BETVA
(Battle)
The shadows of souls. The flash of light. A powerful stench in the air as hundreds fell to the ground. Many who have not died are injured, the bullets of callousness and greed in their bodies.
It is a scene not unknown to our people. But it was the last our people would see in their brutally shortened lives. Their guardian was gone; a victim of the massacre in his own unfortunate way. Even the scoundrels who fought him were destroyed mercilessly. All had to die for the sake of one idea: there could be no witnesses what was found.
But there are eight people. Eight people left to vouch that the civilization which was taken away from them existed. Three were not at the site. Two hid when the massacre began. Two disappeared, but are still alive now. And one of them walked blindly in the ruins, his arm seemingly attached to the red splotch on his clothing which adorned his arm - the result of a bullet.
My son, he moans. My son. Why has this happened?
He tripped over a dead body before tripping over his own, his hope for the future destroyed. There was nothing left. He does not know of the other survivors. In his eyes, everything is gone - and it is his fault.
No, no. The hand on his injured arm went up to his temples, banging his hand angrily. This is all my fault. If only I had a way of knowing the consequences. Fate! Why did you forsake me? Is this what is to happen to us?
Suddenly, a small and brilliant light burst from the death and despair that circled him. It caught him by surprise as it filled his vision with nothing but white.
What….what is this?!?
Suddenly, he sees a shadow in the light. It is of a creature he had never seen before. As it came closer to him, it occurred to the man what it was.
A human.
It is this which causes such agony, isn't it? You wish to see that creature again. It does not matter how much you see her, your desire shall never be fulfilled, cursed devil.
You need not wait longer. You shall get your chance.
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The call was made. The sailor soldiers, sans Usagi and Mamoru, sat around a circle, though they all knew that it would not be long before they themselves came to the shrine.
"This is getting to me." Haruka tapped her fingers on her hands. Her face was shadowed by the fire. "Only to days of knowing this man's existence, and it will not rest easy. The wind has violently shifted."
"I…" Rei muttered. "This sucks, just say it, Haruka."
It was obvious to all she was trying to mask her anger. Michiru lay a hand on Haruka's shoulder as the conversation continued. They had been discussing the book for several hours.
"Same here." Michiru nodded. "This man seems to be teasing us with the information we have been searching for."
"Yes," Ami spoke up. "But even so, perhaps we should consider the fact that that man even sent this to us in the first place."
"Yes." Haruka huffed. "That @#%$ Anonymous. After all, what kind of man would send this? A deranged stalker."
"Heehee." Minako giggled. "Usagi seems to attract that type of man…"
Everyone looked at Minako, their faces grim and serious. Minako gave a whimper before shutting her mouth.
"Sorry…"
"But…." Ami looked at the others. "Why would Anonymous help us if he didn't feel something towards saving the planet?"
"He could be an insane criminal, Ami." Haruka shook her head again. "A stalker who has chosen Usagi as his object of lust. All of these things he is doing, he is doing for her."
"Then…….." Ami's eyes grew wide.
"Yes." Haruka stood up. "This monster knows her true identity. And we must stop him at all costs from exploiting that. Even if it means his end."
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The night slowly inked its way in as the sailors quietly watched as Sailor Mercury tapped several keys on her keyboard.
"Anything?"
"…Not yet." Sailor Mercury gave a sigh. "But it must attack soon."
They all sat in wait at Hikawa Shrine, silently contemplating the night ahead of them.
"He has attacked every single night, in various places around Japan." Sailor Mercury explained. "I don't think the green monster is simply going to vanish. There are still several huge places to hit, where one of these Philosopher Stones may be."
"Such as…?"
"Well…" Mercury looked at them. "The Emperor's Palace."
Everyone gasped, except for Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. Mars turned to see them holding each other's hand in a tight grip. She gave a smile.
"So, you guys are back together, huh?"
"Huh?" Tuxedo Mask looked confused. "I never knew we were even apart."
"Oh…." Mars decided to drop the subject.
"Huh?!" Mercury looked at her visor.
"Mercury?!"
"The Green Monster has entered the city again!"
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A burst of green light encroached the city as the cloaked figure and the army of men appeared in the quieted streets of Tokyo.
"(I will not be thwarted again, Vanguard.)"
"(That is good.)" The young black-haired man appeared. "(It seems your report concerning the soldiers has made him quite upset.)"
"(On the contrary,)" The cloaked figure turned to the city. "(I think he became more determined to find the last Stones. If it is not where we think it is, then we will know for certain that he was tricking us.)"
The emphasis on 'he' came out like a bitter pill. Vanguard gave an evil nod.
"(That's right, isn't it? You seem to hate him.)" Vanguard turned towards the city. "(But searching in the land of Atrava shouldn't be too bad. In fact, I'll be happy to get away this pathetic dump of a planet.)"
The cloaked monster said nothing as it held up its three fingered hand.
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The energy readings on Mercury's visor began to rise substantially.
"What…?!?"
"Ami!!" Neptune stared at her mirror. "This power…"
"This…is so strange." Ami clicked on her visor.
"What's going on?" Jupiter asked.
"The power base of the Green Monster…" Mercury's voice cracked. "It's….increasing!! The speed is past anything I've seen!"
The locket on Sailor Moon's suit suddenly opened. The Silver Crystal began to glow.
"My crystal..?"
"Over there!!"
Venus pointed to a small green aura several miles away. The soldiers jumped up to look. As he got up to look, Tuxedo Mask looked over to see that the Silver Crystal was beginning to shine brighter.
"The aura is increasing…"
"What is that thing?!? What kind of talisman is he using!?"
"The Philosopher Stones?"
"…..Usako?"
As the green aura became brighter, so did Sailor Moon's crystal. She looked at it quizzically, then looked up at Tukedo Mask.
"The crystal…is gathering its energies….on its own…."
Everyone turned to look at the Silver Crystal. Everyone, save Ami, lost interest in the parameter readings, which, as Ami looked in horror, increased. A flashing eight-sign appeared at the top of the screen as the sky above Tokyo began to turn green.
"GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Ami's scream came too late as a blast of raw energy suddenly sizzled from the point of the city where the Green Monster lay. It rolled over the city, slamming into the Hikawa Shrine. The soldiers could hear the wood and metal in the building groan as it collapsed under the power of the energy. Then the raw energy hit the soldiers.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
They saw huge burns appear on their arms and legs as they fell, before everything turned white.
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The entire city was blanketed in a thick cloud of green as the Green Monster turned to Vanguard.
"(That should take care of those girls…for now.)"
"(Just for now?)" Vanguard's words were teasing. "(I would think you could obliterate them in the blink of an eye.)"
"(I tried. But…….it doesn't matter.)" The Green Monster simply turned away as he waved a hand to the armies of Mafia. "(We have work to do.)"
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The bright white light glowed brilliantly for about five minutes. As the soldiers slowly opened their eyes once more, it had begun to dissipate, but the effects of it were clear.
"Our skin!!"
"It's returning to normal…."
Sailor Moon, who also opened her eyes, watched with shock as the green on her skin, with all of the burns and cuts, began to change color under the brilliance of the Silver Crystal. She gave a gasp as she floated back to the ground.
"…….Incredible………"
"Sailor….Moon…." The soldiers looked at their leader.
"Guys…….." Sailor found her voice. "Are you guys all right?!"
"Yeah….."
Slowly, Uranus and Neptune stood up. They looked onto what remained of Hikawa Shrine.
"That monster…."
"It is the same power that obviously affected Naru and those other store owners."
"And it is heading towards the Emperor's Palace." Mercury looked at her computer. "We'd better hurry."
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The black-clad men quietly subdued the guards on duty in the Emperor's Garden.
"(It's over here somewhere.)" Vanguard quietly pointed. "(What is it called again?)"
"(The Heart of the Empress.)" the green monster simply replied.
"(I see that your powers of second sight are impeccable,)" Vanguard commented slyly.
The stone was brought to the monster, who took it and carefully began to examine it. Vanguard watched as the gem slid through the monster's hands, feeling the cut of the side.
I was right in sparing him, Vanguard gave a smile. He knows his gems. He is searching for the power…which will bring me to what I always dreamed of….
Suddenly, the gem crashed to the floor, shattered into a million pieces. The man who brought the gem suddenly combusted into dust. Vanguard's eyes briefly grew wide as the quickness of the monster's wrath, but they went back down as it looked back down to the ground.
"(Well, we know that truth now.)" Vanguard shook his head. "(The gem's in Russia….looks like our friend led us on a wild goose chase after all. Figures, of course…)"
The green monster did not reply as the men quietly broke through a small wall of the garden. He simply looked up at the ceiling, an angry look on his face.
"(What is the matter?)"
"(…………………….Them.)"
As if his words were a signal, a loud crash came from the ceiling of the garden's basilica. Nine silhouettes dropped to the ground, followed by a tenth.
"You again!" Shouting to the shadows in Japanese, Vanguard clenched his fists. "Look like my men can't shake you off, huh?"
"You'll have much more to shake off when we're through with you!" The head silhouette shouted as she stepped forward. "How dare you to barge into the garden of Japan's most beloved leader looking for priceless, so-called 'Philosopher Stones'! For love and justice, Sailor Moon and the sailor soldiers!"
"The…."
Vanguard turned to see the green monster's teeth gritting together at the sound of "Philosopher Stones".
"In the name of the moon, you're punished!"
"(They know….)" The words came out like bitter pills. "(Then that means…..)"
"(What you thought before.0" Vanguard turned to the green monster. "(But don't you worry, we'll get him for tricking us into thi-)"
Vanguard stopped when the green monster threw his hood off. He instantly knew what it meant.
"BEG!!!!"
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"Huh?!"
Sailor Moon stared as the monster threw off its cloak. She gave a gasp as the full stature of the monster was revealed.
"That's…."
The green thing….as it looked like nothing created on Earth…stood up to its full (yet short) height, its emerald eyes staring dead at Sailor Moon.
"wô`-†€¥§Œ®¶×£át"$!!!"
"That looks like….." Uranus stared. "That creature from OSA-P…..but…it's green…"
Suddenly, the pupils of the monster's eyes disappeared. He gave a roar as an aura surrounded him.
"DUUUUCK!!!!!!"
"Silent Wall!!"
Saturn's Glaive smashed into the gigantic green mass of energy which emitted from the monster. Saturn grunted as she struggled to keep the shield up.
"My….god….." Mercury looked in horror.
"It has supposedly been estimated that the power of the Philosopher Stones," The text had said, "is equal to that of twenty billion nuclear missiles. When unleashed, there might not be a way to stop it."
"Is this the power of the Philosopher Stones?!"
"What do you mean?"
"The book had said that the power of the Stones is to be feared, as no one knows of its true limits! Well….do you think….?"
Uranus stared as the green monster powered down. It did not seem tired or hurt by the amount of energy it had exerted, though it caused the ceiling to cave in from the power.
"Can it be…..this creature will be our deaths if we fail….?"
Suddenly, one of the agents was thrown through a wall, screaming.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"
With a defiant crash, the sound of fighting could be heard. Sailor Moon saw the snarl on the green monster's face deepen as he turned to the origin of the flying man.
"g¡-AÕà©Ôy%4Ö^Ñ„ó…."
Before the green monster could power up, however, Vanguard stopped him.
"(Leave him!)" he shouted. "(We can destroy him in the homeland. He wants to fight you there. Let the small fish get in his way for now, and you can strike him down in his moment of gloating!)"
Reluctantly, the green monster seemed to take Vanguard's advice, albeit in an angry fashion, by replacing his hood and cloak. With a flick of his hand the green monster disappeared with Vanguard.
"God damn…"
The sound of a swinging staff froze everyone as several more men ran out of the hole. The sailors snapped out of their awestruck state and began to attack the suspects, but Uranus simply stood, her fists clenched, and Sailor Moon stood next to her, staring.
"It's him." Uranus' eyes flashed. "That bastard."
"Uranus…" Sailor Moon desperately shook her head. "Don't."
"No." Uranus looked back at her. "He will pay."
Sailor Moon felt her heart sink at those words, though she could not explain why.
"Come out," Uranus muttered. "Show yourself."
After two minutes of screaming, fleeing agents and debris, the man himself came through the arches. He stopped when he saw the sailors, and he gave a smile.
"I see you are here as well."
"Damn you!!"
Suddenly, Uranus was on him, and the staff went flying as Anonymous fell to the ground.
"URANUS!!"
"Stay out! You worthless piece of crap!" Uranus held him up. "I'll kill you!!!"
"Worthless?"
Suddenly, Anonymous turned the hands of Uranus onto herself, and the soldier was suddenly in a headlock, gasping for air.
"I," Anonymous whispered in her ear. "I have been something far more worthy than what you can fathom inside that little female brain of yours. What I am doing is for your pitiful people; even though you are not worth saving."
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Uranus threw Anonymous to the ground again, drawing out her Space Sword as she did.
"BASTARD!!" She screamed as she pointed the talisman. "YOU ARE NOT EVEN WORTH HALF OF WHAT A GRAIN OF SALT IS WORTH!!"
"Heheheh…" Anonymous chuckled as he lay. "I suppose monkeys can get you by surprise."
Before Uranus had a chance to reply, Anonymous jumped up and kicked the sword out of her hands. It flew up and stuck into a crack in the ceiling.
"You are just like a woman." Anonymous then slapped Uranus. "You should give up fighting and do something more productive. Like making babies."
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Uranus fought like a demon at those words. However, he was able to block all of her attacks. The two simply kept fighting, neither giving an inch.
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"Burning Mandala!!"
The remaining agents were captured or pursued by the soldiers. As Tuxedo Mask struck down another, he saw Sailor Moon staring at the fight between Uranus and Anonymous. Bits and pieces of the ceiling were raining down around them.
"Usako…?"
"Mamo-chan." Sailor Moon looked at him. "I have to stop this senseless fighting."
"Usako?! He's an enemy!!"
"I know, but…." Maybe you think that, but….I sense something in him….something I cannot shake even after all of his tactics… "U..Uranus could be badly hurt!!"
"USAKO!"
Before anyone could stop her, Sailor Moon began to run towards the two combatants.
"URANUS!! ANONYNMOUS!!" She screamed. "STOP!! STOP THIS!! WHY CAN'T YOU WORK TOGETHER?!?"
Suddenly, a large chunk of concrete, unhinged from the ceiling by the Space Sword, fell down onto Sailor Moon.
"USAKO!!!!!!!!!!!" Mamoru screamed.
Sailor Moon knew she would be unable to outrun it, even though she started to. It almost felt as if someone had taken a screwdriver and stabbed her in the forehead with it. Nevertheless, Sailor Moon watched as Mamoru turned and angled, then was diagonal then sideways, just as her vision went from white to red, all of the colors of the rainbow, until there was nothing but black.
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Anonymous and Uranus stopped their fighting at Mamoru's shout to see the chunk of concrete connect with Sailor Moon's head.
"PRINCESS!!!!!"
The other soldiers stopped their fighting to see Sailor Moon on the ground. Blood began to course from her head onto the marble floor.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
Uranus began to run towards her, but was elbowed and kicked to the ground.
"Leave her!!"
Anonymous looked down at Uranus, stopping for a brief moment. Uranus took the opportunity to grab his left arm with her nails and pull him down. She saw the look of shock and pain on his face as she did so, and to that the sky soldier dug her nails even deeper.
"YOU LEAVE HER!!!"
The look went by as quickly as it had come, and Uranus's face connected with his fist. With a grunt, Uranus fell to the floor, unconscious.
"YAAAH!!!"
Before anyone else could go against him, Anonymous picked the injured Sailor Moon up and jumped up through the hole in the ceiling that was created by the sailors' entrance. A piece of paper dropped out of his sleeve as he summoned his staff, which flew to his hands from the ground.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Despite the sailors' screams, Anonymous disappeared into the night, Sailor Moon in tow.
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"This isn't good, Atrava."
Vanguard looked at the green monster, who simply glared back at him from the other room. He turned back to the elder man, clicking his heels as he did, to find him looking at a newspaper..
"What are you doing?"
"What do you think I'm doing, boy?" Atrava chuckled. "This poll says 57 percent. Fifty-seven percent of the country opposes a Communist president this year. How sad."
"Well, I'm supposing that you think that way….mainly because you are the Communist in question?"
"You are better than I gave you credit for." Atrava looked at Vanguard with daggers. "You could have simply left the boy to his devices. Let him kill that fool who opposes us! It would have been suitable payback. Now we'll have to run through Russia to stop him from having two Emeralds!"
"Calm yourself, sir," Vanguard smiled. "You'll cut your life span by half with your mounting blood pressure. Besides, wouldn't it be better to wait on killing him? Give him hope, then crush him? Especially if we have our boy over there kill him just when he thinks he has the gold. Play like your fellow Earthians! He'll never know what hit him!"
Nothing was said for a moment as Atrava closed the paper up. Finally, Atrava looked at Vanguard, and chuckled while shaking his head.
"Vanguard," he sneered. "You know as well as I do that my life span is the reason I'm doing this in the first place."
"That's the spirit."
"But you had better be right about this," Atrava walked off as he said this, "Or I'll do something to your life span."
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The sailor soldiers looked down at the ground where Sailor Moon's blood lay. They were all numb with shock. No one could say a word as they thought of what had just happened.
The crash of concrete.
Sailor Moon as she fell.
Anonymous as he snatched Sailor Moon away from them, perhaps for good…
"……………………It's all his fault."
Uranus was the first one to speak. Everyone looked at her, their eyes filled with hopelessness.
"I'm going to find him," Uranus vowed. "I'll find him and tear him to pieces. He'll regret messing with us!!!"
Mamoru, who had untransformed, slowly turned to walk away when his eye caught something in a shaft of moonlight which trickled from the whole in the ceiling.
"What…?"
The sailors turned around to see him pick up a tattered piece of paper. He picked it up, his face paling.
"A information paper," he croaked. "Versailles, 10 Svetlanskaya Street." He turned to the soldiers. "Vladivostok."
"Russia?" The words hit the soldiers.
"He's going to Russia with her?" Jupiter looked at the others. "But…why?"
"No. It makes sense." Mercury nodded. "The book. The agents that have been attacking. Russian. All of it, Russian. It makes sense."
The realization began to sink in as they began to run out of the Emperor's Garden. They ran out into the streets and looked into the sky, the moon shining brightly.
"The light of the moon has guided us again." Neptune looked at Mamoru. "Even without our princess, it still shows the way for us."
"We've got to go, guys." Uranus looked at everyone. "To Russia! To save our princess!!"
