Midnight

Well I got five reviews. So here's the update like I said.

Disclaimer: Same as last chapter

Recap

The girls all turned their heads to the door as Artemis ran in and skidded to a stop in front them.

"Dark magic –gasp- coming from –gasp- the park," stated Artemis as he struggled to catch his breath, "Come on, I'll take you there."

The girls all stood up. The cookies lay forgotten on the table as they realized they had to fight. Dark magic could only mean one thing. A new enemy had arrived. They transformed and ran after Artemis who had already started on the way to the source of the dark magic.

Chapter 3

The sailor scouts tore after Artemis as each of them thought about what the upcoming fight meant. A new enemy. No more Friday night dates or Saturday night pizzas. It was time to fulfill their destiny.

Artemis ran ahead as he tried to recall the exact location of the dark magic. He had only sensed it, not seen it. The only thing he knew was that it was coming from the park. He had no idea where the exact location was. Artemis prayed with each step that he was leading the girls in the right direction.

Back at the creek

'Dammit!! Did he get stronger since the last time,' thought Sailor Moon as she dodged another well aimed attack. Unfortunately she wasn't so lucky after that. The third blow caught her in the midsection, bringing her to her knees.

"HAND IT OVER!!" yelled the man as he prepared to attack the fallen scout again.

'I have to attack now!' was Sailor Moon's last thought before she hauled herself up and looked at the man. He looked surprised. He had not expected her to recover so soon.

"MOON SCEPTOR ELIMINATION!"

The man's eyes widened in shock as he watched the beam of light progress towards him. He never expected her to recover so soon, let alone attack him. She was obviously stronger than he gave her credit for. He blocked the attack at the last second possible.

'Damn! I need to hit harder and faster,' thought Sailor Moon as she watched her attack being blocked. The man narrowed his eyes and with a speed born from fury, trapped Sailor Moon between his body and a tree. She didn't know what hit her.

"Not so strong now are you," taunted the man as he wrapped his hands around her neck and lifted her off the ground. He squeezed. Sailor Moon struggled to break free. She clawed at the man's hands the same way that the woman had done earlier. Unfortunately the lack of oxygen wasn't helping matters. The man just chuckled and tightened his grip. Sailor Moon was starting to feel light-headed. She was just about to lose consciousness when the man suddenly dropped her. She fell to the floor and started coughing. She desperately tried to catch her breath and get her bearings at the same time. Why had he let her go?

She found her answer when she looked up and saw the rest of the sailor scouts surrounding the man. They didn't pay any attention to her.

'They're probably just assuming that I klutzed out again,' she thought bitterly as she watched the scene in front of her.

The scouts stared at the man. Was he the new enemy?

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the dream team. I was wondering how long it was going to take for you to show up. After all Sailor Moon can't fight all the battles by herself now can she?" asked the man as he stared at each scout.

They were stunned. What did he mean he was waiting for them? How did he know Sailor Moon? And just what did he mean by saying that Sailor Moon couldn't keep fighting by herself forever? Had they fought before? Was Serena keeping secrets from them? These were just a few of the questions that were coursing through the mind of each and every scout. Fortunately along with the questions, also came the realization that they had to attack.

And they did. All at once, Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus attacked the man. He merely laughed and floated up. The attacks, having no target, met each other. A loud explosion followed. All of them got knocked off their feet.

The man glanced down and said, "As much as I'd love to continue the fun, I can't. I must go." He looked directly at Sailor Moon. "Until next time." And just like that he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sailor Moon had regained a little of her strength now and she watched the man disappear. She knew he'd come back. He always did. After all, he didn't get what he came for.

She turned her head away and looked at the scouts. They all stared back at her.

Sailor Mercury was the first to break the silence. "I think you'd better explain."

Sailor Moon de-transformed and fell to the ground on her knees. Serena looked at each of her friends and knew the jig was up. She had to explain everything.

Well that's it. I know it's short. I'm trying to make my chapters longer. Anyways I hope you guys are enjoying the story. And don't worry, I will stop calling him "the man" (that must be so annoying). You'll find out soon who he is and what he's after.

The deal is the same as the last chapter. I won't update without reviews. So please review. It's really simple. Honest. All you have to do is click on the little button at the bottom of the page that says Submit Review and review. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

BTW thanks to everyone who reviewed for the previous chapters.