The Return of the Crystal Senshi

And Then There Was Two

Savagekitty

It was a sunny day, that's why Emerald remembered it for years to come. She remembered thinking, how can such horrible atrocities be going on, on such a beautifully sunny day? Pluto had come and gotten her from the year 2006, now she was in 3012. Today was Halloween day. Kids should be our carving pumpkins and running around in costumes, instead, they were safely sleeping with mommies and daddies.

Emerald and Sailor Pluto walked down the hallway of the New Palace. It was so quiet and the air so stale, it was as if it were a tomb, and that secretly frightened Emerald. She felt so small and alone, she wanted to turn tail and run away. Far away, until no one could find her. She tucked that fear away, saving it to share with Kane if she ever saw him again. As she walked, she shed clothing, she needed to remove them, she felt stifled. She walked into the War room in her bare feet, her pants, and her bra. The other senshi turned, looking at her. Mars snorted, but Jupiter smacked the cast on her arm and Mars turned white. She sat down, closing her eyes. Emerald looked around at her friends and comrades. Mars's left arm was broken, Ruby's face was a mask of purple and yellow bruises. Sailor Mercury was helping Venus put her leg up on a chair. It was wrapped in a thick plaster cast. For Emerald, the battle with the Sisters had been weeks ago, for her senshi, it had happened only days before.

Luna came into the room behind Pluto and Emerald. She smiled weakly at Emerald and handed her a bag. Emerald looked inside and smiled. It was a uniform. She excused herself, going to change. It took a few minutes, but when she returned, she wore her classic black uniform. She had tied her hair back and went to the computer panel. Sailor Mercury already sat at the main terminal, she started pulling up information they had collected in Emerald's absence. Also, histories that had been collected in 2006 about the appearance and disappearance of the second Pluto. Emerald looked down the information, which took a few moments, but she needed to know. The power readings off the planet were off the charts. Emerald sighed and looked over her shoulder at the others. Artemis had joined them now and as Emerald turned around, he cleared his throat,

"Emerald, I want to go with you. I know what you plan to do, and I want to help. Its basically my fault for what happened and I need to make it right."

Emerald crossed her arms across her chest, "No."

His face crumbled, "Why not?"

"What are you, six? Do I have to scold you like a child? Artemis, you are the protector of the Memory Gate, I don't know what would happen if you died. This is not a trip to the damn beach. I appreciate your nobility and know you feel guilty, but no."

She shook her head, sighing. The senshi were gathering at the door, Venus on crutched, Mars's face still white with pain. Emerald waved a hand calling for their attention, "Girls."

Everyone, looking at Emerald, stopped. Emerald moved to Venus and Mars, "You two stay with Luna and Artemis. You're no good to me with broken limbs. This is… this is going to be worse then when we faced Beryl and the Dark Kingdom."

The girls looked around at each other. Mars opened her mouth to argue, but Jupiter hit her bad arm again and Mars sat down, closing her eyes against the pain. Emerald pushed through the group of senshi and walked down the tomblike hallways.

Once outside, the senshi that would go were alone. They stood in a circle and linked hands. Emerald smiled at Pluto, who decided to come. As they all gathered their auras, Emerald was afraid again. Afraid of what she would find when they got there. Would Erin be dead? Was Serenity dead, is that why they needed Usagi? She didn't have time to think about it too long, because they were ready and then they were gone.


Black Lady smiled as she stood over Usagi. Usagi was chained to the crystal coffin of her future self. Usagi had been singing loudly, very loudly, to keep her mind off the gnawing fear in her chest. Black Lady had come with Prince Demande to ask once more, to give them the Silver Crystal.

"This, my dear, will be the last time I ask nicely. Now, The Crystal, please."

Usagi, looking up at them, then spit at Black Lady's feet, "Fuck you."

Black Lady laughed, a small chuckle as she looked over at Demande. She smiled, rolling her head on her shoulder and turned back to Usagi. Gasping, Usagi was lifted off her feet by Black Lady, her claws hands digging into Usagi's flesh as Black Lady lifted her over her head.

"Listen to me, you little bitch. You're lucky I haven't skinned you alive yet, because I will just as soon as I have that damn Crystal."

Usagi smiled down at them, gasping, "If you need it so bad…kill me…then you can…have it…" She rasped out a giggling cackle and Black Lady dropped her. Usagi moaned as she pulled herself up, leaning against the crystal coffin. Prince Demande chewed on his thumb nail. Usagi looked at him, something was not right. Before, he was all anger and rage, now he was nervous as a cat in a rocking chair factory. Black Lady paced around the coffin, her power was wafting off of her like a heat. Usagi winced and pressed herself against the coffin, trying to get away from it. Black Lady finally stopped in front of Usagi, looking back at Demande. He settled, a shadow passing over his face. Usagi saw it and ticked that away in her memory.

Black Lady looked back to Usagi and snapped her fingers. Esmeralda appeared in a circle of light. She looked around, confused and scared. Usagi felt her fear. Black Lady smiled sweetly, kneeled down and taking Usagi's hand, "My dear, I shall do the next best thing to skinning you alive. You will feel what its like, darling. I'll skin Esmeralda."

When Esmeralda heard that, she started screaming. She started to run, but the circle of light wouldn't let her move. She started sobbing and Usagi's eyes widened, "Don't! Don't hurt her! Can't you see how scared she is!"

Black Lady walked to the circle, walking around it, "Of course I can. That's half the fun."

Usagi starting shaking, "Oh my God… Emerald…Venus…Girls…please, oh God please get here soon…"


Emerald growled. They kept running into problems! Once they appeared on Pluto, they fanned out. Sailor Pluto was devastated at the sight of her planet. It was swallowed in darkness. The people that lived there cowered in fear, or argued angrily with each other, there was no light, no green of plants. No life. They ran into a troop of guards, and easily dispatched them, but as they grew closer, the minor skirmishes became more frequent. Finally, Emerald was so frustrated, she broke the senshi up into two groups. Jupiter, Pluto, Ruby to one group, Emerald, Sapphire, Mercury to the other. The first group to the castle won.

Emerald led her small team through the village that seemed to surround the black castle. They stuck to back alleyways, and hid when the guards came. That ensured them saving strength and no time lost. Soon, they were up the stairs of the main entrance to the castle, Pluto, Jupiter, and Ruby right behind them. Jupiter used her Oak Evolution to blast the large and heavy doors open and they entered the castle.

The stale smell of death pressed on them as the darkness loomed throughout. It seemed like forever before they hit on pay dirt. A tall male come out of a door and stopped, staring at them. He wore a blue coat and white pants. Emerald knew him as the man from the park.

"YOU!" He said before Emerald threw him into a wall with her telekinesis. He slid down the wall, gasping for breath and Ruby picked him up, holding him still with one steel strength arm. He struggled weakly against her and Emerald bent down, resting her hands on her knees, "Why, hello there! You're going to tell me where my friends are, or I cut a body limb off one piece at a time, until you do."

"You wouldn't. You senshi are all the same, pathetic, spineless, and helpless." He sneered.

Emerald smiled sweetly, moving her face closer to his until they were just about nose to nose. She held up one of the daggers she kept hidden in the space where senshi stored their weapons. It was simple, with the same hilt all of her swords had, with a blade of steely crystal that was stronger the diamond. She turned it to and fro, making sure he saw it, "You obviously haven't met me. My name is Sailor Emerald, and I am the Guardian of the Queen and all that she rules. You pretty much fucked with my area, buddy. Wanna say, 'you wouldn't dare', again?"

She tilted her head to the side and pressed the tip of the dagger very lightly to his cheek. Even the slight pressure slipped under his skin, a small line of blood coursing down his jaw line.

He hiccupped, closing his eyes, "You are no worse then Black Lady."

Emerald pressed harder, "My cruelty stems from the anger of someone hurting those I love. That is far more dangerous then anything or anyone. Where are they?"

He opened his eyes, looking into hers, "Dungeons."

Emerald turned, looking over her shoulder as the others, "Lets go."


The winding passages were easy to maneuver, since Ruby carried Saphir with them. He gave directions. The castle was eerily vacant. Emerald didn't want to know why. They came down into the lower parts of the castle, and they were called the bowels for a reason. As soon as the dank and damp hit them, so did the screams. Two female screams echoed each other as the girls picked up their speed. Saphir led them to the dungeon where the Queen was being held. Emerald was at the head of the group and as they came to the doors, she blew them open. She entered the room, her sword drawn. Her face set in rage.

Usagi was curled in a ball, shaking. In a circle of light lay the green haired woman. She was half dead, her glistening muscles exposed to the air on over half of her body. Saphir wailed in despair when he saw the woman. Emerald looked from the white haired man to the woman that stood over Esmeralda. Emerald gasped, "Erin…oh God no…"

Responding to that, Black Lady cackled, chilling everyone, "So they have arrived then. This is where we battle to the death. But I have rewritten this story. Behold!"

She threw a hand towards the crystal coffin and with the same motion, grabbed Esmeralda's throat and crushed it. The crystal coffin vanished, Serenity falling to the ground. Pluto shrieked, "USAGI! DO NOT TOUCH HER!"

Usagi, shaking in pain and fear inched away from her fallen future self. Pluto rushed forward to help the women, but Black lady stopped her with another hand motion, "NO! I will not allow you to touch them." She threw the broken body of Esmeralda onto Usagi. Usagi shrieked and started glowing. Black Lady looked towards Saphir and within the blink of an eye, was on him. She closed one fist around his windpipe and crushed it also. As he writhed, dying, he landed on top of Serenity.

There was a blinding light. Emerald tried to see through the light but was unable to. Finally the light cleared and Prince Demande held the two Silver Crystals. He looked wildly from the senshi to Black Lady, "I have them! I have the Crystals! I can rule over Earth now! ME!" He held the two Crystals inches apart from one another, one a bloomed flower, the other was a normal looking jag of crystal. Black Lady's eyes burned, "Don't you DARE you little puke! Those are MINE!"

Prince Demande laughed, "No, darling, they are mine! Mine alone, and I shall rule over this solar system alone! First, I shall destroy you!" He turned his body towards Black Lady, his hands coming closer together.

Pluto raised her staff, screaming, "By the forces that decreed me the Senshi of Time! I demand of Time to STOP!" Emerald gasped and lunged forward, grabbing onto Pluto before time slowed and then everything became still.

End Chapter Eight