War Games

by darkpower

Queen Beryl has been revived by Rubeus, but is she the same person she once was? Where's the Hizrounswa, and how far will Rubeus go to achieve his goals? Part of the Silver Project Saga and the Blinded By Revenge sequel.

1. Shaky Alliance

WAR GAMES
CHAPTER 1
Shaky Alliance

Written by Darkpower
Rating: 14 (Dialogue, Violence, Language

Just so you are aware, this is the sequel to Blinded By Revenge. If you didn't read it yet, go and read that before because you will have a better understanding of what is going on here.

---

Rubeus was standing in the middle of the barren room. Well, not completely barren if he counted the numerous purple energy swirls that were flying around the room. They came from a hole in the wall he had made by removing a small panel that sealed it. He was shocked, but that wasn't why. He was only hoping that this was the power of the Hizrounswa death crystal that he had been looking for.

What he found was a lot more than what he could've ever imagined. Standing before him was the one woman that he had thought was dead for good, She was also the one person he thought had the Hizrounswa. Finally, she was someone that he referred to many times over as the legend herself. He was staring right at the one person whose presence caused his disbelief: Queen Beryl. He had resurrected the Dark Kingdom, for sure. Or had he?

Rubeus took a couple of steps towards the figure that looked exactly like Beryl. He did, after all, think that the Hizrounswa was on the other side of that panel. Thus, maybe he had actually found the crystal and this was just some projection coming from the crystal. "Are you...really her?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Beryl answered. It certainly sounded like her: she had a hint of rasping in her voice. Otherwise, it was an echoing, bold voice, maybe with a bit of a British accent to go along with it.

Rubeus stood still after he heard that question. "Please forgive me, Miss Beryl! I'm here because I thought that I could find something called the Hizrounswa. When I released the panel from the wall, all these swirls came forth, and that's when you appeared."

"That's because she only thought she killed me." Beryl walked past Rubeus and right near the wall, staring at it. "During that battle, my master made sure that we had an emergency escape plan just in case worst came to worst. She never told me what that was, though I never questioned it. When I was swallowed by that energy orb the Sailors made to disintegrate me and my master, she used the last of her magic to get me and her out of there before we died. However, she could only transport the Dark Kingdom as energy, so she took all of the Youma, generals, me, and her, put them as one, and hid all of us in that little hole that you just unsealed."

"So, I didn't resurrect you. You just didn't die."

"Actually, you did resurrect some of us. All four of my generals died in some form, but Metaria made sure that we could get them back. I don't know if she was able to revive all of them, but I know Jedite was resuscitated. Zoycite's death was my doing, and Malachite was defeated by the Sailors. There was a good chance with them, but not guaranteed. As for Nephlite, I have no clue right now. He was badly wounded, and Zoycite made sure he was dead."

Rubeus was still incredulous. "Metaria is your master?"

"Yes, though she might lay claim to some of the escape plan. Don't let her fool you, though. I had some hand in the actual planning of it."

"I knew it. You did think of everything, did you?"

"Let's just say," she turned to face Rubeus, "unlike some world leaders, I actually planned an exit strategy!"

Rubeus smirked. "So you are real!"

"Real as they come! Which brings me to you: who are you? You said something about a crystal bringing you here."

Rubeus was so awestruck that he had forgotten that part. "I'm sorry. The name's Rubeus. I came from a time in the future."

Beryl widened her eyes. "The future? How long ahead?"

"You probably won't believe it, but I came from the thirtieth century. I was sent here to find the Silver Crystal for this Dark Phantom character. The ship I was on was destroyed, but I was able to escape. Only problem is that I'm stuck in this time."

Beryl cocked an eyebrow. "So, you think this crystal could get you back home?"

"The Hizrounswa is a death crystal, not a time-" Rubeus paused. "Hold on, you mean to tell me that you don't know anything about this crystal?"

She shook her head. "You came to the wrong place, Rubeus! I personally know nothing about it."

"Darien was saying something about you guys trying to get it. He asked how I could possibly find it when all of you combined were unsuccessful."

"Because I was never told about it."

'The great Queen Beryl didn't even know the Hizrounswa existed?' Rubeus sighed. "So, if you didn't know about it, then who in the Dark Kingdom did?"

"That's a good question. There were only two others that he talked to. Three if you count Zoycite's entire hour battling him. Malachite and Metaria could have said something about it to him."

Rubeus sighed once more, his expression being one of thought. "You were trying to get rid of the Sailors, right?"

"Yeah. I was trying to. They did me wrong, kept that Silver Crystal from me all this time."

'She might not know anything about it, but she could help me find out where it is.' Rubeus smirked. "I'm trying to find the Hizrounswa, and I know a good bit about what the crystal can do. I can help you get that Silver Crystal, and destroy the Sailors. But on one condition."

Beryl scoffed at Rubeus wanting something in return, though this man seemed as though he had everything planned out. Either that or he was one hell of a quick thinker. "What would that be, Rubeus?"

"You help me locate the Hizrounswa. Someone in this Dark Kingdom has to know where it is. Help me find it, and I will help you rid of those Sailors once and for all. Trust me, I already have them on the ropes. I know how to get to them."

Beryl narrowed her eyes. "Love to know what you mean by that?"

"Make this deal with me to help each other out, and you will know what I mean." He leered, hoping that Beryl wouldn't catch on to anything.

"I don't usually make deals with anyone, but you're promising that you will get the Silver Crystal for me, and I want to know all about what this 'He-zoo-no-saw' is."

Rubeus could only roll his eyes. "Hizrounswa."

"Whatever! You're one lucky man, Rubeus. You got yourself a deal."

The two exchanged a firm handshake. However, during it, Rubeus' smirk grew. 'Yes, Beryl. All you had to do was to agree.'

After the handshake, Beryl walked past Rubeus once more, towards the steps. "Hizrounswa?"

Rubeus looked back towards the open hole, still with a wide grin on his face. 'I always read that Queen Beryl was some legend, and the logs taught of what she was able to do to the Moon Kingdom. Some legend when you don't even know about the Hizrounswa. We'll see who's the legend.' He then began to walk up the narrow staircase.

-xXXXXx-

It had been four days since Sammy was released from the hospital, and finally, some calm had returned to Serena's life, though she still had the abnormality of going to school on time now and had been able to keep up her grades. She did feel like she owed it to Miss Haruna for the attention that she gave to Serena during the troubling time. What was the phrase she had told Serena from one of her comic books? Ah, yes: with great power comes great responsibility. She was going to find out what comic that was from. It was about a superhero with the powers of a spider, she was told. Nonetheless, the quote was a wise one, and she now knew how responsible she was for her family.

That included helping her family clean up her house. The walls still had a bit of blood on them that Kenji was trying to scrub off. Ikuko was vacuuming the shards of glass that were left on the floor downstairs. Upstairs, Casto was busy getting Sammy's room back in order, though the only thing that needed to be done was to have the missing picture of his family returned. Casto still had it, and he never told anyone that he had taken it. Sammy could only lie in his bed: he was still wounded and needed the help of crutches for another few weeks to move around. His leg still made him wince every time he so much as moved it. He was grateful he had the added help of Casto and Reenie if he needed it.

Serena, however, chose to clean up her parents' bedroom. Her mother didn't question it, though her father only wondered why she wanted to take on the most messed up room in the house. She only answered that she felt obligated to make it so that they didn't have to work. Though that was the truth, there was an additional reason: the bullet hole she had made in the wall. She wanted to cover that up so they couldn't see it and be scared of what Serena nearly used that faithful night. She swore that she wouldn't dare tell anyone that she had used a gun and knew how to use such a weapon, and she kept to that oath. The only chance that her mother might've known something was when Serena pulled it on her while she was controlled by Rubeus (she wasn't told of it while riding back to the hospital afterwards). Thankfully, the dresser that held the gun was also rested right near the hole. All she had to do was to nudge it over, and she was able to keep anyone from finding it for now.

"Serena," she heard Reenie say behind her. Serena turned around right after nudging the dresser to find her future daughter looking in her eyes.

"Reenie, what are you doing in my parents' room?"

"Wanting to know if you were alright. That's all."

Serena sighed and looked back at the wall. "Yeah. Better than I was last week." She exhaled again and turned back to Reenie. "What happened with you, though? You used to not even care about what I was feeling when I first met you!"

"I've changed a lot since then. You were telling me all about wanting me to be a Sailor Soldier, and how you wanted me to be able to protect myself against anyone that came after me again. I wanted to, but I didn't really know how to do that with just being a Sailor. I wanted to be able to be like you and my uncle."

"Y-You mean Casto is still..."

"Yeah, he was in the future, too. I didn't see him much, though. Was always out doing something for the citizens of Crystal Tokyo. But when I saw him fight, Serena, man, could he go, and I saw you fight off robbers with your bare hands."

"You...did?"

"Yeah, you were something else, Moon Mama! Well, anyway, I didn't want to copy him or you, so I decided to take up an ancient craft of martial arts. I wanted to be able to do all those neat tricks, and take someone on. I didn't want to be a fighting girl, but a girl that could just be able to fight. Well, if you know what I mean."

"I think I know what you're saying. Just want to be able to use it when you need to."

Reenie nodded. "That way, if the bad men come after me again, I can whip them over my shoulder and break their arms for trying."

Serena giggled slightly, then approached Reenie and knelt down in front of her. "But Reenie, that kind of stuff is not exactly for starting..."

"Sammy, c'mon, talk to me, please!" Serena heard her mother yell from the hallway.

"What in the world?" Reenie asked.

"Not this again," Serena sighed as she rose back to her feet. They nodded to each other and went out to the hall. They saw Ikuko in the hallway, in the door frame to Sammy's room with tears in her eyes. Both of them walked over to Ikuko and looked into his room to see Sammy turned over on his bed, his back towards them. Casto was speechless as he stopped polishing up the walls and looked to Sammy, as well.

"Please, Sammy! I didn't mean to leave you there," Ikuko pleaded. "I'm sorry." She stood still in the door frame, not daring to approach any further. "I was tending to your father. I thought you were with some friends." There was no answer from Sammy, not even a slight twitch in his composure. He only stared out into the daylight through his window, a blank expression on his face.

"How much longer is he going to do this?" Reenie whispered.

"Something like that isn't as easily forgiven, I'm afraid," Serena answered just as quietly, turning back to Sammy while still talking to Reenie. "Though I'm worried, too. Sammy, you have to say something. You can't avoid her forever."

Ikuko took deep breaths, Serena looking to her to make sure she was alright—she wasn't—and then back to Sammy. She also looked to her other brother, Casto. She could sense he was trying to figure out if he should say something. He was also not moving a muscle, unless she counted the neck muscles that he used to turn his head to Ikuko when she was speaking. Finally, however, Casto locked his eyes with Serena, and it was only the stare that was talking to Serena, telling her that she had to intervene somehow.

"Mom, don't!" Serena pleaded, wrapping her arms around her mother and slowly pulling her away from the door frame. "He's going to need some time to get over it!"

Reenie looked into the room, taking a breath as she first eyed Sammy, and then her future uncle. Casto responded by groaning and closing his eyes. She knew he was disappointed after seeing that. Her and Casto exchanged nods as she closed the door. However, Casto couldn't help but walk over to the door and listen to what was going on behind it.

"He's going to hate me forever," he heard Ikuko say.

"No, he won't," Serena answered. "I don't think you did what he thinks you did."

"If I knew he was in the house, I would've checked on him first," Ikuko cried.

"No, she wouldn't have," Casto heard Sammy mumble.

"Hmm?" Casto hummed.

Sammy fought to turn back around to face Casto, trying to brace the physical pain. "I don't know if I could ever look at her again. I was so scared when he came into this room, just shooting me with everything he had. She could've done something."

Casto put down his white polishing cloth and walked over to Sammy's bed, kneeling down to him. "Even if she knew you were here, what could she have done?"

"They have my baseball bats from when I played in elementary school. She could've used them. She could've punched him. You don't understand; she's something else as a mother. I was screaming for her, begging, but she didn't even try to call for police. She didn't think they would've shown up."

"They did once she called the ambulance. She did have a point about them not sealing off this place. Don't know why they didn't."

"Didn't mean that they wouldn't have cared, Casto."

Casto hung his head as he saw Sammy's tears roll down his cheeks. "Listen, Sammy, people make mistakes. God knows I've made quite a few of them."

"Probably not like that, though. You're just like our sister: kind and protective. I can't imagine you ignoring someone you cared about."

Casto stood up, remembering his own past, hearing his sister's voice in his head. "'You still haven't told me what happened that caused you to feel it necessary to leave me, though. Please, Casto, I can make it better.'"

"I'm not that perfect, Sammy, and neither is your mother. I know you don't feel like it right now, but you should at least give her the chance to make things right."

Sammy turned back towards the window the best he could, though he was finding it very difficult with the bum leg.

"Sammy, let me help..."

"No, I can get it over." It took him a few moments, but he was able to finally roll over. "Sorry, Casto, I don't want to depend on anyone. I don't think I can trust anyone anymore, and I want to make sure I'm ready just in case I have to fend for myself."

Casto shook his head. "I understand your grief. If you want, I can let you be for a little while."

"Thanks. I'd like to be alone for a bit."

Casto nodded once and headed out the door, closing it behind him.

'I hate you, mom. I know you have a gun. You could've shot him.'

Outside of the room, Casto found Serena and company still trying to calm her mother down.

"How is he?" Ikuko asked him.

"Same way he was in the hospital."

Ikuko could be heard sobbing upon hearing that. She could remember it all too well: right after talking to Mina and going to see Sammy in the hospital, he only turned his head away. He didn't even look at her. She didn't know what was going on then, but all throughout the ride back home and for the four days since, he had not said even a peep to her.

"Poor guy," Reenie said.

"I wish there was something I could do to make things better," Ikuko continued through her sobs. "I knew he hated me."

"It's just the shock he went though," Serena said. "He's probably trying to get his anger out, and you're his target, unfortunately."

Ikuko stopped crying, though she was still hyperventilating. "I wish I knew he was here when that little..."

She was interrupted by a loud beeping sound coming from Serena's pink shirt pocket. She knew what it was, and she rolled her eyes as she took the communicator out and opened it up to see Amy's face on the monitor.

"Amy, I'm sorry, but this has to be import..."

"We got him!"

Serena's eyes widened. "What?"

"He's not there now, but he couldn't have gone very far. He was in a cabin. It was the only one that stood there, but it wasn't too far from..."

-xXXXXx-

"...D-Point!" Serena growled loudly as she looked at the scan sheets that were on the patio just outside the Shrine. "Should've known the asshole would've picked that spot! It fits him, no doubt!"

"Wait," Casto interrupted, narrowing his eyes as he picked up the two long sheets. "D-Point? The hell's that?"

"Sailor Moon fought Queen Beryl there some time ago and won," Luna answered. "That was where Beryl made her base at to try to attack Earth."

"Coincidence, maybe?" Lita shrugged.

"All the evil in the world tends to fall to one place," Raye objected. "It's like it's inviting us there every damn time we want to face someone."

"But you said that Rubeus was there," Casto continued. "Where would he be now, then?"

"The place where we went after Beryl was a large island on the Northern ice caps," Amy stated. "I know he can teleport, but the way he was sulking after we got Ikuko back, I don't think he'd want to leave that soon."

"Would be somewhere no one would think of, unless they looked for him like Serena asked you to." Casto tossed the papers back onto the table and leaned against a wall beside the sliding door.

"So now we know where to find him," Mina proclaimed. "We could just transport there and trash him like we've done several times before, right?"

"No, I don't think it would be that easy," Artemis objected. "Remember, he was there. That and he's probably waiting for us to try."

"A cabin in the middle of nowhere," Lita muttered. "Seems almost too obvious."

"Serena," Luna asked, "where's Reenie?"

"She wanted to try to help Sammy some more. She's offering to help recoup him back to health. She also doesn't want another fight to break out."

"My God!" Amy gasped. "He still thinks that Ikuko neglected him?"

"He won't even talk to her. He keeps his back to her every time she tries to make amends. I'm ready to intervene and tell him that he has to at least give her a chance at some point."

"Patience, Serena," Luna said. "Sammy went through a lot last week. He'll get over it."

"That reminds me, sis," Casto interrupted, "is that date you had with Darien still on tonight?"

"Of course it is! Why wouldn't it be?"

"Just wondering now that you know where Rubeus' hideout is, I thought you might want to go and tear him apart."

-xXXXXx-

Serena sighed from within a huge crystal ball. "I got my revenge, bro. I got my mother back and I left a nasty scar on his face. He knows not to mess with me again. Besides, I've got the best friends in the world that I can trust."

Watching the ball was Rubeus, who immediately growled and pivoted, pumping a fist downwards. "She's proud of what she did to my face? How could she possibly be proud of trying to kill me?"

Beryl had been watching it too, but with more curiosity than anger. The ball wasn't tuned in for any more than a few seconds, only catching Serena's plans with Darien.

"I told you, Beryl!" Rubeus hissed, turning around to face her again. "She's more violent than I remember her!"

"You sure this shrine is where they meet?"

"You see them there, don't you?"

Beryl had to bite her tongue. She wasn't used to being talked to like that, but Rubeus was only a vigilante right now. She couldn't really order him around. Not yet, anyway. "Where did she give you that scar? What made her want to do that in the first place?"

"We were in this pyramid. We both knew the Hizrounswa was in there, and we found it out, but someone removed it before we could get to it. Someone was good enough to not even alert the gods to their presence."

"Hmm. And that's why you thought I had it?"

"Yeah. You're the one who leveled the Moon Kingdom. You would've had the skills to just take it without anyone knowing."

Beryl leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes tightly. "I'm not that skilled, believe me."

"Well, Serena decided that she wanted to swipe me with that Tiara she has, and that's..."

"...where you got that scar. I see."

"I see? Wow, you sound more like a businesswoman than a queen."

"Sorry," Beryl apologized, leaning her head to the left slightly. "Guess all that time in confinement waiting for someone to release us made me somewhat rusty."

"You could say that again, my Queen," she suddenly heard a deep male voice beckon. Rubeus looked over to see that a white-haired man with a white cape appeared, walking up beside him.

"Which one is this?"

"Malachite?" Beryl gasped. She then leaned back again, folding her arms. "At least I expected you to be able to be revived by Metaria."

"That chauvinist Jedite was, too," Malachite declared, "though I only saw him briefly." He turned to the man flanking him. "And you must be Rubeus. You know now the Sailors aren't easy to beat."

"I always knew that, Mala."

"Mala? It's Malachite!"

"Whatever! Look, I know the Sailors aren't easy to beat, but Sailor Moon took it to another level. She nearly stabbed me in the throat, even pulled a gun on me, wanting to blow my damn brains out!"

Beryl widened her eyes slightly, but kept her mouth shut as she continued to watch this conversation unfold.

"At least she's a lot feistier than even we all gave her credit for. Remember, Rub!"

"Ugh, it's R..."

"I know what it is!" Beryl tried to hide her chuckle as Malachite continued. "If you want to help us, we need your cooperation. Beryl knows what she's doing, and if you really want us to find whatever the hell this crystal is, you have to be able to do what she's asking you to do."

"She hasn't asked me to do shit yet. And besides, I'm not that good at following orders." Rubeus turned to Beryl. "Give me one of your Youma for tonight. Wherever Serena is taking Darien, I'll be sure to give them a surprise they will never forget."

"Role reversal?" Beryl asked. "She asked him out? She is getting braver! Alright, pick someone you know you can keep under control and do what you have to do."

"You won't regret this, Queen B!" Rubeus vanished, leaving Beryl with only a surprised expression.

"Queen B? Please tell me I can get used to this, Malachite."

"He called me Mala. Only fitting. Though that's not my only problem with him."

"You've seen something I haven't?"

"Something about him just rubs me the wrong way."

Beryl rose to her feet. "You were the same way when we still had Prince Darien. You jealous?"

"No, not like I was when Darien was here. That was different. This is more like...well, he may be in this for himself. I don't think he cares that much about our intentions."

"And you're questioning my trust again, is that it?"

Malachite sighed. "Same thing as Zoycite, I know. I shouldn't question your orders or your..."

"Malachite," Beryl interrupted, stepping off of her throne platform and approaching her general. "What she did endangered everyone involved. She tried to kill Darien. It would've not only put our plans in jeopardy, but she put you in danger, as well. If she hadn't succeeded, what could've happened as a result? I was angry with her, and it wasn't the first time she put her own desires over the Dark Kingdom. Trust me, Malachite, it was something I really didn't want to do."

"But you even told me to clean up her steaming carcass from the floor!"

"No, I was telling you to clean up the mess she made of the situation. That was all."

The sudden compassionate streak had taken Malachite off guard. "Beryl, I never knew you didn't want to kill her."

"She was reckless, Malachite. I tried to get through to her, but she wouldn't listen. You saw what she did to Nephlite. I never wanted her to go and do that."

Malachite let out a very low groan. "In any case, I don't think Rubeus would be any better, and you're not ordering him to do anything. Seems like he's his own man."

"That's why I want you to go with him."

"Huh?"

"I would be lying to both of us if I said I completely trusted him. See what he's really after."

"He's going to attack the Moon Princess, though. Shouldn't we let him try?"

"You just said that he was..." Beryl paused, sighing heavily. "Look, I'm not saying that it's not our goal to snag the Silver Crystal. But I'm with you. He's got his own intentions, and like you said, something seems off about him. Don't help him, and try not to alert him to your presence. I want to see what he will do when he thinks no one's watching him. He won't sense me watching him though the ball, either. I'll have it off, so I'm trusting you to come back with your assessment of what happens tonight."

"The Sailors are going to know that we're back, though."

"I want them to know we're back. The Youma will blow that cover. But I don't want them knowing that we don't fully trust Rubeus yet. They obviously had issues with him, and if he angered Princess Serena enough to want to blow his head off, then..."

"...yes, I get what you're saying. The Moon Princess never acted out of anger like that before. Even during the worst of times, she never let her anger control her in that way...Seems out of place to me."

"We'll talk a bit more about Zoycite later. Do this for me, Malachite. Hopefully we'll find out why he wants this crystal, too."

Malachite bowed slightly. "As you wish, my queen." He vanished, leaving Beryl by herself.

"Malachite, it wasn't even my decision to kill her."

-xXXXXx-

Rubeus had taken a quick detour into a red rock-walled room, the very room which held the gray magical device that was able to convert Darien to work for the Dark Kingdom. He looked right at the black bed that was in the center of the structure in great thought.

'Who are you trying to fool, Queen B? Everyone knows you have the talents to get the Hizrounswa. Oh well, I guess I'll have to prove that I mean business. If you don't want to cough it up, then I will just take what is rightfully mine. You were able to brainwash Darien to work for you. I'm sure you could've gotten him to search for the crystal.'

Rubeus stared at the bed for a few more seconds, and then looked up to see what looked to him like a small screen. It was similar to the type of viewer that Beryl's crystal ball provided, though the technology was more advanced, as if it was a much earlier version of the screen that was within his escape pod.

"Well now, Beryl, why would a magical beast such as yourself need this sort of technology, huh? You have that crystal ball, so why do you need this?" He walked a few feet over to the apparatus. It was very small, actually. Just about ten inches either way, and had a small touch device to the left which Rubeus knew controlled it (he remembered that his escape pod view screen had similar controls). He pressed a green button to turn on the screen, and he saw a bird's-eye view of the Tokyo region in real time. "Woah! You got to be kidding me! They must've kept this just in case worst came to worst, like she said about her escape plan. Seems to be running on dark magic in addition to the technology. Probably how they got it to be able to have a window. I guess Beryl's crystal ball is a bit more than a parlor trick. Wonder if I can get a shot of Serena's house with this. If I can just remember how the coordinates worked on this version."

Below the large green button was a series of white buttons with numbers and such, which made it look like a cross between a phone and a calculator. Rubeus' hand traveled through the buttons, quickly entering several numbers and symbols. Within seconds, the view screen zoomed in on Serena's house, just as he had planned.

"Yes. In real time, I might add. Hope no one minds me using their machines."

"Mom, call me if you need me," he heard Serena tell her mother as Rubeus saw her begin to leave the house. "I'm going to see Darien. Got a lot of lost time to make up." Rubeus couldn't help but be amazed at her beauty. With the white sequined dress that came down to her knees and her matching high heels, if she wasn't his mortal enemy, he might have asked her if she was single.

Ikuko came outside to check on her daughter one last time with Casto, who Rubeus saw smiling at Serena upon setting their eyes on her.

"Wow, you certainly want to impress him tonight, do you?" he heard Ikuko say as she was looking her over.

"Exceptionally pretty tonight, sis! He'll have a tough time saying no to you!"

Ikuko's presence made Rubeus nostalgic. "Yeah, Ikuko, you'll never know what you gave up by not finishing what you wanted to start."

"Wow, Moon Mama, indeed!" That voice. It was her. Reenie came out to greet her future mother. "Go get him! Make sure he plants a wet one on you, too."

"Hey now, Reenie, she's still fourteen," Ikuko objected.

"She deserves a good kiss from her boyfriend. She saved my existence."

Rubeus couldn't believe it. She was still in this time. His fists trembled and his voice hissed. He was continuing to look at the family unity that he was hoping to squash (though he didn't know anything about Sammy's feeling for his mother yet). Seconds later, he punched the stop button on the keypad as hard as he possibly could and walked back to the conversion bed, fists still trembling.

"Reenie, you scrawny, bratty little bitch!" He pounded the side of the bed, a loud echo filling the room. "If it wasn't for you, Sailor Moon would be dead right now! You had to come in and expose what was controlling Ikuko, did you? You had to take her away from me! She was mine! Mine! All mine! And you came in and ruined everything! Serena is happy again, your family recovered, and I have no Hizrounswa because of you!"

Rubeus' anger, however, turned into thought. As he looked at the blank view screen, his eyes narrowed. "Hold on a minute. She did scold me for talking about Reenie back in the pyramid, didn't she? Hmm! Yeah, that's it! She thought that she didn't give a shit about Reenie, but she took such a liking to the brat. I wonder what would happen if her daughter was taken from her. I know how to prove to Queen B that I deserve to have the Hizrounswa, and get back at her for what she did to me. I will just make her pay...with her life."

-xXXXXx-

Nighttime had fallen on Juuban, and the stars were indeed shining bright along with the crescent moon that Serena had came to know and love. She wanted to treat Darien to something that he had never seen before, and she only hoped that she would be able to afford it: the Tokyo Tower. First was dinner, and then it was going up to the top of the tower to see the view from above. She had only been up there once before with her family, and only to the lower deck. She knew Darien had always wanted to have a chance to experience it. Her stomach was growling, though, so dinner obviously came first. The trip to the top of the tower was to be a surprise to Darien, and she had it all planned out in her head, one of the few times she had ever planned anything out so far in advance.

The red sports car drove up to the entrance of the Tokyo Tower's base. A huge crowd was on hand, as always, and there were a few problems with trying to find a good parking space. The parking garage would have to do, though Serena had no problems paying for the ticket. How much money had Casto given her to spend on this night? It was definitely a few hundred dollars, though his dollars to yen conversion wasn't that great. He didn't even know if it would be more yen or less in comparison. No matter, since it seemed as though Serena had the cash to fork over, even if it was only a measly buck (in dollars) to get admission into the garage.

What luck, too: there was an empty space right near the entrance. They could just get out and go to the front door on foot in under a minute. Darien sped into the space before anyone else could claim it. The only problem would be getting out of here without getting caught in one hellish traffic jam. Putting the car into park, Darien opened the door as wide as he could without hitting the sports utility vehicle that was right beside him. Did they really have to think that they owned the parking lot by missing the yellow line?

Thankfully, the Susuki motorbike on the other side was perfect for letting Serena out. That was just his luck, though: getting the bum side of the equation. He could live with it this time, though, especially since the black vehicle was unharmed. He came around to the other side and let Serena out, though she objected to him offering his hand. It was only those five inch high heels that were causing the problem, and she knew how to combat it: taking them off long enough to get out, and then slipping them back on. Hardly a difficulty.

In fact, the bigger difficulty was saying no to one sharply dressed man. Black overcoat with a green tie and a white undershirt, matching black slacks, and the shiniest black loafers that she had ever seen in her life? She knew it would be just as difficult to saying "no" to that as it was accepting her role as future Queen of the Earth. She hoped that he thought the same of her.

"You sure you can afford this place, Serena? You sure they'll even let you in?"

"Yeah, of course. My family went to the same restaurant back when we came here. It's not that expensive, though it's very classy."

"But you're not one to like classy things."

"It's the best food here, though, and besides, it's the closest to the top."

Darien smiled at her brightly, nodding as they made their way to the entrance.

-xXXXXx-

Serena knew this place all too well. It was a restaurant that was viewed as slightly higher than casual dining, though far below fine dining. It was one of the more popular steakhouses in Tokyo, and it was one of the few times that Serena could handle such a food. Nothing came close to their ribeyes and baked potatoes. Though she was able to down that and some salad—which was not a small bowl by any stretch of the imagination—it would be the twelve ounce that hit the spot for her. She had never eaten so well in her life. As for Darien, he was happy with the same potato, though with a t-bone instead. She was even able to get the same table as she had when she had come here the one other time: right by the multi-pane window in the back of the restaurant. She could see all of the wood paneling and antique-like frames and ads that made this place special. The lighting in this place, just enough to be able to see, only made it more special.

"Damn, Serena, you probably ate more than I did," Darien smiled. "Like I said, you sure you can afford all of that?"

"Yeah, I had the same thing before when I came here. My God, it was the best dinner I ever had in my life, and they did it again."

"Surprised you don't come here more often if you love it so much."

"I only reveal my knowledge of this place during special occasions. It's too out of the way to just come here every day."

Darien nodded as the waiter handed Serena the check, face down. He looked to Serena to find out if it she could afford it or if she would be washing dishes for the rest of the night. The expression that she gave upon seeing the bad news was comforting, at least.

"Forty yen! A lot more than I thought."

"Can you..."

Serena only answered by holding up a pile of money at him. Darien sat back quickly with his eyes widened. "Woah, girl! Where did you get that much money?"

"Shh! A girl never reveals her money making secrets."

"But that's way more than you get in allowance for a month."

"Like I said, a girl doesn't tell her secrets." Serena put forty one yen onto the money tray just as the server came back to retrieve it. "Can't wait to see your face when you see what I have planned next for you."

'Damn! She wasn't kidding about making it up to me. You don't have to, though, Serena.'

"That was quick," Serena remarked to the server as he returned the change to her. The server didn't say anything, only nodding to her as he returned to the kitchen. "Okay, Darien, let's get going."

"Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see," Serena answered as the two got up out of their seats. "Actually, on second thought, you won't see. Not yet, anyway." She jumped on Darien's back long enough to slip a blindfold on his eyes before he could even react, jumping off of him after (those heels were going to get it later).

"Hey, what is this all about, Serena?"

"Shh! Trust me, you won't be disappointed." She took Darien's arm and hooked it onto her own. "Walk with me. Be careful." Darien became very curious as to what she was planning, thus didn't object as she led him out of the restaurant after gathering her change.

-xXXXXx-

The elevator ride was taking a long time. It was something she was trying to live with, but she was so anxious to see the look on Darien's face when he saw the view. She had heard Darien repeatedly say that he wanted to come up here. She made sure they would be the only ones up here tonight: she had paid for the privacy that the visitors bureau offered earlier before she had met up Darien. They would have all the time in the world tonight to stare into the night sky. Just a minute more and they would be able to get off of the elevator and onto the highest deck of the tower.

The minute took longer than expected, though Serena was relieved when the elevator ride was over. She led Darien off it and about a few feet from where they were previously.

"Alright, Darien, you can take it off now." Serena called out.

Darien took his free hand to the blindfold and removed it. What stood before his widened eyes was without a rival as he gasped at the view. "S-Serena. How did you know I...?"

"How could I not? You talk about wanting to come up here all the time."

"Yes, I do, and...My God, it's incredible." He smiled as he looked around and through the thick Plexiglas floor to the Earth below. He could feel the breeze flowing through his hair and on his face, and the only sound right now was the wind's howl.

"My family came up here one other time. You're right. It's so breathtaking and peaceful to be up here."

"You're not afraid of heights?"

"No. Everyone just believes I am. Give them good reason because I panic all the time, but it's always been for other reasons. I was going very fast on the slalom that day we were at the ski resort, but it wasn't because of me being up high. Fear of heights or not, nothing can keep me from letting you see this."

"Serena, I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me that you took me here."

"Least I could do after everything I put you though last week."

Darien sighed and turned to face her. "You didn't have to. In a way, I acted like a damn jerk to you about staying to protect your family. I didn't want to lose you, and I was scared that I might have when you went to face Rubeus on that hill."

"I was very scared when I held that damn thing in my hands. But it wasn't that "oh my God, I'm gonna die" kind of scared. It was more of the what I could do scared."

"You had so much power in your hands at that point. It was something that can kill people within seconds. It's understandable if you felt that way. It's probably why I'll never own a gun. It would be too easy to shoot someone by mistake."

Serena sighed and looked out at the skyline. "Something happened to me while I was holding it. I knew how to work it; I knew how to hold it. I knew how to do what I wanted to do with it. I had never held a gun before, and after I did, I swore to myself I never would again."

"It wasn't just the gun that got to you, but it was also the rush you had, and your purpose that fueled it. You wanted Rubeus dead, and you knew that what you had could give that to you. But at the same time, you were fighting with yourself over whether or not that was what you really wanted."

Serena turned back towards Darien, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm sorry it had to come to that. I hope I never have to show that side of me again."

"Me neither. This is a good place to start, too."

"How does it feel to be receiving a date instead of giving?"

"Like heaven."

Darien couldn't take it anymore. He wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and kissed her deeply. Serena did not want this kiss to end at all as she closed her eyes. This was the best night that either of them had ever experienced.

That is, until they heard sudden screams from down below on the base level.

"What's that about?" Darien asked. "Someone hit the jackpot on one of the games downstairs?"

"Bad time for them to do that!"

Serena's eyes, however, suddenly fixated on a long-haired floating monster throwing dark energy balls at the windows of the restaurant that they had just came from. "No, not now! Anytime but now!"

"You have to be kidding!"

"This is your night, Darien! I'm not going to let whatever this thing is ruin it!"

Serena began to run for the elevator, when Darien caught her by the arm, stopping her. "Wait, Serena! Something is...familiar about that particular monster. I think I recognize it!"

"How could you..." Serena began before gasping, "Oh, my God! The only type of monsters you would recall!"

"This can't be! She's dead, isn't she?"

"Last I checked, she was!"

"That thing's gonna blow this entire structure out from underneath itself!"

Serena broke out of Darien's grip and pounded on the elevator button. Thankfully, it was right there as the door opened instantaneously and the two rushed into the car. The elevator couldn't move fast enough for her, though she could now see what the monster looked like: she had fangs that stretched outside the mouth, a blue-furred female body that was just as thin as she was, red hair, yellow eyes, talons on her bare hands and feet, and she was also extremely tall.

"Yes, it is!" Darien exclaimed. "It's a Youma, no doubt! She always called them that as a brand name!"

"C'mon, you damn elevator, go faster!" Serena pleaded, though she knew she couldn't get this thing to listen. She frantically pounded on the lowest button there was that would lead to the lowest floor it went to. After a minute, she had another thought rush though her head and called Amy on her Sailor Communicator. "Amy! It's Serena!"

"Oh, Serena," she heard Amy call out on the other end. "How's the date going? I didn't think you would call at all tonight!"

"Scan D-Point again!"

"What fo...no, please don't tell me Rubeus is trying to ruin your night!""

"Worse than that! There's a monster trying to terrorize the Tower Steakhouse! Darien recognized it as...my God!"

"Just tell me, Serena!"

"We think she's been revived!'

"Who wa...oh, my God! You mean...?"

"It's a Youma! Queen Beryl's been revived, I'm sure of it!"

"That's absurd, but Rubeus was close to D-Point. Maybe he found some Youma that weren't killed when we wiped her out and decided to use them."

"No, he wouldn't be able to control them unless he was given the power to by Beryl," Darien interjected. "She had to have been somehow."

'It's no mystery who revived her, either!' Serena thought.

"I'll scan again. Maybe I missed something on the last scan that I should've taken into consideration."

"We're going to stop that thing before it does any more damage to the building," Darien said.

"I'll let the others know what's going on! We'll be there as soon as we can!"

Serena only held the communicator in her hand, narrowing her eyes at the creature. 'You're going to pay for ruining his night!'

-xXXXXx-

Ikuko stepped outside of her house to look at the night sky. She always loved the fresh air and the cool breeze that was able to calm her nerves whenever she needed it to. Few cars traveled on this street at this time of night, thought she didn't mind it unless there was a truck or something that came through, which was extremely rare.

"How can I make it up to you, Sammy?" she said to herself. "What do you want me to do to prove to you that I would be there for you?"

"You should already know the answer to that, bitch!" That voice; it was too familiar, and it sent chills down Ikuko's body as she saw Rubeus appear right in front of her.

"Oh God, not again!"

"What are you going to do this time, Ikuko? Make sure that Sammy's dead before you check on him, huh?"

Inside the house, Reenie heard Ikuko's scream and looked out the front window to see Rubeus floating in mid air, shouting at her. "Oh no, does he ever quit?" She turned around to see a cordless phone that sat on a desk right by the steps. She knew how to get in touch with Serena to let her know what was going on right now, but she wanted to give Serena the night to herself and Darien. 'Should I just go out there and fight him myself?' She looked outside once more, hoping that Rubeus wasn't planning on firing yet. She needed to make a decision and make it now.

"Who's screaming?" Reenie heard Casto say as he was rushing down the steps. He then saw the same thing that Reenie saw. "Oh, shit! Not again!" He looked down to see Reenie staring at him, panicking. "Listen, Reenie, first, don't ever repeat that word, alright?" She nodded. "Now, second, go and call Serena! Now!"

"But she's on her..."

"GO!" He handed her his Vulture communicator. "Here, press the big button on the left to activate the frequency listing! First one on the list should be Serena! Press it again to contact her! Go, hurry!" She took the communicator from his hands—she hadn't been given one just yet-and went behind the desk while Casto stayed near the door.

"What are you doing here, Rubeus?" Casto growled. "You're not going to harm them! Not this time! Vulture Medal Power! Suit up!"

Reenie couldn't help but watch as Casto donned and adjusted the black leather gloves, the gray shirt and pants, black boots, and the shadowy vulture wings. The latter disappeared a few seconds after they appeared, signaling the end of the transformation. "So he really was Sailor Vulture." Reenie then ducked back behind the desk, long enough to call Serena.

Outside, Rubeus continued to berate Ikuko. "I see your son hates you now! How long will it be before you make your husband hate you, or even your daughter?"

"Never!" Ikuko cried. "My son is mad with me for the mistake I made, but I will not make that mistake again! I will protect my family with my bare hands if I must!"

"You're a brave woman, Ikuko! Too bad I hold all the cards!"

On the opposite side of the street, Malachite appeared upon a rooftop and stayed hidden from view behind a chimney stack. He was still able to see the action, though he made dead sure no one could see him, per Beryl's orders.

"Rubeus knows where Sailor Moon lives?" Malachite whispered to himself. "Oh, this will be good!"

"No, you don't, Rubeus!" Ikuko continued. "I know what you got me to say to my daughter, and you know I would never, ever say those things to her. C'mon, Rubeus! I'm not Serena, and I can't transform into any kind of Sailor, but I can damn sure fight!"

Ikuko's words surprised Malachite. "She knows Serena's Sailor Moon? When did that happen?"

"Oh, this will be so delicious!" Rubeus sneered. "You're just inviting your death!"

"Or you can face me, asshole!"

The voice caught Malachite off guard. However, although he didn't know who it was, Rubeus certainly did, and Rubeus knew where it was coming from: the roof of the Sommers' house. Both Rubeus and Malachite looked to see Sailor Vulture standing there, leaning on the chimney.

"Who is that?" Malachite whispered.

"Rubeus, you can't come up with anything original these days, can you? Going after someone's family again? Oh, that's hella rich!" Vulture jumped down to flank Ikuko. "I am the truth and the strength of the Sailor Soldiers! I will protect this family from the likes of you! I am Sailor Vulture, and I shall protect the unity for everyone everywhere!"

"A male Sailor Soldier?" Malachite asked himself. "Now I've seen everything. Too bad Beryl has the crystal ball and all the monitors off. She would have to see this to believe it."

"Ha!" Rubeus scoffed. "Unity? As if your family ever had it!"

"Ikuko, get inside now!" Vulture ordered. "I got this!"

As much as Ikuko wanted to stay and help Vulture, she knew where she was needed more. She nodded and went back inside.

"Too bad I can't fight Ikuko anymore," Rubeus continued. "but I don't think we've finished our little battle yet, either. Your sister wouldn't be alive right now had you not interfered!"

"Yeah, right! If I remember correctly, you were shaking in your boots when she was about to put a damn cap in your skull!"

"And you remember what I countered with, do you?" Rubeus finished by shooting a steady stream of lightning where Vulture was standing. He jumped out of the way right before it hit, tiptoed across the stone wall, and kicked Rubeus in the stomach, grabbing him in the process and throwing him into the same stone that he had used for his double jump. Rubeus crashed onto the wall while Vulture landed on the street, kneeling a bit to cushion his landing.

"Woah!" Malachite heaved softly. "Some form! That was some landing, too!"

"Now, as Tuxedo Mask told you, Rubeus, how much further are you willing to take this before you run again?"

Rubeus growled, getting back to his feet. "Oh, this time, I'm just getting started!"

-xXXXXx-

The elevator had finally reached the ground floor, and the door couldn't open fast enough as Serena and Darien both exited the car as soon as there was enough of an opening for them to get through. Darien had warned her not to transform with so many people able to see them coming down the structure, even though she was more than willing to forgo that if it meant keeping everyone safe.

"We're going to have to face him without our powers," Darien said once they got to the double doors of the steakhouse, which was now in a mess of broken glass, skewed chairs, and frames.

"No, Darien! This is your night! I'll go and..."

Serena was interrupted by a loud beep coming from her communicator. Hopefully this was the confirmation from Amy she was asking for, one way or the other. She prayed that she and Darien were both wrong as she fished for her device out of her dress and turned it on. It wasn't Amy, but Reenie.

"R-Reenie?" Serena gasped. "What's wrong? Where's mom?"

"Rubeus is outside this house!" Reenie panicked. "He wanted to face your mother, but Casto changed and went out instead!"

The news made Serena breathe heavier. "No, Reenie! Please tell me...!"

"It's the truth! I'm gonna go out there and help my uncle, but he wanted me to call you and let you know he's trying again!"

Serena could not even speak, feeling her throat dry up. There was a Youma that was trying to tear the steakhouse apart at the worst time in the world, but at the same moment, her family needed her help against the one person who had ever exposed her rage. Both of them needed her equally, but the other would not let her live with either decision.

Or so she thought, as Darien answered, "Serena, go protect your family! I'll take care of the Youma!"

"Your night, though!"

"You've given me so much tonight! Let me return the favor! It's the least I could do after I acted like a jerk to you! Your family is more important right now! Go!"

Serena paused for a few moments. Not because her mind wasn't made up—it was—but she was trying to contain her emotions again. Two seconds later, she rushed out the door, gritting her teeth.

She stopped ten seconds later, however. She had to get there as fast as she could, but something was getting in the way. She reached her hands to her heels and stripped them, opting to run barefoot the rest of the way as she continued to pump and pant her way to her house. 'Not again! God, not again!'

She needed a safe place to transform now, but there were way too many people who she was zigzagging around in order to keep from running into them. As she turned into an alley to avoid anymore pedestrians, she found a small alcove in which she knew she could get privacy. She turned into that one-person alcove and grabbed her locket.

"Moon! Crystal! Pow-!"

She stopped short, her eyes widening as she lowered her locket from above her head to right before her eyes. "''Maybe that's what I'm doing. Depending too much on Sailor Moon to fight Serena's problems,'" she recalled herself saying. "No, Rubeus, not this time. You're going to see just how enraged the Moon Princess can become." She put her Moon Locket away and ran once more, ignoring the pain of the rocks and gravel that were stabbing her feet.

-xXXXXx-

Malachite kept watching as back and forth Vulture and Rubeus went. What a show this would've given anyone on the street if they chose to watch. He didn't pay any attention to if they were waking anyone up or not. All that mattered to him right now was what was going on in front of him. Although Rubeus was getting somewhat of an upper hand by a few kicks to the gut followed by a quick uppercut that sent Vulture's back to the concrete, he knew that Vulture wouldn't stay there for very long.

And he didn't, as Vulture quickly jumped back to his feet and was back on the attack, punching Rubeus in his chest cavity, followed by a jumping knee in the chin that would have caused Rubeus to lose his footing if he hadn't jumped up onto the stone wall.

"You just don't give up, do you, Vulture Amateur?" he growled. "I could make your sister's life easier by not allowing her to accept you as the brother of the Moon Princess."

He didn't realize it the first time he mentioned it, but it was that line that made Malachite gasp. "The...brother of the...Moon Princess? You gotta be kidding me!"

"I'll never give up, Rubeus!" Vulture replied. "Or haven't you figured it out yet that persistence runs through the Serenity blood?"

"The Serenity blood?" Rubeus asked, eyes widened. "You're not fooling around with it, are you?"

"Uncle Casto, she's on her way," they all suddenly heard Reenie yell out as she ran to meet her uncle, giving him back his Vulture communicator in the process.

"Perfect!" Rubeus sneered. "That's just what I was hoping for!"

He didn't give any of them a chance to react to his words, as he fired straight lightning beams at Vulture. Vulture quickly grabbed Reenie and hoisted her out of the way.

While that was going on, however, Malachite could not remove the shock that came over him. "Wh—Who is that kid? What is she doing calling that guy her uncle?"

"You got some nerve showing your face here, Reenie!"

"I'm not afraid of you anymore, Rubeus!" Reenie smiled.

"You should be! And so should you, Uncle Casto!" Rubeus fired a double shot beam at Vulture. He jumped out of the way, running on the stone barrier before trying to jump kick him. However, Rubeus was waiting for him, and was able to counter punch him in the pelvis area, making him fall and grimace in pain, being slow to get back up.

"Damn," Malachite gasped softly. "He isn't afraid to play dirty, is he?"

"Uncle Casto!" Reenie screamed.

"And you're next, you damn brat!" Rubeus growled.

"Don't bet on it, Rubeus!" Reenie answered, grabbing her brooch. She was ready to transform to Sailor Mini Moon, and the narrow eyes that she now possessed that were locked on Rubeus, he knew that she was more than determined to stop whatever he had planned.

However, Rubeus smirked upon seeing her grab for it. 'Yes, Reenie! If I can hurt Serena by firing at it, I can stop you, too! This is my moment! I shall make history!' He got a double shot beam ready.

"Moon Prism Pow...!"

Rubeus picked this moment to fire the beam, and neither Vulture nor Reenie knew it was coming, nor could they stop it as it hit dead center on Reenie's pink heart-shaped crystal.

"Ahhh!" Reenie screamed, doubling over at the pain before being launched several yards away. She collided into a tree behind her. Rubeus chuckled at the sight.

"Reenie!" Vulture screamed. "Goddamn it, no!"

Malachite's previous shock doubled. "Good lord! What did she do to deserve that? I don't think I'd ever have the nerve to try to harm a kid like that, though I never found a reason to want to!"

"You get it yet, Reenie?" Rubeus snarled, approaching Reenie's fallen body as Vulture was fighting to return to his feet. "You foiled my plans to take Ikuko away from Serena! You destroyed my plans to claim the Hizrounswa for my own! And you ruined my plans to kill her! I figured that since I injured Serena by firing at her Silver Crystal, I could just do the same to yours! All I have to do is break that crystal, and you'll be powerless to stop me! I may not have the Hizrounswa yet, but I know she has it! I'll make sure Queen Beryl does what I want her to do!"

"Rubeus, she's telling you the truth," Malachite's whispered to himself as his shock became anger. "She knows nothing about the Hizrounswa. And you're not about to order her around!"

"As for you, Reenie, I'll make you pay! With your life!" Rubeus cried, uttering each word harshly. He held his hands up high, readying some sort of beam that neither Reenie nor Casto had seen yet. He grinned evilly as black and yellow engulfed his hands. Reenie was staggering as she was returning to her feet, but it was going to be too late for her to do anything. Vulture didn't know if he could get there fast enough, either.

Suddenly, however, Rubeus felt a sharp kick hit his stomach. The energy dissipated, and Rubeus fell flat on his back. He looked up to see who had done that: a quivering Serena!

"You dare show your face here again, Rubeus!" Serena growled. "How about you pick on someone your own damn size?"

Malachite's anger became surprise yet again. "No damn way! I never seen her that angry before!"

"My pleasure!" Rubeus yelled as he returned to his feet and lunged at Serena. She ducked a punch and countered with two of her own in his gut, and then an uppercut. As Rubeus staggered, Serena jumped, spun around in mid air, and delivered a firm kick in Rubeus' mouth. He leaned against the wall to keep from losing his balance, but quickly continued to try to punch Serena. This time, he connected with a right to her face followed by a straight head butt. Serena wasn't staggered for long as she came out of it by sweeping Rubeus' feet from under him. He jumped up only two seconds later, kneeing Serena in the stomach and punching her in the jaw. Serena was spun around by the punch, but she countered by coming back around and spin-punching him in the chin followed by another punch to the throat. Rubeus backed away as he tried not to choke from the punch.

"The...The Moon Princess never fought like that before," Malachite stuttered. "Now I know Beryl won't ever believe me unless she sees it!"

Serena saw Rubeus trying to keep air going into his lungs, and followed by jump kicking him again, which took him back to the wall. She then slammed him against it and used her arm to begin choking him. "Don't ever show your face here again, Rubeus!"

"Like you can stop me!" he coughed.

"I just showed you I can! And if you ever, ever put your hands on Reenie again, I'll kill you!"

"You're one to talk, Serena! You never cared for her...!'

Serena bashed him onto the wall again. "The hell I didn't! I'll be damned if I put her into any more danger! I love her! She's my daughter, and that's all there is to it! You harm her again, I'll make sure your blood is spilled! Do you hear me?"

"Ha! You have some...!"

Serena slammed him on the wall again, making a few stones in the wall crumble a bit. "DO YOU HEAR ME?"

Malachite could only gasp. "Oh, my God! He was right! She is taking it to another level! She's even scaring me!"

"Serena, let him go!" Vulture ordered, finally able to return to his feet and rush to try to break the two up. "He isn't worth it! He won't harm Reenie again! I personally will make sure that he never does!"

"You blindsided me, anyway, Rubeus," Reenie added, hand on the tree. "It was my mistake for underestimating how low you'd go! It won't happen again!"

"I don't know about that, Reenie," Malachite whispered. "His evil is unlike anything I've ever seen! This isn't just about some damn crystal!"

"Don't worry!" Rubeus objected. "I think I've proven myself to Queen Beryl! Welcome to Hell, Sailor Moon! You two greatest enemies, working together! How will you function now?" Rubeus disappeared before Serena could do anything else to him.

"So she is alive!" Serena answered.

"Was about to ask you what he meant by proving himself to Beryl," Casto said.

"I asked Amy to scan D-Point because a Youma was attacking the Tokyo Tower." Malachite's eyes widened as Serena continued. "Darien told me to come here and get Rubeus while he took care of that thing. Amy said she'd inform the other Sailors about what happened. Surprised you didn't hear it."

"That's because I gave Reenie my communicator to tell you about what happened here!" Vulture looked to his communicator to see that the vulture insignia was flashing. "Someone was trying to contact me, though. It must've been her!"

"Hopefully no one else on this street paid that much attention!"

"No police were informed, so I guess not! Though it's starting to make me wonder if Ikuko has a point about the cops. Rather weird that no one felt it necessary with the way me and Rubeus were going at it."

"Probably just watching a damn good show," Malachite whispered. "Either that or dismissed it as one weird dream."

"I'll see if Ikuko's alright!" Reenie intervened. "She probably needs someone to cool her jets!"

"Tokyo Tower, you said?" Vulture asked.

"Yeah," Serena replied. "We need to hurry!"

"Ah, no you don't, sis!" He looked down to her feet, which were somewhat bloody from the rocks stabbing her. "At least not barefoot you aren't! Get inside and transform, now! I don't want to see my baby sis unable to walk again!"

Serena nodded and ran inside with Reenie. Vulture sighed heavily as he looked around the street at the houses. 'Some way to prove your point, is it, Iku...?'

Vulture spotted something on the roof of the house just across the street. Malachite saw Vulture's eyes lock right at the chimney that he was hiding behind.

"Shit," he gasped. "Please tell me he didn't see me."

"Hmm!" Vulture dismissed. "Probably just my eyes playing tricks on me!" He then looked towards the door again.

Malachite sighed in relief, and then narrowed his eyes. "Youma attacking Tokyo Tower, right? That might be interesting. Too bad I can't stay to watch that. Got to figure out how to explain this to Beryl. Is she ever going to be shocked?" He then slowly disappeared from the roof.

"Okay, bro," Serena said, coming out already transformed into Sailor Moon. "Let's do this!"

-xXXXXx-

After Serena left, Darien immediately ran into the steakhouse, where he was met with a flying chair. He cut it too close as he just ducked the chair's leg impaling his temple.

"Everyone, evacuate this place, now!" Darien yelled over the screaming crowd.

"Well now," the raspy Youma remarked, "ain't this a sight for sore eyes!"

"Vampress?" Darien gasped. "They picked you?"

"Hey now, I'm not that helpless! They were going to dispose of me, but he rescued me and decided to put me to good use!"

"So Rubeus just decided to use what was left!"

"Help him and he gets told by our master where his treasure is!" Vampress used her telekinesis to pick up a table and hoist it right at Darien, who had to jump out of the way quickly, reaching for a rose in the process.

"So Queen Beryl did know where the Hizrounswa was?"

"Queen Beryl? Ah, she does live, but believe me, I would never answer to the likes of that inferior being!" Vampress threw a few shards of glass his way, but Darien saw the smaller objects as opportunity as he dodged those, ran towards the window of the steakhouse, and tackled her by jumping out of the window and to the street. The police, unlike the incident at Serena's house, were waiting with their guns pointed at the two.

"Both of you," a tall and slim officer yelled. "put your hands on your heads and freeze, or we will open fire!"

Vampress kicked Darien off of her, long enough for her to pick up the police cruiser and toss it at the officers, who had to scramble to get out of the way. The car exploded upon impact of the ground. She got back to her feet and floated again, although Darien was staring right at her.

"What do you mean Queen Beryl being an inferior being?"

"Rubeus knows a lot more about how to use us than Beryl could ever know! Great teacher he has now, though!"

'This is surreal. She's admitting that Beryl's been revived, yet she's talking as though she could care less about her! I thought they were all loyal to her! What does she mean by great teacher, though?'

Darien's thoughts were interrupted by Vampress using another car to try to hit Darien with. Darien knew he could get out of the way of the imminent explosion, though the Tower was another story. She had already damaged some of the Tower's foundation. A car exploding on it would've put it in danger of collapsing, which wouldn't be good at all. He had that rose in his hands, but now that she picked up the car and prepared to heave it at him, he couldn't risk blowing it up at any proximity.

"Mercury Ice Storm! Blast!"

A huge block of ice encased the car before Vampress could do anything with it. Although the car had a less than perfect landing and the ice shattered upon impact, the car was completely safe. Sailor Mercury ran over to assist Darien.

"What's the verdict?" he asked.

"One hundred and ten percent positive," Mercury answered with a heavy sigh. "She's definitely been revived!"

"This thing is just doing what it wants, though!"

"Did you not expect anything less, Prince Darien?" Vampress interrupted. She used her telekinesis to pick him up and slam him through a window of the steakhouse.

"Darien!" Mercury yelled.

However, what Vampress didn't realize was that she had actually done Darien a favor, as there was no one left in the steakhouse.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury yelled as she fired her tsunami power at the monster. Vampress quickly jumped out of the flood, though the water wasn't helping her any.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

"Venus Crescent Beam! Smash!"

The lightning-wired gold beam flew at a staggering pace, and its collision with Vampress couldn't have come at a better time, with her body falling back into the puddles as a result. Jupiter and Venus jumped down to flank Mercury on each side.

"Must be one of the weak ones!" Jupiter smirked.

"Not so tough when your master isn't here, are you?" Venus smiled.

Vampress quickly got back to her feet. "Don't be celebrating a victory just-!" She suddenly realized that one of her feet was within the puddles, and she screamed in reaction, jumping up and floating in the air.

"You don't like water, do you?" Mercury remarked.

"Aren't you a kidder?" Vampress answered. "Too bad for you, I can control water, too!" She raised her hand as one of the puddles came up and formed a small tidal wave. "Let's see how you can handle this!" She used her hand to make the water, now increased in quantity, flow towards the Sailors.

That was, until a red rose flew through the water, making it dissipate without a trace.

"What?" Vampress shrieked.

"Up here, dummy!" yelled Darien. It was when Vampress and the Sailors looked up on the roof of the base of the Tower that they saw that he had become Tuxedo Mask. "Thank you for giving me the cover I needed. Like I remembered, you were too hot headed for your own good!"

"You got some nerve, Tuxedo Fluke!" Vampress replied.

However, while Vampress was busy with Mask, Sailor Mars sneaked up in an alley behind Vampress. Mercury saw her, but didn't react as Mars motioned a finger to her mouth. Mars continued her hand motions by pointing to Mercury, then herself, then to Vampress, and finally giving a thumbs down sign. Mercury nodded before turning her attention back to the Youma.

Mask also saw Mars, and she responded by giving a throat cutting motion. Mask turned his attention back to Vampress. "Fluke, you say? You were Malachite's pride and joy! You really want to see a fluke; you were a fluke's favorite!"

"He means nothing to me now! Rubeus promised me that we would rule the Dark Kingdom together! All we need is the Hizrounswa, and we can make Queen Beryl bow at our feet!"

"If you want to do that," Mask laughed, "I think you would have some 's'plaining to do!" He could see Vampress clench her fist. "Want to defend yourself? Want to show that Malachite was better than I was? Prove it!"

Vampress bit, and she outstretched her hand, but Mask jumped before she was able to focus her power. Mask used the jump to fire a set of roses to surround the Youma. Before she knew it, she was trapped, the roses creating a dark lightning barrier around her.

"Mercury! Now!" Mask commanded.

"Mercury Ice Storm! Blast!" The same ice block that encased the car had now encased Vampress. There was nothing she could do now but to await the next attack and hope that it didn't kill her.

Mars smirked. "See you in Hell, Vamp bitch! Mars Celestial Fire! Surround!" The fire rings hit the ice dead on, and shrieks were the only thing heard inside the ice as it began to crack. It soon shattered while melting, making the dark soul of the monster fly out of her body and explode on the ground. Steam rose from the ashes as they disappeared into the calm air.

"Woah!" Jupiter gasped. "We're...capable of killing a Youma by ourselves?"

Tuxedo Mask jumped back onto the ground. "Not exactly. It seemed like Vampress was severely weakened. She had so many other attacks besides that, so when she flew me into the steakhouse, I told Sailor Mars about the situation and that a good combination of attacks could've done it."

"In other words," Mars added, "she wasn't as tough as she used to be."

"Not going to be as easy next time, though," Venus responded. "It was too easy!"

"Rubeus knew it, too!" the others suddenly heard Vulture say as him and Moon ran up to meet them.

"What?" Venus asked.

"It was a distraction!" Moon remarked. "He tried to attack my family again! That was his real target! Them...and Reenie!"

"Oh, my God!" Mercury gasped.

"Is she alright?" Mask asked, hands shaking slightly.

"He targeted her and hit her crystal!" Vulture answered. "She was shaken up, but nothing more than a bruised ego when it was all said and done!"

"He wanted to kill her, though!" Moon cried. "I swear, if he ever lays a hand on her again...I..."

"No, Serena, don't say it!" Mars said "I think we all have an idea of what you could do to him! And..." She sighed, "the more I hear of these actions, the more I want to see Serena tear him apart!"

"Speaking of Rubeus," Mercury interjected, "I did that scan. You were right, Serena! Queen Beryl is revived. There were so many energy readings at D-Point, and it was a direct match to the records of what we got from when Beryl was there."

"Yeah, we know now," Vulture reacted. "Rubeus had no problem spilling the beans on that! Like I said, he's really one for beating his chest over his accomplishments."

"The Youma said that, too!" Mask added. "Though I don't know the meaning behind what she was saying about Beryl. It was like she was more loyal to Rubeus than to Beryl. She was never like that. Something doesn't add up here."

"Whatever the reason," Vulture smirked, "be sure you guys keep me and Sailor Moon busy. If you guys keep killing these things by yourselves, we'll end up getting laid off before long."

"Don't worry," Mask replied. "Rubeus just picked the weakest because he was more worried about picking a fight with you two than with us. If you didn't get there, Rubeus would've succeeded."

"Thanks," Moon smiled. "And Darien, I'm sorry about tonight."

"What are you talking about, Sailor Moon?" Mask approached her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You invited me to one of the best places to eat, took me to the one place I've always wanted to go, and let me completely trash one of those Youmas. This was one of the best nights of my life, and I owe it all to you. Thank you, my love."

Darien and Serena leaned into a heavy, deep kiss. It was one that Vulture was looking on with a sly smirk and narrow eyes. He then looked to his peers. "Do they do this in public all the time, or just on special occasions?"

Serena broke off the kiss long enough to give Casto a firm slap in the back of the head. "Hey now!"

"Ow!" Casto yelped, holding his head. "It was just a question!"

"Oh yeah? Next question might be how you got that headache after I smack ya around a bit! Remember, I had your number when you tried to wrestle me on the Moon!" Moon gave her brother a cold stare, telling Vulture one thing.

"Ah, crap!" He began running for his life, Moon speeding after him.

"Yeah, they're definitely related." Mask chuckled.

"And I thought we had enough of a headache with one or two Serenas in our group," Mars added. "Now we got three!"

"Though we wouldn't have it any other way!" Jupiter objected.

'No,' Mars thought. 'I wouldn't want it any other way,'

-xXXXXx-

"Queen Beryl," Malachite called out. "I got my report ready."

Beryl sat on her throne, though her crystal ball staff was leaning on the side of the throne chair. "What happened?"

"He used Vampress."

Beryl recoiled her head slightly, confused. "What? Vampress could've been killed by a fly in her state. Why did he pick her?"

"He didn't have her with him at Serena's house."

That line caught Beryl off guard. "Wait, I thought Rubeus was going to be controlling the Youma."

"No, the Youma was at the Tokyo Tower for some reason. I guess some other battle was going over there."

"Forcing them to divide and conquer. Interesting strategy."

"Well, Serena got to the house alone, and she didn't even transform to Sailor Moon. She fought Rubeus with her bare hands."

Beryl's eyes widened. "She...fought him? Like a..."

"Fist fight, yes. I never knew she could do that. She was rather pissed at him for something. That was one of the few times where I was a bit scared at what I was seeing. Or maybe she noticed the other thing I saw."

"What was that?"

"There was a child. Pink hair, calling this guy her uncle. I'll explain it later. But when she came out, it looked like she was going to transform into some Sailor herself. I have the feeling they added to their ranks."

"Thought they might. The Soldiers had more than just those five. Continue."

"Well, when she was about to transform, Rubeus struck the crystal."

Beryl's gasp echoed across the throne room. "What?"

"He struck it with everything he had. I don't know what she did to deserve that, but for some reason, Rubeus wanted her dead and knew how to do it!"

Beryl's jaw continued to be open. "He...wanted to...kill her?"

"He said something about her ruining his plans to split Serena's family apart or something like that. He blames her for everything, and if Serena didn't attack him when she did..."

"Malachite," Beryl choked, "tell Rubeus that I have to see him immediately."

He heard her getting choked up, as well. "Beryl, something wrong?"

"Just...tell him I need to see him as soon as he returns! That's a direct order!"

'Something's wrong!' Malachite thought. 'Never seen Beryl like this before.' However, he only said, "If that is what you desire, my Queen, it shall be done."

-xXXXXx-

About ten minutes later, Rubeus appeared in the Throne Room of the Dark Kingdom. This time, Beryl had her staff at her feet, awaiting his arrival. Rubeus appeared right in front of her.

"Malachite told me you wanted to...!"

That was all he got out of his mouth before Beryl grabbed him and shoved him as hard as she could into one of the jagged walls, holding him up by the throat with her staff. "Don't you ever go behind my back like that again!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Qu...?"

"Shut up! You were trying to kill a child! She had nothing to do with this!"

"Beryl, what's with you? That child will become the new Princess of...!"

"I don't give a shit who she is! She's off limits!"

"What, you're showing compassion now, over some bratty kid? Like you ever cared if children became collateral!"

"I care now," she growled. "From now on, I will make sure you're supervised!"

"For what? Reenie will be the deaths of all of you!"

"And you would question my motives? Are you that delusional? This Reenie girl is off limits, and if I ever hear that you tried to harm her again, Princess Serena will be the least of your problems, because what she will do to you will pale in comparison to what I will! Are we clear?"

"Yeah, we're clear!" Rubeus sneered, shoving Beryl off of him as he held his throat. "Completely clear! What made you such a legend before has now made you nothing but a has-been! Now caring about children!"

"We would never try to kill children in cold blood like you!"

"I can't even make sense of any of this! Go ahead and treat me like the children you're saying are off limits! You'll see what I mean! Reenie is a danger to all of you, and if you can't see that, then maybe you don't deserve to be revived!" Rubeus fumed for a few more seconds, and then pivoted and walked out of the room.

Beryl only gave a cold stare all the while, until he was gone. She could feel her lips quiver, and her hands shake. She growled and turned herself, dropping her staff in the process.

-xXXXXx-

Rubeus saw Malachite listen in on the conversation in the main hallway. The two exchanged glances, until Rubeus chimed in, "You betray me too, Malachite."

"How would I ever do that?"

"You told her everything! I wanted you to see what I was capable of. I'm not stupid, nor am I blind. Behind the chimney, spying on me! Did you really think I wouldn't know?"

"And did you really think I wouldn't say anything to her?"

"Look what she did to me, Mala! My logs never told me that she cared about children getting hurt! She's a fraud!"

Malachite fumed as he narrowed his eyes at Rubeus. "No, she isn't! She may not show it all the time, but she knows what she's doing! I don't agree with everything she orders us to do, yes, but I know I can trust her!"

"Ha! What kind of trust would it be to leave your girl's carcass on the floor for you to wipe up?" Rubeus saw Malachite's teeth clench. "What do you know? I hit a nerve. Just keep lying to yourself, Mala. You'll see it my way." Rubeus smirked as he walked away.

'We'll see about that, you sadistic son of a bitch. Beryl has nothing on you. You're pure evil. She has a point. Reenie did nothing to you or to us.' He then looked towards the double marble doors that led to the throne room. 'Though I do agree with him on one thing: why the sudden compassion, Beryl? Is there something you're not telling me?'

-xXXXXx-

Beryl could only lean her back on the wall she had slammed Rubeus into earlier. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she was trying to keep herself calm. No, it was more than that. She could feel an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time: her eyes were beginning to water.

'It's never going to happen again,' she thought, trying to fight the tears. 'I'll make sure of it. I don't know who he's saying you are, Reenie, but you'll be alright. My fight is with Sailor Moon, not you. I won't ever allow you to be hurt. That day...God, it still haunts me. I'll never let something like that happen.'

She then told herself a line she somehow knew she was going to have to repeat to herself many times over:

"Never again!"

---

There's the first chapter of War Games. I think this length is going to be the norm right now, so I hope you won't mind.

Hopefully you will join me for chapter two. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Until then, good night and good luck.