A Night Out

"That was really good. You should have been named Sailor Cook." Serena giggled, leaning back in her chair. She wore a sky blue dress that went to her knees and her hair remained in her trade mark style.

"The meal was great." Raye wore her now typical formal business suits, looking highly professional.

"Well thank you." Lita couldn't hide the huge smile that crept on to her face.

"So how's the store going?" Raye questioned, the three had all come to eat in Lita's apartment located above her shop: The Chocolate Flower. The store sold flower, candy, cookies, and cakes.

"Surprisingly good, it's been a lot of work but every ounce of it has been worth it"

"I can't believe it's been eight years since we graduated. I never thought I would get out of school" Serena added.

"It must be nice to be able to accomplish your dream?" Raye's voice carried a sad note to it.

"Accomplishing dreams are the world's greatest things" Serena didn't seem to notice the tone though; Lita gave Raye a worried look.

"So why are Darien and you fighting so much?" Raye jibbed, looking at Serena.

"I don't know, it's everything. He never comes home happy, he stresses out and is frustrated all the time, and one thing just leads to another. Even Luna is worried about us."

"Maybe he's just having a hard time at work." Lita suggested. "You know how guys are, they can't say it outright."

"Well it's not fair. He shouldn't come home angry, it's not like I make his life hard" Serena quickly shot.

"Sure you don't." Raye stated in a mocking tone.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Serena was glaring at Raye, who was smirking.

"Serena, his life has been hard since the day he meet you. He's probably about to get fired from missing so much work due to having to coming and save you all the time." Raye shot back causing Serena's eyes to fill with tears.

"Raye that's not fair." Lita remarked.

"Are you blaming me?" Serena looked down at her lap hiding her tears.

"Stop it Serena don't cry, I'm just telling you why he's frustrated so much. I know how it feels to be…" Raye stopped. "Forget about it."

"I don't make his life hard." Serena cried tears in her eyes. "I don't make the monsters attack the city. Do you think I like going out to fight every few days?"

"I am sure Raye is not blaming you, she is just stating why Darien is so frustrated." Lita had grown uncomfortable with the two fighting.

"Anyways the meal was great, but I need to be going." Raye snapped glancing at her watch and getting up.

"Why are you always so busy? I mean what are you doing all the time?" Serena asked looking at her friend in worry.

"You know... all kinds of stuff"

"I'll give you a ride back to the temple" Lita rose, but Raye too quickly stated, "I would rather walk, trying to stay in shape" she added.

"It's late, you could…" Serena began.

"Get mugged? I'm Sailor Mars, I fight monsters. I'm not scared of a mugger."

"One moment before you leave, I had an idea for this weekend" Serena commented a smile appearing on her face.

"Shoot" Lita said while brushing her fingers through her wavy brown hair.

"Since everyone is coming back and we haven't all been back in years, I think we should throw a party. We could have it at my house and you could cook" Serena looked hopefully at Lita…

"It won't be the same without..." Lita's eyes were cast down and a sadness gripped the Amazon woman's face.

"Oh...Mina…I miss her so much..." Serena almost choked while fighting back tears.

"No, but maybe Serena's right. A simple dinner party might be a good idea." Raye commented "Mina would have wanted us to be happy."

"Don't talk about her in past tense, she just..." Lita looked away.

"She will show up, you'll see." Serena gave Lita's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"It's been three years and I want to believe as much as anyone, but we have to face the chance that she is dead and…" Raye started but was interrupted by Lita.

"Anyways their some new recipes I would love to test on you guys" Lita added forcing a smile as the group headed toward the stairs.

"So will you bring your mystery man?" Serena asked as they walked down the stairs into the shop.

"He's out of town for the next two weeks and then..." Lita commented.

"He's busy, but when do I get to meet him?" Serena whined.

"You'll get too meet him sometime, I promise." Lita unlocked the door with smile.

"Well it has been a wonderful night…" Raye started but stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?" Lita commented recognizing the look upon the young woman's face. They had seen that face a hundred times.

"I sense something evil!" The woman closed her eyes clearly trying to get a fix on it.

"Not again." Serena snarled. "It's almost midnight, don't they ever sleep?"

"No." Lita groaned.

"This way" Raye commented taking off at a dead sprint down the dark winding street of Tokyo. Finally Raye came to sudden stop. "We're very close" she cautiously headed towards a near by path that lead under a bridge, scanning for the source of what she felt. The trio moved searching for any signs of an attack but the night was completely silent.

"I don't see anything." Serena said, searching the dark alleys and the windows of the near by stores.

"I see you." a voice high above cackled. Their eyes shot up to find a web had been formed above the crossing bridge and four cocoons of what had to be people were hanging within it.

"Move!" Lita cried out diving around a ball of sticky web. She pulled out her pen but was slammed by another ball knocking her to the ground and sending her pen sliding a few feet away.

"Lita" Serena screamed rushing to help her friend.

"Get out from under the bridge!" Raye yelled while barely avoiding another ball of the sticky web. Serena only managed to take a few steps before she was nailed in the back and sent sprawling to the ground near Lita.

"What is this stuff?!" Serena cried, unable to get her hand free to grab her locket. Raye, who had managed to get out from under the bridge, quickly transformed.

"Some fire should burn away those webs." she started to do her Fire Sniper Arrow but stopped when she fell to the ground, her eyes still looking toward them. A blue glowing blade like an energy weapon stuck out of her back.

"Raye" Lita screamed trying to get free.

Serena's eyes expressed fear for her fallen friend. "Raye… Raye!"

"Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Moon" a man stated, walking out from a near by alley, an evil smile spread across his pale face. He was a young man around Darien's age with blond hair and green eyes that shown with delight.

"You are as lovely as I was told."

"Who are you?" Serena asked, still trying to reach her brooch but found herself too entangled, while Lita reached out with her finger, attempting to grab her pen that lay only a foot away.

"Why would I tell you that Sailor Moon?"

"I am not Sailor Moon, why would you think that?" Serena pretended, trying to cover up her identity.

"Since your friend transformed into Mars, I would think you would be the meatball." he said in a, that's a stupid question tone.

"Well you messed up buddy, she's just my friend" Serena gave a nervous giggle trying to figure a way out of this. "Do I look like Sailor Moon?"

"Please don't act like I'm stupid" He sharply growled. "Sailor Moon or should I say Serenity, we have watched you for a very long time, as we did Venus before we took her out."

"What?" Lita snapped, her eyes turning to complete hate.

"Yes, and when we killed Greg, that tore Mercury up so bad!"

"Bastard! I will make you pay!" Lita snarled trying to rip the web.

"That's highly unlikely."

"Raye get up." Serena cried reaching out for her friend, but unable to reach her. Sailor Mars remained face down, her eyes staring at them ghostly.

"She's not dead princess, my dagger only paralyzed her. Princess Mars' powers have become of great interest to our leaders."

"Who are you and what do you want?" Lita snarled almost reaching her pen with the tip of her fingers.

"It won't matter to you two, you will be dead very soon. It's amazing what our metamorphic crystal can do too a common spider." He flashed them an evil smile. Lita's eyes looked up into the darkness to see a Spider beast hanging above them. Serena let out an ekk as she caught sight of the creature.

"Can I eat them now master?" the creature questioned.

"Get away from her!" Lita commanded as the man walked toward Sailor Mars.

"Enjoy" he stated while lifting Sailor Mars off the ground into his arms.

"Oh once you have eaten the Princess make sure to send the crystal back to us."

"Come back here" Lita snarled as the man vanished into the dark alley. The massive creature sent two strings of web flying down, one landing on each glob of web. With a powerful jerk they began to be lifted off the ground slowly towards the other cocoons.

"Not good." Lita muttered trying to free herself but still incased in the glob of web.

"I can't get to my brooch" Serena wailed in a panicked voice as they were slowly being brought toward the top of the bridge and to the jaws of the creature. The creature moved for Lita first.

"Stay away from her" Serena commanded. The creature took no notice as it plunged both fangs into Lita's shoulder, the young woman let out a cry before her eyes slide shut.

"No Lita!" Serena cried as the creature began to weave her into a cocoon. "Leave her alone!" Serena screamed, fire burning in her eyes.

"Don't worry I am going to eat you first." the beast snickered.

"What!" Serena cried. "I don't want to be eaten!"

"Wind Cyclone Arrow!" a voice called out as a blast of wind hit the web, tearing much of the restraints away from the wall. The web fell towards the ground but due to a few parts still being stuck, the fall was slow enough to avoid any injures. Trying to get up she fell over, still being entangled in the web. Her eyes caught on to a Sailor Scout; her long black hair was pull up into a pony tail on the top of her head, her suit was grey where theirs were white and she had a white skirt. Long white wings with a grey tips extended from her back and in her hand was a bow and arrow.

She used her wings to remain at about two stories above the ground.

"How dare you destroy my web, you annoying fly." the monster screamed, flipping off of it and shooting a ball of web at the flying woman. The woman dived around it.

"Lighting.." she stated while drawing the bow back "Strike" The moment her finger released the arrow a spark lit the arrow into a blast of electricity that hit the spider, knocking it into a near by wall.

"Comet..." a new voice cried and Serena's eyes found another sailor with a brown leather skirt and yellow top standing to her left. She raised her arm into the sky and then yelled, "Shower!" A hailstorm of blue comets flew down taking out the creature and leaving a great deal of damage in its wake. Serena attempted to rise and move toward Lita who was still in the cocoon but only managed to fall on her belly.

"Stay still, we will get it off" the Sailor in yellow and brown commanded. "Man it is really sticky" she said as her hand touched the web. As she pulled her fingers away, Serena noticed she had on a steel knuckler.

"Let me" a female voice said as a new Sailor slowly walk out of the alley. It took Serena a moment to realize the girl was blind, for she was using a stunning gold sun staff as a guide pole.

"Where is the web?" she asked, the winged sailor quickly moved to her side and guided her to the main base of the web. The blind woman placed her hand on the web.

"Sun…Spark" she stated, snapping her fingers together. The flame shot out burning along the web with extreme speed and burning out just as fast without hurting Serena, to her shock. Finally free Serena rushed to Lita's side where she was still lying on the ground like all the other people.

"Check the injured" the blind woman, whose suit was gold with a white skirt, ordered. Her long golden hair hung down to her hip.

"Dead." the winged Sailor sorrowfully reported near a woman who lay face down.

"You don't want too look at this guy" the other stated standing up with a horrified face. "I don't think any of them have been alive for awhile"

"Lita get up!" Serena cried shaking her friend, tears already streaming down her face. "She's so cold" Lita's breathing was so slow that Serena could barely feel it. The skin along her neck spreading from the wound had turned black.

"She's been poisoned and it's acting fast" the blind woman stated leaning down next to Serena. The other two Sailors stood over her with fear in their eyes as Lita stopped breathing.

"No!" Serena cried, shaking her friend. The woman reached past her and laid her hand on Lita's head.

"Sun Fire of Cleansing Light" she stated, her hand lifting up. Serena found a circular gold sun like symbol glowing on Lita's forehead. The symbol grew until Lita was engulfed in the glow. When it died away Serena found Lita's skin had returned to its' normal color.

"She should be fine now." The woman gave Serena a warm smile while looking in her direction.

"Thank you!" Serena cried, hugging the woman, tears streaming down her face; she clearly had surprised the woman who gave her a gentle hug back.

"Serena?" Lita barely whispered. Serena turned back to her friend grabbing her in a hug.

"Don't ever scare me like that." she scolded.

"Rising Mist" a voice from behind stated, Serena found herself engulfed in a wall of mist.

"Wait come back!" she cried but no answer came. In a few moments the mist began to die away and she found herself alone. Serena quickly grabbed her purse and took her cell phone out.

"Darien we need you, were on…" she stated looking for a sign."Koa Street"

"Serena, are you okay?" his voice told her he was looking for her as they spoke. He could always sense when she was in danger.

"We got in a fight and Lita's in real bad shape, but we're alive"

"I'm on my way" his voice carried his fear. Serena leaned over her friend who had drifted back into blackness.