"Sailor Angel and Sailor Phosphora: The Fight Against Catastrophe"

Chapter Twenty Four

By Angel Sentier and M'Lila Cronk

"What do you mean, he just entered the protection dome?!" exclaimed Zara, staring at Omega in disbelief.

"Just what I said!"

"She must have taken him over after all!" Zara tried to reopen the door, but it wouldn't budge. "We're locked out!"

"Let me try," said Omega, who sent a blast with her staff at the closed door. It remained intact. "We're sealed out!"

"That means only someone inside can open the door," said Ice.

"Damn it!!" Zara used her talisman to transform. "We have to keep trying! Call the others!"

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Dark Angel reclined on the bed, lazily, as Yuki entered the dome, only the slightest bit of surprise showed on her face.

"Couldn't resist me any longer, hmm?" she taunted him. "Aren't you afraid?"

"I'm used to you and your power by now," he said. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Ooh... What are you going to do, puppy?" she asked, sarcastically. "Show me a memory of Catastrophe's dungeon?"

"No," he said as he sat down on the bed next to her. "I'm going to show you a memory I don't think even the real Angel remembers."

Before she could figure out what that meant, Yuki lunged, wrapping both his arms around her and plunging them far into his memory. Suddenly, she was drowning in blackness... It hadn't been nearly this strong when Zara had projected through Yuki before...

And then, she was in a hallway. White columns and tiles of lapis were the main décor. There were some plants in sconces, but they were white and lacy-looking, like snowflakes. I had no idea where she was.

Seeing a person who looked like a servant approaching with a mountain of linens, she took an arrogant pose with her hands on her hips and asked in her most authoritative and intimidating tone, "What is this place?"

The person walked right past her. Annoyed, she called after her, "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

The girl stopped and turned around... but it was only to pick up one of the linens she had dropped. Angel made a move to grab the girl... and her hand went directly through her.

She gasped.

'You're not really there,' came Yuki's voice. She looked around for him, but was alone. 'This is my memory. You're only an observer.'

"You let me out of this memory right now!" she said, angrily.

"I'll let you out when I'm good and ready." His tone told her that he was having a little of his own back this way.

She glared into space, hoping he could somehow see her.

Another person came into the hallway then... Yuki! So he was finally joining her. She opened her mouth to tell him off... but stopped when she realized something was different. This wasn't the puppy she knew... he looked younger by quite a few years. He was wearing elegant fencing attire with a velvet cape thrown over his shoulders, fastened with a silver chain. A graceful sword clinked at his side. And he didn't seem to see her either, though he was walking directly toward her.

"Yuki!" came another voice, somewhat familiar.

The young Yuki looked behind him to see a small blue-haired girl running around the corner. Angel recognized a young Sailor Mercury.

"I said our lesson was over for today," said Yuki as he bent down to his sister's level.

"But I only cried a little," she said, her lower lip sticking out. "Can't we practice just a bit longer?"

He smiled and ruffled her hair. "You know I can't stand to see you cry. That's why the lesson is over if you shed a single tear."

"Then I'll learn not to cry!" she proclaimed.

Young Yuki chuckled as he straightened back up.

Angel sighed noisily. "And what, exactly, am I supposed to be seeing here?" she asked, pointedly. "If you're trying to give me cavities, it's working!"

'Be patient,' came older Yuki's voice from inside her head. 'This is the beginning of the memory. Be thankful I'm not making you relive a memory of watching paint dry.'

"You're going to be sorry!" she promised him.

A door at the other end of the hallway opened then. A winged girl in white emerged from the room along with a tall man wearing a mantle and a crown. She bowed low to him and turned to exit through an adjoining hallway. As she turned, Angel recognized herself!

"Who is that?" asked young Yuki. Dark Angel looked at him and saw he possessed the same stunned look that she at the moment was wearing.

Young Mercury answered him. "Oh, that's Princess Celeste. She's a senshi, like I'll be someday," she said proudly.

"She's beautiful," said Yuki, but he said it so softly; Angel doubted his sister had heard him. He bent down to the blue-haired girl again. "Go tell father you're improving in your fencing, then I'll come find you and we can go into afternoon lessons together."

"Okay!" Mercury ran off.

As though transfixed, young Yuki walked down the hall and turned in the direction that Princess Celeste had gone. Out of curiosity, she told herself, Dark Angel followed.

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"Hit it again!"

Another joint attack hit the sealed door, to no avail.

"Again!"

"Phosphora, this is doing no good!" said Mars. "We're just wearing ourselves out!"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"No..."

"Then keep going!"

The senshi continued trying different combinations of attacks to try and break the seal on the door. Not even Sailor Moon had been able to break the seal on it.

"What kind of barrier is this, anyway?" asked Venus.

Mercury was typing away at her computer, her VR visor flickering with information. "All of its energy is devoted to keeping people out. Since it's not expending any energy on offense maneuvers, its defense is that much stronger. And it's definitely Yuki's pattern signature."

"Well, it would be, if she was controlling him!"

"Yes, but..." Mercury frowned, typing faster. "If she was controlling him to set up the barrier, I should be able to tell."

"How?"

"Well... When you use someone else as a medium, the signature is sloppy. She wouldn't be that adept at faking Yuki's pattern. My conclusion is that Yuki did this of his own volition."

"But why would he do that?"

She deactivated her visor. "To keep us from interrupting. Like we're trying to do now."

The senshi stopped trying to break down the door and exchanged glances.

"I think," said Mercury, "that Yuki has a very good reason for wanting to keep us out when he did something this dangerous. And I expect he'll tell us once he reopens the door."

Phosphora sighed. "I suppose it's time to trust the Mercurian siblings. I just hope nothing bad happens."

To be continued...