Naruto: The Lunar Knight

by castlecrasher009

When Uzumaki Naruto is banished from his world at a young age, he is discovered and adopted by the Tsukino family and begins to live a life he all ways wished for. Now a young teen, Naruto will discover that there is much more to himself as he becomes the male senshi, The Lunar Knight. Rated T for language and fighting. Naruto x Harem.

6. Trouble with Time, Racing the Clock

Chapter Six: Trouble with Time, Racing against the Clock

Beta by Alteris

The evil court of the Dark Kingdom was assembled once more as Queen Beryl looked upon her general in a mixture of frustration and anger. Their latest attempt at harvesting the precious energy they required had been thwarted once again by the efforts of the sailor senshi. And while it was bad enough that they had to contend with Sailor Moon and her partner, the Lunar Knight, now there was a new enemy that they were now forced to deal with. And it was this message that Beryl wanted to drive into her minion.

"Good work, Jadeite." The queen spoke in a very sarcastic tone. "Now we have Sailor Mercury to contend with in addition to the two senshi."

Jadeite bowed his head, not wanting to gaze into his queens scornful eyes. "I am deeply sorry, your majesty. I honestly did not consider another senshi to appear so soon."

Beryl narrowed her eyes as she contemplated this. Perhaps they should have planned ahead for such eventualities. After all, there were at least five sailor senshi present during the destruction of the moon kingdom all those centuries ago, so those five should have been reincarnated by now.

"I trust that you will not make the same oversight again, Jadeite." The queen stated, stressing that she would not tolerate such recklessness again.

"Yes, my queen."

"Good, now then, tell me of your latest plan."

Jadeite stood at attention, ready to outline his newest scheme. "We have discovered a very reliable source of energy. It seems that humans expend a huge amount of energy when they are stressed, or are pressed for time. And while we can easily harvest this energy on its own, we shall double the amount by speeding up the process. Thereby gathering even more energy for us. We already have everything in place."

Beryl thought it over briefly before she gave her approval. "Very well, Jadeite, you may proceed. And, if your agent happens to come in contact with the senshi again, I want them eliminated, understand?"

"Yes, my queen."

- Juuban Shopping Mall -

After the fateful reunion of childhood friends and the unexpected addition to the senshi ranks, the two girls and one boy decided to make up for lost time of three years by hanging out every hour they could spare. Over the past week the group was inseparable; always talking and playing together whenever they didn't have things like homeroom or other school activities. After school, the gang would find something to do. One of the first things they did was pay a visit to Ami's mother, Saeko. The bluenette doctor just happened to be home on a rare day off, and was pleasantly surprised when her daughter came home with two very familiar young blonds. Saeko was ecstatic to see Naruto and Usagi in her home after so long and wasted no time in switching to hostess mode and serving the siblings with tea and sweets while talking to them about their lives. During the visit, Saeko had noticed how much more happy and open her daughter appeared to be, and it was something that brought great relief to the doctor. Before, Ami had always focused on her studies and never took time to enjoy herself the way that other teenage girls usually did, and Saeko was concerned that it would affect her social skills later on. Now it looked she didn't have to worry about that.

Another event that transpired was when the trio hit the Game Crown. Naruto had officially made a challenge to Ami in her gaming skills, and the girl was more than happy to accept. And so, with Usagi as official judge, the blond and bluenette spent an evening playing as many games as possible in an effort to beat one another. While Naruto lived up to his reputation as 'Game Crown Ace', having taken numerous wins, Ami proved that she could take as many wins as she could loses as she had managed to not only beat the blond at a number of games, but also claim the top spot on the high scores list. In the end, the score came out dead even and both opponents emerged from the arcade smiling.

The group would make several more trips together, including a trip to the library much to the chagrin of Usagi, until at last we find ourselves at our current location at the Juuban Shopping Mall on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, or more specifically, a clothing store within the mall.

"Do you think I look good in this dress?" Ami asked her fellow sailor senshi as she held up an aqua green dress with white frills around the neck while speaking with a mock British accent.

"Of course, Darling." Usagi responded with a similar voice while she held an orange dress jacket and matching short skirt up to herself. The two girls took one quick look at each other before they called out in unison.

"We both look simply marvelous!"

There outcry had the effect of drawing the attention of a nearby female sales clerk who glanced over at them and frowned, a sure sign that she was not entertained by the outburst of the two young teens.

'Great, just what I need right now, a couple of loud kids pretending to be women.' The clerk thought as she let out a frustrated sigh. 'This gig is bad enough with customers who don't have anything better to do then mess up all of the clothing displays while bombarding me with requests to check prices and inventory for things we don't even have, now I have to deal with children playing dress-up. Sometimes I really hate this job.'

"Hey girls, what do you think?"

The females, including the clerk, looked up at the origin of the voice to find a young spiky-haired blond approach the two girls in some clothes that he had picked out.

'Then again, it does have its perks.' The woman thought as she took in the young man's appearance.

While the girls were busy in the woman's section of the store, Naruto was browsing the men's area and had found some choice articles that he had decided to try on. The blond was sporting a Marc New York black leather jacket with a white undershirt and a pair of James Jeans dark blue stretched denim for pants. Naruto strolled over to the two schoolgirls and posed for them.

"Wow Naruto-nii, you look good." Usagi praised as she took in her brother's appearance. The statement was backed up by Ami who simply nodded a couple of times at the blond boy.

Naruto chuckled a little bit as he re-examined the clothing he wore at the time. "Yeah, I think so too….I think I'll take them." The blond then directed his attention to the clerk who was eyeing him up and down. "Excuse me miss, can you ring these up for me?"

The clerk snapped out of her trance and responded with the best smile she could make. "Sure thing, handsome. Right this way." With that the woman made her way to the counter with the blonde boy in tow. Usagi chuckled a little as she watched her brother trail behind the store employee. He always did find a way to draw people's attention to himself, especially those of the opposite gender. The girl turned to her friend to comment on said topic when she noticed that the bluenette seemed to be giving the store clerk the evil eye.

'Is she glaring?' Usagi asked herself as she stared at her fellow sailor senshi. For as long as the blonde has known the girl she has always been a kind, friendly and polite person who rarely ever lost her composure. To see her actually showing hostility was surprising. "Hey, Ami, are you ok?"

Ami blinked a few times as she was brought out of her thoughts and turned to her friend, smiling sheepishly. "Oh, yes, I'm fine, Usagi." The bluenette was a little bit embarrassed that not only was she caught glaring at the sales clerk, there was the fact that she was glaring; which was a bit foreign to her considering her general kindhearted nature.

A few minutes later the blond young man returned with a few bags in tow. After leaving the clothing store the trio made their way around the mall, sampling and partaking of all the sights and novelties the place had to offer. Eventually the group found their way into a bookstore after Ami insisted on getting a book she was looking for. Of course, Naruto immediately agreed since he could find something he was searching for too. In a short amount of time Usagi found a small comic that piqued her interest and moved over to her bluenette friend who was holding a thick book under her arm.

"I found the comic I wanted." the blond girl declared as she held up said comic to her friend.

Ami, however, appeared to be in her own little world as she glanced around at all of the tomes of knowledge surrounding her. "Ahhh, I could stay here forever…..oh, I'm sorry, Usagi. Did you say something?"

"I said I found the comic I wanted. What did you find?"

Ami held up the book she was carrying. "An advanced physics book."

Usagi looked at the book with a curious and scrutinizing eye. After a second or too, her curiosity won out. "Let me have a look at it."

Ami handed over the book and took Usagi's comic book from her as the blond immediately opened the book to a random page…..and immediately regretted it. The information she was reading flew over her head so high that the boys up there in the International Space Station could look out there windows and use it for reference material.

'Uhhhhhohhhh-I can't understand a word of this. How the heck does Ami read this.'

Meanwhile, said bluenette's curiosity was also piqued as she held her friends comic book. Looking inside she found the contents to be nothing more than a jumble of un-educational rubbish and slap stick comedy. Being the highly educated girl she was, Ami immediately found the comic to be in poor taste.

'Usagi is going to rot her brain on this stuff.'

After a few more moments the two traded back the books while treating the others book like a plague. As they both settled their minds back to a 'semblance of normality, they noticed that someone in their group was missing.

"Hey, where is Naruto-nii?"

"Over here."

Usagi and Ami turned their heads in time to see Naruto walking up to them with a few small books that the two girls quickly recognize as manga in his hands. Usagi was quick to notice a few of the books were from several series that the two of them read, including Bleach, One Piece, Fairy Tale, and Blue Exorcist. Naruto chuckled slightly as the two girls sighed; fully expecting him to find the manga section in a bookstore.

After leaving the store with their newest purchases, the trio eventually got hungry and stopped at a small crêperie and ordered some crêpes. While enjoying their sweet treats the teens suddenly took notice of a large crowd gathering at a new clock store. Usagi was the first to speak out as she observed the action.

"Whoa. Check out the mob at the clock store."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, looks like something big is happening."

"Hey, let's go see. I could use a new alarm clock; mine's broken."

Naruto gave his sister a knowing smirk. "Yeah, well, that's what happens when you throw it across the room, you know."

Usagi pouted at the whiskered blond. "Hey, it's not my fault that it interrupted my beauty sleep."

Naruto deadpanned. "Weren't you the one who set it to wake you up?"

Usagi never came up with a response for the question. "Anyway, I need a new alarm clock so I say we go check it out."

Ami put a hand up to her face as she gave out a tired sigh but kept a smile on her face. "I'm a little tired, you two. I'm not used to moving around so much." Having spent a lot of her time going through books in her early life, the girl did not have as much stamina as the two energetic blondes; the boy got his from the time he spent training in the martial arts while the girl was just a natural ball of energy.

Usagi turned to the bluenette. "Aw, come on, Ami. Just one more store. I promise." The girl spoke as she proceeded to drag her female friend towards the store. The two got halfway across when they noticed that someone wasn't following them. "Hey, Naruto-nii, aren't you coming?"

The boy shook his head. "Not this time, nee-chan, I want to check out a music store real quick. I'll meet you two at the exit after this." With that, the boy walked off, leaving the girls to their own devices.

"Well, his loss. C'mon, Ami, let's go." Usagi continued moving towards the clock store while Ami let out another sigh while she was pulled along.

- Clock Look -

The store was a buzz of activity as people rummaged about, glancing and examining the time pieces present. All manner of clocks and watches were displayed to the public in different shapes and forms; all tailored to suit individual tastes. As the patrons moved about, the store clerk made her rounds. The woman in question possessed wavy brown hair that was done up in a bun behind her head, green eyes and creamy white skin. She wore a spaghetti strap red dress that hugged her frame and ended down at her knees and a black chocker with a jewel embedded in it around her neck. Black high heel shoes completed the attire. As the two girls entered the store, the clerk spotted them and greeted them by bowing and gesturing towards the center of the room.

"Come on in, Ladies. Please, feel free to look around." The clerk spoke in a mature and unintentionally sensual voice.

As the girls looked about, they marveled at the craftsmanship of the various time keeps. Usagi couldn't contain her amazement as she spoke out.

"Wow, they're all gorgeous."

Ami, however, was taking note of the price tags attached to them.

"Yes, but they're all so expensive."

"Yeah, but someday, when I'm rich, I'm gonna get me one of those, maybe a couple." (AN: Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?)

Continuing on with their browsing, the two eyed several clocks that caught there attention, like a mushroom clock with eyes that moved when the alarm rang, or the traditional castle clock with soldiers that moved along a track. It wasn't too long when Usagi let out a small gasp as her eyes feel upon a particular clock, a black cat with a mischievous look on its face with the clock face in the center of its body.

"This one looks like Luna. I bet it would look great in my room" The blond girl commented as she looked the item over. She was torn away from the cat clock when she noticed another clock right beside it. This one happened to be an orange fox standing on its hind legs holding the clock face with its paws and had its fluffy tail wrapped around the base. A cute expression on its face finished its appeal.

"That little fox clock is so cute. I bet Naruto-nii would love it." Usagi had been looking for something to get her beloved brother while they were in the mall to show him just how much he meant to her; after all, the boy had done so much for her it was only right. The blonde turned to Ami and spoke. "I'm going to ask the clerk how much these two are."

As if on cue, the woman seemed to materialize right behind the two. (AN: Anybody else find that just a little bit creepy?) "I assure you it is quite affordable. For you, it's ninety percent off, and I'll even throw the fox clock in for free."

Usagi didn't need any more convincing as the girl pulled her wallet from her purse. "I should be able to swing that." She commented as she opened the wallet to retrieve the necessary cash; only to find she didn't have it.

Ten yen. That was all she had left to her name.

"Oh no! I forgot that I spent most of my money at the other shops. Now I can't get the clocks." Usagi cried as she realized that she wasn't getting herself or her brother a clock. The clerk couldn't help but sweet drop as she realized just how scatterbrained this girl was. "Now I'm gonna be late for school in the morning."

Ami sympathetically looked at her best female friend and spoke. "Cheer up, Usagi. I'm sure if you ask Naruto, he'll get up a little bit early to get you up. And I can come by to make sure if you want."

Ami had enough time to blink when Usagi suddenly moved to envelop the girl in a hug.

"Thank you! You're the best friend in the whole world."

The bluenette blushed slightly at the sudden intrusion into her personal space. A few seconds later the blonde unwrapped herself from her friend and the two made their way out of the front door. The clerk was still standing in her spot, a little irritated that she had been brushed off so casually.

- Tsukino Household -

"We're Home!"

After Usagi and Ami left the clock store, the two immediately headed for the exit. There waiting for them was Naruto with a small bag filled with new music CD's that the blonde had picked out. The trio of teens headed out, walking and chatting about what they had seen before they reached the point where they would have to part ways. Usagi and Naruto bid Ami goodbye and headed home. In no time at all, the two arrived and entered.

"Welcome home, you two. How was your day?" Ikuko asked as the siblings rounded the corner into the kitchen. The first thing they noticed was their father standing on a stepstool affixing a new clock to the kitchen wall. Naruto smiled as he looked at the timepiece.

"New clock, huh? Funny, Usagi-neechan and Ami-chan were looking at some clocks in a new store that opened up in the mall."

Usagi nodded her head. "Yeah, they had all kinds of clocks in there. There was even one that looked like Luna and one that was a cute fox."

Ikuko beamed at the information. "Funny you should mention that, because that is exactly where we got this clock from. We also got one for your father too, and I also have a little surprise for you two. They're both sitting on the living room table. Hope you like them." The little housewife smiled as she gestured towards the room.

Usagi didn't need to be told twice as she zipped out of the kitchen with Naruto hot on her heels. The blondes entered the living room where two small boxes; one wrapped in pink paper, the other in orange. Not needing to be told which belonged to whom, the teens sat down and opened the boxes. Inside were the two clocks that Usagi had seen. The girl had gotten the cat clock while Naruto was given the fox clock.

Usagi's face lit up as she realized that they had gotten the clocks that she had wanted to get. "Naruto-nii, look! It's the clocks I wanted. Yeah!" The girl cheered as she held up her clock.

Naruto smiled as he lifted his own clock up in order to examine it. The craftsmanship was very good and he had to admit it was kind of cute. "This is pretty nice." He turned to look at the clock in his sisters hands. "And the one you got looks kind of like Luna, except for the eyes though." He head to admit that the eyes looked kind of creepy.

"Ah, who cares about the details? I got my new clock~!" Usagi sang as she jumped up and started dancing around the room. Naruto couldn't help but smile as he watched his sister dance around in joy.

Let it be known that Usagi is not the most graceful of people. Why?

Because as the girl danced, she was actually able to trip up on her own feet.

"Wha…Wha…Wha….WHAAAAA!"

The blonde girl screamed out as she tumbled backwards…and landed right on the edge of the living room table. The force of her fall caused the table to flip upward, coincidentally hitting the clock that was in Narutos' hand. Time seemed to slow down as the two blondes watched the fox take flight…right into a wall.

*CRASH!*

Naruto quickly jumped up and ran to where his clock landed. The scene was not pretty. Lying on the floor was the fox in several more pieces then it arrived in. The head had completely broken off and its right ear was chipped. The left arm had been shattered and its torso had several cracks in it. Its tail was non-existent. The clock itself had become dislodged but otherwise intact, however the face was completely broken from the impact.

Naruto picked up the clock and examined it to see if it was salvageable. "It's history." The boy stated as he dropped the mangled clock on the floor.

"What happened in here?" A voice cried out as Ikuko rounded the corner to see Naruto kneeling on the floor next to a shattered clock while Usagi just stared at the spot after she had gotten up.

"We had a little accident." Naruto stated as he explained what had just transpired. When he finished his tale, Ikuko turned to Usagi with a look that was halfway exasperated and halfway stern.

"Usagi."

"I'm sorry mama." Usagi said with a cracking voice, tears running down her cheek. She could not believe she had just broken her brother's clock after he had just gotten it. It made her feel absolutely terrible.

Naruto sighed as he got up and walked over top his sister before taking her into a hug. "There, there. It was an accident. We'll go get me another clock later, ok?" The boy consoled the weeping girl as he stroked the back of her head. This had an effect as the girls sobs turned to sniffs before calming down entirely. Naruto broke the hug and looked at his sister's face which still had a few tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes.

"You're not angry at me?" Usagi asked as she stared into those cerulean blue eyes her brother possessed. She had always been a bit fascinated with his eyes. A deep well of blue that always seemed to calm her as she had gotten herself lost in them a couple of times in the past.

Naruto smiled as he tilted his head forward until their foreheads touched. "Usagi-neechan, I don't think it is possible for me to get mad at you. You've brought too much happiness to my life for that. I want you to know that I love you with all my heart and that I will always be there for you."

Usagi smiled as a couple of tears trickled down her face. "Thank you Naruto-nii. I love you too." With that, the two embraced once more. Ikuko just stood there watching the scene in front of her with a big smile on her face. She was going to scold the girl for what she did, but after witnessing such a touching scene she just couldn't anymore. The housewife turned and walked back to the kitchen thinking about how truly blessed her family was.

- Later that night -

Naruto sat at his bedside as he made adjustments to his old alarm clock to wake him up a little bit earlier then his normal time. The clock was a simple digital alarm clock with red LED numbers and small control buttons on top. This clock woke people up using that annoying blare that people really hated.

I.e. very effective.

The boy was just about to lay down when he noticed the door open slightly and a certain black cat walk into the room grumbling about something.

"Hey there, Luna. What's got your tail in a knot?" Naruto asked as he smirked at his own joke. A joke that the cat didn't seem to find funny.

Luna fixed Naruto with a slight glare but decided to answer anyways. "That sister of yours insinuated that I was jealous of that stupid new clock of hers." The idea that she felt threatened by a piece of plastic was really getting her fur all riled up.

"So, you don't think that a kitty clock has a better chance at getting her to wake up on time then you do? Though with how loud you can yell at times, you might just have an edge." Naruto could actually attest to how high in the decibels her voice can reach when it came to waking his sister up.

Luna's glare intensified as she stared at her blond ward with increasing anger, clearly not enjoying the banter that he was sending her. She was already annoyed by the comments from the first blond and it wouldn't take much more from this one to make her blow.

"Whoa. Claws out tonight, Luna?"

That did it.

"THEY WILL BE IF YOU DON'T KNOCK IT OFF WITH THE STUPID CAT REMARKS!" Luna shouted as she seemed to teleport from her spot on the floor up onto the bed with her red face only inches from the boys'.

"Easy, Luna." Naruto said; raising his hands up in a placid manner. "I was just kidding. You know we wouldn't tease you if we didn't like you."

Luna just huffed and turned her head. "Well excuse me if I'm the only one who acts seriously all the time. I swear, it feels like the only reason you two keep me around at times is to find new ways to rile me up."

Naruto picked up his feline guardian and put her in his lap. "Now don't think like that, Luna." The boy spoke as he began to stroke the cat's body, trying to get her out of her current foul mood. It seemed to do the trick as Luna had a hard time keeping her scowl on as the petting did wonders on her. "You are a very important pers-err-feline to me and Usagi-neechan. You gave us the power to fight for our friends and loved ones. You're also our main source of intelligence when it comes to the moon kingdom. And you do a good job helping me keep my sister in check."

"Pfft." Luna couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at that last remark. Yeah, she would often find herself having to keep the lazy girl in line at times.

"But most importantly, Luna…your family."

Luna blinked a couple of times before turning to her male ward. "….me?….family?"

The cat had at one point in time seriously thought about her position in the house. While she was the guardian to both the young senshi, to the rest she thought she was nothing more than a stray cat that they decided to take care of as a pet; nothing more than an addition to the house rather than the family itself.

"But, Naruto. I am neither human nor was I born into this household."

Naruto just smiled at her. "Neither was I….except for the human part that is. Remember when I told you about me being adopted?" It had been about two weeks after Luna had discovered them that Naruto recounted his earlier life to the cat. The feline guardian couldn't believe that the boy had gone through what he did. It was shocking to think that people could do those things to a child. "Despite the fact that I am not a Tsukino by blood, they treat me no different than if I had been. And it is the same for you."

Luna stared at the boy wide eyed. "Me?"

"Yeah, I mean just think about it. You eat with us, you sleep with us, you talk to us; well, Usagi and I anyways. Mom and dad take care of you like they do us, and your presence adds joy to this house. Despite how you may see yourself in this house, you are as much a part of this family as any one of us."

"You're family, Luna."

Luna continued to stare at the blond boy who was giving her a sincere smile. Suddenly tears began to form at the corner of her dewy eyes as she graced him with a smile.

"Naruto…thank you."

The boy nodded his head before picking the cat up again. "Well, it's getting late. Time to turn in. I'm guessing you will be bunking in here tonight?"

Luna nodded as the blond crawled under the covers and set Luna on his stomach and reached over to the small desk lamp to turn it off.

"Good night, Luna." Naruto said as he laid his head down and closed his eyes. Luna did the same with a content smile on her face.

"Good night, Naruto."

- Later - Midnight -

All was dark and quiet in the house as everyone was fast asleep in their beds. The sound of gentle snoring was the only sound that dominated the air as the residents dreamed in their slumber while the light from the moon faintly illuminated the house.

The whole family was blissfully unaware of strange event that was about to occur.

In Usagi's room, the girl's new clock ticked away silently as midnight was only seconds away. As the two hands aligned with the midnight hour the clock face begun to glow a strange green light. As the light intensified, it was projected out of the clock and bathed everything in its path in a green glow. Usagi slept on as she was enveloped by the light; her body absorbing the energy that came with it.

Meanwhile, in Naruto's room, our favorite blond was busy dreaming of swimming in an Olympic sized swimming pool filled to the rim with ramen; evidently a very pleasant dream if the small trail of saliva coming out of his mouth was any indication. His blissful slumber would have continued completely unimpeded if his senses weren't tickled by the increase of energy in the air. The boy's face began to twitch a little as his mind was disturbed; although not enough for him to awaken, it was enough to cause him to shift in his sleep.

Luna, who was also asleep at the time, was also dreaming sweet dreams at the time while lying on top of Naruto's chest. Deep in slumber, she was completely unprepared for the boy to suddenly turn his body as he assumed a sideways sleeping position.

The result?

You guessed it. One feline guardian finding herself tumbling off the edge of the bed in which point gravity decided to take control.

It is said that cats always land on their feet, and while that may be true in most cases, it was, for Luna, unfortunately not. With the feline being asleep when it happened and absolutely confused as she fell, Luna landed with the same grace as a sack of potatoes being thrown from a food market truck. As she sat up to regain her bearings, as well as nurse the large bump now present on her cranium, Luna let out a few choice words under her breathe as she stared up at the whiskered blond boy; whom was now securely back to full slumber. Luna prepared to jump back onto the bed in order to claim a spot again; her eyes caught sight of a faint glow emanating from down the hall through the slightly opened bedroom door. Curiosity getting to her, the guardian of the senshi quietly walked out of the room to investigate. Silently entering the hallway, Luna saw that the glow originated from the room of her female charge. She had begun to walk towards the room when she suddenly noticed the light had begun to fade. Becoming urgent, Luna rushed into the room where she was able to catch sight of the light fading away and turned to see a fading glow from the face of the cat clock that sat on Usagi's nightstand. No longer seeing the light or feeling the slight sensation of foreign energy in the room, Luna stared at the clock with a frown on her face. She had always been a bit suspicious of the timepiece ever since Usagi showed it to her, and now those suspicions were reinforced after witnessing the strange event.

'I felt that something was wrong with that thing. I'll have to talk to Naruto about it tomorrow.'

- Streets of Juuban - The next morning -

Mizuno Ami was making her way to the Tsukino house early that morning. As she had promised, the bluenette had set her clock to go off earlier so she could make it in time to get over to her friends' house in order to make sure that the bubbly blonde woke up in time for school. As the girl rounded the corner of the street where the home of her two best friends resided on, her thoughts drifted to the two friends in question; or more specifically, a certain blonde haired boy. She wondered when the last time they had gone anywhere together at such an early hour. That thought lead her back to the memories of when Naruto had briefly lived with her when they were young children. When the young boy was first brought in, the only thing he had in his possession were the clothes on his back; and they were in absolute ruin. The first order of business for the Mizuno doctor was to find the blond some clothing for him to wear, and thanks to her job money was not an issue. The only stipulation that the boy had about his clothes was the color.

"It has to be orange because orange is a cool color."

That is what he had said. So it came to be that all the clothing that was bought for him had some manner of orange in it, and there wasn't anything more orange than the pajamas that he had picked out. The pajamas covered him from neck to toe in the brightest orange anyone had ever seen; so much so that whenever light hit them it made the entire room take on an orange hue. Ami chuckled at the memory and began to wonder if he still wore something like that to bed. Although given the fact that it was still a bit warm during that time of the year, she figured that he probably wouldn't wear something so heavy in his sleep. Perhaps he wore a shirt and boxers to bed. That sounded like something he would do. But what if he didn't like wearing shirts in bed? The girl had heard some of the boys talk about how that slept shirtless at night. What if he was like that.

The bluenette suddenly stopped as the gears in her head continued to turn and that line of thought continued.

What if he didn't even wear boxers in his sleep?

What if he…..

- Ami's Imagination -

All was calm and quiet in Naruto's bedroom as Ami slowly opened the door and crept inside. Gently closing the door behind her, the bluenette quietly walked over to the blondes' bed and eyed the human sized lump that was curled up under the covers. A caring smile made its way onto the girls face as she leant down and gently shook the boy's body.

"Naruto…Naruto, wake up. It's time for school now."

A soft groan was heard as the boy stirred under the sheets. Eventually, Naruto's head emerged showing half lidded blue eyes that stared aimlessly, indicating that the boy was still half asleep. Ami couldn't help but giggle a little at the blonde's expression as he struggled to awaken. Naruto, in his still groggy state, chose at that moment in time to pull the sheets aside and stand up and in doing so revealed his choice of sleep ware.

Or lack thereof.

Ami's eyes widened and her cheeks turned red as she now looked at Naruto's nude form. Standing there in slight shock, the girl couldn't stop her eyes from roaming. They started off gazing at his spiky blonde hair that seemed to glow in the morning sunlight that lit up the room down to his beautiful blue eyes that seemed to draw her in. Further down, she noted his cheek and jaws muscles that showed signs of toning as the boy continued to age. Her gaze left his face and now focused on his marvelous chest and arms. Ami could feel herself drooling slightly as she could see the results of the blondes' martial arts training; evident by the broad shoulders and swelling arms as well as the tight skin across his chest. Continuing down her eyes landed on his abdomen which at that point had lost all of its baby fat and was showing the signs of a well-developed six-pack.

All of her mental restraints failed to stop her from lowering her gaze any further; and when that happened, her face gained a shade of red that could put a tomato to shame.. For now the young bluenette was staring wide eyed at the most defining feature of the male anatomy.

Now being a prospecting student of medicine, Ami has studied up on human biology. So of course she knew exactly what she was looking at. She also knew about the phenomenon known as NPT; which Naruto seemed to be experiencing at that moment. (*Cough*Morningwood*Cough*)

"Morning, Ami-chan." Naruto spoke as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

This had the effect of snapping the girl out of her daze as her eyes darted back up to his face; which her gaze held for a moment just before she walked up in front of him, grabbed him by the shoulders, pulled him into a hot searing kiss, push him roughly back onto the bed, and climb on top of him while alleviating herself of her school uniform as the bluenette fully intended to forgo schooling in favor of some nice…steamy…sweaty…hot…passionate…wait a minute!?

- Reality -

'WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!?'

Ami stood there in shock as her face glowed a shade of red that could qualify for a traffic stop. The bluenette felt absolutely embarrassed that her roaming thoughts lead her to that mental image. She immediately began to berate herself for thinking such dirty thoughts. She was a proper lady, and proper ladies don't think about such things…Right?

The girl shook her head clear of both the thoughts and the embarrassment as she jogged the remaining distance to the Tsukino house. Ami passed the opened gate and walked up to the door before ringing the doorbell while trying to compose herself as best as she could. The girl didn't have to wait long before the door opened to reveal a very familiar purpleette smiling at her.

"Ah, Ami, Good morning." Ikuko greeted the young girl.

"Good morning, ma'am. I'm here to pick up Usagi and Naruto. Are they ready?"

"Well, Naruto is just finishing up, but Usagi has already left this morning."

"What? Usagi has already left?"

"Yes, but don't worry. You still have Naruto to walk to school with." The housewife turned and spoke loudly into the house. "Naruto, Ami's here. Are you ready yet?"

"I'm coming."

Ikuko stepped out of the way as our favorite blonde walked out of the house.

"Good morning Ami. Sleep well?" Naruto greeted with a smile.

The girl's cheeks gained a slight tint to them. "Ah…yes…I slept well, how about you?"

Before Naruto could respond, he was forced to jump aside as Kenji suddenly darted out the door.

"Good-bye, everyone. I gotta go. I want to get a head start on my project." The salary man said as he dashed through the gate with half of his business jacket on and a piece of toast in his mouth.

Ikuko merely waved at the departing man as she spoke. "Good-bye dear, have a nice day." The housewife then directed her attention to the couple in front of her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have lots of things to do. Yes, lots of things. Cleaning. Ironing. Vacuuming. Bye!" Without waiting for a response, Ikuko quickly turned and closed the front door behind her, leaving a confused Naruto and still blushing Ami to stare at the door.

Naruto sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "Man, this is weird. First Usagi-neechan leaves for school before I even get up, then mom and dad rush around like the world is ending. Doesn't this all seem strange to you, Ami-chan?" Naruto then turned to look at his childhood friend where he notices the large blush on her face. "Uh, Ami-chan, are you alright? Your face is kind of red."

Ami quickly tensed up when she realized that she was still blushing from her earlier thoughts. "Oh, I'm fine, Naruto" the girl quickly said, hoping to diffuse his curiosity.

"Are you sure? You don't have a fever or anything like that, do you?" the blonde continued his questions as he placed a hand on the girl's forehead.

"Yes, I'm really fine. Uh…we should probably get going now, right? Ok. Let's go." Ami quickly spoke as she hastily turned and walked/ran through the gate and down the street.

Naruto just stood there confused for a moment and then let his shoulders slump down in exasperation. "First Usagi-neechan, then mom and dad, and now Ami-chan? This morning is really weird." The blonde shook his head before running down the street in an effort to catch up with his bluenette friend.

- Juuban Junior High School -

While the two headed towards the school, Usagi was already in her seat in the classroom waiting NOT so patiently for the class to start. And since she still had thirty minutes 'til the first bell, she still had a long time to wait. And waiting was not in this girl's plans.

"Mrs. H, can we hurry up and start class already?"

The brunette teacher was pacing back and forth behind her desk as she repeatedly checked her watch. "Hmm, we better wait just a little bit longer."

That response was not well received as many of the students stood and voiced their protests.

Naru: "I'm going to be late for dance class if we don't get started!"

Usagi: "I'm going to run out of munchies before dinner!" *Munch!* *Munch!*

Umino: "I'm going to miss my snail watching club and I'm the only member!"

….

(AN: Yeah, I think I'm going to leave that one alone.)

Sakurada quickly slammed her hand down on the desk in front of her which succeeded in quieting the class down. "That's enough! Sit down. We're all busy people. But I'm in charge, remember. No one is leaving this classroom until I say so." The teacher then collected all of her portfolios and stacked them neatly before smiling at the classroom. "Now, since I have four dinner dates tonight, I have decided to cancel the rest of your classes. Let's hit the road." And with that, Sakurada turned to the door and promptly left.

Meanwhile, both Usagi and Naru fumed impatiently as they gathered their things to leave, with Usagi voicing her displeasure.

"I can't believe how rude some people can be. Here we are waiting and waiting."

Umino, whom had decided that this was the time for him to make his move, quickly moved between the girls and spoke.

"Hey, I got an idea. One of you girls should hurry up and say you'll go steady with me for the rest of the year."

"GET A LIFE, UMINO!" The two ladies in question responded.

"Who in the world has time to waste on boyfriends, anyway?" Naru asked as she stood up from her seat.

"Let's just get out of here already, we're wasting time." Usagi piped in as she also stood as the class agreed with her and exited the room.

- Streets of Juuban -

As Naruto and Ami walked down the not so quiet streets of Juuban, the two were dumbfounded at the people they encountered as it seemed that everyone was in a rush to do something. A whole five seconds couldn't go by without someone running right past them, and Naruto actually had a couple of guys run right into him and brush him off without even an apology muttered towards him. Honestly, it was starting to really tick him off.

'If another guy runs into me without so much as an "excuse me", I don't care who he is, I'm knocking his teeth in!'

Ami, meanwhile was looking around as everything seemed to be moving at high speed around her. "What's going on? Everyone is moving so fast."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and it's really starting to bother me. I mean, I thought that everyone back home acting kind of odd was bordering coincidence, but the whole city? Something's not right with all of this."

"I have to agree. I think its best that we find Usagi and talk about all of this."

"Right." Naruto said as the two kept walking. It was right then that the sound of a car horn caught their attention, and the two turned around to see a shocking and terrifying sight as a large car was traveling on the sidewalk and headed straight towards them. Apparently the driver got impatient with the traffic flow and decided to take an 'alternate route', and since the side walk was large enough to accommodate is vehicle, the motorist jumped the curb and floored it right through the pedestrian traffic. Anyone in his way was forced to either jump into an open door or impression in the building large enough to fit in, or dive in between or over the parked cars that lined the street. However, for Naruto and Ami, nether option was available to them as on one side there was a large delivery truck parked on the street and on the other was a solid wall. As the vehicle approached, time seemed to slow down for the two as Ami could only stare wide eyed at the speeding car while Naruto processed his surroundings and quickly acted. Running over to his friend, he quickly scooped her up in a bridal carry and ran over to the wall. When he reached it, he placed on foot on the surface and pushed himself upward, then planted the other foot so to repeat the process. On the third step he began to lose his upwards momentum and that was when he kicked himself off of the wall and into a back flip. The stunt had done its job as the two cleared the vehicle as it passed just underneath them. Ami had her bag clutched to her chest as she squeezed hers eyes shut. Naruto, however, kept his open as he maneuvered himself to ensure that they landed safely. When the car finally passed completely by, time resumed its normal speed as the blond landed in a crouch with the bluenette secure in his arms.

"DUMB-ASS!" Naruto shouted out as he stood up and watched the speeding car as it continued down the side walk until it found another opening to drive back onto the street, causing several motorists to veer out of the way.

'Crazy son-of-a-bitch!' The blond thought to himself before looking down at the girl in his arms. "Are you alright, Ami-chan?"

Said girl opened her blue eyes and locked gazes with another set of blue. When she saw that car headed towards her, she honestly thought that she was going to die, but there she was, staring right at her savior held tightly in his warm, muscular arms.

'Naruto saved me.' She thought to herself as her eyes shimmered with adoration and cheeks all a glow. "Y-Yes, I'm alright." She finally responded.

"That's good. I'd hate to see something bad happen to you." The boy said as he set the girl back on her feet.

"Naruto! Ami!"

Before anymore words could be exchanged, the two teens were interrupted by a shout from behind them. Turning to look, the two spotted a certain black cat running towards them with what appeared to be a cat clock tied to her side. When Luna finally reached the teens she stopped just before them and panted a little. Running non-stop from the residential district to the commercial district can tire anyone out.

"Finally…*Huff!* found…*Huff!* you too. *Whew!* Something very strange is going here."

Naruto scuffed under his breath. "You're telling me. Everyone's acting like it's their last day on earth. Ami and I almost ended up street pizza back there."

Ami nodded in agreement, her cheeks still showing a slight tint of red.

Luna looked a little worried about that statement but put it behind her since it appeared that her wards were both alright, so she continued. "Listen, I think that the Dark Kingdom is up to something, and I believe that this clock is linked to it."

Naruto took a closer look at the clock on the cats back and was able to recognize it. "Hey, isn't that Neechan's new clock?"

"Yes, Naruto, it is. I've been trying to get with you about it this morning, but with your family running around all of the time I couldn't even approach you." It had been very frustrating for the feline that morning as every time she tried to talk to Naruto about what she saw the night before, someone would barge in and blow her attempt.

Naruto finally decided to get into business mode as he spoke. "Alright, I think we need to find somewhere secluded to continue this conversation. There is a small park nearby that I think will do just fine for us. Let's go." The blond had started to turn when a thought struck him. Turning back, he asked Luna a question. "By the way, Luna. How did you tie that clock to your body without thumbs?" Since the cat did not possess opposable thumbs it was hard to understand just how Luna was able to tie a knot, much less strap that clock to herself.

Luna let out a heavy sigh before answering the question. "With patience, Naruto. Lots, and lots of patience."

- Miniature park - 5 Minute Later -

"If we find anything, how will we know what it is?" Ami said examining the clock in her hands. When the group arrived at the park they were pleased to find it deserted, just as Naruto had said. Having located the only bench in the area, Ami took a seat just off center while Luna sat on one side. Naruto decided to stay on his feet and stood behind the bench while leaning over it; his folded arms giving him support as he looked intently at the clock. He honestly never suspected anything from the seemingly harmless device when he first saw it back home. If he had, he would have definitely examined it thoroughly before allowing his sister to have it. He would have to be more guarded with such things in the future.

While Naruto was in his musing, Luna smiled as she answered the girl's question. "Hold on a second." The cat then executed her patented back flip, bringing out a new item that landed in Ami's lap. The girl picked it up and examined it. The item was a small, flat, rectangular box that was colored in light blue with a golden symbol engraved in its center. Opening the box, she noticed that the top portion of the box possessed a large screen that covered most of the inner surface with only a small border separating the screen from the edges of the device. A smaller version of the engraving was located on the bottom right side. On the lower portion of the device were a set of keys for typing, as well as four directional keys and a 'return' key. On the bottom of the interface board were six small colored buttons lined up along its edge. The buttons were colored green, orange, pink, red, blue, and white.

"Wow, what is this?" Ami asked while she examined the small device. Naruto also examined the item in question and stated his assumption.

"Looks like some kind of mini laptop. Sort of like an electronic organizer, but more powerful."

Luna nodded at the assessment. "That is close to what it is, actually. It's a mini data computer with advanced sensory abilities. You can use it to analyze just about anything."

Naruto's eye caught something as he looked it over and pointed. "Hey, it's even got your symbol on it too, Ami."

Ami looked and saw that the engraving did indeed show the sign of Mercury; her sailor symbol. The girl, being quite the humble person she was, looked up to her guardian in all things senshi and spoke. "Are you sure it's alright for me to have this? Perhaps Usagi could use it?" Turning to the blond in her company she continued. "Or maybe you, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled at the girl's humility and charity. Ami always did think of others before herself. It was no wonder that the bluenette was studying to become a doctor.

The blond shook his head and answered her question. "Ami, while having that little computer would no doubt be helpful, let's face it; Usagi wouldn't know 'step one' in how to use it." He felt kind of bad for talking about his own sister like that, but he had to be honest in the knowledge that she was as literate with computers as a cat was comfortable in a dog kennel. "And as for me, while I am adequate at best with computers, I seriously doubt that I could utilize that device's potential as efficiently as you could. This little tool is yours to wield."

Ami was rendered speechless at Naruto's confidence in her. After a moment the girl gave a smile and turned her attention back to the task at hand. "Alright. So, how do I use this?"

"Just point it at the alarm clock and activate the sensor." Luna responded as she moved a little closer in order to see.

Ami complied and pushed a few buttons on the minicomputer. The little device started to hum as the program started and a small readout of the clock appeared on the screen. Ami's eyes scanned through the data as it was being displayed. This went on for a few seconds until the girl noticed something.

"That's odd."

"What is it?" Naruto inquired as he leaned in closer.

"While the clock frame and outer casing seem normal, the sensors appear to be unable to scan the internal mechanisms. It's almost as if the scan is being blocked."

Naruto pondered this information for a moment before he asked a question. "Can you open the casing to see inside?"

Ami nodded. "Yes, there doesn't seem to be anything preventing it from opening."

"Do it. Just be careful, we don't know what's inside."

The bluenette nodded once more as she reached down and turned the cover on the clocks back. As the girl pulled the backing off, the group was suddenly greeted by a light coming out of the clock. The light turned into a ball and suddenly shot out of the clock; right towards Ami's face. Naruto moved with a speed that only a shadow senshi could obtain as he reached over behind the girl, grabbed her shoulder and pulled her out of the way of the ball of light as it zipped passed her head. As the energy ball ascended into the sky, Naruto was able to get a slight feel of it before it flew out of range and deeper into the city.

Ami sat back up and gave Naruto another appreciative smile. "Thanks again, Naruto."

"No problem." Naruto answered before looking back towards the city in the direction that the ball flew. "Well, that clinches it. We got another Dark Kingdom plot unfolding. I definitely felt some negative energy in that ball."

"It looked like it was headed towards the market distract." Ami spoke up as she looked in the same direction as Naruto was.

Luna turned her attention back to the clock; which now showed that it was hollow this entire time. "That light must be what is responsible for speeding up time. It's causing everyone to rush through their day, even Usagi."

Naruto growled a little when he realized that he had indirectly allowed his sister to be affected by the Dark Kingdom's newest energy harvesting tool. "We're not going to let them do as they please. We're going to find their little operation and take them down hard."

"But what about Usagi? We can't just leave her behind." Ami spoke up once again.

Luna nodded. "You're right, Ami. We need to find her, although she could be anywhere by now."

Naruto turned back to his companions with a look of authority. "Then we better get to it. The sooner we find her, the sooner we can put a stop to all of this."

Naruto had no idea just how right he was.

- Elsewhere -

The streets were absolutely filled with utter chaos. It seemed that everyone just could not wait a single second to get to where they were going or do what they though needed to be done. The roadways were filled with vehicles that were traveling way to fast to be considered safe. They also didn't seem to take the traffic laws into consideration either, and the consequences were about to be shown.

In one particular intersection, a small car was speeding along as the light changed from green to yellow to red. Seeing the signal to stop but choosing to blatantly ignore it, the driver speed right on through the red light and promptly met a large commercial truck that t-boned the car and brought both vehicles to a stop. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the incident as amazingly numerous cars collided with the two wrecks from all four directions. Fortunately, there were no casualties or serious injuries sustained in the 'accident', but this did not stop people from overreacting to the incident. Case in point; the man scrambling from his car holding his bleeding finger and screaming bloody murder.

"OH HELP! I'VE BEEN INJURED! I NEED AN AMBULANCE! SOMEONE, HELP ME!"

As the man continued to freak out over his minor injury, an invisible whiff of smoke-like substance radiated from his body as the excess energy he was releasing drifted into the air. He wasn't the only one producing energy as everywhere people expelled energy from their bodies due to their hyper states. As the energy permeated the air, a certain person smiled sinisterly as he collected the energy from within his secret lair.

Jadeite laughed as he held the growing orb of concentrated energy in his hand.

"I knew speeding up time would pay off big. It won't be long now; soon we will have enough energy for Queen Metalia's resurrection."

- Clock Look -

In the dimly lit store, the female clerk stood staring up at a huge grandfather clock that sat idly in the room. Gazing at the clock's face, the woman let out a sinister laugh as her part of the plan was moving like clockwork. (AN: I know. Bad pun.)

"This clock was a brilliant idea. We'll absorb an infinite amount of energy from these panicky humans. Jadeite will be most pleased."

The room suddenly shifted into a shadowy form of itself as the clerk's true form was revealed. Her pale skin became ghostly white while her brown hair turned purple and flowed down her back. Her ears became long and pointed while the sclera of her eyes turned yellow and her pupils turned black. A black star appeared on her right cheek and two red lines moved vertically down her face; one over each eye. Finally, her lips turned purple and a set of fangs became visible in her mouth.

As the disguised youma continued to look at the device, an image of Jadeite shimmered into existence beside her.

"Oh, I am more than pleased, Ramwoir. Many humans are already under your spell. Queen Beryl will be impressed."

Ramwoir turned to her master. "I am happy to serve her majesty, and you too, Jadeite."

"So it would seem. But remember, those senshi are still out there and will be searching for us soon. You will have to stay on guard."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of those brats. Just leave it to me."

Jadeite gave a nod as his image shimmered back into nonexistence while Ramwoir went back to monitoring the energy flow and planning for when those annoying senshi would come knocking.

- Streets of Juuban -

Things were getting worse as time went by. Thanks to all of the impatient drivers out on the street most of them were in gridlock, which is ironic since most of the people couldn't wait to get to where they wanted to go. On a particular street sat a city bus that just happened to have a certain hyperactive blond girl on board at the moment, and she was not at all happy with the current situation; then again, neither were a lot of the other passengers.

"Would you move it already? I got things to do." One passenger asked as his patience began to run thin.

"What do you want me to do, drive through the other cars, moron?" The driver of the bus answered back. It seemed that he was also getting angrier by the second.

Of course, Usagi didn't help matters when she spoke up.

"Would you two stop fighting and get to my house already?"

Her answer came in the form of the bus suddenly lurching forward and her head running into the toll collector since the young girl was standing in the center aisle. As she nursed the bump on her head, Usagi was forced to grab onto something solid to steady herself as the bus began to weave back and forth. The reason? The driver had pulled out of the traffic jam and was traveling down the opposing lanes of traffic.

"Alright. Are you all happy now?"

The commuters in their vehicles could not believe their eyes as they were forced to swerve out of the way of the oncoming bus, many of them collided with the guard rails and other vehicles so that they could escape the huge behemoth as it rolled down the street. On board, many of the passengers pressed the stop button so that they could disembark, however the driver ignored them as he continued his path of destruction down the street.

"Get out of my way! I got a route to follow, here!"

The driver continued to ignore the calls as well as his regular stops as he was completely focused on driving. One elderly lady walked up to the driver and spoke up since her calls seemed to go unnoticed.

"Excuse me, driver, I want to get off here."

"Ah, just take a seat, lady. I'll stop my bus whenever I'm good and ready."

Several passengers let out a startled gasp as they realized that they were being held captive on the bus as it speed down the wrong lanes of traffic.

Things had just gotten more chaotic.

- Later -

Ami sighed as she stepped out of a public phone booth that she had used to contact the school. After spending some time looking for their wayward friend, the group had so far come up empty handed. Naruto pushed himself off the booth and turned to his friend.

"Any luck?"

Ami shook her head. "No, she's not at the school either. I don't know where she could have run off to."

"I suppose we could try looking in the video arcade again." Luna suggested as she thought about where the girl could be at the moment.

Ami's face also took on a thoughtful expression. "Or we could go check out that clock store right now."

Naruto shook his head and spoke up. "No. I am not leaving my sister in her current state. We'll find her first and then go to the store together." The boy knew that time was of the essence since the more they waited, the more likely that people were going to get hurt, but he would not leave Usagi out there in the middle of it and allow something bad to happen to her. Now, if they could only find her….

*Screeeeeeeeech-CRASH!*

"Whoa!" Naruto shouted out as he turned to the source of the load crash and saw the wreck of a large bus that collided with a concrete pillar. As the driver of the bus leaned out of the wreck clutching his head in order to stop the ringing in his ears, people started to file out as they voiced their complaints to the man.

"You're a total maniac!"

"Your boss is going to hear about this!"

"I missed my transfer!"

"Menace!"

Usagi was the last to depart and turned to the dazed driver with a look of anger on her face.

"You're the worst driver I've ever seen! I'm going to report you as soon as I'm home!"

"Usagi!"

The girl turned towards the direction of the voice to see her brother running up to her and pulling her into a hug.

"You're alright, thank goodness." Naruto said with relief in his voice as Ami and Luna came up behind him.

"We were so worried about you." Ami said as she too felt relief at seeing her friend unharmed.

Naruto broke the hug and looked at his sister with an analytical gaze. "How are you feeling?"

Usagi smiled. "I feel just fine, Naruto-nii, but I really need to get back home now. I got so much to do right now. Homework, snack. Comic books, arcade, bath…"

Naruto sighed as he confirmed that she was indeed under the influence of the faux clock. He looked back up with serious eyes as he grabbed his sister by the shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes. "Forget about all that now. We got trouble. The Dark Kingdom kind."

Usagi's eyes widened a bit before she turned serious and nodded her head.

- Mall Service Entrance - Fifteen minutes later -

The group arrived at the mall and made their way over to the mall annex that held the clock store. Approaching the loading door that lead to the main plaza, Naruto closed his eyes and felt out the flow of energy in the air.

"This is definitely the place; all of the energy is being drawn here." Opening his eyes again, he turned to the ladies that walked up behind him. "So, anyone want to try knocking on the front door?"

Luna shook her head. "We can't just go barging in there. We need to think up a plan to get in."

"We don't have time for that. We know they're in there so let's just go and bust up the place." Usagi spoke out in annoyance as she was very impatient at the moment.

"Please, Usagi, just calm down and let us think for moment. Ami, do you have any ideas?"

"Well, we could try going through the air ventilation."

Usagi suddenly threw up her hands as her patience wore thin. "This is driving me crazy. Let's just get in there already. Let's go!"

"Usagi is right. We can't wait around any longer. Things are really getting out of hand out there." Naruto spoke just before the sound of tires screeching and collisions were heard out on the street. "We gotta move."

"Alright, let's do it. Moon Prism Power, Make-up!"

One transformation sequence later and Sailor Moon was ready for action.

"What are you guys waiting for? Let's go, we got bad guys to bust."

Naruto turned to Ami and gave a shrug. "Well, you heard the lady."

Ami nodded. "Yes, let's get to work."

"Mercury Power, Make-Up!"

"Lunar Power, Transformation!"

When the light died down, the three senshi stood ready for battle. The very eager Sailor Moon was the first to act as she reached up for her tiara and set her sights on the door.

"I'll get us inside. Moon Tiara Action!"

With her war cry, Sailor Moon let her tiara fly. The spinning light disk flew straight and true as it bore down on its intended target, its power ready to turn the metal door to shreds.

*Clang!*

*Tink!-Tink!-Tink!*

It was a big disappointment when the disk hit the door and bounced right off of it before landing harmlessly on the ground; the only visible damage being a small dent on the door. An eerie silence befell the group as everyone just stared at the door. Sailor Moon looked kind of funny since she was frozen in her throwing pose, her eyebrows twitching at the anticlimactic result of her attack.

"…That is one tough door." The blonde senshi said as she righted herself while her tiara magically reappeared back on her head.

Lunar Knight could only shake his head while Mercury's gaze stayed fixated on the door. She knew that the Tiara was a rather powerful attack and for something like a metal door being able to survive an attack with little to no damage was setting off alarms in her head. When the door suddenly started glowing, she went to full alert.

"Look!"

Everyone's eyes shot towards the door as they witnessed the dent in the door seemingly fix itself; the metal bending back into place while any paint that had chipped off filled itself in making it seem that the door hadn't been attacked at all.

"It fixed itself." Lunar Knight said as he took a step forward.

"How the heck did it do that?" Sailor Moon asked as she tried to wrap her mind around the strange phenomena.

Mercury thought it over for a moment. There was something that was not only able to deflect the attack of the tiara but also able to reverse any damage done to the door in the process. It looked like the Dark Kingdom was now taking steps to ensure that they would not be disturbed.

"Let me try something." Mercury spoke up as she reached behind her and slid her hand behind the bow on her back where a conveniently placed pocket was located, a pocket that held her new computer. Pulling out her new tool, the bluenette opened the mini laptop before showing off a new feature in her senshi outfit when she reached up to one of her ear lobes and pressed a small blue earring. This in turn caused a lightly blue tinted visor to appear from the bottom of her tiara that covered her eyes. As she began typing on her mini, her visor began to display as series of characters, symbols, icons, and cursors. While the tech savvy senshi started her analysis on the door, Sailor Moon took a glance over and saw the new items in Mercury's inventory.

"Hey, where'd you get that?"

Mercury didn't tear her gaze away from the door while she worked but she did answer none the less.

"Luna gave it to me. It's my data computer. I'm using it to analyze the door."

The moon senshi looked back at her feline guardian with an expression of betrayal.

"And you didn't even offer me one, huh?"

Luna deadpanned.

"Would you even know how to use one?"

Sailor Moon huffed as she folded her arms and looked the other way. "I would have figured it out…eventually."

Lunar Knight could only shake his head in amusement.

"I've got it!"

Everyone turned to Mercury as she read the readout on her visor's HUD. "There appears to be some sort of energy barrier covering the door that is able to repeal and disperse the force of attacks that are aimed towards it. It also has the ability to reverse any damage the door sustains that the field fails to nullify."

"Any way around it?" Lunar Knight asked as he gazed intently at the door.

Mercury shook her head. "No. The field expands across the entire door and the surrounding walls. I have no doubt that the barrier is protecting the device that is generating the field."

Sailor Moon turned to her comrades; frustration clearly shown on her face. "Well then how are we supposed to get inside?"

Mercury sighed as she deactivated her visor. "The only way to get through is to use an intense focused blast that can penetrate the field in a way that it cannot disperse the energy fast enough for it to cut through the door and create a hole big enough for use to gain entry."

"Ok…you want to run that by me again in a manner that I can understand?" Sailor Moon asked as she tilted her head to the side in a way that showed her confusion. If one looked close enough, you could swear that there was a question mark hovering over her head.

"She means a shape charge…" Lunar Knight said as he turned back to his companions with what could be identified as a smirk underneath his mask. "…and I just happen to have something that will work just fine."

Reaching into his pouch, Lunar Knight pulled out several slips of paper and presented them to his team. The two sailor senshi moved in closer to examine the papers and took notice of the details. Each paper had a red border around it while inside were a series of intricate symbols that neither could make out except for the kanji written in the very center of the paper.

'Explode'

"Paper?" Sailor Moon asked with a hint of skepticism in her voice.

Lunar Knight looked over and explained exactly what these pieces of paper could do.

"These slips of paper are called seal tags. They are capable of doing many things, such as sealing, binding movement, and other functions. 'These are explosive notes. By applying a certain amount of energy to them, one can control where and how they detonate; such as a large, wide spread explosion or a narrow and focused detonation."

"Just like a shape charge; as you said." Mercury responded as she realized where he was going with his explanation.

Lunar Knight gave her the old eye smile. "Precisely. Now if you ladies will excuse me." As Lunar Knight finished the sentence, he walked over to the door to begin placing the notes where they needed to be.

"That boy never ceases to amaze me." Luna remarked as she watched the masked senshi apply several explosive notes to the door. The two sailor senshi nodded their heads in agreement to the cat's statement.

Moments later, Lunar Knight finished up his work and took a step back to inspect the placement of the notes. He had placed the notes in an oval shape on the door. The lowest note was placed three inches off the ground while the highest note was positioned six feet above the lowest. A span of four feet separated the left and right most tags on the door. Nodding to himself, the white senshi moved back to the group and herded them behind a corner so that no one would be injured in the explosion should it generate flying debris. With everyone safe around the corner, Lunar Knight explained the next course of action.

"Alright, we are only going to have a few seconds to get inside once I detonate the tags before that hole seals back up again. So when I say 'Go' I want the two of you to follow right behind as we run through the opening." After receiving a pair of nods from his comrades the senshi turned to the last member of the group. "Luna, I need you to remain out here in case we need you to help us find a way back out."

Luna nodded as well and Lunar Knight prepared to detonate the tags. The senshi brought his right hand up to his chest and made the hand sign for Hitsuji and spoke one last time to his team.

"Is everyone ready?"

Getting a confirmation from everyone, Lunar Knight concentrated some of his energy through the seal and locked on to the explosive notes on the door. Once he was connected with them all, he gave a shout.

"Katsu!"

The effect was immediate as the notes suddenly lit up and the contained energy was released.

*KA-BOOOOOM!*

Everyone flinched as the loud explosion ripped through the door and kicked up a large cloud of smoke. When it cleared, Lunar Knight stepped around the corner to check the damage. A large hole had been blown out right where the notes had been as the edges appeared charred and bent inward from the force. Seeing the opening they needed, the masked senshi sounded the charge.

"Go!"

The three senshi sprinted towards the door in single file with Lunar Knight leading the way while Mercury followed right on his heels and Sailor Moon taking up the rear. The senshi quickly slipped through the opening and not a moment too soon for just as the blond sailor senshi passed through the door it began to glow and within seconds completely closed up the hole; leaving absolutely no evidence of the explosion. Luna could only watch as her charges went forth to do battle with the forces of the Dark Kingdom once more.

"Good luck, everyone."

- Inside the mall -

The three senshi sprinted down the dark corridor that lead to the interior of the mall. Once inside, they stopped in order to get a bearing on their location. The mall was a dark void of activity with the only source of light coming from the skylights imbedded in the roof. Once they had ascertained their position, they quickly moved to the location of the clock store; which just happened to have a large metal gate keeping them from entering. While it looked like Lunar Knight was going to have to do a repeat performance of his demolition act, he remembered that there was an employee entrance at the side of the shop, and while they were not employees it certainly didn't mean they couldn't use it. So the group took to the side corridor and came to the door that lead to the back of the store where Lunar Knight decided to do the gentlemanly thing and opened the door for the ladies…with his foot.

*Bang!*

As the door turned scrap iron slid to a rest in the center of the room, the senshi calmly walked in to find that the store still had one occupant in it.

"Welcome."

Ramwoir stood in front of the large grandfather clock with a calm expression on her face. The youma had been expecting the senshi to show up at any time and when she heard that loud explosion coming from the back of the mall, she knew that she was about to have company.

Sailor Moon wasted no time in starting her introduction…

"Time's up for you and your clocks, lady."

…even if it was a bad pun. Seriously.

"I am Sailor Moon."

"I am Sailor Mercury."

"And I am Lunar Knight."

"And we are the Champions of Justice."

Ramwoir didn't appear all that impressed with the intro. "Oh, please. Do you honestly think you scare me you noisy pipsqueaks?"

"Surrender while you can; and make it quick 'cause I haven't got all day." Sailor Moon continued undeterred by the youma's banter.

Lunar Knight glanced over at the blond girl with a little concern with her impatience. Sure she was under the effects of the hyper-clock but he was worried that she might do something rash. Stepping forward, the masked senshi delivered his ultimatum.

"Give it up, youma. You can't win against us."

"We'll see about that." Ramwoir spoke as she shifted into her true form. "I doubt you brats have the ability to halt the hands of nega-time!" The youma threw her hands into the air and let out a yell. "Advance to the hour to midnight!" As those words left her lips the hands on the grandfather clock begun to turn rapidly until they stopped right on midnight. As the clock let out a low, distorted chime the front panel of the clock disappeared to reveal a separate space hidden within the clock itself. Ramwoir floated through the doorway before turning towards the senshi.

"Follow me if you dare. Follow…to your doom."

As Lunar Knight watched the youma disappear into the mosaic looking space, he became hesitant in his actions. The youma had vanished into a separate space and it was clear that was trying to lure them into a place where she would have the upper hand. Going into that clock without any kind of knowledge of what was in there amounted to near suicide and he was no fool. The masked senshi decided that it was too dangerous to follow at this point.

Unfortunately, someone in the group didn't seem to think the same way.

"Don't run away you coward." Sailor Moon cried out as she took off running towards the clock.

Lunar Knight realized what she was about to do and tried to call her back.

"No, Sailor Moon! Wait!"

His orders fell on deaf ears as the moon senshi ran right into the clock and disappeared. Lunar Knight gritted his teeth as he now realized he had to make a quick decision. He knew he had to go in after her but was he going to have to go in solo and leave Mercury behind alone or did they both go in and all three of them face the unknown. A second was all that he used to make his decision and with it he turned to the blue sailor senshi.

"We're going in after her. Stay close."

"Right." Mercury responded.

Turning back to the clock he said a silent prayer before charging in with Mercury right behind. As soon as the two entered the doorway glowed for a brief moment before returning to its original state as the clock panel; not a single trace of what had occurred left behind.

- Time Warp -

The first thing that Lunar Knight noticed about the place is that the environment was heavily distorted with no distinguishable objects to judge ones position with. The next thing was that his senses were being jammed by something, making it nearly impossible to locate the youma that had fled into the place. And finally, the third thing he noticed was that the doorway that they had just used had vanished almost as soon as they entered.

Situational analysis…not good.

The only good that had come out of it was they had caught up with the wayward senshi. Sailor Moon was looking around for any sign of the youma when her two comrades caught up with her.

"Sailor Moon, why did you run in like that? We don't know anything about this place. It could be a trap." Mercury asked as she looked around as well for any sign of danger. Unfortunately she couldn't make heads or tails of anything in this strange environment.

The blond senshi turned and frowned. "We don't have time to worry about that. That youma needs to go down and quickly. I still got a lot of things to do."

Lunar Knight sighed but spoke sternly. "Regardless of what you may think is a priority, you cannot just rush into a place where you know nothing about." The masked senshi started looking around and frowned some more. "This place is messing with my senses. I can't pick up anything." Looking to Mercury he spoke. "Mercury, can you run your scanner and find out anything about this place?"

"I'll try." Mercury responded as she once more brought up her VR visor and minicomputer and started typing away.

Lunar Knight nodded. "Good. While you are doing that, Sailor Moon and I will-Hey, where'd she go?" He had turned to speak to his other teammate but when he looked she was no longer there. The two looked around and it was Mercury who spotted the young girl.

"Over there." She said as she pointed over to her left.

Lunar Knight turned and spotted the wayward senshi inside another odd looking space. It seemed that she had found a strange looking door in the shape of a distorted clock and had recklessly gone inside…again.

"Sailor Moon! Damn it. She's just not listening." Lunar Knight spoke as he and Mercury started running to where the blond girl was. The masked senshi could hear his sister shouting out challenges to the hidden youma, but as time passed he noticed something strange. Her voice started to get higher in pitch and weaker in strength, almost sounding like a young child. Amazingly, when they arrived that was exactly what they found.

Sailor Moon had somehow became a young girl again…and was still getting younger.

Lunar Knight wasted no time. Figuring that the regressive aging was caused by the odd room she was in, he quickly jumped in, grabbed the girl, and ran back out. After setting the now young child down, the masked senshi knelt down and started to check on the mini senshi.

"Sailor Moon, are you alright?" he asked with worry clear in his voice.

Fortunately, he didn't have to worry about it for very long as the girl began to rapidly grow bigger again. In just a few seconds, Sailor Moon was back to her original age and size.

"What just happened?" The blond asked as she checked herself over.

"You walked into that room and you turned into a child. It seems that the youma can control time here." Mercury spoke as she checked the readout on her minicomputer.

"Why that no good cheating monster!" Sailor Moon exclaimed as she started walking off again. "I'm gonna find that youma and make her pay!"

"SAILOR MOON!"

Said senshi came to an immediate dead stop when she heard the raised voice. Turning around, she saw the narrowed eyes of her brother and leader as he was giving her a very stern glare. It was clear to everyone that he was not pleased with her. Lunar Knight stayed silent for a second as he made sure that the girl's attention was focused completely on him before speaking in a commanding tone.

"I understand that you are under the effects of the time clock, but what you are doing is reckless and dangerous. Your current actions are putting not only yours but your teammates' lives at risk. I will not have you wandering off and getting yourself killed because of your impatience. Therefore, from now until this crisis is over, you will not do anything unless I give you an order. Is. That. Clear?!"

Sailor Moon could only respond by nodding her head quickly. She had never seen her brother like this before but she quickly decided that she was not going to try to get him or keep him in this mood again anytime soon.

Lunar Knight breathed out a large breath of air as he let his tension go. He loved the girl but as a leader he knew that he had to sometimes rein his subordinates in. Now was not the time to let someone go off half-cocked, especially where they were. He turned to the other member of the team who was staring at him both in awe and a little bit of fear, but mostly awe though.

"Mercury."

"Yes!" The bluenette jumped slightly when the young man turned his attention onto her.

"We need to find where that youma ran off to. Try to pinpoint her location."

"R-right."

She brought her attention to her computer once more. After about a minute she was able to locate the target.

"She's about four hundred fifty meters north-northeast of our current position." The girl pointed a little off to her right. "That way."

Lunar Knight nodded. "Alright, we're going. I want you both to stay close to me and be ready for anything." Two nods confirmed the order and the trio were off to final face down the time twisting youma.

- Clock Look -

The store sat in eerie silence since there was no one inside. Darkness occupied most of the space save for the skylight that came through a small open window above the entryway. That light however would be blocked as a figure stepped through the opening. That figure was revealed to be Tuxedo Kamen, the masked gentleman whom was allied with the senshi. Leaping down to the ground, he looked about with purpose, trying to locate the ones whom he had felt.

"I know they're close by."

- Time Warp -

The group made quick time as they ran though the time warp at a fast pace. It didn't take long for them to find their target that, from her looks of the large spear in her hand, had been waiting for them.

"I thought I was going to have to come and get you all. Time has run out for you blasted senshi!" Ramwoir declared to the arriving teens.

Lunar Knight narrowed his eyes and drew one of his kunai in a reversed grip. "The only one going down is you, youma. Sailor Moon, Mercury, get ready."

"Right."

"Yes."

But just as everyone prepared to move, Sailor Moon suddenly let out a gasp as she felt a large portion of her energy leave her. A second later, she collapsed into a heap on the ground. Lunar Knight quickly turned and saw the girls' condition.

"Sailor Moon. What's wrong?"

The blond tried to get up but her body simply refused to respond.

"I…I can't move my legs."

Ramwoir chuckled as she immediately recognized the state that the girl was in. "It seems that you have been affected by one of my clocks. It has drained you of all of your vital energy and now you are helpless."

Lunar Knight cursed under his breath. Not even twenty seconds into the confrontation and they were already down by one. The masked senshi moved to put himself into a defensive position in front of the disabled senshi. "Mercury, try to help her up."

Ramwoir had other ideas though. "It's useless. She can't move, and now you shall not either!" The youma thrust out her palm and a dull yellow light shot forward right towards Lunar Knight.

"Look out, Lunar Knight!" Mercury shouted as she ran and pushed the white senshi out of the way. As he hit the ground, the beam found its mark as it struck Mercury.

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Mercury!"

Lunar Knight watched as Mercury body suddenly froze in place. Despite her best efforts, she could not move a single muscle.

"I can't move!"

Things had gone from bad to worse. With two senshi out of commission, it was now up to Lunar Knight to stop the youma. Standing up, he prepared himself to charge. Meanwhile, Ramwoir merely chuckled as she stared at the masked senshi.

"That's two down. Think you can take me on your own, sweetie?"

"Damn right I do, and don't call me sweetie!" Lunar Knight shouted as he charged in kunai ready. But as he got near, Ramwoirs' grin turned feral.

"Accelerate!"

Throwing a slicing arc towards the youma, the senshi was surprised when the youma suddenly disappeared in a blur. Stumbling slightly at the sudden loss of his target, the boy quickly looked around for any sign of the youmas' location. Seconds ticked by as the youma remained out of sight and it was starting to make him nervous. Focusing all his senses, he hoped to catch any clue to where she had vanished to.

*Slish!*

"Gaaah!"

A sudden pain in his back stopped any thoughts he was having as he staggered forward a little. Feeling something warm and wet on his back he brought his hand around to feel it. Pulling it back around he found a red liquid staining a part of his glove. He recognized it immediately.

Blood.

His blood.

"Shit. How did she?!"

*Slish!*

Another sharp pain immediately brought his attention to his left arm as reflexes made him grab it. Looking over, he opened his hand and saw a shallow, clean cut across his bicep. Panic started to set in as he began to desperately look around hoping to catch a glimpse of his opponent. Suddenly Ramwoir appeared a few feet in front of him, only her body appeared to be flickering as if she was an optical illusion.

"I am the master of time here. I can make it come to a dead stop, reverse it and even speed it up. My body is moving so fast that you can't even see it. You stand no chance."

Lunar Knight said nothing but threw his kunai at the youma, however before it could touch her she once more blurred out of sight, allowing the kunai to sail harmlessly out of sight. A low growl escaped the young man's lips as he grabbed another form his pouch and got into a defensive stance.

Meanwhile, Sailor Moon and Mercury tried their hardest to make their bodies move so that they could go over and assist their bleeding teammate, but as hard as they tried they could not move a muscle. All they could do was watch helplessly as the masked senshi faced down their worst enemy yet.

*Slish!*

"Gugh!"

Another cut to his back.

*Slash!*

"Ack!"

One to his right leg, causing it to buckle slightly.

*Slish!*

One across his left cheek.

Soon multiple slashes started to appear all over his body. He noted that he could see a brief flicker of light where the cuts were being made, meaning the he could see the blade as it was making contact with him. But since it was traveling so fast by the time he did see it, it was already too late. All he could do was try to guard his most vital areas and try to find a way to stop her.

Mercury could see more red spots appear on Lunar Knight as time went by and she became increasingly more worried. As one who studies medicine she knew that all those cuts were slowly weakening him, whither it was from the trauma or blood loss. As she stared, she noticed that all the cuts were very shallow and in areas that were not fatal, meaning that while it wasn't killing him at the moment, it was causing a lot of pain. She figured that with her speed she could have easily killed him at the beginning but instead was drawing this out so that she could cause them more pain.

She was toying with them.

'Hold on Lunar Knight. Please!'

Minutes later and Lunar Knight was breathing hard and on shaking legs. His body trembled as he endured the pain of countless cuts. His once pristine robes were now filled with red stained gashes where the youma's spear had cut through. The boy figured that he had to have lost at least half a pint of blood from all of the wounds he received. But despite all of this he had yet to come even close to stopping the youma and he was beginning to think that this may be it for him.

Ramwoir once more appeared in his sight some distance away from him with a devious smirk plastered on her face. He could tell that she was enjoying his suffering and he gritted his teeth hard in frustration. The annoying cackle she was letting out didn't help much either.

"Looks like you're on your last legs. How about we finish this?" The youma raised her blade in a thrusting position and leveled it right at Lunar Knights heart. "I'm going to do this slowly, just so that your friends over there can watch you die. And then I'll have my fun with them as well. How does that make you feel, knowing that they are going to suffer and you can't do anything about it?"

Lunar Knight glared hatefully at the monster, defiance clear in his eyes as he watched her tense in preparation to charge.

"Time to die!"

Ramwoir dashed towards the weakened senshi intent on finishing him off. The girls watched in horror as the youma drew closer to killing the nearly helpless boy. Unable to do anything else, they screamed.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

- Clock Look -

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Tuxedo Kamen was still looking for the senshi when heard the screams emanating from the clock. Turning to look, his instincts told him to act quickly. Taking out one of his roses, he threw it right into the clock face, cracking the glass and stopping the clock.

- Time Warp -

Ramwoir was almost upon her pray when all of a sudden she felt all of her stolen energy leave her body. The loss of energy caused her to falter and come to a stop right in front of Lunar Knight.

"Wha-What's happening? My energy is leaving me!"

Lunar Knight took that opportunity to act. Kicking forward, he brought his kunai up and brought it down right into the youma's left shoulder; burying it up to the hilt. As Ramwoir cried out in pain, the senshi sailed past her and rolled into a crouch on the floor. The youma dropped her spear as she tried to remove the imbedded kunai from her arm.

While this was going on, the two petrified senshi found that they had regained control of their bodies again. Mercury saw what was going on and acted quickly before the youma could recover from her injuries.

"Sabão Spray."

The area was covered in a thick mist that shielded the masked senshi from the youma's sight. Seizing upon the chance but lacking the strength to finish her himself, he called through the mist.

"Sailor Moon, use your tiara. Aim for the handle of my kunai. Finish it now!"

Sailor Moon peered through the mist until she noticed a white glint slightly to her left. Nodding her head, she grabbed her tiara.

"Right!"

The tiara changed into her energy disk and she let flew.

"Moon Tiara Action."

Ramwoir didn't notice a thing as she was still trying to get that blasted kunai out of her shoulder. The only thing she saw was a brief flicker in her peripheral vision, a flash, and then darkness.

The now moon dusted youma's body stayed suspended for a moment before disintegrating; the kunai landing with a loud clang right beside the pile of dust. The air started to shimmer before fading away as the time warp vanished into oblivion.

- The Mall -

One moment the clock store stood tall in the dark and the next it faded away. All that remained was an empty space save for three senshi. With the threat finally over, Lunar Knight let all the tension drain from him as he fell to his knees.

"Lunar Knight!"

The simultaneous calls made him look up as he watched two very concerned sailor senshi rush up to him. Kneeling down, they were finally able to see the full extent of his injuries.

"Are you alright?" Sailor Moon asked as she stared to panic over her brother's condition.

The shadow senshi just chuckled. That was a rather rhetorical question to ask an injured man. Nevertheless, he gave a reply.

"I'll be fine, although I may need a little help getting out of here."

Mercury stood up and began to look around. "Hold on. There should be a first aid kit somewhere nearby."

As the bluenette ran off, Sailor Moon continued to stare at her brothers injured form. It was almost unimaginable to see him in this condition. He had always been a symbol of strength to her and a part of her believed that he was invincible. Seeing him weak and hurt just didn't seem right to her. As she continued to stare, a sense of guilt started to creep into her. No one noticed the form of Tuxedo Kamen leaving the area via the rooftops after he made sure that the trio was alright.

- Outside Juuban Mall - A few minutes later -

Luna was growing more nervous as time went by. It had been over twenty minutes since she hard last seen any signs of her wards and it was starting to worry her. She was just about ready to find a way in when the side door opened and to her relief, out walked her missing senshi in their civilian clothes. Her relief turned to panic though when she saw that Naruto was being helped by the two girls as each had one of his arms draped over their shoulders. It didn't help that he was covered in bandages.

"My word!"

The feline guardian ran up to the group and stared at the injured blond.

"Naruto, are you alright? What happened to you?"

Naruto chuckled a little. "Things got a little dicey in there, but we managed to pull through."

- Nearby Park - Fifteen minutes later -

A full recount of the adventure later and Luna sighed as she spoke to the three teens. "It sounds like you three barely made it out of this one with your skin intact. Please do exercise caution in the future. I'd hate to think of what would happen if something terrible happened to any of you."

Naruto nodded his head as he sat between the two girls; his sister to his right and his friend to the left. Oddly, Usagi had been very silent the entire time and was looking down at her lap.

"I understand what you are saying, Luna. However, this is what we signed up for when we took the positions as protectors. We can't be afraid to take some injuries when we are dealing with the Dark Kingdom."

Luan nodded. "Never the less, please be careful."

"I'm sorry."

Everyone turned to Usagi as she continued to stare at her lap.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-nii. If I hadn't been impatient and rushed in, you wouldn't have had to get hurt like that."

Naruto could see tears starting to form in his sister's eyes. Smiling a little, he took hold of her hand and squeezed it comfortingly.

"Nee-chan, there was no way of knowing what we were going to face. You can't blame yourself for what happened in there because there was no way of knowing what kind of powers she had. The only thing we could do was try to adapt to the situation as best as possible and this time it was just more difficult. A wise man once said that 'No plan survives first contact with the enemy.' There would have been no way of us to have planned an attack with the time we had."

Usagi nodded, feeling a little better from her brother's words.

"But I want all of us to use this as a learning experience. While we cannot plan things, we also cannot charge in head long at the start. We have to take a moment to analyze the situation and move accordingly. We are a team, and we must move and act as a team."

Everyone nodded to his wise words. Soon Naruto stood up as he had regained some of his strength and turned to his team. "Well, I think it's time we got home and checked in on everyone. I'm pretty sure that they are worried about us now that their heads are all clear."

Ami realized something and spoke up. "But Naruto. How are you going to explain your injuries?"

Naruto looked over himself and thought for a moment. "We'll tell them that I got into a fist fight with a bunch of hyperactive knife wielding thugs."

Everyone stared at him for a moment as if he had lost his mind. Luna spoke out.

"Are you sure that is a good idea? Your parents won't be too happy."

"It's the only thing we've got to go on. I don't think we can say that we stopped a time manipulative monster in a bogus clock store."

Luna had to concede the point. A minute later everyone was heading home. However, just as Ami was leaving, Naruto called out to her.

"Ami."

The girl turned around and saw Naruto looking at her with a smile.

"Thank you."

Ami was taken aback by this and asked. "What for?"

"For patching me up. It's good to know that we have a great medic on our team."

Ami couldn't help but smile at the praise. It was good to know that her training was useful in this situation. Finally, everyone left for home good and ready to let this very hectic day wind down.

- To Be Continued -

[Author's Notes]

Ok, guys. I have no excuse for being over a year since I did any updating. I could tell you that I was hit with a major case of writers block. I could tell you that I moved to a new town and had to focus on my life for a while. I could tell you that I was brainstorming a few new stories that I plan to make later on. But that does not excuse my absence from updating this story. For that, please accept my deepest apologies.

I finally got this chapter done it it is my longest on yet. I really didn't plan to make it this long since I consider it a filler chapter but the ideas just kept on flowing. Hope you like it.

I am going to go ahead and say this. Do not expect my stories to be updated regularly. These stories are subject to surges of inspiration, intervals where my life demands my full attention, and when my interests are directed somewhere else, like reading other stories. For those who want to see my work updated quickly, accept my apologies ahead of time. For those who have stuck with me and will continue to do so.

Thank You.

I'm going to try to update My Rosario story next and then I will go from there, but I will get back to working on this story sometime in the near future.

Next Chapter - Trouble brews once more as the gang investigates a series of bus disappearances. But when the trail leads to a Shinto shrine being involved, how will they proceed? And who is this beautiful miko shrine maiden and how does she fit into all of this? Read the next chapter - The Fiery Miko, Mars Burns The Darkness.

Peace.