I don't own Sailor Moon. The original characters and story all belong to Naoko Takeuchi.

One of the new characters, Michi Noketsuna, is borrowed from… elsewhere. Regards to Bob Charette for this awesome character as well as the tragic figure of Minobu Tetsuhara that serves as inspiration for my Minobu. The novels I referenced for some of the haikus were Wolves on the Border, Heir to the Dragon, and Wolf Pack. Eiji Fuchida, Raylic Sainze, and Gerald Akuma are my own creations.

This is just something that I felt would be pretty fun to write. Senshi/general pairings, but with a bit of a twist.

Beryl didn't turn all of Endymion's generals the first time round. Four died at her hands when they were unwilling to break and betray their oaths. Several millennia later, they had finally returned. But they are different from the Inner Shitennou, and are far more than they once were. Will they remember their lost loves?

The singing blade flies

Past the yellowed leaves,

Endless pain in wake

Royal Palace, Crystal Tokyo

"Back off, evil demons!" King Endymion lashed out with his sword, cutting a swathe through the youma pressing hard against the remaining warriors and guards of the Palace. He feared for his pregnant wife and the people of the city, and that lent him desperate strength as he summoned the powers of the Golden Crystal in his battle.

"Rose Thorn Tornado!" He held up his hands, and a whirling rush of thorny roses sprang from them, cutting into the youma and destroying many of them. The surviving youma fell back rather than face the fury of the King.

Mamoru didn't feel like a King right now, just a tired warrior. He rested his sword with its tip on the ground, trying to catch his breath after the energy he had expended on that last attack. The youma seemed to be mostly weak ones, but they were dangerous in large numbers.

And the numbers he and his guards had faced was very, very large indeed.

Michiru and Hakura were limping heavily, holding each other up. They looked absolutely tired, as though a slight breeze would be enough to push them over. The rest of the palace defenders were even worse off. Many soldiers laid panting on the ground, too weak from their wounds to even stand up. The other half were cowering behind him.

Endymion wished the other Senshi and Shitennou were around, but with their communications cut off, and youma intercepting anybody trying to sneak out of the city, it was useless to think that they could arrive in time.

The youma formed up into nice neat rows before him, and Endymion got a feeling that this was just a temporary stay of execution. Then the rows neatly divided into two, to reveal a small entourage of what he recognised to be important personages of the enemy army.

The youma, no, man standing in front of the small group was clad in gold and black robes. He reeked of dark power, which manifested itself in the form of dark wisps of vapour that literally emanated from his pale skin. He had bone white hair, and a spindly body that nevertheless told of hidden strength. The man would have been handsome if not for the perpetual sneer on his face, and the cruelty in his eyes. He regarded Endymion with contempt.

The man spoke, in a triumphant tone, "I am Garz, the commander of these youma. King Endymion, yield. You have lost, and any more battle will only result in a tragedy."

"No. You have come here with your armies and evil intent, taking the lives of innocent people. To yield to you would only mean destruction for even more people."

Garz smiled, "That can be easily avoided, if you would surrender Earth to the care of us, the Berylians." He paused, "I mean, do you really wish to see your unborn child killed? Or even better, we'll let your bitch wife pop out the little bastard, then put the child to work as a slave for the rest of his life!" The man laughed, and the youma all laughed with him, a thunderous sound that echoed around the ruined palace grounds.

Endymion trembled with rage, "Get out, you demons! Golden Rose Cascade!" He concentrated on his power, and the skies flashed with golden slivers. He was going to make them pay…

And then he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest, snapping his focus and preventing him from carrying out his attack. Endymion looked down to see a thin dark knife embedded in his chest. He then looked up at Garz.

The man simply bowed once, then lifted his index finger to his lips, and blew across it, sending a whiff of dark vapours away from the finger tip. "Bang, bang." Garz grinned.

"Mamo-chan!" He heard somebody shout, and he realized it was Serenity. She moved with surprising speed despite her condition, with Michiru and Haruka helping her to catch him as he fell back. "Please, my love, stay with me!"

Endymion gasped, "Serenity…" Then his eyes rolled up, and he blacked out.

"Mamo-chan!" Serenity screamed as Michiru placed a finger on Endymion's wrist to check for a pulse.

Michiru spoke quickly, "Usagi-chan, he's still alive, just wounded very badly. He needs medical attention. As soon as possible."

"Will he have that kind of attention?" Garz asked. "I can guarantee you, Queen Serenity, that your beloved king," his words dripped with sarcasm, "will live as long as you agree to an unconditional surrender."

Serenity stood back up, the Ginzuishou suddenly appearing in her hands. Michiru gasped, "Usagi, you can't! Not in your condition!"

Queen Serenity stood bravely against the youma army. "No, I refuse to let everything we've worked for be destroyed like this." A tear trickled down her porcelain cheek. "Even if I have to sacrifice my child for us to win. Mamo-chan will understand, I hope. Be ready, my Senshi!"

"No!" Michiru said again as Serenity closed her eyes to gather the immense power of the Ginzuishou. The crystal began to glow slightly. Haruka stepped in front of Serenity in case Garz tried the same trick again.

"Ah yes!" Garz crowed, "Let me witness the power of your Ginzuishou!" His confidence was unnerving. It was as if his impending destruction didn't matter at all, as long as he had hurt the royal family.

Then suddenly the youma ranks toppled forward in several massive explosions.

"You're really fond of pyrotechnics, aren't you?" Hanson stared at Lieutenant Blithe, a female officer who had taken charge of the walking wounded seeking to relieve the siege at the palace. She was gleefully chucking grenades one after the other at the enemy youma, while the other soldiers poured weapons fire into the enemy's rear.

"Yeah, so?" Blithe grinned as she finally ran out of grenades. "All troopers! Hold your positions! Let them have it!" The soldiers intensified their gunfire at the youma, who had recoiled from the sudden attack on their rear.

Since Minobu had led them away, their tiny force had grown as they made their way to the palace, picking up Lieutenant Blithe and more than thirty more soldiers, while killing a lot more youma. Minobu had remained in charge, sending a small detachment to the city outskirts to call for help, while he led the rest to the palace.

Minobu had commented that the youma in the city had been disorganized, without any real hierarchy of command, which would normally have been in their favour if not for the fact that there had been so many of the youma around. Thankfully, their numbers had dropped enough that Minobu had been confident enough to send two squads out to contact the other cities and militia, hopefully bringing back the Senshi and shitennou as well.

They had set up just behind the youma army attacking the palace, and it had taken everything the soldiers had not to run when they first saw the youma army, which seemed to number in the hundreds. Minobu had given certain instructions to Blithe, then disappeared.

Hanson didn't know what the weird musician was up to, but he hoped Minobu knew what he was doing when the bulk of the youma finally started charging for their thin line of soldiers.

"Pull back, boys! Move back!" Blithe started shouting.

"What?" Hanson was stunned. "Why?"

Blithe simply grabbed him and pulled him off his position by a wall, where he was blazing away with his rifle. "Because this will force them to split their forces and waste time chasing us down! Time for the rest of the Senshi to get back!"

Understanding dawned on Hanson. Well, maybe that's why I'm still a lowly corporal! But if that's true, then what's Minobu? A general?

Michiru saw the mass of youma shift, the weight of their attack no longer facing towards the palace and Serenity, but away from her. Garz seemed flustered for a moment, barking orders at the youma around him. There was still a sizable group facing them, and Michiru wondered if they should take advantage now and attack.

Then all thoughts fled from her mind when a tall figure strode across her view to stand before Haruka. His cheap clothes were torn, blood and gore covered him. But his strides were strong, grinding up the soil under his feet, the sword in his right hand producing a slow screeching sound as he dragged it on the ground behind him, drawing the attention of the gathered armies to him.

Michiru stared at Minobu Tetsuhara. He was like an entirely different person. All traces of the gentle artist and musician was gone now. His steel grey eyes were sharp and keen, a piercing gaze that missed nothing, his stance strong and firm. She had never seen him wearing anything other than long sleeved shirts, and she now understood why. His arms were scarred terribly, the more pale colour of the scars crisscrossing his arms showing up against his dark skin.

He stared at Garz then brought up his sword in an intricate and flowing motion that ended with the sword pointed at Garz. "Pull back now, or be destroyed," said Minobu. Michiru flinched a bit from his tone, which sounded like grating sandpaper. "This is your only warning."

"And who might you be?" Garz asked. "Another of their pathetic defenders?"

"I am Minobu Tetsuhara."

"That name means nothing to me!" Garz said as he suddenly flung out his arms, a dozen dark knives flying at Minobu, Haruka, and Serenity.

Minobu moved into action, his sword seemingly an extension of his body as he slapped the knives out of the air. He didn't move fast, but it seemed that he didn't even need to when the final knife fell to the ground. Minobu finished with his sword still pointed at Garz.

"Impressive. Who are you, really?" Garz asked again.

Micihiru thought she saw a hint of a grin on Minobu's lips when he replied, "Minobu Tetsuhara."

"You think this is funny!" Garz had seemed unflappable earlier on, but that calm was gone as he waved a whole group of youma forward. "Kill them!" About twenty weak youma rushed forward.

Minobu turned back to look at her, and Michiru felt a thrill through her body as he said, "Michiru-san, keep the Queen back. I'll take these youma. I'll hold them off as long as possible. Don't use your powers, and don't engage in combat until I fall." He turned back to the youma, and started walking at a brisk pace towards them, his sword pulled back behind him.

Michiru pulled Serenity back, and they stared in morbid fascination as Minobu Tetsuhara slaughtered the youma. He moved almost languidly through the youma, his sword almost motionless, but the youma simply fell apart whenever they reached him. There seemed to be no haste nor waste in his movements.

"Is this all you have?" Minobu asked as he took up his ready position, his sword pointed at Garz. "These weaklings are hardly fit to soil my blade."

Garz snarled. "Maybe twenty are no match for you, but how about two hundred? Attack!" He waved his hands forward. More youma ran forward in a single line, roaring at their enemy as they sent up a dust cloud in their wild rush at him. Minobu grinned slightly. This was perfect.

He drew the blade of his sword across his throat from the left to right, then back to his left again, then lowered it to the ground as he lightly tapped the ground with the tip of the blade. He finished it by swinging it up above his head, holding it in both hands.

The youma charged on, coming ever closer to him. Minobu gathered his ki, a surge of power that poured into his sword, making it glow slightly. He waited until the youma were only mere meters away, their line bending around him to surround him, before he struck.

He did not yell as he brought the sword down and around from left to right in a vicious slash. To an observer, it would seem that he had mistimed his strike, since none of the youma were near him, and the sword did not touch any of them. But there were fighting techniques and skills that did not require physical contact.

Sword energy lashed out from the blade, slicing destruction through the youma ranks. One instant they were charging down on Minobu, and the next they were eviscerated in half. They exploded in a literal shower of blood and broken bone, ending up as broken heaps on the ground. Garz stood very still, staring at Minobu, who stayed in his final stance, the sword on his right. The wave of sword energy had dissipated just mere inches away from Garz.

Centuries ago, some warriors had learnt that by focusing the powers of their minds and bodies, they could actually attack objects at a distance. Later on, the same technique was adapted for weapons, which gave rise to a wide variety of skills and moves. All of these were extremely deadly, and the warriors who had mastered them were universally feared. However, these masters were far and few. Or at least, they were supposed to be.

Minobu happened to be one of those who had mastered the distance strike technique, many battles ago and many parsecs away.

Using that much energy for the move had drained him slightly, but he refused to show it, standing stolidly between Garz's army and the palace. If Blithe was following his plan, the youma must be dividing their force to deal with the threat on their rear, which meant that there would be less of them to attack the palace itself. If he could kill enough youma before he was killed, Michiru and Haruka would be able to mop up the rest without much problem.

Many of the soldiers with Blithe would be killed, of course, but that was the bloody price of war, and it only brought a numb sensation to him now, instead of the wrenching guilt at the beginning, when he was still a fresh cadet. He didn't think of living past the fight. Fighting to live was a cruel illusion. Far better to go into every battle expecting to die. Everything else was a bonus this way.

"Who are you?" Garz whispered, his tone disbelieving at the speed at which two hundred youma had been destroyed.

"Minobu Tetsuhara." It was the complete and utter truth.

Garz narrowed his eyes, then stepped forward. "You may have defeated my youma, but I am a different matter entirely."

"That remains to be seen."

Garz continued walking forward. "Let me show you the power of true darkness." Dozens of dark tendrils suddenly exploded from his body, all seeking out Minobu, who quickly leapt back to avoid the deadly spikes on the end of each tendril.

"Time to die!" Garz continued to charge forward, his tendrils reaching in front of him.

Minobu slashed his sword at the empty air, but Garz seemed to know better, and brought up some of his dark tendrils to block the onrushing sword energy. The two fighters fought an incredible battle without closing in, dodging and feinting. But this was only the initial stage of the battle, where they sought out each other's weaknesses and strengths. The real fight was yet to come.

Garz was surprised at his opponent. Other than the Senshi, the Generals, and the King and Queen, there wasn't supposed to be anybody with this level of power and skill. He knew he was just slightly weaker than most of the Senshi, which was why he had needed to weaken Neptune, Uranus, and Endymion beforehand with youma. They were supposed to be easy prey for him. He had brought along enough youma for them.

But then this tall warrior had appeared and promptly plopped himself right in the middle of the battle, wiping out more than two hundred of his youma without breaking a sweat, and messing up everything. Garz could not afford to squander any more youma.

And so he was forced to duel the dark man with scars across his arms and the look of death in his eyes. Garz was, quite plainly, terrified.

He gritted his teeth, and dashed in. Tetsuhara's sword energy attacks might be blocked by the tendrils, but he had felt incredible force and strength behind those blows, and it might be even worse when his sword hit physically.

He was right. Garz gasped as Minobu's sword cut through a whole bundle of tendrils, then he quickly counterattacked, forcing the warrior to dodge away before he in turn was hit. Still, there were minor cuts all over the two of them now.

As they duelled, Garz slowly moved towards the palace, and Tetsuhara seemed to pick up on his intent, becoming more aggressive even as the two Sailor Senshi prepared to fight him off. Garz knew they were no match for him in their current condition. It was only a ploy to deal with Tetsuhara.

And then the move he had been expecting came. Tetsuhara over-committed, trying to take him down with a stab to the heart, but Garz simply used his tendrils to hit the sword all along the flat of the blade in opposing directions with tremendous force, breaking the poor quality steel weapon into smithereens before it could reach him. Without a weapon, the irritating warrior would be an easy foe.

It came as a complete surprise when Garz felt two vicious stabs, one across his chest, and one just missing his throat, drawing blood from the thinnest of slices on the skin. The wounds burned even after he had forced Tetsuhara away.

Just who the heck is this Minobu Tetsuhara? Then Garz realized he had been asking the wrong question all this while.

Minobu spun away from Garz, his daisho in his hands as he quickly interposed himself between Garz and Michiru.

He knew they were all now staring at him with shock, after his weapons had appeared in his hands when his sword broke. The katana in his right hand and the wakizashi in his left were his spirit weapons, attuned to his Pattern, his soul. They were family heirlooms, passed down for more than two centuries. They had seen countless battles, and been blooded many times. And sometimes, with the blood of their wielders.

The blade of his katana was seventy-nine centimetres in length, long for a katana, but only because it had been forged specially to account for the height that ran in his family. The ancestor, Jackson Hayes, to which the katana had been awarded to had only been a mere soldier, but rewarded nonetheless for his loyalty to his liege lord.

That loyalty had been sorely tested many times over the centuries, attested to by the reddish tinge on the wakizashi. Minobu knew that the stain came from his grandfather's blood when he had committed seppuku. But in the end, the Tetsuharas had always remained loyal. Despite betrayal, dishonour, death.

Until Minobu had been inexplicably dismissed from his lord's service two years ago. He still did not understand why, and the dismissal still hurt him. He had been a good soldier, a loyal samurai. He had always been a conscientious and skilful soldier. Why had he been discharged from the DCMS, without as much as a reason? His discharge had left him confused and seeking direction for a long time.

Minobu shook his head slightly, concentrating on the battle he was still in. Garz stared at him with fear and hatred. The enemy commander said, "I've been asking the wrong question. It's not who you are. What are you?"

He answered, "I am a ronin, a masterless samurai. I am a veteran of a thousand wars. I have waged battle across the stellar reaches, seen horrors beyond your worst nightmares. I have commanded thousands, and killed just as many. Come now, leader of youma, and meet your doom."

Garz nodded once, then suddenly seemed to increase in size, as he let out a terrible scream, his tendrils reaching back towards his much reduced army. Youma tried to shrink back, but they were suddenly grabbed by the dark tendrils. One moment they were there, the next they were simply… gone. Absorbed into Garz. When it was over, Garz had changed into a winged demon that stood more than two meters tall, with even more dark tendrils around him.

His voice was thundered across the battlefield. "My doom? Yours, fool."

He boosted, Minobu realized. Users of dark energy could sacrifice the life energy of others for a short increase to their powers. It's often more easy to draw on the life force of weak willed beings like youma rather than normal people, which was what Garz had done. There was something else Graz would have to pay for, of course, like a shortening of his life span, but apparently he thought it was worth it.

Minobu felt even more tired now, but he refused to fall. Garz was more dangerous than ever, and Michiru and Haruka still needed another few minutes to recover enough energy to fight. It's all down to me. As usual.

Fated to live, fated to fight. Fated to die.

Garz ran towards him, stronger and faster now. Minobu stepped into muga, the state of action without thought. He placed his own safety at the back of his mind, prioritising on inflicting as much damage to his enemy as possible. As they fought, he ignored the excruciating pain all over his body. His control of his ki liberated him from that.

And it all felt so familiar.

Michiru stared on in horror as Minobu was cut into ribbons by Garz, blood exploding everywhere as the two fighters went into each other like blood-thirsted maniacs.

Garz stabbed Minobu through an arm, and the ronin would cut across his torso. They hacked at each other, their brutal movements a study in controlled violence. Neither combatant seemed to feel the hits they were taking. Garz had sheer rage on his face, while Minobu's was a mask of cool indifference.

A final shuddering exchange ended with them flying away from each other. They landed on their feet, and Garz collected a massive sphere of dark energy in his hands almost instantaneously. Minobu simply stayed in place, his arms crossed in front of his bleeding body, his swords tucked at his sides as though in their scabbards. He knelt with one knee on the ground with his eyes closed, and Michiru could see waves of power rising from him.

"No! Minobu-san!" Michiru tried to gather up her own energy for an attack, but she was still too weak. She saw Haruka trying the same, failing, and then quickly stopping a fearful Queen Serenity from using her own power, which would have endangered the unborn child in her womb.

"Dark Blast!" Garz unleashed his energy sphere, a powerful amount of energy which was easily as powerful as her own at full power.

The sphere rushed at Minobu, and Michiru screamed, her feet carrying her all too slowly towards the samurai even though she was already running at full speed.

Then Minobu suddenly looked up with his eyes wide open, and literally ran into the sphere. It slammed into him, but he continued on his path in an impossible haze of motion, with his swords still tucked in his sides. Garz followed up belatedly with another whirling storm of tendrils, but Minobu simply stepped past them, to appear right before a shocked Garz.

Michiru thought she heard Minobu whisper two words, "Endless Pain."

His blades blurred into action, and then it was over. Garz's head fell to the ground first, followed by horizontal slices of his body, which had turned back into human form, piece by bloody piece, the result of Minobu's impeccable swordsmanship. Minobu stood before his dead opponent, and Michiru began to hope that he had not been affected by Garz's energy attack. She took a cautious step towards Minobu. He stood motionless with his ichor covered blades swept out at his sides.

Then blood burst from his mouth and the veins over his body as the attack finally took its fearsome toil. Minobu Tetsuhara fell to the ground as the youma army surged forward.

Only to be blasted into oblivion by a massive series of attacks, consisting of fire, ice, and the other signature powers of the Senshi. Michiru looked up to see the returned Senshi and Shitennou fighting the youma army. She ran to Minobu's fallen body, screaming for Ami all the while.

Minobu woke up to a bright glaring light in his face. He suppressed the urge to groan, then forced his aching body to sit up, which it very reluctantly did. He looked around slowly. I'm still alive. He was almost disappointed with that fact.

A nurse came in, "How are you feeling, General Tetsuhara?"

General? Minobu almost wanted to groan out loud. He thought that part of his life was over and done with. "How's the palace?" he asked instead. He definitely did not want to find out why he was suddenly a general. Again.

"Oh. It's fine. After the Senshi returned and destroyed the youma, we've been rebuilding." She took a look at his expression, and elaborated, "It's been a week since the battle."

Minobu stayed silent after that, and the nurse, after realizing that he wasn't the sort to talk, left quickly in the face of his slightly oppressive air and glowering stare.

After she left, he climbed carefully out of his bed, limping slightly and cursing under his breath as he looked around for something other than hospital garb to wear. There was no way he was going to stay here any longer than necessary. He needed time to think, to sort out his own conflicted thoughts, the emotions he had felt.

When Michiru and Haruka walked into the room for a visit mere minutes later, Minobu Tetsuhara was already gone.