Chapter 3: Discussions with a tree

When they got to the apartment the other scouts, and the four generals were already there. "Oh, good, you guys are all hear already," Sailor Moon panted as she entered the apartment. "Did any of you feel the same thing I did?" As she looked around she saw that all the scouts had felt it.

"It felt like some evil force had entered Tokyo," Mars recalled.

"Yes, the sea has been rough today," Neptune added.

"But do any of you have any idea what it was?" Chibi Moon asked.

"No, but I think I know who might," announced Moon.

"Who?" questioned the curious scouts.

"The Doom tree," Moon declared. "I'm going to go talk to it."

"You can actually talk to the tree?" asked a puzzled Kunzite.

"Yes, it spoke to me last time, and asked for my help. I think it might know who or what is after it," Moon continued.

"Well, you're not going alone," Tuxedo Mask insisted. "The last time you did you got attacked."

"That was only because Ann and Alan were evil then. Nothing will happen to me," Moon reminded them.

"I think we would all feel better if someone was with you," Venus admitted.

"All right, come on Tuxedo, lets go," and with that Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask ran over to Ann and Alan's apartment.

Pearl watched them leave, "I hope they'll be all right."

Hotaru put her arm around Pearl, "Don't worry. They'll be fine."

Sailor Moon was just about to knock when the door opened. "Sailor Moon! I was just coming to get you," Alan gasped when he saw them standing there. "Something is wrong with our tree, and she asked for you."

Sailor Moon hurried into the room where the Doom tree was kept. She couldn't help but think about what happened last time she went in there, but she quickly pushed those thoughts out of her head. She was surprised to see how small the tree looked. True, it had been reborn after she healed it but she had expected it to be bigger then this.

"Sailor Moon, you came," a very week voice whispered.

"Yes, I could feel something was wrong. And you did send me that dream didn't you?" Sailor Moon answered.

"Yes, my children and I need your help again. The negative force that corrupted my children those many years ago is coming after me again. I need your help to defeat it. I don't want my children to turn evil again. Please, help us," pleaded the doom tree.

"Of course I will help you," Sailor Moon reassured the tree. "My friends and I felt a negative force enter Tokyo today. It must know you are here."

"Oh no. I hoped it would take longer to find us," the tree cried. "You must stop it!"

"But do you know what it is, or how to stop it?" asked Sailor Moon.

"I don't know what it is, I've never really seen it. As for stopping it, I think your crystal should be able to destroy it. It seemed to have a lot of power."

"All right. My friends and I will try to find this force and stop it."

"Before you leave, tell me, have you and your four friends gotten stronger in my absents?"

"Yes we have," Moon conveyed, laughing. "And their are 15 of us now. Don't worry I'm sure we will be strong enough." Sailor Moon left the room so she could talk with Ann and the others. As she did she heard the sound of the flute. It was the familiar song that used to announce a cardian's arrival. Bunny smiled, she had long ago taught herself to play it. It was a lovely song.

"Alan, that was lovely," Bunny remarked as she entered the living room where they were all waiting for her. "I do love that song."

"It must have been a long time sense you heard it," Alan responded.

Bunny and Darien looked at each other and smiled. "Actually, I can play that now, just as well as you can," Bunny announced. "I've reawaken some of my old musical talents sense you left, and I taught that song to myself." Alan was shocked, he didn't think anyone else could play his songs. Then he smiled to himself, he should have realized there was nothing this girl couldn't do.

"So what did the Doom tree tell you?" Darien asked as Bunny sat down next to him.

"It told me that the same force is after it that turned it's children evil all those years ago. It wants me to destroy it with my crystal," Bunny explained.

"But are you and your crystal strong enough?" Fiori asked. "The last time I saw you use the crystal it almost killed you."

"That's true, but I've gotten stronger, plus I have more friends to help me. I should be fine," Bunny assured him.

Fiona looked worried, "But it's not right of us to ask you to put your own life in danger, just for us. Especially after what we have put you through in the past."

"Fiona, what the others did they did for what they thought was right. Anyway, that's long over. And helping others is my job. Why have the crystal if I'm not supposed to use it?" Bunny said.

"Come on Buns. We should go tell the others what's happened," Darien stated as he got up to leave. "See you all later."

Bunny and Darien walked home. They hadn't really learned that much from the tree. They still had to find this negative force, but they had no idea where to begin. When they got back to their apartment the others were all still waiting for them.

"So what did the tree have to say?" Amara asked as soon as they got in.

"Not that much. The negative force is the same one that turned it's children negative last time. But that's about as much as it knows," Bunny explained.

"So basically it up to us to find and destroy this negative force?" Mina asked.

"Right, only we have no idea where to start," Darien replied.

"Well, I'll do some research on my computer," Amy said. "Maybe I can get a fix on it."

"Right, and until then, we all have to be extra alert," Trista cautioned them.

"So what do we do know?" questioned Jadeite.

"We wait until we find something," Raye answered.

"And you just go about your normal lives?" Nephrite wondered.

"Yup, that's all we can do," Lita explained.

"And your all okay with this?" it was Zoisite's turn.

"Well, it was annoying at first, but we've all learned to deal with it," Amy admitted.

"Besides, going about their normal lives keeps them hidden from the enemies," Luna added.

"If all they did was try to find the enemy then they would stand out to much," Artemis finished.

With that decided, they all went home. Besides having a new enemy to find, they all had homework to do. After all, it was a school night.