covering his cheek. "How ...? Why ...? Taiki?" He looked up at him pleadingly.
"How could you do that to him?!" Seiya demanded angrily. "He's not a slave, you know!"
"He's not much of a master, either," Taiki replied coolly.
"Why?!" Yaten cried. "Because I don't try to choke the slaves?!"
"No," Taiki said. "Because you let yourself be mastered by Michiru."
Seiya gasped. "That's crazy!"
"Is it?" Taiki replied. "Ask him."
"Yaten, what's he talking about?" Seiya looked at him.
"I - I don't know--"
"Come, Yaten," Taiki urged. "I heard Michiru telling you to stop Hawk Eye from raping Setsuna. Why would she feel she could order you around like that unless she'd had practice?"
"It's not true, is it, Yaten?" Seiya asked hopefully.
"What if it is?!" Yaten exploded. "So what if I'm not a dominant in the bedroom?! The whole idea of the slaves is that they do what we want them to do. Michiru was the first to do what I wanted!"
"Only now you're getting squeamish about being strict with the other slaves," Taiki pointed out. "She's a bad influence on you."
"I don't think you can call Yaten squeamish just because he doesn't want to strangle the slaves," Seiya snapped. "I'm not particularly fond of the idea myself!"
"That's why you both are such pathetic wimps," Taiki answered.
Seiya leapt up and swung at Taiki's jaw. His fist slammed against an invisible barrier inches from Taiki's face. Seiya screamed and Yaten rushed to examine his hand.
"I rest my case," Taiki said.
"But ... but that's impossible!" Yaten exclaimed. "The barrier only protects against magic attacks! Besides, you were able to slap me without hitting it!"
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Taiki shook his head, then extended his hand toward the boys. Seiya and Yaten both cried out in pain as electrical energy surged through them. They fell against one another, gasping for breath. Taiki leaned over them, smirking.
"As you can see, the magic barrier no longer protects you two. Why? Because I created the barrier in the first place."
"You?" Seiya whispered. "But how? Why?"
"The 'how' is simple." Taiki straightened up. "I'm a sorcerer. I used my magic to put this island together exactly as I wanted it, and because you two were my friends and bandmates for so long, I hoped we could all share it." He shrugged. "As for the 'why', I began to find life as an idol singer boring. The groupies were nice, but I could never be as thorough with them as I wanted to be. Collecting pleasure slaves for our private island was a perfect solution."
"We've known you for years!" Yaten said in disbelief. "We became Sailor Scouts together! How could you have kept your powers a secret from us for so long?"
"Easily. You were gullible. After all, you both had powers of your own as Sailor Scouts, so it wasn't so surprising that I should have some, too. I just never let you know how much. When the matter of the island came up, it was better to let you think some mysterious sorcerer was bestowing power on all three of us so we could control the slaves."
"So now what happens?" Seiya asked tightly.
"Nothing will change for me," Taiki remarked, eyeing them with a slow smile. "Except I'll have two more slaves in my collection."

Below the windowsill behind Taiki, Alan and Ann turned to each other in shock. "Can you believe this?" Alan murmured. "It was him all along! There never was an evil spell on them!"
"Wait until Erios and the others hear this!" Ann whispered.
"I think now's the time to tell them, while these three are occupied," Alan said.
"What are we waiting for?" Ann asked, and the two of them disappeared.

End of Chapter 19

Story contents (C) 1997 Tenou Haruka

Sailor Moon characters (C) Naoko Takeuchi

Fushigi Yuugi characters (C) Watase Yuu