Chapter 3: To Know a Chibi Knight/Fighting for the First Time
Tanga sulked through the pristine halls of the Vile Crystal Palace, hands behind her back. She pouted as she bitterly kicked at the floor. How was she supposed to have known the senshi would be able to defeat Soldier? That breed of starless was generally quite reliable, after all it had been a Soldier who defeated and almost succeeded in killing Jupiter Knight in the future. The auburn-haired pre-teen sighed and crossed her arms, leaning against the wall and sliding to the ground with her legs stretched out in front of her. Why had Lady Lavender been so furious about losing a Soldier? They had at least a billion more.
"If Chibi Moon hadn't interfered then they'd have been beaten," She whined. Of course Lady Lavender hadn't been that angry until Jezal and Lima decided to repeatedly press the issue. They were always trying to get her in trouble. Tanga really didn't need their help, trouble seemed to find her on its own. That being...true, it was a wonder why Lady Lavender continued to put Tanga in charge of the various operations taking place on Earth.
"If I'm such a failure why keep sending me? Just let me stay here and play with the Shadows..." She heard a shrill, snarky giggle and turned to see Jezal hovering over her. Tanga threw a glare at her fellow general, but it was only momentarily. She quickly looked away, frowning.
"Tanga, Lady Lavender continues to send you because your demise wouldn't be a particularly painful loss. If anything, it'd just give her more Soul Force to feed to the Black Vile Crystal," Tanga crossed her arms and remained silent. Jezal was amazing at taking any rebuttal she made and twisting it around to make her look foolish.
"In fact, she's thinking about destroying you herself," Tanga gasped and looked at Jezal, seeing a glimmer of excitement in the green-haired witch's eyes. Tanga felt her jaw tightening and looked away, pulling her knees up to her chest. Jezal laughed and ruffled Tanga's hair as she passed, an act that never failed to infuriate the much younger girl. Tanga swiped at Jezal's hand, missing by a mile. She smoothed out her hair and sighed.
"I need to find that Princess Soul, I don't wanna die..." Tanga leapt to her feet and took off, opposite the direction Jezal had gone. Little did she know, Jezal and Lima were just down the hall watching her go. Lima was sitting, sprawled out lazily while Jezal was smirking.
"You know what to do, keep an eye on her. If she finds the Princess Soul," Lima waved her hand and yawned, slowly sliding to her feet.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll kill her and take it," Jezal nodded, snickering venomously after Lima had left. The little brat didn't have a chance in Hell.
XxXxX
The return to present time was as uneventful as the trip to the future had been. Minor changes had incurred, mostly in the form of Kenta and Kei bickering the entire trip, but otherwise it was a typical journey. Through the use of Luna-P, Chibiusa was able to invoke a massive group hypnosis to cover up the identities of the Chibi Knights. To Minako and Ami's parents, Tetsuo and Kei became sons. For Rei's Grandpa, Koichi was now his very timid little grandson, and for Usagi's parents, cousin Chibiusa had always been a teenager.
Makoto needed only enough aid in convincing her landlord that Kenta had always lived with her, and the Outer Senshi needed only steel their nerves for preparing themselves for the task laid out before them. Their house found itself now packed with not one pre-teen girl, but a pre-teen girl and four boys, ranging in age from seven to twelve. Everyone said a silent prayer for Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna's sanity.
XxXxX
Rei and Koichi knelt before the Great Fire, deep in prayer. Hoping to find more answers in regards to their enemy, the two had sought out the fire's wisdom. Unfortunately, after nearly an hour and a half, they were no closer to understanding the mysterious "Black Vile Crystal" than when they had begun. Rei peeked one eye open and watched Koichi, noting the strain on the little boy's face.
Koichi's eyes were clenched tightly shut, sweat trickling down his brow. His cheeks were a little red, his teeth grinding together rhythmically in time with the crackling of the fire. Rei frowned and lightly tapped Koichi's arm, startling him and bringing him out of his forced trance.
"Huh? W...What's wrong Mama? Uh...I mean Rei...that feels so weird," Rei chuckled softly and patted Koichi's hand.
"You're trying too hard Koichi...just relax. It's okay if you don't get an answer every time," Koichi shook his head and blinked his eyes quickly, becoming a little more red in the face.
"No it's not okay! I can't do this...I always get a picture, but it's always the same! Ever since I was seven...before that I never saw anything at all," Rei blinked and folded her hands in her lap, casting a friendly, understanding smile. Koichi noticed and blushed, looking down.
"What happened when you were seven?" Koichi shook his head. He really didn't want to talk about it, and he definitely didn't want to make Aunt Setsuna mad by talking about it. Rei nodded, guessing at least one of the reasons. She sighed and slouched a little, glancing at Koichi. "Then...why don't you tell me what you see? Maybe we can figure out what it means," Koichi held his breath, staring into the Great Fire with great trepidation. The image—he'd seen it so many times now he could recall it perfectly, detail for detail.
"Well...I'm sitting in the dark, and it's freezing cold. I can't see anything and I'm really wet, I think it's raining, but I can't see anything, I can't get up either...and the longer I watch, the more heavy my clothes get...by the time I wake up I'm laying down and can't move," Rei blinked and looked up at the ceiling. That was certainly a vague vision for Koichi to have recurring for over a year.
"Does it ever change at all?" Koichi started to shake his head, then bit his lip. He nervously looked up at Rei, looking back down and leaning against her side. He wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly and clenching his eyes shut. Rei felt him shudder, his breaths coming in more ragged drags. The topic didn't seem to be open to discussion any longer. Though still curious, she held him while he fought against crying.
"Don't worry Koichi, it's fine. Now come on, let's have a snack before we finish our chores. I promise, you're doing just fine. I wasn't exactly a fire-reading prodigy myself," Koichi shook his head as the two rose and began to leave.
"You're lying...I know how great you were as a kid, I heard all the stories from Grandpa before he..." Koichi trailed off and this topic Rei didn't dare pursue. Just as they were leaving the room, they happened to bump into Yuuchirou, who was humming and tapping on the handle of his broom, off in his own little world. Rei glared and cleared her throat loudly, catching Yuuchirou off guard and making him jump. He laughed and scratched his scraggly hair.
"Sorry Rei, had the best idea for a riff and got a little caught up in the moment," Rei shook her head, but couldn't hide a tiny smile. Yuuchirou grinned and ruffled Koichi's hair making the little boy grin.
"Hey Koichi! How's it goin' man? Keepin' your sister out of trouble, eh?" Koichi scratched his hair and nodded, giggling and grinning. Rei blinked, looking at Yuuchirou and then at Koichi, noting a certain—but painfully striking—similarity. Yuuchirou bid the two goodbye and returned to his chores. Rei noted how Koichi happily waved goodbye, not as shy as he usually was. Koichi looked up at his future mother, beaming.
"So um...can we get something to eat now?" Rei nodded and they went on their way. Koichi's vision was now the furthest thing from Rei's mind. She couldn't stop thinking about how much Koichi looked like him.
XxXxX
Kei laid back on his bed, staring at the ceiling fan. The door creaked open and a pair of blue eyes peered in, watching him carefully. Minako sighed and leaned against the wall outside the door. She turned to Artemis who was sitting beside her and shrugged.
"So uh...how should I talk to him? Just walk in like, oh hey! Or what?" Artemis shrugged, peeking in to look at the fiery nine-year-old. Both had been largely stumped on just how to interact with a child as downright antagonistic as Kei. Minako tapped her chin, looking out the window at the quite beautiful day shining in. Why exactly was Kei in the house anyway? She wasn't even a little boy, but it was killing her to be indoors.
"That'll work," She muttered, knocking on the door and sliding in with a sheepish smile, "Hey Kei, how're you doing?" Kei had been throwing his pillow into the air and letting it fall back onto him, but stopped as soon as Minako made her presence known.
"...What do you want, kid?" Minako winced and laughed nervously. Artemis sighed and hopped up on the window sill, looking outside. Kei's future mother sat down on the end of the bed, making an attempt to at least not appear intimidated.
"What's a growing boy doing inside on such a great day? You should be out playing with your friends!" Artemis pointed out, smiling as warmly as he could manage. Kei resumed his previous method of entertainment, this time punching the pillow when it came back down.
"I'm grounded, that means I can't go outside, idiot," Feline and female alike balked, nearly falling from their respective perches. Minako leaned closer to Kei, staring in disbelief.
"You've not even been here a whole day! How did you get grounded?!" Kei let the pillow hit him in the face the next time it fell, pushing it off and shrugging.
"I called your mom a nosy old hag for complaining about us being out late last night," Minako's jaw dropped, and Artemis actually laughed out loud.
"You told her that to her face?" Kei shrugged and sneered, sitting up and leaning on his pillow.
"I don't see her at all in my time, I figured I shouldn't pass on any opportunity to snipe at her while I'm here," Minako laughed in disbelief, then simply laughed for hilarity's sake. There had been more than one time when she'd wanted to say a few choice words to her mother...she never imagined her future son would be the person to actually do it.
"That's amazing...but you really should try to stay out of trouble Kei," Kei rolled his eyes and laid back down, throwing his pillow up again.
"I really don't care what you say, you aren't my mom yet. Get out of my room, kid," Minako's previous belief that she might be getting through to Kei was shattered. She could feel her patience beginning to wear thin.
"I may not be your mom yet, but,"
"Get your 'but' off my bed and out of my room," Minako bristled, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. Kei stopped momentarily, taking in her appearance. That was a pose he was very familiar with.
"Look you smart mouthed little brat, I'm not going to just sit here and let you talk to me like this!" Kei promptly threw his pillow in Minako's face, glaring at her with a mocking expression hanging from his lips.
"That's funny, you're standing, moron," Minako screamed and stormed out of the room after throwing the pillow back at Kei, knocking him on his back. Artemis glared at him before he fled after his owner. Kei continued laying where Minako had knocked him, staring at the blunt end of the pillow.
XxXxX
"So what do you want for supper tonight, Kenta?" Makoto glanced back and sighed, wondering how on God's green Earth she'd ended up with Jun as well. "Shouldn't you be with Setsuna, Jun?" Jun halfway glanced at Makoto, shrugging. He grinned and quickly turned back to where he and Kenta were looking, both snickering and whispering. Makoto blinked and approached the two, groaning and rolling her eyes when she saw what had caught their attention.
"Guys, we don't have time for you to ogle, let's get our groceries," Moaning, both boys turned away from the two older teens they'd been eying and resumed their far less exciting quest. Neither was about to complain though, they both heartily agreed that any food cooked by Kenta's mom—or future mom in this case—was worth the boredom.
"The redhead totally looked at me, I thought I saw her wink," Jun put his hands in his pockets and shook his head, sighing.
"Kenta she was adjusting her contact," Kenta laughed and hit his chest, flexing.
"You're just jealous I'm the babe magnet," Jun coughed, biting his thumb when he covered his mouth. The assertion was arrogant, but past experience showed that Kenta did tend to get the attention of their female peers quite often.
"Alright that's enough, if you're going to be having dinner with us, you can help pick out a few things, Jun," Kenta and Jun had previously been walking a good four feet behind Makoto, but begrudgingly closed the distance to help. "Why aren't you with Setsuna anyway, Jun? I'm sure she'd loved to get to know you better," Jun laughed mirthlessly and tossed a can into the shopping cart.
"I'm sure she would," Makoto actually flinched at the amount of sarcasm dripping from his words. Kenta didn't react at all, not even as much as a worried look or sympathetic gesture.
"What makes you say that? I know she would, even if she's against this whole situation," Kenta sighed and banged his head lightly on the shelf he was looking through.
"Oh great, here it comes," Jun bit his tongue in annoyance, throwing a box in the cart, much harder this time.
"Yeah, right. All she cares about is that stupid door," Makoto frowned, putting a hand on her hip.
"Well the Time Door is awfully important, it'd be terrible if someone really messed up history," Kenta was now banging his head a little harder, groaning out loud.
"Don't get him started! Come on I'm hungry let's just go!" Too late, Jun glared and crossed his arms tightly.
"She does such a fantastic job, huh? That whole Death Phantom spiel and now this, real bang up job!" Makoto huffed and shook her head. Now she knew why Kenta was acting the way he was. Jun was impossible to talk to. Maybe not impossible, Minako's son was worse from what she'd seen of him.
XxXxX
Ami and Tetsuo were at home, lounging in the living room and hard at work reviewing their information regarding Lavender and her generals. Ami tapped her lip, pushing her glasses up.
"Tetsuo what information do you have on those Starless creatures?" Tetsuo was staring intently at his mini-computer, biting his bottom lip and narrowing his eyes. His glasses had slid down his nose, being carelessly thrust up on occasion
"Well I don't know much about that...but I do know that I just kicked this guy in Newark's butt!" Ami blinked and slowly got to her feet, walking over and sitting next to Tetsuo, her face falling when she saw the display on his monitor.
"You are playing a card game on your computer?" Tetsuo grinned and nodded, jumping up and letting Ami sit down. "Oof!" She jumped when he plopped down on her lap, bringing up the scripting for the program he was running.
"Yeah I just did a quick search for online trading card games. I didn't wanna buy this one, so I just made the program myself," Ami blinked and looked through the coding.
"Have you seen the coding for the actual program?" Tetsuo shrugged and shook his head.
"Nah I do this kind of stuff all the time, ooh you gotta see this program!" Tetsuo pulled up another program on the computer, displaying three dimensional rendering of each of the Chibi Knights and Sailor Senshi. Ami noticed that there were more figures, but they had been shaded out and weren't selectable.
"I imagine those must be our husbands, the Sailor Knights?" Tetsuo nodded and ran his finger over the screen, tapping on his own figure.
"Yup, I blocked them out so Aunt Setsuna wouldn't freak out about the time stream. Using this program I've recorded not only a running statistical analysis of our abilities but computerized demonstrations, basic strategies involving different combinations, formulas detailing who works best with whom, and a plethora of intricate interfaces that make planning for battle on the fly a snap!" Ami whistled and smirked at the little boy, who wasn't hiding the cocky smirk on his face.
"So you're a little tactical genius huh?" Tetsuo scratched his head and blushed dark red.
"Uh...well not really...I mean the program is great and all, but most of the time Kei just ignores it...or I forget to use it," Ami grinned and scratched her head, laughing sheepishly.
XxXxX
"Go long Masa!" Setsuna looked out through the sliding glass door, smiling and chuckling. The bright grin on Haruka's face as she played with the four kids was almost enough to lift the weight sitting in her chest. Jun had left very quickly after they had arrived to the present time. She hadn't seen nor heard from him since. He hadn't been particularly subtle about his intense dislike of her.
"Surely there's someway I can be there for him...even with my duties," She had left the doors of time before, several times on occasion. Even now she wasn't stationed at her post. Surely somewhere down the line, she'd find someway to make things up to her wayward son. Setsuna barely acknowledge the soft pair of hands setting the tea cup next to her. Smiling she looked up at Michiru, who smiled tenderly back.
"You're welcome to join us outside Setsuna, you are family after all," Setsuna took the cup and sipped slowly.
"I may come out in a little while, don't worry about me, Michiru. I'm quite alright," Michiru touched her shoulder gently and smiled. Setsuna smiled and nodded in return, promptly the aqua-haired teen to return outside, where her lover was wrestling around with their spiky-haired future son.
"Close Masa! Not close enough!" Haruka snatched the ball away and looked around, seeing Yukio bouncing up and down waving his arms frantically.
"Uncle Haruka! I'm open! Pitch it!" Haruka tossed the ball over Masa's head, a nice clean arc right into Yukio's waiting hands.
"Nice catch Yukio!" Mune cheered, clapping from where he was sitting on the deck looking through some of Michiru's music. Yukio yelped and dove out of the way when Masa came in fast, ready to tackle him to reclaim the cherished sphere.
"Catch Mommy!" Hotaru flinched at his name for her, but caught the gently thrown ball easily, gulping and stepping back as Masa began to advance. His spiked hair blew in the wind, his blue eyes glimmering. His foot dug into the ground, his legs slowly spreading.
"You ain't getting' away this time Aunt Hotaru! Haruka-papa can't save you now!" Masa took off full speed for Hotaru who quickly threw the ball away. Michiru, who had been watching and giggling the whole time squealed, uncharacteristically, when the ball came careening towards her. Still she managed to catch it, looking around to get rid of it quickly as Masa dodged Haruka and came charging up the steps.
"Michiru-mama! I'm open! Throw it here!" Mune had sat down the music he was perusing and held up his hands. Just in time Michiru pitched the ball at Mune. Everyone stopped, watching with rapt amazement as the ball flew between Mune's hands, smacked him in the forehead and knocked him over the back of his chair and to the ground.
"Oh no! Mune I'm so sorry!" Mune sat up, rubbing his head and laughing. Yukio had fallen on the ground and was rolling around laughing while Masa was holding himself up with the deck railing. Haruka was chuckling, though somewhat concerned for Mune's well-being.
"It's um...not your fault, Michiru-mama," Mune said with a laugh, picking up the ball and standing up. He pulled back and threw it with all his might, the ball spiraling awkwardly, bouncing off the table and rolling down the steps, bouncing into Michiru's flower bed. Mune winced and laughed sheepishly. Masa and Yukio were just about to die, Haruka and Hotaru both laughing harder now.
"M-Muhunuheheh!" Masa tried to stutter out between gales of hysteria, "Mune can't hahaha! Can't play sports! Hahahaha!" Mune was blushing now, but just shrugged and dug his toe into the ground. Michiru finally cracked and giggled, offering Mune a hug seeing how embarrassed he was. Setsuna watched from the doorway, wearing a somber smile.
XxXxX
"So tell me about your boyfriend! Do I know him? What's he like? Ooh I bet he's a hunk!" Usagi and Chibiusa both giggled, sitting in the corner booth at the Crown Parlor, smoothies in tow. Mamoru had excused himself for the moment, most likely to just get away from the severe amount of girliness the two emitted. Once he was safely out of sight, Usagi had begun to interrogate Chibiusa regarding her boyfriend, whom the pink-haired teen now regretted mentioning.
"Can I just say that's classified information and be done with it?" Usagi snickered and shook her head, beaming at her daughter.
"Last time I checked you weren't Mikuru and I wasn't Kyon. C'mon, Chibiusa, just between the two of us!" Chibiusa sighed, but slowly began to blush just thinking about her boyfriend.
"Well...yeah you've already met him, he's very sweet. Oh he's so handsome and very polite, you and Daddy both just love him already. The other senshi are very nice to him as well," Chibiusa sighed and leaned on her hand, staring out the window in a daze. Just how was he doing at the moment? Mamoru had been noticeably on edge, she could only imagine if he felt the same way.
"Wow he sounds amazing! Can you give me his name? Please? Just a hint?" Chibiusa blinked and sighed, mock glaring at Usagi.
"Usagi, you heard Puu. We have to preserve the time line. I can't tell you everything about the future," Usagi sighed and laid her head down on the table. As if a light bulb had come on, she sat up quickly and grinned.
"Elios,"
"What?! How did you know!?"
XxXxX
While some part of Mamoru had needed to get away from the immense femininity that was permeating from their seat in the parlor, it wasn't the only reason he had left. He stood in the restroom, leaning against the sink and staring at his sweaty, miserable reflection. Breathing was an Olympic event, every muscle in his body seemingly protesting his continued existence.
"What is this...what are we up against?" He muttered, frantically spinning the cold water nozzle, splashing his face and leaning against the sink on his elbows. His knees were weak, ready to give out. If he were just a fraction weaker...he would have. Forcing himself up, his arms shaking, Mamoru stared at his reflection. Within him, golden energy pulsed.
XxXxX
"This time we can't screw up, you have to find the Princess Soul! I...I won't tolerate failure, okay?! Go now! Find it!"
XxXxX
Somehow, Kei had escaped from his room. It had been about three days since the crew had come back from the future, and day three had thus far been Kei's most mellow. Minako was relieved, she'd even treated him to the arcade. As lucky would have it, Kei was just as addicted to video games as she was. And truth be told...he was very good. Luckily he hadn't beaten her more than she'd beaten him. All in all, a successful outing.
"So...I noticed you talk to Koichi a lot. You guys are pretty close huh?" Kei shrugged, his hands in his pockets as the two made the journey home.
"You could say that, he's...a pathetic sniveling mama's boy," Minako was about to respond, though stopped when she saw Kei's expression soften for the first time, "But...he's mine," Kei didn't say anything else. Minako blinked and stared at her retreating son's back, trying to make what she could of Kei's ambiguous statement.
"Are you coming or am I going to get yelled at for ditching you?" Minako shook her head and hurried after the fiery redhead.
"Hey Kei, I was just-" Minako froze, stumbling and dropping to her knees. A wave of cold shot through her bones, coating her nerves. Slowly, terribly, painfully it felt like she was being lifted out of her own body. Every bit of skin was screaming, like her entire body was a scab being pulled away. She gasped breathlessly when finally torn free from herself.
"Minako?!" Kei spun around, watching Minako's lifeless body hit the ground. A ghostly white mist hovered in the air over her. Sparks crackled around the strange creature floating above them. Its body was a bell shape, all yellow with shifting lines of black coursing over it. Its face was a solid black sphere sitting atop the bell. It had a huge, cone-shaped horn coming from its head, the base of the horn actually bigger in diameter than its head. The white mist from Minako's body began to float toward it
"No you don't! Venus Sword, Power Up!" Without concern for identity, Kei held out his hand, summoning an orange-hilted sword. Hefting it above him, he was drowned in metallic orange light, Kei Aino replaced by Chibi Venus Knight. He wore orange body armor, with a long-sleeved navy shirt underneath, navy blue pants and high orange boots that came just over his knees. On his back he wore a golden bow, with no quiver. V. Knight lowered his sword and glared at the starless as he adjusted to his powers for the first time in a while.
"Back off!" He leapt in front of the white mist and swung his sword at the starless, which flew out of the way quickly. It began crackling and launched a bolt of lightning at him. V. Knight rolled out of the way, sheathing his sword and taking out his bow, nocking an invisible arrow and hefting it up. As he pulled the string back a glowing orange arrow appeared in place.
"Venus Love Arrow!" V. Knight let the arrow fly, muttering a curse under his breath when it missed. He knocked another glowing Love Arrow and shot the next lightning bolt head on, creating an explosion that knocked him off his feet. He slapped his communicator wristwatch, hitting the emergency call button. He was a decent fighter, but with Minako out of commission, he was definitely going to need back up. Thankfully, he noted, the mist had retracted back into her body. She was breathing again.
"Okay clown, you've got about six minutes to kill me. Let's see what you've got! Venus Love Arrow!" V. Knight blasted another lightning bolt out of the air as he rolled forward, trying to draw the creature's gaze away from Minako. Another Love Arrow missed its mark, the starless was just too fast for V. Knight to hit. "C'mon, give me one of the twins...either one and this thing is finished..." V. Knight blasted another lightning bolt out of his way, diving in front of Minako. At that moment the starless opted to fire another bolt, hitting him dead-on, right between the shoulder blades. V. Knight hit the ground, rolling over and trying to lift his bow. His left arm was numb, no luck. He unsheathed his sword, sitting between Minako and the monster.
"Mars Burning Mandala!"
"Deep Submerge!" V. Knight sighed in relief, dropping his sword to the ground, breathing heavily. The starless dodged both attacks, crackling and launching blasts of lightning at the newcomers. Unfortunately for it, there were more newcomers than it thought.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" The attack seemed to cancel out the lightning blasts, though took a significant toll on its caster. The reinforcements gathered around V. Knight and Minako, the senshi appalled to see Minako out of commission.
The Chibi Knights were each glad in their own variation of V. Knight's armor: Light blue armor with dark blue under armor for C. Knight, Chibi Mercury Knight. Red armor with purple under armor for M. Knight, Chibi Mars Knight. Chibi Jupiter Knight, J. Knight, wore green armor with pink under armor. Chibi Saturn Knight, S. Knight, wore dark purple armor with black under armor, and Chibi Pluto Knight, P. Knight, wore maroon armor with dark green under armor. The twins, Chibi Neptune and Chibi Uranus Knight—N and U. Knight—wore dark blue armor with aqua under armor and yellow armor with dark blue under armor respectively.
"What happened?!" Sailor Moon wailed as she dropped to her knees next to Minako, cradling her friend's head. V. Knight winced, accepting M. Knight's aid. Panting he slouched and shook his left arm, feeling starting to come back.
"This thing tried taking her spirit...I stopped it...but I can't land a hit on it to try to hurt it, C. Knight you got a weakness yet?" The Sailor Senshi looked around for a C. Knight, discovering that V. Knight had been speaking to Chibi Mercury Knight. The little boy noticed their looks and shrugged.
"M. Knight was taken," Nodding they returned their attention to the starless, which looked rather miffed. "Ooh buddy, this thing isn't happy..." He muttered as he fumbled with his visor. Sailor Mercury was well ahead of the younger warrior and had narrowed in on it.
"It has powerful attacks but doesn't seem that strong, we probably just need a well placed hit to take it out," V. Knight nodded, and lifted up his bow again, nocking another energy arrow.
"Venus Love Arrow!" V. Knight let the attack fly, but needless to say, the starless dodged it. While it was dodging, however, the others snapped into action. Uranus and Neptune both shot forward, one swinging her sword while the other lifted her mirror.
"Submarine Reflection!" The starless stopped in its tracks, diving away from the beam of aquatic light.
"Space Sword Blaster!" With supernatural speed the monster spun around dodging the attack, even as more stepped forward to attack. Mars summoned a fiery bow, while Jupiter thrust her hands forward.
"Mars Flame Sniper!" The arrow whizzed by the creature, driving it closer to the ground.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" The starless dodged the attack and spun around blasting back with several blasts of lightning, driving back the advancing senshi. Now close to the ground, the Chibi Knights stepped in. J. Knight swung his sword at it, missing barely. He swung in broad, powerful strokes, though they proved painfully slow. P. Knight watched carefully, swinging sharply when the starless whizzed by his face. His attack missed and both were blasted by a discharge from the creature.
"Dead Scream," The starless fired back with a blast of lightning, creating a blinding explosion in the air. It zoomed through the smoke, spiraling towards Sailor Pluto, who had little to no time to react. The air around the creature grew deathly still as a blinding violet light flooded the street.
"Silence Glaive, Surprise!" Somehow the monster dodged the tip of the glaive, which collided with the street. The resulting explosion knocked everyone off their feet and left behind a decent sized crater in the earth.
"Moon Tiara Magic Trap!" The tiara chased the creature, but nonetheless couldn't quite catch it. Chibi Moon caught her crown and growled, gesturing toward V. Knight. The leader of the Chibi Knights nodded and fired out another arrow, intentionally above the creature to drive it closer to the ground.
"Ha! It's party time!" Without warning a blur flew and the sound of whistling metal soared by the creature. U. Knight didn't mull over his initial miss, but pressed on against the monster, throwing sharp, fast, deadly strikes, moving like an expert swordsman. The creature still seemed far too fast, blasting U. Knight away carelessly.
"Showtime!" The creature dove down just fast enough to avoid a new charge, this one from N. Knight. The more proper twin proved to be his brother's equal in the art of swordsmanship, throwing even faster, albeit packing a little less punch, strikes. He moved quickly and gracefully, as if dancing more than fighting. Still he was also blasted away by the creature, which quickly rose into the air, crackling with electricity until it nearly blotted out the sun.
"Oh this isn't good, regroup!" The Chibi Knights and Sailor Senshi gathered together, watching in horror as the starless grew more and more powerful, preparing what would assuredly be a final attack. C. Knight shook his head and gulped.
"We can't let it fire that! We have to destroy it first!" M. Knight gulped and took a step back, but a quick glare from V. Knight brought him back to the front line. Sailor Uranus looked down at Minako and back up at the monster.
"How do you propose we do that? We can't even hit it!" Sailor Mercury looked up from her computer, taking a deep breath.
"I don't think it can move while it's powering up that attack," C. Knight nodded and picked up where she had trailed off.
"This is our only shot! We gotta do some super attack now!" Sailor Mercury nodded and looked at the others.
"If we hit it with all of our attacks at once, I'm sure we can destroy it!" The Sailor Senshi nodded, but the Chibi Knights seemed a little less enthused. V. Knight actually looked...angry.
"Yeah that isn't going to happen, half of these numbskulls don't even know their attack names," J. Knight glowered and shoved M. Knight's shoulder.
"Well some of our powers don't work even if we do say them right!" V. Knight glared back then growled and faced forward.
"State your attack name! Hurry! Just go down the line!" C. Knight rolled his eyes, but nodded, realizing that they needed a refresher course.
"Mercury Icicle Spears," V. Knight nodded and looked at M. Knight who gulped, scratching his head.
"Mars Burning Flames, but," V. Knight shook his head, holding his red armored companion's shoulder to keep him from backing away.
"No excuses, J, what's yours?" J. Knight wanted to retort angrily, but froze when he realized he had forgotten, grumbling he scratched his head, tapping his sword on the ground.
"Um...Jupiter...something or other it doesn't matter!" P. Knight sighed and shook his head, holding up his sword.
"His is Jupiter Thunderstorm, mine is Screams of Destruction," V. Knight nodded and looked at S. Knight, who shrugged and laughed. V. Knight slapped his forehead and sighed, turning back to the monster to see how much time they had left.
"Yours is Destructive Ray! Twins go!"
"Tidal Wave, V. Knight," N. Knight looked at U. Knight expectantly, then sighed seeing his brother was clueless. U. Knight shrugged and held up his sword.
"Uranus Slashy Deathy Strike?" N. Knight laughed and shook his head.
"Try Earthquake Tremors," U. Knight shrugged.
"Eh, close enough," Sailor Mars' eyes widened and in a flash she summoned her bow.
"We're out of time, go! Mars Flame Sniper!" With a flick of her wrist she fired the flaming arrow at the creature. Sailor Mercury summoned her aqua harp and strummed the strings, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out.
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" The stream of freezing water launched out, joining the flaming arrow. Next was Jupiter, who gathered a crackling vine of lightning around her body, hurling it at the monster.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" Sailor Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto moved in unison, launching their three attacks together, fusing into a single blazing sphere of annihilation.
"World Shaking!"
"Deep Submerge!"
"Dead Scream..." Saturn readied her glaive, knowing that if the attacks failed, she'd need to get a Silent Wall up quickly to prevent their untimely demise. Chibi Moon looked at her team and sighed.
"Alright guys, show them what you can do!" Chibi Mercury Knight slid his visor out of the way and held out both hands, sheathing his sword first.
"Mercury Icicle Spears!" A blast of frigid air gathered in his palms, generating sharp icicles that were flung at the monster, joining the older senshi's attacks. Chibi Venus Knight wasted no time firing off another arrow.
"Venus Love Arrow!" Chibi Mars Knight swallowed hard and held out both hands, his eyes clenched shut.
"Mars Burning Flames!" ...Nothing happened, not even a slight increase of heat in the air. M. Knight stared at his hands, feeling his cheeks getting hot with embarrassment. He thrust his hands out again, yelling louder. "Mars Burning Flames!" Still nothing. Chibi Jupiter Knight pushed him out of the way, swinging his arm like throwing a baseball.
"Move it! Jupiter Thunderstorm!" With little effort, he flung a crackling ball of electricity at the monster. Chibi Pluto Knight sighed and held up his sword, pointing it at the starless.
"Screams of Destruction," Somehow, despite how unenthused he sounded, his sword began to glow maroon. With a swing, a sonic wave of energy was flung alongside the other attacks. S. Knight, unlike Sailor Saturn, jumped forward holding out his sword with both hands.
"Destructive Ray!" The tip of his sword exploded with glowing violet light, driving him backward, his feet digging deep into the ground to keep from being thrown away. The twins both stepped forward and like their guardians, launched their attacks in unison.
"Tidal Wave!"
"Earthquake Tremors!" The swirling mass of water intermixed with the concussive blast of wind, creating a small storm that joined the others in colliding with the starless. Waiting with baited breath, they were relieved to see that they had been victorious, the starless was nowhere to be found.
"Alright! We totally killed that sucker!" Sailor Moon was about to mention Minako's condition, but was knocked away by a very serious V. Knight.
"No time to celebrate, we've gotta get Minako home, now!" While the others tended to Minako, Sailor Mars knelt down beside Chibi Mars Knight, who was mumbling under his breath, his breathing hitched and his chest shaking. Listening closely, Sailor Mars could just barely make out what he was saying.
"Boys don't cry...boys don't cry..." Sailor Mars smiled and hugged him tightly.
"You did good today Koichi," Koichi didn't respond, but his mouth kept moving, repeating his mantra.
XxXxX
Artemis yawned, pushing open the door to Minako's room and walking out. His mistress had been out all evening, and didn't show any sign of waking soon. Having her spirit force ripped from her had been terribly draining. He passed by Kei's room on the way, peaking inside to check on the young leader. Despite his attitude, he had proven to be pretty good leader earlier. And Artemis couldn't help being proud of how he'd stood by Minako's side the entire time waiting for reinforcements to arrive, to the point that he had been slightly injured himself.
"Good job, Kei..." he whispered, before softly padding downstairs. Kei's door opened silently, the fiery-haired boy slipping out quickly and quietly. Glancing around, he slid into Minako's room, walking over to the bed and looking at her. The color had come back to her skin, that was good. She was breathing normally now too. That was better.
Tenderly, Kei leaned in close, watching her peaceful face. The moonlight leaking in hitting her delicate skin just right, almost making it seem to glow. Closing his eyes, Kei's lips touched Minako's. After several heavenly seconds, he pulled back walking quietly to the door.
"...I'm sorry" He softly whispered, before slipping out and shutting the door softly.