A/N: Again, sorry for the late posting, I had many problem this year and i finally got back into the groove. Also, if there is an inconsistency please bear with me I am fairly rusty at writing.
In the yellow light of the candles in her room Rei finished redressing her burn wounds, which had not gotten any better since the attack. The wounds had made it hard for her to breathe, and as such she couldn't the fact she was in pain. Her grandfather didn't ask how she had gotten hurt; he didn't know Rei had been in the park. How he had not noticed Rei didn't know either.
The burns were more than a problem for Rei. Not just the discomfort but the fact that she wasn't able to help Serena fight the Phantom. Normally she would have argued with her friend, but Serena and Darien had told her that they would handle the situation. She decided to let the decision go with her leader.
Looking out the window of her room, her eyes going right to the full moon, Rei took one candle in her hands, "Don't you let Mina down Serena…"
She blew out the candle, and climbed under the covers.
Ami was waiting near the park. The police had set up a massive quarantine around the park, where it encased not just the park but also the surround city blocks. Because of that Ami had to stay a good distance away while she waited for Darien and Serena. She took to hiding between two buildings, standing at the brightly lit end of the alley. Thanks to the street light just off the curb she was able to see the park a couple blocks away. There was a barricade of police officers and cars on the street.
Still, even if she had to wait, Ami's mind went on about who this Phantom was. Her scientific mind had been abuzz ever since they encountered the creature. It was humanoid in body; it talked, and had energy absorbing powers. All of that pointed in the direction of the scouts oldest foes. Ami had gone over the facts and even her palmtop didn't have a guess as to what it was. Nothing in the Negaverse was like it…what if it isn't from the Negaverse?
This as well as other thoughts ran through her mind, and while she wanted to figure it all out very badly, she above all else wanted one thing. "I want to figure out what it is…but I more so want to stop it."
As the determined Ami had her hand on her Mercury pen, ready to transform at a moment's notice, she began to wonder where the battle against the Phantom will go from here…
Having transformed, Sailor Moon used her wings to fly through the starry night sky while Tuxedo Mask rode on a red motorbike on the street below.
The two made it into the city, which was quiet thanks to the curfew put in place.
Finally making it to the old jewelry shop, the two got up on the roof and saw the police barricade that went all the way around the park. Sailor Moon's wings vanished from her back, but she kept her scepter in her hand just in case.
Sailor Moon was not happy about it, "Darn it…there's all sorts of people running around. He'll never come out now." She knew just by the fact that there were people out and about in the park it was going to make finding the Phantom ten times harder.
Cane in hand Tuxedo Mask looked down at the barricade in the street below, and he silently agreed with the Scout next to him. "Don't worry. He found us last time, if anything he's more than likely waiting for us."
"Doesn't matter if he does or not, we'll find him and destroy him," SM said, her voice sounding tense. And tense was not a word TM usually added with the normally happy go lucky Scout. He didn't blame her, not with what has happened as of late. With three of her fellow scouts and best friends injured because of an unknown foe Serena felt angrier than she had ever been before. As long as she was able to stand, she wasn't going to let this monster run wild anymore.
The two backed away from the edge of the roof, and Tuxedo Mask took Sailor Moon's hand in with his own. "We better meet up with Mercury and plan our next move."
Sailor Moon nodded once, and her wings appeared on her back once again. "Yeah, I don't want to leave her alone for too—"
She gasped and pushed Tuxedo Mask aside, raising her wand to where he had been standing. The tip lit up, and a black cloud flew back to the opposite edge of the roof. Darien turned around and saw the thing that had almost got him. "What the!?"
The cloud shifted in the spot it had landed, and it took a familiar shape. It was humanoid, tall, wearing an overcoat with a silver mask covering its face, and red haunting eyes that made the two heroes shake with fright for a split second. The mask had a twisted smile on it; the mouth was red as the eyes. "You sensed me. More unpredictable than I had thought."
The Phantom… Sailor Moon thought, her grip on her wand tightening.
"I see you've changed your appearance since we last met," Tuxedo Mask said, raising his cane like a sword in his hand.
"Appearances can be used in certain ways. Like to promote the illusion of mystery and even fear. Like yours is to instill hope life and hope, mine is to promote fear. And, judging from what I see now, I believe it is working."
"We don't fear you," Tuxedo Mask said sounding brave.
"Be that as it may. This is the second time you have sought me out, and out of curiosity I find myself asking why."
Sailor Moon stepped forward, but Tuxedo Mask stopped her. He shot her a look, don't get emotional. She stepped back. Truth was he wanted an answer before the battle started.
"You call yourself a Phantom, but a Phantom of what? What are you and where do you come from?"
Raising his chin slightly, the Phantom answered, "If it makes your nerves less shaky, I am not with your previous foes."
The two would have breathed a sigh of relief, but if what the Phantom had said was true, then what was he?
Sailor Moon definitely was frightened of him because of what he had said, and she was doing her best to hide her fear, but since the Phantom noticed it she didn't do a good enough job obviously. She tried to replace that fear with the anger she had welled up inside. Anger directed at the monster before her. "You hurt my friends."
The Phantom was hunched forward slightly, "Hmm…so you were the one in the park…that one girl had otherworldly power in her, not to mention the bravery the other girls showed in trying to stop me. I should have guessed you'd come back to avenge her."
Images of Rei, Mina, and Lita hurt flashed through her mind while her eyes started tear up, Sailor Moon had heard enough. "Not just her, but Rei and Lita as well!" She raised her wand, and it started to glow, as if her emotions were starting to fuel her powers, "Your reign of terror has gone on long enough, buster! In the name of the moon, I'll put an end to you!"
The Phantom started to hover above the ground by at least a foot, "If you seek my destruction, then by all means, come and get it!"
Sailor Moon then charged at the Phantom at full speed, yelling loudly as she did.
