Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Sailor Moon, but I do own my knights, their friends, and the Dark Universe and their creatures. REVIEW! E-mail! Please!

Chapter 18

Will the Real Knights Please Stand?!

~ Dark Universe ~

- Kitty's Chambers -

Kitty sat quietly on her bed, looking at the tubes of viscous green fluids hanging from her ceiling. Two months of waiting and scrimping around for permission to activate to the polymorph modules, that's what this all came from. Specter had been skeptical of her actions until she got the Crystal of Solar. Xeno was no closer to finding the identities of the Galaxy Knights than she was, but she did all the dirty work of gaining crystals. Now they had two, and soon would be three.

Her childishly evil eyes danced on each pulpy cylinder, more like cocoons than glass tubes, covered in pulsing green veins. It was feeding them energy Kitty had gotten out of Solar's many victims, enough to power these devices of ancient evil. It was used to transform beasts of rage into sentient beings, but that was on the long dead Moon Kingdom. In the bowels of the Dark Universe catacombs, ones only they had managed to find on Earth after leaving their world of banishment. They were used to make soldiers from living creatures.

Kitty was tired of being beaten down by the knights. She was powerful, but being attacked on all sides was rather difficult for her to handle all alone, especially with that Glamour bitch following Moon Knight everywhere and ruining everything. She licks her metallic hand thoughtfully, the rage still surging to the surface of her dark soul. Glamour still hadn't paid for what she did to Kitty's hand, and Kitty wanted to ruin that scantily clad whore's body for good for taking her hand.

"Oh, Glamour, Kitty will make you pay…and your little meat sack Knights too. Kitty will make you writhe in your own blood and bile….Oh yes, Kitty will." She said with a wicked little giggle as the forms inside moved. Their nude bodies jerked a bit in their creation fluids, pressing beautifully to the sides of it. Kitty licked her lips. "And Kitty can have some fun with some of Kitty's new pets…as well." She added, watching the forms smile darkly at her.

Then, the tubes' bottom halves split open, the four forms falling down neatly to the floor with the fluids, bare and standing tall. They all stood at once, blank eyes staring back at her. The somewhat humanoid bodies shifted a bit, one growing the skin and tail of a lizard. Another was covered with a velvety and wet sheen of lavender fur and cat's tail. The next had wings of a locust, spines of poison and antenna, while the final one had a rat's tail and claws.

They all looked to her blankly, sneering arrogantly at nothing. Kitty grinned, clapping her hands. "Now….my minions…Kitty will get her revenge….so follow me and we'll get you all to, dress the part…." She chuckled. They all nodded and followed her with wet, bare steps that echoed almost forever in the dark halls.

~ Shinden Fenikkusu Doujou~

(Sacred Phoenix Dojo)

~ Ray's Room ~

-Morning-

- One Week Later -

"And the Tokyo Police Department has declared war on the Galaxy Knights and Lady Glamour….once prominent protectors of our fair city turned violent criminals. The latest attack was on the Police Station itself, resulting in the near death of Police Chief Otakan Shinji. He is now in stable condition, but told reporters that his men and women would stop at nothing to find the identities of the Galaxy Knights and Lady Glamour and put them behind bars, not just for the attack, but for interfering with numerous investigations of missing and murdered persons."

"He said,' I knew they were trouble, and this just proves it. Only the police can protect this city, and we'll make sure its safe from these criminals.' This reporter can only hope….that the police can finally do their job without the aid of costumes heroes turned delinquents. This Mika Rhana, Channel 6 News." The lady reporter stated, then the screen blipped off as Ray hit the button hard.

"Dammit….after all we've done for this city, they stab us in the back over imposters. I was nowhere near the woman's campus. I sure as hell did not rape anybody, male or female, dammit!" ray fumed, enraged.

Stephen sighed deeply, they all had a right to be annoyed and angry. In one week, they'd gone from heroes to perverted, violent zeroes. Mars was sighted at the woman's campus, and raped ten women and three of the girl's boyfriends, all emotionally scarred beyond belief. At the time, Mars had been with Stephen, fighting over who got to use his computer. Stephen didn't believe it was him that did it. Ray just wasn't like that at all, he respected men and women, and certainly wasn't that depraved or hard up to do such terrible things.

Then the same night, Mercury had been sighted freezing people, animals, and foods all over town, shattering them to pieces with her fists and blade. Then, she went onto beating the tar out of anyone that got in her way. Angie was the type to start a fight, but not against people who did nothing but go about their evening casually. Angie wasn't abusive with her powers, she wouldn't do it and he knew it.

Over the course of the week, Jupiter had been sighted messing with radio stations and blowing up gas stations. To top it all off, Moon Knight had been sighted robbing banks, people, and putting a good number of cops and citizens in the hospital for serious sword slashes. Stephen was very angry to hear the nasty things people would say about the Galaxy Knights, after all they did to protect the city, imposters struck one time and their reputation died in that very moment. Even Lady Glamour had a fiendish double running around, attacking people at random and vandalizing buildings and stores.

Stephen was deeply hurt, but it got worse when he saw himself and Lady Glamour robbing a bank, actually saw Moon Knight hurting people and stealing money not but ten feet away when he went to make a deposit. The same armor, swords, even his helmet and her mask, but it wasn't them. He didn't split off from Moon Knight spontaneously during the day or night.

The Glamour with his double was far too sultry, flirting randomly with the men and showing her body off. As much as a turn on as it was, it wasn't Glamour's style. She was smarted and stronger than that. It had to be a Dark Universe plot, and it was a classic way to ruin somebody: Disguise oneself as your enemy and ruin them, then take them down at their lowest point.

He growled at the egotism that had to be behind this stab in their pride, their very love for their city. "I won't let this go on another damn week. We have to find these evil knights and prove we're innocent. We can't let anybody else get hurt….or we'll get killed if we're caught instead." Stephen let out angrily.

Lamont looked up, miserable and put out. "But how….if we try and explain….we'll get arrested and revealed. The Dark Universe along with the entire world will get our secrets and Earth. We can't let that happen either, Stephen."

Stephen nodded. "I know….but we can catch and expose them in public! Expose those fiends completely!"

Cyrus sniffed. "Please, there's a lady present."

Stephen shot him a dirty look and smacks his head. Cyrus tried to bite him, but missed and fell into Angie's lap. She looked up from the floor dully, quite upset as well she'd been made out to be a common criminal. "I mean for the villains they are, you pervert! All we have to do is get them where lots of people are, one of us tricks them into, robbing or hurting us, while the others, watch from the rooftops to transform and prove we're innocent. We'll make sure they don't soil our names….or threaten Earth."

Ray sniffed. "I bet I know which one of us gets to disguise himself….why don't we get to use the Transformation Prism? Why just you, meathead?"

Stephen rolled his eyes, taking out his pendant. "Cause I'm the leader, Ray. Get used to it. I make the plans….I got the moon sword and guardian cat, so I get the Transformation Prism."

Ray stood up at that, his face still pretty miffed, and made a grab for the pendant. "Hey lay off, Ray! You can't use it, it's my prism! HEY!" Stephen yelped, Lamont getting into the fray.

"Oh quit being so greedy….if you're the leader, you're the last person who should be in harm's way. Let us give it a try. Don't you think we can do it?"

Stephen frowned a bit, tugging back on it from Lamont. Then Ray grabbed hold of it, tugging with Lamont. Stephen yanked back, but they weren't letting go. "I trust you both supremely, but it's my choice and my damn pendant! Give it up! Leggo!" Stephen ground out, and used his free hand to slap Ray. Ray shook his head a bit, but wouldn't let go, so he hit Lamont. "Let it go. You're being childish! It's mine!"

Ray kicked him in the shines hard, making him yelp, but he held fast. "Oh stop being such a sissy girl about this. You slap like a girl, you wimp!" Ray grunted.

"GIRL!? If I'm a girl so suddenly, you two are girls too, whining over this!" he said, then his cheeks paled as the prism glowed in their hand," Oh shit!" he was too late to let go, the crystal bathing all three of them in its magical light.

As his head and eyes cleared, he was aware of snickering, Angie's mostly, and little from the two boys, but….when he saw them, he gathered they weren't aware of what just happened.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked tersely.

Lamont giggled, utterly unaware how he looked. His hair was still red, but now in a high ponytail with rose earrings. Lamont had the illusion over his form as his own words, a girl, in fact a very pretty and taller one wearing a pink and white shirt, with a very leggy green skirt and high heels.

Ray was no better off, snickering away, blind to the fact his short black hair was down to the backs of his knees wearing a rather lovely red dress outfit and heels. "At you, Stephanie…." Ray snickered.

Angie just went wild with laughter behind them rolling all over the floor with a hooting Cyrus over it. The other two boys joined in, making Stephen frown. "I wouldn't laugh I were you, not if I didn't know what Angie was laughing at, Rachel….Laura…."Stephen said snidely.

Ray and Lamont snorted out their laughter, looking curiously at him, then both went to Ray's dresser mirror. Stephen smiled a bit, inside and out, when they screamed together, grabbing their faces and bodies. "I'M A GIRL!!"

"No shit, sherlocks….I told you to leave it alone, so now you lost your privileges to tease me about looking like this meatball head." Stephen replied triumphant, smacking one his long white pigtails pout of his face.

Ray and Lamont just stared with panicked faces, full of disbelief at their unwanted, yet illusionary, sex change. Lamont and he finally turned about, Angie still pouring our tearful laughter. "You're all so…hahahahaa!….cute!" she laughed and hooted. Stephen had the urge to kick her, he'd like to put the pendant to her and turn her into a boy, something she was more suited for, but he refrained. Angie knew what Stephen looked like as a female, but not the two teasing boys who'd been ribbing him about buying dresses and dating boys. It was all just a joke, but he didn't find being called something he wasn't. All in good fun, but not fun to him, and now the worm had turned. All he had to do was smirk at them and that's all he needed. The ribbing would come later.

Stephen's smirk fell lightly as ray took a swing at him, polished red nails, nearing scratching him. "Is Rachel PMS-ing over something?" He said, not being able to help how frustrated and cute female Ray looked. "How could you do this to us? And all you can do is smirk, you….damn meatball head!"

Meatball head? Again with those words. I told you two to let go, but nooo, you had to call me names and antagonize me. Well, deal with having some upper body muscle," Stephen smoothed out sarcastically, giving Ray's new chest a hard pat," Now its your turn to be teased….babe."

"BABE!? Why you little bast…uh…bitc.… ah, you jack ass!" Ray seethed and tackled Stephen to the floor. Angie just laughed harder and harder, near the point of fainting from lack of oxygen. Stephen punched and kicked at Ray, avoiding his nails, as Ray was Stephen's. "Great, a cat fight and we're not even girls….Ray, you and your damned temper. Can't you just admit you should have let go. OW!" Stephen glowered, yelping as Ray yanked one of his pigtails hard. 'Pretty real for an illusion….little dick wad.' Stephen thought, and kneed Ray in the gut. The forms would hold until they thought them away, but Ray wasn't giving him the chance to tell them.

He shoved a wheezing Ray off, smacking him hard for good measure. If Ray was going to act like some wimp girl over this, he'd get slapped like one. He shook his head as he stood up, and noted Angie'd stop laughing. 'Maybe the Maniac finally fainted….' He thought, eyeing her, but she was still conscious, and staring at Lamont.

He turned his head to the red-head, and nearly gagged. The boy was looking down his shirt with a hand down it. "LAMONT! Cut that out!" Stephen blanched. Lamont quickly yanked his hand out and stood at somewhat reddened attention. I was just curious how they felt….Nya!" Lamont said plainly, only to get bopped on the head by Stephen. "That's gross, don't be such a hentai, feeling yourself up. That's sick, Lamont. They're not real….keep you hands….eh, off yourself." Stephen said brashly.

Lamont looked like he was pouting, but nodded, and spread his arms at either side of him. Stephen groaned, rubbing his face hard. "Ah gods, just think the forms away and they'll go away. No more perverted looking at your fake boobs stuff….Ray! Not you too!" Stephen was saying, turning to see how Ray fared. Ray had nearly taken what he thought was still his shirt off, showing off the tops of the round illusions.

"What? We're fighting without getting blood on my shirt, meatball head." Ray growled.

"Not in a dress you're not. You're damn near stripping! You're still a girl dammit, stop!": Stephen warned, watching ray's face dawning with realization, then reddened as her started pulling the dress back up.

"Ray-san….what's all the noise?" Ray's grandfather's voice announced, the door opening to reveal the squat and elder man. Stephen paled, as did Ray who was still pulling his illusion clothes into place. Nothing was showing, but they all looked pretty….leggy and….pretty right now. Lamont was stiff in place, looking like the strangest of them with his arms out like they were. He looked like a frozen ballerina.

"Wow, Ray-san has a regular harem. I knew he had it in him. I don't think he'd mind if I inspected you fine foxy ladies, ne?" the old man giggled.

Stephen backed up near him and Ray, frowning as the old man's beady eyes went wild with lust. "Your grandfather's such a dirty old man…." Stephen grumbled quietly at Ray, who looked offended. "He's just affectionate….ok?" Ray whispered back.

Lamont whimpered. "Affectionate and drooling a river….he's staring at us." Lamont whispered back.

"Drooling, lust in the eyes, and rubbing his hands together affectionate….dirty old man. We're so groped if we don't start running soon…." Stephen hushed out.

Ray eyed him a bit. "Can't we just tell him the truth?" Stephen looked back tersely. "You want to be the one to tell him his grandson and two friends spontaneously changed their sex?!" Stephen hissed out, backing up again as the old man took a giddy step.

Ray frowned and shook his pretty head. "So what was your plan again….?"

Stephen nodded and waited till the old man was halfway across the bedroom to shout in a high pitched voice," RUN GIRLS!"

Stephen jumped over the guy first, glad his female form was as fast as he was, but miffed she wore a skirt. He could hear the dirty old bastard whistling under him at what he probably saw. Stephen ran for the training area, Lamont and ray branching off for alternate roots. Lamont was the one screaming in as high a voice he could muster," GET YOUR HANDS THE HELL OFF ME! HELP!!"

"Great….he's after Lamont's short skirt." Stephen growled in his own voice, thinking the illusion away. As he became himself again, he ran faster. Lamont would eventually get to the training area of the dojo and if Ray wasn't being chased, he'd probably be himself too.

"For once…why can't he be grabbing Angie's can. Not like he never misses a chance to try and get decked….dirty old man, Ray's grandpa's a total hentai!" Stephen grumbled, skidding past the dojo and running back through its large doorway.

Normally he'd laugh to see some girl who was stupid enough to be alone with the old codger anywhere at all, but not when the girl was a hysterically freaked out Lamont. Poor Lamont was standing in high heels on the rings while the old man was jumping like rabbit for his illusionary female legs, giggling and excited, probably about the view he was getting.

Stephen felt a little better when he saw Ray, the male Ray, come through another doorway, angry as hell. "GRANDFATHER!" he shouted, and the old man stopped, going serious and looking like child being caught stealing a cookie.

"Ray-san….eh, heh, heh, how nice to see you. I was just helping the young lady down….she….she's afraid of heights." He stuttered in his doddering old voice.

"Grandfather….you want me to tell Grandmother about this sexual harassment stuff again….? Hmm?" Ray said, utterly venomous about it. The old man hung his head down and shook it. "Then go to Grandmother right now or I will. Maybe if you hurry, I can convince this young lady not to sue you. Get going." Ray commanded, and the old man jumped a bit and ran off.

Lamont slid down after that, his male form returning at last, but his face was frantic and upset. "Keep that pendant away from me when you use it. That thing nearly got me molested." Lamont griped.

Stephen rolled his eyes. "Gladly….not like I didn't say for you two to get your hands off of it in the first place. Now you learned why only one of gets to use it….too many cooks spoil the soup….or the manliness in this case." Stephen chuckled, getting frowns from both of them.

"Oh shut up, meathead. We were having a serious discussion before you nearly got us all in big trouble. What do we do about those fakes?"

"Nothing right now….," he said, looking up at the dojo clock," And it'll have to wait till later. Allan called before I left for here and said he had a surprise for me at noon, along with free milkshakes and burgers. Some kind of little party celebration."

"Our names are being dragged through the mud and you want to party?" Ray gasped, angry again.

Lamont looked very eager suddenly. "Free food? Count me in….I'll go get Angie…." He cheered and ran off. Stephen chuckled as Ray's anger rose. "Think of it this way, Ray….Viper and Raven attacked the arcade once….maybe, if we hang around Allan long enough, Kitty will too, and we will prevent her from harming it. Viper always thought I was in league with Moon Knight. And my Stephanie form was seen with Gary by Kitty, the Gary who is always at the arcade after and before study session with me, remember? She might get curious and slip up…." Stephen said evenly," That….and it seems the D.U. seems to strike wherever we go that's having some kind of an event. Maybe we'll get lucky and snag a new crystal….and Kitty's plan."

Ray calmed a bit. "How so….? What if it's a private party, only Allan would see the imposters."

"Ah, not entirely….Allan's added some stuff with the rebuilt arcade, like video cameras in the arcade, the outside, and café area. They are in the…ahem, back room as well…or were…."

"Were?" he asked, and Stephen grinned a bit. "Every time I go there, I unplug them. Allan is usually still working when I come, and Gary's always comes ten minutes after I do…..so the bathroom and the backroom itself are transformation heaven. If we get lucky and Kitty comes to use the place for her own selfish needs like he brother and sister….we can clear our names. The Galaxy Knights can be heroes again."

Ray thought a moment, rubbing his arm. "That's a pretty big 'if,' meathead, but….if we can transform undetected and catch the imposters on tape with us stopping them….that might just do it. You got a deal, meathead."

"Stop calling me meathead, pervert's grandson." Stephen hissed.

"Oh that hurts, can't you think of something better?" Ray chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Stripper…." Stephen glowered, and had to duck a second later as Ray's fist went for his face.

~ Haitsuchi's Arcade Heaven ~

- Afternoon -

The arcade was still bouncing with a many customers when Stephen and his friends walked in, Lamont straying from them to talk to a blonde girl with a braid playing Phantom Jets. Stephen shrugged. Lamont would come running at the smell of free food over any blonde in the world. As disturbing as Lamont's obsession was, he was still a good friend, and it could be tolerated to an extent.

He simply just gave a wave to Allan, who was busy behind the counter with a young woman sitting across from him, probably a customer. Her hair was long, wavy and deep chocolate brown. He couldn't see her face, but she was dressed professionally. She was probably Allan's age, with a purse of violet on the counter and so was her skirt and jacket suit. Allan waved back and pointed a bit to the side, the direction of the back room. "Gary's already there…." His elder friend mouthed. Stephen nodded and went to it.

"Now how do we transform, genius?" Ray said harshly.

Stephen waved him off. "Don't worry, worst to worst, we bop poor Gary on the head and blame it on Kitty. Or lock him in the bathroom….don't be such a baby about it." He shot back.

"Why you little meathead. Ow…..Angie….." Ray let out. She'd simply smacked the back of his head, looking angry with him.

"Children, behave. We're at the door." She announced. The young men nodded and Stephen opened the door. He went inside the room, Angie and Ray still a ways behind him, and found Gary sitting there, a stiff lip, serious as always. His sunglasses betrayed nothing of his thoughts, but his thrumming gloved fingers on the poker table gave off that he was bored.

"How long he keep you in here, man?" Stephen asked, sitting next to him. Gary looked to flush a moment, why, Stephen didn't know, but the young man righted his pale peach skin and stop thrumming. "For two hours….and no food either, just stale bread and mustard in the fridge. He's making the food about now I guess….I have stuff to do, I can't be waiting around for surprises."

Stephen chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Poor baby….got a hot date or something?"

Gary blushed a bit, but it was brief. "No, not a date. I haven't….had time for that girl of mine. Been occupied with some other stuff….school project." Gary replied evenly as possibly, but stuttered a little. Stephen just grinned. "Yeah, sure….you're probably thinking about her right now."

Gary blushed again. "Ok, fine, so I am, can we drop the subject now?"

"He's so cute when he's all red and squirmy." Angie giggled, and both young men turned put out faces to her. "Lay off, Maniac. Gary's got his own love interest….and it ain't you. So cork it for once….weren't you supposed to not be hitting on us?" Stephen glowered.

Angie grinned, and it made his skin crawl. "You said we start over from the beginning, you never said anything about no complimenting or teasing you hunks." She giggled.

Stephen had his mouth ready to retort about her mental stability when Allan, Lamont and that young woman came into the room with a tray of burgers, fries and milkshakes. Stephen could see her face better as she set the shakes down, Allan and Lamont with the rest. Her eyes were reddish brown, a tint of a ruby perhaps, red lines beyond true red. Her face was heart shaped, and she was quite lovely. She was much older than him, but still, she was sort of pretty.

"Surprise." Allan said, clapping his hand down on Gary and Stephen's shoulders, making them jump.

"Surprise what?" Gary asked.

Allan almost rolled his eyes as his hands slipped from their shoulders and he walked to the young woman, lifting up her left hand. There was a diamond ring upon it.

Gary choked on his own breath while Stephen and the others could only stare a moment at her as she smiled sweetly at them all.

"Engaged?! Allan, since when?" Gary gasped out, looking almost red in the face. Allan shrugged. "We've been engaged for a year….I proposed to Akki right before the incident here.…so when I went away on vacation, I was recuperating with her while she was on a dig."

Gary stood up quickly. "And you never told me?! Or Mom and Dad? We're family….why didn't you tell us, why wait a year? Not just cause of the thing that happened to us."

"No….I just wanted to time it better, when the incident happened, Mom and Dad were too frantic about my health, little brother. I got a better reaction from Mom and Dad last night….you should be nicer to your future sister-in-law."

"Little brother….but I thought you said you didn't….oh." Akki was saying, but he shushed her suddenly. Stephen had to wonder why, but since no one was saying anything, he doubted he'd find out why. He shrugged and stood up, grabbing the young woman's hand and shook it. "Hi, I'm Stephen, Tsukikage, Allan and Gary's best friend….well, youngest best friend I guess. Pleased to meet you and congrats. I always knew Allan would get himself hitched. He needs a woman to clean up his pigsty of a house." Stephen told her, getting a giggle out of her.

She shook his hand back politely. "I'm Akki Kyochika, well, soon to be Akki Haitsuchi. Very nice to meet you at last, Stephen. Allan does nothing but tell me how he plays nurse to you. He says you're quite the day dreamer."

Stephen reddened sheepishly at that, but pulled his hand away to rub the back of his head. "Ah, shucks….Allan. He's always teasing me about bothering him for some gauze. I just have a big imagination….Allan just thinks it makes me a klutz." Stephen rolled out, looking softly cheerful about it.

"It does, meathead." Ray teased, making Stephen frown. "Yeah right….least my grandpa isn't a filthy hentai."

Ray jumped out of his chair, Allan getting between him and a smirking Stephen. "You take that back….your grandfather isn't even alive….he was probably a perv too. I mean, my grandfather's just affectionate!" Ray yelled, half muffled by Allan's hand.

"Hitodama, this is a party, not a wrestling match. Sit down and behave or I give your food to the patrons instead and you have to buy your own food. Sit." Allan commanded, and hesitantly with a glare, Ray obeyed.

Stephen sat down as well, then Akki and Allan beside each other. Gary was the last to sit, frowning a bit. Stephen could relate to having things kept from him. Things like important get together's and family things his parents conveniently forgot to mention cause they were too busy. Gary would get over this, Stephen got over his parent's inconsistencies and they neglected to inform him of more things than Allan did with Gary. He hoped anyway.

"No more fighting, let's just eat and talk, so we can all get to know Akki like I wanted you all to when I proposed." Allan said cheerfully, taking a big bite of his burger.

Stephen almost smirked at that. 'Us….not fight? Hope you're really insured….cause if it isn't us starting the fight, its going to be Miss Kitty….she won't hurt you again, Allan….no way.' Stephen thought and picked up a burger of his own.

- Night -

The arcade was even more packed at night than normal, Allan and some of his new assistants taking care of a few problems with games, orders, and rough patrons. Allan had made a good move in hiring some extra help. He was rich enough from the profits. He could afford a few extra hands.

The evening had been nice, so nice it had passed quickly as they chatted with Miss Akki, an archeologist. She was a touch older in fact than Allan, only a few years, but she'd already got a doctorate and multiple grants to do some digging in some new ruins in England, where she lived. She was a Japanese native, but she loved traveling, and it didn't bother Allan a bit. He'd always be in Japan until Akki wanted him to come be with her.

It hurt a little to hear Allan say, even though he'd almost recently restored the arcade, that he would sell it to eventually settle down with Akki and travel the world by her side. He was happy that Allan had found the love of his life, but Stephen would never see his friend as often anymore. It was a sorrowful thought, he couldn't imagine life without his friends. 'Well, you'll still have Gary around, hopefully. Who knows where he'll go when he becomes a doctor. I'd hate being that alone….' He thought to himself, not paying much attention to what was going on around him.

Then his arm was pinched, hard. "OW! What's the big idea!?" Stephen yelped, finding himself staring at a surprised Lamont. "Um, Allan and Akki went out front, there's some customers causing a ruckus. He said they'd probably be locking up in an hour so….we can either wait here or leave." Lamont let out.

Stephen felt a bit guilty for zoning out again and missing all that. He looked about to see the couple was gone, the door wide-open and garbled voices filtering into his ears. Then it hit him. Gary was gone too. "Where's Gary?" he asked.

Ray sniffed a bit and jerked his dark head to the bathroom door. "He said he had to go….about two minutes ago. Pay attention next time, meathead." Ray smoothed out, a little satisfied smile on his face.

Stephen grumbled at him, getting out of his chair to go talk to Allan when a scream ripped through the air. "EEK! ALLAN!" It was Akki's voice

"AKKI! Galaxy Knights, put my fiancée down!" Allan shouted, and the sound of breaking glass and punches flying replaced them.

Stephen jerked himself to the bathroom and put a chair under the knob. It rumbled a second later, followed by pounding. "Hey! The door's stuck! Lemmie out! Allan! Hey Allan! What's going on!?" Gary yelled from behind it, but Stephen had to ignore it as he unplugged the room's cameras. "Time to transform…quietly…"Stephen whispered to his friend, getting three perfect nods as they held their ring bearing hands up, and Stephen his pendant.

~ Arcade Area ~

"AKKI! NO! What are you doing to her, argh!" Allan roared from beneath the wicked Mars boots. Allan had tried to save Akki from Lady Glamour. She and the knights were all in disguise as the rowdy patrons, waiting for his assistants to try and call the cop before revealing themselves. Glamour yanked Akki away and was trying to get her hand lined up with his beloved's chest when he attacked, but Mars intervened and sent him sprawling. He could still taste blood in his mouth, and all he could do was simply watch the love of his whole life surrounded by the former heroes, crying and screaming in pain.

Then Glamour's hand shot right through Akki's chest, swirls of purple light instead of blood coming out. He watched, amazed and terrified for them all, mostly for Akki's safety, as the hand drew out slowly. There was a violet crystal in her hand, sparkling darkly as it touched the air.

Glamour grinned like a giddy child and held the crystal high. "Congratulations, fellow Galaxy Knights, the Crystal of Shadow is ours. Ahahahahaaa!" she cackled, dropped a twitching Akki to the floor as the light went all aver her innocent body.

"Not in this lifetime, you fake!" a familiar voice shouted, and a streak of silver and white shot over Glamour, a slash appearing above her wrist. She hunched over, her form rippling as she cradled her wound, exactly and still like a child, the crystal no longer with her.

Allan looked about, wondering who did it, and nearly let his jaw hit the floor when he saw the Galaxy Knights, another set of Galaxy Knight all in a row, Moon Knight holding the purple crystal. "Do you think we'd stop everything just because you are ruining our good name….Kitty. I know its you, only you could sound like such a brat in perfection's form, you stray!" Moon Knight announced.

Glamour's form rippled away, and there stood a shorter young woman with white hair. She was hissing and growling at them, favoring her cut wrist, the other hand a mechanical clawed nightmare. "So? Who cares. Kitty is going to dance on all of your little spleens. Dark Galaxy Knights, kill everyone….no one gets out alive….then drain those goody-goody knights! ATTACK!" Kitty yelled, mar's foot sweeping off of Allan's back. He looked up to see that dark Mars was raising his blade over Allan's head, intent on the kill.

"Icicle Daggers! Banish him!" Mercury shouted, the shards of frozen pleasure ramming into Mar's armor, sending him back reeling," Run, sir….get outside and call the police! RUN!"

Allan looked to Akki, shaking violently when he saw it wasn't really Akki anymore, it was a lavender and black wraith with Akki's face inside many folds of the dark cloak. She held giant scissors, stained with blood, her face painted and fake. She wasn't Akki anymore.

"SIR, RUN!" Mercury shouted, and off he went, looking back only once with tears in his eyes at his beloved Akki, now a monster. 'Save her, Galaxy Knights, please. Save my Akki.' He thought painfully, hoping they weren't intent on killing the only woman he'd ever loved.

~

Moon Knight avoided the beam attacks and sword slashes of Dark Moon, but the guy was twice as strong and fast as a normal person was. Moon just leapt away, his attacks having no effect on the creature. Mercury was after her dark half, mars, his, and so was Jupiter. 'No….we can't fight ourselves, our attacks cancel each other out….we have to mix it up or they'll get us an the crystal!' he thought, wincing hard as Dark Moon slashed across his arm. Blood flowed, but Moon managed to avoid the next strike, getting closer to the others.

"Guys! Change partners! We're not succeeding in fighting our doubles!" he shouted, hoping they'd get the point. They didn't at that moment, not until Dark Mars raised his hand at Mercury as he fended Mars off with his won dark blade. "Flare Arrows! Destroy the knights!" he yelled in garbled voice.

Moon's eyes went up in alarm as arrows of flame shot at Mercury. He turned quickly, taking a hit in the side, his armor for the most part preventing a bloody wound, and ran at her. He rammed her to the floor as the flaming arrows zoomed past their heads and blasted out a window.

"Shit, we're destroying the place! Everybody outside! NOW!" Moon called and rushed out, dragging Mercury behind him, without another word. Jupiter followed quickly, while Mars stayed behind long enough to get his dark half on the ground.

As Mars rushed out, their dark halves were coming out the shattered and even an intact window, smashing it to pieces.

"Strategy guys….Mercury gets Dark Mars while Mars goes after Dark Mercury. Jupiter, you take my dark half and I'll take down yours. We can't fight them with the same elements or they'll simply heal them. Are we clear in it, cause I don't have time to say it again?" Moon let out quickly. He got the nods he needed and moved himself apart from them, to where Dark Jupiter was, right beneath one of the outdoor security cameras. 'Even more pay dirt. This will prove we're innocent once we expose them….' He thought, avoiding the staff the dark warrior wielded.

He took a leapt backwards from Dark Jupiter and slashes his sword out at him. "You're a bad impersonator, Jupiter would never harm innocent people. Celestial Beam!" Moon shouted, the beam of light ripping from his blade and into Dark Jupiter's chest. He actually yowled, his helmet flying off. Moon Knight gasped a little, the face wasn't Lamont, thankfully, but a dark haired young man with whiskers, like a rat.

'Animals….they're animals?' he thought, jumping back at the thing screeched in pain and evaporated before his eyes. 'The helmet's, it keeps them stable as imposters….' He mused, grinning. He leapt up and aimed the camera at the others, they would be proved innocent of the crimes now.

Moon whirled around at them and shouted," The helmets! Get their helmets off, they're just animals! They're not people!"

"Maybe so, meat sack, but soon you'll be little pet for the Dark Goddess." A garbled and feminine voice snaked behind him. He paled under his helmet a bit, turning his head to receive as slash a cross his face. He fell over, blood stained eyes seeing the creature Akki had become, her giant scissors snapping softly before her.

"Akki…." He whispered.

"Now, you face the wrath of the Shadow warrior, Mordrid! Pray, little worm!" she cackled, pulling the scissors open wide, the blood of the past gentling dripping on his chest.

"Not this time, villain!" Lady Glamour's voice rang out, Moon feeling his body be swept up by the real Glamour, her scent and voice as perfect as he knew it to be. Her soul felt far warmer to him than did Kitty pretending to be Glamour. Kitty couldn't hold a candle to her.

She set him down, then went right back at Mordrid, who's scissors cut short the life of the space Moon had been in. She looked terribly puzzled a moment, then angry, and it only worse as Glamour slashed her side.

"Gotta help her….that's Akki…." He said to himself, picking himself, sore and hurt, and beat back Mordrid with his love. Moon let his eyes wander a bit during the fight to the other, smiling to see Mercury had sent Dark Mars away and Jupiter was just shocking Dark Moon like crazy, kicking the helmet away to reveal a reptilian humanoid underneath. Dark Mars was already gone, so he'd have to wait till next time to see what the thing was. He knew they'd return. Monsters blew up or melted, no simply vanished with such easy hits. They weren't even fatal. Kitty wouldn't simply waste her own time with easy opponents.

Moon simply shrugged it off. They'd make Kitty pay for hurting Allan's fiancée and damaging the arcade, not to mention nearly killing everyone in it and ruining the Galaxy Knights' reputation. Kitty joined her family in going to far. When they involved good friends in their plots, it just made the knights all the angrier. He blocked an attack from Mordrid as his thoughts cleared, his eyes on Mars fighting Dark Mercury. "Mars! Hurry up, we have to free Mordrid from Kitty's control! Try and unlock that attack Dark Mars used on Mercury! Hurry!" he shouted, getting batted away by Mordrid's claws.

~

Mars nodded sharply, resorting to fighting with his blade hand and clenching the other. Dark Mercury had all of Lady Mercury's skills, but none of her brains for fighting tactics. She hissed a lot and clawed, relying too much on her weak physical attacks than her magic. It was no problem to avoid the physical attacks, but the Icicle Dagger attacks were lining his leg. When cornered, she struck back like a wild animal with magic. Now, she wasn't using magic much. She probably saw no threat of one handed sword moves, from a human anyway. Moon had said they were animals, so he had to bet what he was fighting was a cat. It'd be just like Kitty to make the only girl on her team a feline, very egocentric.

It didn't matter much, Allan's fiancée was after their heads and if he didn't hurry up, she'd rip through the others. The knights and Glamour needed to weaken her before she'd try to escape with the now absent Kitty. He hissed in pain as she claws his arm, his mind growing hot with rage at fighting such an evil and immoral creature, impersonating Angie, all them impersonating them. He'd been labeled a rapist by the media because of Dark Mars, Mercury called a violent bully. Angie could get in fights, but she did not randomly kill people over temper tantrums. These things had the gall to ruin them. 'Not anymore! You won't ruin our good names anymore, you bitch!" Mars shouted at her, raising his now flaming fist. He didn't realize it was alive with flames until he punched her square in the face, her helmet and head snapping back sharply. He heard no crack, but saw the lavender feline-woman face with a bloody nose and mouth looking up at him from the street. With that, she vanished, leaving nosing but a small puddle of garishly dark blood behind.

He looked at his hand, smiling in awe and wonder at the power he'd unlocked. "MARS! Hurry!" Moon shouted. Mars looked up, seeing Mordrid soar above the arcade, trying to escape. She was badly beaten up, but not enough to weaken the hold she had over Akki. "You won't get away!" he shouted, charging to the building and leaping up swiftly to the roof. He splayed his hand out at her, Mordrid slowly turning around to attack.

"Flare Arrows! BURN!" he shouted, opening his fist to let the arrows of purest molten flame fly free from his gloved hand. They swirled and streamed like amber missiles, slamming into Mordrid's face and chest. She wailed in pain and toppled, clawing at her flame decked body.

"MOON KNIGHT! NOW, HEAL HER!" Mars shouted, landing neatly on the roof ledge. Moon Knight was soon beside him, his blade raised high. "Celestial Healing Light! Encircle and cure this lost soul!" Moon called, the swirls of light coming and wrapping about Mordrid's form. Within a minute of the light encircling her body, it left, leaving an unconscious, but alive Akki standing then, then she collapsed, letting out a sigh or exhaustion.

Mars picked her up, finding her for the most part unharmed, only a little sooty. Moon Knight was already hanging off the rood, grabbing the video tap of the battle. "I'll be making a copy of this for every news station I know of. Get her to Allan, distract him while I get the tapes from inside." Moon said quietly, jumping over the side. Mars nodded and did the same, landing neatly by Jupiter and Mercury.

Allan came around the corner a few minutes later, panting and tearful. He must have run a long way to call the cops. They couldn't stay for a happy reunion. If the cops were on their way, the Galaxy Knights had to be gone. If they stayed, they'd get arrested. The tapes had to be sent out before they were seen publicly by any authority.

"A-AKKI! Ah you saved her! Thank you so much, Galaxy Knights!" Allan wept, grabbing her swiftly out of Mars' arms, lacing her warm face with kisses and tears. Mars just nodded and grinned. "Be sure to tell the cops you were attacked by the imposters….Sorry, but we can't stay and chat. Not until the police believe that it's not the real Galaxy Knights wreaking havoc across Tokyo," he said, looking back a bit to see Moon Knight jump back on the roof," Farewell, sir." Mars said with a bow, and ran off into the night, Jupiter and mercury close by.

~

Moon jumped from rooftop to rooftop, the tapes tucked under his armored arm while the violet crystal was tightly held in his other hand. He'd get home this way, he didn't need to be seen when the whole city was after them. No one looked up anymore, so he felt he was safe. All he had to do was get home and transform back. Then he'd make lots of copies and mail these tapes out. He'd make Kitty really sorry for trying to drag them through the mud. That would come later, right now he could go home and report to Cyrus that they had proof now, and knew how to combat with their enemies. It wasn't humane to kill animals or anything, but if the creatures were beyond help, they'd have to be destroyed.

'Better lizards, cats, rats, and whatever's than human beings….I may not like all this, but I never chose to be a Galaxy Knight. It chose me….and for Mark, Cici, and everyone else that has suffered because of the Dark Universe….I'll keep fighting, no matter what. I will find the Earth Princess and Moon Prince and the Soul Crystal, then we stop the Dark Universe cold….forever.' he thought, leaping on.

~ The Tsukikage Household ~

Moon Knight crawled into his room through the window, landing softly on his bed. He stretched a bit, not bothering to shut the window just yet. They had heavy foliage and trees behind their house. No one would see. Cyrus looked up at him from the pillow, lounging as always.

"How'd it go, Stephen?" Cyrus asked. Moon Knight shrugged and thought away his transformation, Stephen Tsukikage back in charge and holding up the tapes and the crystal. "Not only did we get proof that we're innocent, we got the next crystal, only three to go now."

"Good work….now I don't have to sass you all night for losing one." Cyrus yawned, only to get launched off the bed and to the floor as Stephen sat hard on the mattress. "You sass me regardless, pussy cat…."Stephen chuckled, pulling off his shoes and socks, then shirt and pants. He stretches again and put the tapes under his pillow, the crystal under the mattress with the others.

Cyrus just wrinkled his nose. "You stink….I'm not sleeping on the bed if you smell that bad."

Stephen gave a wry, lazy eyed grins and he plopped down, pulling the covers up. "Then sleep on the floor like a normal cat. I'm too tired to take a shower….I've not only been chased around by that horny old goat grandfather of Ray's, turned into a girl again…I have been running around making the Galaxy Knights get back in the good eyes of the people of Tokyo. Stop smothering me with petty orders. I'll shower tomorrow….jeez, complain, complain." Stephen grumbled. Cyrus hissed a bit, leaping onto the foot of the bed and curling up nicely.

"See…you can take a little hard work aroma. Leave the ordering people around for tomorrow…yawn….I'm beat. Just nearly got my ass kicked by giant me-lizard." Stephen drawled out, his tine sleepy.

Cyrus nodded slightly. "A you-lizard, might be an improvement, takes orders better." Cyrus sassed, getting bounced up by Stephen's covered foot. He landed again, his furry face sour.

"Orders and insults tomorrow, kitty cat….Moon Knight needs sleep." Stephen muttered, picking his shirt off the floor and balled it up, then tossed it at the light switch. The room went dark only the pregnant moon's silvery embrace shining down upon him as he fell into his dreams.

"So….Moon Knight is just an ordinary teenage human….my, my, Kitty is most pleased." A childish voice uttered from outside his window, decked in shadows, but neither cat nor boy was awake to hear it. Neither knew…. that Stephen had been seen by their enemy, who had followed him well all the way home.

"Kitty's little secret now….lovely boy. Your life…is mine." She tittered, her silhouette vanishing in the night.

To Be Continued….

Teaser: Kitty stalks Stephen, and attacks after much debate, but another secret will exposed, along with devastating nightmare. Can Stephen and his friend survive it?