I do not own the rights to any of the characters in this fanfic, nor do I claim them. The idea, however, is mine. Enjoy!
This Time Around
Chapter 7
Luna sighed as she continued making her way down the street. She jumped up on a street rail and saw the person she was looking for walking down the street. She began to run along the length of the rail, and as she drew nearer, she called out to him. "Darien, wait," she said as loudly as she could without drawing attention to herself. He saw her running to catch up with him, and stopped.
"Hello, Luna," he greeted as he picked her up off the rail. He looked around the area, and then back down at Luna. "Where's Artemis?"
"We've been looking for you, actually," she replied as she settled down on his shoulder. "He's looking for you at your apartment. Perhaps we can go there? We need to talk."
"Sure thing, Luna," he said. "I was headed home anyway." Fifteen minutes later, Darien and the two cats were sitting in his apartment. "So, what did you need to talk about," he asked as he settled down on the couch with a cup of tea.
"Well, actually, it's about the girls," Artemis began.
"Have you heard anything from them yet," Darien asked, taking a sip of his tea.
"No, we haven't," Luna replied. "I'm beginning to get worried about them. Perhaps we should have gone along after all. If not all of us, maybe just you, Darien."
"I'm sure they're okay, Luna," Darien commented nonchalantly. "They can handle themselves just fine." He took another sip of tea and chuckled. "They did pretty good without me before, didn't they?"
Luna frowned slightly at his comment. "Are you worried about them at all," she demanded.
"Of course I am," he replied with a sigh. "But it won't do anyone any good to worry. Besides, it's been ... nice having this break. I could get used to it." The cats looked at each other as he continued talking. "Sailor Pluto would have let us know something if anything had happened, so obviously, nothing has."
Artemis cleared his throat. "Well, since you're the future King, you would be able to sense if something happened to Serena and the others," he began. "And since you don't seem too worried, I guess we shouldn't worry, either."
"But Artemis," Luna protested, her voice on the verge of a whine.
"Luna, this is so unlike you ... for you to be acting this worried," Artemis said. "Darien is right, the girls will be fine. Let's get going." As the two cats went to the windowsill, Artemis turned back towards Darien. "If you get any bad feelings, you'll let us know?"
"Don't worry, I'll let you know," he replied. "The two of you should try relaxing sometime. You both deserve a break." The cats looked at him momentarily before they left through the window. After they left, Darien sighed uneasily. "I hope this feeling is right," he said softly.
* * * * *
As Sage stood with his weapon raised, surrounded by soldiers, he quickly chose a target. As he was about to use his sure-skill, one of the soldiers knocked his sword out of his hand. He quickly set into action as the soldiers moved in on him. He kicked and punched at the soldiers, however they weren't as easily defeated as the enemies he was used to fighting were.
'Hurry up, you guys,' he thought as he dodged a weapon swung by a soldier. He grunted as he picked up an enemy and threw him at another soldier. He screamed in pain as he was hit from behind and was knocked to the ground.
"Looks like you could use some help, Sage! Jupiter Thunderclap Zap," Jupiter yelled out as she sent her attack towards an unsuspecting soldier. The attack sent him flying through the air, and as he landed in the lake, smoke seemed to rise up as he disappeared. The remaining soldiers turned towards the newcomers and Mercury stepped forward.
"Mercury Bubbles Blast," she exclaimed. As everything and everyone was engulfed in the mist, the warriors ran over to Sage.
"Thanks you two," Sage said as he stood. "But where is everyone else? You didn't come alone, did you?"
"No, we're right here," Kento said as he, Sailor Moon, and Rowen suddenly appeared next to Jupiter and Mercury. He handed Sage his sword and smiled. "The others are back at the house, in case anything happens there."
"Where's Venus and Rini," Rowen asked as the mist began to dissipate. "I didn't see them anywhere before Sailor Mercury used her attack."
"They headed off towards the forest," Sage replied. "And Kite went after them." Just then, a bright flash of light came from the direction Sage was pointing in, followed by an explosion.
"Rini, Venus," Sailor Moon screamed. She took off running towards the path that led up to the forest.
"Sailor Moon, wait," Kento yelled after her. As he and the others started to follow her, the remaining soldiers stepped in front of them.
"These soldiers are a lot tougher than they look, and harder to defeat than we're used to," Sage warned. "So be careful."
Kento held his weapon to his side as he watched Sailor Moon disappear through the trees, and then looked back towards the others. "We've got to hurry in case Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus need us," he said. The other warriors nodded their head in agreement. Kento looked to where Sailor Moon had just been and sighed. 'Be careful,' he thought inwardly.
* * * * *
Rini ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Finally, she had to stop and rest because she was beginning to wear out. She put her hands on her knees as she took in deep gasps of air. Cautiously, she looked in the direction she had just run from and gasped as she saw a sudden flash of light. "Oh no, Sailor Venus," she whispered. She heard the sound of branches snapping and gasped. Quickly looking for a place to hide, she chose a group of underbrush and hid underneath them. Seconds later, a figure appeared.
"Rini, where are you," the person called out. Rini carefully peeked out from her hiding place and saw Sailor Venus standing there.
"Venus," Rini exclaimed. The warrior turned towards the place Rini was hiding and caught the little girl as she jumped towards her. "Sailor Venus, you got away from Kite!"
"Yes, I have my ways," she replied. "And as I've said before, you're a very hard little girl to track down."
A frown quickly replaced the smile that was on Rini's face. "What are you talking about," she demanded as she struggled against the warrior's grasp.
"Oh, I think you already know exactly what I'm talking about, Rini," she replied. Rini gasped as blonde hair was replaced by black, and the tiara disappeared from her forehead, revealing a black, upside-down crescent moon.
"Kite," Rini exclaimed, struggling even more. "What did you do to Sailor Venus? Let me go! Someone help me!"
"Scream all you want, child," Kite said. "Venus won't come helping you any time soon. Nor anyone else, for that matter!"
"Someone please help me," Rini screamed again. She began to cry as she finally gave up trying to get out of Kite's grasp. "What do you want with me?"
"Oh not this game again," Kite said in an annoyed tone. She raised her hand, and as it began to glow, one of the hundreds of trees seemed to come alive. "Hold her," she said to the tree. She tossed Rini against the tree, and its' branches wrapped around her, and as it held her in place, it became inanimate once again.
"Let me go, Kite," Rini begged.
Kite smiled evilly and shook her head. "You see, Rini," she began, "I have learned something. You have the power to call forth the crystal my Lord desires. But in order for you to summon it, you must exert a certain amount of energy."
"I don't know how to use any power," Rini protested.
"Don't you lie to me, brat," Kite screamed. "I've seen what you can do, and I've seen your power!" By this time, the crescent moon on Rini's forehead began to shine. Kite backed away as energy emitting from Rini's chest began to crystallize and form into a jewel of some sort. "That's right, Rini," Kite exclaimed. "I knew you could do it!" As she reached out towards the little girl, something hit her, sending her flying away from Rini. The object continued flying through the air and arched back in the direction it had come from. A shadowed figure caught it and stepped forward.
"Hold it right there, Kite," Sailor Moon exclaimed. "I won't allow you to hurt Rini. Where there's a wrong, I will eliminate it. In the name of the moon, I will punish you." She turned towards the little girl as she heard her sigh.
"You heard me," Rini whimpered. "Thank you, Sailor Moon." Her body went limp as she fainted.
"Sailor Moon," Kite growled through clenched teeth. She put a hand by the sword at her side. "I'm going to make you regret coming here." Faster than Sailor Moon could even blink, Kite unsheathed her sword and leapt towards her. As Kite swung her sword, Sailor Moon quickly dropped to the ground. As she shakily stood up, the tree that was behind her fell in half.
"Are you trying to kill me," Sailor Moon demanded incredulously.
"Well ... yes," Kite replied. She screamed primitively as she leapt towards the other warrior once again. Sailor Moon managed to dodge Kite's attacks, however she was quickly wearing out. "Are you getting tired already," Kit demanded. She swung her sword once again, and as Sailor Moon backed up, she tripped over an upraised root of a tree. "This is perfect," Kite exclaimed as she stood over her. She raised her sword in the air, and as she swung it towards the terrified Scout, she was hit from the side and knocked away from her. Kite quickly stood angrily, but gasped as she saw her attacker.
"White Blaze," Sailor Moon exclaimed as the tiger stood over her protectively. He growled as Kite picked her weapon up off the ground.
"Ah, the Ronins' animal," she said in a bored tone. She gasped as the tiger ran and leapt towards her suddenly. She held her sword up in front of herself and While Blaze unarmed her. "Annoying beast," she spat. Energy shot out from her black crescent moon and hit the tiger. He roared in pain, and then fell to the ground. He slowly rose to his feet once again and struggled to make his way towards Rini. As he reached her, he fell down unconscious. Kite sneered evilly and as she turned back around, her eyes grew wide.
Sailor Moon stood there with her scepter in her hand. She smirked as she raised it in front of her. "Moon Scepter Elimination," she yelled. As the attack washed over Kite and she fell to the ground, Sailor Moon jumped up and down in joy. She rushed to Rini's side and checked over the little girl and the tiger. "Rini, are you okay," she asked. Rini groaned and then slowly opened her eyes.
"Serena," she said quietly. "You came for me."
"Of course I did," she exclaimed. "Rini, I'm so sorry for yelling at you this morning. I shouldn't have done it."
Rini's chin began to quiver, and she leaned towards her future mother to try to hug her. As she did so, the tree began to glow, and Rini became free of her bindings. Sailor Moon caught her in a hug as she fell forward. Once they released each other, Rini crossed her arms. "Well, don't let it happen again," she said with a small frown.
Sailor Moon smiled as she stood. "Well, let's get going," she replied as she offered a hand to Rini.
"Oh no, look behind you," Rini exclaimed. Sailor Moon spun around and gasped.
"But, that's impossible," she exclaimed. "I defeated you!"
"I won't be destroyed so easily," Kite said. She was surrounded by a black aura, and as she closed her eyes, it became darker. Sailor Moon gasped as the phantom image of the Armor of Cruelty appeared over Kite's body and the kanji of loyalty glowed on her forehead momentarily.
"Anubis' armor," Sailor Moon asked quietly. She clenched her fist tightly, angry with herself. "What Lady Kayura said was true!"
"Yes," Kite said as Anubis' weapon appeared in her hand. "Now I will show you the true power of his armor."
* * * * *
"Ironrock Crusher," Kento yelled. He sent his attack flying towards the four remaining soldiers. As they jumped out of harms way, he uttered a couple of curse words under his breath. "Why can't we destroy them," he asked to no one in particular.
Rowen blocked a soldier's hit with his bow. "I don't know, but we've got to hurry so we can help the girls," he replied.
Sailor Jupiter and Sage stood side by side, facing off against one of the soldiers. Sage readied his sword while the antenna rose up from Jupiter's tiara. They looked at each other and then set into motion.
"Jupiter Thunderclap Zap," she yelled.
"Thunderbolt Cut," Sage said at the same time. Their two attacks combined and destroyed the soldier on contact. All the while, Mercury was typing away on her computer.
"It doesn't seem like they have weaknesses," she said. "The best strategy is to team up or take them by surprise." As she was about to put the computer away, it began to beep rapidly. She studied the screen for several moments, and then gasped in surprise. "Everyone, these soldiers seem to have some sort of power. I don't know what it is, but be careful." One of the soldiers threw a ball of energy at her while she was putting her computer away, and as it hit her, she screamed in pain.
"Sailor Mercury," Jupiter exclaimed, running to her aid. "Are you okay?"
"As well as can be expected," she replied. As the warriors looked over towards their enemy, the three remaining soldiers began to glow. Mercury tapped her earring, and as the visor slid into place, she began to scan the energies given off by the soldiers. "This is incredible! The soldiers can use energy attacks by utilizing the energy given off during this fight!" Suddenly, Mercury grabbed her head and began to glow. Once the glowing stopped, she fell to the ground unconscious.
"What happened," Sage asked as he rushed to Mercury's side, followed by Jupiter, Kento, and Rowen. Sage checked over her and frowned "Somehow it seems like she's used up all her energy. How is that possible?"
"There's a simple answer to that," Lotus said as he appeared, floating in the air. "These soldiers were specially made by me, supplying the Black Moon Dynasty with the power and energy it needs!" He raised his arm in the air, and five more soldiers showed up. "My present to you, Ronins. They're going to tear ..." He allowed his voice to trail off as he seemed to sense something. Then, as suddenly as he had appeared, he disappeared.
"What was that all about," Rowen asked.
"There's no time to worry about that now," Jupiter said. As the four warriors stood back to back, the soldiers formed a circle around them, gathering energy.
"I think we're in trouble," Kento said grimly. The four looked up as a voice shouted out.
"Evil spirits disperse," Sailor Mars yelled, throwing an ofuda (evil seals) at each of the soldiers. She landed on the outside of the circle in a crouched position as Ryo and Sai appeared behind her. "Looks like you could use our help," she commented as she stood. As Kento picked up Mercury, he, Jupiter, Sage, and Rowen jumped out of the circle, and landed next to their friends.
"We've got to destroy them," Jupiter said. "They can steal our strength if they throw their energy at us. That's what happened to Sailor Mercury."
"Alright," Mars replied. "Mars Fireballs Charge!" As her fireballs headed towards the frozen soldiers, Ryo unsheathed his swords and put the hilts together.
"Flare Up Now," he yelled out. Their attacks joined together, and the soldiers seemed to scream in protest. As smoke rose up from them, and they disappeared, the ofudas fell to the ground. Jupiter, Kento, Sage, and Rowen collectively sighed in relief.
"Is she going to be okay," Sai asked Kento, referring to Sailor Mercury.
"She should be fine," he replied. "She just needs some rest."
"Give her to me," Sai said. "I'm going to take her to the water. It always helps heal me when I'm injured, and since she's a soldier of the water, it should work on her, too." As Sai took her from Kento, he walked to the water's edge.
"What were those things, anyway," Ryo asked with a frown on his face.
"Our new enemy," Jupiter replied. "But we should talk about it when Sailor ... Oh God, Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus! They're still out there with Kite!" She took off running towards the path that led to the forest, and the others, except for Sai and Mercury, quickly followed. As the six warriors reached the outskirts of the forest, they stopped.
"Oh no," Mars said in a scared tone. Walking towards them were the missing warriors. Sailor Venus was carrying Rini, who was asleep in her arms. She was battered and bruised, and she was limping badly. White Blaze, who was also limping, had an unconscious Sailor Moon sprawled on his back.
"What happened," Ryo asked, as they rushed to meet the small group halfway. "Where is Kite?"
"Please, take Rini," Venus replied, barely above a whisper. She hardly managed to hand the little girl over to Ryo before she fainted. As she fell, Rowen caught her.
"Mina," he said, shaking he slightly. "Mina, can you hear me?" She mumbled something and then fell asleep with a smile on her face. Rowen sighed in relief, and then stood up, holding her in his arms. Kento walked over to White Blaze and patted him on the head.
"You're a good boy, White Blaze," he said as he lifted the unconscious girl off of the tiger's back.
"Kento," Jupiter said, taking a hesitant step towards him. "How is she?"
"She'll be fine," he replied. "She just needs rest. We all do." Jupiter buried her face in her hands, and Sage put a comforting arm around her, pulling her towards him in a hug.
"Let's get Sai and Mercury, and head back to Mia's house," Mars said, crossing her arms. "We're going to have a lot to discuss."
To Be Continued ...
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