Sailor Moon DMR: Dead Moon's Reign
Chapter 25: Surrounded

"Minako?" Usagi glances at her pensive friend wondering what brought on the sudden change in her mood. School had started back not too long ago and she was exhausted trying to cram these things in her head. She was hoping the short reprieve from the youma sightings-was it her or did they decrease during the holidays?- would give them time to catch up on work and most of all some sleep! "What's wrong?"

Minako only shook her head for a moment before getting up, "There's something we all need to know. I'll say something about it at the study group."

"Are you sure?" Usagi was worried about her friends. There had still been no word on Naru and she felt her heart sink thinking about her best friend's mother and sister felt. She banished the thought for the time being before looking at Minako. The blonde had been more stressed then normal and the other senshi- Haruka and the others especially- seemed on edge all the time. Like something may happen at any moment.

Rei had even said she could probably badger her way into their school if she had to. That in itself was worrisome.

"It can wait." Minako smiles at her princess "Go on to your club. I'll meet you at Rei's."

"Alright.." Usagi reluctantly got up and packed her stuff away before she went down to her Manga Club.

Tora had thought she and Hane were doing pretty well. They acted like they had nothing to do with each other- which they didn't inside of school- and they went separate ways. The senshi were none the wiser. Really this was the perfect scenario to go and take them out. However they had agreed they wouldn't do anything without Elation's knowledge.

It was amply proven that the girl would probably snoop around and figure it out herself before intervening and probably messing up any plans.

Tora closes her eyes balancing her pencil on her nose as she thought about it all. She was surprised she could stand being in the same room with Tsukino and not wanting to take the exacto knife and cut her. Then of course she would remind herself that that was a different life. She was a different person.

Wasn't she?

Hane breathes out contemplating why she took this job again. It hadn't been because of Sarita. No she had already become a teacher- or at least a sub- when she met the dark woman. She looks at the graded papers and wonders when that other teacher would be back. She already heard they were going to make her a permanent one soon.

Joy. The dark sapphire hair woman thought as she sat the last paper down. Tsukino and Aino were still not the highest grade in the class but at least they've gotten from the very bottom at least. Shaking her head she glances up as the door slides open to her class room.

It was late, even clubs were done at this point when she saw Tora standing there.

"What's the matter?" Hane caps her pen and looks at her. "Is everything alright?"

Tora closes the door behind her and went over to Hane before leaning against the desk, "I know I'm supposed to be the leader but it's alright if she leads isn't it?"

It took Hane a few minutes to understand what she was talking about. Even then she wasn't sure which 'she' the teenager was referring to. So packing up her things Hane only says, "Well if you mean Elation, than I suppose so. If you meant Sarita, I think she's only doing her part until you can."

"Hane, how do you think we're going to end this?" Tora asks her looking over her shoulder, "I don't want to do this forever."

"Neither do I." Hane agreed getting up, "I understand. I do. I think we're close to ending it so it's only for a little while longer isn't it?"

"I hope so." She sighs softly before stretching, "Come on we have that thing."

Hane smiles a little but nods.

What's this about, Minako?" Rei sets down some tea as Makoto starts sharing the food she had made in her Home Eco. Club. "Usagi said you were really serious today."

"It about Kestral." Minako sat down and sips the tea though she wasn't looking at it. "Remember the Sailor V game?"

"How could I forget?" Usagi laughs a bit, "Most fun game I ever played!"

"And it's on top of the headquarters." Aretmis adds. "If you remember correctly, Ami, you got your transformation pen there."

Ami nods a bit thinking about it, "I remember. You also said it's for training purposes too."

"It is." Minako spoke again looking at them. They were all there. Save Mamoru who was at work at the moment.

"What does this have to do with Kestral?" Michiru was somewhat puzzled at this. She had never personally played the game. Though from the way the others spoke about it she wonders if taking Hotaru there would help the girl too.

"Well," Minako began, "The alert went off about someone going through the game rapidly. Artemis and I ran over to see who it could be."

Hotaru only nods a bit, "And you saw Kestral playing the game. Did you think she was trying to find the headquarters?"

"I don't think so." Artemis answered, his ears moved back and forth as if he was hearing things that they couldn't. "At least she didn't act like that. But it's mostly her sister. She was playing the game when we came in and she won a prize."

Haruka, like some of the others, were puzzled as to how that could mean anything when Setsuna spoke.

"The game only gives prizes out to senshi unawakened?" She fixed her eyes on them.

Ami's eyes widen at that, "You think Kestral's little sister is a senshi? But senshi of what? What if she's siding with them?"

"Obviously she'll side with them." Rei scoffs, "That's her sister. I doubt anything short of beating her would cause that girl to turn on Kestral at all."

"So what do we do? We can't just randomly approach her can we?" Hotaru asks, "If she is, than she needs guidance. Better yet does Kestral know?"

Minako shook her head softly, "I don't think so. If anything she may just be an overprotective older sister."

"This complicates things horribly." Makoto said with a sigh, "If anything I don't want to involve her."

"Neither do I." Usagi turns a cookie over in her hand with a worrying frown. "It's bad enough as it is. Lets not bother her. If Kestral hasn't noticed there's no need to draw attention to her."

Haruka nods in agreement. She didn't like getting little kids involved in their things if she didn't have to. In her mind's eye she remembered the previous battle where the girl had almost been killed by that youma if Darkmoon hadn't gone berserk.

"Then it's agreed. We're not going to mess with the sister." Luna says with finality as if to make it more official.

Privately, Haruka thought they shouldn't on the fact that it may be Darkmoon's only moral compass.

"Hmmhmm.." Maya hums softly to herself as she colors in her room. Her sister was at that meeting thing with her friends and Maya had to stay behind since Barako was back. She had finished her homework with Barako's help and was now enjoying some cartoons that their cousins had shipped over.

Maya was happy to hear English again. She knew her sister and family were afraid she would forget to speak it, but these reminders helped.

She smiles over at her new stuffed animal that she affectionately called 'Starry'-chan. It had a surprisingly good scent to it. Her sister had said it reminded her of one of those scented stuffed animals from the States.

Either way, Maya sat up and hugged the teddy bear, smiling over her picture. It was a secret. Her parents wouldn't find it-that she knew at least- and her sister nearly never comes in her room. So her drawings were safe.

Today she had drawn about her day at school and her friends there and of course Starry-chan.
She turns to look at the emerald eye bear and smiles, "Isn't it a good picture, Starry-chan?"
That's when things got weird.

After a moment the bear's mouth moved and a feminine voice came from it. "It's a nice picture to be sure, but try less stick-figure."

Maya froze. This bear hadn't said a word and she hadn't felt a motor inside of it. Was..it..really talking?

"And, if you would, please refrain from hugging me too hard." The bear went on.

Maya shrieked and jumps back dropping the teddy bear on the bed and was half way to the door. This was not real! It wasn't like that Teddy Rucks-bee thing that read stories and stuff!

"Oi, you don't need to be like that!" The teddy bear said.

Maya turns slightly looking at it. It was standing on the bed with it's um..'paws' on it's hips looking particularly disappointed.

"It does hurt you know. " The bear continued. "Oh..well I suppose I should introduce myself." It clears it's throat before saying, "My name is Stella. It's a pleasure to meet you Maya."

Maya stares hard at the orange teddy bear for a while before cautiously moving closer, "Who..who are you? How can you talk?"

"Well I'm magic of course." Stella told her, "And I suppose you could call me a helper of sorts. I'm here to help you."

"Help me?" She was a bit dazed but sat down on the floor staring at her stuff animal that she had thought was like the others only a few hours prior to this. "Why would I need help? Onee-chan can help me with anything! She's a super hero."

"Be that as it may." Stella sat down and sighs, " Your sister is actually being tricked."

"Tricked?" Maya's eyes got really wide, "What? How can she be tricked?"

Stella fixed a stern look on Maya, "Yes, tricked. Those people that are suppose to help her- they're not helping her really. They're using her to save those awful creatures that are hurting everyone."

"But.." Maya was confused. Wasn't it good to save things and people? How was her sister..how could her sister not know?

When she voiced these concerns, Stella shook her head.

"I'm afraid she won't see it." She said, "She's under a spell."

"How do we break it?" Maya was eager to help her older sister do anything that needed to be done. It gave her a thrill to know she was helping. "I don't have magic or anything!"

"That's why you have me here." Stella points to herself. "I'll help you save your sister. I'll guide you to those that can help her. You know those ladies in pretty skirts? The Sailor Senshi? They can help. They'll heal your sister and make the bad people go away."

Maya purses her lips in thought. To save her sister who was being tricked from the bad people. She wanted to do that, yet there was doubt in the little girl. She had seen those people and they hadn't seemed bad at all. Maybe she was wrong? After all, if a magical talking teddy bear said that bad people were bad, then it must know somehow right?

She was still undecided but she looks at the teddy bear and nods, "Ok. Tell me how."

"You'll have to wait for the right time." Stella began, "But until then I'll help you."

Elation did not want to be here. In fact she didn't want to be anywhere near this place. Shivering as the cold still lingered from the holidays, she sighs softly pulling her coat closed. She was at the banks of the Tama River far out of her way of where she lived. Gods help her if she got lost out here. It was very easy to do actually now that she thought about it. Still she had a bad feeling about being out there.

In fact she wished they weren't out there. Sighing she trudges behind Hebi to see where Sarita and the others were. As she got there she could hear Hebi muttering about how this is really cutting into her 'study' times and that if they were out there for nothing she was going to kick Sarita's butt.

"I wonder why it's so far upstream?" Hane looks around the semi-desolate banks before looking over at the others, "I mean surely they can't all be coming from here?"

"It might explain why we only get a few where we are." Sarita said walking a bit. "The guy I sent here was somewhere around here when communications cut off. We might be close to the nest."

"But we still wouldn't know where to look." Hebi snaps a bit pulling the fur closer around her, " And it would take years to find out!"

Tora frowns looking around a bit before she looks at Elation, "Well they all usually listen to her." She gestures to Elation, "Maybe they'll reveal themselves to her?"

Suddenly, Elation really didn't feel safe any more and she just stares at the group.

"You want me to call them?" She slowly shook her head, "No way. Uh-uh! Not my cup of tea!"

"Come on Elation." Tora moves over and took her gloved hands, "Please. It could mean we can end this."

"I don't know." She was still feeling uneasy about it.

"For us?"

Sighing, the teenager gave in and walks to the bank. "I don't even know what I'm doing!" She whines a little as she calls for her powers transforming into Sailor Darkmoon. She looks around the bank and tries to do what she'd seen in cartoons which were to make her known.

She closes her eyes and started to control her breathing. Trying tentatively to make her power go along with it and build it. Slowly at first, but then she could feel it. The power that always hummed just out of her notice, a bit out of reach yet it was there.

She gasps as the crows cawed flying away from her. She could sense it even so far away she could sense the power. She opens her communicator to call the others. They had to stop whatever it was she was doing.

Rei had a bad feeling about this.

Hebi shivers watching the glow around the girl wondering if it was from the cold or the power that radiated off her. She glances at the others and saw they were also riveted to the scene, though Sarita kept looking off now and then as if to find something.

"I wonder if this is a good idea." Hebi was having doubts now too. "We're in the open…"

"It's too late now." Tora answered and breathes, " We just have to get through this."

That's when they all froze, hearing the sounds of grass rustling as if a breeze went through them but the night air was dead. Sarita nodded to them and the four of them transformed into their senshi forms.

They had to be prepared for this.

Dark Moon opens her eyes slowly, the silver and gold stood out more vividly now with power behind them. She could scarcely breathe with the power filling her up. She knew if she just reached for a bit more something..something would happen. Yet fear kept her from doing so. So she maintained a dangerous balance on it right now.

"Look there." Metal Tiger points a silver gloved hand as something moved towards them. "I think it's one of them."

Bronze Shark nods, her bronze colored shoes hardly made a sound as she moves into position. "Get ready." She says softly.

"I don't know if I'll ever be." Golden Snake mutters but she kept her eyes peeled for any threat towards the girl.

Suddenly something rushes towards them, more than one of them. Without a word being said, the Dreamcatchers made a formation around Darkmoon who seemed to be oblivious to everything around her.

"Holy hells." Metal Tiger swore looking with wide round eyes at the scene before them. "There's …"

Silver Hawk swallows slightly, "Hundreds of them."

"Just how long have they been doing this?" Bronze shark mutters to herself.

Everywhere they looked, there were youmas big and small in a bizarre array of colors, shapes and forms. There were circus themed ones and ones that were nightmares from childhood dreams and some that were down right just nightmares unto themselves.

And they definitely outnumbered them.