Episode Calaveras

Calaveras Seducing Sora? Minako's Newest Love-Rival

Aboard the Black Moon warship, Ultimecia and the Specter Sisters sat around the holographic console which served as a meeting ground for their next missions. Hyena and Rubeus on the other hand weren't there yet, so it was imperative that this was very important for them.

"Until the Silver Crystal is reduced to dust and ashes, we are vulnerable. The Warriors of Light are still protecting the Rabbit. They're more dangerous than you realize," scowled Petz.

"Dangerous to the Black Moon fleet, Petz, not to the Silver Crystal," remarked Koan.

"Those accursed blights from this timeline still continue to thwart us at every turn, no matter-"

"The accursed blights will no longer be of any concern to us. I have received word from Wiseman that he has just managed to transfer some of his power to the Nemesis of this timeline. The last remnants of the world of the past will be swept away," interrupted Rubeus, who arrived with Hyena Razor Droid at his side.

"But this is impossible. How will we be able to maintain control over history if our world from before we fled to it has darkness upon it?" questioned the dark lightning user.

"A new era of darkness will be upon this world, after we insight the change and become the masters of Kingdom Hearts. Fear will keep the people of all worlds in line. Fear of our chosen king," he remarked.

"And what of the Warriors of Light? If those foolish pests have managed to undermine our plans to rewrite history so that we are the rightful masters of destiny, it is possible, however unlikely, that they may find us out, and exploit that weakness," interjected Calaveras.

"The foolish little girl's heart will soon be in Rubeus' hands," said Hyena.

"Any attacks made on our vessel would be a useless gesture, no matter how much information they've gotten about us. This warship is now the ultimate power in Black Moon. I suggest we use it," explained Berthier.

"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a world is insignificant, next to the true power of darkness," grinned the dark Keyblade Wielder.

"Well, don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Hyena. Your sad devotion to your deceased adopted mother does not help you conjure up the Rabbit's presence to us. Or given you clairvoyance, enough, to find out who those Sailor Guardians really-" Petz scoffed, only to have her throat being grabbed by Hyena's mechanical arm.

All three Specter Sisters were horrified, but Ultimecia gained a truly malicious smile when she saw the eldest of the Specter Sisters lifted up from her seat, as she struggled to get herself free from her ally's grip.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing," he said darkly to her.

"Enough of this! Hyena, release her!" barked Rubeus.

"As you wish," Hyena replied, and he dropped Petz to the ground.

The dark lightning mage began breathing heavily, horrified by the threat of death.

"This bickering is tiresome. Now Hyena will provide us with an opportunity to exploit a weakness in the Warriors of Light, by the time the Rabbit is unwilling to intervene in their infighting. We will then crush them all with one singular stroke, and the heart of the Rabbit will be mine for the taking," he explained to them.

"I concur with Rubeus on this one. Calaveras, seeing as you haven't formed a crush on any boy in this world, I have a special mission for you, which Rubeus has approved thanks to my asking him. You will seek out Sora Lucis Caelum, and utilize your own personal charm to seduce him," added Ultimecia.

"With pleasure, Ultimecia. I'll do whatever I can to make his heart be mine," replied the Dark Beaut wielder.

Down on the streets of Juban, even though Usagi was still shook up about Mamoru declaring their relationship over, Sora was unsure of what was happening, despite knowing that the four Specter Sisters were still plotting from the shadows like most of his enemies.

"I know that it's not my place, but I get the feeling that those Specter Sisters really want us all going against each other, until we're ripped and torn asunder by their dark twisted hands. It may not make any sense, but I'm worried that once they exploit Usagi and Rei's infighting as a weakness, they'll surely have them killed for it," he said to Luna.

"Sora, please, don't say those things. Usagi and Rei may be friends, but sometimes their friendship has always been put through a lot of harsh trials. Yes, their arguing and infighting may get out of hand from time to time, but that doesn't mean that they'd let it get in the way of fighting an enemy they have in common, which is the darkness. The fact of the matter is that you're still afraid that they will get themselves killed if they fight with each other again," the dark colored cat said with a look of pure worry in her eyes.

"What Luna says is the truth, Sora. We all know how you were upset about how we told you the story of when Sailor Moon and her companions gave their lives to destroy the Dark Kingdom, but Maleficent turning the Makai Tree into ashes along with Ail and An so that Sephiroth would absorb their souls is what made us even more motivated to fight them, despite our burning hatred of that evil fairy," added Artemis.

"I know what you mean. That Maleficent… she really knows how to make me so mad I just want to do something that'd make Sailor Moon so scared, she'd actually try and stop me from going too far in my false beliefs, but either way. After what they tried to do in their attempt to tear us all apart, we have to strike back against them. Even if it means you have to dish out some serious consequences," Sora explained quietly.

"We understand, Sora. Maleficent is 100% unforgivable, as well as pure evil, but trying to avenge Ail and An's deaths won't solve anything, if you want them to be remembered with thoughts of rage and vengeance eating away at your heart. We have to find a more peaceful way of ensuring that they rest in peace, rather than desecrate their memories with thoughts of revenge poisoning our hearts with darkness," assured Luna.

"That's right. In fact, we all know how you feel, after Usagi told us about how you were hurting after your father chose to leave you and your mother on the day you were born, and they all understand you. Even Mina became aware of your scar, which lingers on your heart," added the white cat.

Knowing now that all of his friends and family could understand what he was going through, Sora smiled peacefully, then decided to leave Tsukino Residence to spend a bit of time with one of his friends.

"Oh, Sora, where are you going?" Chibiusa asked when she saw him.

"I felt like heading to Juban Park with Minako for a little while, but I'll hold off until tomorrow," Sora replied.

"Oh, okay then," she said quietly.

"Huh? What's up, Chibiusa?" Usagi asked curiously.

"Sora told me that he's heading to Juban Park with Minako for a bit. I don't know why, but part of me thinks he's a bit like Mamo," the little girl explained to her.

This made the odango-twintail look curiously at him, and she saw that Sora was a tiny bit like Mamoru, despite sharing some of her characteristics.

"I feel like it's best if we left him alone for a little while. Also, after what Luna and the others told us, Sora's pain is our pain, Chibiusa. All of us know that his father leaving him hurt him in a terrible way, after what his mother said. Still, compared to what happened, and thanks to Usagi's curry rice turning out great, I have a feeling that if she did travel to twilight town to meet Uncle Scrooge McDuck, Little Chef would most certainly help her be a great chef, but the sight of him tugging on her hair would leave Rei feeling amused," explained Riku.

Usagi did seem rather surprised, but at the same time, she began to think that Rei would indeed laugh her head off at seeing Usagi being treated like a puppet by the small rat who was a culinary artist, like Da Vinci and Picasso. Could she even bring herself to trust that small creature? She brushed it off and decided to head to bed for a while. Meanwhile, Mamoru, despite his belief that both he and Usagi should remain apart, was suddenly visited by something in his dreams, as he was floating in a black void, which turned white as two spectral figures appeared at his side.

"Hey, Mamoru. You okay?" a voice said to him.

"Yeah," Mamoru replied quietly.

"Made it through with only a few scrapes and bruises back then…" the voice said again, coming from what appeared to be another version of himself.

"Back then?" he wondered.

"Whaddya say? We doing this?" asked the other Mamoru.

"Have we–" Mamoru was about to say.

"Never mind about that. Right now, you need to focus on yourself. And what you fear most of all in all worlds," the specter said to him.

"I fear being with Usako," he replied quietly.

"Ah… I see. That's what you fear, But fear can be your ally, rather than your enemy," said the other Mamoru.

"Yeah, I guess so, but I'm starting to wonder who you really are," sighed Mamoru.

"I am… your fear made real," another voice said.

It was Sephiroth, standing behind him. The void shifted to a wedding reception, reduced to fire and brimstone by his hands, while he stood in the fire.

"NO!" screamed Mamoru.

"Oh, Mamoru. Both you and Usagi will die by my hands," Sephiroth told him, and he stalked away through the blazing ruins.

Mamoru awoke with a start, as he gave another loud scream.

"Usako!" he said despite the weariness in his features.

Suddenly, Sephiroth appeared before him, and an image of Usagi appeared at his side, lying dead on the floor.

"You're too weak to save anyone. Not even yourself," Sephiroth said wickedly, his sword over her fallen form.

"No, this can't be real. This isn't real!" he protested.

"It will all make perfect sense, Mamoru. You cast Usagi aside because she is dead weight to you. You must harden your heart through acts of anger, hatred, vengeance, and despair. Only then will you finally be free of Usagi's light forever, and return to the monster you are now. Only after you grant Usagi a fitting end to her suffering, can the Silver Crystal turn pitch black, and be transformed into the Black Materia, which will summon forth Meteor, and crush your world into dust," explained the One-Winged Angel.

"You lie," argued Mamoru.

"Do you still believe you and Usagi can still have a strong connection, after you told her it was over between you? You've cut the chain of light that binds your hearts together, and did the same with her companions. Now you shall stand alone, and no one will be able to help you," Sephiroth said ominously.

Then he vanished into the darkness with a dark cold chuckle, leaving black feathers behind in his wake.

"Then the only way I know how, is to ensure that I stay away from Usasagi forever, even if it means I should die a broken fool. That is my destiny," Mamoru declared.

"Would killing yourself be a form of recompense to free Usagi from her suffering, Mamoru Chiba? Let me make it clear to you. It would only cause her more heartache, and her feelings of anguish, along with Chibiusa's, would only serve to hurt them more than you know. Fear is and always will be your enemy, but it can also be your ally," came the voice of Sora.

"Sora…" he murmured.

"You know that Usagi cares about you, just as you do. She hates losing people she holds dear to her heart, just as I do. We may be friends, but we're also like kindred spirits, and she's also like Ruby Rose, the huntress whom I helped defeat Salem, and set her free from the curse of vengeance, even after I did the terrible deed of killing Cinder Fall, when she fell too far into darkness, never to resurface again. That's why I've carried this regret in my heart for as long as I can remember, but thanks to Weiss, I learned that desecrating the memories of Penny and Pyrrha wasn't the right way at all. I wanted to honor their spirit and what they believed in, but I failed to stay true to it. No amount of regret is what makes me weak, and it's caused me nothing but unending pain. Being afraid to find out the truth will make you unable to see what you believe," Sora explained to him.

Despite this, Mamoru was slowly starting to understand that Sora was indeed right, despite their friendship being forged in chains of light. However, the remainder of the Warriors of Light were still busy with school work and other activities, yet they would still convene with each other at various times at Hikawa Shrine or at Usagi's home, with her family's permission of course. Yet at the same time, none of them knew that he was being watched by Calaveras, who had come down in a rather cute disguise.

"Heh heh heh… Okay, Calaveras, just like we rehearsed it. Look your best. Check. Be pretty like a rose. Check. Keep your hair fixed. Check. Now, go in for the kill once Sora's alone in Juban Park," she told herself, and walked up to him with a sense of purpose.

Minako wasn't exactly sure why the second eldest Specter Sister was going after Sora, but a gentle nudge from Artemis meant only one thing, that it was probably best to not think about it too much. Unknown to her, most of the other Specter Sisters kept a sharp eye, but also made sure to keep quiet.

"Honestly, I don't know what the point is to have Calaveras go after Sora, when we should be going after the crystal points and contaminating them with darkness, not going after someone who doesn't know a thing about the Rabbit," grumbled Petz.

"Okay, okay, let's all just take a chill pill, Petz. Besides, given what's going on, it's a rare opportunity to learn a bit more about Sora Lucis Caelum in this era, rather than just reduce him to dust and ashes, which will lead to Sailor Moon and her companions rushing to his aid so that they can personally rip and tear us apart for that kind of jazz," assured Berthier.

"I have to agree with Berthier on this one. After all, Rubeus did approve of letting one of us go after Sora, rather than all of us. Jumping at him when he leasts expects it is probably the lowest form of foolishness. We gotta actually play our cards right, rather than play them wrong. But, if worst comes to worst, we send out our newest droid, which is called Valkyrie, salvaged from what remained of Shinra, and repurposed for Black Moon, thanks to a bit of tinkering from Hyena himself," agreed Koan.

Petz relented, then decided to keep quiet. At Hikawa Shrine, Most of the Keyblade Wielders were training their hardest in the courtyard, but they did warn Yuuichirou to not get entangled in their training. Lord HIno, of course, could tell that he didn't want to make Aqua get too strict with him, so he then turned to Axel.

"I have a feeling that despite what's going on, you and Rei seem to be pretty close with each other," he said.

"You might say that, Old Timer, but if she and I butted heads with each other, let's just say Usagi would tell us to cool it when we hear her saying, 'Mom, Dad, please stop fighting.' Trust me on that, Gramps. You won't like it when me and your granddaughter get angry. Speaking of, I did a brief little readthrough of one of her manga, and I did find an image that does seem pretty unique. It's when the hero finally tells the girl of his dreams that he truly loves her, after hearing her say that she's truly found her one true love, or her prince charming if you will. But me and Rei, that'd never happen between us," remarked Axel.

"Oh, c'mon, Axel. I know that I was spiteful of my grandfather, but it was actually Koan's fault for toying with my feelings. I may not be able to forgive her after he hurt him, but if she does hurt someone else again, then I may have no choice but to use my powers as Sailor Mars to kill her without any form of mercy, hesitation, or remorse. But, what if there's something else in her that's eating away at her heart? Something that conveniently felt so familiar, like a form of internal conflict," sighed Rei who came outside to join them.

"Speaking of which, have you guys seen Sora?" Ami asked after she arrived at the shrine.

"Chibiusa told us that he's gone to Juban Park for a while, so that he can take some time to be on his own for a while," replied Roxas.

"In all fairness, I can't help but wonder what he's up to," admitted Minako.

"I agree, Minako. Who knows what would happen if one of those four Specter Sisters tried to find another way of tearing us all apart through hate and vengeance. It frightens me to no end," Makoto said.

"I suppose, Mako. But, you should know that I still feel regret for allowing someone I know die by Xehanort's hands, after he used me from the very beginning… like he used all of us. Master Eraqus died because of me. I was stupid and helped Xehanort do it. The Master–he tried to hurt Ven. I only fought because I wanted to protect him. But I was tricked. Xehanort set the whole thing up– all so he could awaken the darkness inside me. Aqua was right about me– and so was the Master. I did need to be watched. I went astray–but no more," Terra explained to her.

Makoto was aghast, almost as if she had been overtaken by a tsunami, then looked solemnly into Terra's eyes.

"What else could darkness be but rage and hatred? Xehanort once fed the flames of deceit in you–making you fight. You mustn't go astray again. Please tell me–how would that honor your Master's memory, Terra?" Rei said quickly.

"That, I don't know, Rei. But still, when Xehanort took over my body, my spirit, bound in rage and hatred for him, willed my Keyblade Armor to try and kill him, even though I promised Aqua and Ven that I would one day set things right. However, when he tried to have them killed, Sora saved me with his own powers, and restored me to what you see now. After that, I let go of my hatred of Xehanort, when we all learned that he had also experienced loss, and that his bonds with other people could never truly be broken, until we learned that all of this was planned by an even greater darkness. The Lost Masters. Even after Sora vanished, he fought them, and was able to ensure that history would never repeat itself again, because we were always part of him. He was never alone the entire time, because he still had us, his friends and family. And now, the more people he meets, the greater his strength becomes. But, despite seeing death with his own eyes, he knew that no matter how hard it was, he'd try and stay true to his goal of never killing anyone again. That's when he told us that he would set off on his own personal journey to be trained by someone who could help him. A samurai warrior who went by the name of Jack.

"You're not the first person to have had scars on your heart, Terra. The man I once loved–he said that I was impulsive, brash, arrogant, and far too much for him to deal with. After that, he decided that we should part ways with each other on not-so-friendly terms. But, even still, I wonder if I could've been a better person to him, despite meeting guys who seem to remind me of him, regardless of what I am. All that rage, hate, as well as my insecurities are what make me think I could be too infamous for you to be with," she said to him.

"You're not a bad person, Makoto Kino. In actuality you're a very good person, whom bad things have happened to before. The scars on your heart will heal when given time and patience, or until you finally find the one who truly loves you," Terra assured her.

To Ami's immense surprise, she had no idea that someone like Terra was much more humble and kind, even as the other Keyblade Wielders were training harder than ever before. Even still, she chose to keep her true feelings in check for as long as she could, despite what was going on. Elsewhere, Usagi was still unsure of why Chibiusa was being targeted, as well as why she soon learned of why Berthier and Sora chose to meet with each other, despite wanting to keep their meeting a secret. However, now that the secret was exposed between the two sides, she felt conflicted herself, as well as unsure of why two people from two different sides would talk to each other.

"Sora, why would you choose to talk with Berthier?" she wondered quietly.

Outside her room, Chibiusa was a bit puzzled as well, but decided to ask the one person who could help her understand why would choose to talk with someone, rather than fight them: Mamoru. She turned to face her.

"Usagi, if it's alright, I was wondering if I could ask Mamo the same thing you're thinking about also. I need to know why Sora, the Keyblade Wielder of Lucis, would choose to speak with Berthier of Black Moon's Specter Sisters," she said to her.

"Oh, okay, but take Riku with you," Usagi replied quietly, even though she would sometimes be annoyed at her.

The little girl nodded, then after letting Riku know what was going on, they set off to meet with Mamoru in his apartment. The other young man was surprised to meet them after they knocked on his door.

"Oh, Chibiusa and Riku. I wasn't expecting you two, even without Usako," he said.

"Yeah, well, we just want to ask you something, after what Chibiusa told me on the way here," replied Riku.

They sat down around the table and shared tea with each other.

"So, Mamo, I was wondering… why did Sora choose to speak with Berthier, after you overheard her telling her allies the truth about their secret meeting?" Chibiusa asked curiously.

"In all fairness, Chibiusa, Sora possesses something that even Usako has, and that's to see if someone who's on the side of darkness has good in their hearts, despite the fact that they'd choose to do evil things," Mamoru replied.

"That sounds kind of… familiar," murmured Riku.

"What do you mean, Riku?" questioned his friend.

"You should know this, Mamoru. It's just like when I was both Maleficent and Xehanort's pawn. I was lost in the darkness, and because of the lies they told me, I once believed that Sora betrayed me for some new friends. I became hateful, bitter, and consumed by vengeance. I wanted Sora dead for turning his back on me for making new friends, but a part of me didn't want that. After what I'd done, I could never forgive myself for what I'd done. Those are sins that'll haunt me no matter where I go, or what I do, thanks to those monsters trying to turn me into a cold-blooded killer. Because of my actions, I felt like I didn't deserve to return to my friends, because of Ansem's shadow hanging over my heart. When I finally defeated him, so that we could stop Xehanort from destroying the universe, I was able to slowly let go of my regrets, and eventually helped Sora defeat the Master of Masters and his apprentices, the true Seven Deadly Darkness, representing another form of the Seven Deadly Sins. He was the one who had controlled everything, and we made sure that he'd pay for what he'd done to try and have both light and darkness be locked in eternal conflict, and we even defied the false prophecies that had been written into the Book of the Stone," he explained.

"Oh, right… that. I know that Master of Masters, Superbia, was a massive jerk, toying with destiny so that he could create a world free of light and darkness, which is why he thought of Quadratum, a sort of afterworld for hearts, but thanks to Sora, Lauriam, Elrena, and Strelitzia have been reunited with each other, and Sora was finally reunited with Kairi," said Chibiusa.

"That's what happened, Little Sister. But in the end, we proved that false prophecies like that should never be spoken of, and that the future can always change, even if someone believes it should always be set in stone. Personally, I don't find that to be true at all. And neither does Sora," Riku replied.

"Big Brother Riku," she murmured towards him.

"I wish that was the case for me and Usako, but we can't be together anymore. Not ever," sighed Mamoru.

"Even if that's what you believe, I don't find that to be true, Mamoru. You and Usagi formed a strong bond with each other, not just by the red strings of fate, but by an unbreakable chain of light. No bond is easy to sever. The more you feel like you want to cut yourself off from the people you care about, like her, Chibiusa, and all of your other friends, the more you hurt yourself, until you end up all alone with no one to help you stay true to the light. That was one of the biggest mistakes of my life, and I've regretted it for as long as I can remember. But it's that same regret that made me realize something. Even if you're afraid of losing someone you cherish, if you stop and think about it for a while, as well as try to let it be, you'd only cause them even more pain, until it crushes their spirits, and extinguishes the fire of hope in their hearts. Sometimes the truth can lead to consequences, and sometimes consequences can lead to the truth," he explained to him.

Mamoru was surprised, and Chibiusa was as well.

"What Riku says is the truth, Mamoru Chiba," came another voice.

"WAH! A ghost!" squeaked Chibiusa, as she stumbled back in shock.

"Chibiusa, don't be afraid. This is one of Sora's guiding lights, Master Eraqus," Riku assured her.

"Mamoru, what is it that you fear most of all?" Eraqus asked him.

"I'm afraid of losing Usagi to the darkness, which is why I chose to end things with her, as well as try to sever the bond that links our hearts together," Mamoru said to him.

"No bond is easy to sever, and there is more to light than meets the eye, my friend. Sometimes it's best to think things out a little more carefully, before you decide to do something that would only serve to bring you and the people you cherish unending pain. Strength, folly, weakness, fear, failure, and all other things. But through failure, you can learn to improve, and right the wrongs that you committed, seeing as you were once a puppet of the darkness yourself, Mamoru," he explained.

Mamoru knew that all too well, as Riku turned away from them.

"Look too hard for one thing, and you miss everything else. And then, the people around you get hurt in the process. Like Xehanort. His single-minded thirst for answers created Ansem. We all have a little of that curiosity in us… So if we're not careful, any one of us could create an Ansem," Riku said to himself.

He turned to Chibiusa, but looked at Mamoru.

"Mamoru, can you look after Chibiusa for a little while? I need to go and see what's up with Sora," he suggested.

"I suppose I can do that. I'll let Usako know that she's safe and sound with me for now, and even say that you asked me to look after her," Mamoru replied.

"Thanks," sighed Riku, and he quickly rushed away.

Somewhere in another part of the city, Minako and Artemis were sitting at a cafe, but the blonde was growing concerned for Sora.

"Is something troubling you, Mina?" asked the white, keeping his voice quiet so that no one would hear him.

"Well, to be honest, Artemis, I'm worried about what might happen if Sora and I did agree to end our relationship after we confessed our feelings to each other. It scares me to death, and if he did say that it was over between us, just like Mamoru did with Usagi, is it possible that the chain of light would break, replaced by the chain of darkness?" Minako wondered.

"No bond can easily be breakable, no matter what our enemies do to try and make us go at each other's throats. After all, we all remember how Maleficent killed Ail, An, and destroyed the Makai Tree to satisfy her own personal lust for power, and even gave Sephiroth the go ahead to absorb the souls of those who died into his being, like some sort of parasite," explained Artemis.

"I agree, Minako. But, even though this might make Artemis worried, I have a feeling that Sora may be in trouble, but we'll have to wait and see, because I actually did see him walking with someone who looks familiar," Luna said when she joined them.

"Calaveras…" she seethed quietly, as she saw Sora and the second eldest specter sister walking by.

However, she didn't catch sight of the other three Specter Sisters watching from the shadows. They knew that the only way to not underestimate Sora again was to be cautious, which did seem strange.

"In any case, Sora, I'm sort of wondering why someone like you would agree to be an ally to the Sailor Guardians, seeing as the people don't know them all that well," Calaveras said to him.

"Ah, you know… Anytime the bad guys are causing trouble in Usagi's neighborhood, you know that their friendly neighborhood Sailor Moon's gonna be there. Thankfully, she doesn't leave any calling cards for them to read, because she'll always be there at a moment's notice. Also, when things are pretty much at their lowest point for her, that's when she may start to think that everything is hopeless, and she starts to blame herself for her failure, as well as think that what she's done was all for nothing," Sora explained to her.

Behind them, the three remaining Specter Sisters, Koan, Berthier, and Petz were watching cautiously. They were now growing restless.

"Why is she taking so long?" hissed the eldest sister.

"Patience, Petz. Patience… Patience," soothed Berthier.

"Yeah, I have to agree with Berthier on this one, Sister. Do you really wanna blow our cover and have Sailor Moon breathing down our necks?" Koan asked in a low whisper.

This immediately put Petz in her place, so she quickly stood down and decided not to let her own immediate impulses take over her. One day soon, she would rip and tear Sora to pieces. Maybe in front of Chibiusa, when she'd want to learn more about him.

"I hope that you're right, Koan. Otherwise, we ravage him until he's nothing but bones," she said to herself.

Soon, Sora and Calaveras were now near a parking garage, which hadn't been used for a while. Unknown to him, the second eldest Specter Sister smiled to herself, but she didn't know that Minako was watching from a safe distance, because she decided to follow him. Not wanting to expose herself to her potential love rival too soon, she decided to sneak away and activate her comlink.

"Oh, hi Minako. Is something wrong?" Ami asked through her comlink.

"Maybe, Ami. I need you guys to meet me at this parking garage that's been abandoned for a while. I had a bit of a fishy feeling the moment I saw Calaveras in disguise with Sora," hissed Minako.

"Don't worry, we'll be right there, Minako. Just make sure you sit tight in case things really start to go south. Also, talking about having a fishy feeling sort of felt like I'd sense an ominous presence from near my current location," Rei replied with a bit of admittance in her voice.

She soon clicked off the transmitter, and turned to the others.

"Well, you heard the lady, guys, let's meet up with her at that parking garage," she said to them.

"Consider it done, Rei," Usagi replied in agreement with her friend.

Normally the two of them would start to argue with each other, but hearing Minako say that Sora was in big trouble due to her feelings, it actually did seem to make a great deal of sense. Ami of course knew that fishy feelings would sometimes mean their adversaries or rivals would be causing trouble. However, Minako did see something that made her blood run cold. It looked like some sort of flying machine, but had no idea what it was. Ducking down beneath some bushes, so that she wouldn't get seen, she saw that it had some propellers on top,, as well as three guns, and a drill on the bottom of its body.

"Oh no," she murmured.

"Oh no is right, Mina. We gotta wait for our friends to show up, so keep quiet," hissed Artemis.

The flying machine slowly hovered away.

"Negative on target confirmation. Continuing hunt," the machine said in a monolithic cybernetic voice.

While Usagi and the others were rushing to the rescue, after she, Rei, Ami, and Makoto assumed their Sailor Guardian forms, they quickly fought their way past the Heartless that were given the order to stall any outsiders, as well as ensure that no harm came to that fighting machine.

"Shoot! The Heartless are really persistent!" cried Sailor Jupiter, who punched one away, then blasted the others to dust with her Sparkling Wide Pressure attack.

They continued to drive them off, while also rushing to Minako and Sora's side, thanks to the information she gave them.

"Heads up!" called Terra, cutting a Soldier Heartless down with one strike.

"Geez, so much for being subtle. Now we're in really deep trouble now," Sailor Moon sighed in annoyance.

"No time for moping, let's keep it up," Riku said.

They still hurried down the road to find their friends, all the while making sure that the Heartless would not slow them down, but would fight them off if they were left with no other choice. At last they reached the parking garage, and they saw Minako ahead of them. This gave her the chance to change into Sailor Venus, and she quickly told them everything about what was going on.

"Why that disgusting harpy, how dare she try and seduce my best friend," seethed Sailor Moon.

"Sailor Moon, please, try to keep it together," Sailor Mercury said worriedly to her.

"I'm afraid Mercury's right, Sailor Moon. We gotta have cool heads, not just go in guns a-blazing," agreed Aqua.

"Looks like Sailor Moon and her friends arrived. Droid Valkyrie, Attack!" commanded Petz.

The Valkyrie appeared, and trained its guns on them. It fired a hail of bullets at them.

"Take cover!" cried Roxas.

"So that's the name of that new droid! But what's it doing here?" Venus asked over the hail of gunfire.

"Who cares, Venus? We gotta hurry up and help Sora, or Calaveras will do something that Sailor Moon views as 100% immoral," remarked Donald.

"Well, yeah, but we should pick up the pace, pronto!" said Axel.

They quickly moved from cover to cover, while Venus used her Crescent Beam attack to draw its attention away from her allies. It did seem to help, but still the Valkyrie continued it's relentless attack on them, not even caring about the damage it was causing. But when Sora heard the gun fire, he knew that it meant trouble, just as Calaveras had him pinned to the ground, and changed out of her disguise, into the garments she wore when they first met each other.

"Now, you're all mine, Sora. And after that, you will free Vanitas after I finish with this deed of making you say your heart belongs to me," she said to him as she drew her whip, while also seductively touching his cheek.

Meanwhile, the remaining Warriors of Light had managed to dispatch a few more Heartless that tried to stall them, as the second eldest Specter Sister was now about to make Sora become Vanitas. Some Air Soldier Heartless appeared and tried to stall them, but the combined might of Sailor Mars Fire Soul and Sailor Mercury's Shine Aqua Illusion brought them down in a heartbeat, giving the Keybladers time to free their hearts. Time was literally of the essence, but Sailor Venus was now growing even more worried about Sora.

"He'll be okay, Venus. You have to trust us," assured Xion.

"And when we save him, then you guys can go off on a date together," grinned Ventus.

At last they found Sora and Calaveras, in a rather strange position.

"Guys!" he said with relief.

"You get yourself away from my friend this instant, Calaveras!" barked Sailor Moon.

"Oh, and what are you going to do if I don't?" Calaveras asked coyly, until she planted her lips onto Sora's.

"Uh oh. Here comes trouble," Sailor Jupiter said worriedly.

And she was right, because an enraged Sailor Venus couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"THAT IS IT! I'M GONNA MAKE YOU REGRET KISSING MY SORA!" she howled in a blind fury.

She called forth her Venus Love-Me Chain and flipped her rival over her head, sending her crashing head first onto the ground.

Ow," she groaned.

"Jig's up, so let's get 'em!" Koan said.

"I agree, Koan. Let's make them suffer for that!" added Petz, and they all rushed to her side.

More gunfire rained down at the Warriors of Light, and there was the Valkyrie again.

(Oh boy, go and play the Valkyrie Battle Theme from Final Fantasy 7 Remake for this battle)

"Did you honestly believe that we'd let you walk away from here alive without knowing of our plan?" Berthier asked coyly.

"Run for it!" Sora said to his friends.

They soon rushed away from them, as Koan ordered the mech to fire at them.

"He's right, you guys! Let's move it!" Sailor Moon said to them.

"You don't gotta tell me twice," remarked Sailor Mars as they ran.

They soon reached another part of the garage, while all four sisters watched with demented pride in their eyes.

"Now I'm really getting sick with this game of tag anyway!" said the Sailor Guardian of Thunder and Courage.

"Let's take it down!" smirked Axel.

"With pleasure!" replied Sailor Mercury.

Sailor Jupiter unleashed her Supreme Thunder on the machine, while Sailor Mercury created a fogbank with Bubble Spray. It was a bit of a desperate move, but they soon quickly jumped onto some beams that would support them.

"Are you good?" Namine asked.

"Yeah, we'll be fine," replied Venus.

"Or not," gasped Kairi.

The Valkyrie fired on the right beam, and everyone tumbled down onto the streets below, while Sailor Moon was caught by Tuxedo Mask who had come to the rescue. However, Sora and Riku assumed their Equestrian forms and caught the others before they fell, and they landed on another of the upper levels, while evading the gunfire.

"That was too close!" Sailor Moon said with a mild hint of relief.

"I know what you mean, but be extra careful," replied the caped crusader.

"Okay, here's the bad news. Apparently, Calaveras was about to do something really terrible, that it royally angered Venus to no end. And I think I know why. She wanted me to divulge information to Chibiusa, or else she'd seriously want to ravage me until I gave in to her demands," Sora explained to them.

"Oh, she's gonna regret it all right, 'cause nobody, and I mean nobody does something that unforgivable to you, even though we're best friends, Sora. So now on behalf of the moon, we're punishing them!" Sailor Moon replied.

"I couldn't agree more, Sailor Moon. Let's turn this scrap pile into dust!" agreed Sailor Mars.

The Valkyrie began dropping poison mines onto the ground as everyone fought with all their will.

"Eat this, you flying teapot!" cried the angry Sailor Venus, firing her Crescent Beam Shower at the droid.

They all fought even more furiously than before, until the Valkyrie dropped to the ground, having suffered heavy damage. Suddenly, something burst out from its top hatch.

"What is it doing?" Tuxedo Mask asked them.

"It's going to fire a deadly laser cannon at us with that tracking device it had! If we try to trick it into the tracking beam, it'll damage itself!" Aqua said to them.

"Actually that might just work," replied Mickey.

The Valkyrie began firing its gatling machine guns, and rocket launchers at them. Unfortunately, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars almost got themselves into an argument, when they suddenly got pulled out of the way by their friends.

"Okay, now I'm really getting sick of this!" Sailor Moon said finally.

"I think you're right. Less arguing with each other, more fighting the machine, and no getting any of our friends and allies killed for no reason," admitted the Fiery Sailor Guardian.

They managed to stagger it, and it was now slowly reaching its final leg, as everyone began dogpiling it. When the Valkyrie was about to recover, the damage that it sustained was too much, as its power core was about to overload, and it clattered to the ground.

"And just like that, we win again! Not that there was ever any doubt!" smirked Axel.

But Axel was only half right. Without warning they heard a whirring sound.

"What is it?" Mercury asked.

"SHOOT!" he shouted, and the Valkyrie exploded in a grand display of pyrotechnics.

Bits, bobs, gears, and springs flew everywhere, forcing everyone to shield themselves from the debris. However, there was something much worse. The floor they were on was starting to crumble. Sailor Venus slipped and began to fall, while everyone else quickly tried to get to safety. Summoning his Keyblade, Sora transformed it into a chain whip, then used it to pull themselves up to a higher level. Most of the others followed suit, while Terra, Aqua and Ven changed into their Keyblade Armor, then got their respective friends on their gliders, and followed after them. Sailor Moon however wasn't as lucky as she hoped.

"Venus, help her!" Sora said to her.

She nodded towards him, then called her Love-Me Chain and swung it towards her friend. Sailor Moon caught it, and they slowly but surely pulled her up to safety just in time. Thankfully, she landed on top of Riku, and everyone else was truly relieved to see that she was okay, but a little amused to see their faces up close to each other.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Riku. Also, thank you for cushioning my fall," Sailor Moon replied with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

"Maybe there really is such a thing as too much excitement," admitted Goofy, after they got up from the ground.

"Yeah, you said it," replied Mercury.

But the four Specter Sisters emerged from the shadows.

"Well, well. Color us impressed for now. You actually managed to defeat a droid that we managed to salvage and rebuild from the remnants of Shinra's old fighting machine, the Valkyrie. But don't think you're out of the woods just yet," Calaveras sneered at them.

"Even after what you did, Calaveras, just know that if you ever try something like that again, I may do something that Sailor Moon will view as even more immoral than what you tried to do to me," Sora remarked.

"Oh, okay, now that's some pretty big talk coming from someone who didn't give me some info on your friend the Rabbit, Sora Lucis Caelum," she said.

"Okay, seriously though, why the heck do you guys call him Sora Lucis Caelum?" demanded Sailor Mars.

"If you want to know why, then you gotta find out the truth for yourself, Lapdogs of Light, but until then, ta-ta for now," smirked Koan, and all four Specter Sisters vanished into the darkness.

"Wait, Specter Sisters!" Sora barked at them, but it was too late.

They had all vanished.

"Sora, stand down! It's over for now, but they'll be back," the caped crusader said to him.

"Right," Sora sighed, feeling mildly angry that he had almost allowed the second eldest of the Specter Sisters to do something inappropriate to him.

He turned away from the others and looked at the ground with his arms closed.

Even after seeing how Minako reacts when I'm near another girl who's formed a crush on me, despite which side she's on, she may view them as a truly powerful love rival of love, he thought to himself.

He turned to the others.

"I think it's best if we didn't tell Chibiusa what happened. There are some things she may want to know what happened, and there are some that she doesn't want to know," he said to them.

"That actually sounds like a reasonably fair idea, Sora. Any and all impurities would make her really uncomfortable," replied Sailor Jupiter.

"I agree as well, Sailor Jupiter, if Sailor Moon doesn't mind that is," agreed Tuxedo Mask.

"Oh no, I don't mind it one bit, Tuxedo Mask. But, where did you leave Chibiusa with?" Sailor Moon asked.

"I left her with your family for a while, Usako. That way, she wouldn't get herself involved in our battle with the Valkyrie," he replied.

After they left the abandoned garage, they soon convened at the Hikawa Shrine for a bit of R&R, while most of the Keyblade Wielders trained even harder on the courtyard. Finally, Minako approached him, and sat beside him.

"In all fairness, Sora, I know that after what I saw, and what Calaveras was about to do, I just hope that the same thing doesn't happen to someone that any of us care about, like Yuuichirou. Believe me, Rei's morality is a pretty fragile thing, and if it's destroyed, then we face the full fury of the Goddess of War," she said to him.

"Hmm… I guess Minako's right. If I lose all sense of morality, then I'll most certainly be the worst person that Usagi and the others have met, and I may do horrible things, not just to them, but to all of our enemies. And that's something that Usagi wouldn't want to have happen at all," Rei admitted to herself.

"In all fairness, Rei, I think you're right about that. Still, after reading a manga that had a protagonist that was super angsty, seeing you become just like that character would be the worst thing I'd want to have happen, if you started off on your own personal vendetta of vengeance against those who wronged you, and even did horrible things to you," Usagi said to her friend.

This made Yuuichirou nearly panic, so he quickly rushed away.

"I'll double my workload, Rei. You will never have to see me slack off again! I SWEAR!" he cried, until he was out of sight.

"Speaking of, some of us did kind of feel sorry for Calaveras, after she was flipped over our heads, and landed on the ground with a loud kersplat by Venus' Love-Me Chain which was wrapped around her," admitted Makoto.

"It may have been rather uncivilized of her, but at the same time I actually do agree with her on why we don't want to have a potential love rival of her's attempting to seduce Sora. Also, even though I'd prefer keeping my true feelings in check, just thinking about what Calaveras was about to do to him made me feel the same way as Minako did. But, I still acknowledge Sora as a friend, and I hope I don't think of going overboard on Berthier if she tries to do something really horrible, that I lose sight of who I am," agreed Ami.

"You won't, Ami. Because even if you did, we'd still help you be true to yourself, and there's no way you'd even think of trying to kill us without a good reason, unless someone purely evil tried to make you do that horrible deed, while holding one of us hostage," assured Usagi.

The matter was thus settled, but the Black Moon Clan would be waiting to strike again, not just to crush the Silver Crystal to dust, but to see Chibiusa reduced to nothing but bones. One day soon, they would meet again, and this time, they would be better prepared for them.