Word of the Day: Disclaimer! Sailor Moon is not mine, nor
will it ever be.

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Labyrinth Square

Chapter 11

By Phoenix Cubed

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Roses are red
irises are blue,
death will not end
my love for you.



Without the sun, or at least, a decent watch, there is no way
of accurately measuring time. This, Serena decided, was
very unfortunate.

It wasn't as if it were a life and death situation for her, but
after an undisclosed amount of time spent simply *walking*;
the girl felt it was in her right of boredom relief to know. Her
mind could drift to other things besides the ache in her feet
or agonizing twist in her stomach, or the tugging sensation
she was suddenly experiencing in the back of her mind.
Serena would be able to pretend that none of her current
situation was real, and that she was back at home and with
her family, like any normal girl would be. She and Sammy
would be fighting over the bathroom, her mother would be in
the kitchen doing dishes or perhaps cooking some delicious
desert, and her father would be sitting at the table, reading
his newspaper and drinking coffee. Or maybe he would be
in the living room watching the evening news, and she was
getting ready for bed while Sammy hid under the covers in
his bedroom with his flashlight and tattered comic books.

Serena pushed away an ironic smile as she imagined
exactly which manga he would be reading. She wondered,
how would he react if he ever knew that his very own sister
led a comic book life herself? By day a mild mannered klutz,
but when evil reeled its ugly head--cue dramatic heroine
music--she transformed in a blaze of light and glory to
become Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon! Champion of Love and
Justice...

The petite girl stumbled over a piece of debris hidden in
the shadows of the maze walls. In an almost absent gesture,
Sailor Jupiter reached forward to steady her leader, pulling
away when Sailor Moon resumed her normal stride. The larger
Scout gave neither encouraging word nor smile to the other,
merely continued marching on to Rubeus's forced beat. Behind
her, Serena could hear the other three Scouts doing the same.

Once again, the bitter reminders of her tired condition floated
into awareness. The boots of her Sailor suit were not meant
for extended periods of hiking. In fact, she decided as she
wrinkled her nose, they must not have been designed for much of
anything. Serena could console herself, however, with the
reminder of what Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars were forced to
trot about in. With her grace, Serena would never have made
it through her first battle. Thank the Moon for allies and
good friends; she never wanted to have to go it alone.

But then, remembering the shocked and betrayed looks
exhibited on her friends faces when she had surrendered,
and how Darien had run away as soon as he discovered her
secret, maybe she really was alone now. Somewhere between
protecting her secret self and her loved ones, she must have
done something terribly wrong, for everyone to shun her and
abandon her like they were doing. Even Luna had left her
shoulder for Lita's.

Tears of hopelessness began to well in her eyes as she
continued to walk blindly ahead. Her intentions were good!
All she had wanted to do was protect her friends. Rubeus would
have killed them. Not even Jupiter's strength was enough to
combat the wicked power brewing behind his jeweled eyes.
Sailor Moon wished her friends could understand that. She
just wanted them safe and unharmed, so that when this was
all over, they could go back to living. She could play her
games and gossip with Molly, Rei would sweep her temple
steps, Amy would take her classes with the dreams of
someday becoming a famous doctor...

Saltine crystal liquid spilled from her ducts and rippled down
her smudged cheeks. None of this was fair! Why did so
much have to rest on *her* shoulders? She didn't want any
of this. Just friends, a family, and a love like-like--

Like Darien.

Now where had that come from? Serena paused in her grief
for a moment to wonder. Darien was a rude, inconsiderate
tease that couldn't go for a minute without fishing for a
fight. But he was also Tuxedo Mask: poetic, brave, and
mysterious; always there to lift her spirits when she needed
him most. That they were the same person was Sailor Moon's
assurance that somewhere, someone was laughing at her.

Well, she thought bitterly, at least *somebody* was having
a good time.

There came a slight shuffling from behind her, and then
Sailor Moon felt a weight settle on her shoulder as Luna
lightly dug her claws into Serena's suit for balance. Large
cinnamon eyes gazed at the blonde girl before a rough pink
tongue gently swiped the moist skin over her cheekbone. Luna
purred quietly and rubbed Serena's chin before settling
herself next to her ear.

"Don't cry, Sailor Moon," she whispered, "the others will see
and stir up trouble. We don't want that, yet."

"They're angry at me, aren't they, Luna?" Serena whispered
back.

"Of course not," Luna replied, keeping her voice low.
"They're good girls, they know why you did it."

"Because I'm a coward."

"No," Luna said firmly, tugging on the dangling earrings near
her velvet nose, "because you have a big heart, and you
know when to fight and when to give. There's no shame in
that."

"I think Darien hates me." The words were out of her mouth
before she could stop them, "that's why he ran into the
maze, so he didn't have to be around me."

"Oh, Serena," Luna gently nudged her charge's jaw, "that's
not true either. Tuxedo Mask did what he had to do. If he
had a choice, he would have never left your side."

The blonde gave the cat a startled, sidelong glance, "how
would you know?"

"Because he told me," she replied with catlike simplicity.

Sailor Moon was astonished, "what?"

Luna pressed her whiskers forward and smiled, "when you
were sleeping, Darien and I had a little talk."

"What did you talk about?"

"Many things. But for now, what you need to realize is that
Darien is just as confused as you are. But where as you
took a nap, he took a walk."

"Luna," Serena's tone was reproachful.

"Don't blame me for your habits," the cat sniffed, "I certainly
didn't create them. Getting back to the subject at hand, however,
when Darien took that walk, he came to terms with himself,
and, for the most part, with you. But before he could come
back to tell you that, Diamond cornered him into a duel.
Darien knew that if we were to have any chance of success,
he had to leave you and play Diamond's game."

"So Darien didn't run away."

Luna shook her head, "quite the opposite. He's doing what
he's always done: running risks to protect those he loves."

The word ran through Serena's blood like wildfire, "loves?"

Fighting very hard to keep the smug look from her face,
Luna nodded. "He had one favor to ask of me before he left,
though."

"Wh-what was that?"

"He wanted me to tell you that he was sorry, and that he
hoped to see you again soon."

"He-he's sorry?" Serena asked in wonder.

"Stay alert, Sailor Moon, I'll be back." With that, the cat
lifted herself up and jumped back to Sailor Jupiter's
shoulder.

Marching on in blank astonishment, Sailor Moon quietly
pondered Luna's words.


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Sapphire huffed in irritation as he watched the water image
cascade down the screen. Rubeus was successfully ushering
the princess and the Scouts to the fourth checkpoint in the
Labyrinth. It was perhaps the only positive aspect of
Diamond's latest plan. Rubeus would open a doorway to
their moon and bring the princess and her court to their new
home. Beryl, if she lived through this, would be free to do
what she wanted. However, with her current track record,
Sapphire was finding this outcome highly unlikely.

The Snake Queen had let Rubeus's action against her only
remaining general go unpunished. She was left to do all the
work herself, something all royalty detested, yet she had
cried no outrage, no demands for vengeance. Sapphire halted
the flowing vid screen image.

Beryl was up to something.

Laying his wine glass aside, Sapphire stood and began to
pace the room. He thought the best when he was moving,
and he moved the most when he was thinking.

Beryl was a devious, underhanded lecher, who did not think
twice about backstabbing or double crossing. She might
have been a fool, but she often proved to be an intelligent
one. Much of the generals' successes had been her plans put to
action. That she was being so quiet about a major power
play made Sapphire nervous.

Deciding it was time to pay a visit to the Snake Queen of the
Nega-verse, Sapphire gathered his energy and teleported to
her throne room. He would use the ploy of feeding her
information while gathering his own.

But upon arriving at the expansive, dimly lit hall, he noticed
with a shock that the dais had been abandoned by any minions
and the granite throne of which Beryl usually occupied was
itself empty. What's more, the creatures left in the throne
room were beginning to emerge from the shadows. The repugnant
looks he received from their glowing eyes were enough to notify
him of his unwanted status. A few daring fellows even went so far
as to hiss at him. Taking his cue before things became ugly,
Sapphire vanished from Beryl's realm to reappear in his own
quarters.

Forcefully crushing his growing nervousness, Sapphire
reactivated the fountain screen. As fast as the magic
mixed machine could handle itself, he gave it orders.

"Search and confirm Queen Beryl's status."

The computer, an impossible mixture of magic and technology,
whirred to life, its screen a flowing vertical stream of
water. The voice was Emerald's, recorded and synthesized
not three weeks before her death.

"Status unknown."

"Search and confirm General Rubeus's status."

"Status confirmed." Immediately, the fountain screen
displayed the marching procession of Rubeus and his
entourage.

"Search and confirm Prince Diamond's status."

"Status confirmed." Again, the fountain screen cascaded
down, this time to show the running image of the white
prince, his pale skin slick with sweat and his body heaving
with exhaustion.

"Search and confirm Queen Beryl's status."

The falling particles of light that made up his computer
shimmered and fell blank. "Status unknown."

Sapphire snarled, "Search again."

The white spectrum dropped over the screen, "Unable to
confirm status."

"Why not?"

"No traceable particles in maze paths."

Sapphire swore long and hard. Beryl wasn't in her realm;
she wasn't in the maze, where else could she be?

"Run a data check of any possible entry areas."

The spectrum immediately vanished as maps of the maze drew
into his vision. Using his link with the computer, Sapphire
began sorting out possibilities, trying hard to think of what
would have interested the Snake Queen so much that she would
vanish. After several minutes of searching, Sapphire could
still not find any area of significance. The only place she
could be was the Center Square, an area where he had no data.
Letting off another creative round of expletives, the high
general grudgingly admitted that it was time to contact Diamond.

Reaching out with his own sibling telepathic connection,
Sapphire began searching for his brother. Thankfully,
Diamond was already resting when he caught up to the
runner.

"Diamond," Sapphire called.

~Sapphire?~ Came the reply. Sapphire could feel the
surprise, as well as irritation, resonating through his mind.
~What are you doing? I specifically told you not to contact
me while I was running the maze.~

"I am sorry, brother, but we have a problem."

~A problem? How so?~

"Beryl has disappeared, I can't find her anywhere."

A moment of silence, then, ~I see. Your scanners show her
nowhere, then?~

"Her last traced movements end at her throne, Diamond."

~Then there's only one place she could be. I did not
anticipate her making a move like this.~

"She has betrayed us, Diamond."

~You're jumping to conclusions, brother. It may be that
she simply wishes to witness the outcome of our little
tournament.~

"You don't think she'll look for the Crystal?"

~She may look all she wants.~ Diamond's voice was clearly
irritated now. ~But even if the Crystal were not completely
useless by now, or destroyed entirely, it certainly won't
let the likes of her get near it. ~

"What do you want me to do, then? Just let her go?"

~Let her do as she wishes, for now. However, why don't you
join her at the Center until I arrive, to...remind her of our
agreement. Does that suit you?~

Sapphire nodded, and then remembered that his brother
couldn't see him. "That's fine."

~Good. Keep an eye on events, and contact me if anything
else comes along.~

"Yes, Diamond." Sapphire responded as he felt his brother
break their connection.

Sapphire quickly began shutting down his machine. Barking
out orders to a summoned droid, he gave last minute
instructions before gathering his energy once more and
rocketing off.

Diamond may have been inflicted by the diseased mind of
chivalry, but when it came to protecting his assets, Sapphire
had no such compunctions.

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Sailor Mercury slid down the wall with a relieved sigh, Venus
right behind her.

"Too much walking," the warrior of love muttered, rubbing
her ankles.

Mercury nodded her head in quiet agreement, massaging
her own aching calves. She watched as Sailor Mars
settled on a large rock that Mercury had sat next to.
The blue haired Scout had taken note of the priestess's
sudden quiet nature and preoccupied expression. Her
eyes had taken on a distant look in them that suggested
she was thinking, but the tilt of her head made Mercury
think that Mars was actually listening to something.

Cocking her own ear, Mercury listened intently to the white
noises of the Labyrinth. Generators hummed quietly in the
background, the electric lights propped in the torches
sparkled and cracked, and a quiet breeze moved constantly
through the long and winding passageways. None of these
stirred any intrigue within Mercury, and certainly Mars
couldn't be interested in such inconsequential sounds. So
what was it?

Venus tapped Mercury on the shoulder, "what are you doing,
Mercury?"

The girl shook her head, dusting away her curiosity,
"listening, I think."

"Oh, you hear it too, huh?"

Mercury blinked intelligently, "what?"

Venus waggled her fingers in the air, an incoherent gesture
that was supposed to add to her point, "the murmuring. It
could almost be a song, but the bars aren't consistent."

"It's not a song," came the voice of Mars, "and its not
murmuring, either, Venus."

Two heads swiveled to look at the raven priestess, "huh?"

"It's an echo, " Mars breathed in deeply, gathering the air
about her. "Something like sonar. It says it's looking for
someone."

Sailor Mercury was becoming cross, "I don't hear anything.
What are you two talking about?"

Mars smiled and turned her eyes to Mercury. Gazing in a
critical manner, the water scout had time to notice that her
friend's eyes were not actually blue, like she had originally
thought. In fact, she didn't have a color in her index to
classify her liquid pools of cold fire. Somewhere, she
supposed, between deepest lavender and darkest violet was the
closest she would come.

"You're too analytical, Mercury. But if you would like to hear
it, ask your computer."

"But my computer hasn't been working, Mars. You know
that."

"It will work now."

Mercury blinked, astonished at her Mars's sudden, almost
clairvoyant attitude. Too curious to ignore her presumption,
however, Mercury turned on her visor and flipped up the
screen of her small computer. It worked. Both pleased and
apprehensive, Mercury immediately began to type instructions
to the tiny machine, tracking the air for the mysterious sound
her fellow scouts could hear.

"Amazing," she said after analyzing the results. "There is
some sort of produced seismic residue within the Labyrinth.
It's sounding at both high and low level frequencies that are
out of normal hearing ranges." Her fingers flew quietly over
the keypad, "I don't understand this--"

"Hey!"

The Scouts' heads snapped up as they witnessed a very
angry Rubeus striding towards them. Mercury clipped the
small computer shut and deactivated her visor, shunting them
both away into her own personal space where no one else
could go.

"What do you have?" Fury in his jeweled eyes, Rubeus
reached the blue Scout and hauled her up by the bow on
the front of her Sailor Suit. "What was that?"

"Put me down, Carrot Face!" Mercury glared at him with her
baleful azure eyes.

Rubeus snarled at the girl as he watched through the corner
of his eye the other Scouts gathering around, "I'll do
whatever I please, Sailor Brat."

"Put her down, Rubeus." A steady male voice commanded.

Rubeus blinked in surprise as his fingers flexed open in
automatic obedience to the voice. Spinning around, he
bowed his torso to the new comer.

"Sapphire," he acknowledged, "I didn't expect you."

"Obviously," Sapphire's voice held impatience. His eyes
flicked to the three Sailor girls who were eyeing him warily.
Moving his head, he saw the remaining two on the opposite
wall across the checkpoint room. "You three," he spoke,
pointing to Mars, Mercury, and Venus, "join the other two.
Don't cause any trouble, I want no reason to hurt you."

Rubeus began to sputter, but Sapphire silenced him with a
look, "we need to talk. Come with me." With that, he
flickered and vanished.

The remaining general swore lightly under his breath, "watch
them," he commanded his accompaniment of droids, before
disappearing himself.

"That was fun," Venus muttered, crossing the room as the
dark lunar minions hissed warnings.

Jupiter smiled at them as they sat down next to her and
Sailor Moon. "Never a dull moment, is there?"

Venus shook her head pleasantly, and then looked to her
silent leader. Her eyes were shut and her head was resting
against the back wall. The fluttering of her eyelids and
inconsistent breathing told the golden Sailor that Serena was
still awake, but her relaxed posture and bemused smile
spoke volumes about the blonde's attentiveness to reality.

"Sailor Moon?"

No response.

Sailor Jupiter shook her head; "she's been like this for a
while. Ever since that buzzing noise started."

Mars looked to the taller Scout, "how well do you hear it?"

"Not very. Kinda reminds me of a fly singing opera."

Under some very peculiar looks from her friends, Jupiter
shrugged. "What? It does."

"It's beautiful."

All eyes turned at the soft statement to gaze upon Sailor
Moon.

"What do you hear, Serena?" Luna asked, her voice alive
with curiosity.

Sailor Moon smiled. "Everything."

Sailor Mars's eyes widened to a spectacular size. The
sound that echoed within her heightened senses was clearly
looking for something. But at Sailor Moon's words, the once
indistinct echoing became a full chorus of sound, its voice
pealing with exultation. The warrior priestess suddenly
realized that whatever the source of the sound was, it had
found what it was looking for. Sailor Moon.

It must have become clear to the others as well, for their
eyes lit up and they immediately began glancing about the
room, searching for the unseen choir that echoed within their
minds.

"Magnificent," Venus breathed.

"By the Moon and Stars," Artemis whispered from the
ground.

"Is that what you hear, Sailor Moon?" Mercury asked in awe.

Sailor Moon smiled at her friends, then looked past them and
to the center of the room. Confused, the others followed her
line of vision to see Rubeus's sudden appearance.

"Did you girls have a nice chat?" He asked, his voice as
condescending as his smile, "I hope so, because break
time's over. Let's get moving."

The Scouts looked as if they were going to protest the orders
and balk, but Serena stood quietly and walked to the carrot
topped general. Rubeus's expression changed to one of
suspicion as the girl stopped a short distance from him.
"What do you think you're doing, Princess?"

Sailor Moon met his eyes levelly, "what I've been told to do,
General."

Rubeus snarled, anger seething within him. He was developing
a hatred for this girl and what she represented. It was her
fault that he was reduced to a babysitting lackey--nothing
more than an expendable puppet. To him she was but a meaningless
infatuation, yet his prince held her in such disgusting awe.
She was the bauble for which Diamond had discarded any important
matters to pursue. Why Rubeus was stuck on this miserable planet
with no hope of success or gain.

Weeks of frustration boiled into his consciousness and
rushed to his hand, raising it in an attempt to menace the girl
before him. Sailor Moon didn't gasp or shrink back at his
gesture; merely stood there, her head held high and her
eyes calm and accepting. Her deep pools of blue held him
in suspension. These were not the eyes of the crying, whiny
child he had sneered at during their first encounter. These
were the eyes of the past--belonging on the face of a
person who had died a thousand years ago.

Sapphire was right. They had to relocate *now.*

Rubeus turned smartly on his heel, breaking the spell the
tiny princess had placed upon him. Roughly shoving droids
aside, he cleared a sizable space along the wall. Rubeus
rotated his body back to face his group of prisoners,
schooling his features into their normal, arrogant pose.

"As long as you're being so agreeable, Sailor Moon, I'm sure
you won't mind going first."

Sailor Jupiter moved to the front line, placing herself even
with Serena. "Where do you think you're taking us?"

Rubeus glanced at the tall Scout, giving her a look that one
might give a bug at the bottom of their shoe, "somewhere
else."

"Where?" Venus moved in line with the other two, her eyes
hard and her posture stubborn.

Rubeus gave a sigh of long suffering. "If you must know,
we're going to a more remote location to await the failure of
Prince Endymion."

Mars took her place beside Jupiter, "why can't we stay
here?"

"We're in the way here," the general snapped. "We cannot
interfere with the prince's path." He turned away again and
threw out his hand, sending a hard current of energy into the
wall. It hit with massive force, rattling foundation stones and
loose debris. The wall where he aimed gave way completely, the
stones crumbling into a black void that gave no light or hint
of direction.

With a wolfish grin, Rubeus faced Sailor Moon and gave her
a courtly bow. "After you."

Fear rose with dread certainty as Sailor Moon stared into the
abysmal darkness of the portal. Her heightened senses as a
Scout told her that wherever it came out to, it was not a
destination on Earth. Whatever force that had possessed her
earlier and given her strength abandoned her. The girl balked,
not wanting to go.

"No," she cried out, backing up, "I won't go through."

"Why you--" Rubeus sneered, striding menacingly forward.
"Insolent girl!"

Aware of the sudden danger, the four Scouts converged to
become a living wall between the angry General and their
frightened princess.

"Out of my way, brats!"

"Not on your life!"

Scarlet with rage, Rubeus gathered his energy and pushed
brutally against the female protectors. But, startlingly, they
rallied and combined their energies to push back.

Sailor Moon watched the commotion in horror. She wanted
them to stop, but she was so frightened! Her instincts
screamed at her from every corner, warning her against the
portal.

Then it happened. The murmuring in the back of her mind
that had transformed into whispers and chorus burst
through her fear-hazed senses, singing with all its might.
The others struggled bravely against Rubeus, oblivious to
the revelation she was experiencing. Luna and Artemis
suddenly jumped to her shoulders. Sailor Moon gasped
quietly as the air began to shimmer around her, and the
three watched as the portal began to flicker violently.
Once, twice, then was still.

"Sailor Moon," Luna whispered. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know," she stammered.

Artemis sniffed the air cautiously, "something's changed."

The mysterious song once more danced through Serena's
mind, and before she could stop herself, her voice barked
out, commanding, "Scouts, fall back at once!"

"Huh?" Jupiter's head swung backwards, surprised at the
order.

Rubeus took advantage of the Scouts' confused state and
surged his energy forward, blasting the four off their feet and
into the far walls. The ground shook with his outburst, and
many of his minions fell to the floor in shock. In unchecked
fury, the carrot topped General turned to the one person
who dared withstand his attack.

"Enough of these childish games, Moon Brat." He spat the
words, voice dripping with ice. "Go through the door or
I'll end it all here and now, starting with your friends!"

Sailor Moon started, staring the man straight in the face,
knowing that he was eager for any excuse to do just that.
The song still filled her head, though, and she was beginning
to understand. Her mind touched the portal, knowing that it
no longer led to the place Rubeus thought it did. She also
knew that, though Rubeus intended for all of them to leave
the maze checkpoint, only one of them would.

"Get a move on!" The General grated, "we don't have all
day!"

"But--" Torn between the compulsion of the song and the
unerring loyalty to her friends, Sailor Moon's head jerked
back and forth, lost and unsure.

"Sailor Moon." Sailor Mars whispered into the air.

The blonde immediately looked to her friend, her eyes wide
and frightened.

"Go," she whispered, aware of Rubeus's eyes boring into
her.

"But--" If she left them, they would die!

Sailor Mars clearly heard the song's instructions, and knew
what it meant. With effort, she forced herself to stand and
glared at her leader and friend. "Go," she said forcefully.
"You *must.*

To her side, Mars felt the other Scouts stand, knowing that
each one of them also felt the song's strange compulsion.

"Go on," Venus said gently, agreeing with Mars, "we'll be
fine."

Realizing it was futile to resist, Sailor Moon bent into a
crouch, obeying the sonorous voice in her mind. With
great care, she lifted the cats from her shoulders and
hugged them tightly, pressing her face into their fur. "You
two need to leave now." She whispered to them, "Run. Get
out of here as fast as you can." She pushed her forehead
against Luna's, a tear threatening her eye, "take care, my
friends."

Then, setting them down, she stood, straightening her slight
body to its fullest height. Guided by the sense of her friends
and the song in mind, she walked forward in a slow, deliberate
manner. She passed Rubeus and the droids without so much as a
glance, stopping only once she reached the black portal that
sucked in light as it swirled about in a forbidding pattern.

Pulling her head over her shoulders, she gave the room one
last smile and a wink, before taking the final step and
disappearing into the unseen depths of the doorway.

When the last tendrils of her golden locks vanished from
sight, there came a great surge of light and sound as the
vortex fluxed wildly, shooting out great beams of silver
energy. The collapse of the dark tunnel sent out a blasting
shockwave, knocking the room occupants to the ground.
Shards of light splintered in a spectacular display before
bursting into smaller particles and floating gently to the
ground in the form of golden snow. The last remnants of
Rubeus's portal, plan, and hopes of success faded
slowly away in the dying embers.

Rubeus pushed his head up from its tucked position beneath
his arms. His ruby eyes swept the room, shocked. "No," he
choked, "what happened, where did she go?" He staggered
to his feet and stumbled to where the gateway once stood,
feeling the restored wall desperately with his hands, looking
for traces of the passageway. "This can't be! What happened
to my portal?"

Eyes blazing, he whipped about to stare at the remaining
Sailors, who were struggling one by one to stand. "You did
this!" he raged, anger pouring through the air in waves.
"You and that Moon Brat changed the portal somehow! Tell
me, where did she go!"

Sailor Venus thrust her body upwards and locked her
elbows, giving herself enough leverage to crouch on her
knees and stare defiantly at the towering General. "We're
not telling you squat, vegetable breath."

Rubeus snarled and moved in to ward a heavy blow on
Venus's midsection, but Sailor Jupiter pushed to her feet,
her gaze heated and dangerous. "Back off, pal."

"So tough." The general sneered at the tall brunette, "Do
you think I'm scared?"

Mercury struggled upwards, her legs steadying beneath her.
"You should be," she threw out in defiance.

"Yeah," Mars countered, pulling up beside her blue haired
comrade. "'Cause we're the Sailor Scouts--"

"--And we're going to rock your world." Venus finished,
standing tall.

Rubeus looked them over one by one, an eyebrow rising high
to his hairline, before bursting out with laughter. "You?"
he roared, "four pathetic little girls who woke up one morning
and decided to play dress up?" His laughter stopped abruptly
as looked the golden haired warrior straight in the eye. "You
really think you can beat me," he hissed. "Zoicite thought
the same thing, and look where she is. Not even your leader
thinks you can do it. Look at how she abandoned you. You
don't have a chance, so give it up."

"Oh, we don't have to beat you," Venus winked at him.

"Just keep you busy for a while," Jupiter smirked.

Rubeus's eyes widened, "what is this?"

"Sailor Moon didn't abandon us," Sailor Mars sassed, giving
him a smugger grin than she had ever given Serena, even
after winning an argument. "We *told* her to go."

"Right," shouted Mercury. "Our princess has work to do!"

Venus nodded and rounded on the carrot topped General, looking
him square in the eye. "And there's no way we're going to let
you interfere!"

"You think this little plan of yours will work?" The General
asked, his voice deceptively calm. "What makes you think that,
after I kill all you off, I won't go after Sailor Moon and do
exactly the same thing?"

"Because--" The four Scouts shouted together, their stances
tense and their faces harsh and ready, "you've got to kill us
first!"

"Won't that be challenge," he bit off, then hate and anger
clouded his face and screamed to air, "You want a fight? So
be it! Droids...ATTACK!"

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Almost done, how about a reveiw? ^.^;;