Chapter Eight
Spike winced as Ivy bathed a cut on his forehead. "Hey, come off it, pidge, I'm all right now." "Silly pumpkin." Ivy clucked, leaning over to kiss Spike's head. "Poor silly pigeon. All only with his wings clipped." "My wings will grow back, baby." Spike told her, grabbing her hand. "It's all right, now." He glanced over at Damon, who was resting quietly on a black bench. "And I owe you one, Damon. If you hadn't pulled us back-" He laughed dryly. "There wouldn't've been much of anyone left to drain." Damon gave him a half-hearted smile. "Don't mention it. Are you all right?" Spike nodded and stretched. "Yeah, but man! I forgot how much punch that transformation packs! I feel like I've been run over with-what do humans call them-a steamroller or something." Jedin winced and sat up form his cold marble bed. "I know what you mean. Ugh. And it didn't help that that evil bitch Diamond beat me up while I was going through the preliminary changes. Stupid Scout!" Damon looked over at where Katrina was snoring away on her own bed. "Hey, Katrina! Wake up!" Katrina snorted, spluttered, and fell onto the cold floor. "Ow!" She gazed blearily up and Damon and yawned. "Oh, my head." "Oooh, she's going to have a major hangover." Jedin said with a smirk. Katrina wailed as she put a hand to her head. "My head hurts!!! Ohhh- Jedin! Did you hit me with a mace while I was asleep again?!" "Not me." Jedin said innocently. "Blame the twenty glass of wine you drank last night." Katrina blinked at him. "Wine? What's wine? What'd we do last night?" Spike sighed as Ivy rubbed his temples. "She doesn't remember a thing?! Jeez." "Remember what?" Katrina asked, scratching her head. "Never mind." Spike said, sighing. "Just-never mind." "Oh, poor pigeon." Ivy cooed, massaging his back carefully. Spike sighed and leaned forward. "Enjoying your vacation?" Ithengil asked dryly, coming into the dark room. Spike sat up, hand going back to grab Ivy's hands. "Come to disturb our rest, Ithengil?" He inquired, calm tone slipping into anger. "You've had enough of a rest." Ithengil snapped. "It's time to get back to work. Where you collect energy. For our Lady." "Who's our lady?" Katrina asked brightly. "Katrina's-been a little scatterbrained since her transformation last night." Damon said, sweat dropping as he looked at Katrina, who was happily twiddling her thumbs. "Or perhaps from the alcohol she consumed?" Ithengil suggested darkly. "Heh-heh." Damon laughed pathetically at Ithengil's all-knowing look. "See?" Ithengil said, sighing deeply and pretending to be very disturbed. "This is what keeps us from reaching our goal. This slovenly, moronic behavior-it's disgraceful and sickening to be seen in a general of Rubian!" "Cut to the chase." Jedin muttered, rubbing his blood-shot eyes. "The point being," Ithengil said, with a terrible glare at Jedin, "I have taken the liberties of bringing out our last general in an effort to finally take over this planet." All the generals straightened, tense and silent. "You're not." Damon whispered. "Not-Xavier?" A shudder ran through all present. "I am." Ithengil said firmly. "He's the one I believe that can finally get a hold on this planet-more importantly, on its scouts." Jedin licked his lips. "Master," He said, voice dry. "Do you remember what happened the last time we let Xavier loose on a planet?" "I do indeed." Ithengil replied, eyeing Jedin coldly. "You remember the mass carnage that happened, when the scouts frustrated him by resisting?" Jedin demanded. "That he destroyed the entire planet?!?!?!" "He got the job done." Ithengil said quietly. "Which is why we're sending him in here now." * * * "Whee!" Angie cried, throwing her arms in the air and whirling around. "Yes, yes, yes! Freedom!" "Calm down, Angie!" Marisa said, laughing. The girls were all walking to training by way of the park. "It's only an early-release day." "Only an early release?" Angie asked, disbelievingly. "Only an early release?! My dear Marisa, early releases are one of the greatest things of all time!!! Especially with a day off tomorrow too! And then the weekend! Whee!!!" "And then back to school on Monday." Elisha pointed out pessimistically. "Ahh! Stop! Do not say such a thing!" Angie cried dramatically, clamping her hand over Elisha's mouth. "You are not going to say that word until at least Sunday evening!" "What?" Elisha asked innocently, removing Angie's hand from her mouth. "School?" "AHH! Stop! Do not profane the holy weekend!" Angie yelled, covering her ears and moaning. "Speak not the speech of the one who hath not known the joys of long weekends! The privilege of no homework! The delight of- oomph!" In her energetic ramblings she had backed into someone. She immediately found herself kissing the sidewalk. "Sorry! Sorry!" She cried, getting up and dusting herself off. "Didn't see-" "Hey, little bird." Angie froze. Slowly, she turned around and her eyes traveled up to gray- blue eyes and dark hair. "Alan!" She cried joyously, flinging her arms around him and promptly hugging him. "It's you!" Damon blushed as the golden girl embraced him like they were old friends. "Nice to see you, too." He muttered into her hair. Angie backed up with a blush. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to do that, I'm just so." She sighed blissfully. "Happy." "She's completely psycho, in other words." Lacie said, holding her hand out for Alan to shake. "I'm Lacie Lipscombe." Damon hesitatingly took the offered hand. "I'm Alan Richards." "He's the guy who saved my life!" Angie piped up, dancing about, unable to keep still as one by one her friends introduced themselves. Rachelle watched Angie bouncing up and down in amusement. "Would you please stop actually like a rubber ball?" "Can't!" Angie replied, doing a cartwheel. "I'm on Cloud Nine, and there's no way I'm coming down for a long while!" Damon watched the sunlit girl caper about and felt himself beginning to smile, the problems of dealing with Xavier out of his mind a little. He shuddered as he remembered those flat, emotionless gray eyes staring at him, those terrible, blood-stained teeth.Poor Diamond, having to face him. "Hey! Hello!" Angie cried, waving her hand in front of Damon's frown. "No scowls! This is a happy day! No school for three days! There shalt not be any unhappy faces!" Damon let himself smile down at her. "Sorry, I was-thinking about something." Angie nodded vigorously. "I understand." "How? You haven't ever experienced thinking yourself." Mary said with a grin. Angie growled and hit her friend on the arm. Damon watched in some perplexity as the girls began to pull each other's hair and quarrel. "Are they-all right?" He asked Rachelle uncertainly. "Who? Them?" Rachelle laughed. "Those fights between Angie and Mary are just a ruse. They're fun to watch, though. Heck, I think even those two enjoy them." Angie dealt Mary a resounding blow on her head and stuck out her tongue. Mary winced from the ground. "All right, all right! I forfeit! You win!" "Hah!" Angie crowed, turning away. As she did, Mary reached out and grabbed her ankle. Angie landed on the ground in a cloud of dust. "Ow!" She cried, eyes filling with tears. "That was so mean!" She began to wail. "Oh, shut up." Mary muttered. Angie immediately stopped crying to kick dust at her face and stand up. Mary stood up as well, and the two glared at each other. "Would you two stop it?" Malorie asked, grabbing them both by the hair and pulling them along with the group. "OWOWOWOWOW!!!!" Mary and Angie yelled in synchronism. "Okay, Mal, let us go!" Mary yelped. "We'll be good! Promise!" Angie pleaded. "Fine." Malorie said, giving them a last yank before letting go. Mary and Angie rubbed their scalps for a moment, looked at each other, then at Malorie, then at each other again. "BUNZAI!!!" Angie yelled, pouncing on Malorie and dragging her to the ground. The group stopped to look back at the scene unfolding. "Get her shoe off!" Angie yelled, holding Malorie's wriggling arms above her head. Mary unlaced her shoe, pulled of her sock, and held her fingers just above Mal's foot. "Don't you dare!" Malorie gasped. "You evil little-" Mary lowered her fingers, and began to energetically tickle her foot. Malorie screamed in laughter, wriggling like an eel, trying to get away. The group fell over laughing. Damon chuckled slightly, watching Angie's laughing face as she watched Malorie try to scramble away. Malorie finally kicked Mary's hand away, yanked her wrists from Angie's grasp, and stood, primly brushing off her shorts. "Evil." She stated, turning her back on Mary's and Angie's hysterically laughing faces. "That was sheer brilliance." Angie gasped, chortling and giving Mary a high five. "Pure, simple, magnificent genius." Mary agreed, pulling herself up and giving Angie a hand. They leaned against each other, giggling and wiping away tears. "Evilness." Malorie muttered, nose in the air, trying hard to cover the grin in her face. "Next time, we go for the stomach." Mary announced loudly, straightening and giggling. Malorie covered her stomach protectively and smiled. "Hey, you guys want to come to my house for blackberry picking?!" Angie asked enthusiastically. "They're just coming out now, and they're the sweetest you'll ever taste!" "Blackberries?" Damon found himself asking before he could stop himself. "What're they?" Seven pairs of eyes turned to look at him, wide-open in astonishment. "You've never tasted blackberries?!" Mary gasped incredulously. "Never?!" Marisa wondered, eyeing him. "Are you human?!" "I-grew up far away." Damon said uncomfortably. Angie saw Alan's discomfort. "Oh, lay off, you guys." She said. "If you haven't had them before," she said, turning to Alan, "then you absolutely have to now. We have the best in all of the city." "Um-okay." Damon replied, wishing he had boned up on human foods. Angie grinned and ran off skipping. "Come on, then!" She sang over her shoulder. "Only a few blocks! Hurry!" The group sweat-dropped. "How does she get so much energy?" Marisa wondered. Mary shrugged and skipped off after her, singing, "We're going home for noodles! Yum, yum!" "And what insanity did she pull that insane song from?" Elisha asked, watching Mary. "This is Mary." Rachelle said, sighing. "She could have pulled it from anywhere." * * * A few minutes later, the girls were standing and goggling up at an enormous house. "This is your home?!" Rachelle gasped. "I always thought it was a hotel!! You know, giant grounds, big house, fountains." "Only one fountain, actually." Angie said, blushing. "Is there something wrong with having a big house?" Damon wondered. "In this city? When you're the official 9th grade ditz?" Elisha said sarcastically. "And never bothered to mention to your friends that you were rich? Nah, no problem." Angie shrugged and punched in the security code on the side of the huge, wrought iron gates. "I wanted you to know me for who I was, not where I lived." "Oh.oh my god!" Marisa said before falling into hysterical laughter. The others stared at her. "What's gotten into you?!" Lacie asked. "Have you gone mad?" Marisa giggled, "You know how Hannah thought she was so posh living in that apartment?! This place makes her home look like a tenement house! Can you imagine her reaction if she found out?!" She began laughing again. Angie grinned as the huge doors swung open, helped by a silent, stiff gateman. "I always remember that when I get mad at her." "Oh, man, if she ever found out, she would have puppies." Mary said happily, skipping inside. "Puppies?" Elisha asked. "I think she means kittens." Angie remarked, gesturing them forward. "Well, come on! This place doesn't bite!" "How many banks did you have to knock off to get this place, Angie?" Malorie asked, staring at the beautiful fountain made of crystal and glass in the shape of a dolphin with the water coming from its blowhole. "Well, my dad's a lawyer for a big company." Angie said, leading her way up to the front porch. "He got a big partnership a few years ago-and, well, a raise." "A big raise." Marisa said in awe, watching two gardens prune rosebushes near the fence. "Enough of one." Angie said, ringing the doorbell of the two enormous doors that had stained glass windows in ornate shapes. "You have to ring the doorbell in your own home?" Rachelle asked doubtfully. "And punch in a security code!" Angie said brightly, doing just that on a pad near the door. "Um-why?" Marisa asked, sweat-dropping. Angie frowned and shook her head. "I really have no idea. My mom does run a big gardening association.oh, wait! Maybe because my dad sometimes works with the President! Oh, yeah, that's right! That's what it is!" Everyone face-vaulted. "You are a really serious blond, Angie." Elisha said, voice muffled by the doormat. Damon was the only one who remained standing. He looked doubtfully at Angie. "What's a president?" The group had begun to get up. They all promptly fell over again. "You don't know who the President is?!" Rachelle gasped. "Where exactly did you live?! Madagascar?!" "Uh-" Damon frantically ran through his knowledge of places on Earth and said the first one that came to mind. "Monaco!" The girls all stared at him. "Where's that?" Lacie wondered. "In Europe." Damon said, praying he was right. "Near France." "Oh." Lacie considered this, then said, "Well, I don't have the slightest clue about it, but it must be pretty isolated if they don't know who runs America." "Uh, yes." Damon said, sweating. "Very isolated." Damon was saved from further questioning by the door opening and a small, thin face peeking out. "Miss Angela!" A shrill voice cried as the door opened all the way. "But you're home early!" "Emily, I told you this was an early release day three times this morning!" Angie said with a sigh. "And don't call me Miss Angela! Angie is perfectly fine!" "Yes, Miss Angela." The maid said automatically, opening the door wide and glaring suspiciously at the group gathered outside. "Who are they?" "They're my friends, Emily." Angie said patiently, moving past her. "You know? That thing that all kids have to talk to?" Emily blinked at the girls and man. "A pleasure, Misses and Master." She said, curtsying. "Forgive my rudeness?" "O-of course." Malorie said awkwardly. "Um-do you mind getting up? It's very disturbing." "As you wish." Emily replied, standing meekly before them, head bowed. Angie sighed and rubbed her head. "Emily, you are dismissed until further orders. Go take the day off." "But, miss, this would be the eighteenth day in a row-" "Just do it." Angie said, shoving her toward another door. "Bye! Have a nice day!" The door slammed and Angie turned around, sighing. "Phew. I almost can't stand having maids, they're so fluttery.guys?" The girls were all staring, open-mouthed, around the entrance hall. "Is this your front foyer, or an airplane station?" Elisha demanded, staring at the crystal chandelier a full thirty feet off the ground. "Entrance hall." Angie said briskly. "And please stop gawking, you're making me feel an idiot." "Excuse me?!" Marisa asked in a shrill tone. "We're in your hallway which could probably contain a few trains in a house the size of Delaware and you're telling us to stop gawking?!" Angie rolled her eyes. "Come on. Let's go get some baskets. And snacks. I need food. My sugar level is low." "Snacks?" Malorie's ears perked up and she tore her gaze away from the painting of an iris. "I like food! Whatcha got?" Angie grinned and she opened a side door. "What haven't I got?" The girls stared around the kitchen. From wall to wall, there were huge cabinets. Marisa ran to open one to reveal a thousand different boxes of crackers and chips. "All right!" She cheered, digging out a package. "Goldfish!" "Help yourself." Angie said, rolling her eyes as the girls ransacked her kitchen. "But please don't open that!" She yelped, trying to discourage Mary away from a corner cabinet. "Why? Are your dad's dead wives in there?" Mary asked, ducking around Angie and grabbing the handles. "No, wait!" Angie gasped. Too late. Mary screamed triumphantly. "I've hit the mother load!!!! CANDY!!!!!!!" As proof she raised a large bag of M&M's into the air and waved it around excitedly. "Oh, God." Angie groaned, waiting for the stampede. "CANDY!!!!!" Every girl screamed, jumping for the cabinet. Lollipops, chocolate, marshmallows, jujubes, sweettarts, and mints littered the floor. "Stop it!" Angie cried over the sound of frantic digging. "Hold it! Stop! Hey! STOP IT!!!!!!!" The girls all stopped to stare at her. "One-item-each." Angie said very slowly, as if speaking to preschoolers. The girls immediately began to whine. "Aww, Angie-" "One each?" "Not two? Or five?" "Or ten?" "Pleeeease?" "One each." Angie said firmly. She glanced back at Damon, who was watching this with amusement. "You can have some too!" She told him. "Don't let these hyenas take it all." "I wesent wat." Malorie said through a mouthful of chocolate. Damon edged forward, gazing over the large amount of food before him. "What is it?" He asked, curiously. Everyone froze. "You've.never.seen..candy." Mary stated in shock. Damon shook his head. There was a long pause. Then everyone cracked up. "Oh, my gosh!" Marisa said, wiping her eyes. "You are a freak!" "What'd I say?" Damon asked, bewildered. "Nothing, nothing." Angie said, smiling and patting his arm. "But you are about to be introduced to the greatest stuff ever made, including pizza and hamburgers." She unwrapped part of a Snickers and offered it to him. "Go on! Eat it!" Damon hesitated, then gingerly grabbed the candy bar. He stared at the brown end peeking out of the wrapper. "I'm supposed to eat this?" He asked, repulsed. "It tastes a ton better than it looks!" Mary sang, a sour gummy worm half- way in her mouth and a box of them in her hands. "Go on." Angie said with a smile. "Please?" Damon hesitated, closed his eyes, and bit down on the brown substance. Something exploded in his mouth. He chewed frantically and swallowed, eyes bright with discovery. "What was that?!" He asked, in a trance. Angie giggled. "Chocolate, silly. Best stuff ever to cross someone's lips." She unwrapped another bar and took a bite for herself, grinning. Damon, meanwhile, ripped the wrapping off his and devoured the rest in two quick bites. "Is there more?!" He asked eagerly. Angie blinked. "Well, sure. Tons more." She gestured at the mounds of candy all around them. Damon snatched another almost-identical looking bar up, tore open the wrapper, and bit down. The taste of the chocolate melted in his mouth. "Chocolate!" He cried. "Okay.." Angie said slowly, taking the bar away from him. "I think the discovery of chocolate is a little too much for you, Alan." Damon blinked at her. He knew very well he could take it back, but the look in Angie's eyes was firm. He sighed and lowered his head. "All right!" Angie yelled. "Everyone, man your baskets!" The girls stopped munching to stand up straight and very military-like. They grabbed several white buckets and held them at their sides. Damon blinked at them. "Well, soldier?!" Angie bellowed. "What are you waiting for?! Suit up!" Damon grabbed a basket and stood at attention. Angie grabbed her own basket and began strutting up and down in front of her friends who were all standing in neat formation. "All righty, troops!" She yelled, using her best drill sergeant voice. "We are going on a dangerous mission! Maybe a few will not come back! Your objective is to pick as many blackberries as humanely possible, and eat them! Any questions?!" Everyone was silent. "All right!" She yelled. "On your mark, get set-GO!!! Run, you sissies, run!" Everyone remained very still. "Um, Angie?" Mary asked. "Where's your backyard?" Angie sighed. "All right, you sissies. Follow me! March! Hup two! Hup two!" She lead the way out of the kitchen, through an expensively furnished dining room, across a smaller, less intimidating hall, out a door, across a screened-in porch, out a screen door, and out onto the lawn. Mary yelled as she saw what was directly behind the house. "Oh my GOD! You have a POOL!? I hate you!" "Silence, private!!" Angie yelled. Mary shut up. "Is she okay?" Damon whispered to Malorie. "Oh, yeah." Malorie answered, almost gaily. "She's an actress, you know. Loves playing all sorts of parts. You just gotta play along. And besides, it's fun!" "No conversing in the ranks!" Angie bellowed, puffing out her chest and strutting around. Damon watched her all puffed up like an angry bird and grinned as an idea came to his mind. "So, Malorie." He said loudly. "How come our commander's strutting around like a chicken?!" "Insubordination!" Angie gasped, eyes twinkling as the girls giggled. Damon felt his heart leap at the look in her eye. "Wonder if she pecks like one, too." He mused aloud. "Silence, you!" Angie yelled, barely concealing giggles. "Make me." Damon teased, half wondering why he was acting this way. Angie grinned and promptly smacked his arm. "Tag!" She yelled, exuberance for life and joy at living boiling over at last. "You're it!" She took off across the lawn like a streak of wind. Damon gazed blankly after her. "Ah! They don't have Tag in Monaco!" Rachelle yelled. "Alan! Go after her! Tag her! If you tag her, you don't have to chase her anymore, you have to run away!" "What's its purpose?" Damon said, looking down at the tiny person. Rachelle blinked. "Purpose? It's just fun!" And with that the girls ran away shrieking, darting away all over the yard. Damon watched the girls darting across the lawn, giggling and waving to him. "Chase us!" "Tag us!" "It's fun!" "Fun?" Damon rolled the word around in his mouth as his eyes narrowed on the farthest away bird. "Fun." Angie stopped a few acres away and stood on the lawn, panting, eyes bright and joyful and mirroring the blue sky above. She raised her arms and whirled around, perfect serenity coming over her features. "Angie, watch out!" Surprised, Angie looked back to see something chasing her. She let out a happy shriek and went flying away, confident no one could catch her. She was one of the fastest people in the school! No one could catch her! Except. She glanced back in surprise to see the person still following her. More importantly, it was Alan. More importantly, he was catching up, but quickly. Angie screeched and ran all the faster, sprinting as fast as she could past lawn ornaments and bushes. He's so fast! She marveled. I bet he might even catch- Arms suddenly caught underneath her body and raised her, screaming, into the air. Angie laughed and laughed as fingers suddenly came down and started tickling her stomach. She wriggled and screamed. "Enough! Enough! I give! I'm it! You got me! N-no tickling, please!!" Damon laughed, looking down at the girl giggling in his arms. She sighed and lay back, resting her head on his shoulder as he stopped, still chuckling a little to herself. She suddenly looked up at him, eyes bright under thick gold bangs. "You'd better run away, now, baka! I'm it!" Damon laughed, deposited her on her feet, and jogged across the garden, looking back at the brightly shining girl. Angie took a deep breath of clean, fresh air into her lungs before sprinting off to chase Mary. The world suddenly spun beneath her feet. Deep in her mind some instinct screamed. A warning was the last clear thing in her mind before she seemingly fainted dead away. Damon saw her collapse. Panic rose in his chest. He ran as fast as he ever had in his life, flying over the grass, picking her up gently. Cries of, "Angie!" came from every corner of the yard. Almost as quick as he had her friends were there, not panting or so much as sweating. They bent by their friend. "Is she all right?" Rachelle asked, pressing her hand to Angie's forehead. Angie was not all right. When Rachelle touched her she flinched, even in her unconsciousness, and began whimpering, tearing back and forth in Damon's arms. "Put her down!" Mary ordered to Damon, who silently complied. Rachelle bent and placed her ear near Angie's mouth, listening to the whimpers. "No..darkness..blood, blood everywhere! Rubian...coming.death..pain.." Her body stiffened and she let out a shriek that filled every corner of the yard before slumping. Mary looked up at him, eyes going cold. "Alan, I think you should leave. Our friend's not in any condition to run or entertain now." Damon hesitated. "Will she be all right?" Malorie smiled at him. "I'm sure she will. She gets this way once in a while." She crossed her fingers behind her back. Damon hesitated, then began to walk away across the grass. "Tell her I'll be back to check on her tomorrow." He said, trying not to look at the fallen girl. "We will." Mary said, voice like ice. Damon bit his lip as he turned away, feeling Xavier's darkness pulsing over the city. "It's time." He muttered to himself, regretfully staring back at the girls. They were so bright.and now, their lights would be snuffed out. Forever. No one messed with Xavier and lived. Angie's eyes opened and she looked up. "Is he gone?" Rachelle nodded. Angie sighed. "God, I hated to do that. Force him out like this." "Any reason why?" Malorie asked. "Are you feeling what I'm feeling?" Mary asked, voice warming slightly. "A darkness." Angie muttered. "It's there, in my heart..it hurts.." She shuddered and stood up. "We have to transform. Now. If we don't-" She looked up at the sun in the sky. "We won't have to worry about going to school in three days." Grimly, the scouts nodded and stood. "Hey," Marisa said, a small smile crossing her lips. "Let's go into this one thinking about Alan, hm? I really like him. He's-nice." "I know what you mean." Elisha said with a nod. "He's friendly. But I just get this sad feeling from him." "We'll fight for everyone who depends on us." Angie said, lowering her eyelids. "Diamond Star Power!" "Sapphire Star Power!" "Emerald Star Power!" "Obsidian Star Power!" "Topaz Star Power!" "Amethyst Star Power!" "Here we go again!" Rachelle sighed, grabbing her bracelet. "Garnet Star Power!" "MAKE-UP!" "Next time for a weekend activity, let's try not going into certain death, okay?" Garnet asked as they bounded away over the grounds, startling the heck out of a few guards. "Is that even possible?" Emerald muttered, leaping over the barbed-wire gate. "Not for us." Sapphire grumbled as they leapt over the street and up onto a large building. "Enough idle talk." Diamond ordered quietly. "We've got to be deadly serious about this one, Scouts. Something truly evil is happening." "As opposed to only half-way evil or partially evil?" Topaz asked with a grin. "Please, you guys, I'm serious!" Diamond begged as they landed on a tall building. "This is going to be the worst we've come up against so far." "She's right." Obsidian said, biting her lip. "I feel darkness welling up in this city. It's calling to me." There was silence after this particular remark. "Well, shall we?" Diamond said and last, going to the edge of the building and preparing to jump. "Wait a second!" Garnet interjected, pointing out in the other direction towards the middle of the city. "That black cloud over there-that can't be natural, can it?" The Senshi looked to see the black, swirling mass of clouds hanging over the tallest building in the city-the Sunset Tower. It was a huge glass and steel building used mainly as an observation tower. There was a large ground floor, a few floor above it, and then the whole thing slimmed so only two elevators could fit, then widened on the last floor. "If that's natural, I'll eat my halo." Diamond said grimly. "Let's go." The Scouts leapt off the building and started to leap towards the city's center, leaping over the smaller buildings and around the skyscrapers. They had almost reached the tower, when a silver-clad figure leapt in front of them to bar their path. "Tuxedo Onyx!" Topaz cried. "Why do you block our way?!" Emerald asked. "Sailors, what lies ahead is too great for you to fight now!" Tuxedo Onyx said, pointing at them mysteriously. "If you proceed, you will meet death. Turn around! This is not your fight!" "Every fight against evil is our fight." Diamond proclaimed coldly. "If we do not fight, who will? Now, will you stand with us? Or will you continue to block the path that we have chosen?" Tuxedo Onyx sighed. "I will join you." Under his breath, he muttered. "Even if you're making a huge mistake." He leapt high in the air to land behind Obsidian, who smiled at him. Diamond ignored this last remark by leaping forward again. The Scouts followed her, grim silence falling over the group. "What're we looking for, anyway?" Sapphire asked at last. "I'm not sure, but probably a general of some kind." Diamond said, scanning the buildings around her. "But it's likely we won't see him or her until the very last mom-" A shot of lightning hit the building just in front of where Diamond landed. She screamed and jumped backwards, knocking down Topaz and Emerald. A crater formed where the blast had it, opening the ceiling to the floor below. Several secretaries looked up through the large hole at them, curious and terrified. "Back up, back up, back up!" Diamond yelled, trying desperately not to fall into the hole. "Anyone see where that came from?" "No clue!" Amethyst gasped. "It just sort of-appeared." Emerald suddenly stiffened. "Jump!" The others dodged a hard right. A pillar of silver fire bloomed where they had stood. It crisped the ground and actually melted the concrete building top. They stared at it, horrified. "Eyes open, scouts." Diamond whispered, nonchalantly walking around the huge crater. The others followed, peering interestedly in at the terrified people below. Emerald and Topaz waved. "I think we should be ready." Emerald whispered, tensing suddenly. "Yes, soon..now!" The Senshi and Tuxedo Onyx leapt clear to another building, dodging a rain of green fire blossoms that poured down on the building top. Diamond looked back, worried for the secretary's sake, but did not move. "Keep moving!" Obsidian gasped. "He's going to fire again! I can feel it- " WHAM! Sparks licked at the girls' legs as they tumbled off their perch onto a smaller building that was fortunately just below. "Keep moving!" Diamond ordered. "Split up. Look for where the blasts are coming from-and be careful!!" The scouts nodded and left in a twinkling. Diamond sighed, then obeyed her own command and began leaping from building to building. There was a sudden shriek as Garnet's hair caught on fire from a blast. She beat at the flames as she landed on a building, trying to keep them from reaching her face. Diamond blinked. Under her hands, the flames retreated, leaving her hair exactly as before. Not burned or singed at all. The fire crawled down to the ends of her hair, leapt off onto the building, and vanished. "Power over fire.?" Diamond mused to herself, leaping around a larger structure. "Does that mean she controls more than her attacks?" There was another yell. Diamond looked back in time to see Amethyst cradling an arm with angry red sores bursting all over it-and the end of the shot disappearing from the Sunset Tower. Bingo. Guys! She called. The Sunset Tower!! That's where whatever creep is hiding! Obsidian immediately charged the tower with a yell. A huge blast knocked her off her feet and nearly off the edge of the building. She swayed back and forth, half unconscious. "I'm okay." She murmured dizzily before shaking her head and darting away as another blow fell. "We can't approach it directly!" Emerald called. "Let's try dodging around and hitting it one at a time!" "Let's go!" Diamond yelled, flying across the rooftops close to the tower. A rapid series of shots followed her. "Go!" She yelled to her friends, sprinting hard. "Quick!" "Come on." Tuxedo Onyx ordered, leaping forward onto the building. It was too tall to jump to the top, but the structure was made of iron zigzags and curves. He landed safely on top of an iron arch, and swiftly began climbing. The girls hesitated. "But Diamond." Garnet whimpered, looking at her friend frantically running away. "Garnet's right." Emerald said quietly. "We must help her." The girls nodded in agreement. "But how?" Obsidian asked. "Become our own moving targets?" Sapphire suggested with a laugh. "That's the second time you've suggested something that you think is funny and turns out to be a good idea." Amethyst told her with a grin and a crack of her knuckles. Sapphire gulped. "I am never opening my mouth again." She promised herself, sealing her lips tight. "Let's shake it, girls and boys!" Topaz yelled, bouncing up and down and jumping back a building. "Hey, meathead!" She yelled up at the tower. "Over here!!" "She is so nuts." Emerald sighed, bounding back to join her. "Hey! Hello up there! Oy!" She called. "Look! Here we are! Perfect targets! Come hit us!" The bolts going after Diamond stopped and aimed at the two Senshi who were jumping up and down, waving their arms energetically. The two took off, leaping and crossing paths, laughing like it was a huge joke. Diamond put her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. She smiled at the green and yellow figures. Brave idiots. "Move it, fearless leader!" Obsidian yelled, landing near her. "This is not a tea party here!" Diamond grinned and nodded before leaping onto the Sunset Tower. She promptly hit the middle of an iron beam and nearly fell off, scrambling for a better hold. Obsidian landed beside to give her a hand up. "You need a serious lesson in balance." She told her when Diamond regained her footing. "Oh, shut up." Diamond instructed, swatting at her friend playfully as the others landed near and around them. Topaz and Emerald leapt onto one last building, then quick as a flash, they were standing by Diamond and Obsidian. Diamond blinked at them. "You guys are fast." Emerald beamed at her. "Of course we are! No idea why, of course. I'm not that good in track." "Enough chitchat, please!" Obsidian yelled, pointing up to a silver speck that was almost all the way at the top of the tower already. "We have evil to defeat! Let us climb!" "Climbing." Diamond responded, leaping into the forest of beams. It was like an insane video game. Dodge here! There! Left! Right! Up! To the side! Push off! Left! Leftleftleftleftleft!!! "WAHOO!" She screamed in pure ecstasy. "Fun!" "Says you." Sapphire muttered, leaping to a spot beside her. Diamond caught a look of her queasy face before she was off again through the maze of beams. Their ascent abruptly ended as Topaz hit her head on the floor of the top level. "Ow!" She rubbed the top of her head and glared furiously at the ceiling. "Stupid tower, stupid head, stupid, stupid, stupid." She growled and crossed her arms, leaning against a beam. "Okay." Amethyst looked blankly at the ceiling. "And we get in-how?" "Ummm.." Emerald said helpfully, staring blankly at the iron cave above them. Obsidian sighed. Carefully, she raised her hand to the ceiling, and concentrated. A small black ray, like a laser, shot out of her fingers and penetrated the ceiling, making a small hole. She drew the shaft of light in a large circle, and when the two ends met, part of the ceiling completely fell away, leaving a gaping hole into the top floor. "Obsidian, that was brilliant!" Diamond breathed. "How on earth did you do it?!" "Practice." Obsidian said smoothly. In that moment, as a bit of breeze ruffled her hair, her appearance changed to something older. Deeper. Truer. All present saw this, and it worried Diamond. It was almost like her friend was slipping away into something else. Topaz broke the moment by laughing nervously. "Well, uh, shall we?" At the first sign of her voice, Obsidian's appearance faded back to how she usually was. She looked unruffled, but her skin was slightly paler. "Yes, let's!" She said eagerly, but her voice sounded tense and strained. Diamond gave Obsidian a swift glance before leaping up through the hole and vanishing into darkness. Obsidian followed suit, as did the others, all with their own private thoughts. Diamond had seen something in Obsidian, as clear as she could see her friend's face. Something was wrong. She put this thought in a special spot at the back of her memory as they began to walk through the dark top level. She would talk to her later. "So we're in the lion's mouth." Garnet muttered, peering around the gloom. "Now what?" "We get out?" Sapphire suggested. Everyone ignored her. Diamond hesitated, then carefully spun her finger in the air. A small ball of light sparked and suddenly came to life, sending out comforting rays for a few feet before they were enveloped back into darkness. "How'd you do that?" Emerald asked curiously. "Practice." Diamond replied, with a small giggle and a smile at Obsidian. The ball of light seemed to dance merrily in the air with her laugh. It bounced back and forth a few times before slowly moving forward into the darkness. "Follow it." Diamond ordered. "I think it might be leading us, now." "Our leader's been replaced by a firefly?" Amethyst asked innocently. "Shut up." The ball of light seemed to turn back. It flew to Amethyst's face and shook back and forth a few times, like it was scolding her. Still shaking, it moved forward again, once in a while hesitating to float back to her. "I think you displeased it." Garnet said with a giggle. Amethyst blinked at the thing. "You know, I think it might be tied to Diamond's emotions. Since she created it, and all." "If it responded to my emotions, you would be sliced and diced by now." Diamond said dryly. As if listening to this, the light ball nodded energetically before moving forward again. The Senshi giggled, even Diamond. A small, thin, shriek pierced the air, coming from the light ball. Before they could move, something closed upon it and snuffed it out like a candle. In the darkness, no one moved or spoke. "What happened?" Sapphire asked at last in a small voice. "The light creature went away." Emerald whispered. "Went away nothing." Topaz said, voice shaking only slightly. "It was snuffed out, or my jewel's the fool's gold." Garnet whimpered, but said nothing. A harsh breathing suddenly filled the air to Amethyst's right. She yelled, and without thinking, snatched out into the darkness with her fist. It hit something hard with a clang, and she drew away with a curse. All the Senshi edged away from the noise. "Hello?" Amethyst called, rubbing her fist in the darkness. "Who's there?" No answer. Carefully, Diamond spun her finger in the blackness. Another light globe popped up and flew around in the air, flying up to the ceiling and growing brighter and more radiant, illuminating the whole building. The Senshi stared at the humanoid thing in front of them. He was taller- taller even than spike-and thin as a rail, but with clear muscles. His hair was a dark gray, and his eyes were like two round, expressionless clouds. A suit of black armor and a dark cape were his clothes, and a hard, bright dagger gleamed in his fist. "Who are you?" Diamond asked finally, voice sounding as if it came from within thick cotton padding. The-man-examined her coldly. "I am Xavier." "Minion of Rubian?" Obsidian guessed. The man said nothing, merely regarded her with his frozen glare like a hawk's. Obsidian shuddered nervously under that gaze, but did not break eye contact. Finally, the man growled, "Yes. And you are the Sailor Senshi of this Planet." "Correct." Topaz replied, voice sounding high and frightened. "I was summoned specially to kill you." The man went on, unsheathing a glimmering black blade and pressing his thumb to the edge, cutting it deeply. "Ithengil is very displeased with your interference." "Ithengil?" Emerald repeated. The name was familiar, but not in a good way. The man did not answer this request. He merely moved his finger down along the blade, causing his black blood to coat the end. The girls shuddered. "Stop that!" Garnet said finally. "Stop hurting yourself." The man grinned like a wolf. "Merely testing it. I prefer killing in one swift stroke." He removed his finger from the blade, but for some reason no cut or scar was apparent on his flesh, though the blade dripped with his blood. "How lovely." Emerald said, voice calm. "Wonderful conversation and manners you generals of Rubian pick up, you know. Splendid." "Just peachy." Diamond agreed, shifting her weight just to slightest bit to a fighter's stance. "We're not created to talk politely with our victims, you know." Xavier said softly, slowly drawing back his cloak. Everyone shivered at the tone of his voice. "Speaking with our executioner." Garnet kept gibbering under her breath. A low moan echoed through the air, coming from a dark corner. Diamond squinted as the light ball grew a bit brighter. She gasped as she made out a silver figure lying motionless on the floor. "Tuxedo Onyx!" Obsidian was gone from their side in an instant. She ran to where their caped crusader lay and bent over him. "Are you all right?" She gasped, kneeling and turning him over onto his back. Tuxedo Onyx grinned weakly at her. His body was cut multiple times, and the cuts were deep. Blood flowed, making a pool on the ground under him, soaking his gray clothes, turning them a shade of maroon. Obsidian gently raised his head, smiling down at him, tears in her eyes. "Hang in there, okay? I'll get Diamond over here. She can cure you, she can cure anything! Just, hang on." Tuxedo Onyx's eyes closed. His breathing came deeper. "DIAMOND!" Obsidian screamed at the top of her lungs. Diamond broke the stare contest with Xavier to mutter a hurried instruction to her comrades. Then she flew to Obsidian's side, wincing as she saw Tuxedo Onyx. "It's bad." She said, sighing in a resigned way. "Everlasting Love Purify!" Tuxedo Onyx gasped as the light painfully penetrated all his wounds. He clenched his fists as the pain went on and on. Diamond watched this worriedly. "I think he's got a lot of internal damage, also." She whispered to Obsidian, standing. "Keep him company." She turned around to look at Xavier, moving back towards the group cautiously. Obsidian watched as Tuxedo Onyx writhed in pain on the ground, gasping for air, fists clenching and unclenching. Slowly, she slid her hand into his. He squeezed it hard, and both winced in pain. The light finally was beginning to flow out of his wounds and vanish, healing them as they came. His grip slowly relaxed as the last of the rays vanished. He opened his eyes to smile up at her. "Thank you." "Welcome." Obsidian murmured back, letting a few tears fall. "Stay down, please. Rest a little." Tuxedo Onyx sighed and obeyed, closing his eyes again as he slipped into unconsciousness. The Senshi and Xavier, meanwhile, were staring each other down. "You hurt our Guardian." Topaz said matter-of-factly. "We don't like that." Emerald told him. "Not at all." Sapphire agreed with a scowl. "He's a good protector and friend." Garnet piped up with her own fiery glare at Xavier. "Do I care?" Xavier asked, raising his blade slightly and swinging it around to point at Onyx and Obsidian. Topaz felt the purring of the air as energy began to grow. "Uh-oh." She whispered, then in a yell, "Obsidian! Tuxedo! Watch out!!!!" Obsidian turned to see Xavier pointing a saber at her. A ball of green light formed around the entire blade. With a yell, he leapt high into the air and started to come down-on top of them! Obsidian stared up, petrified, mind frantically pouring through her memories. Something was tingling at the back of her mind-now what was it!? Xavier had almost landed- A curious light swam in Obsidian's eyes. Slowly, she raised her hands, palms facing Xavier. "Malady Barrier.." Something cold as ice whispered in the air around Obsidian. Her face was grim. Xavier landed near her and started to charge. The closer he got to Obsidian, however, something strange began happening. His skin turned a pale green. Bulging muscles vanished. Xavier gasped for air, and-a foot away-he collapsed in a heap, coughing up phlegm. "A defensive attack." Emerald whispered, watching. "A shield of some sort?" Sapphire wondered. "Like mine?" "No," Garnet whispered. "It looks more like she's making the guy ill!" Xavier began crawling away from Obsidian, breathing hard, dry gagging frantically. As the distance between them increased, he began to kneel, and then stand. Muscles grew again. His skin turned pale again as his breathing went back to normal. He finally stood a few yards away, glaring at Obsidian. "You come near us." Obsidian growled, not showing any signs of drainage. "And I swear I'll rip your heart out." She kneeled by Tuxedo Onyx, and with a final glare, turned away. "I think Obsidian's out of the fight for this one." Diamond murmured. "She's definitely gone on our guardian." "Oh boy." Sapphire muttered. "And with them safe, of course his wrath's going to come down on us. Peachy and perfect." Her prophecy was definitely true, as at that moment a huge wave of silver energy poured out at them. The Senshi leapt away, grim expression outlined on every face. "Same plan as before." Diamond instructed. "Keep moving. If you get a chance, fly in and attack. Go!" The Senshi nodded and took off. Diamond sighed and look up. It was fortunate this place had a high ceiling. Emerald let out a cry as part of the wave hit her foot. The cry turned into a scream of pain and pure fright. Below the ankle, her foot was completely gone. She stared at her stump of a leg in horror before fainting away. "Emerald!" The Scouts cried as the silver wave turned and aimed for her prone form. Topaz, who was closest, made a quick decision. She turned and landed by her friend, gathered her in her arms, and took off a split second before the wave hit where she had been kneeling. She landed a safe distance away as Amethyst and Sapphire bravely caught Xavier's attention; depositing Emerald gently on the ground, she looked for Diamond. Diamond was there in a flash of gold, sitting by her injured friend. Emerald woke back up, looked down, saw the empty place where her foot had once occupied, and began to shiver, going very white. "She's in shock." Diamond muttered tiredly. She pressed her hands on the stump of a leg. "Hope this works for missing pieces too-Everlasting Love Purify!" The golden light swarmed around Emerald's foot. She winced as color came back into her cheeks, and gave a low moan. Topaz held her shoulders reassuringly as Emerald buried her head into her friend's hair. Diamond concentrated as the light wove about, directing it with the smallest hand movements. Slowly the outline of a foot became visible, then the bones, then the muscle, and finally the blood vessels and the skin covering all of this. Emerald's shoe reappeared as the light faded back into Diamond's fingers. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, looking drained. Emerald wiggled her foot and tapped it once or twice to make sure it was solid. Her eyes filled with tears, and without a word she gave Diamond a tight hug. "Thank you, Angie." She whispered in her friend's ear, tears falling on the top of her fuku. Diamond wearily squeezed her back before the two stood and glared at Xavier, Diamond swaying slightly. "Watch it!" Amethyst screamed from across the room. "He's changed his attack-" Xavier turned and saw the other three standing there, looking perplexed. His left hand had changed to what looked like a bunch of spear points. He leveled his arm, aimed at Diamond, and fired. Topaz and Emerald gasped as huge vine-like things shot out, ends looking as sharp as razors. They all hit Diamond in the middle of her body and kept moving, flinging her back until she hit the wall, screaming in pain. The sharp ends were all embedded deep in her stomach, probably in all her organs. She held onto the top vines, staring in detached horror at the things poking into her body. Pain was hitting her like shock waves, centering all around her middle and her back. Carefully reaching around, Diamond realized the points had gone right through her. This was the last thought she had before her mind went completely blank. The Senshi stared across in unbelieving horror at their leader who was looking somewhat like a shish kebab on the far wall. She was absent- mindedly stroking the strong vines, eyes almost blank. "Oh, my God." Garnet whispered. "Oh my God." * * * "HAH!" Jedin crowed ecstatically, looking into a black crystal. "I don't believe this! Score!" "What is it?" Damon asked uncomfortably, stretching from his spot on a black marble statue. "Only that Xavier's taken out his first scout." Jedin replied gleefully, pointing at the round crystal. "And to make matters better, it's our friendly little leader, too!" Damon's mind whirled in a haze at that. Confusion, anger, disbelief- sadness? A prickling came to his eyes as he ran forward to stare into the ball. Diamond had been stabbed completely through by Xavier's Razor Vines. She was staring at them in horror, touching them, not seeming to feel the pain. His eyes burned watching her look so helpless. "Enlarge it! Let everyone see!" Jedin cried, throwing the crystal up into the air and drawing it out to its full size. All the generals watched it eagerly. Damon felt himself gasping slightly for air, but he could not tear his eyes away. Which is why no one missed what happened next. * * * Diamond's blue eyes shifted suddenly. A light came into them, turning them a brighter color than before. She blinked a few times as her eyes began to glow. At the same time, her pupils completely vanished. A golden light began to grow in her hands. "What's happening?" Sapphire whispered, staring at her leader. "I've-got this strange feeling." Obsidian murmured, rubbing her hands together unconsciously. "Something's going to happen. Something big." Diamond's hands suddenly stopped moving. They grabbed at the stalks of razor vines, holding them tightly Xavier watched this, bafflement on his pale face. A strange, bright slow illuminated the air around Diamond's head. It slowly moved down her entire body, growing brighter and brighter until she looked something like a human firefly. Her lips moved as she whispered a word into the air. A torrent of golden light streamed up the vines to Xavier. The rays of light hit him and began to do-something- to him. He yelled and tried to wriggling away, but the light wouldn't let him go. And as they kept contact, Diamond grew brighter. An unfelt breeze swirled around her hair, making in fan out in golden waves. Diamond was changing; growing in height, fingers growing longer and more elegant, and face seeming to become alien and beautiful. There was a flash of gold in her eyes as the light battled with Xavier. There was a shattering of glass as an immense wave of golden energy poured out from Diamond and went in all directions, breaking the windows of the Sunset Tower and flying out into the sky. The vines sizzled and vanished into nothing as the light sped back from Xavier, who collapsed on the floor. Diamond's changes went backward as she turned to her usual self. Her eyes opened wide as the last of the golden light disappeared, then her eyes rolled into her head and she sank to the ground, body limp. The Senshi all stared at her, feeling rather shell-shocked. Where the vines had pierced her skin, there was nothing to be seen. Just the last remnants of a golden light vanishing. "Is-shall we-check?" Topaz said at last. Carefully, the Senshi made the way to their fallen leader, fear blossoming in all's eyes. Diamond breathed, but faintly and slowly. Garnet and Obsidian knelt closest to her and took her hand, while Emerald propped her head up under her knees. Tuxedo Onyx looked down on the warrior, respect and sadness in his eyes. Diamond's eyes suddenly fluttered open, but they were silver and full of light. The Senshi edged backwards slightly, but Diamond grasped Garnet's hand, and whispered something, in a beautiful, musical voice. "Dommet kiel ammo dedutchtoe, Sailor Senshi." Her eyes closed again. The scouts stared at her, hardly breathing. "What was that all about?" Sapphire asked finally. "Those words-they sounded familiar." Obsidian muttered in confusion, rubbing her head. "Like I've heard them before." "But I don't recognize the language at all." Amethyst murmured, gently touching her leader's hand. "And yet, it reminds me of something." "Something." Garnet agreed. "Something from long, long ago." * * * The generals gaped soundlessly at the crystal ball, eyes as wide as saucers. "This isn't good." Spike said after a few minutes. "This is not good." "What happened to her?" Katrina whispered, unusually quiet and serious. "She took on the aspect of Princess Diamond." Damon said quietly, the smallest hint of a smirk playing on his mouth. "Not just the aspect." Ithengil said in a creaky voice. "It seems we need to recheck our priorities. I had counted on them not getting their memories of High Princesses back just yet-but with Diamond already calling on ancient powers-and draining all the energy we collected?!" He finished with a shriek. "Xavier! Get back here now!!!!" Xavier appeared with a pop, looked strained and tense. "YOU USED THE ENERGY WE HAD COLLECTED TO FUEL YOURSELF?!?!?!?!" Ithengil demanded in a screech. Xavier shrugged. "Yes. I was drained, Ithengil. You all kept me locked up so I couldn't get any." "You were supposed to drain a human!" Ithengil said in a strangled tone. "Not use our resources!!!!" "So what?" Xavier asked, giving Ithengil a cold, cruel stare of nonchalance. Ithengil promptly hit Xavier over his head with the staff. Xavier growled at him and lunged before finding himself locked to a wall with solid marble handcuffs. "I'll get back to you later." Ithengil snarled, turning his back on the bound man. He began to pace. "Not good, not good." He turned finally to stare at the generals. "You have a new mission. You are all to keep collecting energy from humans-but this comes second now. Understand?" "So what's first?" Uther asked, cool voice shaken. Ithengil pointed to the screen where Sailor Diamond lay still and silent, breathing lightly. "Kill her." * * * "Demetri!" Lune gasped, staring at the screen from which she had watched the fight. "What?" Demetri asked, looking up from a tuna fish sandwich. "What was the first language of Opal?" Lune asked in a strangled voice. Demetri looked puzzled. "The one all the royalty knew? Old Armen, wasn't it? Why?" Lune said nothing, but Demetri had guessed by her silence. "One of them was speaking it?!" "Diamond was." Lune said grimly. "After she defeated a general by tapping into her life force and surviving several spears in her organs." Demetri tried to whistle, and failed because cats as a rule do not have lips. "What did she say?" He asked. Lune concentrated hard. "Dommet kiel ammo dedutchtoe Sailor Senshi, I believe." She whispered. "Doesn't that mean." "Have no fear, Sailor Senshi." Demetri supplied, sighing. "We can't put this off anymore, Lune. They've got to know." Lune sighed and nodded meekly. "I know, Demetri. There's no telling how they'll take it, you know." Demetri nodded. "We've got good girls. They'll handle themselves fine."
Spike winced as Ivy bathed a cut on his forehead. "Hey, come off it, pidge, I'm all right now." "Silly pumpkin." Ivy clucked, leaning over to kiss Spike's head. "Poor silly pigeon. All only with his wings clipped." "My wings will grow back, baby." Spike told her, grabbing her hand. "It's all right, now." He glanced over at Damon, who was resting quietly on a black bench. "And I owe you one, Damon. If you hadn't pulled us back-" He laughed dryly. "There wouldn't've been much of anyone left to drain." Damon gave him a half-hearted smile. "Don't mention it. Are you all right?" Spike nodded and stretched. "Yeah, but man! I forgot how much punch that transformation packs! I feel like I've been run over with-what do humans call them-a steamroller or something." Jedin winced and sat up form his cold marble bed. "I know what you mean. Ugh. And it didn't help that that evil bitch Diamond beat me up while I was going through the preliminary changes. Stupid Scout!" Damon looked over at where Katrina was snoring away on her own bed. "Hey, Katrina! Wake up!" Katrina snorted, spluttered, and fell onto the cold floor. "Ow!" She gazed blearily up and Damon and yawned. "Oh, my head." "Oooh, she's going to have a major hangover." Jedin said with a smirk. Katrina wailed as she put a hand to her head. "My head hurts!!! Ohhh- Jedin! Did you hit me with a mace while I was asleep again?!" "Not me." Jedin said innocently. "Blame the twenty glass of wine you drank last night." Katrina blinked at him. "Wine? What's wine? What'd we do last night?" Spike sighed as Ivy rubbed his temples. "She doesn't remember a thing?! Jeez." "Remember what?" Katrina asked, scratching her head. "Never mind." Spike said, sighing. "Just-never mind." "Oh, poor pigeon." Ivy cooed, massaging his back carefully. Spike sighed and leaned forward. "Enjoying your vacation?" Ithengil asked dryly, coming into the dark room. Spike sat up, hand going back to grab Ivy's hands. "Come to disturb our rest, Ithengil?" He inquired, calm tone slipping into anger. "You've had enough of a rest." Ithengil snapped. "It's time to get back to work. Where you collect energy. For our Lady." "Who's our lady?" Katrina asked brightly. "Katrina's-been a little scatterbrained since her transformation last night." Damon said, sweat dropping as he looked at Katrina, who was happily twiddling her thumbs. "Or perhaps from the alcohol she consumed?" Ithengil suggested darkly. "Heh-heh." Damon laughed pathetically at Ithengil's all-knowing look. "See?" Ithengil said, sighing deeply and pretending to be very disturbed. "This is what keeps us from reaching our goal. This slovenly, moronic behavior-it's disgraceful and sickening to be seen in a general of Rubian!" "Cut to the chase." Jedin muttered, rubbing his blood-shot eyes. "The point being," Ithengil said, with a terrible glare at Jedin, "I have taken the liberties of bringing out our last general in an effort to finally take over this planet." All the generals straightened, tense and silent. "You're not." Damon whispered. "Not-Xavier?" A shudder ran through all present. "I am." Ithengil said firmly. "He's the one I believe that can finally get a hold on this planet-more importantly, on its scouts." Jedin licked his lips. "Master," He said, voice dry. "Do you remember what happened the last time we let Xavier loose on a planet?" "I do indeed." Ithengil replied, eyeing Jedin coldly. "You remember the mass carnage that happened, when the scouts frustrated him by resisting?" Jedin demanded. "That he destroyed the entire planet?!?!?!" "He got the job done." Ithengil said quietly. "Which is why we're sending him in here now." * * * "Whee!" Angie cried, throwing her arms in the air and whirling around. "Yes, yes, yes! Freedom!" "Calm down, Angie!" Marisa said, laughing. The girls were all walking to training by way of the park. "It's only an early-release day." "Only an early release?" Angie asked, disbelievingly. "Only an early release?! My dear Marisa, early releases are one of the greatest things of all time!!! Especially with a day off tomorrow too! And then the weekend! Whee!!!" "And then back to school on Monday." Elisha pointed out pessimistically. "Ahh! Stop! Do not say such a thing!" Angie cried dramatically, clamping her hand over Elisha's mouth. "You are not going to say that word until at least Sunday evening!" "What?" Elisha asked innocently, removing Angie's hand from her mouth. "School?" "AHH! Stop! Do not profane the holy weekend!" Angie yelled, covering her ears and moaning. "Speak not the speech of the one who hath not known the joys of long weekends! The privilege of no homework! The delight of- oomph!" In her energetic ramblings she had backed into someone. She immediately found herself kissing the sidewalk. "Sorry! Sorry!" She cried, getting up and dusting herself off. "Didn't see-" "Hey, little bird." Angie froze. Slowly, she turned around and her eyes traveled up to gray- blue eyes and dark hair. "Alan!" She cried joyously, flinging her arms around him and promptly hugging him. "It's you!" Damon blushed as the golden girl embraced him like they were old friends. "Nice to see you, too." He muttered into her hair. Angie backed up with a blush. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to do that, I'm just so." She sighed blissfully. "Happy." "She's completely psycho, in other words." Lacie said, holding her hand out for Alan to shake. "I'm Lacie Lipscombe." Damon hesitatingly took the offered hand. "I'm Alan Richards." "He's the guy who saved my life!" Angie piped up, dancing about, unable to keep still as one by one her friends introduced themselves. Rachelle watched Angie bouncing up and down in amusement. "Would you please stop actually like a rubber ball?" "Can't!" Angie replied, doing a cartwheel. "I'm on Cloud Nine, and there's no way I'm coming down for a long while!" Damon watched the sunlit girl caper about and felt himself beginning to smile, the problems of dealing with Xavier out of his mind a little. He shuddered as he remembered those flat, emotionless gray eyes staring at him, those terrible, blood-stained teeth.Poor Diamond, having to face him. "Hey! Hello!" Angie cried, waving her hand in front of Damon's frown. "No scowls! This is a happy day! No school for three days! There shalt not be any unhappy faces!" Damon let himself smile down at her. "Sorry, I was-thinking about something." Angie nodded vigorously. "I understand." "How? You haven't ever experienced thinking yourself." Mary said with a grin. Angie growled and hit her friend on the arm. Damon watched in some perplexity as the girls began to pull each other's hair and quarrel. "Are they-all right?" He asked Rachelle uncertainly. "Who? Them?" Rachelle laughed. "Those fights between Angie and Mary are just a ruse. They're fun to watch, though. Heck, I think even those two enjoy them." Angie dealt Mary a resounding blow on her head and stuck out her tongue. Mary winced from the ground. "All right, all right! I forfeit! You win!" "Hah!" Angie crowed, turning away. As she did, Mary reached out and grabbed her ankle. Angie landed on the ground in a cloud of dust. "Ow!" She cried, eyes filling with tears. "That was so mean!" She began to wail. "Oh, shut up." Mary muttered. Angie immediately stopped crying to kick dust at her face and stand up. Mary stood up as well, and the two glared at each other. "Would you two stop it?" Malorie asked, grabbing them both by the hair and pulling them along with the group. "OWOWOWOWOW!!!!" Mary and Angie yelled in synchronism. "Okay, Mal, let us go!" Mary yelped. "We'll be good! Promise!" Angie pleaded. "Fine." Malorie said, giving them a last yank before letting go. Mary and Angie rubbed their scalps for a moment, looked at each other, then at Malorie, then at each other again. "BUNZAI!!!" Angie yelled, pouncing on Malorie and dragging her to the ground. The group stopped to look back at the scene unfolding. "Get her shoe off!" Angie yelled, holding Malorie's wriggling arms above her head. Mary unlaced her shoe, pulled of her sock, and held her fingers just above Mal's foot. "Don't you dare!" Malorie gasped. "You evil little-" Mary lowered her fingers, and began to energetically tickle her foot. Malorie screamed in laughter, wriggling like an eel, trying to get away. The group fell over laughing. Damon chuckled slightly, watching Angie's laughing face as she watched Malorie try to scramble away. Malorie finally kicked Mary's hand away, yanked her wrists from Angie's grasp, and stood, primly brushing off her shorts. "Evil." She stated, turning her back on Mary's and Angie's hysterically laughing faces. "That was sheer brilliance." Angie gasped, chortling and giving Mary a high five. "Pure, simple, magnificent genius." Mary agreed, pulling herself up and giving Angie a hand. They leaned against each other, giggling and wiping away tears. "Evilness." Malorie muttered, nose in the air, trying hard to cover the grin in her face. "Next time, we go for the stomach." Mary announced loudly, straightening and giggling. Malorie covered her stomach protectively and smiled. "Hey, you guys want to come to my house for blackberry picking?!" Angie asked enthusiastically. "They're just coming out now, and they're the sweetest you'll ever taste!" "Blackberries?" Damon found himself asking before he could stop himself. "What're they?" Seven pairs of eyes turned to look at him, wide-open in astonishment. "You've never tasted blackberries?!" Mary gasped incredulously. "Never?!" Marisa wondered, eyeing him. "Are you human?!" "I-grew up far away." Damon said uncomfortably. Angie saw Alan's discomfort. "Oh, lay off, you guys." She said. "If you haven't had them before," she said, turning to Alan, "then you absolutely have to now. We have the best in all of the city." "Um-okay." Damon replied, wishing he had boned up on human foods. Angie grinned and ran off skipping. "Come on, then!" She sang over her shoulder. "Only a few blocks! Hurry!" The group sweat-dropped. "How does she get so much energy?" Marisa wondered. Mary shrugged and skipped off after her, singing, "We're going home for noodles! Yum, yum!" "And what insanity did she pull that insane song from?" Elisha asked, watching Mary. "This is Mary." Rachelle said, sighing. "She could have pulled it from anywhere." * * * A few minutes later, the girls were standing and goggling up at an enormous house. "This is your home?!" Rachelle gasped. "I always thought it was a hotel!! You know, giant grounds, big house, fountains." "Only one fountain, actually." Angie said, blushing. "Is there something wrong with having a big house?" Damon wondered. "In this city? When you're the official 9th grade ditz?" Elisha said sarcastically. "And never bothered to mention to your friends that you were rich? Nah, no problem." Angie shrugged and punched in the security code on the side of the huge, wrought iron gates. "I wanted you to know me for who I was, not where I lived." "Oh.oh my god!" Marisa said before falling into hysterical laughter. The others stared at her. "What's gotten into you?!" Lacie asked. "Have you gone mad?" Marisa giggled, "You know how Hannah thought she was so posh living in that apartment?! This place makes her home look like a tenement house! Can you imagine her reaction if she found out?!" She began laughing again. Angie grinned as the huge doors swung open, helped by a silent, stiff gateman. "I always remember that when I get mad at her." "Oh, man, if she ever found out, she would have puppies." Mary said happily, skipping inside. "Puppies?" Elisha asked. "I think she means kittens." Angie remarked, gesturing them forward. "Well, come on! This place doesn't bite!" "How many banks did you have to knock off to get this place, Angie?" Malorie asked, staring at the beautiful fountain made of crystal and glass in the shape of a dolphin with the water coming from its blowhole. "Well, my dad's a lawyer for a big company." Angie said, leading her way up to the front porch. "He got a big partnership a few years ago-and, well, a raise." "A big raise." Marisa said in awe, watching two gardens prune rosebushes near the fence. "Enough of one." Angie said, ringing the doorbell of the two enormous doors that had stained glass windows in ornate shapes. "You have to ring the doorbell in your own home?" Rachelle asked doubtfully. "And punch in a security code!" Angie said brightly, doing just that on a pad near the door. "Um-why?" Marisa asked, sweat-dropping. Angie frowned and shook her head. "I really have no idea. My mom does run a big gardening association.oh, wait! Maybe because my dad sometimes works with the President! Oh, yeah, that's right! That's what it is!" Everyone face-vaulted. "You are a really serious blond, Angie." Elisha said, voice muffled by the doormat. Damon was the only one who remained standing. He looked doubtfully at Angie. "What's a president?" The group had begun to get up. They all promptly fell over again. "You don't know who the President is?!" Rachelle gasped. "Where exactly did you live?! Madagascar?!" "Uh-" Damon frantically ran through his knowledge of places on Earth and said the first one that came to mind. "Monaco!" The girls all stared at him. "Where's that?" Lacie wondered. "In Europe." Damon said, praying he was right. "Near France." "Oh." Lacie considered this, then said, "Well, I don't have the slightest clue about it, but it must be pretty isolated if they don't know who runs America." "Uh, yes." Damon said, sweating. "Very isolated." Damon was saved from further questioning by the door opening and a small, thin face peeking out. "Miss Angela!" A shrill voice cried as the door opened all the way. "But you're home early!" "Emily, I told you this was an early release day three times this morning!" Angie said with a sigh. "And don't call me Miss Angela! Angie is perfectly fine!" "Yes, Miss Angela." The maid said automatically, opening the door wide and glaring suspiciously at the group gathered outside. "Who are they?" "They're my friends, Emily." Angie said patiently, moving past her. "You know? That thing that all kids have to talk to?" Emily blinked at the girls and man. "A pleasure, Misses and Master." She said, curtsying. "Forgive my rudeness?" "O-of course." Malorie said awkwardly. "Um-do you mind getting up? It's very disturbing." "As you wish." Emily replied, standing meekly before them, head bowed. Angie sighed and rubbed her head. "Emily, you are dismissed until further orders. Go take the day off." "But, miss, this would be the eighteenth day in a row-" "Just do it." Angie said, shoving her toward another door. "Bye! Have a nice day!" The door slammed and Angie turned around, sighing. "Phew. I almost can't stand having maids, they're so fluttery.guys?" The girls were all staring, open-mouthed, around the entrance hall. "Is this your front foyer, or an airplane station?" Elisha demanded, staring at the crystal chandelier a full thirty feet off the ground. "Entrance hall." Angie said briskly. "And please stop gawking, you're making me feel an idiot." "Excuse me?!" Marisa asked in a shrill tone. "We're in your hallway which could probably contain a few trains in a house the size of Delaware and you're telling us to stop gawking?!" Angie rolled her eyes. "Come on. Let's go get some baskets. And snacks. I need food. My sugar level is low." "Snacks?" Malorie's ears perked up and she tore her gaze away from the painting of an iris. "I like food! Whatcha got?" Angie grinned and she opened a side door. "What haven't I got?" The girls stared around the kitchen. From wall to wall, there were huge cabinets. Marisa ran to open one to reveal a thousand different boxes of crackers and chips. "All right!" She cheered, digging out a package. "Goldfish!" "Help yourself." Angie said, rolling her eyes as the girls ransacked her kitchen. "But please don't open that!" She yelped, trying to discourage Mary away from a corner cabinet. "Why? Are your dad's dead wives in there?" Mary asked, ducking around Angie and grabbing the handles. "No, wait!" Angie gasped. Too late. Mary screamed triumphantly. "I've hit the mother load!!!! CANDY!!!!!!!" As proof she raised a large bag of M&M's into the air and waved it around excitedly. "Oh, God." Angie groaned, waiting for the stampede. "CANDY!!!!!" Every girl screamed, jumping for the cabinet. Lollipops, chocolate, marshmallows, jujubes, sweettarts, and mints littered the floor. "Stop it!" Angie cried over the sound of frantic digging. "Hold it! Stop! Hey! STOP IT!!!!!!!" The girls all stopped to stare at her. "One-item-each." Angie said very slowly, as if speaking to preschoolers. The girls immediately began to whine. "Aww, Angie-" "One each?" "Not two? Or five?" "Or ten?" "Pleeeease?" "One each." Angie said firmly. She glanced back at Damon, who was watching this with amusement. "You can have some too!" She told him. "Don't let these hyenas take it all." "I wesent wat." Malorie said through a mouthful of chocolate. Damon edged forward, gazing over the large amount of food before him. "What is it?" He asked, curiously. Everyone froze. "You've.never.seen..candy." Mary stated in shock. Damon shook his head. There was a long pause. Then everyone cracked up. "Oh, my gosh!" Marisa said, wiping her eyes. "You are a freak!" "What'd I say?" Damon asked, bewildered. "Nothing, nothing." Angie said, smiling and patting his arm. "But you are about to be introduced to the greatest stuff ever made, including pizza and hamburgers." She unwrapped part of a Snickers and offered it to him. "Go on! Eat it!" Damon hesitated, then gingerly grabbed the candy bar. He stared at the brown end peeking out of the wrapper. "I'm supposed to eat this?" He asked, repulsed. "It tastes a ton better than it looks!" Mary sang, a sour gummy worm half- way in her mouth and a box of them in her hands. "Go on." Angie said with a smile. "Please?" Damon hesitated, closed his eyes, and bit down on the brown substance. Something exploded in his mouth. He chewed frantically and swallowed, eyes bright with discovery. "What was that?!" He asked, in a trance. Angie giggled. "Chocolate, silly. Best stuff ever to cross someone's lips." She unwrapped another bar and took a bite for herself, grinning. Damon, meanwhile, ripped the wrapping off his and devoured the rest in two quick bites. "Is there more?!" He asked eagerly. Angie blinked. "Well, sure. Tons more." She gestured at the mounds of candy all around them. Damon snatched another almost-identical looking bar up, tore open the wrapper, and bit down. The taste of the chocolate melted in his mouth. "Chocolate!" He cried. "Okay.." Angie said slowly, taking the bar away from him. "I think the discovery of chocolate is a little too much for you, Alan." Damon blinked at her. He knew very well he could take it back, but the look in Angie's eyes was firm. He sighed and lowered his head. "All right!" Angie yelled. "Everyone, man your baskets!" The girls stopped munching to stand up straight and very military-like. They grabbed several white buckets and held them at their sides. Damon blinked at them. "Well, soldier?!" Angie bellowed. "What are you waiting for?! Suit up!" Damon grabbed a basket and stood at attention. Angie grabbed her own basket and began strutting up and down in front of her friends who were all standing in neat formation. "All righty, troops!" She yelled, using her best drill sergeant voice. "We are going on a dangerous mission! Maybe a few will not come back! Your objective is to pick as many blackberries as humanely possible, and eat them! Any questions?!" Everyone was silent. "All right!" She yelled. "On your mark, get set-GO!!! Run, you sissies, run!" Everyone remained very still. "Um, Angie?" Mary asked. "Where's your backyard?" Angie sighed. "All right, you sissies. Follow me! March! Hup two! Hup two!" She lead the way out of the kitchen, through an expensively furnished dining room, across a smaller, less intimidating hall, out a door, across a screened-in porch, out a screen door, and out onto the lawn. Mary yelled as she saw what was directly behind the house. "Oh my GOD! You have a POOL!? I hate you!" "Silence, private!!" Angie yelled. Mary shut up. "Is she okay?" Damon whispered to Malorie. "Oh, yeah." Malorie answered, almost gaily. "She's an actress, you know. Loves playing all sorts of parts. You just gotta play along. And besides, it's fun!" "No conversing in the ranks!" Angie bellowed, puffing out her chest and strutting around. Damon watched her all puffed up like an angry bird and grinned as an idea came to his mind. "So, Malorie." He said loudly. "How come our commander's strutting around like a chicken?!" "Insubordination!" Angie gasped, eyes twinkling as the girls giggled. Damon felt his heart leap at the look in her eye. "Wonder if she pecks like one, too." He mused aloud. "Silence, you!" Angie yelled, barely concealing giggles. "Make me." Damon teased, half wondering why he was acting this way. Angie grinned and promptly smacked his arm. "Tag!" She yelled, exuberance for life and joy at living boiling over at last. "You're it!" She took off across the lawn like a streak of wind. Damon gazed blankly after her. "Ah! They don't have Tag in Monaco!" Rachelle yelled. "Alan! Go after her! Tag her! If you tag her, you don't have to chase her anymore, you have to run away!" "What's its purpose?" Damon said, looking down at the tiny person. Rachelle blinked. "Purpose? It's just fun!" And with that the girls ran away shrieking, darting away all over the yard. Damon watched the girls darting across the lawn, giggling and waving to him. "Chase us!" "Tag us!" "It's fun!" "Fun?" Damon rolled the word around in his mouth as his eyes narrowed on the farthest away bird. "Fun." Angie stopped a few acres away and stood on the lawn, panting, eyes bright and joyful and mirroring the blue sky above. She raised her arms and whirled around, perfect serenity coming over her features. "Angie, watch out!" Surprised, Angie looked back to see something chasing her. She let out a happy shriek and went flying away, confident no one could catch her. She was one of the fastest people in the school! No one could catch her! Except. She glanced back in surprise to see the person still following her. More importantly, it was Alan. More importantly, he was catching up, but quickly. Angie screeched and ran all the faster, sprinting as fast as she could past lawn ornaments and bushes. He's so fast! She marveled. I bet he might even catch- Arms suddenly caught underneath her body and raised her, screaming, into the air. Angie laughed and laughed as fingers suddenly came down and started tickling her stomach. She wriggled and screamed. "Enough! Enough! I give! I'm it! You got me! N-no tickling, please!!" Damon laughed, looking down at the girl giggling in his arms. She sighed and lay back, resting her head on his shoulder as he stopped, still chuckling a little to herself. She suddenly looked up at him, eyes bright under thick gold bangs. "You'd better run away, now, baka! I'm it!" Damon laughed, deposited her on her feet, and jogged across the garden, looking back at the brightly shining girl. Angie took a deep breath of clean, fresh air into her lungs before sprinting off to chase Mary. The world suddenly spun beneath her feet. Deep in her mind some instinct screamed. A warning was the last clear thing in her mind before she seemingly fainted dead away. Damon saw her collapse. Panic rose in his chest. He ran as fast as he ever had in his life, flying over the grass, picking her up gently. Cries of, "Angie!" came from every corner of the yard. Almost as quick as he had her friends were there, not panting or so much as sweating. They bent by their friend. "Is she all right?" Rachelle asked, pressing her hand to Angie's forehead. Angie was not all right. When Rachelle touched her she flinched, even in her unconsciousness, and began whimpering, tearing back and forth in Damon's arms. "Put her down!" Mary ordered to Damon, who silently complied. Rachelle bent and placed her ear near Angie's mouth, listening to the whimpers. "No..darkness..blood, blood everywhere! Rubian...coming.death..pain.." Her body stiffened and she let out a shriek that filled every corner of the yard before slumping. Mary looked up at him, eyes going cold. "Alan, I think you should leave. Our friend's not in any condition to run or entertain now." Damon hesitated. "Will she be all right?" Malorie smiled at him. "I'm sure she will. She gets this way once in a while." She crossed her fingers behind her back. Damon hesitated, then began to walk away across the grass. "Tell her I'll be back to check on her tomorrow." He said, trying not to look at the fallen girl. "We will." Mary said, voice like ice. Damon bit his lip as he turned away, feeling Xavier's darkness pulsing over the city. "It's time." He muttered to himself, regretfully staring back at the girls. They were so bright.and now, their lights would be snuffed out. Forever. No one messed with Xavier and lived. Angie's eyes opened and she looked up. "Is he gone?" Rachelle nodded. Angie sighed. "God, I hated to do that. Force him out like this." "Any reason why?" Malorie asked. "Are you feeling what I'm feeling?" Mary asked, voice warming slightly. "A darkness." Angie muttered. "It's there, in my heart..it hurts.." She shuddered and stood up. "We have to transform. Now. If we don't-" She looked up at the sun in the sky. "We won't have to worry about going to school in three days." Grimly, the scouts nodded and stood. "Hey," Marisa said, a small smile crossing her lips. "Let's go into this one thinking about Alan, hm? I really like him. He's-nice." "I know what you mean." Elisha said with a nod. "He's friendly. But I just get this sad feeling from him." "We'll fight for everyone who depends on us." Angie said, lowering her eyelids. "Diamond Star Power!" "Sapphire Star Power!" "Emerald Star Power!" "Obsidian Star Power!" "Topaz Star Power!" "Amethyst Star Power!" "Here we go again!" Rachelle sighed, grabbing her bracelet. "Garnet Star Power!" "MAKE-UP!" "Next time for a weekend activity, let's try not going into certain death, okay?" Garnet asked as they bounded away over the grounds, startling the heck out of a few guards. "Is that even possible?" Emerald muttered, leaping over the barbed-wire gate. "Not for us." Sapphire grumbled as they leapt over the street and up onto a large building. "Enough idle talk." Diamond ordered quietly. "We've got to be deadly serious about this one, Scouts. Something truly evil is happening." "As opposed to only half-way evil or partially evil?" Topaz asked with a grin. "Please, you guys, I'm serious!" Diamond begged as they landed on a tall building. "This is going to be the worst we've come up against so far." "She's right." Obsidian said, biting her lip. "I feel darkness welling up in this city. It's calling to me." There was silence after this particular remark. "Well, shall we?" Diamond said and last, going to the edge of the building and preparing to jump. "Wait a second!" Garnet interjected, pointing out in the other direction towards the middle of the city. "That black cloud over there-that can't be natural, can it?" The Senshi looked to see the black, swirling mass of clouds hanging over the tallest building in the city-the Sunset Tower. It was a huge glass and steel building used mainly as an observation tower. There was a large ground floor, a few floor above it, and then the whole thing slimmed so only two elevators could fit, then widened on the last floor. "If that's natural, I'll eat my halo." Diamond said grimly. "Let's go." The Scouts leapt off the building and started to leap towards the city's center, leaping over the smaller buildings and around the skyscrapers. They had almost reached the tower, when a silver-clad figure leapt in front of them to bar their path. "Tuxedo Onyx!" Topaz cried. "Why do you block our way?!" Emerald asked. "Sailors, what lies ahead is too great for you to fight now!" Tuxedo Onyx said, pointing at them mysteriously. "If you proceed, you will meet death. Turn around! This is not your fight!" "Every fight against evil is our fight." Diamond proclaimed coldly. "If we do not fight, who will? Now, will you stand with us? Or will you continue to block the path that we have chosen?" Tuxedo Onyx sighed. "I will join you." Under his breath, he muttered. "Even if you're making a huge mistake." He leapt high in the air to land behind Obsidian, who smiled at him. Diamond ignored this last remark by leaping forward again. The Scouts followed her, grim silence falling over the group. "What're we looking for, anyway?" Sapphire asked at last. "I'm not sure, but probably a general of some kind." Diamond said, scanning the buildings around her. "But it's likely we won't see him or her until the very last mom-" A shot of lightning hit the building just in front of where Diamond landed. She screamed and jumped backwards, knocking down Topaz and Emerald. A crater formed where the blast had it, opening the ceiling to the floor below. Several secretaries looked up through the large hole at them, curious and terrified. "Back up, back up, back up!" Diamond yelled, trying desperately not to fall into the hole. "Anyone see where that came from?" "No clue!" Amethyst gasped. "It just sort of-appeared." Emerald suddenly stiffened. "Jump!" The others dodged a hard right. A pillar of silver fire bloomed where they had stood. It crisped the ground and actually melted the concrete building top. They stared at it, horrified. "Eyes open, scouts." Diamond whispered, nonchalantly walking around the huge crater. The others followed, peering interestedly in at the terrified people below. Emerald and Topaz waved. "I think we should be ready." Emerald whispered, tensing suddenly. "Yes, soon..now!" The Senshi and Tuxedo Onyx leapt clear to another building, dodging a rain of green fire blossoms that poured down on the building top. Diamond looked back, worried for the secretary's sake, but did not move. "Keep moving!" Obsidian gasped. "He's going to fire again! I can feel it- " WHAM! Sparks licked at the girls' legs as they tumbled off their perch onto a smaller building that was fortunately just below. "Keep moving!" Diamond ordered. "Split up. Look for where the blasts are coming from-and be careful!!" The scouts nodded and left in a twinkling. Diamond sighed, then obeyed her own command and began leaping from building to building. There was a sudden shriek as Garnet's hair caught on fire from a blast. She beat at the flames as she landed on a building, trying to keep them from reaching her face. Diamond blinked. Under her hands, the flames retreated, leaving her hair exactly as before. Not burned or singed at all. The fire crawled down to the ends of her hair, leapt off onto the building, and vanished. "Power over fire.?" Diamond mused to herself, leaping around a larger structure. "Does that mean she controls more than her attacks?" There was another yell. Diamond looked back in time to see Amethyst cradling an arm with angry red sores bursting all over it-and the end of the shot disappearing from the Sunset Tower. Bingo. Guys! She called. The Sunset Tower!! That's where whatever creep is hiding! Obsidian immediately charged the tower with a yell. A huge blast knocked her off her feet and nearly off the edge of the building. She swayed back and forth, half unconscious. "I'm okay." She murmured dizzily before shaking her head and darting away as another blow fell. "We can't approach it directly!" Emerald called. "Let's try dodging around and hitting it one at a time!" "Let's go!" Diamond yelled, flying across the rooftops close to the tower. A rapid series of shots followed her. "Go!" She yelled to her friends, sprinting hard. "Quick!" "Come on." Tuxedo Onyx ordered, leaping forward onto the building. It was too tall to jump to the top, but the structure was made of iron zigzags and curves. He landed safely on top of an iron arch, and swiftly began climbing. The girls hesitated. "But Diamond." Garnet whimpered, looking at her friend frantically running away. "Garnet's right." Emerald said quietly. "We must help her." The girls nodded in agreement. "But how?" Obsidian asked. "Become our own moving targets?" Sapphire suggested with a laugh. "That's the second time you've suggested something that you think is funny and turns out to be a good idea." Amethyst told her with a grin and a crack of her knuckles. Sapphire gulped. "I am never opening my mouth again." She promised herself, sealing her lips tight. "Let's shake it, girls and boys!" Topaz yelled, bouncing up and down and jumping back a building. "Hey, meathead!" She yelled up at the tower. "Over here!!" "She is so nuts." Emerald sighed, bounding back to join her. "Hey! Hello up there! Oy!" She called. "Look! Here we are! Perfect targets! Come hit us!" The bolts going after Diamond stopped and aimed at the two Senshi who were jumping up and down, waving their arms energetically. The two took off, leaping and crossing paths, laughing like it was a huge joke. Diamond put her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. She smiled at the green and yellow figures. Brave idiots. "Move it, fearless leader!" Obsidian yelled, landing near her. "This is not a tea party here!" Diamond grinned and nodded before leaping onto the Sunset Tower. She promptly hit the middle of an iron beam and nearly fell off, scrambling for a better hold. Obsidian landed beside to give her a hand up. "You need a serious lesson in balance." She told her when Diamond regained her footing. "Oh, shut up." Diamond instructed, swatting at her friend playfully as the others landed near and around them. Topaz and Emerald leapt onto one last building, then quick as a flash, they were standing by Diamond and Obsidian. Diamond blinked at them. "You guys are fast." Emerald beamed at her. "Of course we are! No idea why, of course. I'm not that good in track." "Enough chitchat, please!" Obsidian yelled, pointing up to a silver speck that was almost all the way at the top of the tower already. "We have evil to defeat! Let us climb!" "Climbing." Diamond responded, leaping into the forest of beams. It was like an insane video game. Dodge here! There! Left! Right! Up! To the side! Push off! Left! Leftleftleftleftleft!!! "WAHOO!" She screamed in pure ecstasy. "Fun!" "Says you." Sapphire muttered, leaping to a spot beside her. Diamond caught a look of her queasy face before she was off again through the maze of beams. Their ascent abruptly ended as Topaz hit her head on the floor of the top level. "Ow!" She rubbed the top of her head and glared furiously at the ceiling. "Stupid tower, stupid head, stupid, stupid, stupid." She growled and crossed her arms, leaning against a beam. "Okay." Amethyst looked blankly at the ceiling. "And we get in-how?" "Ummm.." Emerald said helpfully, staring blankly at the iron cave above them. Obsidian sighed. Carefully, she raised her hand to the ceiling, and concentrated. A small black ray, like a laser, shot out of her fingers and penetrated the ceiling, making a small hole. She drew the shaft of light in a large circle, and when the two ends met, part of the ceiling completely fell away, leaving a gaping hole into the top floor. "Obsidian, that was brilliant!" Diamond breathed. "How on earth did you do it?!" "Practice." Obsidian said smoothly. In that moment, as a bit of breeze ruffled her hair, her appearance changed to something older. Deeper. Truer. All present saw this, and it worried Diamond. It was almost like her friend was slipping away into something else. Topaz broke the moment by laughing nervously. "Well, uh, shall we?" At the first sign of her voice, Obsidian's appearance faded back to how she usually was. She looked unruffled, but her skin was slightly paler. "Yes, let's!" She said eagerly, but her voice sounded tense and strained. Diamond gave Obsidian a swift glance before leaping up through the hole and vanishing into darkness. Obsidian followed suit, as did the others, all with their own private thoughts. Diamond had seen something in Obsidian, as clear as she could see her friend's face. Something was wrong. She put this thought in a special spot at the back of her memory as they began to walk through the dark top level. She would talk to her later. "So we're in the lion's mouth." Garnet muttered, peering around the gloom. "Now what?" "We get out?" Sapphire suggested. Everyone ignored her. Diamond hesitated, then carefully spun her finger in the air. A small ball of light sparked and suddenly came to life, sending out comforting rays for a few feet before they were enveloped back into darkness. "How'd you do that?" Emerald asked curiously. "Practice." Diamond replied, with a small giggle and a smile at Obsidian. The ball of light seemed to dance merrily in the air with her laugh. It bounced back and forth a few times before slowly moving forward into the darkness. "Follow it." Diamond ordered. "I think it might be leading us, now." "Our leader's been replaced by a firefly?" Amethyst asked innocently. "Shut up." The ball of light seemed to turn back. It flew to Amethyst's face and shook back and forth a few times, like it was scolding her. Still shaking, it moved forward again, once in a while hesitating to float back to her. "I think you displeased it." Garnet said with a giggle. Amethyst blinked at the thing. "You know, I think it might be tied to Diamond's emotions. Since she created it, and all." "If it responded to my emotions, you would be sliced and diced by now." Diamond said dryly. As if listening to this, the light ball nodded energetically before moving forward again. The Senshi giggled, even Diamond. A small, thin, shriek pierced the air, coming from the light ball. Before they could move, something closed upon it and snuffed it out like a candle. In the darkness, no one moved or spoke. "What happened?" Sapphire asked at last in a small voice. "The light creature went away." Emerald whispered. "Went away nothing." Topaz said, voice shaking only slightly. "It was snuffed out, or my jewel's the fool's gold." Garnet whimpered, but said nothing. A harsh breathing suddenly filled the air to Amethyst's right. She yelled, and without thinking, snatched out into the darkness with her fist. It hit something hard with a clang, and she drew away with a curse. All the Senshi edged away from the noise. "Hello?" Amethyst called, rubbing her fist in the darkness. "Who's there?" No answer. Carefully, Diamond spun her finger in the blackness. Another light globe popped up and flew around in the air, flying up to the ceiling and growing brighter and more radiant, illuminating the whole building. The Senshi stared at the humanoid thing in front of them. He was taller- taller even than spike-and thin as a rail, but with clear muscles. His hair was a dark gray, and his eyes were like two round, expressionless clouds. A suit of black armor and a dark cape were his clothes, and a hard, bright dagger gleamed in his fist. "Who are you?" Diamond asked finally, voice sounding as if it came from within thick cotton padding. The-man-examined her coldly. "I am Xavier." "Minion of Rubian?" Obsidian guessed. The man said nothing, merely regarded her with his frozen glare like a hawk's. Obsidian shuddered nervously under that gaze, but did not break eye contact. Finally, the man growled, "Yes. And you are the Sailor Senshi of this Planet." "Correct." Topaz replied, voice sounding high and frightened. "I was summoned specially to kill you." The man went on, unsheathing a glimmering black blade and pressing his thumb to the edge, cutting it deeply. "Ithengil is very displeased with your interference." "Ithengil?" Emerald repeated. The name was familiar, but not in a good way. The man did not answer this request. He merely moved his finger down along the blade, causing his black blood to coat the end. The girls shuddered. "Stop that!" Garnet said finally. "Stop hurting yourself." The man grinned like a wolf. "Merely testing it. I prefer killing in one swift stroke." He removed his finger from the blade, but for some reason no cut or scar was apparent on his flesh, though the blade dripped with his blood. "How lovely." Emerald said, voice calm. "Wonderful conversation and manners you generals of Rubian pick up, you know. Splendid." "Just peachy." Diamond agreed, shifting her weight just to slightest bit to a fighter's stance. "We're not created to talk politely with our victims, you know." Xavier said softly, slowly drawing back his cloak. Everyone shivered at the tone of his voice. "Speaking with our executioner." Garnet kept gibbering under her breath. A low moan echoed through the air, coming from a dark corner. Diamond squinted as the light ball grew a bit brighter. She gasped as she made out a silver figure lying motionless on the floor. "Tuxedo Onyx!" Obsidian was gone from their side in an instant. She ran to where their caped crusader lay and bent over him. "Are you all right?" She gasped, kneeling and turning him over onto his back. Tuxedo Onyx grinned weakly at her. His body was cut multiple times, and the cuts were deep. Blood flowed, making a pool on the ground under him, soaking his gray clothes, turning them a shade of maroon. Obsidian gently raised his head, smiling down at him, tears in her eyes. "Hang in there, okay? I'll get Diamond over here. She can cure you, she can cure anything! Just, hang on." Tuxedo Onyx's eyes closed. His breathing came deeper. "DIAMOND!" Obsidian screamed at the top of her lungs. Diamond broke the stare contest with Xavier to mutter a hurried instruction to her comrades. Then she flew to Obsidian's side, wincing as she saw Tuxedo Onyx. "It's bad." She said, sighing in a resigned way. "Everlasting Love Purify!" Tuxedo Onyx gasped as the light painfully penetrated all his wounds. He clenched his fists as the pain went on and on. Diamond watched this worriedly. "I think he's got a lot of internal damage, also." She whispered to Obsidian, standing. "Keep him company." She turned around to look at Xavier, moving back towards the group cautiously. Obsidian watched as Tuxedo Onyx writhed in pain on the ground, gasping for air, fists clenching and unclenching. Slowly, she slid her hand into his. He squeezed it hard, and both winced in pain. The light finally was beginning to flow out of his wounds and vanish, healing them as they came. His grip slowly relaxed as the last of the rays vanished. He opened his eyes to smile up at her. "Thank you." "Welcome." Obsidian murmured back, letting a few tears fall. "Stay down, please. Rest a little." Tuxedo Onyx sighed and obeyed, closing his eyes again as he slipped into unconsciousness. The Senshi and Xavier, meanwhile, were staring each other down. "You hurt our Guardian." Topaz said matter-of-factly. "We don't like that." Emerald told him. "Not at all." Sapphire agreed with a scowl. "He's a good protector and friend." Garnet piped up with her own fiery glare at Xavier. "Do I care?" Xavier asked, raising his blade slightly and swinging it around to point at Onyx and Obsidian. Topaz felt the purring of the air as energy began to grow. "Uh-oh." She whispered, then in a yell, "Obsidian! Tuxedo! Watch out!!!!" Obsidian turned to see Xavier pointing a saber at her. A ball of green light formed around the entire blade. With a yell, he leapt high into the air and started to come down-on top of them! Obsidian stared up, petrified, mind frantically pouring through her memories. Something was tingling at the back of her mind-now what was it!? Xavier had almost landed- A curious light swam in Obsidian's eyes. Slowly, she raised her hands, palms facing Xavier. "Malady Barrier.." Something cold as ice whispered in the air around Obsidian. Her face was grim. Xavier landed near her and started to charge. The closer he got to Obsidian, however, something strange began happening. His skin turned a pale green. Bulging muscles vanished. Xavier gasped for air, and-a foot away-he collapsed in a heap, coughing up phlegm. "A defensive attack." Emerald whispered, watching. "A shield of some sort?" Sapphire wondered. "Like mine?" "No," Garnet whispered. "It looks more like she's making the guy ill!" Xavier began crawling away from Obsidian, breathing hard, dry gagging frantically. As the distance between them increased, he began to kneel, and then stand. Muscles grew again. His skin turned pale again as his breathing went back to normal. He finally stood a few yards away, glaring at Obsidian. "You come near us." Obsidian growled, not showing any signs of drainage. "And I swear I'll rip your heart out." She kneeled by Tuxedo Onyx, and with a final glare, turned away. "I think Obsidian's out of the fight for this one." Diamond murmured. "She's definitely gone on our guardian." "Oh boy." Sapphire muttered. "And with them safe, of course his wrath's going to come down on us. Peachy and perfect." Her prophecy was definitely true, as at that moment a huge wave of silver energy poured out at them. The Senshi leapt away, grim expression outlined on every face. "Same plan as before." Diamond instructed. "Keep moving. If you get a chance, fly in and attack. Go!" The Senshi nodded and took off. Diamond sighed and look up. It was fortunate this place had a high ceiling. Emerald let out a cry as part of the wave hit her foot. The cry turned into a scream of pain and pure fright. Below the ankle, her foot was completely gone. She stared at her stump of a leg in horror before fainting away. "Emerald!" The Scouts cried as the silver wave turned and aimed for her prone form. Topaz, who was closest, made a quick decision. She turned and landed by her friend, gathered her in her arms, and took off a split second before the wave hit where she had been kneeling. She landed a safe distance away as Amethyst and Sapphire bravely caught Xavier's attention; depositing Emerald gently on the ground, she looked for Diamond. Diamond was there in a flash of gold, sitting by her injured friend. Emerald woke back up, looked down, saw the empty place where her foot had once occupied, and began to shiver, going very white. "She's in shock." Diamond muttered tiredly. She pressed her hands on the stump of a leg. "Hope this works for missing pieces too-Everlasting Love Purify!" The golden light swarmed around Emerald's foot. She winced as color came back into her cheeks, and gave a low moan. Topaz held her shoulders reassuringly as Emerald buried her head into her friend's hair. Diamond concentrated as the light wove about, directing it with the smallest hand movements. Slowly the outline of a foot became visible, then the bones, then the muscle, and finally the blood vessels and the skin covering all of this. Emerald's shoe reappeared as the light faded back into Diamond's fingers. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, looking drained. Emerald wiggled her foot and tapped it once or twice to make sure it was solid. Her eyes filled with tears, and without a word she gave Diamond a tight hug. "Thank you, Angie." She whispered in her friend's ear, tears falling on the top of her fuku. Diamond wearily squeezed her back before the two stood and glared at Xavier, Diamond swaying slightly. "Watch it!" Amethyst screamed from across the room. "He's changed his attack-" Xavier turned and saw the other three standing there, looking perplexed. His left hand had changed to what looked like a bunch of spear points. He leveled his arm, aimed at Diamond, and fired. Topaz and Emerald gasped as huge vine-like things shot out, ends looking as sharp as razors. They all hit Diamond in the middle of her body and kept moving, flinging her back until she hit the wall, screaming in pain. The sharp ends were all embedded deep in her stomach, probably in all her organs. She held onto the top vines, staring in detached horror at the things poking into her body. Pain was hitting her like shock waves, centering all around her middle and her back. Carefully reaching around, Diamond realized the points had gone right through her. This was the last thought she had before her mind went completely blank. The Senshi stared across in unbelieving horror at their leader who was looking somewhat like a shish kebab on the far wall. She was absent- mindedly stroking the strong vines, eyes almost blank. "Oh, my God." Garnet whispered. "Oh my God." * * * "HAH!" Jedin crowed ecstatically, looking into a black crystal. "I don't believe this! Score!" "What is it?" Damon asked uncomfortably, stretching from his spot on a black marble statue. "Only that Xavier's taken out his first scout." Jedin replied gleefully, pointing at the round crystal. "And to make matters better, it's our friendly little leader, too!" Damon's mind whirled in a haze at that. Confusion, anger, disbelief- sadness? A prickling came to his eyes as he ran forward to stare into the ball. Diamond had been stabbed completely through by Xavier's Razor Vines. She was staring at them in horror, touching them, not seeming to feel the pain. His eyes burned watching her look so helpless. "Enlarge it! Let everyone see!" Jedin cried, throwing the crystal up into the air and drawing it out to its full size. All the generals watched it eagerly. Damon felt himself gasping slightly for air, but he could not tear his eyes away. Which is why no one missed what happened next. * * * Diamond's blue eyes shifted suddenly. A light came into them, turning them a brighter color than before. She blinked a few times as her eyes began to glow. At the same time, her pupils completely vanished. A golden light began to grow in her hands. "What's happening?" Sapphire whispered, staring at her leader. "I've-got this strange feeling." Obsidian murmured, rubbing her hands together unconsciously. "Something's going to happen. Something big." Diamond's hands suddenly stopped moving. They grabbed at the stalks of razor vines, holding them tightly Xavier watched this, bafflement on his pale face. A strange, bright slow illuminated the air around Diamond's head. It slowly moved down her entire body, growing brighter and brighter until she looked something like a human firefly. Her lips moved as she whispered a word into the air. A torrent of golden light streamed up the vines to Xavier. The rays of light hit him and began to do-something- to him. He yelled and tried to wriggling away, but the light wouldn't let him go. And as they kept contact, Diamond grew brighter. An unfelt breeze swirled around her hair, making in fan out in golden waves. Diamond was changing; growing in height, fingers growing longer and more elegant, and face seeming to become alien and beautiful. There was a flash of gold in her eyes as the light battled with Xavier. There was a shattering of glass as an immense wave of golden energy poured out from Diamond and went in all directions, breaking the windows of the Sunset Tower and flying out into the sky. The vines sizzled and vanished into nothing as the light sped back from Xavier, who collapsed on the floor. Diamond's changes went backward as she turned to her usual self. Her eyes opened wide as the last of the golden light disappeared, then her eyes rolled into her head and she sank to the ground, body limp. The Senshi all stared at her, feeling rather shell-shocked. Where the vines had pierced her skin, there was nothing to be seen. Just the last remnants of a golden light vanishing. "Is-shall we-check?" Topaz said at last. Carefully, the Senshi made the way to their fallen leader, fear blossoming in all's eyes. Diamond breathed, but faintly and slowly. Garnet and Obsidian knelt closest to her and took her hand, while Emerald propped her head up under her knees. Tuxedo Onyx looked down on the warrior, respect and sadness in his eyes. Diamond's eyes suddenly fluttered open, but they were silver and full of light. The Senshi edged backwards slightly, but Diamond grasped Garnet's hand, and whispered something, in a beautiful, musical voice. "Dommet kiel ammo dedutchtoe, Sailor Senshi." Her eyes closed again. The scouts stared at her, hardly breathing. "What was that all about?" Sapphire asked finally. "Those words-they sounded familiar." Obsidian muttered in confusion, rubbing her head. "Like I've heard them before." "But I don't recognize the language at all." Amethyst murmured, gently touching her leader's hand. "And yet, it reminds me of something." "Something." Garnet agreed. "Something from long, long ago." * * * The generals gaped soundlessly at the crystal ball, eyes as wide as saucers. "This isn't good." Spike said after a few minutes. "This is not good." "What happened to her?" Katrina whispered, unusually quiet and serious. "She took on the aspect of Princess Diamond." Damon said quietly, the smallest hint of a smirk playing on his mouth. "Not just the aspect." Ithengil said in a creaky voice. "It seems we need to recheck our priorities. I had counted on them not getting their memories of High Princesses back just yet-but with Diamond already calling on ancient powers-and draining all the energy we collected?!" He finished with a shriek. "Xavier! Get back here now!!!!" Xavier appeared with a pop, looked strained and tense. "YOU USED THE ENERGY WE HAD COLLECTED TO FUEL YOURSELF?!?!?!?!" Ithengil demanded in a screech. Xavier shrugged. "Yes. I was drained, Ithengil. You all kept me locked up so I couldn't get any." "You were supposed to drain a human!" Ithengil said in a strangled tone. "Not use our resources!!!!" "So what?" Xavier asked, giving Ithengil a cold, cruel stare of nonchalance. Ithengil promptly hit Xavier over his head with the staff. Xavier growled at him and lunged before finding himself locked to a wall with solid marble handcuffs. "I'll get back to you later." Ithengil snarled, turning his back on the bound man. He began to pace. "Not good, not good." He turned finally to stare at the generals. "You have a new mission. You are all to keep collecting energy from humans-but this comes second now. Understand?" "So what's first?" Uther asked, cool voice shaken. Ithengil pointed to the screen where Sailor Diamond lay still and silent, breathing lightly. "Kill her." * * * "Demetri!" Lune gasped, staring at the screen from which she had watched the fight. "What?" Demetri asked, looking up from a tuna fish sandwich. "What was the first language of Opal?" Lune asked in a strangled voice. Demetri looked puzzled. "The one all the royalty knew? Old Armen, wasn't it? Why?" Lune said nothing, but Demetri had guessed by her silence. "One of them was speaking it?!" "Diamond was." Lune said grimly. "After she defeated a general by tapping into her life force and surviving several spears in her organs." Demetri tried to whistle, and failed because cats as a rule do not have lips. "What did she say?" He asked. Lune concentrated hard. "Dommet kiel ammo dedutchtoe Sailor Senshi, I believe." She whispered. "Doesn't that mean." "Have no fear, Sailor Senshi." Demetri supplied, sighing. "We can't put this off anymore, Lune. They've got to know." Lune sighed and nodded meekly. "I know, Demetri. There's no telling how they'll take it, you know." Demetri nodded. "We've got good girls. They'll handle themselves fine."