Silvermoon

by Immora

The Senshi are reborn into a new Silver Millennium after the earth is destroyed.

5. Destruction

~~SILVERMOON~~
Destruction
Eleven - ? (Incomplete compilation)
a Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon fanfiction by Immora

_________________________________________________________________

Please see the author's notes in Resurrection for all copyright
information.

Though this compilation is incomplete, part eleven is finished.

I apologize for the awful line-wrapping.

________


ELEVEN

________





Time: A few days after the last segment
Place: A hidden tunnel inside the palace, the Moon Kingdom



E'melok stood by a wall in the tunnel, waiting with a bitter look on her
face. Ka'ina had ordered her to wait a few days for two people to arrive
that would assist her, also telling her she shouldn't proceed too quickly.
E'melok had been gravely insulted by the comment; she was perfectly capable
of killing someone on her own and knew how to time it right. Ka'ina had
said it was merely a precaution in case forces outside of E'melok's control
prevented her from performing the job, and these people would assist her
only in finding Sharra, not in the actual killing. She said E'melok should
wait to make sure she was prepared. E'melok still had a feeling Ka'ina
didn't think she was capable of handling these Senshi. They had such a
strange name. It sounded like a flower she'd heard of.

E'melok pulled a long, polished, hollowed-out twig from a pocket on the
inside area of her coat, filled it with a mixture of different ground up
materials--flower petals, leaves, herbs, spices, and dried fruit--lit one
end of the mixture with a small lighter, then stoppered that end with a
small piece of metal to keep the smoldering mixture from spilling out.
Taking the opposite end between her lips, she sucked in the flavored air
it gave off and a bit of the mix, leaning back in her chair.

She had read once that the Earth Humans had a device that seemed like a
ridiculous parody off of the one she sucked on. They called it a "cigarette",
and it seemed to simply be a pile of poison wrapped in paper, which they lit,
sucked on in a similar manner, and slowly killed or at least diseased them-
selves with it while wasting a great deal of money in the process. E'melok
thought it was absurd; the mixtures taken in through the elettha, the twig
which she held between her slender fingers, were actually quite healthy;
the smell soothing, the taste pleasing, and the only thing that could harm
you would be if you accidentally burnt yourself on one of the smoldering
pieces. E'melok kept it with her at all times--it helped to keep a cool head
in the business she was in--and a mixture she'd made herself. The elettha
had been given to her by a client, the twig it was made from taken from the
tree he lived in, and he'd polished and sanded it smooth himself. It was a
thank you for taking care of his irritating mother-in-law.

It occurred to her that she hadn't eaten since yesterday, when Ka'ina had
brought her a bit of fruit. She had trained herself to ignore hunger since
her profession often required her to spend weeks at a time far from
civilization with no supplies to burden her. Though she sometimes found
her strength compromised, it actually sharpened her concentration. A
stomach that was too full would slow your movements, anyways. She ate
enough to survive, nothing more. Drinking was another matter. She always
kept a container of water tucked away in her coat.

E'melok's dark green eyes narrowed as she heard someone enter the tunnel.
No, not someone, she could make out the sound of two pairs of feet now. One
was walking a bit too heavily, probably a Human. The other barely touched
the ground, and sounded more careful. Was she just picking up on a similar
sound elsewhere, or did she hear the faint rustle of-- no... a Dragana
wouldn't be here...

She swore inwardly, putting out the elettha and tucking it away, as she
stood up with her dagger in hand and her eyes narrowed. She could make out
their shapes clearly now. The Human-sounding footsteps revealed themselves
to belong to a very peculiar woman. E'melok recognized the markings as
being Demonic; this woman was apparently risen from Hell, but she didn't
have the horns and tail. E'melok wondered what had happened to them. She
was dark-skinned and had pure red hair and eyes. She wore a pale orange
dress, the sides slit to bare her legs, with short sleeves, and the front
a low V. A thick border of dark red-orange lined the sleeves, the V, and
the hem of the skirt. A wide golden corset was tied around her torso,
covering from the bottom of her breasts to her waistline. A band of gold
was around her neck, with a circular red gem dangling from a chain attached
to it, the color matched the tall leather boots that reached to midthigh.
She carried in one hand a long metal fighting staff, and in the other a
similar staff that was topped with a large blade. E'melok suspected the
Demoness had other abilities that would back up the weapons she carried,
probably fire and some sort of evil charms.

It took merely the sight of the Dragana to chill E'melok's mixed blood.
She wasn't like the typical women classified as Dragana--born of a dragon
and a female of another species--but appeared as if born of a "true
Dragana" and another dragon. She had the typical hair and skin colorings;
her chocolate-colored hair closely cropped with chin-length black bangs
and a pale shade of yellow-green for her skin. Her eyes were blood red,
her eyebrows slanted with the area between them and her eyelashes being a
dark color that was nearly black. She had sharp, chiseled, but beautiful
features, despite an eerie Dragonnish look she had. Her dark green lips
parted to reveal her sharp teeth and long fangs, and a long, slender,
forked tongue, like the one's dragons and snakes shared. Her skin was
almost leathery, slightly moist, similar to the texture of scales except
for the fact that it was all one piece instead of smaller overlapping
sections. Her muscles were tight and defined, and were especially strong
in her back to support her enormous wings. While other Dragana had a wing-
span approximately twice their height, and the top of their wings being a
couple feet over their head with the bottom point around their thighs,
hers towered over her head and swept against the ground, and she kept
them closed tightly to keep from brushing them against the walls due to
the wingspan that would probably be double that of the others. Her fingers
and toes didn't quite have nails; instead, the skin hardened at the tips
to stretch into long, sharp claws. Extending from each elbow was a long
spike; when her arm was fully extended, it lay almost flat against her
arm, reaching up near her shoulder, but when she bent her elbow fully,
it pointed straight out. Her only clothing items were hip-hugging, dark
brown leather shorts, and a halter top made of the same material. With
her claws, elbow spikes, and her various fire, ice, and lightning-related
abilities, she didn't need weapons. In fact, her fire abilities were
creating the ball of light hovering around them to let everyone see.

E'melok greeted them in the Earth language rather coldly, "Hello. Are you
the people Ka'ina was sending to me?"

The Demoness nodded and introduced herself, "My name's Curse. I was told
you're E'melok. I'm formerly of Earth, then Hell, then sent to Quenhol for
some odd reason I don't understand. I'll warn you now, I don't speak the
Quenholtian tongue."

"Good thing I speak both then. And our Dragana friend would be--?"

"Dageena," the Dragana said simply.

"She doesn't like speaking the Earth tongue," Curse commented. "I don't
know why."

E'melok raised an eyebrow. "It's perfectly understandable... The Earth
tongue is annoying for Quenholtians to speak. It has such strange sounds."

Dageena nodded knowingly, then turned to Curse. "I have a translation
crystal I do not use, would you like it?"

Curse nodded and took the necklace from Dageena when she handed it to her.
"Thank you... hey, where'd it come from?! You don't exactly have a lot of
places you could hide it."

Dageena just smirked. "Everyone has their secrets. Don't use it too much;
the magic is almost worn out. I have no use for it, so you can keep it."

"How come you refused to talk in the Earth tongue for any length of time
when we spoke earlier? It seemed like you _couldn't_ speak it."

"I speak many languages from Earth, more than just the common one. We
Dragana have greatly accelerated thinking due to our Dragon background,
myself in particular, since Dragons have incredibly fast thought processes.
It makes learning languages quite simplistic."

"Um... Okaaaay... Say, E'melok, I thought you had Elven blood in you; why's
your skin peachy then?"

"Ah... Ka'ina's spell... can't exactly walk into this ball looking green."

Dageena smirked a bit and murmured, "Your ears are _Human_ though, and I
know you have Elven ears. I don't believe that's part of a spell... Dragana
can sense magic and repel it."

E'melok narrowed her eyes at Dageena. "... I don't know what you're talking
about..."

"So E'melok, what's the plan?" Curse asked, cutting in.

E'melok peered through the crack in the tunnel wall. "Those Generals...
they could make things difficult. Curse, I want you to make a distraction
to get them out of the room. I don't care what it is, or what condition
they are in when you're done, just keep them busy until I give you the
all clear, okay?"

"Gotcha."

"Dageena, stay hidden, got it? These people have no clue as to what things
on Quenhol are like, and a lot don't even know it exists. There are no
creatures like the Dragana here, so they'll freak if they see you. I want
you to come out though, when I move to kill Sharra. Create a fuss so people
will be too busy worrying about you to worry about me."

Dageena nodded, flicking her tongue as she grinned. "This will be fun."
She turned so she was facing the wall and opened her wings to their full
span, the long claws tipping them flashing a bit in the light she'd created
for them. "Kill or injure?"

"I don't care. Go wild."

Dageena chuckled wickedly.

"Shall we be going?" Curse asked.

"Alright. Let's head out."



"No, no, no, Nephrite, you do it like _this_," Jadeite said, forming a
small fireball in his hands.

"My way works just fine," Nephrite snorted, "it's just slower but the
fireball is larger and hotter in the end."

"Oh, will you two just let it rest?" Kunzite groaned. "It's just magic,
no need to get all worked up."

"Let them argue it out," Zoisite murmured to him. "When they're not
paying attention, we'll beat the crap out of them."

They both laughed, Nephrite and Jadeite turning to look at them irritably.
"What's so funny?"

"Ahhhh... nothing..."

The Generals looked out across the dance floor. "Where is everyone
anyways?" Jadeite asked. "Does it really take _that_ long to get ready
for a ball?"

"Of course," Zoisite groaned. "Try on every dress they own, do their make-
up, jewelry, hair, then redo it, then change at the last minute--"

"Speaking from _experience_?" Kunzite teased, letting out a loud "umph!"
as Zoisite elbowed him hard in the stomach.

"_Excuse_ me, I do NOT dress up like a woman!"

"I'd imagine that would be a rather amusing sight," Nephrite commented.

"Oh yes, after all, he does have _such_ pretty hair!" Jadeite laughed.

"Such lovely features, too! So _feminine_!" Nephrite added.

"I'm going to kill all of you," Zoisite said between clenched teeth.

"Suuuure you are," Jadeite teased.

"I think I see Makoto over there," Nephrite interrupted. "Goodbye, I'm
off to have a more _mature_ conversation."

"'I'm off to have a more _mature_ conversation'," Zoisite mimicked after
the brunette had left. "Yeah, with Jupiter... 'mature' alright..."

"Aww, c'mon, she's pretty smart, compared to some of the others..."
Jadeite said. "Such as... Minako?"

"Oh _man_," Zoisite groaned.

"Don't tell me you agree!"

Zoisite colored very faintly. "Er... well, she's nice and she's pretty,
but she's..."

"Not the brightest star in the sky?" Kunzite threw in.

"Exactly."

"Yeah, and you've got that brain Ami," Jadeite remarked to Kunzite. "The
complete opposite of Minako as far as smarts go... But quite timid."

"What about Rei, hmm? Temper, temper..."

Jadeite rolled his eyes. "Rei does _not_ have a temper, you just don't
have a tolerance for her."

"She really does have a temper," Zoisite whispered to Kunzite, "his is
just much like hers that he doesn't think anything of it!"

They both laughed while Jadeite demanded to know what was so funny,
getting only more laughter as a reply. They quickly stopped when Mars
walked up, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Jadeite, where have
you been?"

"Right here, where have _you_ been?"

Mars dragged him off by the arm while the remaining Generals waved
goodbye to Jadeite.

"Poor Jadeite, he's helpless against her," Zoisite commented.

"Sure is... uh oh, here comes Minako! Get ready or you're going to get
dragged away too."

"Aww... Better get going before she gets really mad... bye, Kunzite."

"Bye, Zoisite."

Zoisite trudged over to Venus, and emitted a startled yelp as she grabbed
his arm and dragged him onto the dance floor. Kunzite chuckled to himself
as he watched their antics.

"Kunzite, sorry about that, I got lost in some computer read-outs and had
to rush to get ready."

Kunzite turned to see Mercury standing behind him. "Oh, hello. Sorry,
didn't hear you walk up. And it's alright, I appreciate intelligence."

"I'm going to get something to eat, care to join me?"

"Alright." Kunzite took her arm and walked over to the food tables. As
he was fixing a plate, he noticed Pluto standing in the corner, smiling
faintly. He smiled to her and waved. It was good to see her smiling for
once. She was always so serious.

He noticed Zoisite looking a bit bored as Venus talked to him. Kunzite
smiled sadly and glanced at Mercury. She just winked at him and headed
for a table.

As he sat down, he felt a strange chill in his neck. He glanced around,
wondering what would have triggered his senses like that. He usually got
"feelings" when something bad was going to happen.

Pluto glanced over at Kunzite and Mercury one more time, then walked out
to where everyone was dancing. She tapped someone on the shoulder,
grinned, and asked to cut in. He quickly accepted, leaving a fuming
woman looking after them.

"Pluto's actually dancing and enjoying herself," Mars commented to
Jadeite. "That's a good sign."

"I don't know... I mean, it's very good," Jadeite said, "but I have a
bad feeling, I don't know why..."

"You too?" she whispered. "I have doubts about things as well. I keep
seeing... I can't explain the vision, but it really worries me."

She felt a sharp twinge, and quickly glanced to the entrance. Just a
woman entering the room. She was quite remarkable, though. Her hair was
a bright shade of red, voluminous, the back falling only to the back of
her neck, while the front pieces fell far past her chin. Her eyebrows and
her dark green eyes seemed to have a bit of a slant to them. She was quite
tall and thin, but very toned. She was paler than anyone Mars had seen,
save for Saturn. Her clothes were a bit unusual; a dark green dress, the
top circling her neck, then leaving her shoulders bare like a halter top,
tight all the way to her ankles, her feet hidden, plus tall gloves that
stopped short of her biceps. Mars felt a bit uneasy about the woman.

"Well... care to dance?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, forcing a smile. Her senses were seldom misleading.
There was something wrong, and she knew it. "Jadeite, tell me... see
the woman over there? In the green dress, red hair, very pale?"

He looked over there. "Hmmm... unusual... I wonder where she's from.
Not Mars or Pluto, with that skin. Her features are strange, though,
not Terran..."

"What do you sense when you look at her?"

"Well, I still have that bad feeling, but I don't know if it's because
of her or not. Don't worry about it, okay? Let's dance."

As they moved out onto the dance floor, Mars tried to steer them towards
the green-clad red-head, but she kept slipping through the crowd with a
dancer's grace. Mars finally gave up and hoped her feelings would prove
wrong.

Nephrite smiled as he listened to his wife. She was very excited about
having helped prepare the meals for this ball, and kept looking over to
the tables of food to see if people were enjoying it. For a moment, he
had the strangest sensation something awful was going to happen. He
tried to ascertain what it was, but couldn't place it.

"Nephrite, are you listening?" Jupiter looked concerned. "You had that
faraway look on your face... Oh, I see, you sensed something..."

Nephrite was very grateful for the Senshi's telepathic abilities. He
didn't mind that his wife read his thoughts. It saved a lot of
explaining.

Jupiter looked around the room and said, "I don't see anyone suspicious.
I'll tell the other Senshi to be on the lookout." She closed her eyes
briefly. "They said they will. Rei said she's been sensing something,
and so has Jadeite. I think Hotaru would have, but I didn't get a hold
of her."

"Thank you," he said. He smiled and changed the talk to happier matters.

"Sorry for stopping in the middle," Venus laughed to Zoisite, "but Mako-
chan just _had_ to tell me to look out for suspicious people. I don't
know why! She said Nephrite sensed something... Actually, all the other
guys have been sensing stuff."

"It must not be too bad, I don't sense anything," Zoisite said, looking
around.

"What do you mean? Shouldn't you sense it, too?"

He lowered his head a bit and said, "Ever since I... died... I've been
weaker than I used to be."

"Oh..." She shifted uncomfortably. They always avoided talking about
Zoisite's death at the hands of Saturn and his resurrection thanks to
the palace mages.

"Well, um... want to... nevermind." He almost suggested dancing, but he
didn't feel up to it. He glanced over to Kunzite, dining with Mercury.
He frowned darkly and turned back to Venus. "Minako, please excuse me."

"Oh, um, okay." She watched him leave the room. She stood up and walked
over to Mercury and Kunzite. They smiled at her as she approached.

"Hello, Minako," Mercury said. "What brings you over here?"

"I accidentally reminded him of his death," she said sadly. "And then
he got all mad and left. But... I don't know if it was about that. He
looked over here before he left."

"That's strange." Mercury frowned. "Why would we anger him?"

Kunzite sat thinking over things as they talked. He thought about all
his options and finally decided. He stood and excused himself and also
left the room.

"What's going on?" Venus asked with a groan.



Zoisite leaned against a wall outside the ballroom, still frowning.
Several people passed by him and cast him curious looks, but kept
going.

Saturn started walking in his direction. He paled a bit and forced
a smile when she approached. She stopped when she saw it, looking
at him quizzically, then lowered her eyes to the floor.

"I... I'm sorry, Zoisite, I didn't mean to scan your thoughts. I've
been having a bit of trouble with my telepathy since I woke up. I...
well, I just saw something I have no business knowing."

"What?" he said, paling.

"I won't risk anyone overhearing but... I hope things will somehow
work out... and... You got upset earlier about... um... I'm still
very sorry about that, you know. I have a hard time accepting that I
killed you once."

"I'm not mad because it was you," he said. "It was just so awful... I
can't remember exactly how it felt, or what happened before I was brought
back, but what I do remember is terrible."

"I'm still sorry," she whispered.

"I do forgive you," he said, holding out his hand to her. She smiled
faintly and took it. He lightly squeezed her hand and released it. "Now,
promise you won't tell _anyone_ about... you know."

"I promise!"

"Thanks." Zoisite smiled as she entered the ballroom. Kunzite soon
emerged, so he quickly put on a nonchalant face.

"Zoisite, may I have a word with you?" he asked. "... Alone?"

"Um, sure," Zoisite nervously replied. Kunzite led Zoisite to his room
down the hall and locked the door once they'd entered.

"Zoisite... let me ask you a question. And be _honest_, I can tell when
you're lying. Are you satisfied with your relationship with Minako?"

"Well, um... no," Zoisite admitted. "I mean, she's a nice girl and all,
but... I guess... I just don't feel anything for her. And when I think
about it... I always thought I loved her, but I realize now that I didn't.
I mistook strong emotions for love when it was really just a deep friend-
ship."

"Easy mistake to make," Kunzite said softly.

"Speak from experience?"

"I never really loved Ami," he said, sighing. "I think I tried to convince
myself I did... I stay with her because I don't want to hurt her by
breaking up with her."

"Yeah, same here," Zoisite laughed nervously. What was Kunzite getting at?
"I... well... I'm guessing there's a reason for asking that."

"You're right." Kunzite walked over to his bookcase and fiddled with a
snow globe a bit. "But I'll get to that..."

"Series of questions leading to the real thing, huh?"

"Very good," he said, setting the globe down. "What do you think of
Haruka and Michiru?"

"They're very nice--"

"Together."

"They're a lovely couple," he said. "I can see they really love each other.
They were made for each other."

"Doesn't bother you that they're both women?"

Zoisite gave another nervous laugh. "Not at all."

"Hmmm." Kunzite turned to face him again. "Zoisite, I've been considering
leaving Ami to pursue someone I am truly interested in. I've given it a
lot of thought and... well..." He trailed off and stopped talking.

"Go on, I'm listening," Zoisite said. He felt his heart pound a bit.

"Well, we've always been good friends, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And we spend a lot of time together."

"... Yeah..."

"Well..." Kunzite clenched and unclenched his fist. "This is harder than
I thought..." He sighed and said, "I'll just be blunt then. Zoisite...
I've been attracted to you for a long time now. And _not_ as a friend."

"Really?!" Zoisite came over to him and stared at him.

"I don't want this to ruin our frie--"

"Kunzite! No, no, I..." Zoisite smiled sheepishly. "Well, I was hoping I
could leave Minako for you..."

Kunzite was silent a moment, just staring, then he started laughing.
"Well, I guess this works out well then!"

"Yes, yes it does!" Zoisite said eagerly. "I... I don't know what I'll
say to her... I don't think I could tell her this... But... Wow!"

"We'll figure out a way to break it to them." Kunzite chuckled a bit.
"But for now... we'll have to play their boyfriends, huh?"

"Damn," Zoisite muttered. "I don't want to go back in there now."

"Well, we don't have to go back just yet," Kunzite said. He found a
music player somewhere and put on some music. Holding out his hand to
Zoisite, he winked. "Shall we dance?"

"Sure," Zoisite said, "but you'll have to be the 'guy' since you're
taller."

Kunzite laughed and grabbed his hands, twirling around the room with
him. When the song finished, he said, "You're a much better dancer than
Ami."

"Thank you. Minako complains about my dancing... guess it's hard to
dance when you aren't interested, huh?"

"I know how you feel." Kunzite slipped his arm around Zoisite's shoulders.
"They're going to wonder where we went eventually."

"Let them wonder," Zoisite said. He took Kunzite's chin in his hand and
gently kissed him. "The ball will go on for several hours. We won't be
missed."

"Fine with me..."



"... And this document," Queen Serenity said, handing it to Sharra.
Sharra nodded and read it over carefully, then signed it.

"I think that's enough signing for today," Sharra said. "My hand is
starting to ache from it all. I can't believe how your people require
commitments to be placed in writing."

"Sometimes people try to break commitments and need physical proof of
the commitment they made," Serenity replied.

"Your people are that dishonest?" Sharra asked in surprise.

Serenity smiled sadly to her. "Some, yes, so we have to take this
precaution."

"I hope my people don't learn these things from yours. Things have
been difficult enough as it is."

"What's been difficult?"

"The Assassins' Guild," Sharra spat bitterly. "I don't know how such
a group can exist on my world. It's bad enough that money has started
to become common... but people that willingly kill others! People
pay or give gifts or owe favors to these... these creatures that commit
murder in return. People are so angry, so jealous of others that they
hire the Assassins to kill those they don't get along with. It's
disgusting. My own coronation ceremony was interrupted by someone trying
to kill me and the whole guild coming to make sure it went through. But
... thank the creator, the Time Guardian appeared and attacked the woman
that was about to kill me, and then Akeru killed another that made an
attempt. If the Guardian had not appeared--"

"Do you mean Sailor Pluto?"

"I do believe she called herself that, but... well, she is the Guardian
of Time. We all know of her. When we are growing up, we were told of a
woman that stood before the Gateway and watched the flow of things and
kept the Gateway functioning. I didn't think she was Human."

"What exactly is said about her?" Serenity asked. Pluto had been acting
strange lately. Maybe the Quenholtian legends held some information that
could be useful in determining the cause of her behavior. They had a much
greater understanding of things involving magic than her people did.

Sharra cleared her throat and closed her eyes for a moment, her brow
furrowed in concentration, then she began to recite from memory, "The
Guardian of Time looks over the Gateway that lies between all worlds,
times, and realities. She observes the flow and makes sure the Gateway
does not become damaged. Her task is eternal, but not so difficult that
it causes suffering. The Gateway was handed down to her by the All
Seeing when his people retreated from the physical plane. As he was fond
of our people, he allowed our world to be a separate place in time that
would not affect the others. The Gateway allows all things to be accessed
from one location and is necessary for existence to continue. Without the
Guardian, we would not be."

"Are you sure this is true?"

"It must be. It is the way of things, as told to us by the All Seeing."

"What is the All Seeing?"

"He was a man of many worlds and none. He was not Human or Elf or any
other race anyone knew of. He saw everything happening as it happened.
I'm not certain how he came to exist. He was of a race of people that
had great power, but could not stay in the physical plane for fear of
harming everything around them. When they were leaving, he realized
that the Gateway existed and was very, very important. Someone who
lived on the physical plane was needed to watch over it, so he appointed
the Guardian."

"Her duty is to watch over time and make sure nothing goes wrong, correct?"

"Wrong?" Sharra frowned and sat back in her chair. "There is no right or
wrong where time is concerned. Things happen but there is no set path.
She just watches time as it happens, sees what is happening. She doesn't
take any action, unless it involves the repair of the Gateway. If it
becomes damaged, all things would suffer."

"You are absolutely certain this is true."

"Yes!" Sharra laughed and gestured to Serenity with her pen. "Why are you
so worried?"

"Pluto is one of my Senshi," Serenity said. "And my understanding of
her position... You make her task sound so simple, but there is much
more involved."

"Maybe she doesn't know what her task really is. Or... The All Seeing
_was_ eccentric, and he might have been misleading in naming her task.
Our information is correct."

"I know we had planned to discuss the trade more, but... I need to
speak with Sets-- ah, Pluto."

"If you wish. I need to speak with some of my advisors, anyways."

Serenity rushed from the room, wondering where Pluto might be. She had
returned yesterday, saying she wasn't needed at the Gate. Where would
she have gone? There was a ball going on, but Pluto didn't like balls.
Serenity went to her room and knocked on the door. There was no answer.
She tried all the princesses' rooms, but no one answered. They were all
at the ball. She didn't bother with the Generals; they would be with
their lovers at the ball. She considered asking Immora to use her magic
to search for Pluto, but Immora had specifically told Serenity to make
sure no one disturbed her and Akeru. It had been forty years since they
had been together, after all, and as a friend of hers, Serenity wouldn't
go against her wishes. She sighed and started walking through the halls
with no real direction. She would have to tell Pluto later.

She stopped when she neared the ballroom. She would have to make an
appearance eventually. She decided to get it over with.

People automatically moved to let her through when she entered. She
nodded to them and proceeded to her seat; designed after her throne, it
sat in the center of the wall opposite the entrance, where she could sit
and watch everything happening. She didn't enjoy sitting there, but at
least she would be able to think about everything that was going on.

When she took a seat, several people swarmed around her. She asked them
to return to their merriment. She sighed to herself and settled back.

Being a queen was good in that she helped many people's lives be better
than they would be otherwise. She got to see amazing things no one else
could see. She could make a difference. But there was so much attention,
so much responsibility, and the fact that she ruled over a whole system
attracted threats from outside forces. It could be tiresome sometimes,
but she knew it was for the best. She had been hailed as the best queen
the kingdom had ever had, and it pleased her to know she was doing so
much good for her people.

She smiled to herself when she saw her daughter. Though she was not
dancing-- Endymion wasn't back yet-- she still enjoyed herself. Serenity
was so happy that they had finally gotten married. It had been difficult
at first to arrange things; the tradition was to marry of your own planet,
not outsiders, but that was slowly changing. Her daughter's marriage had
helped. Neptune had been the first planet to really support the marriages
between races, even forming engagements between its royalty and that of
other planets. There were so many children in the royal family of Neptune
that every planet could be linked to them by marriage. The Moon Kingdom,
of course, was the exception.

Queen Serenity couldn't help but smile to herself at the situation.
When the King of Neptune had proposed the idea of all their planets
being linked in marriage through Neptune, it had been debated for
months and grudgingly agreed upon. When Serenity announced that her
daughter was marrying of Earth and not Neptune, King Neptune was very
angry, saying it destroyed the very idea he'd proposed. Serenity assured
him that things would be fine; one of Endymion's sisters was marrying
one of the king's sons, after all.

And then there was the situation with Uranus. The son had run off years
ago, leaving only the princess to marry someone from Neptune. King Neptune
had decided which of his sons he wanted to marry Princess Uranus, then
found out one of his daughters was her lover. Serenity had never seen
someone so furious. He said it destroyed the spirit of everything their
system stood for, and was a disgrace to his family. It had taken Serenity's
power to overrule his decisions to keep Princess Neptune from being exiled.
It angered her greatly that some people could not accept the relationship
between two people of the same gender. She said Princesses Uranus and
Neptune should marry if they chose, which would fulfill the King's idea
to unite all the planets in marriage with his. He wouldn't hear of it.

Serenity wondered what would happen when more people learned of Quenhol
and started to travel back and forth from it. The Quenholtian people
seemed more accepting than their own. Perhaps some of their ideals would
carry over. She wondered what King Neptune would think of Quenhol, if he
thought they should somehow bring Quenhol into his marriage idea. There
was no royal family, after all. Sharra was the ruler, but her family was
still considered common. She didn't seem interested in marrying and
admitted that she hadn't had a relationship since she was very young
(fifty, she'd said, which was young for an Elf). A human only a fraction
of her age probably wouldn't be the one to gain her affections.

Serenity considered the trade arrangements they had been making. Sharra
was firmly against a monetary system. She said people should have access
to the things necessary for life-- shelter, nourishment, clothing-- free
of charge. Payment or trade should only be made for indulgences like
jewelry, perfumes, fine cloths, and bouquets. She was mad that people
were starting to charge for those necessary items and that others were
accepting this and paying for it. That made their negotiations difficult.
Sharra insisted that trade should be items for items, no money involved.
Serenity was sure her people wouldn't appreciate that and work around it,
setting their own conversion rates from Quenholtian money to Mercos,
Tenshi crystal, or gil. It was the one thing they couldn't settle.

She was surprised when she noticed Pluto dancing with someone near the
center of the room. She recognized him as a senator from Jupiter. She
was amazed to see Pluto actually attending a social function, much less
dancing. She mentally called to Pluto, asking her to come over and speak
with her. Pluto said she would when this song was over.

It finally finished, and Pluto walked over to where Serenity was sitting.
"What do you want, my queen?"

"Have you heard the stories the Quenholtians tell about you?" Serenity
asked quietly.

"Recently I did, yes. What are you getting at?"

"Are they true?"

"Absolutely," Pluto said with a grin. "Isn't it absurd? I spent this
much time thinking I had such a huge job when it was really a misinter-
pretation of what I was told. That jerk played such twisted mind games
... thank goodness I won't see him again for awhile..."

"Sharra said the All Seeing was eccentric," Serenity murmured.

"Eccentric? _Insane_ is the word. He was so... ah well, it makes me too
mad to talk about. I must say the most satisfying moment in my life was
when I kicked him between--"

"Pluto," Serenity warned. Pluto laughed a bit.

"Well, my queen, if you don't mind, I'm going to go back and enjoy myself.
It's been too long since I've had real fun," Pluto said. Serenity nodded
and dismissed her.

Pluto started looking around for another handsome man to dance with. She
managed to catch the eye of a man that reminded her of someone she had
been interested in when she was much younger. She smiled grimly to
herself, remembering how someone-- she didn't know who-- had actually
come to the Gate and somehow made her relive everything in a dream. They
had used sorcery, which pretty much ruled out a human. For a little
while, she considered it. The Senshi had been allowed to relive their
memories thanks to a spell by the Quenholtian queen. Perhaps she had
come and cast the spell on Pluto.

Pluto asked the man to dance, and he quickly accepted. She smiled to
herself as she danced with him. She had never really appreciated the
fact that she was far more beautiful than most women until now.

Pluto noted with mild interest that the Quenholtian queen had entered
the ballroom. She wore her usual fuschia and gold garments, but her
skirt fell to her ankles and wasn't slit on the sides as it usually was.
Pluto grinned to herself. She had always loved designing clothing, and
had created a large amount of garments that she ended up leaving on
Quenhol just to get them off her hands. The ruler at the time had
discovered them and wore them, and since then, the designs for all the
royalty's clothing was modeled after them. Pluto wondered if they
realized the Guardian of Time they taught children about had designed
the royal clothing.

The queen walked over to where Pluto was dancing. When the song was
over, she asked Pluto to step aside and speak to her. Pluto shrugged
and agreed.

"Guardian... ah, Setsuna, I believe?"

"That's right, Clorianostriana."

With a laugh, she said, "Please, call me Sharra. It's such a mouthful
to say my real name."

"Why did you choose Sharra?"

"I thought it was appropriate. It means 'magic light.' Clorianostriana
is 'a song and dance that brings joy'. I don't sing or dance, but I am
taught in sorcery and magic."

"Why did you want to talk to me?" Pluto asked.

"I just wanted to confirm your suspicions. I did cast that spell on you.
I hope you didn't mind. But... we all need to remember once in awhile."

"That's alright." Pluto noted she seemed distressed. "Is something wrong?"

"I feel... it's strange. I sense danger, that's not unusual. But it seems
... focused at... I don't know. All I can tell is that it involves a
relative of the person that is the threat."

Pluto let her mind drift to scan through the timestream. She was angry
that she couldn't pinpoint the source, but she had to admit, she
preferred having less power to believing she had so much responsibility.
"Sorry, Sharra, I couldn't tell what it was. The Senshi have been alerted
that something might happen. Some of us have been sensing things, too."

"Be careful," Sharra said, turning to walk away.



E'melok finished the slice of bread and cheese she'd been eating. She
wanted to keep her strength up and would probably need the energy
carbohydrates provided. It wouldn't take long for them to kick in,
thanks to the Elven part of her blood. She looked around the room
again, smiling to herself when she noticed a faint glint high up in
an opening in the ceiling, the tip of one of Dageena's wing claws.
It was getting close to the right time. She looked around the room
once again with a grim smile. Good, the only people here that would
recognize her were the one she was attacking and Pluto. She hoped
Either Dageena or Curse would quickly kill that witch. Ka'ina should
be in place to attack Akeru. E'melok wiped off her mouth and walked
in the direction of the queen of this strange realm. The pale beauty
sat poised in her chair, calmly observing the ball. She had no idea
what was going to happen.

The people attending this ball were diplomats and royalty. All soft
from being protected by security forces all their lives, unable to
stand a chance against her. Some mages were here, but they weren't
a threat either. And the Senshi? If they were a threat, Dageena and
Curse would hold them back.

E'melok felt the familiar surge of adrenaline that came when she was
about to attack. She was eager to get started. She had wanted to do
this for a long time.



Ka'ina didn't bother concealing her maniacal laughter as she walked
through the hallways towards Akeru and Immora's room. Everyone
walking past her stared at her. She passed two men that seemed a bit
familiar. They looked like some of the people E'melok had pointed
out the other day to demonstrate her senses. They briskly walked past
her, though a concerned look crossed their faces. Ka'ina just grinned
and kept walking.

"Did you feel that, Kunzite?" Zoisite whispered.

"Yes, she is a threat," he returned. "I'm sure they can handle it,
though. Somehow, I don't think this is the one we've been sensing."

Ka'ina stopped in front of the door. Finally, she could kill the bitch
that stole Immora from her. And interrupting their reunion too, an
added bonus. She clenched her fist and whispered a spell that would
blast the door apart. She cackled as it shot at the door and it
splintered into tiny fragments. She automatically walked forward, then
stopped in shock. Where there should be an opening to the room, there
was darkness. She cautiously reached her hand towards it, and screamed
when it was burnt by a burst of flame. Gasping, she backed away.

There was some sort of shield around the room! How could they?! She
was coming for her revenge and they dared block her out! Her own
magical abilities weren't strong enough to break a shield like this.
With a hiss, she started to run at the shield, and stopped short when
a rough hand grabbed her shoulder.

"That's _quite_ enough, miss," Kunzite hissed icily. "You're coming
with me."

"WHAT?! How dare you! I am Ka'ina--" he started to drag her towards
the prison, "--Hypnotist's Fire, long-time student of Immora, and
Akeru has stolen her from me! Let me go! I have to kill her! She
is mine by right! Get your hands off me--"

"Feisty, isn't she?" Zoisite said with a grin as he followed them.
"Sounds like she has a bit of an obsession, hmmm?"

"It does, doesn't it?" Kunzite said, speaking loudly to cover Ka'ina's
voice. "We better ask one of more powerful mages to come and sedate her
with a spell. Normal sedatives probably won't affect her."

Zoisite nodded in agreement. Ka'ina started shouting now, trying to
scratch Kunzite with her nails. "Not exactly the sanest person I've
ever met. I wonder what made her snap."

"I think I recognize her," Kunzite said. "She's a student of Immora's
and was around back when Immora was being trained. I'm sure you've
heard stories of what the teacher did, the spells he put on people.
Anyways, she's around Immora's age."

"Mages age well," Zoisite said with a grin. "What keeps them from
getting old?"

"I'm not sure exactly. Something about their magic, I guess, keeps
them going until they're killed."

Ka'ina started speaking a spell, and Kunzite quickly threw her against
the wall. Her head hit against it, knocking her unconscious before she
could cast the spell. A flash of light appeared and danced around her,
then went away, leaving her slightly singed.

"See why we can't stop a spell in the middle?" Kunzite said, throwing
Ka'ina over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Zoisite said, frowning a bit.

"What?"

"I don't like seeing a woman thrown over your shoulder," he grumbled.

Kunzite laughed and winked at him. "Don't worry, you're the only
man for me."

"That's good to hear."

Kunzite clasped Zoisite's hand in the one that was free and walked
with him to imprison Ka'ina.



"She's almost ready," Dageena told Curse as they looked down from
their hiding place in the ceiling. "Are you ready?"

"Hold on," Curse said. She was examining the two staffs she had with
her. "What to use, what to use..."

"Save the blade, for now," Dageena said. "That staff is only good
for cutting, and I'll be doing plenty of that."

"Good thinking," Curse said. She held the blade-topped staff in her
hands, concentrated hard on it, and it slowly disappeared. "How do
you know when she's ready, anyways?"

"Body language, mainly, and she has a bit of telepathy. It isn't
enough for holding a real conversation, but she can send out fleeting
images of what she plans. She showed herself fighting, so I know she
will be ready. She gave you her dagger to hold onto, correct? Well,
she will send you a signal when she is ready for you to send them to
her."

"Huh." Curse pulled out a thick string and tied her hair back with it.
"Handy ability. Well, ready as I'll ever be. You sure you can fit through
the opening?"

"Who said I'd be using the opening as it is?" Dageena grinned wickedly.
"Your abilities make you immune to fire, I hope."

"Yes--"

"Good," Dageena said, speaking in a tone that clearly said "this con-
versation is over." Curse grumbled and settled into a kneeling position.

"Why do I ever agree to these crazy things..." she muttered.



E'melok strode purposefully towards her target. She started filling
with more energy than before, preparing for what would happen. With her
telekinesis, she gripped a section of her dress that would allow her to
tear it off in one swift mental tug. Under the dress was halter top and
pants made of her usual dark green leather. She found it much easier to
move in than her double-bodysuit and coat. Her target was talking to some
people that were probably advisors of some sort. She smiled to herself.
Always unsuspecting... she was just like her brother. E'melok sneered
inwardly at that; she held her father in great contempt. He had abandoned
his wife and daughter when E'melok was still young, and his sister had
done nothing to help bring him back.

She carefully flexed the muscles in her back, feeling them grow more
taut. She stood still and shifted her weight some, tensing her legs.
The target's back was turned to her. E'melok sent another flicker of
thought to Dageena and then to Curse. She was pleased to feel the
familiar weight of her dagger in her hand. Several people started to
turn around when they saw the dagger, and with a mental pull, her dress
ripped off, freeing her movements. She leapt into the air and flipped,
landing near her target.

At that moment, a horrible, piercing shriek came from the ceiling.
People started to panic, covering their eyes to block out the sound.
A section of the ceiling burst into flame, and two women fell through
the flames; Dageena and Curse.

E'melok smiled, positioning her dagger at her target. "Hello, my aunt,
Sharra. It's been awhile."

"Aunt?" Sharra slowly backed away. "I don't know what you... Oh. Oh no...
you're..."

"The little girl that grew up in the Assassin's Guild thanks to your
brother abandoning my mother. That would be me."

"But... you're Human! My brother was a Forest Elf, and his wife was Human,
I know you were mixed--"

E'melok laughed loudly. "My mother was NOT Human! She looked it, but she
was Dragana!"

E'melok could smell and hear someone behind her, and pivoted on one leg,
smoothly executing a kick with the other. She noted that the man she'd
kicked was the blonde general she'd observed the other day standing by the
cloaked one. An angry Sailor Mars was behind him, trying to help him back
to his feet.

Dageena soared over the crowd, breathing fire over them, the pumping of
her wings sending out strong gusts that knocked some people over. She
held Curse by her wrists, who gripped hers in return. Dageena flew right
behind Sharra, releasing her grip as Curse pointed her legs at the back
of Sharra's head. Sharra let out a cry as Curse slammed into her back,
knocking Sharra to the ground. Her staff was soon held high and slammed
across the back of Sharra's head, knocking her unconscious. Curse stood
and poised herself to prepare for any attackers, expertly twirling her
staff and delivering strong blows at people that tried to get near her.
Dageena continued her aerial assault.

"I don't know why you just tried to kill Sharra," Mars spat, "but you're
not going to live to tell about it! MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

E'melok dove and rolled away from the flaming arrow. She was mildly
impressed by the Senshi's abilities. She almost moved too slow to avoid
the arrow. Her momentum pushed her back onto her feet. She smiled at bit
and said, "I think I may have to change if I'm going to deal with you! A
challenge, at last!"

E'melok attached her dagger to a small fabric strip on her waistband. She
felt all her muscles tighten as she stood still, her mixed blood burning
inside her. She focused on a specific pitch in it and concentrated on
strengthening it.

Mars could not believe her eyes. She watched as the seemingly human woman
in front of her gained Elven tips on her ears, her skin turning a pale
green. Her nails grew into sharp claws, and her teeth became sharper as
well. Her features seemed more delicate in places, and something about
her suggested she was more agile. Mars had no idea how she'd just done
what she'd done, but was convinced she didn't want this woman to live for
her to find out.

E'melok let out a small, satisfied hum when her change finished. Dageena
had been right; it wasn't Ka'ina's spell that gave her the appearance of
a Human. Her own abilities allowed her to change the strength of her genes
and make one set-- Human, Elf, or Dragon-- show more than the others. Now
she let herself be the best of Human and Elf with the senses of a Dragon.

E'melok snarled as Mars fired another flaming arrow at her. E'melok leapt
into the air again and landed behind Mars. She spun her body to face Mars
as she delivered a kick. Mars lost her balance and almost fell. E'melok's
kicking foot hit the ground and she brought her other leg up at once to
slam her foot into Mars' chin, knocking her back onto the floor.

"ENOUGH!" a voice shouted from behind E'melok. E'melok turned to see
nine women standing there in Sailor uniforms. A girl with white hair
stood in the center, seeming to be the leader. "This violence has to
stop now. Innocent people are enjoying this ball and you've spoiled it.
I am the sai--"

"Stop the speech already!" E'melok shouted. She surprised Silver Moon by
rushing at her, arms held ready to deliver blows. Uranus stepped in front
and grunted when E'melok's fist connected with her stomach. E'melok was
startled that she took the punch so well and hesitated to react. Uranus
swung at her, and she narrowly missed the blow, diving between the tall
blonde's legs and rolling onto her back when she was behind her. Pushing
back onto her shoulder blades, she forced her legs out to hit Uranus in
the back, letting the motion carry her back to her feet.

Uranus fell forward but quickly recovered, delivering her own solid kick
into E'melok's stomach. E'melok let out a shout of pain and drew her
dagger. Her eyes widened when she saw the wicked sword Uranus pulled out.
With a grin equally wicked, Uranus said, "Well, want to try your dagger
against this?"

E'melok dropped to the floor and swept her legs under Uranus's, dropping
her to the floor as well. E'melok stood and ran from the Senshi. She had
no doubt that in a purely physical battle, she could defeat any of the
Senshi with no problem. When they brought in their magical weapons, things
got ugly. She wasn't so arrogant that she tried to fight against impossible
odds. When she was younger, she would have, but she knew better now.
Turning around to look back when she was at a safe distance, she saw the
Senshi coming at Curse, who had erected a force field. Curse was in a
fighting stance, ready to battle if the force field fell. E'melok looked
to see that Dageena had sent all the ballgoers fleeing, those that could
move after her onslaught. Plenty of burnt corpses lay on the ground.
E'melok saw Queen Serenity was trapped on her chair by a thick layer of
ice, which was probably causing damage from its temperature. A mental
signal told Dageena to come help deal with the Senshi. Dageena's flight
path quickly changed and she launched at the Senshi.

"Look out!" Saturn shouted, pointed at the Dragana rushing right at them.
The Senshi quickly ducked, just in time to keep from being knocked over.
As it was, the rush of air almost did that. Dageena pushed herself up
so she was in a vertical position and stopped moving her wings, dropping
to her feet on the floor.

E'melok gave herself a telekinetic boost to speed her back at the Senshi.
The three of them against ten Senshi. This could be interesting. She
could deal with these odds.

Mercury had stepped back to take out her visor and computer, quickly
scanning the three foes they faced. None were entirely one species, and
that troubled her. The dark-skinned redhead appeared human at first
glance, but when Mercury scanned more, she detected some traces of
something her computer couldn't determine. The winged woman was a bit
human, but mostly something Mercury couldn't believe. She didn't know
what people had designed her computer, but the woman registered as
being almost entirely Dragon. The acrobatic green woman was half Forest
Elf with some human and Dragon mixed in. Mercury scanned a bit more and
realized they all had some sort of powers... all had fire, and the two
Dragonnish women also had ice and lightning abilities. She put away
her computer and visor.

"Jupiter, only attack the woman guarding Sharra!" she shouted. "The
other two use lightning! Mars, they all use fire, don't try that on
them!"

"Gotcha!" Jupiter shouted.

Dageena sneered a bit at them and inhaled deeply. "So, you think you're
so smart?"

Flames poured out of her mouth at Mercury, who barely dodged. Dageena
folded in her wings as tightly as she could so she could maneuver on
foot. She dove at Mercury, elbow spike extended. Mercury moved to the
side, but the spike sliced across her right arm. She cried out and
automatically shouted an attack, "Ice Wave Freeze!"

The wave of ice slammed into Dageena, but she just shrugged it off and
moved to attack again. She stopped when a large staff appeared in her
way to block her path. She hissed at her red eyes met the equally red
ones of Pluto.

"I don't think you'll be doing that, hmmm?" Pluto said with a grim smile.
She quickly slammed her staff across Dageena's skull, sending her reeling
backwards. The weight of her wings made her lose her balance and fall to
the floor, struggling to get up. She was stopped by a blade point aimed
at her chest.

"I wouldn't move," Saturn said softly, nudging her glaive closer to the
Dragana. "I don't want to kill you."

Saturn cried out in surprise when her glaive was knocked aside by Curse,
who had left the unconscious Sharra on the floor. Saturn barely kept her
grip as she blocked another incoming blow of Curse's battle staff. Curse
was relentless, continually pounding staff against glaive, anger lighting
up her eyes. Saturn was grateful for whatever metal her glaive was made
of; any other staff would have been damaged by now. She was hesitant to
move away and open up a chance for Curse to attack.

Curse paused a moment, and her staff disappeared, replaced by one similar,
but topped with a sharp blade. Though smaller than the Silence Glaive, it
would be formidable against her opponents. She thrust the blade at Saturn,
who neatly side-stepped and brought her glaive up to hold back Curse's.
She struggled for footing; she wasn't nearly as strong physically. Curse
pulled back, twirling her staff, and attempted another thrust, which was
blocked.

Pluto was very effective in keeping Dageena on the floor. The Dragana
seemed some-what uncertain of how to deal with the legendary Guardian
of Time. Neptune had joined Pluto, keeping an eye out for Saturn as she
battled Curse.

Saturn let out a small shout when Curse managed to knock back her glaive.
Curse quickly moved to strike her, then screamed as Venus's love-me chain
pinned her arms to her sides. It wasn't the fact that she was now trapped,
but the love energy coursing through her from the chain was too much for
a demon to bear. Noting this, Uranus unleashed her Heaven Fury. Curse
fell to her knees, trying to pull free of the chain. Neo-Moon moved
forward as well, releasing her Moonlight Laser.

E'melok looked on with disgust. Surely these Senshi weren't _that_
formidable! She noted Mercury still nursing her arm, Pluto and Neptune
guarding Dageena, with Jupiter moving to join them, and Uranus, Saturn,
and Neo-Moon teamed up against Curse. Mars was still groggy from the
kick E'melok delivered earlier, and Silver Moon was remaining at her
side. The Generals were trying to use their spells to free Queen Serenity
from her icy imprisonment. E'melok smirked a bit as her eyes locked on
Silver Moon. She looked weak, and would probably be a poor fighter.
E'melok had observed earlier how awkward her movements seemed.

A few leaps put her by Silver Moon, and she quickly twisted her body to
kick the princess in the ribs. She was surprised when Mars threw herself
between them, taking the kick instead. Mars cried out and slumped to the
ground. Silver Moon was too shocked to react, and E'melok kicked her in
the side. The Senshi cried out and shouted for the others to help her.
E'melok smirked and furiously attacked her, trying to render her uncon-
scious before the others could aid her. Silver Moon wasn't good at
blocking or returning blows, and just cried out in pain.

E'melok was thrown forward by a blast from behind her. Jupiter stood
there, a deep scowl on her face. She hadn't hit E'melok, but the floor
instead. E'melok was surprised at her ingenuity. She couldn't block out
the lightning unless it hit her directly. Her fist flew at Jupiter, and
she screamed when Jupiter caught it and nearly crushed it in her grip.

"I'm not too impressed with you," Jupiter said, bringing her knee up
sharply into E'melok's stomach. E'melok doubled over and quickly backed
up, drawing her dagger in the process. She ignored her pain and leapt
at Jupiter, arms raised high with the dagger pointed at the Senshi.
Jupiter barely moved away, catching the blade in her shoulder. She
screamed and threw a punch with her other arm, knocking E'melok to the
floor, stunned to the point where she couldn't move.

"I can't fight like this," Jupiter groaned to the other Senshi. Mercury
nodded her agreement, coming over to help Jupiter. "But I can't just
turn and leave."

"We're wounded and useless for now," Mercury said. "But I agree, we
should stay. We don't know what tricks these women might have in store
for us. The one that attacked you is the head of the Assassin's Guild,
according to Pluto, and she's out to kill Sharra and anyone who stands
in her way."

"Well, I'm not staying cuz of these freaks," Jupiter said with a grin.
"I'm just not one to run from a fight." She winced a bit and gripped
her shoulder tighter. "Now, we need to take care of this... And we
need to help Silver Moon. She's hurt badly."

Mercury walked over and cradled Silver Moon in her arms. "Neo-Moon!"
she shouted. "Come here! We need you to heal her!"

Neo-Moon rushed over and carefully healed her mother. Silver Moon
groaned, then smiled at Neo-Moon with gratitude.

"What about us?" Jupiter teased.

"Give me a moment," Neo-Moon said, panting a bit. "It wears me out a
bit. I can see why Saturn rarely uses her healing abilities."

After a few moments, she healed Jupiter, rested, then healed Mercury.
They stood up shakily.

"I warn you," Neo-Moon said, "it will probably make you feel unsteady
on your feet for awhile. We better stay here with my mother and make
sure you all recover before we try to get back into the fight."

Jupiter groaned a bit and finally nodded.

"Hurry up!" Jadeite shouted at Nephrite. "She's going to die of the
cold! Get moving or move aside and let me do it!"

"Shut up!" Nephrite shouted at him. "You can't get your fire hot enough
to free her quickly!"

"Both of you stop it!" Kunzite said, scowling at them. "Arguing won't
help. Nephrite, please try to hurry. Jadeite, you could help by making
your own fire, alright?"

Jadeite snorted but nodded his agreement and started to cast his own
fire spell. Kunzite stood back, thinking through all the possibilities.
The fire would melt the ice, he was sure, but he worried that the queen
would burn. He didn't know any spells that could help. Zoisite was
trying to comfort the queen and keep her from thinking of the pain,
and she weakly smiled at him. Kunzite smiled at the sight. Zoisite was
a pain sometimes, but he had a much nicer side to him.

Jadeite and Nephrite both started swearing in frustration. "It's no
good!" Jadeite said. "I don't know why, but our fire didn't do a
thing to it!"

"It must be some sort of magic," Kunzite said. "We'll have to think of
something else."

"She doesn't have time for us to think of something," Zoisite said.
"We don't know how to deal with magic."

"Don't tell me we're going to ask Immora to help," Jadeite groaned.

"I'm afraid that's the only viable option," Nephrite told him. "She
can free the queen. And they are old friends, after all, so she'll
definitely agree to it."

"I'll go get her," Kunzite said, rushing off into the hallway.

Dageena noted the white-haired general leaving, then focused her eyes
on Pluto again. Pluto had the same grim expression on her face. Dageena
smiled a bit, which seemed to irritate Pluto. After all, what reason
did she have to smile? Dageena wasn't sure what Pluto thought of it.
She didn't waste time on it. She pulled her knees to her chest and then
drove her clawed feet into Pluto's stomach. Pluto didn't make a sound,
she merely backed away, arms folded around her abdomen. Neptune almost
immediately shouted "Aqua Possessor!"

Dageena felt like her body was being thrown into the sea, left to dissolve
into the waters. She grimaced at the sensation, but the attack had no
real effect on her, having been blocked by her magic. She almost struck
Neptune with one of her elbow spikes.

Dageena let out a horrible howl of pain as the Space Sword sliced it off.

Uranus stood with her bloodied sword as Dageena clutched her elbow, her
howls piercing everyone's ears. She shivered and looked at Uranus
murderously, shooting a bolt of lightning at her. Neptune dove and
knocked Uranus to the floor. Dageena flew up near the ceiling to avoid
the Senshi. She had never had this happen to her before. She wasn't
sure what to do. Though healing was quicker for her-- it was already
starting to scab-- it would take a long time for the spike to grow back.
Despite the scabbing, the pain was unbearable. She flew up into the
area of the ceiling where she and Curse had waited, staying to recover.
She wondered if one Quenholtian queen was really worth all this trouble.



Kunzite lightly knocked on the door to Immora and Akeru's room. It
had been reattached and looked like nothing had ever happened to it.
He assumed that was Akeru's doing. There was no answer. He tapped his
foot impatiently, then knocked again. He sighed as he waited. He
finally gave up on knocking and shouted, "Immora, Queen Serenity is
dying! She needs your help!"

A few seconds later, Immora's head popped out the door. "That better
not have been a joke," she growled. "You interrupted us."

"I know, and believe me, I'm _very_ sorry, but she really needs you.
There's an ice spell put on her by a Dragana and--"

Immora paled a bit. "There's a Dragana here?!"

"I thought you would sense it," he said in surprise.

"Well, the shield kept everyone out, and it also kept me from sensing
anything outside of it," she said, ducking back behind the door. After
a moment, she stepped out in her black robes. "Well, let's be off,"
she said, teleporting them into the ballroom.

She seemed quite shocked at the destruction in the room, and actually
turned a faint green at the sight of the burned bodies. She looked away
and quickly rushed over to Queen Serenity.

"Thank... goodness..." Serenity murmured. She smiled faintly at Immora.
Immora quickly held out her hands and the ice started to disappear.
Serenity was soon freed, and she limply fell back into Zoisite's arms.
He carefully held her and carried her down from her chair.

"I'm getting her out of here," he said. "We should all go. She needs
a doctor to make sure she's alright, and we better stay to protect her."

The other generals agreed and started to leave. Immora stopped Kunzite.

"Is she still here?" she whispered.

"I saw her go into that hole in the ceiling," he said. Immora nodded
and noted E'melok and Curse.

"Well, well, well..." she murmured. "E'melok tried to kill me once. And
Curse..." Immora shuddered. "You could say she was my tour guide in Hell."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm serious," she said. "Do you think they need my help? I can't do
anything against Dageena. At least Uranus and Jupiter are incredible
fighters, but I just have my magic... which, unfortunately, Dragana are
immune to."

"I think we can leave," he said. "The Senshi have it covered. Besides,
they need a challenge. The Dark Kingdom has more than three people to
throw against us..." He trailed off, remembering how Beryl had corrupted
him and his fellow Generals. "She turned us into her 'Shitenno' and
forced us to battle our, ah... lovers... and--"

Immora smiled mysteriously at him and said softly, "I didn't know you
had to attack Zoisite. And don't try to interrupt. It's clear as day in
your thoughts. I didn't intend to see it, but the image was so strong--"

"Saturn sensed it, too," he said. "That seems odd."

Immora shrugged and started to leave with him. "When love is strong
enough... And speaking of that, I better get back. You'd better avoid
Akeru for awhile. She's pretty furious at you right now."

"I thought as much." Kunzite grinned.



E'melok snarled at the Outer Senshi, standing over her hunched form.
They had looked around and found some rope and had tied her as much
as they could. They weren't sure what kind of escape artist she was.
E'melok fumed and tried to budge her bounds, but they didn't give at
all. Her dagger had been taken away. She closed her eyes a bit. She
hated letting her Dragon blood take over too much, but she could use
some claws right now... She cried out in frustration as they barely
frayed the ropes.

"Awww, is the poor assassin trapped?" Uranus said mockingly.

E'melok fumed and tried again, but nothing happened. She couldn't
believe anyone had managed to trap her. She looked up at the hole where
Dageena had fled. Damnit, it was just an elbow spike! Why hadn't she
come to help her?! Curse was lying on the ground, her Demonic nature
unable to cope with the energy that had been poured into her.

The Outer Senshi turned away to help pick up Sharra and Silver Moon and
call for medical attention. Silver Moon wasn't entirely healed yet. Venus
still stood by Curse, who was very slowly waking up. There was still no
sign of Dageena.

E'melok's head was throbbing with the Dragon blood. It was hard to ignore
it. She had only let it take control on one occasion, and that was very
brief. It felt like it would take over her, regardless of her wishes.
She knew she wouldn't become a full Dragon, she'd turn into something
like Dageena. She didn't want that to happen.

She saw Dageena peer from the ceiling and tap her temple. E'melok
shuddered as she stretched out with her mind to Dageena. Dageena wanted
to escape, fly down and grab Curse when she was awake enough to teleport
them. She ordered E'melok to tell Curse, then refused to share anymore
thoughts. E'melok moaned as she contacted Curse, who was still groggy,
but agreed to try once she had woken up more.

E'melok lay there, very angry at her situation. They were ready to leave,
but she was trapped! They wouldn't have time to get her before the Senshi
did something! They would leave her behind! She scowled and shifted the
best she could.

She gave in to her Dragon blood.

The Outer Senshi whirled around at the sound of E'melok's loud shriek.
Wings had burst from her back, tearing apart the ropes in the strength
of their emergence. E'melok unsteadily took to the air, and Dageena
soon soared down from the ceiling to join her. Curse stood shakily, but
quickly teleported the three of them away.

"Thank goodness that's over," Silver Moon whispered. Uranus, who was
carrying her, nodded in agreement.

"They _were_ pretty tough," she said. "I hope we never see them again."

Venus was kneeling by Sharra, who slowly woke up. She helped the queen
sit up and steadied her with an arm.

"Are... they..." Sharra coughed a bit. "They're gone?"

"Yes, they just left. You're going to be fine."

"She's... my niece..." Sharra whispered, sinking back against Venus.
"E'melok..."

Venus was horrified, but disguised it with a tiny smile. "Well, you
don't have to worry about her anymore. She left, and once we get you
to a healer, you'll be good as new."

The Senshi carefully took the two royal women away from the room.
Pluto slipped away from them when they were in the hallway, returning
to the Gate.



"Well, All Seeing, I see you've taken care of the fog," she said in a
light tone. She walked up to the Gate and carefully examined it. "Good,
there's nothing wrong. I'll be leaving now."

"Setsuna," he growled. "You are not like other Humans. You're worse.
You've gone off on this whole 'I don't have responsibility anymore'
thing. You still have a duty."

"And I am performing it," she said lightly. "When I wasn't fighting, I
kept an eye out on the time stream. And I just made sure the Gate was
fine. Job done, time to go back and have fun."

He sighed in exasperation. "Fine, fine... Go ahead. I can't argue
with you."

"I'm so glad," she said sarcastically, teleporting back to the Moon
Kingdom.



"no... 'm a mage... lemme go... mine, not hers..."

"She's starting to talk," one of the doctors said to the other. "What
do we do?"

"Find a mage to knock her out again," he returned, leading the other
from the room.

"i'm... i'm..." There was a short groan, followed by her eyes opening.
Ka'ina rubbed her temples as she carefully sat up. "Uhhnnnn... hurts..."
She looked around the room. "What... where am I..."

"That's a good question," a voice said in her mind.

Ka'ina narrowed her eyes, trying to focus. "Who... Familiar..."

"Oh, it would spoil it if I told you, Ka'ina. You've changed. You're
insane."

"Uh? Where are you?"

"I'm contacting you telepathically, you fool."

"You sound... like... teacher..." Ka'ina started to wake up more. "But
... he's dead..."

"Bah! Yes, that's good. Now, get up and get yourself out of there. I
want you to help me, hmmm? I need a little bit of a resurrection."

Ka'ina passed out again on her bed.

"Damnit! Damnit to He-- ... No, I'm already here, why should I bother.
I need someone with magic!" The invisible form searched through the
palace, stopping where the Generals guarded Queen Serenity.

"There we go... they have enough power to summon me, but aren't trained
enough to realize that they're doing it. I just need a way to slip the
spell to them and get them to cast it..."

The form slowly started to leave the world.

"... and I can finally have revenge against Immora for killing me."

**********
TO BE CONTINUED, SOME DAY...