Ch 7

Life has funny way of sneaking up on you

When you think everything's okay

And everything's going right.

And Life has a funny way of helping you out

When you think everything's gone wrong

And everything blows up in your face.

            -Alanis Morissette!!

She smiled. They had arrived. And she would be filling her crystals with their energy before the night was done.

Rajura stopped dead as the echoing laughter resounded around them. He frowned inside his armour.

"A woman," he muttered. "I really should have guessed."

He took another step-and found himself falling. He instinctively threw out a hand to grab hold of something but encountered nothing.

"Venus Love-Me Chain!" and his downward motion was halted quite abruptly. He could see the chain give a little and guessed, quite correctly, that Venus was having a hard time holding him up. He felt a sharp tug. That was probably Jupiter to help. Another tug. Uranus. Several more and most of the Senshi and Troopers had latched on. Then a very hard yank. That had to have been Gohan. But he wasn't out of the hole yet and after a few seconds, he felt the chain begin to give and heard the collective grunts of his comrades trying to keep him from falling.

He took a scythe and tried to dig it into the wall but found it glancing off. He gasped as the chain gave a few inches.

"Let me go!" he yelled up. He could almost see the look on the Senshi's faces.

"We aren't the Shogun," Jupiter's voice flittered down to him. "We won't abandon you. It's all of us or none of us!"

He smiled grimly. True, the Shogun would have gone on without him, but then again he wasn't in the mood to get all of his new friends killed. He began working to lose the chain from around his wrist, but his support gave before he could and he found himself plummeting down into a dark hole.

He landed on his feet and quickly dashed to the side to avoid the falling onslaught of soldiers and students.

He picked up the students first, then Sailormoon, trusting everyone else to right themselves eventually. He finally took a look around him.

The place was filled with what looked like giant bubbles, but Rajura knew better: years of buying his wife gifts had taught him to recognise pure crystal when he saw it. Inside the largest one sat a woman, dressed quite simply yet elegantly in a beautiful ballroom dress. She had long black hair that fell about her waist in ringlets, but her skin was clear, like that of her crystals and her eyes were solid white, and were betraying the purity and innocence of their colour.

She smiled cruelly.

"So," she said. Her voice had a musical, lilting quality to it. "We finally meet, Sailor Soldiers. And you've brought some of the delicious morsels I've been enjoying so recently…"

Four bubbles floated down before them. In each one, in the same bluish light that claimed each victim's eyes, floated a moving, aware version of themselves. Peeves was bouncing around the crystal and seemed to be singing one of his silly songs. The Ravenclaw girl was crying, and Colin and Ginny were both banging on their enclosures, trying desperately to reach Harry, Ron and Hermione. Hermione gasped and stepped back in horror.

"You weren't just taking their energy…you were taking them! Their personalities, everything about them!"

The woman laughed-a sound that somehow sounded both very beautiful and very evil at the same time. "They have not been harmed…but that can change," she said, her voice taking on a much more menacing quality. Her eyes flashed blue and the light filled each of the crystals, obscuring the view that the would-be rescuers had of their occupants. When the crystals cleared again, each figure was lying as though dead. Rajura could see, however, by minute movements of each person, that they were still alive.

"What did you do to them??" He asked.

"Simply…had a small snack." She said, grinning quite awfully. "Of course, I've been priming myself for the main course."

Her eyes flashed again and each person found themselves encased in a separate bubble. Rajura quickly tried to free himself.

"Web Of Deception!" he yelled, but to no avail. The bubble remained solid. He saw the other Troopers and Senshi blink in surprise. And couldn't help doing the same himself.

"Burning Mandala!" Mars tried, but the fiery rings simply rebounded around her own bubble, making her duck and cover.

The woman laughed again. "You will not escape. And I will have you."

Sailormoon, for her part, began to feel quite weak, but not in the conventional way, such as when Ann had taken her energy. She felt all of her power draining out of her, out of her Ginzuishou. She looked up, panicked. Gohan braced himself against his bubble.

"Kamehameha!" he yelled, trying to break his way out. Sailormoon saw the woman stagger and the drain on her power stopped. She turned on Gohan's bubble, her eyes turning pure iridescent blue. Gohan yelled out in pain as something surged through him. After a few moments, Chibimoon realised with horror that she was feeding him her power-trying to short him out.

"Iie!" she yelled. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" She didn't think she'd actually be able to break out, she just wanted to draw the Youma's attention. So she was quite surprised when she found herself back on the ground. Apparently the Youma couldn't expend the energy to harm Gohan and keep them in their enclosures at the same time. Rajura tried again.

"Morning Star Strike!" His crystal shattered and he quickly set to work. Taking off his six scythes, he began hurling them at the enclosures of the various Senshi, Troopers and Students. In a few seconds, everyone-save Gohan-was free.

"We've got to help him!" Chibimoon cried. Hermione nodded.

"If she's got so much magical energy then… Finite Incantatem!" she yelled, pointing her wand at the youma. Harry and Ron followed suit and, after the Senshi realised what they were doing, they did too.

The spell worked. The spells stopped the output of magical energy-including the energy that was being used to trap Gohan. He fell from his enclosure, limp and unconscious. Shou caught him and turned to the Senshi.

"We need to get out before she can recover."

Rajura sighed. Anubis would have been great for this. Creating a paralysing darkness to give them cover.

To his immense surprise, just such a darkness fell. He could see clearly through it, but he could tell by the youma's frustrated scream that she could not. He turned to his companions.

"We're going."

He ran over to where they had fallen into the chamber.

"Venus! Can you?"

Venus squinted. "It's high. I don't think so."

Hermione whispered something in her ear and she brightened.

"Of course. Everyone, the levitation spell!"

They grinned. "Wingardium Leviosa!" they yelled, the spells powerful enough to lift not only the Sailor Senshi, but the Troopers, Rajura and the students up the shaft to where they had fallen. They ran back to where Touma was tending Mercury. He frowned.

"What happened to Gohan?"

"No time," Jupiter said. "We've got to get out of here before-"

A giant bubble had just enclosed them all. Mercury grabbed on to Touma and stood.

"Everyone Teleport! Hermione, Harry, Ron hold on to Gohan! Ready!"

They all joined hands, save the four figures in the centre.
"Sailor Teleport" they chorused and they teleported out of the bubble and away from the base.

She was furious. They'd escaped her! But no matter. She was, after all, Nikumu No Suishou. She would attack again, but not until the Senshi were off of their guard. They would be easier to capture then.

Anubis glanced at Rubbeus, who was looking fairly grim.

"I don't understand," he said softly, though he knew the crystal youma couldn't hear them. "I thought he was the enemy, a traitor. Why-"

"Nevermind," Rubbeus said softly. Anubis squinted at him, then smiled.

"You are his friend," he said softly. "Same as I am. You just can't admit it in front of the Emperor."

Rubbeus shrugged. "If anyone asks, it's because of the loyalty I owe to Bertie to ensure that her husband and father of her child stays in one piece until we can get them back to our side."

"And between you and me?" Anubis asked. Rubbeus smiled faintly.

"He's been there for me when anyone else would have given me up for dead. He's saved my life, and I owe him this much at least."

"It's more than that." Rubbeus looked up sharply at this and turned to Anubis, who he could tell was grinning beneath his face guard. "But I'll let it go. For now."

Rubbeus grinned as well. Anubis wasn't so bad either. "Let's go, I do believe you have an expecting fiancée back home?"

Anubis rolled his eyes as the two turned to walk into a warphole. "Don't remind me. If I have to go for one more carton of ice cream…"

"How," Ron panted once they were back on Hogwarts grounds. "Did we get away from that…thing?"

"I'm not sure," Rajura said carefully. He had a feeling he'd just been helped, but the thought was too slippery to hold on to at the present moment. He turned to Mercury and, in a very shocking display of gentleness, picked her up.

"You're not walking back to the castle on this, and I daresay Touma's exhausted," he said. "And we need to revive Gohan. Which way to your infirmary?"

"This way," Chibimoon said, leading the way back towards the castle.

Professor Dumbledore was quite dismayed. The four heads of the houses, Professors Sprout, Flitwick, McGonagall and Snape were with him. Gohan and Mercury were still in the hospital wing, and given just how protective Madam Pomfrey could be, they were expected to be there all night.

When the Troopers, Senshi and students had finished their report, Dumbledore sat back in his chair and seemed to be thinking. Professor Flitwick seemed to be trembling, Professor Sprout was busily checking over her Senshi to make sure they were all right, or did they need a draught from one of the Greenhouses? McGonagall was tight lipped and quite pale, and Snape looked troubled. Finally, Dumbledore sighed.

"There is nothing we can do, then to retrieve the students until the Senshi go back again. That must be dealt with and explained to each house. You're sure, though, that they are being kept in reasonable good condition?" he asked. Shin, who had taken off his helmet, nodded.

"They would have to be. She needs them to lure us back up there so she can finish us off, so to speak," he said. He nodded towards Rajura. "I think he can tell ye that when ye prisoners are that valuable, we donae try to harm them."

Rajura nodded. "He's right. When I took Sailormoon as prisoner, we went through great pains to keep her safe. That is, of course, aside from her own clumsiness," he smirked. Sailormoon turned red and snorted quietly.

Dumbledore sighed and, smiling wryly, turned to the heads of the houses.

"They did break curfew," he said. "But I think they displayed an amazing show of bravery. Wouldn't you agree, Professor Snape?"

Snape frowned. "True, but that doesn't negate the fact that they broke curfew. I take five points from each house."

The Senshi and student's jaws dropped. Dumbledore turned to Professor Sprout.

"Well, I agree that they shouldn't have broken the rules, but without their breaking the rules, we wouldn't have a clue as to what's going on. I give each house thirty points."

"I agree," Flitwick said. "With professor Sprout. The Gryffindor Students, however, showed an incredible courage, especially Chibimoon here by breaking free and drawing that things attention. And Miss Granger showed cleverness in thinking of the charm. Therefore, I award a further twenty points to Gryffindor."

"However much I frown upon the breaking of the rules," Professor McGonagall said softly. "I cannot deny the good you have done in getting this situation close to resolved. A further fifteen points to each house."

"And I award twenty five points to each house as well," Dumbledore said, smiling. "For the loyalty you've shown a school that is not yours. You all may go to bed. Heads, tomorrow before classes I want you to inform your houses of the situation. You are all dismissed."

The Senshi, students and samurais all left Dumbledore's office little more than dazed. Seventy points to three houses! One hundred to Gryffindor! Well, that was before you took off Snape's points.

"I don't get it," Ron said to the others. "He didn't take off as many points as he usually does."

"I think he's proud of us," Pluto said. "But he didn't want to seem to be condoning the breaking of the rules."

"In any case, I want to see Ami-chan and Gohan-kun before I go to bed," Sailormoon said. Chibimoon sniffed a few times.

"I hope Go-chan's okay."

"The shortening of the name, Chibiusa?" Seiji said, amused. "Planing on a long term relationship, are we?"

Chibimoon flushed. Why had she referred to him like that? It wasn't as if they were going out or anything. But…her eyes widened as she suddenly fully realised just how she felt about Gohan.

"Come on," she said, trying to change the subject. "In order to get to the hospital wing, we've got to take some tricky stairs."

"Tricky?" Ryo asked, raising a brow. Mars smiled.

"The stairs change position from time to time. And there are a few vanishing steps that you have to jump or else you get stuck."

Seiji's eyebrows went up as he passed through a door that was pretending to be a wall. "How do you manage to get around?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Venus told him with a grin.

Madam Pomfrey reluctantly let the group in. Sailormercury and Gohan were both awake, and both looking none the worse for the wear.

"Madam Pomfrey says she's going to keep us overnight," Gohan says. "She'll barely let us out of our beds!"

Ron grinned. "Yeah, Madam Pomfrey's a lunatic. So you guys'll be back?"

"Of course," Shin said. "This is nae finished yet."

"And we want to make sure that this youma knows we mean business," Seiji added darkly. Mercury smiled.

"Well,. Madam Pomfrey healed my ankle, so next Saturday I'll be coming down to Hogsmeade…that is, after the match."

Seiji frowned. "The match…I wonder if we could convince Professor Dumbledore to let us come watch?"

"Strictly for protection purposes, right?" Ryo smirked. Seiji grinned.

"That and the fact that none of us have ever seen a Quidditch Match before. I'm curious."

Sailormoon giggled. "You'd better go take out 'Quidditch Through The ages' from Madam Pince before coming to see the game. Otherwise, you'll be totally confused."

"Shou's always totally confused," Touma joked. Shou grinned and made a lunge for Touma and got them all put out."

He frowned. It was three in the morning, he should have been long sleep. But he wasn't. He missed her. That was all there was to it. He'd seen her for most of the day, and yet the second she had gone, he missed her immensely. When had these feelings truly started? He wasn't sure. All he knew, he realised with a startled jolt, was that he loved her.

Gohan loved Chibiusa.

He knew that his parents had met when they were kids, had grown up and married. Could that happen with Usa-ko as well? Usa-ko? He knew in his heart that it was right. And he'd most likely use it the next time he saw her. Usa-ko.