Chapter 6
"Are we ready?" Mamoru made eye contact with each of the three girls.
"Yes, ready as I'll ever be," Ami said.
Rei nodded. "Me, too."
"Let's do it!" Usagi smiled.
"Remember the plan, ladies, and stick to it!"
Together they left Mamoru's apartment building and joined the crowded streets of Tokyo. Each gazed enviably at the people, content and naïve, who rushed to work or school. Echoing Mamoru's earlier wish, they all thought how nice it would be to be one of them, with no idea of the danger around them.
Rei looked up. Smiling, she read their minds. "Nice, yes, and peaceful, but, hey, boring!" They smiled back at her.
"Thanks for reminding me," Ami said.
~~~
They made their way unhurriedly to the park and walked to the place of Mamoru's dream.
"Here," he said. "This is where it starts for me."
The guardians looked up at them. "Transform, everyone. We have work to do!"
"Moon Crystal Power! Make Up!"
"Mercury planet power!"
"Mars planet power!"
"Make up!"
Mamoru watched appreciatively as the girls morphed, and then with a flutter of red and black, he became Tuxedo Mask.
The scene in the park on this bright morning was not far different from his dream. Standing close to him, Sailor Moon could see the sweat forming on his upper lip. Her gloved hand joined with his and she met his eyes.
"Steady," she mouthed.
Standing on the manicured lawn of the park, they formed a tight line, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask flanked by Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury. The incongruity of the scene was lost on the four tense young people.
Suddenly static electricity filled the air, and their hair floated eerily around their heads. The air thickened, and with a ripping sound Day Mare appeared.
"Back for more, boy and girls? So am I!"
With a cry she threw out her arms and waves of power pulsed from her fingertips.
"Hold fast, everyone!" cried Tuxedo Mask. "Resist! Mars, your charm!"
"Yup!" The printed paper fluttered in the wind as she held it to her forehead and chanted the words of power.
"Rin, pyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, sai, zen. Akuryou taisan!" With a cry she heaved it at Day Mare. Screaming, Day Mare clutched her forehead, trying to remove the powerful magic.
Mercury, Mars and Moon powered up.
"Mercury aqua illusion!" she blasted.
"Mars fire surround!" and the fire followed the water.
"Moon tiara magic!" Sailor Moon added to the attacks, and their combined efforts crashed into Day Mare.
"No! You think that will destroy me?" Day Mare panted. "Try this!" She threw her arms out, and her gowns billowed around her.
"Day Mare Captivation!"
The senshi looked apprehensively around. Waves of energy formed around her hands, but Day Mare's attack seemed to do nothing.
"She's weak! Now Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask cried.
"Right! Moon Princess Halation!"
"Noooo!" Day Mare screamed in agony as the halation worked its magic on her and turned her to dust.
"We did it!"
"Way to go, girl!"
"You were awesome!"
"Ladies, my compliments!"
Suddenly, the sun went out.
~~~
Of course, that's not what really happened, but the light seemed to be sucked out of the park. Darkness gripped the scene, and Mamoru found himself standing in his dream.
"Sailor Moon?"
"Here, Tuxedo Mask," she answered, moving closer. "Is this your dream?"
"We'll see," he replied.
Night in day, the area around the trees seemed to glow with a sinister light. The air ominously began to thicken. A ghostly figure appeared.
Apparently male, he wore robes of dark colors – black purple, blue gray, and white – and he hovered in the air above them.
"What have you done?" his voice boomed and echoed in the still air. "Come to play your little games, and destroyed my Day Mare? You will pay for this! I am Night Mare, and what you have witnessed before is nothing compared to this!"
Mist poured from where he floated, and gathered around the senshi. Each of them poised for another battle.
"Mars firebird!"
"Mercury bubbles!"
But the attacks failed to materialize, leaving the girls dumbfounded. Mercury whipped out her computer and began a series of rapid calculations.
"What?" Mars cried.
"Don't bother! You will both come with me, now!" His arms came up, and from his hands rolled a blast of energy.
"Ahhh!" Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury both screamed and clutched themselves, Mercury's computer falling from her suddenly nerveless fingers.,
Mercury's eyes, huge and lost in her white face, darted around. "No! No! I can't do this, I can't fight. I'm weak and I can't!" She flung her hands up and covered her eyes. Weeping and moaning, she stumbled to the ground. "My fault. My friends will be destroyed and it's all my fault!"
Mars stared in amazement. "Sailor Mercury? Get up! One aqua illusion should do it. I have faith in you!" Suddenly her eyes also reflected an inner torment. "Oh, no," she whispered. "The spirits are all around us. I've offended them! How, oh spirits? How can I make it up to you?" and she, too, stumbled to the ground, her forehead touching the grass.
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask watched in horror.
"Mars! Mercury! Get up! Remember this is an illusion, just a dream! Don't let him get you!" Sailor Moon yelled and tried to reach her fallen friends.
"Ha!" Night Mare snorted. "They are already mine!"
"I can't move, Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Mask grunted with effort.
"Neither can I," she cried, panting.
As they struggled helplessly against their invisible bonds, both Mercury and Mars collapsed.
"What have you done?" Sailor Moon moaned.
"The same thing as Day Mare – borrowed their dream-selves for Queen Mab. You destroyed my companion? Well, lovers, I'll take care of you in good time!"
The static in the air increased, and Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon watched numbly as a door materialized in front of them. Night Mare spared them not even a glance as he walked through the door. It shut silently and was gone.
~~~
The guardians, Mamoru and Usagi stood silently in the temple. The four girls lay before them, still as death. Only the rise and fall of their coverings proved they still lived. Usagi kissed each girl on the forehead, then went to pray.
Mamoru moved to where grandpa and Chad waited. Bowing, he spoke quietly. "She fought with honor, sir, but these enemies are very strong. I promise we'll do all we can to bring her back to you both."
Grandpa nodded. "We'll be here, watching. They're safe with us. Make sure you don't return here in the same state."
"I'll do my best, sir." Bowing again, Mamoru went to find Usagi.
~~~
Mamoru sat beside Usagi on a bench outside the temple, and watched as she came to grips with the morning's events. He picked up her cold hand and rubbed it gently. When that got no response he put his arm around her and pulled her onto his lap. Hugging her tightly he rocked her back and forth, kissing her temple softly.
"Usa-ko?"
She let her head fall against his shoulder, bringing her arms up and around his neck. She began to cry.
"Cry, sweetheart, You'll feel better if you get it all out."
She sobbed achingly, moaning her friends' names in a litany of loss. Clutching Mamoru's shirt tightly she let him rock and sooth her. When her sobs turned to sniffles and hiccups, he continued to hold her.
"We played into their hands," she said hoarsely.
Mamoru looked down to see her looking up at him.
"I know," he said softly, "and I mean to do it again."
"What?" She sat up straighter. "What are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to go back, and I'm following Night Mare through that door. Since neither of the Mares has made a move to touch you, and Queen Mab seems to be leaving you out of it, I want you to stay here and wait for me. This is my fight."
"No! Are you insane? I won't let you go and end up like the others without me! You think that I've been untouched? I think she's been torturing me through you, through all of you. I have as much stake in this fight as you. I'm coming with you and we'll free our friends and destroy Mab together!"
~~~
So they returned to the park.
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask approached the place where they had last seen Night Mare. Leaning against a tree, Tuxedo Mask closed his eyes for a moment, smelled the warm summer day, and listened to the sounds of normalcy. He smiled ruefully, wishing once again for a part of that normalcy, even if it was boring. Sailor Moon stood just in front of him. He reached out and pulled her against him, breathing deeply of the magic that was his only love.
The guardians sat quietly, giving them this moment of privacy while they surveyed the area carefully.
Suddenly they all felt everything around them go still, and they could feel the hair on their bodies rise as static electricity filled the air. The door appeared before them and slowly opened. No one appeared.
"They've called us," Tuxedo Mask said, letting Sailor Moon go as he stepped away from the tree.
"I'm with you," Sailor Moon responded.
They entered the doorway, and stepped over the threshold.