Chapter 24

In the abandoned gallery, the newly emerged Dark Mercury smiles at the Sailor Senshi darkly. Next to him, a statue drips with water, and the droplets start to converge until icicles form. Dark Mercury looks over at the statue, walks over, and breaks off an icicle. When he holds out the icicle, it becomes a sword in his hand. He strikes a pose with the sword defiantly at the other Senshi.

"Yugi, stop!" Moon cries.

"Remember us!" begs Mars.

"Oh, I remember," says Dark Mercury. "Pharaoh Moon. Sailor Mars. Sailor Jupiter. I'll defeat you, and I will be stronger!" With that, he aims the sword at them and swipes at the air with it, sending an attack in their direction. The other Senshi fling their arms up to protect themselves from the blast, but it is Jupiter who absorbs the brunt of it by blocking it with his hands.

The Senshi fall to the ground. Jupiter looks up and reaches out for Yugi, his glove burned through from the attack. "Yugi," Jupiter chokes. "Please stop…"

Dark Mercury merely points the sword in their direction once again. Jupiter drops his hand and looks away.

Pharaoh Moon forces himself to his feet. "Yugi!" He pulls out his moon-stick and holds it in front of him. "Please…go back to the way you were." He swirls the moon-stick in circles. A pink light emanates from it. When the light reaches Dark Mercury, he strikes it away callously with his sword. The power from the moon-stick shatters.

From behind a column, Luna gasps, "I can't believe it! Even Pharaoh Moon's powers aren't working!"

Sonicexe steps forward. "Sailor Mercury," he says, "has received a sample of the Power of Darkness—and has been reborn." The scenes flash back to the image of Yugi standing before a mass of dark energy. He struggles as his body absorbs it. The shot fades into the image of Dark Mercury's face, back at the gallery. Sonicexe says with a smirk, "It doesn't look like she's ever coming back."

"That can't be true..." Pharaoh Moon breathes. "You're lying!"

"It was fun up until yesterday," Dark Mercury says with a grin. "Goodbye, my friends." He aims the sword at them once more, a look of sadistic pleasure all over his face. The Senshi look on in disbelief. When Dark Mercury prepares to attack, Pharaoh Moon shrinks back, expecting the blast—but Sonicexe blocks Dark Mercury with his arm. He looks up at him, irritated.

"This is enough for today," Sonicexe tells him, and with a gust of wind, he and Dark Mercury vanish.

Alone in the gallery, the Senshi stare at the space where Dark Mercury was a moment before, still in shock. Pharaoh Moon falls slowly to his knees, his shoulders slumped.

Joey attempts to sit up, but falls on his hands. Jupiter can't seem to bring himself to move. "Yugi..." he says faintly.

The 3 and Luna have gathered in the Crown room. The 4 stand before the table, staring at the four mittens sitting there neatly. "Yugi knitted them for all of you. He accidently got into the wrong class." Luna explains.

Tristan grabs the green pair. "Why?" he demands. He slams a fist down on the counter. "Why Yugi?!"

Luna says guiltily, "It's because I didn't bother to pay attention. If I had been more aware..."

"No, you're wrong," Joey cuts in, his eyes downcast. "It's not just you. We're at fault too..." She looks down at her red mittens.

Yami pinks up the white pair. "If he had given as a call, we would have come to help at once..."

"Lately...don't you think that we've been falling apart?" Luna asks. The 3 look at her in silence. "But Yugi…" Luna continues, "he said, 'We will be together again some day.'"

Tristan sits on the couch in his apartment, a lamp burning in the corner. He looks at the mittens sitting on his coffee table and thinks back to the other day. 'When I first became friends with everyone,' Tristan thinks. 'I was so happy. And then, just like that, I started taking it for granted.' He slams a fist to his leg.

Joey is lying down in his room at the shrine, looking up at the ceiling. He remembers her last conversation with Yugi.

Yami sits on his bed. 'Lately...I haven't really talked that much with Yugi,' he thinks. 'All I've been thinking about is Rongtu...'

At Rongtu's apartment, she held out the white rose. 'Tea this is all your fault.' she thought.

The next day, at Juuban high, the entire class seems to be carrying on as usual, chattering excitedly before the beginning of classes. Yami walks into the classroom, deep in thought. 'How am I going to explain to the teachers and everyone else about Yugi...?' he wonders. But as he sets his bag on his desk, he picks up bits of the conversation in the background. "...Yugi..." a girl is saying.

"...like Yugi..." says another girl.

Yami looks over to where the students are gathered, curious. When they move to reveal Yugi sitting at his desk, talking and smiling animatedly, Yami breaks out into a delighted smile. "Yugi!" he exclaims, running over to him. "Yugi!"

The classroom halts into a dead silence. The other students stare at him coldly. Taken aback, Yami stops in his tracks and looks around. Naru steps forward. "Yami," she snaps. "Don't address Moto-san as if you were so familiar with him."

"Naru-san…" Yami says faintly.

Yugi smiles creepily and stands up. "Good morning, Tsukino-san. I didn't want to miss school so I made this place a little more comfortable."

Yami looks around at the cold faces of students who were once his friends staring back at her. "No way..."

"I don't plan on fighting in school," Yugi continues, "but...don't let your guard down."

"Yugi..." Yugi simply continues to smile, backed by the entire class.

At lunchtime, students push their desks together one by one. "Itadakimasu!" they cry (Again, is a Japanese custom to say "I will receive the food" prior to eating). They chatter amongst each other. "Lunch from the convenience store again?" Naru asks Yugi.

Yami holds his lunch alone in the background, looking disturbed. Slowly, he walks outside to the roof, where Yugi would always eat by himself, when they were under the spell. Luna crawls up to him. "It's shocking daddy," she says. "We never thought she'd actually show up at school." She lay her head on his lap.

Ariel looks at her lap and frowns as he pets her. "Did we always leave Yugi alone? Like this?" he wonders. "If I have to fight against Yugi, I...I'll stop being Pharaoh Moon."

"Daddy..." Luna says, dismayed.

"We can't defeat anything by staying quiet!" he says urgently. "This is also for the your mother!" Yami frown deepens.

At the Crown, the three Senshi and Luna sit in silence, apparently recovering from an earlier conversation. Tristan stands up, shoving his chair back. "I can't do it!"

At the amusement park, a little girl points at the airplane ride to her mother. They turn their heads to see a jester-like youma prancing around. It takes a bow. Back at the Crown, Luna jerks her head up. "A youma's aura!" she exclaims. "I feel it near here! Sonicexe summoned it!"

The men run to the park and find people scattered across the ground, barely conscious. They look towards to the sound of a woman screaming as the youma attacks her. Yami turns to Joey and Tristan. "For now," he says, "let's fight the youma that we can see!

"Right!" say the other 2.

"Moon Prism Power!" shouts Yami.

"Make up!" they shout together. Having transformed into Senshi, they prepare to face the youma. Upon seeing them, the youma runs away, teasingly.

"Let's split up," says Mars.

Jupiter agrees. "We'll sandwich him."

"Got it," nods Moon.

So saying, Jupiter and Mars run off in one direction, Moon in the other. Mars and Jupiter find themselves hot on the youma's trail, but Moon stops short when he hears Mulan voice call out, "Tsukino-san!" He looks around in confusion and freezes at the sight of the carousel. The horses rotate around until he sees Yugi sitting on one of them, grinning at him.

"Yugi..." breathes Moon.

"Can you fight me?" challenges Yugi. "Dark Power! Make up!" He transforms and smirks at Moon.

Meanwhile, Mars and Jupiter have chases the youma into the aquarium. It disappears sporadically, throwing them off track. Suddenly, it pops up on the other side of a jellyfish display and runs for the door, taunting them the entire way. The two senshi run after it through the door. They find themselves in a dark room, bright slivers of light casting shadows around its corners. Mars and Jupiter look at each other and, nodding, split up. As they wander around carefully, the youma mocks them by appearing behind them and waving its hands over its face. It disappears as soon as they turn around. Mars and Jupiter eventually circle the place until they back into each other accidentally. Startled, they breathe a sigh of relief when they see each other—but a light switches on and spotlights the youma. It takes a bow and disappears. As Mars and Jupiter run after it, trying to find its whereabouts, another light switches on. Moon is viciously thrown into the room. "Yami!" Mars cries.

Dark Mercury comes in, the sword from the gallery in one hand. Jupiter and Mars start, unprepared to face Yugi so soon. "Yugi!" exclaims Jupiter.

The youma appears out of nowhere and shoves them against a wall, its hands gripping at their throats. They struggle as it starts to drain their energy. Moon looks at them, horrified. "Where do you think you're looking?" Dark Mercury asks him coldly. "You're opponent is me, isn't that right, Tsukino-san?" He walks towards Yami, who is still lying on the floor from his fall, and aims the sword at him.

"Yugi!" shouts Mars desperately, unable to escape the youma's hold.

"Yugi!" Moon says. His eyes widen in fear. When Yugi brings the sword down on him, Yami looks away and squeezes his eyes shut, expecting the attack. But the sword clashes with something else—and when Moon looks up, he sees Venus blocking it with her chain. Dark Mercury and Venus glare at each other. "Tea!" says Yami.

Venus calls out over her shoulder, "Pharaoh Moon!" she barks. "Get your act together!" Turning back to Dark Mercury, she pushes the chain at him. Her opponent uses the momentum from the push to flip away.

"It's an honor to face off with a pop-idol," says Dark Mercury, circling Venus.

Venus circles Dark Mercury in turn. "Mercury," she demands. "Stop this. If you don't, I'll have to take you down."

"Sure you will," Dark Mercury says sarcastically. He strikes a pose with his sword.

"If you can."

Venus prepares to attack with her chain. Yami pleads from the floor, "Venus, stop please!"

Dark Mercury and Venus ignore hims and flip towards each other. Landing on opposite sides, both appear fine at first. But after a moment, Venus winces and lets herself fall over. Dark Mercury stands up and walks over to her. "I never knew a girl like you was this weak. And to think I used to like you." he says smugly. He looks back at Moon and heads slowly in his direction.

Venus looks up. "Pharaoh Moon, you must fight!" she orders weakly.

"What?" asks Moon, refusing to move.

"You can't let yourself be defeated!" Venus pleads.

"But..."

Venus tries to persuade her one last time: "It's your duty!" But when Yugi raises the sword again and smiles, Yami, instead of fighting, closes his eyes and stands up. A white light scatters around him as his powers down back into Yami. He stands there, eyes closed, looking startlingly vulnerable. Dark Mercury, surprised, lowers his sword.

Mars and Jupiter widen their eyes in terror. "Yami!" Joey screams.

"Stop!" shouts Venus.

Yami opens his eyes. "I won't fight against Yugi." Venus looks at hism, pained. "Yugi," Yami says smiling softly. "I'm sorry I didn't notice that you were captured...I'm so sorry for leaving you by yourself." He pulls the white mittens out of his bag and holds them up, looking at them tenderly. "Thank you for this! I'm sorry you were stuck in a girl class maybe next time we'll join one together." Dark Mercury looks at the mittens, his eyes lifeless. "That's why..." Yami continues. "Yugi...let's go home to the Crown together." He smiles encouragingly.

Dark Mercury makes eye contact with him. Swiftly, his sword comes down and slices the mittens into pieces. "Is that your last speech?" he asks. Yami stares at the white mittens, silent from devastation. For a moment, no one in the room moves. A tear slowly falls from Yami's eye onto his transformation charm with a ping. All of a sudden, a white glow starts to emanate from it, encasing the room with its power.

The youma yelps in pain and lets go of Mars and Jupiter. Their energy rejuvenates from the white glow, Mars and Jupiter stare at Yami.

"Pharaoh's Moon's powers..." Venus murmurs. "Black Raven was right."

Then, the white glow stops and is replaced by a golden light. When it spreads across Yami's body, it transforms him into Pharaoh Moon. The light continues to glow from his jewel on his jacket uniform, spreading around the room in large rings. Venus gives a small smile of approval in the background. The youma explodes with a scream. Dark Mercury raises an arm to shield him from the light, but his transformation flickers faintly. Yugi's image fades in and out of the room. "Yami..." Yugi weakly calls out.

Sonicexe frantically arrives on the scene. "Mercury, come!" he orders, and rushes him away.

Pharaoh Moon falls to the ground in exhaustion. "Just now..." he says quietly. "I..." His tone is numb.

Venus stands up, healed from Dark Mercury's attack. "It's your powers," she explains gently. "They are starting to awake. Just a little more. Remember all your powers."

Mars and Jupiter walk towards them. "Our...powers," says Mars. He and Venus look at each other for a moment before Venus walks away.

But Yami is still sitting on the floor, his system reeling from shock. "Yugi..." Moon says, his eyes glazed over.

Mars and Jupiter rush over and kneel next to him with concern. They look at each other, not knowing what to do. At that moment, Jupiter spots the white mittens and grabs them from the floor. "Tami!" he says. "Here."

Moon takes the mittens and sees that they've been mysteriously repaired. "Thank goodness," he said.

Jupiter smiles. "Maybe it was because of that light," he suggests.

Tears glisten in Mars' eyes as he says, "Yugi taught us that…That we must not fall apart."

"Yes," Jupiter agrees. "We have to get Yugi back soon and be together again."

Luna crawls onto Yami;s shoulder. "Let's do our best! I'm sure the real Yugi is waiting for us! Right daddy?"

Smiling through his tears, Moon nods. "Yeah!" The four of them look at each other, full of hope.

When they got out of the building they saw Black Raven. They froze in front of her. Joey asked, "What do you want?"

Black Raven. "I'm sorry this happened, but it had to happen in order to wake your powers and Tea."

Tristan yelled, "But you could've prevented this!"

"THEN HOW WOULD THAT ACOMPLISH ANYTHING!" The scouts were taken back. "How would any progress be made if we remain on the same path?"