ATTACK
Akumu ducked behind a pile of rocks as another patrol of soldiers marched by. She waited until she could no longer hear them, barely daring to breath, before she ran from her hiding place into a deserted building. Inside was dark and damp from the recent rainfall and Akumu quickly blended into the shadows.
The patrols in the ruins of Old Tokyo had doubled since she had escaped from the palace two weeks ago. Akumu pressed herself against the cool wall, trying unsuccessfully to block the memories of that night, when she had become her worst nightmare. She could feel the power within her, threatening to burst free any moment she felt herself in danger. It took all her concentration to hold it at bay.
"Well, well, well," a voice from the darkness said. "Who do we have here?"
Akumu turned and saw a man standing to her right. He wore rags, like most of the people from Old Tokyo, and smiled menacingly at her. She glanced down at her own dress, the one she had been wearing when she fled the palace. It was dirty and in tatters. The man's eyes narrowed as he looked over the girl.
"Wait a moment," he said. "You're the one whose been making our lives miserable! You're the cause of those patrols that the palace keeps sending!"
The man advanced, his voice growing more angry with each step. Akumu backed up in fear, the power within her bubbling up in anticipation.
"I should turn you in," the man continued. "I haven't had a decent night's rest since those soldiers came here. I haven't had a good meal either!"
Akumu closed her eyes and swallowed hard, trying in vain to keep her power in check. She hated to unleash it on this man, but there was little she could do to control it.
"Every time I grab some food, a patrol walks by!" the man snapped, gesturing wildly. "Do you know"
The man trailed off in fear as Akumu's eyes opened. Instead of the terror he expected to see, the once brown eyes were pure white. The man scrambled back, stammering apologies and Akumu's eyes narrowed slightly. The man was thrown backwards, the wall behind him exploding before he struck it and he was thrown clear through.
Akumu squeezed her eyes closed and took deep breaths until the power subsided, leaning heavily on the wall. She felt weak and sick to her stomach and when she opened her eyes, she felt like throwing up. The back wall of the building was completely gone and the man was no where to be seen. In the distance, she heard the thumping of soldier's boots and she ran from the building.
As the patrol rounded the corner to investigate the explosion, Akumu disappeared over the rooftops.
******
Sailor Uranus dashed down the street, rounding the corner and coming to the partially destroyed building. The dust had not yet settled by the time she arrived and the patrol that had beat her there was still looking for the cause of the explosion.
Sailor Neptune appeared behind her partner, her blue eyes surveying the scene.
"She's getting stronger," Neptune remarked.
Uranus grunted, her eyes scanning the rooftops. She jumped effortlessly from the ground to the roofs, Neptune a split second behind her. The maze of buildings was void of human life.
"We have to find her before she destroys the city," Uranus muttered. "Why can't she see how dangerous she is?"
Neptune looked down at the damaged building. It was clear that whatever Akumu was the senshi of, she would be a force to be reckoned with.
******
Akumu collapsed from exhaustion at the far end of Old Tokyo. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her hands balled into fists as her guilty mind played over the events of that morning. The man had been right. It was her fault the patrols had increased. It was her fault that he and many others were going hungry. It was her fault that many of her kind were now sitting in the palace dungeons.
Akumu reached into her pocket and pulled out the battered piece of paper she always carried. It was the note Usagi had given her after their first meeting. She could read it now, thanks to Lady Mercury and her few lessons, but the message was already committed to memory.
"You're a true friend," Akumu repeated the words softly.
She looked up at the Crystal Palace, rising high above the other crystalline structure of Tokyo and wondered what Usagi was doing now. She hated herself for running, but she hated what she was becoming even more. She wished there was some way to be free of this terrible curse.
"There is."
Akumu stared in shock into the growing shadows, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Nothing moved in the darkness, but she had clearly heard a voice answer her unspoken question.
"Your power could be something else, something you want it to be," the shapeless voice continued.
"Who are you?" Akumu demanded.
A form materialized from the darkness and Akumu felt her protective force stirring again. The person was a woman with long, thick purple hair and black eyes. She held a feather fan in one hand and had an upside down black crescent on her forehead.
"I'm a friend," she replied. "A friend you could use. I can teach you to control your power, to use it when you want to."
Akumu nearly cried out in pain as the power surged to the surface. She had never felt it this strongly before, but she didn't trust it. It came from the senshi, after all.
"How can I control it?" Akumu asked.
The woman held out her hand. "Come with me. I can show you all you need to know. I can make you more powerful than even you can imagine."
Akumu rose to her feet and reached out her hand when suddenly, her power broke free. She cried out and jerked her hand back as her rags melted away and became a gray sailor senshi uniform. The purple haired woman gasped in surprise and faded back into the shadows.
"Wait!" Akumu cried, but the woman was gone.
Her power, sensing the danger had gone, disappeared and Akumu collapsed to the ground, sobbing.
******
Ami yawned as she left her rooms. It was nearly four in the morning as she headed down the hallways for the kitchen. The night shift greeted her sleepily and she waved the greetings aside. As she opened the door to the kitchens, she was greeting by a wonderful aroma.
"Morning," Makoto said from the stove.
"Mako-chan," Ami said in surprise. "What are you doing up?"
"Cooking," she replied. "What does it look like?"
Ami laughed. Apparently she wasn't the only one who worked in the wee hours of the morning. Makoto motioned for her to sit down and she did.
"Why are you still awake?" Mako asked as she put a plate of fresh pancakes in front of her friend.
"I was doing some research and got carried away," Ami replied, reaching for a fork.
"Not surprising," Makoto said as she sat down across from Ami with her own stack of pancakes. "What were you researching? Tomorrows lesson for Chibiusa and Hotaru-chan?"
Ami shook her head. "No. I was trying to find some background information on Akumu. Something that would tell us why she's a senshi."
Makoto nodded. "Well?"
Ami shrugged. "There's no record of her anywhere. It's like she doesn't exist. No birth certificate, no record of relatives or parents, nothing."
"What does that mean?"
"I have no idea," Ami sighed. "But Haruka is right. She's dangerous without training. I bet she doesn't even know how to transform into her senshi form."
"Yeah," Makoto agreed through a mouthful of pancakes. "Luna wasn't there to give her a transformation pen and tell her what to say."
"And Luna doesn't know anything about a new senshi either," Ami added. "I was talking with her last night."
"While Artemis was babysitting?" Makoto asked with a smile.
Ami smiled back. "I'm sure Diana was asleep with Chibiusa-chan. They've been inseparable for two weeks now."
Makoto shrugged. "As long as Chibiusa's okay. She was pretty upset when Akumu ran off."
Ami nodded. "I just hope someone finds her soon."
******
Chibiusa, Hotaru, and Diana walked in the eastern gardens together. The purple cat dozed in the sun on Chibiusa's head while the princess and her friend chatted. Chibiusa's Luna P ball trailed after her, a companion she hadn't needed since she had first come back from the past.
The trio lingered near the eastern gates, listening to the idle talk of the guards and pretending to be smelling flowers. The four men at the gate didn't even notice them.
"Ready?" Chibiusa whispered.
"I don't think this is a good idea," Hotaru whispered back.
"Too late to back out now," Chibiusa grinned. She bounced her Luna P. "Luna P Magic! Create a diversion for the guards!"
The Luna P disappeared and Chibiusa and Hotaru waited with baited breath. Suddenly, one of the guards leapt to his feet.
"Hey! There she is!" he cried.
As the four guards ran after the Luna P disguised as Akumu, Chibiusa and Hotaru snuck out of the eastern gate and into the ruins of Old Tokyo.
******
"Boring," Sailor Vesta yawned.
"Parapara hates patrolling," Sailor Pallas agreed.
The four Asteroid senshi were stationed over the northern gate that looked out to the mountains. Haruka had put them there because nothing ever happened to the north. She believed they would stay out of trouble there and could think about their roles as protectors.
Sailor Juno walked expertly along the wall, ignoring the huge drop if she fell. Sailor Ceres sat with her head cupped in one hand, staring off at the mountains.
"I wonder what Small Lady is doing," Juno said.
"Probably playing with that new girl," Vesta replied bitterly.
"She ran away," Pallas told them.
The other three Amazoness' sat up brightly. None of them especially liked Akumu after constantly being told that she had done their job.
"Why did she do that?" Ceres asked.
Pallas shrugged. "Parapara thinks she got caught stealing and Queen Serenity kicked her out."
Vesta shook her head. "I doubt that."
"Hey, girls," Ceres said, staring out into the mountains.
The other three followed Ceres' pointing finger to a growing blackness on the horizon. It was sweeping toward Crystal Tokyo at an alarming rate, blanketing the landscape.
"Uh oh," Pallas said. "Trouble."
******
Queen Serenity, King Endymion, and the Ladies were in court when the news of the attack came. A patrolman had come running into the throne room, not even waiting to be announced and had bowed hastily before the throne.
"Majesties," he panted. "From the north, a huge wave of them!"
"Who?" Endymion demanded.
"Creatures," the patrolman said. "Monsters, thousands of them heading this way!"
Serenity leapt to her feet. "Sound the alarm! Raise the Shield and prepare all able bodies for the attack!"
As the throne room cleared, Serenity turned to her husband. "Have you seen Chibiusa?"
He shook his head. "Not lately. Hotaru and Diana are missing too."
Serenity turned to Lady Uranus and Lady Neptune. "Find them, please! I have to make sure Chibiusa's in the palace before the Shield goes up."
"Usagi, we have to raise the Shield now!" Lady Mars argued.
Lady Neptune and Lady Uranus rose to their feet and bowed to their monarchs.
"We'll stay in the city," Michiru volunteered. "We'll find her and help the people fight."
Serenity nodded. "Thank you."
As Haruka and Michiru disappeared from the throne room, Serenity, Endymion, and the inner senshi headed for the Shield room. It consisted of a large diamond shaped crystal that was strong enough to amplify the powers of the senshi into a shield that would encompass the entire palace. Serenity turned to her friends and nodded once. Her oldest and closest friends smiled grimly and held up their transformation pens.
"Mars Crystal Power, Make-Up!"
"Mercury Crystal Power, Make-Up!"
"Venus Crystal Power, Make-Up!"
"Jupiter Crystal Power, Make-Up!"
The four inner senshi took their positions with their backs facing the crystal and joined hands. Serenity watched with her husband, wishing she could join her friends once more as Sailor Moon. As keeper of the Imperial Silver Crystal, she had more to protect than just a palace. She had an entire kingdom.
"Good luck," Serenity said.
Mars winked and closed her eyes. She began to glow red, and the others glowed in their respective colours. From the crystal exploded a rainbow of energy that fell to the ground in a dome, sealing off the palace from attack. As long as the inner senshi remained strong, the shield would not break. Only Serenity's crystal could open or close a hole in the shield.
Their defenses in place, the king and queen of Crystal Tokyo headed to council to plan the defense of the rest of the city.
******
"Uh oh," Hotaru said, pointing to the palace.
Chibiusa looked back in time to see the Shield fall firmly to the ground. They were now deep in the ruins and had not yet seen a single person, palace guard or thief.
"I wonder what's going on," Chibiusa asked.
"Something huge for them to raise the Shield," Hotaru replied, her eyes on the shimmering dome.
"We should go back to the palace," Diana said nervously.
"We can't get in now," Chibiusa said. "We'll have to stay out here and fend for ourselves until whatever is going on is over. Besides, Akumu may need us."
Diana crouched deeper into Chibiusa's hair and Hotaru frowned. She hated to admit it, but the princess was right. There was nothing they could do against the Shield. She squeezed her transformation pen reassuringly.
"Come on," Hotaru said finally. "We better find Akumu before the attack comes."
Chibiusa nodded and followed her friend.
******
Akumu ran down the streets, not caring whether or not she was seen. She had watched the Shield go down and had observed all the patrols heading to the defenses of the city. Whatever was coming would be big and she wanted no part of it.
She took to the rooftops, leaping from roof to roof faster than she could run on the ground. People were scurrying about below her, frantic to find shelter from whatever was coming. Akumu raised her head and looked to the north.
It was then she saw what was making everyone scramble.
A blanket of darkness was descending from the north, where the Dark Moon Clan had its base. Akumu's keen eyesight could make out the first wave of invaders, huge, hideous creatures that defied the laws of creation. She scanned the attack until her eyes found the leader and she gasped in recognition.
Riding on the back of a large black dragon was the woman with the purple hair. Akumu suddenly felt dirty, knowing that she had almost willingly joined the army that would soon destroy Crystal Tokyo. As the first of the monsters entered the abandoned ruins, Akumu looked around for a place to hide. It was then that she saw the familiar pink hair of the princess.
"Great," Akumu sighed.
Leaping from the roof, she landed in front of the startled princess and Hotaru. Akumu also noticed a small, purple cat on the princess's head. Usagi nearly cried out in alarm until she realized who it was.
"Akumu-chan!" Usagi exclaimed, enfolding her friend in a hug.
Akumu didn't hug back. "What are you doing out here?"
Usagi stepped back, hurt at her friend's angry tone. "We're looking for you."
"There's an army of demons heading this way and you're out risking your life for a thief? I bet your mother is worried sick!" Akumu cried.
Usagi lowered her eyes, feeling ashamed. Akumu softened and put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"I'm flattered, really," she said more gently, "but you're the Heir to this entire kingdom. You should think more about yourself."
"That's what I told her," Hotaru sighed.
Akumu smiled at her. "Well, we're out here now so we might as well make the best of it. Come on, we need to hide."
Akumu turned to lead the princess and Hotaru away when two more figures leapt from the rooftops. Akumu sighed and rolled her eyes as Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus landed in front of them.
"There you are," Neptune said.
"Princess, what are you doing?" Uranus demanded.
"Leave me alone," Chibiusa said. "Akumu already lectured me. I'm sorry already!"
Uranus looked at Akumu in surprise and the thief shrugged.
"Come on," Neptune said. "We better find someplace safe."
"Good luck," Akumu said. "I saw the army. We're in trouble."
As if to illustrate her point, three monsters attacked them. They resembled the bug monster in size, but each had different animal characteristics. The first was a huge wolf that snapped angrily at the girls. Next to it was a frog like monster and beside that was a feline type animal. Neptune and Uranus exchanged a knowing look for a split second and Neptune herded the three girls into a building while Uranus distracted the creatures.
"Stay here," Neptune said and returned to face the threat with her partner.
******
Hotaru watched the door while Usagi and Akumu hid in the shadows. The princess crouched next to her friend, trying bravely to hide the fear in her eyes. Akumu watched Hotaru's back as the thin girl peeked out the door. She wondered how this frail girl could possibly be the most powerful senshi of them all, the one with the ability to destroy the world.
Suddenly, Usagi cried out and Akumu turned to see the princess staring in horror at something behind them. The thief turned and saw the frog monster that had been fighting with Neptune and Uranus sneaking in a back way. Hotaru turned as well and drew out her transformation pen.
"Saturn Planet Power, Make-Up!" she exclaimed.
As Hotaru melted into Sailor Saturn, Akumu pushed Usagi behind her and picked up a large piece of fallen wood. The senshi power within her stirred again, but she swallowed it down. The frog monster ignored Saturn completely and advanced on Akumu and Usagi.
"Stay back!" Saturn said, leveling her glaive between the monster and her friends.
The frog shot out its tongue at Saturn and caught her on the shoulder. She grunted and was knocked through the open door into the street outside. The frog kept coming and Akumu held her club at the ready. The power churned within her, begging for release, and sweat came on Akumu's brow as she fought to keep it contained. The princess saw the strain it was taking on her friend and clutched her locket.
"Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!" Usagi cried.
Sailor Moon pushed herself in front of Akumu and pointed her scepter at the frog. The monster paused, blinking in confusion.
"I'm the one you want!" Sailor Moon said. "In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you for trying to hurt us!"
The frog squatted and looked up at the small girl. Akumu could almost see amusement in his large, round eyes. Before Sailor Moon could say anything more, the frog lashed out with its tongue again and snatched the scepter from her hands.
"Hey!" Sailor Moon exclaimed. "Don't eat that!"
The frog chewed the scepter for a moment. It made a disgusted face and spat the scepter out behind it. Sailor Moon gasped as her weapon landed several feet away. The frog rose to its full height again and reached out for Akumu.
Suddenly, she could contain her power no longer and she threw her head back in pain as it exploded within her. White light shone around her and her tattered clothes melted into her senshi uniform. Her brown eyes grew white and she stared unblinking at the monster before her.
Sailor Moon watched in alarm as the gray senshi advanced on the frog creature, floating a foot above the ground. From the doorway, Sailor Saturn had managed to return to the building and was also watching the mysterious new senshi. The frog backed up in terror, croaking pitifully. It reached the scepter it had discarded and threw it at Akumu. It bounced off her and she kept moving. Sailor Moon ran to retrieve her scepter.
"Akumu-chan," Sailor Moon whispered.
The white eyes narrowed and the frog was suddenly surrounded by hundreds of white ghosts, like the bug-monster had been two weeks before. This time, Sailor Moon could hear the whispers of the phantoms, taunting and teasing the creature they hunted. As Akumu watched on, the frog became surrounded by the figures and they swarmed over him until he disappeared under a blanket of white. Seconds later, they receded back into the shadows, leaving nothing remaining of the monster.
Akumu then turned, eyes still blazing white, and stared at Sailor Moon. They gray senshi moved toward the pink haired girl and Sailor Moon backed up in fear. Saturn scrambled across the wreckage of the building to help, but was frozen with a glance from Akumu. They gray senshi floated forward until she was directly in front of Sailor Moon when she stopped. The white eyes blinked and her brow furrowed in confusion. Akumu clenched her eyes shut, fighting against the power of the senshi and collapsed to the ground, her uniform once again rags.
"Usagi-chan!" Hotaru called, suddenly free of the spell.
Saturn ran forward and hugged her friend, but Sailor Moon could only stare at the unmoving form of Akumu. A split second later, Sailors Uranus and Neptune burst into the building.
"What happened?" Uranus demanded.
"A monster got in," Sailor Moon said softly. "Akumu saved me."
Saturn exchanged a concerned look with Uranus and sighed. The elder senshi had seen what Akumu had almost done after saving Usagi from the monster. She looked down at the unconscious girl and shook her head. Like another, long ago, this one seemed to dangerous to be left alive.
The sun had set outside and all of Crystal Tokyo was bathed in shadows. Uranus looked out the open doorway and saw glowing red eyes prowling the streets.
"We'll stay here tonight," Uranus decided. "It's defensible, at least."
Sailor Moon nodded and sat next to Akumu. The blue haired thief was sleeping restlessly, moaning and tossing her head back and forth.
"It looks like she's having a nightmare," Saturn remarked, sitting next to her princess.
Usagi said nothing but lay down next to her friend to sleep. Uranus and Neptune positioned themselves at both entrances to the building and the five isolated senshi settled down to wait for the dawn.
******
Akumu dreamed. In her dream, she saw the universe being created. It was breathtaking watching the planets and stars burst into existence from Chaos and seeing the first signs of Order being brought to the galaxy. She observed the sun being formed and the planets being pulled into their orbits, a work of Order. She saw the black holes being made, tears in space that devoured everything near them, a creation of Chaos. She witnessed the subtle battles between the two in awe. Finally, as she saw man first enter Earth, the dream shifted to something new.
She stood in a beautiful marble palace, with fountains and pillars around elaborate gardens. She realized how much this palace resembled the one in Tokyo and wondered if it was just coincidence. From her speeded up time, she saw the Moon Kingdom rise and fall, from the discovery of the Sailor Senshi to the attack of Empress Metallia and Queen Beryl and the destruction of the peaceful kingdom. Akumu felt tears in her eyes as she watched the silver haired queen, so much like Queen Serenity, sacrifice her life for the lives of her daughter and friends. She even felt a twinge of guilt for hating the senshi when she saw them fight bravely and die for their queen.
The dream changed again and time slowed to normal. She was standing in the destroyed palace on the Moon, looking at the ruins. In front of her, the Earth spun lazily on its axis, oblivious to the destruction high above. Akumu turned and saw a woman standing behind her dressed in a yellow gown that seemed to be made of pure sunlight. The woman looked very much like Lady Neptune only with brown hair and kind, brown eyes. She had an ethereal quality about her as well and a halo of golden light which shone around her like an angel's halo. Akumu bowed to her politely and the woman smiled.
"Be welcome, Kuusou Akumu," she said, her voice light and musical.
"Thank you, Lady," Akumu replied, "but who are you?"
"I am Lucis," she said, "the incarnation of Order."
Akumu narrowed her eyes to look at the woman more closely. "Forgive me, Lady, but you seem familiar."
"Once, over a hundred years ago, I was known to Earth as the Cosmic Child," Lucis explained. "I was called Deruku Kami and was a sailor senshi of the purest light and darkest evil. Now that Chaos is forever gone from Earth, I live on in my true form of pure Order."
"I am honoured, Lady," Akumu said, "but what does this have to do with me?"
"You are a warrior, Kuusou Akumu, but you chose not to accept your responsibility. You use your energy to fight the wrong thing. You are a sailor senshi and should take your place with pride beside Queen Serenity."
Akumu shook her head. "I am not a senshi and I will not become one. They are cruel and heartless."
Lucis frowned and it seemed quite out of place on her bright, golden skin. "Listen, if you will, and I will explain your position."
Akumu sighed, but settled herself down on a piece of ruined marble to listen to Lucis. The being of Light also sat down across from her and looked deeply into her eyes.
"You are dangerous if you deny your birthright," Lucis began. "Your outburst of energy are tiring on both you and the city. You will be hunted if you do not master yourself, for although Chaos is banished, it will never be completely absent. You cannot yet control your power, but you must learn. To do that, you must embrace your destiny."
Akumu crossed her arms stubbornly. "I will never become one of them."
Lucis sighed. "You must come to terms with your anger, Kuusou Akumu. It nearly cost you the life of your princess."
Akumu looked up in surprise and Lucis nodded.
"Yes, had you not managed to suppress your powers, you would have lashed out at Sailor Moon, and more than likely would have killed her. Please, learn to control yourself before you do something you will regret."
"Take away my powers, Lady," Akumu begged. "I didn't ask for them and I don't want them."
"But they are yours anyway," Lucis said firmly, rising to her feet. "Deny them at your own peril."
Akumu rose as well and gazed into Lucis' kindly face. She saw the truth behind the Lady's words and nodded. Lucis smiled and, as quickly as she had appeared, Lucis was gone. Akumu was left standing in the ruins of the old Moon Kingdom pondering the words the Lady had said.
******
Akumu woke when night still clothed the Crystal Kingdom. She sat up and saw that she slept between Usagi and Hotaru. At the doorway, Sailor Neptune dozed lightly and Akumu decided what she must do. Lucis had been right; she was a danger to them all if she stayed. She would leave, leave Tokyo all together, until she could figure out what was happening to her and stop it.
Quietly, she stood and walked on silent feet to the doorway. She looked back once and bit her lip in sadness. Usagi was the first friend she had ever had, the only one who had ever been willing to risk her life for her. She hated to leave, but it was for her own safety. Silently, she slipped out the door.
From the shadows, Sailor Uranus rose and followed.
******
As the sun crested the horizon, the Dark army attacked again, pushing further toward the palace. Usagi and Hotaru awoke to sounds of fighting in the streets and immediately noticed that both Akumu and Sailor Uranus were gone. Sailor Neptune crouched near the door, watching.
Usagi stood and stretched. Her body ached after the fight and from sleeping on the hard ground all night, but she felt refreshed and alert. Diana, who had disappeared the night before when the attack had come, yawned and jumped to her place on Chibiusa's head.
"Where's Akumu-chan?" Chibiusa asked.
Neptune looked over and motioned for the girls to be silent. At once, Chibiusa and Hotaru dropped down low and crouched behind Neptune.
"I saw her last night," Diana whispered in Chibiusa's ear. "She woke up and left. Mistress Haruka left after her."
Chibiusa bowed her head. She had thought Akumu would be grateful they had come and rejoin them at the palace. She had never expected her friend to abandon them. Neptune turned her head to look at her charges.
"We'll leave as soon as I give the signal," she whispered. "Stay close and move fast. We'll try to reach the palace today."
Hotaru nodded and reached back for Chibiusa's hand. The princess took it wordlessly, her mind still trying to understand why Akumu had left.
Neptune suddenly rose and smiled. Puzzled, the two girls did the same and peeked out the open doorway. In the street, four figures were fighting half a dozen creatures and enjoying every second of it.
Sailor Ceres swung toward the closest demon as if she were on a trapeze and landed on its head with a sharp kick. The monster fell and Sailor Pellas used one of her magic tricks to tie it down. Sailor Juno and Sailor Vesta were confusing their targets with elaborate flips and movements, but were managing to throw a few kicks and punches in as well.
"Deep Submerge!"
The four senshi leapt clear as a tidal wave of water washed away the six monsters. As the Asteroid senshi landed, they looked to see where the attack had come from and saw Sailor Neptune standing in the middle of the street with Chibiusa and Hotaru.
"Small Lady!" the quartet exclaimed.
They ran to their friend and skidded to a halt as they noticed Sailor Neptune disapproving frown. Bowing, they assumed an air of formality which Chibiusa quickly dismissed by catching them all in a giant hug.
"Where have you been?" Sailor Ceres demanded.
"You're mother is really mad," Sailor Pallas added.
"Nice to see you again!" Sailor Juno said cheerfully.
"Where's that thief girl?" Sailor Vesta asked.
Chibiusa smiled patiently as her former protectors pelted her with questions. Sailor Neptune was looking around the immediate area for signs of further attack and Chibiusa filled in the Asteroid senshi on what had happened since she had snuck out of the palace.
"She just left you?" Ceres asked incredulously.
"Parapara thinks we were better protectors," Pallas huffed, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Where's Sailor Uranus?" Vesta wondered.
The Asteroid senshi quieted and looked around for the tall, menacing senshi. Chibiusa shrugged at the question and Sailor Neptune returned from her scouting.
"We're still a long way away from the palace," Neptune said, "and the eastern gate is completely swarmed. We'll have to cut through the shopping area and get to the palace through the main gate."
"What about the Crystal Points?" Hotaru asked.
The Crystal Points were the five places where the Shield connected with the ground and were located just outside the palace walls. If any of the Points were attacked, it would be like the enemy had struck the guarding inner senshi directly.
"The Points are well guarded," Sailor Ceres said. "Queen Serenity put her best guards out there, and reinforcements from different kingdoms have come as well."
Sailor Neptune nodded. "And where are you four supposed to be?"
The Asteroid quartet managed to look ashamed. "We were sent out to protect the citizens of Crystal Tokyo," Vesta said.
"Then, why are you in the ruins?"
"We were attacked," Juno replied, "and we couldn't let them get away."
"Is Parapara in trouble?" Pallas asked in a meek voice.
Sailor Neptune rolled her eyes. "Get back to your posts," she ordered. "Hotaru and I will escort the princess safely back to the palace."
The quartet saluted, said good bye to Chibiusa, and leapt to the rooftops. Sailor Neptune sighed as they left and shook her head. Before either girl could ask her what was wrong, Neptune took off again at a fast paced walk out of the ruins and they had to scramble to keep up.
******
Morning's light brought Akumu to the eastern edge of the ruins, the border of Crystal Tokyo. She had successfully avoided any creatures that had been patrolling the night, although the concentration of demons at the eastern gate had been quite alarming. Once she was free of the city, she could blend into the peaceful country side to learn on her own how to control her powers.
As she headed out of the ruins, she didn't notice the silent shadow that had been trailing her all night.
The sun was high in the sky when Akumu's luck changed for the worst. She had just gotten free of the last tumbled shacks of Old Tokyo and was heading for the country when a patrol of creatures saw her. They surrounded her, ten formless black monsters with long limbs and muscular bodies.
As they reached out for her, her instinctive senshi powers kicked in and she exploded in white light. Her power didn't waste time forming a senshi uniform, but floated her a foot above the ground and incinerated anything that came close with white fire. Her eyes were open and deepest black against her blazing white body, and she killed six of the ten monsters before her power exhausted itself and she fell to the ground.
The last thing she saw before unconsciousness claimed her were four pairs of hairy black arms reaching to pick her up.