AN: Finally, I'm almost free!!! Finals next week and then SUMMER!!!! ::happy dance:: YAY!!!! Hopefully I'll get some more time to type soon.

Thank you so much to all who reviewed: konekochan_hime, Lovin Vegeta, crystaldove, DemonRyu (::blushes:: Domo arigato for your praise!), ScorpioNightShadow (well... you'll see), Arashi, Hilary, jchild, solarmistress17 (::wink::), MarsMoonStar, Sirena Farren, Domeko Angel. You are the greatest.

Oh and about the Japanese. Kanshisha means "guardian" so therefore Kanshisha no Hikari is "Guardian of Light". There's some other random Japanese in here, but you should be able to guess it's meaning at least. Often I used English phrase followed by its Japanese equivalent (or vise versa).

Have fun reading! You deserve it!



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The figure stepped fully out of the shadows now. His hair was darker than midnight, his face shrewd and mocking. An ink black cloak sat on his shoulders and black boots on his feet. His outfit distantly resembled that of Endymion, except all was black. Even a dark sword hung at his side, though it was likely just decoration.

He smirked at the shocked group below. "Oh yes, Princess, I know all about you. I suspected you from the beginning, but your actions speak the truth. Only one could have broken out of those bindings. Only one with the full power of light on her side. The true Hikari no Tenshi, the Lady of the Cosmos, the Keeper of the Stars, the Hogosha no Hoshi, the Guardian of Light, Kanshisha no Hikari. You. Princess Serenity, Sailor Moon, Eternal Sailor Cosmos, Tsukino Usagi."



He smirked at the speechless group. "It seems you have brought some friends, Princess," he continued. "Uninvited, I might add. But the more the merrier. And of course I know them all well: Sailors Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Mizuno Ami, Aino Minako, Hino Rei. Kino Makoto, Tomoe Hotaru. Son Goku, the pure-hearted Saiyin and disgrace to his race. Son Gohan, his equally disgusting son. Mirai Trunks, almost as much of a disgrace as the Sons. Tien and Yamcha, two warriors with a potential to become wonderful servants whom let it all go for nothing. Piccolo, child of a Demon-God, who in a fit of insanity, turned from the path of the Strong. Vegeta-sama, once an excellent servant, whom for some incomprehensible reason now follows the Light. And, of course, my friend and creation, Android Seventeen." [AN: Bulma is hidden behind Trunks and Veggie- for once, he's being outwardly protective!]



The warriors were all beyond shock. This was insane! How could this man know so much about them all, as though he had monitored their lives. "Who are you?" Cosmos managed.

The man smirked again. "Oh, forgive me Princess. How could I be so rude." He performed a mock bow. "I could be called your dark counterpart, Tenshi. As you are the Guardian of Light, I am the Guardian of Darkness. Kanshisha no Makkura. Unlike you, Princess, I am nameless. Evil in its truest form, if I may complement myself. But for our purposes, you may call me Kuroi."

"Kuroi?"

"I see that you do not recognize me. You know me well, you all do, but not in this form." Shadowy figures seemed to appear in the darkness behind Kuroi. The shapes hardened and seemed more and more familiar. An evil face. An upside-down moon. Spiky hair. Maniacal laughter. A mad scientist. Youmas. A needle attached to a reptilian tail.

Seventeen shuddered. He clearly remembered the last time that needle had tried to swallow him up.



"You- you caused all this?" said Cosmos quietly.

Kuroi smirked. "Oh, of course. Perhaps 'possessed' is the better word. For they all had evil in their hearts, I just molded them to my purposes. The entire Saiyin race was easily manipulated. They lusted for power and might, and naturally such ambition is just a gateway to me. It was the same with most I controlled. Beryl and Metallica and the Negaverse. The Black Moon family and Wiseman. Frieza and King Cold. Queen Nehalania. The coming of Pharaoh 90 and the Silence would have been the forerunner to the true Darkness. And Chaos was perhaps the closest to my true self you have ever fought. That was the last test before I decided to send the true Darkness."

"And of course, there was Doctor Gero. His lust for revenge was so strong that I easily took control. He made such wonderful creations! Intelligent killing machines. Naturally, Seventeen, you shouldn't be with these others. You were made for the sole purpose to serve me. You're just another creature of evil."



Cosmos stepped forward. Her voice was hard. "Android 17 has turned from the Path of Evil. He has chosen the Road of Good and Righteousness, of Light and Love."

Kuroi smirked. "Ah yes, the weak Path. You should have realized by now that you're fighting a losing battle, Sailor Cosmos. You're in my realm now. At a single word, I can make the air you breathe to choke you. I can make the land swallow you up. At a single command, I can order a hundred youmas to tear you apart, limb by limb. Do not imagine that you can win."

"We hold hope, and while that hope still burns, we will conquer over the Darkness."

Kuroi just laughed. "Well then, we'll just have to squash that hope forever. First of all, perhaps you'd like to see your friends."





With a clap of his hands, three figures tumbled out of the lifeless sky. Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune lay motionless on the ground, their fukus torn and ragged. The sailors rushed toward them and Bulma quickly administered powdered senzu beans.



Kuroi just laughed. "Not so fast. It's not nice to be so rude. Now you need to meet some of *my* friends."

With a snap of his fingers, the ground below began to rise and form into hideous shapes. The senshi suddenly found that they were now only one step above the ground and the top where Kuroi stood was high above. [AN: If you haven't figured it out, the stairs are enchanted. That's why they keep changing.]

The shapes quickly gained features and advanced towards the warriors. They were creatures of evil. Youmas of Darkness. These were not the laughable youmas the sailors had fought before; these demons meant business.





Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune still showed no signs of life, but Bulma tried to keep them apart, out of harm's way, while she attempted to use countless herbs and medicines to heal them.



The demon youmas were upon the senshi. All fought with desperation. But hope quickly faded. In no time, Vegeta had destroyed his youma and smirked, waiting for the others to finish. But his turn wasn't over. The ground stirred and out of the dirt the youma rose again, twice as strong.



And so it continued. All lost track of how long they had fought like this. They would destroy one, only to have it replaced by another with twice as much power as the first. As they grew weaker, the youmas grew stronger. Even in Goku's carefree heart, the flame seemed lost forever. Above, Kuroi simply laughed.



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AN: Things look bad for our heroes, wouldn't you say? Don't worry, next chapter it gets worse as we see how each individual is fairing. MWHAHAHA!!!!

Please be a nice reader and review! Domo arigato.

~Calli-chan