Control

by: Serenity Blaim

Chapter Eight...

Usagi's eyes flew open, she felt anxiety build in her system, and she just couldn't stay still. Something was wrong. She stood up, despite the unhappy groan from beside her. She couldn't place a finger on it, but something was wrong. She looked at Mamoru. "Are you able to move quickly? I need to know something... I feel paranoid all of a sudden. Something's happened. I don't want to leave you here..." Her eyes pleading him to come with her.

"Alright, I'm up. You think I'm letting you out of my sight after this. Hah!" He said joyfully. Usagi grabbed his hand, and ran into the dorm building. Mamoru joked, "Isn't It a bit early for this?"

Usagi was completely out of it. She didn't even blush, She merely shook her head, and kept on moving. She busted into her dorm to see the three girls sitting in an awkward silence. Mina's eyes widen at the sight of Mamoru and Usagi, holding hands. "Ohmygosh!" it came out in a blur, and her cheeks flushed with happiness.

Usagi again merely ignored it, and looked to Matoko, knowing she'd get nothing out of Mina. "Have you heard from Ami and Rei? I think something's happened. I want to go check on my family."

"No... We were supposed to meet them this afternoon..." She dropped off, and pulled out her communicator. Pressing the blue button, she waited impatiently for the blue soilder to answer. The screen lit up, but no image made it through. Only Ami's voice was heard, "Help! We're being kidnapped!" The small machine made a clicking noise, as it lost the signal.

All around the girls became a mesh of colour and emotion, Usagi was freaking out. Her best friends in the entire world had been kidnapped and it was all her fault. Mamoru grabbed the hyper girl, and held her to his chest. She began to sob frightfully, and everyone took a deep breath. Matoko gripped the bed frame tightly, a small crack was heard. "So how're we going to get them back?"

From Usagi's dorm door that had been left open, came a cackle. The three scouts jumped up, to investigate, and even the hysteric Usagi looked up. Mamoru only tightened his arms around her. The shadow of a person stood in the hallway, her eyes glinted an unnatural purple, but as they came out the cackling stopped. The unnatural voice came from deep within Asuna's chest. "Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask, your mine!" and with a weak sob, Asuna sunk to the ground, revealing a dark energy. Mamoru pulled out a rose, forcing his transformation, then standing protectively in front of Usagi he face a non-substantial monster. How do you fight was you can't touch?

Although slightly surprised at Mamoru's transformation, they followed suit. Hotaru staying in the background, she bit her lip in distaste.

Usagi looked around, and her brain began to tick in a whole new way. She was the strategist that fooled these people for years; it had been in her very being. A gift from her previous upbringing. She looked at her friends, in this case she saw them as tools, and was disappointed. She knew their weakness was they had little that could contain energy, everyone she had was purely offensive. She ran through scenarios as she transformed too. Her only hope was that they could pull this off.

She looked at the venue, and knew they had to move. Too much casualties could be drawn from these rooms. Grabbing Mamoru, knowing they were the target, she was certain the monster would follow. As she ran down the stairs, she saw the purple tint to the air, as they moved. Almost omniscient, the glow began to sink into her skin. Usagi began to scream, the acidic texture making her skin bubble and boil. Mamoru experienced a similar reaction, and the two collapsed at the bottom of the stairs. "Keep Moving!" grunted Usagi. She pulled the larger man up on her shoulder, and ran with all her strength. She felt relief from the searing pain, where she was perspiring. She knew what to do. There was a fountain at the front of the school if she could only get them both there.

Mamoru's screams got louder, and she kept running. The dark tint darkened her skin. She felt it's persuasive power. Once she feared Mamoru had given up, but his pants became all the more haggard. They were close now. Only a few minutes longer. Mamoru's weight shifted, and Usagi felt herself stumble. From all her years of practised falling, she had no balance to recover, and she felt herself going down.

Minako and Matoko had followed them and grimaced when they saw Usagi stumble. Minako moved quickly "Love me Chain!" she shouted. The chain wrapped around Usagi's wrist, already burned and boiled, the girl called out in pain. She grabbed the side of the fountain, and despite her own pain, threw Mamoru in.

He felt his control returning, but he watched as the dark orb left him and entered Usagi all the more fiercely. Her screams were agonizing. "Shock me!" was all Usagi screamed, her eyes rolling back into her head.

Matoko cringed and looked around panicked. How was she supposed to shock her friend? Her princess? She couldn't. She shook her head angrily, the tears streaming down Usagi's face. Usagi choked and squeaked out, "Just... do it Jupiter."

Matoko jaw tightened, and she straightened her back. She felt the rush of energy flowing through her. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" She felt the elation when the tension of energy left her, but she immediately shut her eyes tight.

Usagi screamed as the current flew through her. She felt the creature's torture lift, as the pounding of the lightning left her. She sighed at once, thoroughly sore, but in a tolerable way. She sunk to the ground, groaning in relief.

"Usagi!" came the unanimous yell, as the warriors and sodden Tuxedo Kamen ran to their fallen comrade. Minako positioned the girl in more comfortable recline, her head against Mamoru's lap.

"I'm... okay..." she mumbled, her eyes slackening as she fell onconcious.

"Let's get her back to the dorm," spoke Mamoru, "We'll decide how to precede then." He'd caught Matoko's open mouth to retort. She closed it instead, she nodded.

Mamoru cradled the girl close to him, as they walked up the stairs. He placed her softly on the bed, where her roommate saw them with a look of shock on her face. She knelt beside Usagi, and looked accusingly towards the girls, "Didn't we just have that conversation! Why is she hurt?"

"Hotaru, she's just unconscious. We have to figure out a way to get the girls back..." Minako spoke dimissively at the other girl. She looked hopelessly to Usagi and Matoko. Mamoru sat with Usagi on the bed, and brushed her hair from her face.

"How do you suppose you'll get into the Negaverse?" asked Mamoru, who had been silent up until now. The way it felt to be a part of a team was coming naturally to him, and his own memories twinged in response to the feelings. "I'll give you my Rainbow Crystals. Maybe you can lure them out with them." He suggesting.

Usagi groaned from her position on the bed, and curling into Mamoru she spoke softly, "No, there is no way you can control that situation." Minako rolled her eyes at her fallen leader.

Asuna's Youma had not perished in the battle, only weakened a dark cloud returned to Asuna's fallen frame, she quickly regained consciousness and returned to Headquarters to report to Beryl.

The temperature was deathly cold in the D-point. She was unhappy to return at all, because the scenery was so drab, but Beryl would need to know what happened.

"Asuna, where is Momoko?" shrieked the Negaverse's leader, Queen Beryl.

"She was dispatched my queen, by Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask." She cringed as she expected an assault of words.

"What else happened? You were gone a long while." Asked Beryl, calmly Asuna noted.

She knew if she told her of her weakened state, Asuna wouldn't make it out of the drab dungeon alive, so instead she chose her words carefully. "I have two of the scouts trapped in dimension pocket." She looked directly into her superior's eyes and said, "The others will follow soon, with the Rainbow Crystals." At the mention of the Crystals, Beryl's eyes lit up.

"Very well then, be off with you." She waved her arm passively, trying to hide her pleasure at the idea of the crystals. Asuna took her cue and went away with her narrowly bought time. She returned to hers and Momoko's dorm and crumpled to her bed, exhausted. The energy within her was quelled into silence, as it usually spoke to her in frantic instances. The voices were murderous, and always violent. She took the opportunity to sleep peacefully, and regain her energy.

Ami's computer screen lit up her face in the dark cramped space her and Rei were enclosed in. Rei's angry mutterings had long since ceased, and for that Ami was glad. They seemed to be stuck in some dimension pocket, not unlike their own. However, since they were inside, and it could only be open from the outside they were quite well trapped. Not that Rei didn't try to blast the walls, only to find them reflect her flames back at them. Ami was trying to contact the outside world, and with her communicators down, there was little hope a message would get through. She didn't give up though.

Ami never gave up.