Disclaimer: My sincere gratitude to Takeuchi-sensei who created this wonderful world for us to dream in. respectful bow in the general direction of Japan As we all know, all rights belong to her. I hope you enjoy my portrayal of her creations.
I do not write for reviews, but I sure enjoy compliments, constructive criticism, and grammatical corrections. So if you feel like it, please press that little review button, and let me know what you think. - Raya
The Sleeper
Chapter 15 – Nightmare Battle, Part I
Crystal Palace, Crystal Tokyo
Super Sailor Pluto looked unhappily at her queen who was talking quietly with her husband. Super Sailor Mercury caught her look, and made her way unobtrusively to the older woman's side. "If we could think of any other way," she said quietly, "we would try it. But, we can't just leave the girls to face this enemy alone. Together with our past selves, we might be able to defeat this enemy and seal them away. They can't do it alone. Particularly without any data about what they are facing."
Super Sailor Pluto looked at her a moment, then turned her eyes to an empty corner. "I know that," she said stoically, her right hand gripping her staff in a white-knuckled grip.
Super Sailor Venus sighed softly. "We won't hang around. We'll go, do what we must, and come back as quickly as possible." She smiled. "We'll even drag Serenity-san back kicking and screaming if we have to," she teased.
Super Sailor Pluto smiled fleetingly and sighed. She turned her eyes to the leader of the senshi. "I know that, too. But it is still extremely dangerous."
"And it's going to cause one devil of a time storm," Super Sailor Uranus added. "If this fight goes anything like our last encounter, we won't be able to help much with the after effects. It also leaves this time completely vulnerable."
Super Sailor Pluto's face tightened a little at this, but she refrained from replying as Neo-Queen Serenity turned to face her. "Pluto?" she asked softly. The Senshi of Time closed her eyes and gathered her strength and resolve. When she opened them, she started in surprise. Her queen was right in front of her face.
"Pluto," she whispered quietly, her gentle blue eyes full of worry. "Are you really sure? We can still try to bluff."
Super Sailor Pluto smiled her appreciation and resignation. "A bluff will not work with this enemy. It is all or nothing." She nodded her head gracefully. "Yes. I am sure. As sure as my former self was when she allowed your former self to come into the future to help rescue you."
"In a way, it's almost repayment of a debt of honor," Super Sailor Mars said thoughtfully. Super Sailor Jupiter looked at her oddly for a moment. "Can you owe yourself a debt of honor?" she asked reflectively.
Before the two women could start their philosophical discussion, Super Sailor Pluto turned towards the Doors of Time. She held up her staff, and commanded the doors to open. Then, she led the quiet, determined group back to the past.
West Katase Beach, Kanagawa Prefecture
"Sorry," Minako said warily to the delicate looking woman in the red dress. "You must be mistaken. That's Usagi-chan's little sister."
Empress Night glared, her dark green eyes like ice. "I said, I am not in the mood to play..." Her voice trailed off as something about Minako's blue eyes and defensive stance caught her attention. Her breath hissed out of her as she made the connection. Her eyes flew quickly to Makoto, Rei, and Usagi. "You! How did you beat us here!"
"Uh-oh," Makoto muttered, shifting to take a protective stance by Minako.
"No matter," Empress Night continued with a delighted smile. "We'll just finish you off now." She nodded to King Muerte whose look of anticipation melted into a smile of glee. "Death Laser!" he shouted, aiming for Minako. The girls barely managed to avoid the attack.
A scream of fear took the adversaries by surprise. "Usagi! Watch out!" Ikuko yelled, cowering in Kenji's arms. "Leave them alone!" Shingo yelled, taking a step closer to the battle.
"Mama... Papa...," Usagi gasped in fear. Her voice gained in strength. "Shingo... Run!! You idiots, get out of here!" Lady's eyes were wide as she stared at her defenseless relatives. At Queen Yeti's evil, amused laugh, she slowly shook her head. "Run!" she tried to scream, but the word choked in her throat.
"Oh, we can't have that," Queen Yeti purred. She turned towards the three helpless watchers, and raised her arms. "Dark Avalanche!" she yelled. Moments later, she screamed as the attack was reflected back to her. Kenji, Ikuko, and Shingo stared at Usagi in surprise as she stood between them and the enemy with her arms outstretched protectively. "H-How..." Kenji stuttered.
Usagi just kept her eyes on the enemy, and shook her head. "Later. Guys, transform!"
"Wh-what? But Usagi..." Rei stared at Usagi's family. Minako and Makoto looked at them as well and then around the open, rapidly emptying beach. No place to run, no place to hide. Minako nodded her head. "Right. No help for it. Let's go, guys. Venus Crystal Power.... Make-UP!" In a swirl of golden light and hearts, Minako became Super Sailor Venus. Shingo's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Mercury Crystal Power... Make-UP!" Water, ice and bubbles swirled around Ami, as she transformed into Super Sailor Mercury. Kenji's face went slack in shock.
"Well, I guess that answers that, huh. Jupiter Crystal Power.... Make-UP!" Leaves and lightening surrounded Makoto as she became Super Sailor Jupiter. Ikuko blinked rapidly, trying to believe what her eyes were seeing.
"Guess so," Rei replied reluctantly, looking at Usagi and her stunned family. In the light of the Silver Crystal, Usagi's crescent moon sigil was easy to see although her queen was still wearing nothing more than a pink tankini. 'I won't let you down,' she thought, then yelled out her transformation phrase. "Mars Crystal Power.... Make-UP!" Flames burned around her as she transformed into Super Sailor Mars. As the senshi finished their transformations, they jumped in front of Lady, Celeste, and Pallas.
"Are you ready yet?" King Arashi asked in a bored voice. "Black Hurricane!" The senshi dove to avoid the blast as the Quartet watched with wide eyes. "Lady!!!" Bessa screamed, shoving her princess aside. Celeste and Pallas stood firmly, taking the blast full on, and were knocked unconscious to the sand.
"No!!! Pallas-chan!! Celeste-chan!!" Lady screamed. King Arashi aimed an attack at her, but was stopped by another battle cry. "DEEP SUBMERGE!" A ball of blue-green energy hit him like a tidal wave, and bowled him over.
Everyone turned to look at the new arrivals. Super Sailor Uranus, Super Sailor Neptune, and Super Sailor Pluto stood and stared at the enemy with haughty expressions. "Picking on little children?" Super Sailor Uranus called out. "Why don't you come play with us instead? World Shaking!" She sent the attack towards Empress Night, who dodged it easily.
"Oh please," the Empress complained impatiently. "Do we have to go through this again? Yeti, Muerte, Arashi... Take them out. I will take care of these pests." Her court nodded their acknowledgement, and turned to face their chosen enemies.
Super Sailor Mars, Super Sailor Venus, Super Sailor Mercury, Super Sailor Jupiter, Bessa, and June faced her defiantly, forming a protective wall between her and Lady. Lady still lay on the sand where Bessa had thrown her, clutching her backpack, and staring at her fallen friends.
"I'm beginning to feel a little under dressed," Bessa said, turning her face to June though her eyes never left Empress Night and Maat. "Mmm... Me, too," her green-haired friend replied. "Let's do it."
"Juno Power... Make-Up!" "Vesta Power... Make-Up!" In a flash of vines and thunder, June transformed into Sailor Juno. Bessa was surrounded by a cloud of feathers and the sound of animal cries as she became Sailor Vesta.
Maat smiled coldly at them, then cast an illusion of isolation, destruction, and loneliness at the six senshi. The older four shook it off quickly, but the younger two were caught by it. "Juno! Vesta!" Super Sailor Mercury called as she saw how stiff and pale the girls were. "Pull yourselves together!" Super Sailor Jupiter cried anxiously.
"Demon... Disperse!" Super Sailor Mars yelled, throwing a wave of anti-evil charms at Maat. The cloud-wearing woman just turned her body vaporous and let the papers pass through.
Meanwhile, Empress Night fixed her eyes on Lady. "Give me the Sleeper!" she commanded. "Never." Lady dragged her eyes away from the prone bodies of Celeste and Pallas, and gave Empress Night a determined look. "I will never let you have her."
Already anticipating the tiresome answer, Empress Night raised her hands above her head. "Night Fall!" she yelled. Simultaneously, Maat sent an illusion of an earthquake at the four remaining protectors.
"ChibiUSA!!!!" Usagi's scream blended with Lady's as the attack hit the pink-haired princess on the top of her head. She had bent protectively over the backpack, leaving herself completely vulnerable.
"Nooooooo...." cried Super Sailor Mars. "Mars Flame SNIPER!" "ChibiUsa-chan! Jupiter Oak EVOLUTION!" "ChibiUsa! Mercury Aqua RHAPSODY!" "Unforgivable!! Venus Love and Beauty SHOCK!"
Unseen by the distracted opponents, Lady instinctively drew Saturn's Star Seed out of it's hiding place and deep into her own heart. Her soul curled around her friend's soul in a protective embrace. 'I won't let them have you. I won't let them hurt you,' she vowed quietly.
'ChibiUsa-chan?'
The four attacks blended together to form one massive attack. Empress Night merely held up one hand and absorbed it as it reached her. Usagi and her senshi stared in shocked disbelief.
"Hmph," she said, hiding the pain caused by absorbing such a massive dose of elemental energy. "Pathetic. The Light always thinks it can overcome the Darkness. When will you ever learn." She started to walk towards Lady, who lay unconscious on the sand. Immediately, the four senshi moved to leap in front of her, only to suffer another earthquake illusion from Maat.
"So... You like illusions?" a dulcet voice asked. "Why don't you come play in mine?" Celeste pushed herself painfully up from the sand. Beside her, Pallas rose also. Their eyes were hard and determined.
"Ceres Power.... Make-Up!" "Pallas Power... Make-Up!" Surrounded by a cloud of golden, lily-shaped flower petals and the sound of an achingly sweet piccolo, Celeste became Sailor Ceres. Pallas was surrounded by a cloud of prismatic raindrops creating a secondary cloud of rainbows and the sound of rain as she transformed into Sailor Pallas. The transformations distracted Empress Night, allowing the four older senshi to regain their footing and block her path to their unconscious friend.
"Pallas Rain Shower!" Sailor Pallas threw a low power version of her attack at Sailor Vesta and Sailor Juno. The cold rain shocked them out of Maat's illusion. "Pallas!!" Sailor Vesta cried in momentary anger. "'Bout time you woke up," replied her unrepentant friend with a smile.
"Ceres Flower Illusion!" A cloud of the golden lily-shaped flowers surrounded Maat, whose eyes widened in surprise. Seeing that Sailor Ceres apparently had everything under control there, the three younger senshi joined their older comrades in front of their princess.
Empress Night just growled in anger. "Night Terror!" she yelled. This time, only the younger senshi moved. They dived behind the older senshi to act as a secondary wall of protection for Lady. Super Sailor Mars, Super Sailor Venus, Super Sailor Jupiter, and Super Sailor Mercury joined their energies to create a shield, but the attack broke it as quickly as it formed. The resulting shock wave knocked them to the sand. Sailor Juno, Sailor Vesta, and Sailor Pallas cried out with frustration, protest, and anger as Empress Night swept them out of her way with a flick of her hand.
"No! Everyone!" Usagi cried as Super Sailor Uranus, Super Sailor Neptune, and Super Sailor Pluto also fell. Only she and Sailor Ceres were left standing, and Sailor Ceres was occupied with Maat. She jumped as she heard Shingo whisper softly behind her. "If your friends are the Sailor Senshi, then you must be..." He choked as if he couldn't believe what he was about to say. "You must be... Sailor Moon." Usagi ignored him, trying to think of some way to protect both her precious ChibiUsa and her precious family at the same time.
"If so, then what are you waiting for?" he asked impatiently. "Hurry up and transform so you can protect ChibiUsa-chan!" Usagi just shook her head in protest and watched as Empress Night stepped closer to her future daughter. "No!" she yelled, dropping her arms and beginning to run.
Empress Night began to reach down towards the unconscious girl when a rose streaked out of nowhere and cut the back of her hand. She quickly straightened up, threw an irritated glance and a ball of energy towards the newly arrived Tuxedo Mask, then used her foot to shove Lady over onto her back. With a triumphant smile, she picked the backpack up out of Lady's unresisting arms.
"NOOOOOOO!!!!!" Usagi screamed again, still stumbling towards her enemy over the sand. While the shifting sand had not been a problem for her transformed friends, it was a major hindrance to Usagi. Tuxedo Mask also yelled, and threw a barrage of roses at Empress Night, trying to make her drop the backpack. While she backed away from Lady, her grip did not falter on her prize.
She laughed in triumph. "At last! I have you at last, Little Sister!!!" She opened the backpack and dumped its contents onto the sand. Manga, candy, ramune, three CD's, a personal CD player, and a pink stuffed bunny with long ears holding a flower spilled out. Empress Night's expression changed from triumph to irritation as she shook the upside down bag.
"Where is she?" she cried angrily, searching inside the bag. The big, stuffed bunny caught her attention. As she reached for it, Usagi dove and snatched it away, panting. Empress Night furiously threw a giant ball of energy at her, only to have it blocked by Tuxedo Mask. Usagi sat in the sand and stared in wide-eyed shock as her husband slowly collapsed on top of her. "N...no...." she whispered, reaching up to catch him.
Empress Night panted in absolute fury, clutching her hands into fists. "Give her to me!" she screamed. Usagi ignored her, laying her savior down on the sand. "Tuxedo Mask-sama? Tuxedo Mask." She shook her husband desperately trying to wake him. "Pull yourself together! Wake up! Mamo-chan. Mamo-chan!"
"Give her to me!" Empress Night screamed again. "Give me the Sleeper! Or else..." she turned to Lady and lifted her hands. Usagi's head came up. Distraught blue eyes drowning in tears met insane green eyes filled with icy fury. "I will kill her," Empress Night said coldly. "I will, unless you give me the Sleeper."
Usagi wept as her heart was torn in two. She faced a decision no queen should have to face... Sacrifice her daughter and heir, or sacrifice a defenseless warrior and perhaps her world. "NOW!" Empress Night yelled. "I... I can't..," Usagi whispered. 'I can't choose...'