"Three, please." Michiru stood in front of the ticket booth of the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It had taken an hour to get to the museum, so it was now four o'clock. Above them loomed the massive bulk of the museum itself.
The Edo-Tokyo Museum looked something like a cruise ship, on stilts. A long, red escalator with a domed in clear top would take them to the sixth floor, where the permanent exhibitions were located.
Minako looked all around, having never been there before. Noticing a pile of free pamphlet, she grabbed one, and began reading.
Welcome to the Edo-Tokyo Museum a small cartoon dog was saying. The Edo-Tokyo Museum was founded on March 28, 1993, as a facility to preserve the historical awareness to develop the better future of Tokyo.
In the Permanent exhibition area, there can be found original and replicated exhibits, as well as large-scale models, faithful representations of their originals, which have been reproduced after painstaking investigations and research.
Visitors can learn about the history and culture, and the daily life of Edo-Tokyo while having fun.
At the Special exhibition gallery, visitors appreciate selected exhibits on subjects related to Tokyo's history and culture, scheduled several times a year.
There is also the Library, the Audio-visual hall, and the Audio-visual library to learn more about the history and culture of Edo-Tokyo.
Events and lectures are scheduled at the Hall and Lecture rooms that are available for private use.
"Wow," Minako looked back up to the museum, which towered above them, "I can't believe that I'm actually here."
Mamoru smiled. "Yeah, I know. It's a very nice place... And it's put together in just such a way that everything's nicely accessible."
"No... That's not it." Minako shook her head as they stepped on to the escalator. "I mean, I can't believe that I'm here, instead of Ami. I know she'd enjoy this sort of thing more than me."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It smells like horses here."
Sailor Mars shot a look of disgust at Sailor Moon. They were sitting in the stands, looking down at the dirt track. "Well, I personally can't possibly perceive why, seeing as how we're at a horse track."
Sailor Moon sniffed. "Well, it does..." She whimpered.
Sailor Uranus rolled her eyes, and looked at the sun, to make out the time of day. Around five o'clock. She sighed. It was going to be a looooong wait, with these two.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"See anybody?" Sailor Saturn whispered, as Sailor Jupiter stood on top of a street lamp she had climbed to get a better view of the area. At six o'clock, the sun was just starting to set, but the two girls were on the side of the building, away from the busy main street, and it was unlikely that anyone would be coming this way.
"Nope. Go ahead." Jupiter called back down.
Saturn grinned. She knew she shouldn't be enjoying this, but...
SHIIIIINKKK!
The locked doors slid open, as Saturn let her scythe fall, sliding in the crack between the double doors, cutting the lock in two.
Jupiter jumped down from her place of lookout. "I don't know why Haruka was worried about entry. That was easy as pie." She smiled down at the short, yet powerful child.
Saturn shrugged, feeling pleased with Jupiter's praise. "She can be like that. Come on. Let's go find a hiding spot!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
At seven o'clock, the zoo was closed, and completely deserted by all but a few after-hour workers and janitors. Sailors Mercury and Titan stood outside, trying to figure out how to face the immense task that faced them.
"Mercury, this zoo is huge! How are we ever going to know where to wait?" Titan lamented.
"Well... Lets see if I can't lessen the area we have to cover." Mercury brought out her mini-computer, and began to try to figure out areas that didn't need to be worried about. A few moments later, she spoke, "Well, we don't have to bother with the reptile house, or....Hmmm...." She paused, as she scanned the information the computer was bringing up. "Ah. The insect and arachnid house. Both of those are too far off the main track, and are dead ends, so we can safely exclude them."
"Great.... But how much more does that leave for us to cover?" Titan looked out over the zoo.
Mercury joined her in viewing the massive expanse of the zoo. "Quite a bit."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tuxedo Mask braced his arms and legs against the support beams running horizontally under the full-scale model of the Nihonbashi Bridge that stretched above the fifth floor, and connected the two islands that the sixth floor was made of. He held his breath as a security guard passed underneath him, checking that everything was secure on his final rounds. His cape was tucked up carefully behind him, pressed between his back and the bridge, so that it wouldn't hang down, and alert the guard to his presence. He beseeched the gods to let his top hat stay on his head.
Meanwhile, Sailor Neptune was hiding behind a sliding door, in a Kabuki theater display. She could make out the shapes of the thee life sized mannequins placed in front of her hiding place, that were displaying costumes from the play 'Sukeroku.' Her hiding place was part of an exhibit, so she didn't have to worry about a guard opening the door, because that would require going through the carefully arranged display.
Just then, she heard the sounds of footsteps coming from the main area of the museum. It sounded like the guard that had been patrolling was taking his final rounds... It also sounded like he was walking under the Nihonbashi Bridge. Neptune sucked in her breath, as the steps stopped. The quiet was deafening for a moment. Neptune found herself picturing Tuxedo Mask falling from his hiding place... The guard turning, and, seeing the mask, open firing.... Then, the footsteps resumed, and Neptune let out her breath. It sounded like the guard was heading to the other end of the building. Hopefully, he wouldn't run in to Sailor Venus's hiding spot.
Sailor Venus had been just about to doze off, in her hiding spot under an old, vintage car in the 'Modern Tokyo' section, when her eyes snapped open, and her breath stopped. Her wide, blue eyes were gazing at a reflection of themselves in a pare of shiny, carefully polished guard's shoes. They were pointed directly at her. Venus trembled quietly. Had he found her? Could he see her in the reflection on his shoes? Was he about to haul her out of her hiding place?
Venus's enormous eyes grew to an even larger size, as the guard knelt down on one knee.
"Ohhh man! This is it! He's found me for sure!" Venus panicked in her head, but managed to remain perfectly still.
Then the guard sighed, and began tying his shoe. Venus quietly let out her breath, as the guard finished, and stood, and began walking away.
She smiled to herself. "I don't know what you were worried about," she thought to herself, "Your hiding spot is perfect!"
Venus stopped patting herself on the back as the guard turned back to face the car again. His feet moved swiftly back over to the car, and he knelt down again. She held her breath, and closed her eyes, as if thinking that it would make him go away.
"Ah! What luck!" The guard exclaimed. Venus opened her eyes in time to see him picking up a 500 yen coin from next to the front right tire. Standing, the guard pocketed the coin, and walked away.
There was silence as the guard completed his final check, and then the unmistakable slam, as the doors were shut and locked. The only light that remained was the lighting from the exit signs, casting an eerie red glow on the displays.
Tuxedo Mask released his locked joints, and dropped to the ground, landing safely, as his cape fluttered out around him. Sailor Neptune stepped calmly from behind the sliding door, and carefully made her way out of the display, her mirror held close to her body. Sailor Venus sighed with relief, and rolled out from under the car, and climbed to her feet. The three met up again outside the 'Tokyo, City of the World' display.
"What time is it?" Tuxedo Mask wanted to know.
"11:30," Neptune answered him, looking in to her mirror.
"Half an hour left." Venus stated, as she looked up at the security camera positioned in a corner between a wall and the ceiling. Before they had gone into hiding, Mamoru had disabled the security cameras, while Michiru and Minako had kept the guards busy, so they didn't need to worry about that.
"Might I suggest that we go watch the track?" Neptune said, referring to the moving sidewalk that made a complete loop around from the third floor to the sixth.
"Good idea. I'll patrol the third and fourth floor. Why don't you take the fifth, Venus, and Neptune, you can take the sixth." Tuxedo mask suggested.
"Sure." Venus shrugged.
"Sounds good to me." Neptune agreed.
The three then split up, and went to their respective floors. The moving sidewalk was no longer moving, so they had to actually walk on their own will. Every now and again, they would shout to each other, asking the time, or checking how everything was going.
Then, at exactly midnight, all three heard a shattering of glass, coming from the third floor. Tuxedo Mask, who was on the fourth floor at the exact moment, was the first to arrive at the scene. What he saw was an impressive looking male silhouette, standing in a pile of shattered glass. The hair was cut close to the head, and then flared out around the shoulders. The man was carrying a whip in his right hand, and his shoulders were tense.
Venus and Neptune skidded to a stop, and joined Tuxedo Mask in looking down at the man, who was now advancing on them. They could now see his face. This had to be Leon.
Sailor Venus pulled out her communicator, to contact the others, but before she could even activate it, the whip, which had remained in the Leon's hand, lashed out, and shattered the small communicator.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Ow!.....Ha!"
"......Oww!..... Owie!...."
Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars were playing slaps to pass the time. Mars was winning. Sailor Uranus sat nearby, sighing, and watching the two through her fingers, which were splayed across her face in a gesture of exasperation.
"OW! Mars, that one really hurt!" Sailor Moon whined, withdrawing her hands, and rubbing them together.
Mars shrugged. "Then don't play anymore."
Uranus stood up. "Oi." She called over to the two younger scouts. "I think we should probably get ready. It's nearing midnight."
"Ok." Sailor Moon and Mars answered. They had already agreed on their places. Uranus was going to wait by the front entrance, and Mars by the back. Sailor Moon was going to wait in the center of the horse track.
The three moved to their spots, and all became quiet as they waited for midnight to arrive. They didn't have to wait long.
Sailor Moon was looking up at the night sky. The moon was in a waxing crescent, and she couldn't help but to look.
"I used to live there." She thought to herself. "I wonder if there's anything left of the palace. Perhaps it's buried on the dark side."
Her tranquil thoughts were broken as she heard Sailor Mars scream. Her head whipping around fast enough to nettle her eyes with her pigtails, to see Leon charging her, whip out, and a devilish, wicked smile on his face. She whipped out her pocket communicator, just in time to have Leon snatch it away from her, as he tackled her like a football player. It crunched in his powerful grasp, and the pieces fell to the ground.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Goal!" Jupiter cried, as she blasted a soccer ball into the net, around Saturn. They were playing in the indoor field, which had could be used for soccer or baseball surrounded by a running track, and bleachers.
"No fair! I can't use my hands, Jupiter!" Saturn jokingly pleaded, as she held out her scythe. "Next time, I get offence!"
Jupiter smiled. She really enjoyed being with Saturn. Despite being the most powerful senshi, Saturn was also a child, with a child like mentality. Taking care of, and being her friend gave Jupiter a nice counter balance for some of her more aggressive tendencies.
"Sure thing." Jupiter smiled. Glancing over at the glowing read clock on the wall, however, made her change her mind. "On second thought, I think we better start getting serious. It's almost midnight, and-"
Jupiter never finished, as a hand weight came flying across the room, hitting her in the base of her skull.
"Jupiter!" Saturn shrieked, as the tall brunet hit the ground, unconscious. She looked up to see Leon slowly advancing on her, his whip stretched between his hands.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sailor Titan sat down on a bench, that faced the safari area. She moaned, "Mercury... My feet are killing me!"
Sailor Mercury collapsed next to her. "Mine too. How many times do you think we've lapped this place?"
"Fifty-six and a half. Exactly." Titan put one of her feet on to her knee, and started to massage it through the boot. "What time is it?"
Mercury pulled out her computer. "It's 11:59.... No wait, it just changed to Midnight." She stood. "I think we better stay active. He's due any moment now, and if he doesn't show up here, then we're going to need to be ready to help the others."
"Right." Az stood, and stretched. "Do you have any guesses as to where he'll show up? I mean, if he shows up here at all?"
"How about.... Right behind you?" Leon's eerie voice drifted over the scouts's shoulders. Both girls leapt away, to see Leon, looking quite pleased with himself, standing on the other side of the bench.
Ami snatched her communicator from its sub-space pocket. "Everyone! Leon's at the Zoo!" She stopped short when she nobody answered her distress call. "Wha....?" She looked at the device in confusion.
Leon was shaking his head, and making a 'tisk-ing' noise at them, as he slowly advanced. "Girls... Do you really think that I'd allow you people to gang up on me? You only made it easier for me by separating yourselves." He lunged.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Submarine... REFLECTION!" Neptune pointed her mirror at Leon as the attack was unleashed, and sent hurtling at him. He dodged out of the way only to run into Tuxedo Mask's cane.
"Venus Love Me Chain!" Venus unleashed her golden chain into the back of Leon's back. It buried itself deeply in his back, causing a scream of agony to echo through the night.
They were fighting in the large out door area under the museum, which was lucky, because they probably would have destroyed several irreparable artifacts if they had fought indoors.
Leon reached around to his back and pulled the chain out, letting out a gush of black-green blood in the process. The chain disappeared as soon as Leon let go of it.
"Venus Love and Beauty SHOCK!" Venus called out a different attack. Leon spun to face it, and it seamed to everyone present that he was about to be hit, when he opened his mouth to a hideously large size, and flicked out a long, sticky tongue, that hit one of the support columns, and pulled him out of the way. The attack smashed into the ground, leaving a considerable dent.
Tuxedo Mask threw a garden bed of roses at the Leon, most of them hitting the intended mark. Leon screamed again.
Neptune was about to let loose another attack, when something hit her. This was too easy. She turned her back to Leon, and held her mirror above her head, at an angle so that she could see Leon in it. "Mirror, show me the true nature of that creature!" The mirror flashed, and when it cleared again...
"Venus! Tuxedo Mask! That's not Leon!" Neptune whirled around to face the battle again.
Venus stopped in mid motion of an attack, and looked at her. "What do you mean? Who is it then?"
"Kagemusha, show your true form now, or we will destroy you!" Neptune commanded.
'Leon' stood, a strange, slightly out of place grin on his face. "What's the point? You're going to destroy me anyway!" His voice was surprisingly high pitched, and airy.
"You can die in your true form, or you can be hindered by your masters, and die sooner. It's your choice." Neptune declared.
"Well.... When you put it like that..." Leon suddenly began to look very blurry. As the three watched, the form blurred until it was quite impossible to tell what it was, and then began to solidify again. When it did, it was in the form of a seven-foot tall girl-like-lizard creature. Her skin was a greenish-blue colour, and she had a Mohawk of the same colour. Her eyes were bright yellow, and tended to look in two different directions at once. Her large mouth stretched all the way across her face in a permanent mock grin. "My name's Shui Kyokou Tokage. As your watery companion must have figured out, I'm a Chameleon Kagemusha. My sisters are taking care of your other friends. And now that I don't have to worry about staying in Leon's shape... This will be much more fun!"
"We will see about that." Tuxedo Mask uttered darkly.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sailor Mars slowly opened her eyes, wincing at the pain in the back of her head. "Where am I? What's going on? The last thing I remember is playing 'Slaps' with Sailor Moon..." She closed her eyes again, trying to clear her thoughts. "That's right!" She suddenly remembered. "I was guarding the back entrance when I sensed an evil..." Her eyes snapped open. "Sailor Moon! She's in Danger!" She started to reach for her communication device, before she remembered that it had been broken... But how? She put her hand out to try and help her self to her feet, and screamed in pain. Looking down, she saw the fragments of her demolished communication device.... They were still in her right hand... Her now very severely broken and shattered hand.
Switching over to her left hand, she pushed her self to her feet, and began to feel dizzy. Looking out over the track, she saw Sailor Uranus fighting feverously to protect Sailor Moon. Silently walking over the uneven turf, Sailor Mars stopped when she was only five feet away from the battle. She produced an omamori and flicked it ridged. She then threw it with a cry at Leon.
Leon, in response, burst in to flames, and screamed in torment.
"Mars!" Uranus yelled, "I'm glad to see you! What happened to your hand?"
"Later. Look!" Mars yelled back.
Leon had begun to melt...Or something. The flames roared higher and brighter, until Leon was no longer visible. Mars quickly took the opportunity to dash around to stand next to Uranus. Almost as soon as she had reached Uranus's side, the flames surrounding Leon exploded outwards in a final, blazing blast, knocking Uranus and Mars to the ground. Sailor Moon, who had been kneeling in the dirt, was squished flat under the two other scouts.
The person in front of them wasn't Leon.
She was about seven feet tall, with brown-green skin, and bright orange eyes that moved independently. Her hair was the same colour as her skin, and in a short bowl cut around her head. She had very large, clawed hands. She was breathing heavily, and her skin was taking on a slightly charred look.
"Who are you?" Sailor Mars demanded, as she climbed to her feet, careful to protect her injured hand.
Uranus launched herself to her feet. "And where's Leon?"
"My name's Jii Akuhu Tokage. I'm the second of the Chameleon Sisters.... And I will destroy you!"
"Wrong. You are the one who will be destroyed." Sailor Moon spoke. She was now standing, and pointing her scepter at Jii Akuhu. Mars and Uranus stepped to ether side of her, allowing a direct path from her baton to Jii Akuhu. "Moon... Spiral...Heart.... ATTACK!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"JUPITER!" Saturn yelled again, as Leon shot out his whip. Lifting her scythe, Saturn managed to block the attack, by having the tip of the cat-o-nine-tails wrap around the shaft of the powerful staff.
"Foolish." Leon said, before yanking his end of the whip, jerking Saturn from her feet. Refusing to let go of her scythe, she hit the ground, and was pulled across the astro-turf, to Leon's feet. With a finally yank, he pulled Saturn back to her feet, and then, into the air, dangling her from her scythe, in front of his face. "What does it feel like to face your demise?" he taunted her.
"What's it feel like to be facing Death?" She spat back.
Leon laughed. "You're a little hell-cat, aren't you? To bad you have to die now."
"Who are you?" Saturn asked. Her child's eyes had turned icy cold.
"I'm Leon, your destroyer."
"An interesting comment to make to the harbinger of destruction." Saturn narrowed her eyes. "Besides that point, you're not Leon. His voice is different." Saturn snorted and shot a glance to the floor, which her feet were dangling far above. "He's also much shorter. Who are you?" She repeated.
Leon smiled. "You're quite observant, aren't you, brat?" He released the whip in one smooth motion, throwing Saturn across the room.
Landing on her feet, the small purple clad girl pointed her scythe at Leon. "You will reveal who you are."
Leon narrowed his eyes... And suddenly, he wasn't Leon anymore. In his place stood a lizard like kagemusha that towered almost eight feet above the floor. Her skin was a brown blue colour, and her spiked hair was of the same tone. One of her red-black eyes focused on Saturn, the other on Jupiter, who was moaning on the floor. She had a long tail that flicked behind her, and her arms were crossed across her chest, and her tiny mouth was smiling an evil smile that revealed her pointed teeth. "My name's Sanban Henkei Tokage. I'm one of three in a set sent out to distract you brats while my master gets rid of you at his pleasure. Don't think that that makes me an easy opponent, however."
"I wouldn't dream of it. But don't think that I'm an easy opponent, just because I'm small."
"Then we are agreed that this will be an interesting fight." Sanban Henkei raised an eyebrow. "A fight to the death."
Saturn raised her scythe. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Shine Aqua.... Illusion!" Mercury fired her attack in the direction of Leon.
Leon laughed. "Really, Mercury, do you think such a poor attack will have any effect on me?" He dodged the ice water attack with a large leap.
"Note... Bombardation!" Titan called forth her icy keyboard, and began to play notes in rapid succession.
"Animalistic Mesmerization!" Leon cracked his whip. Instantly, five gazelles some how managed to leap from their enclosures, and in front of him. The unsympathetic crystalline notes smashed into the animals, leaving them frozen in their places. Leon howled with laughter. "What makes you think you'll win this time, Titan?"
"What makes you think you'll win again?" Titan shot back. "You don't get lucky twice."
"I don't need luck.... Not in a place like this." Leon's grin was uncomfortably confident.
It was then that Mercury felt the hot breath on the back of her neck. Slowly turning, Mercury was terrified to see a large, male, Bengal Tiger standing behind her. As well as a grizzly bear, several lionesses, five crocodiles, and one bull elephant. Looking in the trees around her, she saw several large birds of prey. All of their eyes were an empty black colour.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Venus Love Me... CHAIN!" Venus pointed her chain to smash directly into the battered, but still fighting Shui Kyokou. Again, Shui Kyokou shot out her tongue, and pulled herself away by it.
Neptune gritted her teeth. "How are we supposed to hit her when she keeps dodging like that?!" She shouted, frustrated.
"I've got an idea!" Tuxedo Mask shouted in reply. "Venus... Attack her again!"
Venus nodded. "Right! Venus Love Me.... CHAIN!" Once again, the chain was sent hurtling in Shui Kyokou's direction. And once again, she spat out her tongue, sticking it to the support post.
But as soon as the long, pink, sticky tongue stuck onto the post, Tuxedo Mask let fly with a single rose... Directly through the kagemusha's tongue, and deep into the poll, effectively pinning her in one spot.
"Uhha?" Shui Kyokou's eyes both focused onto the end of her tongue, as she came flying into meet it. "Uuuhhhaaaa!" she screamed, as she quickly wrapped her legs and arms around the post.
"Now! Attack her before she gets loose!" Tuxedo Mask shouted.
"Venus Love and Beauty…. Shock!"
"Submarine.... Reflection!"
Shui Kyokou wailed in misery as both attacks combined, and, after a few moments of pressure from both attacks, there was a large cracking noise, and Shui Kyokou Tokage exploded into a cloud of sparkling dust. A small, wooden statuette of a chameleon sitting on a branch, sticking out its tongue to catch a dragonfly at the other end of the stick fell to the ground. There was a crack running through the carefully carved piece.
The three walked over and peered down at it. Then looking at each other, they allowed themselves a smile, as congratulations.
Then, becoming serious again, Tuxedo Mask said, "I think we should go check up on Sailor Moon. I've been sensing some feelings of distress from her for a bit now."
The other two nodded, and then, they were off.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"If that wasn't Leon, then we had better find where he is. It sounds like he sent some kagemusha out after us, so we're probably not the only one's to have dealt with them." Uranus said, as she absently poked the small, cracked wooden statuette at her feet. It was of a chameleon hanging upside down on a branch, it's hands and feet wrapping strongly around the branch it sat upon.
"That's also why she went for our communication devices. We probably all would have ended up calling each other at midnight, and figured out what was going on sooner." Mars said, with her eyes narrowed, as she candled her hand into her chest. "I bet everyone else's devices are broken, too."
"Well then, who should we go after first?" Sailor Moon asked, confused. "Leon could be in any of three other places!"
"Make that any of two other places!" The three girls turned to see Venus, Neptune and Tuxedo Mask running into the stadium. They stopped when they reached the center, where Sailor Moon, Uranus, and Mars were standing. "Looks like Leon wasn't here, ether." Venus frowned.
"No... A kagemusha, calling herself 'Jii Akuhu Tokage' who was impersonating Leon attacked instead. Mars made her drop her disguise when she threw an omamori at her." Uranus explained.
As the attention shifted to Mars, Venus shouted in surprise, "Mars! What happened to your hand?!"
"Jii Akuhu. I was reaching for my communication device, and she just reached out and engulfed my hand and my communicator in her hand, and crushed them both. She was still Leon at that point, though."
"Here, let me stop the bleeding... You're going to need Saturn's powers to heal something that serious, though." Tuxedo Mask reached for Mars's hand, which she gently gave to him.
"It's odd..." Neptune commented. "The kagemusha who attacked us didn't seam to have any power in her hands at all. She just had a very long, sticky tongue."
Uranus shrugged. "Perhaps he designs his kagemusha with different characteristics. It makes sense to me."
"So there's one more kagemusha, and Leon left. Who do you think's where?" Sailor Moon addressed the question in all of their minds.
"Leon's at the Zoo." All heads turned to see Saturn enter, with Jupiter leaning on her. The height difference between the two girls was almost comical, if it weren't for the fact that Jupiter was almost unconscious as she walked. "A shape-shifting kagemusha attacked us. If you all are here, that means Leon's at the Zoo."
"What happened to Jupiter?" Venus asked, as she took fighting senshi's semi-limp form away from the Saturn, allowing Jupiter to lean on her instead.
"Sanban Henkei Tokage- the kagemusha- attacked her first. She threw a weight at her head, and knocked her out before we even knew she was there. It didn't take me long to realize that who I was battling wasn't Leon, because I've fought him before. Her form was almost perfect, but she accidentally let her height show, and her voice wasn't right. I told her what I thought, she changed back, and we fought."
"Did she fight with her hands, or her tongue?" Neptune asked, as she knelt down, to look Saturn over.
"Neither. She fought by shifting her shape. She even took on Sailor Moon's form at one point, to try and fool me into not attacking her." Saturn frowned. "In fact, she took on all of your forms at one point or another."
Tuxedo Mask cringed. "Are you alright then? I mean, mentally? Fighting friends is a good strategy for someone who wants to tear up their opponent from the inside out."
Saturn smiled her dark smile at Tuxedo Mask. "I'll be fine. I knew it wasn't you guys. The only time I had a problem was when she changed to look like Jupiter. Then she feigned unconsciousness, and I couldn't tell the difference between her and the real Jupiter to attack."
Mars looked concerned at Jupiter. "You didn't attack her, did you?"
"No... But it was a near thing. I'd rather not talk about it." Saturn looked at Jupiter, and changed the subject. "I healed the wounds Sanban Henkei caused, and the ones she got from being so close to my attack, but I couldn't get her to wake up fully."
"That's alright, Saturn. You did the best you could." Uranus smoothed down her child's hair. Then, looking up at the rest of the group, she addressed them, "I think we had best get on our way to the Zoo. I think we all know that Mercury's not the strongest when it comes to all out attacks, and Titan's still new at being a scout. They probably need all the help they can get."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Note....BOMBARDATION!" Sailor Titan sent her attack off towards the birds of prey, which were dive bombing them. She could barely see where to attack, due to the fact that Mercury had used her 'Shabon Spray.' It provided them with cover, but it also made it just as hard for them to see where to direct their attacks.
"Aqua... Rhapsody!" Titan heard the Tiger thunder, as the attack must have hit it.
"That's seven down!" She murmured to herself, before narrowly missing having her eyes gouged out, as an eagle swooped down.
"Note....BOMBARDATION!" She quickly sent the frosty notes whizzing after the bird, before she lost sight of it. It shouted in frustration, as it's tail feathers were suddenly frozen, starting it into a nose dive.
They still had three lionesses, two crocodiles, the elephant, and two birds of prey left to deal with. Luckily, the elephant couldn't see well enough to trample them, and he was large enough for them to move, if he happened to spot them.
"Come now, girls!" Leon's laughing voice cut through the mist like a deadly sharp knife. "How long do you think you can keep this up?! Even if you do manage to get rid of all these tools, I'm in the middle of a virtual bank of weapons for me! Just give it up, and die like nice little brats."
"Shut up!" Titan screamed at him. "You haven't changed a bit since the Silver Millennium! You're still a coward who hides behind others, depending on them to do his work!"
Titan's comment seamed to anger Leon, and she was surprised to suddenly here him so close by, as he shouted, "Ringleader's Lashing!"
She dropped to the ground to avoid the whip, and found herself face to face with one of the remaining crocodiles. Screaming, she rolled away from it, and suddenly felt the ground drop away.
"You weren't aware of how far this little battle carried you, were you, Titan?" He shouted after her, as she rolled down a steep, cement surface. "Perhaps I should tell you, this little smoke screen you have set up may fool the animals, but I can see right through it. You're not hiding from anyone!"
"Titan?! Where are you?!" Mercury's frantic voice cut through the mist suddenly. "Help!"
"Mercury? Mer-!" Titan was cut off, as she was suddenly plunged into frigid water. Coming up to the surface, she looked around, as the water dripped into her eyes. She had fallen so far, that she was below the hovering mist, and could see the enclosure she was in, as it was set bellow the level of the walking track. As she realized where she was she smiled.
Pulling herself from the water, and on to the island in the middle, she looked down at the small, black and white bird that stood next to her, looking as surprised as a bird could.
"Kwaaa?" It asked.
"Don't worry... I'll be out of your home soon." Titan reassured the penguin. Walking across the artificial ice, she made her way over to a hidden pump that created a waterfall within the enclosure. Facing towards it, she called forth her keyboard, and attacked. "Note... BOMBARDATION!" As the notes collided with the pump, it froze up, creating a tremendous pressure in the water.
"TITAN!" Mercury screamed.
"Coming!" The pump exploded, releasing a surge of water in an eruption. Closing her eyes, and focusing on the power she had felt when she had frozen Ceen Tear into her hands, she jumped straddle legged into the upward spray, with her hands facing downward between her legs.
The result was instant. Her sub-zero temperature hands froze the water as it came near, lifting Titan further and further into the air, as more water gushed forth.
"KWAA!" The penguin shouted in surprise, and ran to hide in its cave.
Once the spray reached it's maximum height, Titan leapt into the air, scanning from above for Mercury, and quickly spotted her, as she began her decent. She was cornered the two remaining crocs, and the elephant. Titan hit the ground running, once again pulling out her keyboard, which had returned to it's sub space pocket as soon as she was finished using it. "Note... BOMBARDATION!" She screamed, one of the crocs turning and trying to bite her leg, but freezing before it could snap its deadly jaws. The other crocodile tried to run, but too, was frozen before it could fully act out its intentions. The elephant swung it's massive head, knocking Mercury to the ground, but missing gouging her with his tusks, before it was also turned into ice.
Looking around then, as she helped Mercury to her feet, Titan noticed the remaining Lionesses and Birds laying, also frozen, in large blocks of ice, from Mercury's 'Shine Aqua Illusion.'
"Well. Looks like you Scouts have managed to surprise me again." Leon said, stepping through the now clearing mist. "I would have never guessed that such weak scouts could be so hard to kill."
"You underestimated us, Leon. That was a deadly mistake." Mercury said, as she scowled.
"Was it really? As I said earlier, this place is literally a bank of weapons for me." Leon smirked.
Titan scowled. "Why don't you just give up, Leon. Admit that you messed up. Run home with your tail tucked between you legs, because this is one fight you're not going to come out of alive if you don't." She sneered. "I'm a lot stronger than I was in the Silver Millennium. Physically and Mentally. Don't think I'll let you kill me again."
Leon said nothing, scowling back at the two girls, as the last of the mist blew away. Then, ever so fast, he released his whip. "Ringleader's Lashing!"
"COVER!" Titan threw up her arms across her eyes. Instantly, a dozen Bisetsu appeared, mimicking Titan's pose with their silver eyes covered. They stood in a circle around Mercury and Titan, creating a shield of ice, that Leon's whip snapped against.
"A mere parlor trick!" Leon shouted, trying to convince himself more than frighten the girls. He called out a new attack, "Lion Claw!" He dashed forward, to the circle of Bisetsu, with his hands in an aggressive attack pose, his fingers now clawed with large, shiny black cat's claws. As he brought one hand down onto a Bisetsu, it exploded into a cloud of snow. "YES!" he cried like a madman.
"You loose!" Sailor Titan yelled back, as she reached out, and touched Leon's outstretched hand with her own, again summoning her freezing touch.
Leon immediately realized what he had done, as he felt his body temperature drop. "NOOOO!" He roared, as ice crystals formed from his hand, and spread up his arm, until his entire body was incased in ice.
Mercury blinked in surprise at the sudden calm, as Leon was turned into an ice statue. She turned to Titan. "Wow. That was a great move." She complimented.
Titan smiled weakly. "Thanks. But summoning that many Bisetsu really drained me. It's a good thing the battle's over."
Mercury shook her head. "I don't think it's over yet. I tried to call the others, but no one answered the distress call. I think they might be in trouble too."
"How? Leon was here, attacking us. It's not like he could be in more than one place at once." Az said, sitting down on a frozen lioness like she was a bench.
"No.... No he couldn't... But he might have sent kagemusha after-" Mercury never had a chance to finish her hypothesis. Without warning, Leon had exploded from his ice prison, with a terrifying roar. Both girls were on their feet facing their adversary when they realized that this was a fight far from over. Leon had changed shape.
Before, he had been a pleasant looking ringleader with pointed ears... Now, he looked like a very powerful version of one of his kagemusha... A Lion Kagemusha. His hair was no longer slicked down, and created a wild mane around his face. His pointed ears still managed to show through, however. His nose had elongated and turned black. His dark green eyes were no longer dark, and the pupils were stretched like a cat's. Sharp teeth protruded from his mouth, and a light yellow fur grew all over his body. His hands now both were permanently in the 'Lion's Claw' attack mode, and looked deadlier than ever. He was balanced up on his toes, which had merged into three large toes on each foot, with a large black claw extended from each. All that remained of his clothing were his gray knickers, from the back of which protruded a twitching lion's tail.
He looked mad.
"Really girls..." He growled, as he slowly advanced on them, "I tried to be reasonable. I was more than fair.... But you wouldn't die!" He screamed, showing all of his jagged teeth. "Now... You've forced me to be firm!" He pounced, leaping a good twelve feet into the air, claws extended, arms outstretched.
"RUN!" Mercury screamed, as they both bolted in two different directions, to avoid being hit by Leon.
Mercury continued running for a time, until she realized that Leon had decided to chase Titan, instead of her. She looked back in the direction she had came from, a worried expression on her face. She could hear Leon roaring, and it was disturbing the animals. She grabbed her communication device. "I know it didn't work before... But maybe it will. I've got to try!" She thought desperately.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Uhnnnn..." Jupiter moaned. Uranus, who was helping Tuxedo Mask support her as they made their way to the zoo, looked at her, concerned. Jupiter's large, green eyes fluttered open.
"Oi!" Uranus called to the others to stop. "She's waking up!"
"My.... Communicator...." She murmured.
"They were all destroyed in the battles, remember?" Venus reminded the slightly dazed scout.
"No!" Saturn suddenly shouted. "Jupiter's wasn't destroyed! She was knocked out before she could even go for it!"
"Get it out!" Mars commanded.
Jupiter's eyes focused, unfocused, and then focused again, as she blinked several times. Then, she shifted her weight on to her own feet, and pulled her arms from around Tuxedo Mask and Uranus. She then pulled out her communicator, which was beeping frantically. Sailor Moon took it, and pressed the answer button. Immediately, Sailor Mercury's face appeared on the view screen.
"Guys!" The slightly metallic ring to her voice was due to the communicator. "You gotta get here now! We're in big trouble and-" an earth shaking roar was heard in the background of her message, "I don't know how long we can last. He powered up!"
"We're coming as fast as we can, but Jupiter's hurt, and so's Mars. We can't move very fast." Sailor Moon replied.
"We don't have that much time!" Mercury looked worried. "If you have to, leave them behind, because we can't last much longer. Hurry!" The screen blipped off, turning dark.
Mars frowned. "She's right. Jupiter and I are only slowing you down. Leave Jupiter with me, and go ahead. We'll head back to her apartment. It's closest."
Jupiter nodded, as she swayed on her feet. "...Yeah.... Sorry... Should'a sensed.... the attack..."
"There's no use in going over it now, we've got to hurry." Venus reminded everyone.
"Right. Let's go." Neptune agreed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Give.... It.... UP!" Leon accentuated each word, as he attempted to claw Titan down the middle. "You... Will.... Die!"
Titan dodged his attacks, but only nearly. She had no training in marshal arts, and was not at all suited to hand to hand combat. And because Leon wasn't about to allow himself to be fooled into being turned into an ice statue again, Titan was put very much on the defense.
"Why... Are you doing this?" She asked, as she jumped a deadly clawed kick.
"What's with you scouts, and needing reasons behind what you do?" Leon growled back. "Can't you understand that sometimes-" He suddenly kicked her feet out from under her, sending her crashing to the ground, "you don't need-" He punched at her, but she rolled away, making him hit the ground, leaving quite an pothole, "a reason to-" he punched at her with the other hand, while leaving the first hand in place, so when she rolled again to dodge, she was trapped between his arms, "do. What. You. Do." He spoke slowly, leaning over, so his face was nose to nose with Titan's.
Titan recoiled upon feeling his humid, unpleasant breath on her face.
Leon roared, and was about to bite Titan's neck, and rip out her throat, when he was distracted.
"Shine Aqua... ILLUSION!" The stinging ice water knocked Leon off of Titan, and into a nearby wall, freezing him into a block of ice.
Titan quickly got to her feet. "Where were you?"
"Contacting the others." She looked back at Leon, and his ice prison. "Don't look now, but that's not going to hold him for long. The ice is cracking again!" Indeed it was. Even through the ice, the girls could see how his eyes were glowing with a blood red anger.
"What are we going to do? We're not strong enough to get rid of him!" Titan wailed.
"Try a new attack."
Both girls turned to see Pluto standing behind them, her large staff, as always, in her hands.
"What?" They both chorused.
"Titan. You have a plethora of attacks. Most are unavailable to you right now, but there is one, besides 'Note Bombardation,' that you should have access to right now."
"But she's only been a scout for four days! It took us months to power up our attacks!" Mercury protested in disbelief.
"Titan belongs to a special group of senshi. She has another attack she can use." Pluto turned to face Titan. "You just have to remember it."
"GRAAAAUUUUUAAAAAAA!" Leon broke the top half of his icy dungeon, but his legs were still trapped. "I'M COMING FOR YOU!" He thundered, as he began to punch and claw at the ice around his legs.
"Hurry, Titan. You don't have much time!" Pluto urged.
Titan nodded, and closed her eyes, searching her mind for anything.... Anything at all! Pictures filled her head, as she accessed her new memories of the Silver Millennium. "Season of... No, that's not it! Musical..... No, that one's not it ether...." Suddenly she remembered. Her eyes snapped open, just as Leon finished freeing his legs with one final yell of triumph.
Titan laced her fingers together in front of her eyes, excepting her thumbs, which both pointed upwards, towards the sky, and had a thin line of blue light strung between them. Then, she slowly pulled them far apart, to ether side of her face. "Senshi..." She began, as beams of light burst from her fingertips, and connected her fingers together, in the same way that her thumbs were connected. "...Staff..." She brought her right hand down in a swinging arc, so that her hand was at a right angle to her arm, which was now crossing her body at the hips. This action caused a new blue beam to be formed in the air, to which the original five the beams of blue light connected at, creating ten rows of lines, that hovered in the air in front of her, ending on her right side in the new blue beam. She then quickly brought down her left hand to clasp her right, creating another line of blue light, closing in the ten lines. She rotated her body slightly away, as a treble clef sign appeared on the top five lines, and a bass clef appeared on the lower five. Then, with one final yell, she swung her hands forward, with the fingers splayed, hands at right angles, towards Leon who was now charging her. "SEARCH!"
The staff- for it was now apparent that that was what her attack was imitating- rotated, and began to extend, creating measure after measure of blank musical staff. Then, as it neared Leon, the lines separated, and wrapped around Leon's wrists, ankles, neck, legs, arms, and tail. Titan grabbed the beginning of the staff, hands wrapped around the first bar, and yanked it viciously. The result was immediate. Leon stopped charging and began howling. The lines had tightened at Titan's yank, and were biting into Leon's flesh.
"Damn you!" He howled, as he tried to snap the staff with his claws.
"Ah-ah!" Titan scolded, and yanked upon the staff again. This time, she drew blood. She turned to Pluto and Mercury. "I can hold him, but I can't finish him off!"
"I can." Sailor Moon stated, as she and the rest of the scouts, minus Mars and Jupiter, dashed up. Leon howled in frustration.
"Damn you all! You damn scouts don't know how vulnerable you are!" He snarled.
"I gave you more than enough time to talk, and both times, you passed up the opportunity. You will be silent now!" Titan shouted back, yanking the staff again, causing Leon to bellow in agony.
"I can purify you. You wouldn't die, and you could lead an entire new life, free of the pain of your current master!" Sailor Moon offered.
Leon snarled, baring all of his deadly teeth. "I said it in the Silver Millennium, and I'll say it again- UNINTERESTED!"
"Then you leave me no choice." Sailor Moon said sadly. Reaching into her sub-space pocket, Sailor Moon retrieved the Purity Chalice. "Crisis.... Make UP!" The multi-coloured butterflies flew from the cup, successfully transforming Sailor Moon into Super Sailor Moon. She then brought forth her wand, and proceeded to call her attack. "Rainbow.... Moon.... Heart... ACHE!"
Leon's wide eyes reflected the bright pink light of the large heart-printed ribbon of manna flying towards him, his mouth open, and thundering in his deep, frightening voice, a final protest.
Titan released Leon from the staff, as he was crushed by Sailor Moon's power. As the pink light faded, Leon dropped to his knees. "...D-damn you..." He muttered, before pitching forward. To everyone's surprise, he then began to melt in to a black-purple puddle which, then evaporated, and Leon was gone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Azrielle, you do realize how incredible this is, don't you?" Dr. Iincyou, the head doctor and Azrielle's personal psychiatrist. "You've been here for the briefest period of time... But suddenly, you are 100% better. You said in an earlier session that you were hearing a voice taunting about the deaths of your family. Even that's stopped?"
Az smiled. "Yes, Doctor. I feel better than I ever have in my life, now."
Dr. Iincyou bit the top of a pen absently. "What do you think caused this change? Perhaps we can use your experiences to help others with symptoms like yours."
"I don't think so, Doctor." Az lowered her eyes. "You see, I owe my recovery to my friends."
The doctor lifted up a sheet and peered at something on his desk. "Ami Mizuno? The girl who came and picked you up twice?"
Az nodded. "Yes. With her help, and the others, I've been able to see that....That my life isn't the same as it was. It's better. I have a new chance now, and I want to do it right. What's in my past is in my past. I can't help it, but I can continue to live. Ami... She's helped me find my new purpose in life." She smiled again. "Doctor... You have been so helpful to me. But I don't need you anymore."
"So.... You'd say that good friends are what cured you?" Dr. Iincyou asked, writing on a note pad.
"Good friends... And fate, yes." Az said.
Dr. Iincyou sighed, and stood up behind his desk, tossing his note pad aside. "Well, we can't keep you here, if you want to go." He smiled. "I'll go draw up the papers for your release."
Az practically glowed. "Thank you, Dr. Iincyou." she called after him as he left. Turning back around in her chair, she noticed that his note pad had fallen so that it was facing her when Dr. Iincyou had tossed it. All he had written was a large, bold question mark.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Haruka, your plan worked perfectly. Thanks to you, I was able to repay the debt I owed Leon." Az said, bowing deeply. "Thank you ever so much."
Haruka blushed ever so slightly. "It's nothing that any of the other's wouldn't have done... And you would have done the same for me."
Makoto frowned. "I wish I could have been there. I hate missing the action!" She complained, rubbing the sore spot at the base of her neck with one hand.
It was two days after Leon's death, and Az had been released with a clean bill of health. Now, Everyone was gathered at the Hikawa Shrine, in the back yard area. Az had all of her suitcases and other belongings with her.
Ami looked Az in the eyes. "You don't have to leave." She stated, addressing the topic that the others had been avoiding. "You could come live with me."
Az smiled sadly. "There's nothing I would like more, Ami. But right now, I think I need some time to think about everything that has happened." Az saw Ami's mouth open. "Alone. The doctors said I was better, but I still have some feelings that need to be sorted out. I'll be back, eventually. I promise. But for now.... I need to be alone."
Ami sniffed, as tears began to well up behind her eyes. "I- I'll miss you Az!" She threw her arms around the tall American girl. Az looked surprised for a moment, and then hugged Ami back.
"I'll miss you too, Ami. But I'll be back. It's not like I'm leaving for ever." She separated from Ami.
"I know that..." Ami sniffed again. "I- It's just that... Well, you've become such a good friend. I'm going to miss you so much!"
"She's not the only one, Az." Bunny spoke up. "We're all going to miss you." The others nodded.
"It's not every day that a new scout awakens." Hotaru explained.
"We're all connected with that special blessing... And we like to take care of each other." Rei stated.
Az nodded. "I think I should go now."
"I agree. Sometimes the worse good byes are the ones that are too prolonged." Setsuna conformed.
"The coast is clear. You better go now." Luna announced.
Minako nodded. "Right! Ready....?"
"Moon Crystal Power!"
"Mercury Planet Power!"
"Mars Planet Power!"
"Jupiter Planet Power!"
"Venus Planet Power!"
"Uranus Planet Power!"
"Neptune Planet Power!"
"Saturn Planet Power!"
"Pluto Planet Power!"
"Just think of the place you want to go, and you will be transported there." Pluto explained. "This wouldn't work on a normal person, but because you're a scout, we can send you away using the Sailor Teleport, without going ourselves."
The nine scouts joined hands in a circle around Az, and her belongings, closing their eyes. Bright light burst from each, reaching up to the sky, the colours corresponding with the Scouts colour of choice.
"Sailor....!" Venus yelled.
"TELEPORT!" The others finished.
There was a flash of rainbow coloured light and then, Azrielle was gone.
"Good bye, Az." Mercury murmured weakly.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hmph. Good riddance to bad rubbish." Copi said merrily to herself, as she destroyed Leon's belongings. The fire was snapping and exploding violently, with the release of all the evil magic from the small wooden statues that were burning.
She smiled to herself. "He never stood a chance." Copi had, against Leon's orders, followed him to oversee his battle. She had simply shifted forms, and watched the battle at her leisure, not sure who she wanted to kill whom more. When Titan had climbed up onto the island that she had been on, it had startled her, for she was quite vulnerable in that form, but when she realized that the foolish scout couldn't sense that she wasn't actually a penguin, she had laughed in her head.
After that, she watched as they destroyed her lesser, leaving the job- and the glory- all to her.
"Yes... Now that he's out of the way, I can prove to the Master how much I deserve to be leveled up." She grinned, exposing sharp canine teeth. "And I know just how to do it."