SailorStar9: Well, Chapter 36 is out, and if anyone is wondering what happened to me last week and yesterday, no, I'm not dead, just preparing for my exams and taking care of family stuff. So, please be a dear and read and review.

Disclaimers: Nothing here is mine, well, except the plot and the pairing.

Chapter 37: Darkness and Light

"I see you still like to do some exercise in the morning, big rabbit." Makoto noted with a grin as Usagi entered the classroom running as usual.

"Very funny." Usagi muttered. "We have a math exam today, remember?"

"And you studied for it?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah. I was up studying until 2 AM." Makoto explained.

Minako put a hand on Usagi's forehead "You've got no fever... But still... You studying?"

"Thanks for the support." Usagi muttered with a frown.

"Hey, you know we're kidding." Makoto said grinning.

Just then, the Ginga twins walked into the classroom. "Hey there, Minako!" Natsumi shouted.

Usagi chuckled "Hi, Natsumi."

"Sure, go ahead, ignore the guy." Seijuro muttered.

"We're not ignoring you." Makoto said. "But then again, you're not very communicative either."

"Believe me, it's better if he doesn't speak at all." Natsumi muttered. "There's enough weirdness around here with Gurio-kun."

"Someone summoned me?" Umino asked popping in between the group.

"Aaah! Don't do that!" Both Usagi and Natsumi shouted at him.

"See? I'm not as weird as him." Seijuro commented.

"I agree." Umino said.

"Hail Umino, master of the weird." Minako chanted and bowed.

"You guys are weird..." Seijuro muttered with a frown.

"You'll get used to them." Usagi commented.

"That's a scary thought..." Seijuro noted with a sigh. Usagi and Natsumi chuckled.

Usagi then saw the rest of her friends entering the classroom, "Hey girls!"

"Hi Usagi." The three girls said in unison.

"What's Umino-kun doing?" Minako asked.

Naru looked at him then sighed "Go figures..." She muttered as she saw Umino was petting a caterpillar which was lazily moving through his desk.

"I'd rather have a dog or a cat as a pet..." Makoto commented.

"You should be jealous, he's got a new girlfriend." Rei whispered to Naru.

Naru shrugged, "He's not my boyfriend. And talking about that, how's Yuichiro-kun?"

Rei blushed "Eeehhhh..." Just then, the math teacher walked through the door "Saved by the bell..." She muttered.

"You really think this is a good idea?" Makoto muttered.

"This place was attacked, and we drove them away. I don't think they will attack it again." Minako commented.

"Still, there's other malls in this city." Makoto reminded

"Yeah, but this one's near my house." Minako said.

"Whatever works..." Makoto muttered.

"Hey, isn't that Naru?" Minako said pointing at a red-haired girl a few meters away from them.

"Yeah." Makoto nodded. "Wonder if that nuts Umino is near?"

"Someone called me?" Umino asked, popping in between Minako and Makoto.

"Go figures..." Makoto muttered with a sigh.

Usagi had decided to also come to the same mall, and was now walking around with Chibi-Usa and Mamoru. "There's always this much people in here?" Mamoru asked.

"Yeah... First time you come here?" Usagi asked.

Mamoru nodded, "I've been quite busy with college and... Well, you know..."

Usagi nodded, "Yeah, I know... I wonder when they'll attack next... "

"With our luck..." Mamoru started.

"Don't say it. That's why I brought Chibi-Usa along." She then turned to Chibi-Usa "Hey, what's up? You're too silent today."

Chibi-Usa shook her head "Don't worry, I'm fine..." She said with a smile.

Usagi nodded, but was still worried. Maybe she was missing her home. She still wondered where that girl had come from; she had adapted too quickly to be from outside Japan... But the weirdest thing was, she had Tokyo's accent. Usagi shook the thoughts out of her mind "Well, let's find somewhere to eat. Just then, there were screams and some people running in panic "Go figures..."

Mamoru frowned as he saw a pack of green humanoid creatures coming into the restaurant. He jumped into a nearby bathroom, but it was Dragon Earth who walked out of it and he leapt at the creatures. Weird, they were quite different from the normal tree-like creatures. These ones were more human-like, and were wearing leaf armors. "Earth Sword Beam!"

"Selene Laser!"

"Fireball!" The attack blasted one of the creatures apart. "Those things look tougher than the tree creatures."

Dragon Earth nodded, "But they're still weaklings." He leapt towards the crowd of enemies as he summoned his sword, and started slashing at the aliens. "Weed control time!" He shouted just before the creatures swarmed him.

"He's nuts..." Anubis muttered.

"I know." Moon sighed. "Let's get him out of there."

Suddenly, Ail and Ann appeared over the crowd of aliens "You don't know when to give up, do you?" Ann snapped.

"We could ask the same to you." Moon snapped back glaring at the alien girl.

Dragon Earth leapt from the crowd of creatures right at Ann. Ail's eyes widened "Ann, watch out!" He shot a green energy ball that sent Dragon Earth flying away and down to the first floor.

"It's a three-story fall..." Moon noted worriedly.

"He'll be fine, he's got Senshi strength." Dragon Anubis commented. "But we should worry about ourselves..." He noted as the swarm of creatures started advancing towards them.

Meanwhile, down in the first floor of the mall, Minako and her friends were looking as people run out of the building. "Hey, what's going on?" Naru asked. And how are we going to transform with Umino around? She thought.

"Probably some energy-draining aliens are attacking. Soon the Senshi will show up and kill them though..." Umino noted. Just then, a pack of armoured aliens run towards them, and shot some seeds at them.

"Hey watch it!" Minako shouted as she dodged the attack. Everyone but Umino had dodged, and Minako sighed "Not exactly a good way to take him out of the way, but..."

Naru glared at the creatures. "Nemesis Power, Make Up!"

Makoto sweatdropped as Nemesis charged at the creatures, punching some of them into walls and glasses. "She always looks so calm..."

"Well, I would be mad if they messed with my boyfriend." Minako commented.

"He's not my BOYFRIEND!" Nemesis shouted while kicking yet another creature into a column.

"Let's transform and help her..." Minako said. "Venus Power, Make Up!"

"Jupiter Power, Make Up!"

Just as Venus was going to summon her attack, Dragon Earth came crashing down on the ground in front of her. Venus grimaced "Hey, are you okay?"

Dragon Earth looked at her then tried to stand up. He grabbed his arm in pain and frowned "I think... I broke my arm..."

"That's not good..." Jupiter said.

"Moon and Anubis are up there... The two main alien freaks are there too." Dragon Earth noted. He then stood up, staggering, wincing in pain.

"Okay, let's give those things a lesson..." Jupiter suggested and cracked her knuckles.

Nemesis leapt out of the crowd, which was now a lot smaller, panting, "Okay, are you guys going to help or just stand around and watch blast them?" and then watched in awe as Moon and Anubis came running down the stairs chased by the crowd of creatures. "More weeds to cut." She muttered.

Ail and Ann came floating down from the third floor and loomed over the Senshi "You've caused us too much troubles. We don't want to destroy you, but if you keep on interfering..."

Nemesis glared at them. "Okay, I'm fed off with aliens coming and trying to drain innocent people. Plants can't grow if there's no light, and I'll make sure there isn't any for you!" Her black visor lit up as she aimed at the two aliens "Nemesis..." Her hands were covered by dark energy and she pointed her index fingers at her enemies "Dark Mist!" The energy shot up, hitting the two aliens and creating a black cloud around them. "Now, destroy the others!" She said turning to the two Senshi.

Venus nodded and was about to attack, but suddenly Cooan and Beruche materialized in front of the group. "Oh darn..."

"We're here to get the rabbit." Cooan said.

"So give her up and we may consider not killing you." Beruche added.

Venus frowned and leapt up in the air, then aimed her open palm at the two Ayakashi "Wisp Ray!" A large light energy beam shot at the two women, sending them crashing on a wall.

Ail and Ann fled out of the dark cloud and looked at the two Ayakashi "They're the evil ones we sensed before..." Ann noted.

Ail nodded "We can't let them live." He shot another green energy beam at them.

Cooan leapt aside, while Beruche ducked. The attack opened a huge hole in the wall. "Who the heck are those?" Cooan asked.

"Never mind... Dark Water!"

Ail chuckled as the attack hit "Water against plants? Not a wise choice." He shot another attack and blasted Beruche into the hole.

Cooan growled and leapt at him "Dark Fire!"

Ann shot a pink energy blast that blocked the fire attack, then rapidly shot another one to send Cooan skipping on the ground. She then turned to the Senshi "Now, where were we...?"

"Dark Fire 2!" This time, Cooan's attack got the aliens off-guard, and they were sent crashing on the ground.

Venus glared at Cooan and Beruche, who had just walked back into the mall through the hole in the wall. "I'm really tired of you girls... I don't know why you want Chibi-Usa, but I won't let you have her."

"You're just another weak Senshi..." Beruche snapped.

"Weak Senshi?" Venus snapped with a frown "That's it!" She could feel a surge of power running through her body, and somehow she knew what to do. "Venus..." She held her hands up, two large light balls appeared around them. "V-Laser.." She reached her arms forwards, with her palms open, it looked like she was actually grabbing the large energy ball that had formed, but it was actually floating a few millimetres away from them. "Blast!" She shouted, and the ball turned into a light beam that sent both Ayakashi flying away, creating yet another hole in the wall.

Moon looked around "Where are the other aliens?"

Anubis came walking towards her, "They vanished as Venus blasted the Ayakashi out of the city."

"Are you okay?" Moon asked.

"If I ignore the pain from my broken arm, yeah, I'm fine." Dragon Earth commented with a grin.

Anubis walked out through the hole "Well, the Ayakashi are not around, so I guess we won." He commented.

Venus, Nemesis and Jupiter slumped to the ground "I'm exhausted..." Venus muttered.

Ail sighed "Well, it seems like that wasn't enough."

Ann looked at the pale Makaijuu and frowned "We could have stayed there and drained them."

Ail rose an eyebrow "Drain the Senshi? Hmmm... Maybe that's a good idea. They seem to have more energy than a normal human."

"But what about the evil ones?"

"That's one serious trouble. The fire one is stronger than us."

"Then we should let the Senshi beat them. Once that's done, we'll drain the Senshi."

SailorStar9: Now that's done. Read and review folks.