Silver Angel: Hello peoples! Here (finally) is Chapter 4 of Echo Back My Love. I'm very sorry that I kept you waiting, but I have so many fics that I'm working on right now, and I was a little stumped on how things should go.

I got a really nice review from Atlanta-avalon1.1 saying that I wrote a good fight scene. Thank you so much for saying that. Although I think they could be better, it makes me happy that someone thinks I'm not doing too badly.

Anyways, here's the next chapter. Methinks it's not too good, but it's kind of a bridging chapter if you know what I mean. It's building up for what is happening soon! ^_^



Chapter 4: Leave-takings

To most, the stillness and silence of the large mansion would have been unnerving. To Hotaru, it was comforting. She was at home in the Darkness and in the Silence, and they were her guardian elements. Not only did she control them in her senshi form, but even when normal, she could feel their power running continuously through her veins; a cold icy fire that weakened her physically, yet made her stronger in a strange way.

On this day however, the silence, while not unnerving, was not as comforting as usual. The reason for this was because al three of her adoptive parents were missing. Setsuna-mama had been missing for two days now, and had not made any form of contact to them through the Gates of Time. Haruka-papa, and Michiru-mama had also mysteriously vanished; not retuning home after the senshi meeting.

Though she was frightened for her foster parents, Hotaru couldn't help but feel somewhat relived that she had not been with them at the time they had disappeared. After the meeting the inner senshi had went out for ice cream.

Makoto had suggested they do it first before going home, in order to give them a short break before the coming storm. Haruka and Michiru, ever business, had declined the offer, deciding to head straight home to strategize. Hotaru had decided to stay with the others and get the treat, which was why she was now all alone.

The purple-haired girl felt like crying. Tears did, in fact, come to her eyes, but she refused to acknowledge them. Instead, she held them back and tried to calm herself down long enough to call the rest of the senshi so they could come up with a plan of action.

"You're supposed to be one of the strongest senshi Hotaru! Get a hold of yourself!" she scolded herself aloud. "Even if something has happened to Haruka-papa and Michi-mama, you can't let yourself break down. You'll be no help at all then." Walking over to the telephone, she reached out one shaky hand, and dialed Usagi's number.



The wind sighed softly in the trees, whispering to those who understood, what would be coming soon. A pile of leaves, which hadn't been yet raked away, was scattered around the park, dead leaves flying everywhere. Usagi shivered. Why did it have to be such a cold night? Not only that, but something in the air just felt - wrong.

Though she had been putting on a brave front this afternoon at the meeting, inside she was still the old Odango-atama. She was still frightened of whatever had been attacking her friends, and then disappearing, leaving no trace of the senshi. Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune had all disappeared without a trace: three of the strongest senshi baring herself and Saturn.

'Well they do say there's safety in numbers' she thought to herself, as she gazed at her silent friends around her. 'Maybe, if we're all together, then we can beat whoever is doing this; and get back the outers.' The icy wind blew once more, sending her golden hair in all directions, obscuring her view for a moment. When her vision was returned, she was facing an evil, but beautiful looking woman who she assumed was the cause of recent events.

"Hello there dears," the woman called with false gaiety. "I suppose by now you've guessed that I'm the one who's been having fun on your. territory." She tossed her black hair black with a flick, and smiled - viciously if Usagi was any judge. "I won't bore you with the speeches that most seem to like," she smirked at the senshi.

"Suffice it to say, that my name is Ebony, and you'll soon be joining my lovely collection of lawn ornaments!" So saying, she plucked the Sailor Pluto's Time Staff out of thin air, and drew a circle beside her with it. A small portal formed, through which, you could see the crystallized forms of Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune.

The scouts stared wide-eyed at what had been their friends, and Usagi gave a small gasp of horror. "You - you monster!" she cried. "You won't get away with this Ebony! I am Sailor Moon." here she paused, as if thinking on what to say. "And I won't allow you to do to anyone else what you've done here!" Without striking a pose, she immediately turned to Mercury.

"Mercury, can you tell me anything about her that'll help?"

The senshi of ice brought out her visor and mini computer, and began typing on it. "My computer isn't picking up much Sailor Moon. Through the Time Staff, she has near full control of space and time, though she can't freeze it without draining so much of her power that she destroys herself." She paused. "She also seems to be connected to the past in some way. It almost looks like a large black thread."

Sailor Moon nodded, satisfied with the information, and assumed the air of authority that she had donned earlier that day at the meeting. Ebony watched, apparently unconcerned about their strategizing. "Ok guys listen up. She's already defeated all of the outers except for Saturn." She glanced at the smallest senshi, who looked at her worriedly. "That means she's got to be really strong." The inners nodded in agreement.

"So what are you suggesting Sailor Moon?" Mars asked.

"Rae, Mako, you guys are going to provide cover fire. Try to distract her as long as possible. Saturn, you need to be ready with your Silence Wall in case she attacks. I don't think any of us could really make it through one." The three agreed silently. "Venus," the blond haired senshi focused on Usagi. "You and I are gonna go in for the kill. I may not be a good fighter, but I am one of the strongest here, and you have some of the most experience."

Venus looked worried, but nodded in ascent. "On three than," she said.

"One." Serena said; all the scouts dashing to a place to attack or defend from.

"Two." Ebony watched, a smirk on her face at the pathetic fools who thought they could even hurt her.

"Three!" At the last shout, the various attacks began flying everywhere. "Mars.Flame.Sniper!" "Jupiter.Oak.Evolution!" A flaming arrow, and leaves dancing with electricity flew full force at the yawning Ebony, who merely raised a hand, causing an opaque black shield to deflect the attacks.

After several more attacks, the black haired woman apparently grew bored, throwing out her own cold gray energy, which shot towards the unprepared senshi of Fire and Lightning, who were setting up another attack. "Silence Wall!" At the last minute, Saturn threw up her shield, which just barely managed to negate the attack.

Hotaru staggered under the force of the attack. 'I don't think I can withstand many more of those,' she thought. 'They seem to have some of the same aura as my own powers do. Silence can't fight with silence, and if it's destruction, the two clashing could end up destroying more than just this planet!"

At the same time as all of this, Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon had snuck unnoticed behind Ebony. Glancing over at her leader, Venus received a go- ahead nod, and powered up her attack. "Venus.Love and Beauty Shock!" She threw the golden heart, which impacted on Ebony's back, but barely even singed her dress.

The evil woman whirled to face her unnoticed attackers, and floated up into the air. "You two! I should have know that the little moon brat and the leader of her guard would try something like this" Barely contained rage showed on her face for a moment, and was replace with a cold calculating look. "But that doesn't matter. Your attacks can't hurt me you little fools. I don't even know why I let this drag on as long as it has!"

With a smirk, she gathered an enormous ball of icy gray energy between her two hands, and prepared to throw it at the three scouts who had been attacking her previously. "Say good by to your little friends moon face!"

"No!" Usagi cried, trying to force herself between the attack that was hurtling forward, and her friends. Just as it was about to hit them, she managed to intercept it and was thrown backward. Blinding pain, full of fire and ice hit her at the same time, and her shrill scream of agony pierced the night.

Usagi landed on the ground with a barely noticed thump, adding several scrapes to her already burned and bruised body as she slid along the paved path. Barely managing to remain conscious, she heard the crunching sound of Ebony's heels against the pavement as she walked toward the leader of all the senshi. A elegant white hand gripped Usagi hair in the back of her head, pulling her unresisting body partially up.

Gazing up at her enemy, Usagi realized that Ebony was gazing off into space, a slight smile on her face as she formed a smaller ball of evil energy in her hand. "Look at me," Sailor Moon whispered, barely managing to choke out the words, in light of all her injuries. "If you're going to kill me, than the least you could do is look at me when you do it Ebony."

Ebony's eyes flickered down to the limp form of Sailor Moon. "Well, if that's the way you want it brat, I can happily oblige." Still, the black haired woman had to suppress a small shudder at what she saw in the Moon Princess' eyes: forgiveness - no small amount of anger, but forgiveness; as if she had not turned three of her friends into statues, and wasn't going to do the same to the others soon.

"Well than Moon brat, I must say it's been fun, but your existence on this planet is going to come to an end." She pushed the gray energy towards Sailor Moons face. At the same moment the blast touched her, the upturned crescent moon appeared on Usagi's forehead, overlapped with a flickering eight-pointed star. Sailor Moon's eyes flickered navy blue, and than for a moment an eerie silver which seemed to stare into her very soul.

As soon as she began to speak, it was clear that something had changed, because Usagi's voice had changed. It was softer, and yet rang like a bell, speaking with a multitude of voices, which seemed to come from everywhere, and were all different, yet the same.

"They say, Ebony, that to get rid of a weed, you have to pull it out by the root; that the same goes for any problem." The silver crystal on her chest began to glow with a pure white light. "I think you count as a problem." Her eyes blazed incandescently, molten silver that was fire, ice, water, love.all the elements combined. For a full minute, everywhere within a hundred metres of them was bathed in a blinding light. When it faded, all that was left were five very shocked looking senshi.



A great uproar arose late in the afternoon in Silveron, the capital of the Moon Kingdom. Two guards had been on patrol in one of the palace gardens, when a bright flash of light had alerted them to trouble. When they arrived at the scene, they had been too stunned to do anything but gape for several minutes.

Lying on the fresh grass, battered and bloody, was a girl in strange clothes who looked exactly like their princess.





Silver Angel: Well minna, I think I was on a role for this chapter. I somehow managed to just keep writing and writing. Don't expect chapters this long all the time though. Still, I'm happy because now I can finally get to some of the really interesting stuff. Review please! ^_^