Jirian in Distress! Peiti's Trick!

"You have done very well, Nan." Magasasu curled his fist around the crystal, smiling slightly at his general. "I will make sure you are rewarded for this."

"If you wish it, my lord. If I may ask, what are you going to do with them?"

"She has seen my face; she won't trust me if I appear to her like this. That is what the boy is for."

"Trust you?"

"She is going to steal the Silver Crystal for me."

(Cut)

Peiti awoke on a soft bed located, strangely enough, in the middle of a beautiful garden. She sat up, looking around her in utter confusion.

"Where am I?"

"You're safe; don't worry." She turned her head and her eyes widened as she saw Sesshou coming towards her, smiling. He was dressed in black, his hair pulled back from his face in his usual low ponytail.

"Sesshou? What are we doing here?"

"What does it matter? We're here together." He sat on the bed beside her, still smiling. Peiti blinked at him, confused.

"Sesshou, what are you talking about?" He reached up, touching her face.

"Don't tell me you don't know, Peiti-san," he said in a soft voice. Slowly, he leaned forward, pressing his lips gently to hers.

Startled, she didn't move for a moment, then she pulled away. "Sesshou! What are you doing?" She stared at him, her heart pounding.

He smiled at her again. "I love you, Peiti. Surely you know that." Peiti blinked.

"You love me?" He nodded

"Of course I do..." She smiled slowly, a faint blush staining her cheeks. "May I?" he asked leaning forward. "I've wanted to kiss you for so long..." She closed her eyes and allowed him to kiss her softly. He pulled back a few moments later and she was smiling dreamily.

"I'm sorry. I know I probably scared you by bringing you here so suddenly. But you see, I had no other choice," he said, taking her hands in his own.

"What do you mean?

"Peiti...please, I need your help?"

"Of course I'll help you, Sesshou. What do you need help with?" He looked away from her.

"I regret having to tell you such a thing under these circumstances, but there is no other way. Peiti, I am one of the Sailor Starlights." She gasped softly.

"You...?"

"Yes. I'm Star Destroyer. And that makes me the most powerful of all the lights. But...because I'm so powerful, there are others who want to use me, use my power. But most of all, they want to take me away from you." Sesshou reached out, brushing his fingers over her cheek and a surge of protectiveness welled inside of her.

"I won't let them! Who is doing this?"

"Your so-called friends." She started back.

"What?"

"Jirian. And the other Senshi. They are trying to use my power to raise themselves higher."

"How do we stop them?"

"There's only one way that I can think of."

"And that is?"

"We have to steal the Silver Crystal." His fingers moved to the back of her neck and there was a quick flash of pain there. Suddenly, all of her doubts in his story vanished. There were others trying to take Sesshou away from her! She couldn't allow that!

"The Silver Crystal..."

"Will you help me take it, Peiti?" His fingers fell away from her neck and he leaned close to her. She smiled up at him, touching his cheek.

"Hai, Sesshou-san..." He kissed her again, sweetly and she lost herself in it. Yes...this was how it was supposed to be. This is how it would always be. She wouldn't let anyone take this man from her!

Sesshou broke the kiss and stood, pulling her gently to her feet. "Come. You must meet the person who is going to help us steal the Crystal." She nodded, lacing her fingers with his. At the end of the garden was a door and it slid upwards as they approached, giving way to darkness. Once the door to the bright garden had closed, Peiti could see they were in some sort of dark throne room.

"Where is this place?"

"It is in a place that none of the Senshi could ever find us in, don't worry. Nan." The general stepped from the shadows, bowing. Peiti's brow furrowed. Nan...there was something she was forgetting about this man... "Peiti." She looked up at Sesshou, smiling again.

"Hai?"

"This is my best general, Nan." The general turned to Peiti, bowing low.

"My lady. I will help you in every way I can to get the Crystal from Eternal Sailor Moon." Peiti smiled again but it was a cold smile, one that matched Sesshou's own.

"Perfect."

(Cut)

"She won't come out of her room," Usagi said softly to her eight friends as they sat around her living room, cups of tea on their knees. "She hasn't spoken a word at all."

"Well, Peiti was her best friend and partner..." Mako-chan offered. "I'd be upset too..."

"But why does the enemy want Peiti?" Ami frowned. "Just to give them an edge?"

"I don't know...but what ever it is, its going to affect Jirian greatly," Haruka said glancing at Michiru. "With friends that close, its going to be hard for Jirian." The girls nodded. Minako stood up.

"Some one should go talk to her! She needs to snap out of it!" Setsuna pulled her down to her seat.

"She needs to be left alone right now." Ami nodded in agreement.

"Hai. I know I'd want to be left alone for a while if it were me...she'll come around eventually."

"But if it takes too long, perhaps someone should go talk to her...Meanwhile, what are we going to do to try to get Peiti and Sesshou back?" Michiru looked around at the other eight scouts. The others shook their heads.

"Perhaps we should just wait?" Rei offered. That seemed to be the only logical explanation.

(Cut)

The Three Lights walked down the street, stopping at Usagi's house. "Go in Yaten...you should talk to her."

"I don't know, Seiya. You know Usagi said she hasn't come out of her room in two days. Or said anything." Seiya frowned.

"Well, give her someone to talk to!" They pushed him up the walk and scowling at them, he knocked on the door.

Usagi answered it. "Oh! Yaten. Did you come to see Jirian?"

"H-hai..." She smiled.

"Well, come on in then. She's been a little...removed lately, so don't expect much."

"No, I won't."

"Everyone else is in the living room if you guys want to join them," Usagi said to Seiya and Taiki. They nodded and moved out of sight while Usagi led the silver-haired man up the stairs.

"So she hasn't come out at all?" The blonde shook her head.

"No. I take her up her meals, but I don't think she even touches them." They reached the correct door and Usagi rapped softly with her knuckles. "Jirian? Jirian, Yaten is here. He wants to see you."

No reply.

Usagi sighed quietly and opened the door. Jirian was kneeling on her bed, her arms and head resting on the windowsill, her face turned away from them. Her blonde hair was loose and trailed down to her waist, showing a slight unkemptness that none of them had ever seen. Puck and Elera were curled up on the bed beside her, depressed expressions on their faces. It was apparent that Puck was trying to at least cheer up the fox, but she wouldn't allow it.

"Take your time," Usagi whispered to Yaten as he stepped forward. He nodded and she closed the door behind him.

"Jirian?" She said nothing as he moved closer until he was right next to the bed. Slowly, Yaten reached out and touched the woman's shoulder.

"I promised...I promised to always protect her..." Jirian's voice was slightly raspy from two days of misuse and she still wouldn't look at him. "I failed." She buried her head in her arms, shoulders shaking. Yaten sat down on the bed next to her, being careful not to crush the two animals. Not that they would have noticed anyway.

"It wasn't your fault, Jirian."

"Yes it was!" She whirled on the startled man, cheeks pink with anger and tears sparkling in her blue eyes. "We made a pact. A promise. That if either one of us was ever in danger, we'd help the other! That we'd look out for each other always! I let Nan take her! I should have done more to save her! I should have been more willing to sacrifice myself for her! What did I do instead? Just stood there and watched that bastard take her away..." She bowed her head, eyes squeezed shut. "And now they have her...and I can't do anything about it..." Her hands covered her face. Yaten didn't know what to say, so he simply leaned forward and pulled her into his arms. Jirian went without a protest, clutching his shirt and crying into his shoulder. They sat there for a long time, silent, holding one another. By the time Jirian stopped crying, it was starting to get dark out.

"Do you feel better?" Yaten asked finally, leaning back and tipping her face upwards. She nodded a little, wiping at her rather swollen eyes.

"Yes. I'm sorry—"

"There's absolutely nothing to apologize for." He took a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at a couple stray tears that still clung to her eyelashes.

"We'll get her back." Yaten jumped as the tiny voice spoke near his elbow and Jirian had to laugh—shakily—at his expression.

"Your mouse talks?!"

"I'm a monkey-mouse, thank YOU," Puck said in his fiercest voice—which mostly just made him cuter. "And of course I talk." He scrambled up Jirian's side and sat on her shoulder, giving her cheek a little kiss. "We'll get her back, Jirian. I promise."

"Those bastards are going to pay!" Elera suddenly cried, leaping to all four feet and baring her teeth. Yaten gave another jump back. "Just wait until I get my hands on that Nan! I'll rip him to shreds!" Jirian gave another small laugh, using Yaten's kerchief to wipe away a couple more tears.

"We have to find them first, Elera." She held the handkerchief out to the man but he shook his head a little, his hands covering hers.

"Keep it. Just in case." She blinked then smiled up at him.

"Thank you, Yaten. You really helped me."

He smiled back. "No problem."

(Cut)

Jirian and Usagi were walking down the street a few days later after school when they heard someone shout, "JIRIAN-CHAN! USAGI-CHAN!" They turned and their eyes went wide.

"Peiti-chan!" Jirian ran to her friend, hugging her. "But...but how?" The brunette smiled.

"I managed to escape. But they've still got Sesshou!" The other two girls frowned.

"We'll get him back, Peiti." She nodded.

"Thank you..."

"So, you thought you could escape me, did you?" The three girls whipped around to see Nan there, sneering.

Peiti gasped and Jirian wasted no time in transforming. Usagi soon followed. "You aren't getting her back, you scum!" Oberon looked back at Peiti. "Why aren't you transforming?"

"He stole my henshin wand."

"We'll just have to get it back then," Oberon said, drawing her sword from the air. Before she could do anything, however, thousands of monsters appeared out of nowhere and began attacking.

"Sailor Moon! You have to use the Crystal! It's the only way to stop them!" Eternal Sailor Moon nodded.

"Oberon, do you think you could clear a path first?"

"No problem. OBERON HAILING WIND!" The youma in the front were instantly struck down and the ones behind them were wounded.

"Sailor Moon, now!" Peiti cried desperately. Her braid swung to the side and Jirian could see an eight-pointed star on the back of her neck...

That mark.

A vision of Higashi suddenly flashed before her eyes. During the final battle, she had seen a mark like that on the back of his neck as well. And Nishi...

"Sailor Moon! Don't!" Oberon lunged forward, tackling the woman, stopping her before she could use the Silver Crystal. They rolled along the ground, coming up about ten feet from their previous position.

"What are you doing?! Sailor Moon! You have to use the crystal!" Peiti cried.

"Don't!" Oberon wrenched the staff from her startled friend's hand and stood, turning to face Peiti with a dark look on her face. "You almost fooled me." She raised her sword, pointing the tip at Peiti. "But the real Peiti would never just demand for Sailor Moon to use the crystal. Especially not in front of someone who's trying desperately to take it. Who are you?! And where is Peiti?!"

Peiti stared at her in shock. "What on earth are you talking about Jiru-chan? I AM Peiti." She turned to Sailor Moon. "Please...Stop them..."

"I..." Eternal Sailor Moon looked from the general, to Peiti, to Oberon, shaking her head. "I don't know..."

"You fools!" Nan sent flames at the three. The two blondes were scorched, but Peiti was unharmed.

"BAKA!" she cried. Smiling coldly, she reached for the Silver Crystal, trying to take it from Sailor Moon. "Give it to me!" She yanked herself away.

"No! Peiti-chan, what is going on?!"

"You're trying to take Sesshou away from me! I won't let you!" Her eyes flashed and her nails tried to rake across Sailor Moon's face, but Oberon tackled her.

"GET THE CRYSTAL!" Nan cried, but Peiti was trapped under Sailor Oberon. Growling in frustration, he sent a fireball at Oberon, making her and Sailor Moon, who was standing nearby, jump out of the way. When they got to their feet, Nan, the monsters, and Peiti were gone...

Oberon slumped to the ground again, her fists slamming down. "Damnit! Not again!" Eternal Sailor Moon sat up, a little dazed still.

"Oberon...how did you know it wasn't her?"

"She has a mark on her neck. An eight-pointed star. I remember...I remember the other two generals having that same mark. And..." She trailed off, staring down at her gloved hands.

"And?"

"There's just something about that mark...it stirs up something in me...like a long lost memory. I just know...that's HIS mark."

"His? His who?"

"Magasasu's." Oberon looked over at the other woman. "She's being controlled by him. I just know it."

(Cut)

"Shhh. Don't distress." Sesshou gently kissed Peiti's tears away, hugging her close. "We'll get the crystal, I promise."

"Those wenches. They interfered!" Peiti cried, gripping Sesshou's tunic.

"I know. And we'll punish them for it. Nan." The general stepped forward and bowed.

"My lord?"

"Watch those Senshi like a hawk. If an opportunity to take the Crystal arises, take it by any means necessary. Kill everyone if you have to. Just get me that crystal!"

"Yes, My lord. Whatever you say."