Author's Note:

Yes, another fanfiction. This one is a bit different than my normal ones. I have only this one, another one and a sequel that I plan to work on and that's it. And any one-parters that I decide, on a whim, to do. I have done very few of those (two) and a single song-fic that involved Kunzite, so…slim hope.

The normal disclaimers here of course and that I'm certainly not doing this for money. I do this because I love the show and all the 'what-if's, which my family says I'm the queen of.

This one can't really be put in a timeline, nor can I say that it's based on manga or anime (although anything based on the anime will be from the Japanese version). There are a few elements that are exclusive to the manga, as you will read, but those only involve character differences than from the anime, such as the Shitennous' relationship. Also, the Golden Crystal, which Mamoru has.

Though Mamoru has the Golden Crystal, we haven't progressed to the SuperS season. The main evil they're fighting against is Beryl and Metallia. You'll see any other differences if you read this story. I don't want to give too much away.

If you need to contact me, my email is Guardian4@atlantic.net. Please put fanfiction or something in the subject line so I know what you're emailing me about. And if you're a really nice person (if this pertains to a certain fanfiction that I've done) you might want to put the name of the fanfiction you're referring to somewhere in the email.

All names are like the Japanese say them, last name first. So Kunzite's name would be Kail Rainer in America, but in Japanese it would be said Rainer Kail.

Army of Immortals

Chapter 1: Crusader and Sword

As usual, it was a draw as to who in fact killed the youma. And it didn't actually matter, nor was it a spoken issue. There was no enmity between them, no lost love or hatred. They barely even stayed around long enough to look at each other.

But that was all the press could talk about: the Sailor Senshi and the Earthen Knights. They couldn't find a topic that was more read about and they had to keep saving reckless reporters as they got to close, trying to get the 'perfect angle'.

Yet what really bothered Aino Minako was that they kept trying to insinuate that there was something more to the relationship between the two groups than there really was. And she should be one to know; after all, she was second-in-command of the Sailor Senshi.

Oh, she didn't look it, but she was quite the leader. She was also quite the fighter, sworn to protect the Moon Princess at all costs. One might say, then, that putting this princess in the middle of a deadly fight might have the opposite effect, but it was actually better than having to protect her any other way. By being in the fight, she was learning techniques and skills to protect herself, not having to rely on the others so much.

It also didn't help, had she wanted to keep her out of battle, that her Princess was also her leader, Sailor Moon, commander of the Sailor Senshi. Quite able to pull rank and put herself in the battle if so chose. And she chose, by the gods, she chose.

Minako rubbed her sore shoulder, but didn't really mind the pain. It was better than missing an entire arm after all, wasn't it? She grumbled angrily. Right now, she almost wished that the monster had moved a little faster than her and eaten him, leaving one less nosy reporter to interfere. He had nearly cost her a vital limb, her Crescent Beam arm, for which left no love for him in her heart.

Despite what she showed to her leader, the Soldier of Love did not really care about saving the people of this planet. Oh sure, she cared about them, but not in the way that she would die painfully for them. The people certainly hadn't been all that nice to her, heartache after another, and it did not inspire nice and cuddly feelings for them in her heart.

However, she did love her Princess; loved her more than life, who she would willingly die painfully for. She would do anything the girl asked of her, anything at all, up to and including death. And her Princess wanted to protect the people of this planet, which she loved. And Minako would not really have it any other way.

"Minako-chan!"

Minako turned and winced inwardly as her friend clapped her on the shoulder, the one with the bruise the size of Japan on it. "Hi, Hikaru."

"Did you read the papers today?"

"No, I didn't have time."

Hikaru smiled. "Well then you didn't hear that Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon got into an argument yesterday, after the battle."

Minako felt trepidation settle in her gut. Yes, they had had a bit of a disagreement, but it couldn't, under any circumstances, be called an argument.

"What was it about?"

"Sailor Moon doesn't like Sailor Venus' relationship with Knight Jadeite."

Minako fought a groan deep in her throat. The argument had not been about her relationship with Knight Jadeite, of which there was none, but about how Sailor Moon had gotten unnecessarily close to the youma to destroy it.

"I didn't think they had a relationship. I mean, also, don't you think the coupling is a little odd? She's second-in-command of the Senshi; wouldn't it make more sense if she had a relationship, it would be with Kunzite, second-in-command of the Knights, or even Tuxedo Kamen?"

Hikaru waved her hand dismissively. "Love doesn't care about rank or sense."

Her teeth ground together in true anger at her friend, for once in her entire life. She was the Soldier of LOVE and BEAUTY! Who was this person, even a close friend, to talk to her of Love? But she bit her tongue, so hard it bled, and kept silent.

"I wish I could be a reporter."

"Why on earth would you want that?" she asked incredulously.

"Because they are the ones that are the closest to the Sailor Senshi and Earthen Knights of anyone else. They can see all this information first hand!"

The bell rang loudly, covering her disgusted 'My God!' from Hikaru's ears. "Hurry up or we'll be late."

"We wouldn't want that," she muttered as her friend pulled her along. She really was not in the best of moods today.

"Are you going to meet those friends of yours today?" Hikaru asked as she grabbed her books to leave.

"Yes."

"Oh."

She looked up at her friend's disappointed tone. "Why?"

"Well, its just that I was hoping we could do something together. Ever since you met them, I've been seeing less and less of you."

Minako straightened up and put her hands on Hikaru's shoulders, forcing her to look up. "Yes, I'm meeting them today, but how about we do something tomorrow after school? You know, window shop or something?"

Hikaru smiled and nodded. "It's a deal."

They parted ways at the gate and Minako headed toward the Hikawa Shrine, where she would meet the other Senshi: Hino Rei, Mizuno Ami, Kino Makoto, and of course, Tsukino Usagi.

Hino Rei was their very own Sailor Mars, devoted Priestess and Soldier of War. From a glance, the girl looked much too exotic to approach, and perhaps that still held true from more than one glance. But if she let you in…everything you did that may have seemed wasted effort was worth it. She let her instincts do the thinking, and most of the time her instincts had saved Minako's life, not to mention the Princess' life.

Mizuno Ami was not unapproachable, like most thought because she was smart. Except that, unlike Rei, she let you in easily. She was also Sailor Mercury, Soldier of Wisdom. Her touch was not cold to her friends, like her element, but healing. Her brains and computer did her thinking and while her powers were defensive, that was what the Senshi needed. Among four others who had all offensive powers, she was the only one that could provide assistance to the team in other ways than frying the youma.

Kino Makoto. What could one say about her? Like Hino Rei, her looks contrasted with who she was. She was a tall girl, who often times let her fists do her thinking if she was angry. But beneath a steel-looking exterior, she almost as soft-hearted as their Princess, who did not know the meaning of the word 'no' when someone was in need. Makoto was quite an electric girl and that didn't include her Senshi persona, Sailor Jupiter, Soldier of Protection.

And Tsukino Usagi, the Moon Princess. The girl who they would all die to protect. She had something that was not of this world, yet at the same time was. Unlike most of the people on Earth that Minako had met, the terrible things that happened all over the world did not harden her. She felt with people she had never even met, even with Tuxedo Kamen, once the Prince of Earth, her supposed 'rival'.

"A bit late, Minako-chan?" Rei asked as she topped the steps.

"I've just been thinking."

"Slows your steps a bit, huh?"

Minako rolled her eyes and didn't rise to take the bait. She knew that Rei was only going for some of the much needed humor they no longer had. With Beryl and Metallia's constant and increasing attacks, there was not much laughter anymore.

"Did you see the papers today?" asked Makoto in amusement. "Yes, Minako-chan, stay away from Knight Jadeite. We don't like your non-existent relationship at all."

There was a smattering of laughter, but not much.

"Seriously though, why do they constantly write things like that?"

Ami put her reading glasses in her bag. "Because that's what people read. They want to think that there's romance in things like this, even if there isn't."

"How do you know that, Ami-chan?" questioned Usagi with a sly smile.

Ami blushed. "Well…I do read."

"What kinds of books? I bet she's a closet romance reader," teased Rei.

Her blush deepened and laughter floated shortly on the air again.

"What I've never understood in novels where they have two hero groups that there must be hostility between them," Minako said. "Where does it say that I have to intensely dislike, say, Tuxedo Kamen just because he isn't a Sailor Senshi?"

"I don't know. Perhaps because he's from Earth originally and you were from Venus," suggested Ami.

"But that would be more of an excuse for Usagi-chan," protested Makoto. "You know that she's from the Moon, who most really didn't much care about Earth."

"I liked Earth," Usagi commented.

"We know that, but most didn't," Rei told her.

"Well, we do know that Tuxedo is Prince Endymion, so we can place him, but do any of you remember any of the others?" Minako continued. "I certainly can't."

"Not offhand and I've been racking my brain, trying to remember," Makoto answered.

Rei shook her head. "The masks they wear or something about them block the Fire from telling me anything."

"Nothing on my computer tells anything much at all about Earth of the Silver Millennium."

"Usagi-chan?" Rei prompted.

"I remember meeting Endymion once, and he struck me as nice and polite. I seem to recall there were a few people with him, but I don't remember them. They could have been diplomats for all I know or protectors."

They sighed. "Oh well, I suppose it doesn't matter."

"Don't you think it would be more efficient to be working together though?" Ami suggested. "It would be much more economical."

"We really don't have the time to arrange a meeting and be diplomatic," Rei pointed out. Minako and the others had to reluctantly agree.

"Where are Luna and Artemis?" asked Usagi, looking around.

"They couldn't make it," Makoto told her.

"Why?"

The tall girl shrugged.

"Well, Ojii-chan said that we could use the backroom for tomorrow's Senshi meeting."

Rei's grandfather was the only family member of the Senshi that knew what they were. At first, they had been unsure if it was wise, but the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. If someone was hurt and they couldn't take them to a hospital, they at least had a safe-house to recover at.

"I can't make it to the meeting tomorrow. I have other plans."

"But Minako-chan, you've known about this meeting all week. How could you make plans for tomorrow?" Rei demanded.

"I'm going with Hikaru to the mall to window shop. You don't understand," she said in response to Rei's outraged look. "Hikaru and I haven't done anything together for months, since being a Soldier has taken up most of my time. She's beginning to feel left out when I always hang around with you guys, which I love to do. But I do appreciate Hikaru's friendship and if I don't do something now, I'll lose it."

"She does have a point Rei-chan," Usagi commented, seeing the still skeptical and angry expression gracing the priestess' face.

"I suppose you can't do anything about it now."

"I can't and I wouldn't. Don't worry I'll be here about only an hour late."

End Chapter 1