Okay, just want to let everyone know now, this story is NEVER stopping, so
unless you have a REALLY large amount of time on your hands, don't bother
finishing. It's verrrrrrrry long. :-D
The seven girls went flying, screaming through space, when abruptly- WHAM!! Diamond gaped around in surprise and relief. "We're home!" All the other girls scrambled into sitting positions. "And we're back in the park!" Garnet added, eyeing a familiar park bench nearby. "Great." Obsidian said humorously. "Now, who the heck did I land on-" Her voice trailed away as she began to shake. "G-guys." "It's so good to be home!" Amethyst said, rising and stretching. "Uh-huh." "Guys-" "Hey, look! There's the evil vice-principal! Think he recognizes us?" "GUYS!!" "For Pete's sake, Obsidian, we hear you, no need to yell." "Excuse ME." Obsidian said angrily. "But look who I landed on!!" An extremely blond head and long body was crumpled under Obsidian. "Oh, my God!" Diamond exclaimed. "You squished the bad guy!" "I didn't mean to!" Obsidian wailed. "Do you think you have to go to jail?!" Topaz asked in horror. "You can't!" Sapphire said. "You're a defender of justice! No way you are allowed to go to jail." "Um, HELLO?!" Emerald shouted. "He's a bad guy, he can die, it's okay, we can de-transform, we saved the day!" "Oh. Right." "Besides." Garnet pointed. "Look, he's breathing! He's not dead yet!" "Is that a good or bad thing?" Diamond asked, edging away from the prone figure. The man gave a moan and started to twitch and move. "He's moving!" "He's waking up!" "What do we do?!" "HIDE!" Diamond screamed, jumping into bushes. "Good idea." Amethyst agreed, jumping in after her. The blond man from before stretched and rubbed his head. "Oh, damn." He muttered, rubbing his head where strangely there was no mark. "What the hell." "My, my." A drawling voice said. The seven Senshi groaned very quietly as the chestnut haired man from before strutted up. "Never thought I would see the day." He said, raising an eyebrow. "Jedin kissing the ground." "Shut up, Uther." Jedin snarled. "Something hit me." "Oh?" Uther said, smiling rather nastily. "And what, pray tell?" "I don't know." Jedin said defensively. "It fell out of the sky." "A poor excuse for not being on your guard." Uther sniffed. In the bushes behind them, the girls watched in fascination. Diamond's nose itched suddenly. She wriggled it, trying to dispel the sensation. But it only grew into a desire she couldn't control. Her eyes watered as she tried to hold it in- "Ah-CHOO!" Quick as a flash, Uther had turned and stuck his hand into the bushes. The girls squeaked and abruptly tried to pull back, but his fingers closed tight around Diamond's hair and he dragged her out. "Hello, what have we here?" Uther asked, holding Diamond by the hair several feet as she tried to squirm loose. "A human." Jedin said, getting up and trotting over. "I can see that." Uther replied snootily, eyeing Diamond. She was struggling hard, trying desperately to free herself from the incredible pain shooting through her scalp. She made a feeble attempt to kick at Uther Jedin was watching her, amused. "You're hurting her, stupid." Uther dropped her into the dust. Diamond lay curled there, massaging her head and glaring at the two resentfully. Jedin nudged her slightly with his shoe. She kicked out and hit his shin. He howled, and in a flash, hands were at her throat. "Stop-it!" She choked out. "Just let her go, idiot." Uther said, pleasantly enough. "She hardly even scratched you." "It's the principle of the thing." Jedin answered, horrible ice blue eyes burning down into hers. Terrible eyes. Diamond raised a hand, hesitated, then jammed two fingers into Jedin's face. With another cry, he dropped her and turned away, rubbing his eyes furiously. Diamond collapsed and lay in a heap, gratefully breathing. Uther was roaring with laughter. "Hah! Letting yourself get hurt by a human child! Good lord, Jedin!" "I am NOT a child." Diamond said angrily, brushing herself off and attempting to stand. Jedin had stopped rubbing his face and was glaring at her. "Power check." A thin lime green visor swept over his eyes and formed a mouthpiece in which he muttered something. Uther continued to study Diamond. "Something about you." He muttered. "There's just something." "Power levels are normal." He reported, clicking the visor away. "Status: human, around fourteen. I believe the human word is a 'teenager'. Strong physically, and in power levels she's just a little over normal. Conclusion: human child." "An excellent energy source, perhaps?" Uther said, the hungry look back in his eyes. "Perhaps." Jedin agreed, eyes glinting. "Oh, no you don't." Diamond growled. "Not taking my energy! I'll-I'll fight you!" The two immediately roared with laughter. "You, fight us?!" Jedi spluttered. "One tiny girl against two strong dark- " "Two tiny girls." A voice said as Obsidian came up to stand beside Diamond, who shot her a grateful glance. "Two against two." Uther chortled. "Even if it was us two against a hundred, the odds would still be in our favor-" "How about seven, then?" There was a great rustling, then the five other girls trotted out to stand beside Diamond and Obsidian, arms crossed. Uther stared at them intently. "Seven." He muttered. "Seven girls." "We'll all fight you." Diamond told Jedin, throwing her head back. He snorted. "Seven teenage girls against two all-powerful-" "Seven!" Uther snapped his fingers. "Seven princesses from long ago, tried to stop us." His voice trailed away as he looked even harder at the girls. "Look menacing." Amethyst whispered. The girls all stiffened and glared back. Garnet bared her teeth and tried to growl. All at once, Uther started screaming in laughter. The girls felt crushed. "He's not supposed to laugh!" Emerald complained. Jedin stared at him in amazement. "What," He asked, "has gotten into you?!" "Oh, dear." Uther said, wiping his eyes. "Do you remember a very long time ago when those seven princesses split the dimensions and their souls were sucked into the future?" Jedin nodded slowly. "Well," Uther giggled helplessly. "I believe these seven girls are under the misconception that THEY are, in fact, those seven powerful ladies!" "We ARE them." Topaz said fiercely. "Of course you are, dear." Uther said, waving his hand at her and snickering. Jedin gave a few chuckles as well. "Quite preposterous, of course." He muttered. "These seven, the Chosen Ones-" He laughed. The Senshi watched, ashamed and abashed, as the men continued to laugh. "Who else feels stupid?" Obsidian asked. Several hands were raised. "They're not treating us seriously." Sapphire muttered. A strange blue spark had ignited in her eyes. "Like we're idiots." Garnet agreed. "Poor little backwards children." The blue spark had turned into a flame. "How can we rid the world of evil if the evil won't stop making fun of us?" Emerald asked hopelessly. The flame was a burning fire now. "Jerks." Sapphire muttered. "I'm going to do something to stop your laughter!" At the last second, Diamond realized what was happening. "Sapphire! Wait- " Sailor Sapphire raised her hands. Blue light pulsed and swirled in each of them. She brought her hands together as the light expanded and swirled around her like a stream. Particles of ice started to fly in a huge waterspout around her. The air grew intensely cold as the blue fire in her eyes reached its peak- "ICY.GLACIER.FREEZE!!!" A huge wave of ice crashed towards the men. Where it hit the ground, ice sculptures sprung up in jagged designs. Uther and Jedin stopped laughing as they stared in horror- WHAM!!! The ice crashed into them, sending each flying a few feet away. The wave flew on a few more feet before dissolving into the air. The fire of power in Sapphire's eyes promptly died. "Oh, my GOD!!" She cried, staring at the jagged ice forms. "I did that!! I attacked!! I've got my first attack! Hey-you guys?" The six other scouts had flung themselves back into the bushes. "Sillies." Sailor Sapphire said, gloating as she stared at the damage. "I can't believe it! I mean, talk about a shock!" "Sapphire!" Topaz cried in warning. "Behind you!" Sailor Sapphire turned in time to see a huge jet of electric blue energy come soaring straight at her. "SAPPHIRE!!" Diamond screamed, fighting the arms that held her back. Sapphire's body, torn and bruised, hit a street light a few feet away. Her eyes opened wide for a split second as her back arched in pain, then with a moan, she crumpled to the ground. "JERKS!" Obsidian screamed. "You slimy evil scum-" "Honestly, Jedin, no need to overreact." Uther said, fingering a piece of torn tunic on his arm. "That hurt." Jedin snapped, glaring at the prone figure lying on the sidewalk. "That little witch hurt me. They aren't just kids, Uther." "Damn right." Obsidian snapped, black sparks seeming to shoot from her eyes. Uh-oh, Diamond thought. "Obsidian, please-" Emerald began, sensing danger also- Too late. "BLACK." Obsidian held her hands above her head. A ball of black energy with white lightning zigzagged inside her two cupped palms. "FEAR." She brought her cupped hands back near her waist. The lightning bolts inside grew more acute. "SWARM!!" The dark energy stopped moving for a single second, then thousands of tiny black lightning bolts flew out of the dark mass. They peppered Jedin and Uther, who winced as if they'd been stung. Obsidian gazed down at her hands in astonishment. "Did-I-how-but-" "That pretty much sums it up." Topaz said with a laugh. "You-" Jedin pulled his arm back. "Obsidian!" Amethyst screamed. "Duck!" "Huh-" Obsidian started. Amethyst abruptly dove at her, knocking both of them into the bushes. A wave of electric blue energy crashed into where she had been seconds earlier. "Darn!" Jedin muttered. "Missed!" "On your guard, Scouts!" Topaz warned. Then she looked over and saw- "Diamond!" Sailor Diamond was crouched over Sapphire's bloody form. She held one red- stained hand tightly and was whispering to Sapphire. "Hang on, Elisha." She murmured, rubbing her hand. "It'll be all right. We'll get you to a doctor, just-hang in there, okay?" Sailor Sapphire weakly nodded, and squeezed Diamond's hand back. "It looks worse than it feels, Angie. I promise." She laughed, and then immediately winced. Diamond smiled ,trying to hide tears of worry. "We've got to keep their attention away from Sapphire." Emerald instructed tensely. "Anyone else want to attack?" "I can't." Garnet confessed. "Whatever fire those two felt, I don't feel it. Maybe I can't." "Don't be silly." Amethyst snorted from the bushes. "You're a Scout just like us!" Garnet smiled, her eyes dancing. "Thank you, Amethyst." Her dancing eyes took on a spark. "So much for not having it." Obsidian muttered to Amethyst, watching Garnet. Electric blue energy shot through the bushes near Obsidian and Amethyst, making them jump aside and tumble out into the open. Jedin, with an animal-like growl, pounced like a tiger. Mary and Lacie scuttled backwards out of the way. Her pursued them like a dog, creeping forward on hands and feet. Very suddenly, Garnet's high-heel jammed into his hand. Jedin howled, then glared up at her. Garnet's voice was the hiss of fire. "So, you really are an animal, aren't you?" She asked, in a low threatening tone. "We're more than animals." Uther said, floating up to face her. He smirked. "You think humans may be at the top of the food chain, but the fact is, we're the things that prey on humans. We're your worst nightmares, your hunters, your predators." Garnet drew herself to her full height-which was still very small-and eyed him coldly. "Yet you slink on the ground like beasts, and attack innocent people, like little girls and teenagers. In the thought of decency, you are certainly less than us." "And how would you know we prey on children?" Uther asked calmly, but his face turning snakelike. Garnet snorted. "You tried to attack a trio of young girls in the park. When they ousted Jedin-" she ground her heel a little harder into his hand, "-with force, you tried to use psychic power to hold them still, but something blocked you." Uther was pale with anger. "You!" He hissed, all composure gone. "You! You blocked me, you little witch!" "I did." Garnet said coldly, the flame leaping to new heights in her eyes. "And now I'm going to do it again." She raised a hand in the air. "SCORCHING- " A ball of fire burst in her hand, heat radiating from it so hot that the girls shied away. Uther glared at her, eyes flickering black. "-FIREBALLS-" The flame separated into multiple tiny balls of flame that started swirling around in Garnet's hand. "-FIRE!!!!!!!" The fireballs suddenly grew to the sizes of beach balls and went hurtling at Uther. Seconds before impact, they exploded on a electric-blue shield that formed around him. "Nice try." Uther sneered. Garnet ground her teeth. "Scroodles!" Jedin abruptly heaved up with his hand, sending Garnet crashing into Emerald and Topaz. They all fell to the ground. "OW!" Topaz cried, holding her knee. "I skinned my leg!" Jedin and Uther stood side by side, not even acting injured in the slightest way. "Pathetic." Jedin sneered, loathing and mockery on every syllable. "Truly pathetic. To think you were once the justice forces of the universe." Obsidian, Amethyst, Emerald, Topaz, and Garnet hung together, shivering a little. Garnet sniffed once or twice. "That wraps everything just about up." Uther said, businesslike. "The only question left is, which one to kill first?" "Let's see-what is that chant you humans use?" Jedin murmured, tapping a finger to his chin as Topaz let out a tiny moan of fright. "Oh, yes-eenie, weenie, myna, moe, which scout will be the first to go?" He teasingly waved his finger around and watched as each scout flinched away. "Eenie," he pointed to Emerald, "weenie," to Obsidian, "myna," to Amethyst. Each girl tensed in horrible anticipation. But Jedin's eyes had found another target. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the still-weak Sapphire, blood still coming from her many wounds; Diamond frantically bending over her, trying to stop the bleeding. "Moe." Diamond had no hint of the oncoming attack. She was cleaning a cut on Sapphire's face when suddenly Sapphire's eyes opened very wide and focused behind her. Diamond turned- And a huge lightning bolt caught her shoulder. She reeled backwards from the power of that blow, falling and striking the ground. She lay there, blood trickling down her shoulder and her head throbbing from the pain were it had hit the sidewalk. And very suddenly, a fire lit on the inside. Anger and rage built up in her, warm and satisfying, and completely numbing the pain. Heat was building up in her hands and her head, the jewel on her glove and on her tiara as well as her charm right over the heart were blazing hot with power. Jedin's hands were on Sapphire's neck and he was bending his face towards hers when a kick sent him sprawling on the ground. He leapt up immediately in anger, and Uther rushed forward. Sailor Diamond was practically shining with energy. Every bit of her seemed radiant and luminescent. Her voice was steady when she spoke, but filled with hot anger. "So, you not only attack innocent, you attack the weak and helpless. You choose to kill the injured one before daring to take on her partners." She spat on the ground. "Pigs. Slime. Filth." "Arrogant, aren't you?" Uther inquired softly. "Perhaps." She said, raising a hand. Jedin chuckled, but without humor. "What, are you going to try to attack? We can block your wimpy attempts, you know." "Not this one." Diamond said, power and anger coming to a peak. "GOLDEN HALO ATTACK!!!!" A nova of light exploded at her fingertips. A shining golden disc formed in between her two outstretched palms. It twirled softly as she stared at it, never once moving or stopping. She smiled as she stared into its depths. She knew, somehow, exactly what to do. Quick as a wink, she crossed her arms in an X, the disc staying in front of them. As she flung her arms out wide, the halo went spinning away like a Frisbee. It headed straight for Jedin. Jedin gave a horrible cry as the disc cut into his shoulder. But instead of stopping, it continued, cutting the side of Uther's face and then Jedin's side. With a snarl, Uther tried to grab it, but the disc spun away from him and back to Diamond. For a moment, as she watched those razor-sharp blades coming at her, she panicked. Would it hit her? But, very slowly, the disc stopped spinning. The light dimmed, and finally it dissolved into nothing a foot away from her. The heat gradually dissipated from her limbs. "Oh, wow." Diamond said, gingerly waving her hand in the air as if to check and make sure the disc was really gone. "If there are any doubts you are not a Sailor Senshi, they are gone." Uther said, fingering the cut on his face. "But you are no High Princess, and you still do not have the power to defeat us." Jedin was actually limping slightly. His face was taut with hate and anger. "You-" he began, starting to get worked up, then he subsided, muttering. "I just beat you." Diamond said coolly, crossing her arms. "Not yet!" Jedin snarled, anger flaring up again. "We're going to-" "Hold on, Jedin." Uther said, glancing at his wrist where a curious wristwatch was attached. "The Boss just called. He wants us to come back with the energy we've got now. Our time limit is almost up." Jedin ground his teeth in anger and glared at Diamond in hate. "We'll find you, Jewel Senshi. We'll hunt you down and drain every drop of energy from your miserable bodies. And when we do, you'll regret the day you tried to hurt us!" Uther started to shimmer, and then in a flash, he disappeared. "We aren't finished with you all yet," Jedin threatened. "You all will pay for this-starting with your leader." With that parting remark, he too shimmered and phased out. "Yeah, whatever." Diamond replied to the empty air. A low moan startled her back to her senses. She turned only to remember Sapphire's predicament. Garnet and Topaz was kneeling by her as the others crowded around. Each face was grim. Diamond came up and took Sapphire's hand. Sapphire gazed at her, a smile flickering over her face. "I heard you attacking those guys, Diamond. Very impressive. Only wish I could have seen what made Jedin scream. He sounded like a girl." She let out a laugh that quickly turned into a hacking cough. "We think the blast might have done something to her insides, too." Garnet murmured in Diamond's ear. "She's in pretty bad shape, Angie." Diamond tried to keep from crying as she stared into her newfound friend's bloody face. Sapphire's eyes had closed, and her breathing came more slowly. "NO!" Diamond shouted, shaking Sapphire. "We're not losing ANYONE to these creeps! No one! No one!" Tears streamed down her face. Golden tears. Garnet gasped in realization. Diamond's tears were golden, and shining with a serene, evanescent light. As a golden drop dripped onto her scratched hand there was a tingle of energy. Then as she watched, the skin around the deep cut on her hand drew together and healed. "I'm not going to lose any of you." Diamond went on, tears still dripping down her face. "I won't. You all are some of my closest friends already. I know I can't lose any of you, I can feel it! And I won't lose anyone in our first battle!" She stood up, sobs wracking her body. Her hands suddenly shot up into the air as she cried, "EVERLASTING LOVE PURIFY!!!" Streams of golden light floated out of her fingers. Unlike her attack, this light was gentle, soothing. It swirled around like water, cascading down to Sapphire's body. Sapphire felt the light on her skin. It was cool, and almost tickly. It gently wrapped around her cut and wounds. Then, without warning, the light went INTO her wounds! There was a moment when her whole world shook with agony and her vision was blinded by pain-and then the light retreated, leaving her both peaceful and shocked. All her wounds had healed. She got up, rubbing the arm she was sure had been broken in amazement and wiggling her fingers. "Diamond!" She cried. "That was incredible, that was amazing, that was-" There was a "WHUMP!" as Diamond promptly fell over and collapsed on the ground. "-that was obviously very hard to do." Sapphire said, helping her friend sit up. "I'm dizzy." Diamond murmured giddily, slumping against Topaz on her other side. "How.?" Obsidian asked, dazedly. She had been pretty sure no medical work could have saved Sapphire. Yet here she was, walking, talking, breathing. Alive. "Not how." Diamond said, looking up at her. "The question is why, and that's easy to answer." Obsidian grinned. "You're crazy and slightly suicidal, you know, right?" Diamond nodded. "But I'm alive. And we're all alive. And those two were beamed back up to wherever they came from." "But they'll be back." "Lune!" The golden cat licked her paw and jumped down from the nearby tree. "Excellent work, scouts. You especially, Diamond. I am pleased you have already discovered your defensive power of healing. It takes great power and intelligence to manage it so quickly." Diamond blushed slightly and looked at the ground. She had come to be fond of the cat, as bossy and rude as she was. "They'll be back?" Emerald asked in concern. "When? Where? Today?" "Not today, I should think." Lune said, scratching behind her ear. "They- ouch, that itches!-will want to examine what they're up against. They'll listen to Uther and Jedin's reports, then go back and research their last fight with you, and then begin a strategy and then plan their next attack. Two or three days might have passed by that time." "Good." Amethyst said, wiping her brow. "That was tiring!" "You didn't even do anything!" Obsidian said with a laugh. "Except save your butt from getting hurt like Sapphire!" Amethyst shot back. "Chill, you guys." Diamond said, absent-mindedly scratching Lune's back. "Diamond?" Garnet asked. "Was it just me, or did Jedin refer to you as the leader?" "I-I thought he did." Diamond admitted. "But-we're a team, you know? No leader." "I think they're should be." Topaz said. "We need someone to instruct us. I mean, I'm strong and smart, but I can't ever think of good battle plans. I'm not a leader-type person. Second-in-command, maybe. Fighter, definitely. Not leader." "Me either." Garnet agreed. "I'm not as physically strong, but I can evaluate enemy movements pretty well. I'm not leader material either. I've got half of what it takes, but not the whole deal." "You did fairly well in battle." Obsidian gasped from Amethyst's headlock. "Your attack seemed to do a bit more damage then ours. You protected Sapphire when she was down and then healed her. Pretty good leadership." "What could I do??" Diamond protested. "I was closest. Besides, I should have been helping you guys!" "She's right!" Sapphire said. "I'll be the leader!" Diamond looked at Sapphire a moment, then smiled and shrugged. "What the heck? I guess-if everyone wants me to be a leader-" "Yes!" "We're sure!" "Positive!" "Absolutely!" "Awww." Sapphire said in disappointment. "Fine, you'll be an okay leader..I guess." Her voice trailed away as she winked at Diamond. "By the way, Lune." Emerald said casually. "What were those people?" "Yeah, they claimed they weren't human. Do they have extraordinary powers?" Amethyst asked. "Are they just." Her voice trailed away. Lune's calm manner had vanished. She seemed to have been reminded of something that she had forgotten. Something terrible. "Oh, Jewel Senshi." She whispered. "Pray that you never find out what they truly are. Pray they keep their humanoid forms. Otherwise you will find yourselves in a place beyond terror." "We're not afraid." Diamond claimed, looking both puzzled and defiant. "You will be."
The seven girls went flying, screaming through space, when abruptly- WHAM!! Diamond gaped around in surprise and relief. "We're home!" All the other girls scrambled into sitting positions. "And we're back in the park!" Garnet added, eyeing a familiar park bench nearby. "Great." Obsidian said humorously. "Now, who the heck did I land on-" Her voice trailed away as she began to shake. "G-guys." "It's so good to be home!" Amethyst said, rising and stretching. "Uh-huh." "Guys-" "Hey, look! There's the evil vice-principal! Think he recognizes us?" "GUYS!!" "For Pete's sake, Obsidian, we hear you, no need to yell." "Excuse ME." Obsidian said angrily. "But look who I landed on!!" An extremely blond head and long body was crumpled under Obsidian. "Oh, my God!" Diamond exclaimed. "You squished the bad guy!" "I didn't mean to!" Obsidian wailed. "Do you think you have to go to jail?!" Topaz asked in horror. "You can't!" Sapphire said. "You're a defender of justice! No way you are allowed to go to jail." "Um, HELLO?!" Emerald shouted. "He's a bad guy, he can die, it's okay, we can de-transform, we saved the day!" "Oh. Right." "Besides." Garnet pointed. "Look, he's breathing! He's not dead yet!" "Is that a good or bad thing?" Diamond asked, edging away from the prone figure. The man gave a moan and started to twitch and move. "He's moving!" "He's waking up!" "What do we do?!" "HIDE!" Diamond screamed, jumping into bushes. "Good idea." Amethyst agreed, jumping in after her. The blond man from before stretched and rubbed his head. "Oh, damn." He muttered, rubbing his head where strangely there was no mark. "What the hell." "My, my." A drawling voice said. The seven Senshi groaned very quietly as the chestnut haired man from before strutted up. "Never thought I would see the day." He said, raising an eyebrow. "Jedin kissing the ground." "Shut up, Uther." Jedin snarled. "Something hit me." "Oh?" Uther said, smiling rather nastily. "And what, pray tell?" "I don't know." Jedin said defensively. "It fell out of the sky." "A poor excuse for not being on your guard." Uther sniffed. In the bushes behind them, the girls watched in fascination. Diamond's nose itched suddenly. She wriggled it, trying to dispel the sensation. But it only grew into a desire she couldn't control. Her eyes watered as she tried to hold it in- "Ah-CHOO!" Quick as a flash, Uther had turned and stuck his hand into the bushes. The girls squeaked and abruptly tried to pull back, but his fingers closed tight around Diamond's hair and he dragged her out. "Hello, what have we here?" Uther asked, holding Diamond by the hair several feet as she tried to squirm loose. "A human." Jedin said, getting up and trotting over. "I can see that." Uther replied snootily, eyeing Diamond. She was struggling hard, trying desperately to free herself from the incredible pain shooting through her scalp. She made a feeble attempt to kick at Uther Jedin was watching her, amused. "You're hurting her, stupid." Uther dropped her into the dust. Diamond lay curled there, massaging her head and glaring at the two resentfully. Jedin nudged her slightly with his shoe. She kicked out and hit his shin. He howled, and in a flash, hands were at her throat. "Stop-it!" She choked out. "Just let her go, idiot." Uther said, pleasantly enough. "She hardly even scratched you." "It's the principle of the thing." Jedin answered, horrible ice blue eyes burning down into hers. Terrible eyes. Diamond raised a hand, hesitated, then jammed two fingers into Jedin's face. With another cry, he dropped her and turned away, rubbing his eyes furiously. Diamond collapsed and lay in a heap, gratefully breathing. Uther was roaring with laughter. "Hah! Letting yourself get hurt by a human child! Good lord, Jedin!" "I am NOT a child." Diamond said angrily, brushing herself off and attempting to stand. Jedin had stopped rubbing his face and was glaring at her. "Power check." A thin lime green visor swept over his eyes and formed a mouthpiece in which he muttered something. Uther continued to study Diamond. "Something about you." He muttered. "There's just something." "Power levels are normal." He reported, clicking the visor away. "Status: human, around fourteen. I believe the human word is a 'teenager'. Strong physically, and in power levels she's just a little over normal. Conclusion: human child." "An excellent energy source, perhaps?" Uther said, the hungry look back in his eyes. "Perhaps." Jedin agreed, eyes glinting. "Oh, no you don't." Diamond growled. "Not taking my energy! I'll-I'll fight you!" The two immediately roared with laughter. "You, fight us?!" Jedi spluttered. "One tiny girl against two strong dark- " "Two tiny girls." A voice said as Obsidian came up to stand beside Diamond, who shot her a grateful glance. "Two against two." Uther chortled. "Even if it was us two against a hundred, the odds would still be in our favor-" "How about seven, then?" There was a great rustling, then the five other girls trotted out to stand beside Diamond and Obsidian, arms crossed. Uther stared at them intently. "Seven." He muttered. "Seven girls." "We'll all fight you." Diamond told Jedin, throwing her head back. He snorted. "Seven teenage girls against two all-powerful-" "Seven!" Uther snapped his fingers. "Seven princesses from long ago, tried to stop us." His voice trailed away as he looked even harder at the girls. "Look menacing." Amethyst whispered. The girls all stiffened and glared back. Garnet bared her teeth and tried to growl. All at once, Uther started screaming in laughter. The girls felt crushed. "He's not supposed to laugh!" Emerald complained. Jedin stared at him in amazement. "What," He asked, "has gotten into you?!" "Oh, dear." Uther said, wiping his eyes. "Do you remember a very long time ago when those seven princesses split the dimensions and their souls were sucked into the future?" Jedin nodded slowly. "Well," Uther giggled helplessly. "I believe these seven girls are under the misconception that THEY are, in fact, those seven powerful ladies!" "We ARE them." Topaz said fiercely. "Of course you are, dear." Uther said, waving his hand at her and snickering. Jedin gave a few chuckles as well. "Quite preposterous, of course." He muttered. "These seven, the Chosen Ones-" He laughed. The Senshi watched, ashamed and abashed, as the men continued to laugh. "Who else feels stupid?" Obsidian asked. Several hands were raised. "They're not treating us seriously." Sapphire muttered. A strange blue spark had ignited in her eyes. "Like we're idiots." Garnet agreed. "Poor little backwards children." The blue spark had turned into a flame. "How can we rid the world of evil if the evil won't stop making fun of us?" Emerald asked hopelessly. The flame was a burning fire now. "Jerks." Sapphire muttered. "I'm going to do something to stop your laughter!" At the last second, Diamond realized what was happening. "Sapphire! Wait- " Sailor Sapphire raised her hands. Blue light pulsed and swirled in each of them. She brought her hands together as the light expanded and swirled around her like a stream. Particles of ice started to fly in a huge waterspout around her. The air grew intensely cold as the blue fire in her eyes reached its peak- "ICY.GLACIER.FREEZE!!!" A huge wave of ice crashed towards the men. Where it hit the ground, ice sculptures sprung up in jagged designs. Uther and Jedin stopped laughing as they stared in horror- WHAM!!! The ice crashed into them, sending each flying a few feet away. The wave flew on a few more feet before dissolving into the air. The fire of power in Sapphire's eyes promptly died. "Oh, my GOD!!" She cried, staring at the jagged ice forms. "I did that!! I attacked!! I've got my first attack! Hey-you guys?" The six other scouts had flung themselves back into the bushes. "Sillies." Sailor Sapphire said, gloating as she stared at the damage. "I can't believe it! I mean, talk about a shock!" "Sapphire!" Topaz cried in warning. "Behind you!" Sailor Sapphire turned in time to see a huge jet of electric blue energy come soaring straight at her. "SAPPHIRE!!" Diamond screamed, fighting the arms that held her back. Sapphire's body, torn and bruised, hit a street light a few feet away. Her eyes opened wide for a split second as her back arched in pain, then with a moan, she crumpled to the ground. "JERKS!" Obsidian screamed. "You slimy evil scum-" "Honestly, Jedin, no need to overreact." Uther said, fingering a piece of torn tunic on his arm. "That hurt." Jedin snapped, glaring at the prone figure lying on the sidewalk. "That little witch hurt me. They aren't just kids, Uther." "Damn right." Obsidian snapped, black sparks seeming to shoot from her eyes. Uh-oh, Diamond thought. "Obsidian, please-" Emerald began, sensing danger also- Too late. "BLACK." Obsidian held her hands above her head. A ball of black energy with white lightning zigzagged inside her two cupped palms. "FEAR." She brought her cupped hands back near her waist. The lightning bolts inside grew more acute. "SWARM!!" The dark energy stopped moving for a single second, then thousands of tiny black lightning bolts flew out of the dark mass. They peppered Jedin and Uther, who winced as if they'd been stung. Obsidian gazed down at her hands in astonishment. "Did-I-how-but-" "That pretty much sums it up." Topaz said with a laugh. "You-" Jedin pulled his arm back. "Obsidian!" Amethyst screamed. "Duck!" "Huh-" Obsidian started. Amethyst abruptly dove at her, knocking both of them into the bushes. A wave of electric blue energy crashed into where she had been seconds earlier. "Darn!" Jedin muttered. "Missed!" "On your guard, Scouts!" Topaz warned. Then she looked over and saw- "Diamond!" Sailor Diamond was crouched over Sapphire's bloody form. She held one red- stained hand tightly and was whispering to Sapphire. "Hang on, Elisha." She murmured, rubbing her hand. "It'll be all right. We'll get you to a doctor, just-hang in there, okay?" Sailor Sapphire weakly nodded, and squeezed Diamond's hand back. "It looks worse than it feels, Angie. I promise." She laughed, and then immediately winced. Diamond smiled ,trying to hide tears of worry. "We've got to keep their attention away from Sapphire." Emerald instructed tensely. "Anyone else want to attack?" "I can't." Garnet confessed. "Whatever fire those two felt, I don't feel it. Maybe I can't." "Don't be silly." Amethyst snorted from the bushes. "You're a Scout just like us!" Garnet smiled, her eyes dancing. "Thank you, Amethyst." Her dancing eyes took on a spark. "So much for not having it." Obsidian muttered to Amethyst, watching Garnet. Electric blue energy shot through the bushes near Obsidian and Amethyst, making them jump aside and tumble out into the open. Jedin, with an animal-like growl, pounced like a tiger. Mary and Lacie scuttled backwards out of the way. Her pursued them like a dog, creeping forward on hands and feet. Very suddenly, Garnet's high-heel jammed into his hand. Jedin howled, then glared up at her. Garnet's voice was the hiss of fire. "So, you really are an animal, aren't you?" She asked, in a low threatening tone. "We're more than animals." Uther said, floating up to face her. He smirked. "You think humans may be at the top of the food chain, but the fact is, we're the things that prey on humans. We're your worst nightmares, your hunters, your predators." Garnet drew herself to her full height-which was still very small-and eyed him coldly. "Yet you slink on the ground like beasts, and attack innocent people, like little girls and teenagers. In the thought of decency, you are certainly less than us." "And how would you know we prey on children?" Uther asked calmly, but his face turning snakelike. Garnet snorted. "You tried to attack a trio of young girls in the park. When they ousted Jedin-" she ground her heel a little harder into his hand, "-with force, you tried to use psychic power to hold them still, but something blocked you." Uther was pale with anger. "You!" He hissed, all composure gone. "You! You blocked me, you little witch!" "I did." Garnet said coldly, the flame leaping to new heights in her eyes. "And now I'm going to do it again." She raised a hand in the air. "SCORCHING- " A ball of fire burst in her hand, heat radiating from it so hot that the girls shied away. Uther glared at her, eyes flickering black. "-FIREBALLS-" The flame separated into multiple tiny balls of flame that started swirling around in Garnet's hand. "-FIRE!!!!!!!" The fireballs suddenly grew to the sizes of beach balls and went hurtling at Uther. Seconds before impact, they exploded on a electric-blue shield that formed around him. "Nice try." Uther sneered. Garnet ground her teeth. "Scroodles!" Jedin abruptly heaved up with his hand, sending Garnet crashing into Emerald and Topaz. They all fell to the ground. "OW!" Topaz cried, holding her knee. "I skinned my leg!" Jedin and Uther stood side by side, not even acting injured in the slightest way. "Pathetic." Jedin sneered, loathing and mockery on every syllable. "Truly pathetic. To think you were once the justice forces of the universe." Obsidian, Amethyst, Emerald, Topaz, and Garnet hung together, shivering a little. Garnet sniffed once or twice. "That wraps everything just about up." Uther said, businesslike. "The only question left is, which one to kill first?" "Let's see-what is that chant you humans use?" Jedin murmured, tapping a finger to his chin as Topaz let out a tiny moan of fright. "Oh, yes-eenie, weenie, myna, moe, which scout will be the first to go?" He teasingly waved his finger around and watched as each scout flinched away. "Eenie," he pointed to Emerald, "weenie," to Obsidian, "myna," to Amethyst. Each girl tensed in horrible anticipation. But Jedin's eyes had found another target. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the still-weak Sapphire, blood still coming from her many wounds; Diamond frantically bending over her, trying to stop the bleeding. "Moe." Diamond had no hint of the oncoming attack. She was cleaning a cut on Sapphire's face when suddenly Sapphire's eyes opened very wide and focused behind her. Diamond turned- And a huge lightning bolt caught her shoulder. She reeled backwards from the power of that blow, falling and striking the ground. She lay there, blood trickling down her shoulder and her head throbbing from the pain were it had hit the sidewalk. And very suddenly, a fire lit on the inside. Anger and rage built up in her, warm and satisfying, and completely numbing the pain. Heat was building up in her hands and her head, the jewel on her glove and on her tiara as well as her charm right over the heart were blazing hot with power. Jedin's hands were on Sapphire's neck and he was bending his face towards hers when a kick sent him sprawling on the ground. He leapt up immediately in anger, and Uther rushed forward. Sailor Diamond was practically shining with energy. Every bit of her seemed radiant and luminescent. Her voice was steady when she spoke, but filled with hot anger. "So, you not only attack innocent, you attack the weak and helpless. You choose to kill the injured one before daring to take on her partners." She spat on the ground. "Pigs. Slime. Filth." "Arrogant, aren't you?" Uther inquired softly. "Perhaps." She said, raising a hand. Jedin chuckled, but without humor. "What, are you going to try to attack? We can block your wimpy attempts, you know." "Not this one." Diamond said, power and anger coming to a peak. "GOLDEN HALO ATTACK!!!!" A nova of light exploded at her fingertips. A shining golden disc formed in between her two outstretched palms. It twirled softly as she stared at it, never once moving or stopping. She smiled as she stared into its depths. She knew, somehow, exactly what to do. Quick as a wink, she crossed her arms in an X, the disc staying in front of them. As she flung her arms out wide, the halo went spinning away like a Frisbee. It headed straight for Jedin. Jedin gave a horrible cry as the disc cut into his shoulder. But instead of stopping, it continued, cutting the side of Uther's face and then Jedin's side. With a snarl, Uther tried to grab it, but the disc spun away from him and back to Diamond. For a moment, as she watched those razor-sharp blades coming at her, she panicked. Would it hit her? But, very slowly, the disc stopped spinning. The light dimmed, and finally it dissolved into nothing a foot away from her. The heat gradually dissipated from her limbs. "Oh, wow." Diamond said, gingerly waving her hand in the air as if to check and make sure the disc was really gone. "If there are any doubts you are not a Sailor Senshi, they are gone." Uther said, fingering the cut on his face. "But you are no High Princess, and you still do not have the power to defeat us." Jedin was actually limping slightly. His face was taut with hate and anger. "You-" he began, starting to get worked up, then he subsided, muttering. "I just beat you." Diamond said coolly, crossing her arms. "Not yet!" Jedin snarled, anger flaring up again. "We're going to-" "Hold on, Jedin." Uther said, glancing at his wrist where a curious wristwatch was attached. "The Boss just called. He wants us to come back with the energy we've got now. Our time limit is almost up." Jedin ground his teeth in anger and glared at Diamond in hate. "We'll find you, Jewel Senshi. We'll hunt you down and drain every drop of energy from your miserable bodies. And when we do, you'll regret the day you tried to hurt us!" Uther started to shimmer, and then in a flash, he disappeared. "We aren't finished with you all yet," Jedin threatened. "You all will pay for this-starting with your leader." With that parting remark, he too shimmered and phased out. "Yeah, whatever." Diamond replied to the empty air. A low moan startled her back to her senses. She turned only to remember Sapphire's predicament. Garnet and Topaz was kneeling by her as the others crowded around. Each face was grim. Diamond came up and took Sapphire's hand. Sapphire gazed at her, a smile flickering over her face. "I heard you attacking those guys, Diamond. Very impressive. Only wish I could have seen what made Jedin scream. He sounded like a girl." She let out a laugh that quickly turned into a hacking cough. "We think the blast might have done something to her insides, too." Garnet murmured in Diamond's ear. "She's in pretty bad shape, Angie." Diamond tried to keep from crying as she stared into her newfound friend's bloody face. Sapphire's eyes had closed, and her breathing came more slowly. "NO!" Diamond shouted, shaking Sapphire. "We're not losing ANYONE to these creeps! No one! No one!" Tears streamed down her face. Golden tears. Garnet gasped in realization. Diamond's tears were golden, and shining with a serene, evanescent light. As a golden drop dripped onto her scratched hand there was a tingle of energy. Then as she watched, the skin around the deep cut on her hand drew together and healed. "I'm not going to lose any of you." Diamond went on, tears still dripping down her face. "I won't. You all are some of my closest friends already. I know I can't lose any of you, I can feel it! And I won't lose anyone in our first battle!" She stood up, sobs wracking her body. Her hands suddenly shot up into the air as she cried, "EVERLASTING LOVE PURIFY!!!" Streams of golden light floated out of her fingers. Unlike her attack, this light was gentle, soothing. It swirled around like water, cascading down to Sapphire's body. Sapphire felt the light on her skin. It was cool, and almost tickly. It gently wrapped around her cut and wounds. Then, without warning, the light went INTO her wounds! There was a moment when her whole world shook with agony and her vision was blinded by pain-and then the light retreated, leaving her both peaceful and shocked. All her wounds had healed. She got up, rubbing the arm she was sure had been broken in amazement and wiggling her fingers. "Diamond!" She cried. "That was incredible, that was amazing, that was-" There was a "WHUMP!" as Diamond promptly fell over and collapsed on the ground. "-that was obviously very hard to do." Sapphire said, helping her friend sit up. "I'm dizzy." Diamond murmured giddily, slumping against Topaz on her other side. "How.?" Obsidian asked, dazedly. She had been pretty sure no medical work could have saved Sapphire. Yet here she was, walking, talking, breathing. Alive. "Not how." Diamond said, looking up at her. "The question is why, and that's easy to answer." Obsidian grinned. "You're crazy and slightly suicidal, you know, right?" Diamond nodded. "But I'm alive. And we're all alive. And those two were beamed back up to wherever they came from." "But they'll be back." "Lune!" The golden cat licked her paw and jumped down from the nearby tree. "Excellent work, scouts. You especially, Diamond. I am pleased you have already discovered your defensive power of healing. It takes great power and intelligence to manage it so quickly." Diamond blushed slightly and looked at the ground. She had come to be fond of the cat, as bossy and rude as she was. "They'll be back?" Emerald asked in concern. "When? Where? Today?" "Not today, I should think." Lune said, scratching behind her ear. "They- ouch, that itches!-will want to examine what they're up against. They'll listen to Uther and Jedin's reports, then go back and research their last fight with you, and then begin a strategy and then plan their next attack. Two or three days might have passed by that time." "Good." Amethyst said, wiping her brow. "That was tiring!" "You didn't even do anything!" Obsidian said with a laugh. "Except save your butt from getting hurt like Sapphire!" Amethyst shot back. "Chill, you guys." Diamond said, absent-mindedly scratching Lune's back. "Diamond?" Garnet asked. "Was it just me, or did Jedin refer to you as the leader?" "I-I thought he did." Diamond admitted. "But-we're a team, you know? No leader." "I think they're should be." Topaz said. "We need someone to instruct us. I mean, I'm strong and smart, but I can't ever think of good battle plans. I'm not a leader-type person. Second-in-command, maybe. Fighter, definitely. Not leader." "Me either." Garnet agreed. "I'm not as physically strong, but I can evaluate enemy movements pretty well. I'm not leader material either. I've got half of what it takes, but not the whole deal." "You did fairly well in battle." Obsidian gasped from Amethyst's headlock. "Your attack seemed to do a bit more damage then ours. You protected Sapphire when she was down and then healed her. Pretty good leadership." "What could I do??" Diamond protested. "I was closest. Besides, I should have been helping you guys!" "She's right!" Sapphire said. "I'll be the leader!" Diamond looked at Sapphire a moment, then smiled and shrugged. "What the heck? I guess-if everyone wants me to be a leader-" "Yes!" "We're sure!" "Positive!" "Absolutely!" "Awww." Sapphire said in disappointment. "Fine, you'll be an okay leader..I guess." Her voice trailed away as she winked at Diamond. "By the way, Lune." Emerald said casually. "What were those people?" "Yeah, they claimed they weren't human. Do they have extraordinary powers?" Amethyst asked. "Are they just." Her voice trailed away. Lune's calm manner had vanished. She seemed to have been reminded of something that she had forgotten. Something terrible. "Oh, Jewel Senshi." She whispered. "Pray that you never find out what they truly are. Pray they keep their humanoid forms. Otherwise you will find yourselves in a place beyond terror." "We're not afraid." Diamond claimed, looking both puzzled and defiant. "You will be."