Act Sixteen - Kidnapped

On the other side of the warp, the Sailor Soldiers found themselves in a pitch-black hall. Mars, the fire warrior, immediately lit a nearby torch hanging on the wall, letting the soft glow of the flame fall over the vicinity. They could see at the end of the hall that the corridor broke into two different directions. Mercury began analyzing the layout of the castle, while the others kept watch for any surprise youma attacks.

"It appears we are at the beginning of a labyrinth," the soldier of wisdom informed the others after a few minutes of typing commands into her computer.

"A labyrinth? As in a maze?" Sailor Moon asked, not liking the sound of that at all. When Mercury nodded, the blonde sighed heavily, leaning against the comforting form of her lover. "That means we could be stuck in this creepy castle of days!"

"Not necessarily, Sailor Moon. I've been using sonar technology to sketch an approximate map of the area. I think I know the way to Jade's lair, but I'm detecting several areas of negative energy along the way. Everybody, be on alert for possible youma attacks. Follow me."

With those words, the blue-haired warrior took the lead.

Jade scowled at the reflection shown on the surface of her handheld mirror. Those meddling Sailors actually followed her to Hades and managed to break through one of her strongest barrier spells. They were more powerful than she originally thought, especially the green-haired one who opened the warp.

Sailor Pluto… When the queen finally returned home and discovered that her mother and the kingdom were completely destroyed, the records only showed that there were five Sailor Soldiers: Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus. The appearance of the four other soldiers was perplexing, though at first she brushed them off, considering them unimportant. She thought they were only minor annoyances, but it was obvious that she underestimated the mysterious Outers.

Pluto was by far the most interesting. There had been rumors of her existence ever since the time of the Silver Millennium. Jade had only been around five during the first attack on the ancient kingdom, but she still remembered the stories and legends surrounding the solitary guardian of time. She had supposedly been the second most powerful soldier, next to the sleeping Sailor Saturn, with powers over both time and space. The queen never truly believed she existed until she watched the woman with the garnet eyes open the vortex to her castle.

This changed everything. If what she suspected was true, in civilian form, Sailor Pluto went by the name of Meioh Setsuna, the same woman she placed a spell on to lure the prince into bed. That meant that the child she was carrying had the potential to become extremely powerful, the true heir not only to the throne of Earth, but the Gates of Time as well.

Jade's dark green eyes narrowed in thought, her long nails clicking loudly against the arm of her throne. That child could be very useful to her ultimate plan to rule the entire universe. Very useful. Her blood red lips curled up in a devious smile as a plan formed in her mind. She rose from her throne and pointed a finger toward the center of the room.

"Medusa, I command you come forth!" she ordered, a blast of black lightning emitting from her fingertip.

A hideous woman-like creature with serpents for hair and golden claws appeared before her queen and bowed respectively, careful to keep her stone-cold eyes lowered. "Yes, my queen?"

The queen sat back down on her throne. "I want you to locate the Sailor Soldiers somewhere in the labyrinth and kidnap the one they call Sailor Pluto. She'll be easy to recognize with dark green hair, red eyes, and dark skin. Turn her into stone and bring her here, but be careful not to harm her in any way. I have great plans for her."

"Consider it done, my queen."

The youma disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke.

"It's freezing in here!" Sailor Moon complained, rubbing her bare arms in a desperate attempt to keep to keep warm. Beside her, Tuxedo Kamen slipped off his long black cape and wrapped the warm material around her shivering shoulders.

"Better?"

"Much." The blonde grinned, snuggling close against her lover. It felt so wonderful to be in his arms again.

Ahead of them, the rest of the Sailor Soldiers were following the blue-haired computer genius, allowing the prince and princess to have a little privacy. Pluto looked over her shoulder at the loving couple, a soft smile on her face. She really was happy that the two of them got back together.

Her smile quickly turned into a frown when she suddenly felt a surge of negative energy nearby. From the others' facial expressions, they felt it too. Mercury pulled out her goggles and scanned the area. "Youma located straight ahead. Be careful, everyone."

A few seconds later, the Gorgon appeared before the Sailor Soldiers, her snake-hair hissing seductively. Tuxedo Kamen pulled his lover toward him, holding Sailor Moon close, as the Inners immediately formed a protective circle around the prince and princess. The Outers prepared to attack.

"You won't get the princess, you ugly old hag!" Venus yelled. "We won't allow you."

Surprisingly, Medusa laughed. "Too bad it's not your pathetic little princess I want," she replied. "It's Pluto I'm after."

The guardian of time loosened the grip on her Time Staff at the sound of her name and looked straight at the woman. "Me?" she asked.

Saturn stepped in front of her adopted mother and spun the Silence Glaive in her hands, eventually pointing the sharp blade toward the youma who threatened Pluto's life. "You're not getting anyone without a fight," the teen growled, betraying her normal polite persona. Her dark purple eyes were almost the color of midnight. "How dare you threaten the life of a woman with child!"

"Get out of the way, you annoying little pipsqueak! I don't have time to play your silly little games," Medusa ordered, sending an attack toward the two soldiers.

Saturn quickly attempted to put up a Silence Wall to shield them from the on-coming attack, but she was too late. The ball of energy smashed into the soldier of silence, violently slamming her against the concrete wall. Uranus and Neptune ran over to their daughter as Pluto, her heart filled with hatred for the youma who hurt the girl she considered her own, gathered most of her remaining energy into the red ball at the top of the Time Staff.

DEAD -

"Pluto, watch out!" Neptune screamed at the top of her lungs.

She heard Neptune's warning, but it came too late. Medusa finally lifted her stony gaze from the ground, her gray eyes staring into the garnet eyes of her opponent. Pluto felt herself suddenly freeze into place. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move. Medusa continued to laugh maliciously as her body slowly became petrified rock right before the others' eyes.

"Pluto!"

Sailor Moon broke from her protective barrier, despite the Inners' pleas to stay put, and grabbed her tiara. The golden band transformed into a glowing disc in her hand. Though it had been years since she used her most basic attack, it still worked. Concentrating all her power on the tiara, she threw the disc toward Medusa, praying it would be strong enough to defeat her. MOON TIARA ACTION!

It was not. One look from those cold gray eyes and the tiara turned into stone, breaking to a million tiny little pieces as it smashed into the coldcement floor. Sailor Moon could only stand in shock as her only weapon was destroyed. Now, what was she going to do? She was completely powerless.

JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!

MERCURY AQUA MIRAGE!

MARS FLAME SNIPER!

VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!

The Inners combined their respective attacks together into one large energy ball, but much like what happened to their leader's tiara, Medusa petrified the attacks, allowing them to harmlessly fall on the ground.

"What are we going to do?" Venus asked. "Our attacks won't work on her. We have to think of something."

Neptune looked over at her partner, who winked. No words were spoken, but both knew exactly what the other was thinking. The ocean warrior then pulled out her Aqua Mirror and turned toward the hideous creature, careful not to meet the creature's gaze.

Medusa shook her head in minor amusement. "You girls don't give up, do you? Well, I'll be happy to let you join your little friend over there in a concrete prison."

Neptune cockily tossed her aqua green tresses over her shoulder. "I'd like to see you try. Give me your best shot, youma!"

Never one to refuse a challenge, Medusa lifted her gaze from the floor once again, focusing her attention on Neptune. A beam of black light shot from the monster's eyes, and Sailor Moon, not understanding what she was doing, cried out. However, just before the beam could hit her, Neptune held up her mirror right in front of her face.

The beam of dark light harmlessly bounced off the smooth surface of the mirror and headed straight toward the shocked monster, who wasn't able to get out of the way of the oncoming attack. With one final scream, Medusa's body became solid rock.

Uranus then unsheathed her Space Sword, and with one mighty swipe, chopped off the stoned Gorgon's head, just in case there was any doubt she wasn't dead. Seconds later, the petrified remains crumbled into a pile of sand.

"Good work, Neptune," her partner said, grinning.

"You, too."

With a little bit of her arrogance shining through, the soldier of the skies turned around to face the impressed Inners and raised an eyebrow. "And you four didn't want us to tag along. I think you owe us an apology and a thank you for saving your butts out there."

"Don't hold your breath," Mars retorted, rolling her eyes as she walked toward the statue of Pluto. "Besides, we have more important things to worry about, like how are we going to change Pluto back?"

Mercury began analyzing the statue with her computer. "This doesn't look good," she replied sadly, frowning at the results. "Usually when a youma is killed, any attacks still in affect wear off."

"You mean Pluto could stay like this forever?" Saturn, who had recovered from her injuries, asked. There were tears of sadness in the teen's violet eyes as Mercury confirmed her fears.

Despite Uranus' and Neptune's attempts to hold her back, Saturn ran over to her mother's statue, throwing her arms around Pluto's waist. It couldn't be true! There had to be some way to turn her back.

"Setsuna-mama…"

Suddenly, the stone structure began glowing a bright fluorescent green light. Saturn released her grasp on the statue and took a few steps backward, hoping against hope that Pluto was returning back to normal. However, in the blink of an eye, the statue was gone. Her daughter held back a sob as Neptune pulled her into a comforting hug.

The guardian of time opened her eyes a few minutes later, surprised to find herself in a dark prison cell. Where was she? Where were the others?Carefully, she stood up, leaning against her Time Staff for support. Whatever happened must have drained most of her energy. She could barely move a muscle without feeling as if she had just run the Boston Marathon. Pluto groaned, feeling herself becoming light-headed and nauseous.

"This is not the time for morning sickness, little one," she whispered to herself, rubbing her belly.

Unable to stand up much longer, Pluto allowed herself to collapse on a tiny bench nearby. She curled her body into a tight ball, fighting the urge to hurl.

After a few moments, the wave of nausea passed, and Pluto found the strength to sit back up again against the cold cement wall. She still felt a little light-headed, but was able to focus on her new surroundings, not that there was much to see. The tiny room was completely bare except for the bench and a naked light bulb, swinging above her in an invisible breeze. "Where am I?" Pluto asked herself aloud. "Why am I here?"

Slowly, visions of the battle with Medusa filtered into her mind. She remembered everything up to being turned into stone by the hideous Gorgon's freezing gaze. After that, though, it was a complete blank. She must have been captured, but where were the others? Were they alright?

The sound of footsteps and two men's voices broke her away from her thoughts, causing her heart to pound wildly against her rib cage in apprehension. Pluto grabbed her Time Staff, which she had leaned up against the wall, and held it tightly in her grasp, prepared to attack if necessary. Outside her prison cell, one of the men pulled out what sounded like a ring of keys and unlocked the door.

"The Queen will see you now," the blond man with the keys said in a bored monotone as the door opened.

Pluto glanced up, but didn't move from the bench. "Queen who?"

"Queen who?!" the other man exclaimed, chuckling at the question. He had dark hair and was quite a bit shorter and heavier than his companion. "Queen Jade, the beautiful ruler of the Dark Kingdom, that's who! Now get off your lazy bum and come with us."

The prisoner shook her head, too weak to move. "I can't…"

"Well, then we'll force you!"

The fat man lost his jovial appearance as he roughly grabbed Pluto's arm and pulled her off the bench. She yelped in pain, which only encouraged him more. He tightened his grip on her arm and pushed Pluto forward, yelling at her when she collapsed on the floor. "Get up, you bitch!"

"I can't!"

The anger evident in his coal black eyes, the man held up his hand to strike her across the face. However, before he could hit her, the other man grabbed his arm. "Lucifer, remember the queen's orders," the blond said. "She is not to be harmed."

Pluto could have kissed the guard as Lucifer slowly lowered his arm, but any feelings of gratitude she had were erased as the man hoisted her back up and threw her over his shoulder. "Put me down!" she ordered, squirming in his firm grasp. Behind her, Pluto was sure Lucifer was enjoying the view up her short sailor fuku.

The blond sighed. "Listen, girl. This can go one of two ways. Either I can be nice and carry you to Queen Jade's lair or you can walk the entire way with no help from us. Which is it going to be? I don't care either way."

That shut her up fast. If there was absolutely no way she could escape, she'd rather be carried than to be forced to walk when she was so weak, no matter how embarrassing it was. The man took her silence to mean she agreed to be carried and followed Lucifer out of the room.

It was a long distance to Jade's lair. Pluto was glad that she had decided to be quiet because there was absolutely no way she would have been able to walk the entire distance in her condition. Ten minutes later, they arrived in what she assumed was Jade's lair, where the man promptly placed her back on her feet, forcing Pluto to stand with only her Time Staff forsupport.

"You will bow when in the presence of the great and powerful Queen Jade of the Dark Kingdom," the blond informed her, his voice returning to the dull monotone once again.

Pluto's garnet eyes narrowed in contempt at the two guards. "Never!"

"Maybe this will convince you, woman!" Lucifer said, forming a ball of black energy between his hands.

At the front of the room, the shadows suddenly lifted, revealing the figure of the new queen of the Dark Kingdom. Jade stood from her throne and held up her hand. "That will not be necessary, Lucifer. You two are dismissed."

Once the two guards exited the room, the darkly beautiful queen walked over to where her prisoner stood, circling the guardian of time in inspection. It sent a shiver up Pluto's spine. "What do you want with me, Jade?" Pluto demanded to know.

Instead of answering her question, Jade gently ran her fingers across the taller woman's flat stomach. "You must be tired, my dear Pluto," she commented. "It simply not healthy for a woman in your condition to fight."

"My condition?"

"Yes, of course. You are pregnant, are you not?" Pluto nodded, causing the queen to smile knowingly. "With Prince Endymion's child?"

The green-haired warrior gasped. "B-but how did you know that?"

"Oh, I know lots of things. I know that in civilian form, you call yourself Meioh Setsuna and that you own a boutique called Timeless Creations. I also know that you are the fabled Guardian of Time, reborn in the present from the Silver Millennium."

Pluto could feel her knees weaken beneath her, but it had nothing to do with her current lack of strength. There was no way Jade could know about the affair, unless… She gripped the Time Staff tighter in her hands, trying to regain her bearings as the queen let out an amused chuckle.

"It was you, wasn't it?" the soldier asked, accusation in her voice. "You were the one who caused us to have the affair."

"I wouldn't necessarily say that," Jade said, her fluorescent green eyes practically glowing. "The attraction was already there, right from the start, and don't you even try to deny it. I simply pushed you two in the right direction."

Pluto glared at the woman, letting what she said sink in. "So the engagement ring…"

"Was cursed," Jade replied with a proud smile. "When your blonde friend accidentally 'lost' her ring at the airport, I used the opportunity to place a spell on the ring that temporarily lessened Endymion's love for his princess and made him more vulnerable to temptation. Then, later at the party, I chose you to be the temptress that would cause him to succumb to his desires. Of course, at the time, I had no idea who Meioh Setsuna really was, but I must say that I'm quite pleased with the way things turned out."

Again, the queen brushed her fingertips across Pluto's belly, causing the guardian of time to step back and clutch her stomach protectively. Her garnet eyes blazed with anger as she finally realized what Jade wanted from her. "You want my baby?"

"But, of course, my dear. The tiny embryo that resides inside you has the potential to become one of the strongest and most powerful beings that ever lived, the true heir to Earth and the Gates of Time, and with the child under my care, I will finally have enough power to conquer not only this planet, but the entire universe, past, present, and future."

"If you think for one second that I will give up my child to one such as you…"

Jade raised her hand, silently ordering Pluto to stop. She then gently cupped the guardian of time's chin in her hand and stared at Pluto's face, shaking her head sadly. "Such a pretty girl," she commented. "It's a shame, really. You're obviously much more beautiful than the one Endymion calls his princess. A man as handsome and powerful as the prince deserves better than a crybaby ditz like Serenity, don't you think? Someone like you, Sailor Pluto?"

"What are you talking about, Jade?"

"It's quite simple, actually. You know that you and Endymion belong together. The only thing that stands in the way of your love is that brat Serenity. In exchange for the fruit of your forbidden passion, I can make your secret and most treasured dream a reality, Pluto. Serenity will die, and the prince can finally be yours alone. Everything you ever wanted will be yours!"

At Jade's words, the heartache she thought had gone away returned, stronger than before. Pluto clutched her breast and squeezed her eyes shut, praying that the pain would go away, but it didn't.

She felt so weak, so powerless, so helpless…

Then the world went black.

Back in the labyrinth, the Sailor Soldiers were continuing the long and perilous journey toward Jade's lair, but as the hours wore on, the chances of saving both the crystal and their beloved friend were looking slim. Soon after Pluto disappeared, they were forced to battle against an army of Harpies, leaving several of the soldiers badly injured. Saturn had managed to heal most of the critical wounds, but everybody agreed that it would be best if she didn't waste any more of her already foundering energy, so they were forced to bear through the pain.

Tuxedo Kamen groaned as Sailor Moon gently applied pressure to the rather nasty gash on his forearm. "You really don't have to do that, Usako," he said. "The bleeding has stopped."

"I'm sorry." The blonde took away her blood-soaked handkerchief. "I just wanted to help. After all, if you hadn't protected me…"

"Well, don't!"

Tears welled up in his princess's beautiful blue eyes, and he immediately regretted his sharp tone of voice. He reached for his lover's hand, ignoring the pain that traveled up his arm, and squeezed her slender fingers. "I didn't mean it like that…"

Understanding what he was going through, Sailor Moon shot him a small, comforting smile. "I know. You're worried about Pluto."

His eyes widened in surprise, but Tuxedo Kamen couldn't deny his fiancée's accusation. It was true that his thoughts were currently focused on the mysterious guardian of time, although he thought he had managed to hide his emotions from Sailor Moon. He should have known that it was impossible to keep anything secret from his lover for long. Sometimes it seemed like she knew him better than he knew himself.

"You still love her, don't you?"

Tuxedo Kamen quickly shook his head. "No, of course not. Why would you think that?"

"It's okay, you know," she said softly. "I won't get mad if you say you do. I know that she is the mother of your unborn child, and because of that, you and Pluto will always share a special bond together, whether I like it or not."

"Usako…"

Usagi forced herself to smile, despite the tears that threatened to fall from her lovely eyes. "We'll save her, Mamo-chan. I promise you we will."