Episode 6: The mysterious enemy in the Shadows. Kidnapping Time.

Setsuna strolled down the streets, deep in thought. SuperSailoruniverse and SuperSailorsun had left so abruptly. She desperately wanted to converse with her dear friends. Setsuna knew that all she had to do was find their identities. Something compelled her to stop suddenly and a man bumped into her. After she had apologized Setsuna glanced to her left and saw it. There was a poster of a popular new singer called Stardust. There was no doubt in Setsuna's mind that Stardust was actually Sailor Universe.

"Great rehearsal Ittenshikai-san!"

"Arigato, ja ne minna!" Ittenshikai exited the Moonlight Room and passed by a young green haired woman who was leaning against the wall by the door.

"Konichi wa Celestial-chan,"

Ittenshikai stopped in her tracks and knew without turning around which the owner of the voice was.

"Konichi wa Meiousei -chan."

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"So how has Sun-san been?"

"Not well. I told her about what happened on the Moon Kingdom, with Queen Serenity. Combine that with the shock of the Princess being a Sailor Scout, she isn't handling things well."

"You know about Queen Serenity's sacrifice?"

"I could see everything in your eyes'. However I don't think I should have told her. She is blaming all of you, and is refusing to help you out anymore. Her anger worries me; you know how she gets."

"Well at least she's expressing emotion again."

"Yes, the time on Earth without all of the fighting has been good for her soul, and mine. But now that this fighting has started, I can feel her slipping away again." Ittenshikai sighed and took a sip from her coffee mug. Her and Setsuna had decided to meet at a coffee shop to discuss things. "So how are the others?"

"They're doing well, and they're very curious about the two of you. However Saturn, Luna, Artemis, and myself met and decided not to tell them more than they need to know. We'll let you tell them in your own time."

"Arigato. Things I have been sensing disturb me. I can feel tension between the inner and outer senshi."

Setsuna stared into her coffee mug. "We're all otomadachi, but they have conflicting opinions on how things should be done. So we don't always end up acting as a team."

"I understand, and you've been getting caught in the middle right?" Setsuna nodded. "I see, there is teamwork in the inners, and teamwork in the outers, but not just plain teamwork. That will have to change or the universe is doomed."

"Itten-nechan I've been looking for you everywhere!" Nichirin ran across the street and over to the outdoor table Ittenshikai and Setsuna were occupying.

Setsuna grinned at Nichirin, "Konichi wa Sun-san, how are you?"

Nichirin turned to Setsuna and narrowed her eyes, "Meiousei...the NAME is Nichirin."

Setsuna continued to grin at the glaring girl, "the NAME is Setsuna."

Nichirin shifted her glare to Ittenshikai, "I thought I said we should have nothing to do with them. They aren't worthy of our help. We're dead for a year and they let the kingdom be destroyed."

Pluto's eyes widened //so they really were dead//.

"Now Nichi-chan you know that's not fair, they didn't just LET the kingdom be destroyed. If it's anyone's fault it's mine. If it weren't for my stupidity, we would have been there to help."

Nichirin's face softened and she put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "It's not your fault that happened Itten-nechan, please stop blaming yourself."

"May I ask, what did happen?" Ittenshikai looked at Setsuna with sad eyes. "Never mind I understand."

"Well I have to get going now, I'll think about the situation a little more. Don't worry about it nechan, no one blames you." Nichirin gave her sister a hug before turning to Setsuna with a kinder expression than before. "Sumimasen Setsuna-sama, for my rude words earlier. I'm sure you tried your best to save the Moon Kingdom. Tell Saturn-chan I said konichi wa, but I don't think I can handle talking to any of you yet." Nichirin bowed to Setsuna and then turned on her heel and walked away.

"Well this coffee has made me hungry, would you like to come to my apartment and have some home made cookies. I'm interested to learn about your new career." Setsuna stood up. Ittenshikai nodded and also stood up.

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"Jaa Setsuna!"

"Sayonara Ittenshikai!"

Ittenshikai ran off and Setsuna headed back inside. Then the door slammed behind her. Setsuna gasped, the room was pitch black. All the lights had been turned off, and all of the shades had been drawn. Setsuna reached over and turned on the nearest lamp. When she turned around her eyes went wide and her face registered a multitude of emotions. Among those emotions were shock and fear. "You, it can't be." Her voice was strained to a whisper.

A mysterious feminine voice replied. "Oh but it is me...you think you're little friends Universe and Sun are the only ones who can come back from the dead? What's wrong, mentor? You don't look happy to see me. I'm certainly happy to see you! Now I can commence my mission."

Setsuna reached for the button on her communicator and pushed it, "Haruka-san! Michiru-san! Anyone! I need help at home now! It's..." The transmission was cut off by a beam of light that destroyed the communicator. Setsuna grabbed her wrist and winced in pain from the burn. Then she became determined; she grabbed her transformation wand and transformed into SuperSailorpluto.

"Now you wouldn't want to use your attack in here would you? You'd ruin your beautiful home!"

Pluto did not like the mocking tone of voice her enemy had. "Dead scream!" Her opponent simply laughed. Pluto was bewildered when her attack was sucked into a black circle that then closed in around it and shrunk to create a black marble sized ball. The black ball continued to fly at Pluto, but she managed to deflect the attack using her staff.

"Very good," the voice scoffed, "but I think that there's company coming so I don't have any time to play. Gomen!" Another black circle came hurling towards Pluto. Pluto prepared to deflect it but to her surprise she was sucked in! The circle then formed another small marble and it floats back to rest in a black gloved hand. The woman cackled and took out a black velvet purse and she plopped the black marble into it. Then she tapped the largest bead on her gold bracelet and called, "come to me soul thief!" A portal similar to the one Pandora had used appears in the middle of Setsuna's apartment. A bright blue figure steps out of the portal. The figure looks generically human. It steps over to the figure in the shadows and sniffs at the black purse. Then it is surrounded by a black glow and it begins to morph. When it has completed the morphing process it looks just like Super Sailor Pluto only entirely blue.

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"Pluto-san!" Neptune shouted and banged on the door. "She's not responding, maybe she's out somewhere." Neptune shot a worried glance at her partner.

Uranus shook her head, something was wrong. Finally Uranus couldn't take it anymore. "Step aside Neptune." Neptune consented and Uranus kicked the door down.

"Pluto-san?" Neptune called as the pair cautiously peered into the darkened apartment, "Pluto-san are you there?"

"Shhhh," Uranus put a finger to Neptune's lips, "I hear something." Neptune listened and sure enough there was some sort of hissing noise coming from inside the apartment. Neptune and Uranus jumped out of the way just in time as a blue creature streamed past.

Neptune and Uranus stared at each other and said together, "That looked like Pluto-san!" Without another word the partnership took off in pursuit of the Pluto look alike. They finally caught up to it as it grabbed onto the head of a plump middle aged lady. The lady went lifeless. and a gold energy surged through the monster gathering in a tiny ball where the heart would be. Then the monster morphed again, this time taking the form of the lady. Uranus and Neptune gasped.

The monster took off again; stealing the soul's of its victims and assuming their form. All the while the gold energy inside of the monster continued to grow. As fast as Uranus and Neptune ran they couldn't keep up. They tried to hurl their attacks at the monster, but the monster simply dodged. The bodies continued to fall but suddenly, "stop right there!" The monster looked in front of himself and found Sailor Moon and the rest of the inner senshi. The monster snarled and turned around to head in the other direction but Uranus and Neptune blocked its path. "You not only steal people's identities, but you steal souls to! I am champion of love and justice Sailor Moon! I will right wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means you!" Sailor Moon used her Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss and destroyed the creature. The golden sphere of energy floated high into the air and dispersed, the souls returning to their rightful owners.

"We've got to find Pluto-san!" Neptune cried. The sailor senshi ran as quickly as possible to Setsuna's apartment. There they found Hotaru standing in front of the open doorway crying.

"Hotaru-chan, what is it?" Uranus asked.

"Pluto-mama's gone."

"She's dead!?" EternalSailormoon screeched.

"I don't know, but I couldn't find her anywhere. All I found was this." Hotaru held out Pluto's charred and broken wrist communicator.

"Oh kami," Uranus whispered. Everyone had tears in their eyes as they all hoped for the safety of their friend.

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On the rooftop across the street SuperSailorsun and SuperSailoruniverse looked on. SuperSailoruniverse cried as she recalled the fun time she had with Setsuna that very afternoon. SuperSailorsun held her arms around herself and shivered in the biting wind. "I can't believe she's gone," Sun said, and she recalled how cruelly she had treated her the last time they spoke, "I feel terrible."

"At least she's not dead."

"How can you be so sure?"

"If she had died, I would have felt it."

"Oh yeah I forgot."

"It's my fault; I should've stayed around a while longer."

"Universe-nechan, you can't blame yourself for everything."

"Watch me," the siblings laughed bitterly.

//Sumimasen Setsuna-chan, but I've decided that I will help the others, I will look after them. I hope you make it back safe from wherever you are. //