Chapter 10

Jadeite was waiting for his servant to return. At that moment, she appeared. He had to admit, she returned rather quickly. Was she really THAT good at ambushes? Or did the human get away somehow? He hoped not, otherwise he would have to discard her for her inefficiency. Not something he really wanted to do, as he needed her to help him succeed.

"So, were you able to possess that pathetic human?" he asked Derella.

"I sure was," replied Derella, a little too proudly. "It was a piece of cake." She knew that her master would be very proud of her. She was right.

"Excellent," Jadeite told her. He gave an evil smirk. This was one scheme he was looking forward to, and it had better succeed. He didn't want to endure another harangue from Beryl. Though if she grew tired of his failures, a harangue would be the least of his worries. "Let's go put our plan into action now."

Following the rehearsal, Mikan began to feel the effects of the spell. She was thinking of a way to have people come to her concert so that she would be sure that her "new" masters would be sure to have the energy that they so desired. She thought of a good scheme.

' I know, I will lower the original price of the tickets by 75%,' the young lady thought, chuckling evilly to herself. She was sure that people would come then, as the price would be too cheap to turn down. 'And all of those silly humans could kiss their energy goodbye!'

Mikan was about to go and change into more casual clothing when all of a sudden, a sphere of dark energy surrounded her. She tried to get out, but it was no use. She was trapped. "What is this? Let me go!" the teen aged girl cried, not knowing that the monster that appeared in her apartment was summoning her so she could discuss things with them. She disappeared in the energy, and was transported to an unfamiliar place. She wasn't sure where she was, but it sure was very dark and ominous. She glanced up, and saw a man with short, curly blonde hair and the monster that appeared in her apartment while she was in the shower. Though the blonde was rather handsome, she still thought the woman was hideous, evil spell or not.

"Wh- Where am I?" Mikan stammered.

"You're in our home, the Dark Kingdom, my dear," Derella answered.

"We have brought you here to discuss your plans with us," Jadeite added.

Mikan almost repeated, "Dark Kingdom?" but she recalled the little plot she concocted a little while ago, and so she knew that she couldn't be a wimp if she would be helping these people..whoever they were.

"Oh, that's why I'm here," she said knowingly.

"So were you able to devise a plan?" Jadeite asked.

"That I was," the crooner replied. At this point, she was not so intimidated anymore. She told this blonde man and the strange looking woman about her scheme to lower the price of her concert tickets three quarters.

Jadeite and Derella were impressed. For a human, she was pretty intelligent. They were glad that they chose her as the catalyst for their evil plot. It was really a shame that she would suffer the same fate as the humans she gathered for them.

"Excellent plan, little girl," commented the blue skinned youma. The blonde general nodded in agreement.

"Let us proceed," he said.

*******

Nephrite was showing Miki, Yukari and Ruby the new CDs he bought.

"Wow," said Yukari, impressed. The total was cheap considering how many he had bought. She had some CDs in mind she would like to purchase...that is, if he would let her or the other girls go with him. She didn't feel like burdening him down by sending a list with him.

The star shitennou glanced at the three women, and took the earnest expressions on their faces to mean that they wanted to go with him if he went again. He didn't see why they couldn't go, as it would be just as good for them to become more familiar with the human culture as well. And he wasn't sure why that woman who worked there wanted him to return so badly, but he planned to, as it was a nice enough record store.

"You girls may come with me next time," Nephrite told the youma. They tried their best not to show how glad they were.

"All right," replied Miki, beaming.

"Yeah, let us know," said Ruby.

Nephrite chuckled at his minions' eagerness, and left to hear the new CDs.

Ruby disguised herself, and told the twins to let Nephrite know that she went to get a ticket for the so called concert. She would be keeping an eye on Jadeite's progress, just as the auburn haired king assigned her to. In an instant she teleported to earth.

Mikan, Derella and Jadeite were waiting for customers at the ticket booth. The possessed young lady felt that it would be a sin for them not to come, as the tickets were incredibly cheap, and that wasn't something she thought they should say no to. Her "colleagues" felt the same. Mikan was worried that Derella and Jadeite would be angry that she failed to assemble humans together for them. Especially considering that the concert was in less than a week. Little did she know, they were only using her as cannon fodder.

"Hehe. You really are a genius, you know that?" the blonde man told Mikan.

The brown haired girl was a bit amazed to hear that. She didn't know if he was just saying that or if he really meant it.

"You really think so?" she asked a bit shyly.

"That I do. You have the perfect bait."

"I'm glad you think so," replied Mikan, grinning evilly.

The ugly youma was just starting to get annoyed about waiting when finally, a tall slim young woman entered the hall, and walked up to the ticket booth. The woman had cherry colored wavy hair pinned on top of her head and was dressed in a black minidress made of sweatshirt material. Jadeite gave an evil grin. What he did not know that the woman was one of Nephrite's youma, Ruby, in disguise.

'Ah, our very first energy victim,' Derella thought. But as she looked at the lady, she frowned. This lady didn't look completely like an ordinary human. There was an ice cold look in her dark eyes. Was she one of them? The voluptuous youma decided that it wasn't important.

Mikan registered Ruby's presence. "May I help you, Miss?"

"Yes, I have come to purchase a ticket for your concert."

The brunette smiled. "Yes, of course." She told Ruby the price, and Ruby paid her.

"Thanks for purchasing," Mikan told the higher ranked youma.

"It was nothing," the young woman said. She took the ticket, nodded a thank you, and exited. Mikan was pleasant enough, but the sight of that ugly youma and Jadeite made her feel a bit queasy. She could barely stomach the sight of either of them, especially Jadeite.

The possessed pop idol watched Ruby go. She couldn't help but notice that the aura she had didn't seem like the type from the average human..it was more of a darker presence. 'What does this mean?' she wondered to herself. 'Well, no time to worry about that. There are more important things to worry about.'

Derella told Jadeite where she would be if he needed her again, and disappeared. One by one, people walked in to purchase the tickets. This caused all of Mikan's impatience, anxiety and worry to fade away. It looked like the auditorium would be packed after all, and the best part is that her two "associates" would be proud of her..at least that's what she thought. Jadeite grinned evilly when he saw more people show up.

'That's right humans, walk right into our trap.' It looked like this energy gathering operation was going to be successful after all.

Mikan sold the remainder of her tickets to the people.

"Good work, Mikan," Jadeite told the pop idol, once everyone left.

"Thank you. It is an honor to work with you."

The blonde man discreetly gave a smirk. 'Hmph. If only I can say the same for you, you gullible fool.'

*******

Usagi was very happy that she was able to afford a ticket. Of course, on her way home, Mamoru needled her for not being more serious when she was on her way home, but it wasn't enough to put a damper on her spirits. She was just too excited, and when she got that way, no one, not even Mamoru could ruin it for her. She pranced around her room with delight.

"I'm gonna get to meet one of my favorite singers! Yipee!" The blonde girl started jumping up and down like a seven year old. She kissed her ticket all over, and put it in her purse. She didn't want to lose it..if she did, she would be crushed.

As usual, Luna had her doubts. She sighed at Usagi's little kid antics.

"Something's fishy about this," she said to Usagi.

There the feline advisor went again, being suspicious about every new establishment that happened. She always talked the blonde senshi out of these things. Usagi felt like she was being deprived of her fun. That was one of the reasons why she wanted to be just an ordinary girl. It was a little annoying when Luna would act like such a worrywart.

"Huh? What's so fishy about it?" she asked.

"The fact that this Mikan sold her tickets at such a cheap price doesn't seem right. I believe that this is another trap set by the Dark Kingdom," answered Luna.

Of course, Luna was right. The price was just too good to be true. However, Usagi didn't think so. Even if what Luna said was true, she was willing to take the chance since she was presented with this opportunity.

"Whatever you say," sighed Usagi.

"If you go to this concert, make sure to stay on guard," warned Luna.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," the ditzy girl said wearily. She conceded that it would be okay , as long as she got to attend.

*******

Four days later, it was the day of the concert. Mikan and Derella waited patiently for the humans to show up.

'All right, you silly humans. Show up and surrender your energy to our Great Leader,' thought Mikan. She was a teeny bit nervous about her performance. However, her nervousness would be the least of her problems.

Derella retreated to Jadeite's quarters. She would reappear when the time was right.

Ten minutes later, people started to arrive. Ruby came, holding a video camera. She made herself invisible. She didn't want to risk being mistaken for one of the human weaklings, just because of her disguise. Considering that, videotaping the concert could be an extremely tedious way to show Nephrite how Jadeite's plan went, but it would be worth it.

'Hmm, excellent,' thought the budding superstar. She smiled a big toothy smile.

Out in the foyer, Luna was telling Usagi to disguise herself and pretend to be a manager.

"O-kay," said Usagi. She was glad to do that, as she was quite fond of the pen. So far, that was one of the few pros about being a senshi. She had the power to use such a magnificent item. "Disguise Power! Turn me into a manager!"

Usagi's uniform turned into a businesslike suit. "Ooooh, does this look cool or what?" The young girl took a look at herself. The attire made her feel very businesslike and important.

"Good. Now let's go inside. And don't forget to keep an eye on everyone," said Luna.

"Right," said Usagi. She entered the auditorium, along with Luna.

*******

"All right everybody! Thank you for coming to my concert! I have a great show planned for you, so don't go away!" said Mikan into the microphone. 'And thank you for surrendering your energy as well. Silly humans, you're all so gullible, it's pathetic.'

Ruby knew that this was her cue, and turned on the camera. She knew that this plan wasn't going to work, and was eager to show what happened. Though she had to hand it to Mikan. She did a splendid job, gathering these humans. If Jadeite actually succeeded with the rest of the scheme, which she had doubts about, it would prove her wrong as well as disappoint her.

The audience applauded the young lady on the stage. She smiled at the audience, and bowed. The music started playing, and Mikan began to sing. Her voice was powerful and melodious. All those who knew the song, sang along. Usagi was so caught up in the concert that momentarily, she forgot what she was doing there.

The red haired youma had to admit that the pop star was talented. Her voice was music to her ears, which was more than she could say for what played in the Dark Kingdom.

Mikan performed for forty-five minutes. Some of the songs were slow ballads and some were upbeat songs. After her last song, she decided to put the plan into action...that was, after she did a few "kind" things.

"Okay. It's now time for an autograph session!" said one of Mikan's band members.

"YAY!" a couple of fans screamed. They scrambled toward the teenager. Usagi went, too, but was clawed on the ankle by Luna. "Owww!" she hissed. "What was that for?"

"Remember what you are really here for," was all the black cat would say.

"Okay, okay." The blonde sulked a bit. It was so unfair that she was missing out on all the fun.

The brunette pop crooner furiously signed her name on writing pads and CD jackets. "Here you go!"

"Thanks!" Naru said.

Umino thanked her as well, and also told Mikan how beautiful she was. The singer blushed. Naru groaned. Umino was always doing and saying stuff that embarrassed her. It was like he didn't have any manners. She pulled the nerd's ear.

"Ow, that hurt!" he yelped.

The red-head shrugged. "I am only looking out for your best interest. It would be terrible if your behavior got you in trouble one of these days."

Umino rubbed his ear. The brunette young lady was soon finished signing the autographs. "I would like to give you all something to thank you for attending my concert."

All the people looked at her with curious expressions on their faces. Would could she possibly have for them this time?

Jadeite saw this, and signaled to Derella that it was time to drain everyone's energy. The blue skinned youma possessed the CDs that were in the superstar's satchel. This way, when she gave them to the fans, their energy would be drained and she would feel the effects of it as well.

The seventeen year old singer reached into her satchel and pulled out some CDs. The moment she touched them, she felt strangely weak, as if she were having her energy drained. She wondered why she was feeling this way. If she was supposed to be helping the villains, she should be immune to the energy draining, right? She wondered if she was being tricked somehow. But it just couldn't be true. No way. Mikan brushed the feeling off, and handed the CDs to all the fans. They felt the same effects she did.

"I feel so strange," people were saying. One by one, they collapsed. The fatigue eventually overpowered Mikan, and she collapsed as well.

Luna and Usagi didn't like the sight of this at all. Usagi hated to admit it, but it appeared that Luna was right. It was a Dark Kingdom trap after all. She mentioned this to Luna.

"I see you're learning, Well, you'd better transform, Usagi!"

"Okay!" Usagi chirped. She stepped over the comatose people and hid behind some curtains. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up! "

Derella appeared, and looked at all of the unconscious people. She was amused by what she saw, mainly by how easily Mikan fell for her and Jadeite's compliments, and the "teamwork." She laughed evilly.

" Mikan, you naive fool. You will suffer the same fate as these pitiful humans. Queen Beryl will be very pleased," gloated the ugly woman.

"Not if I can help it, old witch!" said a female's voice.

Derella looked up and glared at Sailor Moon. She was very angry about being interrupted. Who was this impudent human?

"Shame on you for stealing the energy of music fans! I am the pretty sailor soldier of justice,Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I shall punish you!" said the blonde haired senshi.

The odious monster took a good luck at the so called soldier of justice. She looked so feeble and defenseless. Her words were just empty words. There was no way she would be defeated by this wimp.

"You're no match for me!" she scoffed, sneering at the young girl.

"Oh yeah? Show me what you've got, then!" challenged Sailor Moon.

"Gladly!" said Derella. She shot a frozen blast of water at Sailor Moon. She tried to dodge the attack, but tripped in the process. The frozen water hit her. She whimpered as the water froze her in place. Derella chuckled at this. Just as she thought, the girl was just all talk. Killing her would be more of a piece of cake than she thought. Queen Beryl and Master Jadeite would be so proud.

Sailor Moon was beginning to turn blue, and was feeling numb as well. If someone didn't show up soon, she would freeze to death, or even worse, suffocate. She said a prayer for someone to come and save her. 'Please, please send Tuxedo Kamen to rescue me.' She was starting to have difficulty breathing when all of a sudden, a red rose hit the ice and set her free. She looked up and saw a man dressed in a cape and had a top hat on his head. She was very happy to see him.

"Tuxedo Kamen, you're here!"

However, Derella was far from pleased.

"Drat!" she spat. " It doesn't matter, I will destroy you, too!"

The masked man ignored her, gave Moon some encouraging words, and left. The youma was going after him to see if she could catch him.

"Sailor Moon! Don't let her escape," said Luna, running up to the young heroine.

"I'm on it, Luna!" said Sailor Moon. She took off her tiara and threw it at Derella. "Moon Tiara Action!"

Derella couldn't see it as she was facing the other way. When she realized what was going on, it was too late to block it.

"AHHH!" she screamed as the tiara hit her. All the people got their energy back.

Ruby turned off the video camera. 'Just as I thought. Now the idiot's humiliation is there for Master Nephrite to see.' She teleported away, surrounded by a swirl of crystal shards.

*******

Nephrite was listening to a soothing new age record in the den. It made him feel very calm and relaxed. He nearly forgot that he had sent Ruby out on a mission, for a second. Of course, it would not take a genius to know how the plan would turn out. It wouldn't surprise him if Jadeite failed again. He waited for the sassy young woman to return. He didn't have to wait long. She showed up at that very moment, clutching a video tape in her hands.

"Master Nephrite?" she said, bowing respectfully.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Here are the events of Jadeite's latest scheme."

The star king gave an amused smirk. "Excellent." He was prepared to see that the lower ranked shitennou had failed, but wanted to see it all the way through.

The red-head popped the video in the fancy VCR, and rewound it to the beginning. That done, she pressed play and sat on the large sofa, her long slim legs crossed. She began to watch with Nephrite. The concert was rather boring to watch the second time around, but Ruby sat through it anyway. She muffled a chuckle at the scene where Moon was turned into an icicle. Nephrite found it humorous as well. He started thinking about how easy a time he would have defeating her, when it was his turn.

The young woman couldn't help but snort with laughter when Tuxedo Kamen appeared. She thought he looked like such a doofus.

Nephrite was getting the picture. The only reason the pigtailed senshi reached it this far was because of this masked man. 'She cannot hold her own in a battle if her life depended on it.'

Just like the previous times, Sailor Moon managed to outwit Jadeite.

"Why am I not surprised at this," said Nephrite.

"He's such a loser," Ruby commented.

"That he is. It shan't be too long, now."