Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sailor Moon or any of the canon characters. Derek, Drake, and the others are merely figments that have escaped from my imagination.
Author's Note: Welcome to my version of the Heart Snatchers Arc. I hope you enjoy it, especially with the switch to being in my fictional city of Le Lune, California. This is mainly going to take place from shortly before Serena and Darien broke up to right before the second chapter in Vault of Souls.
Chapter Eleven: Battle Against The Silence
"There has to be a way," muttered Amara.
The dark-blonde scout slipped through the shadows of a laboratory. A thick coat of dust covered everything around her.
She grumbled under her breath. "There must be something I can use to stop the Sovereign. Unless Dr. Tomoe isn't working out of his house this time. But the only other place he would be is the school and we've scoured that thoroughly."
"Amara, what exactly are you doing?" Michelle demanded, walking up behind her partner.
Serena nodded as she emerged from the darkness. "Haruka, you disappoint me. Besides, Dr. Tomoe isn't here. We saw him heading towards the school, just a few minutes ago."
"Then, the Heartsnatchers are coming out of Le Lune High." Amara exclaimed. "What are we waiting for?"
Sola came bounding down the steps into the basement headquarters. "Serena said something about going after Amara."
Nate, Mal, Zack and Jason all whirled to stare at the golden dog.
"There's no time," declared Salem, looking up from his computer. "The students of Le Lune are all filing into the school. You have to go and find out what's going on. I'm sure it has something to do with the Heartsnatchers."
Sara turned to him. "But we've scanned the school already."
"We can't worry about that now." Mal leapt to his feet. "Let's go, gentlemen. Serena and Michelle will have to help out Amara."
His fellow Tuxedo Knights nodded and they ran from the room.
Rini walked through the upper halls of the Tomoe house, dressed as Mini Moon. A nightmare of Hotaru being pulled into the darkness had forced her to come here, just to make sure her friend was alright. And, it didn't hurt to be prepared.
"Welcome, Mini Moon. Or should I call you Rini?" A woman with long red hair emerged from one of the rooms. "Hotaru isn't here, you know. Although, she does want to see you again, especially that pure heart of yours."
Mini Moon whirled, getting caught in a surprise attack from the woman.
"Pluto Dead Scream!"
A blast of red energy caught the woman off guard as Sailor Pluto dropped in, fighting to protect Rini.
The two exchanged several attacks, back and forth, before Kaori Night sent one at Mini Moon, shoving her through a window. Before Pluto could respond, Kaori Night had grabbed Rini and disappeared into the darkness.
"We have to get them to use their attacks against each other," declared Tuxedo Sphinx, dodging a combined attack from Cyprin and Petirol. "They're too strong for us to take on, when they work together."
Tuxedo Dragon nodded. "You know what to do, gentlemen."
"Sphinx Crystal Blizzard!"
"Phoenix Sacred Feather Inferno!"
A flurry of crystals filled the air, reflecting the bright flames from Tuxedo Phoenix's attack. The four Tuxedo Knights had closed their eyes tightly, but the last two of the Witches 5 had been unprepared, the attack leaving them temporarily blinded.
In their fury they failed to notice the whispered attack from Tuxedo Gryphon that had separated them, causing them to face each other as they attacked in vengeance. The four Knights stepped back as the two witches destroyed themselves.
"We did it!" Tuxedo Phoenix yelped, turning as the crystal statue behind them dissolved.
Suddenly, they found themselves back in Dr. Tomoe's office, a strange portal appearing behind his desk.
"Now we know why the scans didn't show anything," muttered Sphinx. "The portal was masked, and all the dark energy of the Heartsnatchers was hidden there. Really ingenious, actually."
Gryphon rolled his eyes. "Worry about the specifics later. Let's go destroy the Heartsnatchers, once and for all!"
Sailors Moon, Uranus, and Neptune ran through the halls of the dark dimension linked to Le Lune High, until they found Dr. Tomoe, standing beside a short white table, on which rested a small figure.
"Mini Moon!" Sailor Moon cried, running forward, only to collide with a massively powerful energy barrier.
"Sailor Moon, are you alright?" Sailor Uranus was at her cousin's side in an instant. "That barrier's pretty powerful, isn't it?"
The shorter blonde scout nodded, struggling to her feet.
"Sailor Moon!" Four voices cried out, simultaneously, as the Tuxedo Knights hurried to join them.
The seven of them turned to look past the barrier, as Hotaru was revealed, sitting on a massive throne.
"At last, we present to you the purest of hearts," stated Kaori Night, appearing beside Dr. Tomoe.
A hand, formed of violent purple energy emerged from around Hotaru and shoved itself into Sailor Mini Moon's chest, pulling out her Pure Heart Crystal.
"No, Mini Moon!"
As the crystal emerged from the young girl, her transformation faded, leaving only Rini behind.
"No, Hotaru! Don't do it!" Sailor Moon pleaded, as the Heart Crystal approached the dark-haired girl.
Dr. Tomoe just laughed as Hotaru swallowed the crystal.
"No!"
Dark hair billowed around the girl as she grew older, dressed in a long, dark purple gown.
"Not Sailor Saturn, then," whispered Sailor Moon, sadly.
Sailor Uranus shook her head. "She's the Sovereign of Silence."
"Indeed," declared the woman. "I am Mistress 9."
Kaori Night started forward, only to be destroyed by a blast of energy from Mistress 9.
"She had served her purpose. Now, onto the next phase, Doctor." Mistress 9 grinned before the two of them disappeared.
Sailor Moon ran forward as the barrier disappeared, gathering up Rini.
"We have to get out of here!" Tuxedo Sphinx yelled. "The dimension is collapsing!"
"We're just glad the four of you got all the students out," stated Michelle, looking over at Salem, Sara, Sola, and Apollo.
The two dogs nodded, curling closer to Rini.
"You seem to be stabilizing her," observed Zack. "We can be thankful for that, too. At least, until we can get her heart crystal back."
Serena nodded, sadly. "It's all my fault. I left her here, alone, instead of taking her with me after Amara. I knew she was worried about Hotaru, and I should have kept a closer eye on her."
"We don't have time to play the blame game," snapped Amara. "It's just as much my fault as yours, anyway. I chose to go after Dr. Tomoe without telling anyone. But blaming ourselves won't get us anywhere."
"That's right," declared another voice.
Everyone whirled to see Trista Meioh walk into the room.
"Trista? What's going on?" Mal asked. "Is Drake alright?"
Trista nodded. "Drake's fine. I'm here to help you fight against Mistress 9. I am Sailor Pluto."
Serena rose to her feet. "Welcome, Pluto. I'm going to fight, not just to bring back Rini, but to also find a way to bring back Hotaru!"
Michelle nodded as she moved to stand beside the princess. "There must be a way."
The Knights stood together, a united front, while Amara moved to stand with her girlfriend and her cousin.
"There's a dark barrier around the school, now," observed Sphinx. "There's no way through it."
He looked up from his small, hand-held computer to stare at the others.
Sailor Pluto shook her head. "There's one way in, but it's going to be risky."
The other sailor scouts nodded.
"We're ready," declared Sailor Uranus.
Sailor Moon narrowed her gaze as she stared at the barrier. Reddish ooze poured out of the school.
"Watch out, everyone!"
"Pluto Dead Scream!"
"Uranus World Shaking!"
"Neptune Deep Submerge!"
The three outer scouts attacked the creatures that emerged from the ooze. The creatures exploded and reformed.
Tuxedo Dragon nodded to the others.
"Dragon Earth Shatter!"
"Sphinx Frozen River!"
"Phoenix Sacred Feather Inferno!"
"Gryphon Star Whirlwind!"
"We aren't strong enough," grunted Gryphon.
Sailor Moon took a deep breath. "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"
The attack pushed back the creatures, but only temporarily. The creatures swirled back towards them, as a mysterious hand emerged from the sky, grabbing Sailor Moon by the throat.
"Sailor Moon!" Sailors Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto grabbed onto her, trying to pull her back to the ground.
The Knights turned to help, but were soon forced to shove back the creatures, again. The hand pulled Sailor Moon upwards, into the sky, and taking the three outer scouts with her.
"Well, then, we'd better do what we have to," declared Dragon. "We can't let that negative energy get through."
Phoenix nodded. "There's one way to make sure of it. The old barrier protective shield."
Sphinx and Gryphon nodded, turning.
"Phoenix, take the southern corner, Sphinx, to the north. Gryphon, you take the East." Dragon ordered.
The three other Knights nodded and darted off to their appointed corners.
At the southern corner, Phoenix slid his feet apart, bracing himself and extending his arms in the directions of his brothers.
"Phoenix of Terra, I call upon your great strength. Help me to protect this world," he chanted, focusing on the blazing power within himself.
A red energy, edged in silver and gold, swirled around him.
At the eastern corner, Gryphon assumed the same position as Phoenix.
"Great Gryphon of Terra, I call upon your power," he whispered, looking up towards the heavens. "I need your aid in protecting our planet."
A green energy, edged in silver and gold, slowly emerged, surrounding him.
At the northern corner, Sphinx slid into position.
A grin crossed his face as he invoked his powers. "Sphinx of Terra, I call upon your great wisdom. Help me in defending our home!"
Silver and gold gilded the edges of a deep blue energy, flowing around him.
At the eastern corner, Dragon shifted himself into his stance, feeling the power flowing from his three brothers in arms.
"Dragon of Terra, hear my cry! I need your great might to save this planet!"
Gold and silver edged the orange power that emerged from within and surrounded him.
The four powers shot out, merging together to form a shield around the dark barrier, holding it in place, while the four Knights poured all their energy into holding it together.
Darien looked up from the thick medical text he was studying, to see a tall figure, dressed in a long grey hooded cloak.
"Who are you?" Darien demanded, his hand closing around his transformation rose.
The figure laughed. "Trust you to go straight for the rose, your highness. I am not here to harm you. There is someone who needs your help."
He stretched out a hand and rested it on Darien's shoulder, transporting the two of them away in a swirl of dark grey energy.
The two of them reemerged in a small room, with a small white bed in the middle.
Two humans stood beside the bed, a short woman with reddish brown hair and a slightly taller man with hair only two shades darker than hers, watching an unconscious girl with pink hair. Two Golden Retrievers curled up on either side of her.
"Rini!" Darien exclaimed, running over to her. "Rini! Answer me!"
"Her Heart Crystal has been stolen," explained the stranger. "Your power can keep her safer than any other, your highness."
The two dogs lifted their heads, to stare at Darien. The ebon-haired man sat down and pulled Rini into his lap, a golden light emerging from his hands and surrounding the young girl.
"She's more stable now that she was earlier," exclaimed the woman, resting her hand on Rini's arm. "Thank you."
Darien nodded. "Who are you?"
"We're friends. That's all you need to know, for now," explained the strange hooded figure. "I must go. I will be back, soon."
Sailor Moon froze as the Purity Chalice was destroyed.
Sailors Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto hung behind her, trapped in the hair of Mistress 9.
"Pharaoh 90 is on his way. There's no way to stop him now, not with you unable to become Super Sailor Moon!" Mistress 9 laughed.
A blast from Pharaoh 90 collided with Mistress 9.
She collapsed onto the floor, where Dr. Tomoe cradled her in his arms.
Memories flashed through her mind, memories of being Hotaru, of playing with her father, being teased by him, of him carrying her when he was tired.
"Hotaru, please," pleaded Sailor Neptune.
An aqua-haired girl appeared in her memories, playing the violin, while she struggled to follow along on the piano.
Her eyes opened, and Hotaru struggled with the entity that called itself Mistress 9.
The black star on Mistress 9's forehead dissolved, replaced with the symbol of Saturn. A bright violet light emerged from the symbol, dissolving away Mistress 9.
Darien looked up again as a ghostly girl appeared in the room, floating over to stand before him and Rini.
"Rini, my good friend," stated the new arrival, holding her hands out, a crystal appearing in them.
The crystal drifted down from her hands and re-entered Rini's chest, her skin going from a pale, translucent shade to the more vivid, vital shade Darien remembered.
"Thank you, Rini, and good-bye."
The girl drifted backward and disappeared.
Sailor Saturn returned, dropping down onto a piece of rubble. "Sailor Moon, thank you for saving me."
"Sailor Saturn!" Uranus exclaimed.
Neptune nodded. "And Hotaru."
Sailor Saturn shook her head. "Hotaru is no more, or at least, I am no longer Hotaru. Now, I must destroy Pharaoh 90. I am the only one alive who can."
She turned and leapt into the dark swirling mass that was Pharaoh 90.
Tears fell from Sailor Moon's eyes as she fought to call forth Moon Crisis Power once more.
Uranus nodded, slowly. "Uranus Power."
"Neptune Power." Tears fell from Neptune's eyes, as well.
"Pluto Power."
The power from the three outer scouts burst forth, allowing Sailor Moon's Heart Crystal to emerge from her chest.
"Moon Crisis Power!"
Light swirled around her, changing her into Super Sailor Moon as she dove in to fight Pharaoh 90 alongside Sailor Saturn.
And, yes, that's where I'm leaving it! Only one more chapter to go! Wow! Alright, so, two chapters in two days! Alright! Hopefully, I can get the last chapter up before the end of the week! And then, I'll be free to finish Vault of Souls and figure out a title for the last segment of the trilogy! I've got a plot, but no title. Oh, well. Now, can you get down there and review? You notice, I got a review, and the chapter came out the next day? Strange.
