THE SECOND MOBIUS
Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars
by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)
May 2000 – September 2000
Revised - Winter 2001
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.
Episode 232: Lasting friendships! Enter, the mysterious new senshi
"That was really weird," Bunny murmured, brushing her soft sandy blonde hair out of her eyes. She looked out the window, frowning a bit. "I don't know where that came from." Atlantica looked up.
"Where what came from?" she asked, looking out the window. She sipped some of the peach tea she had ordered. Swallowing, she looked out the window. "I don't see anything." Bunny just shrugged.
"Never mind then," she said, the frown still on her face. "I guess I wasn't really paying much attention." Skylar smiled, holding her hot chocolate with both hands. She and Bunny had long ago come to the agreement that she could have hot chocolate as long as she didn't have any cake.
"Bunny-mama," she said slowly, her violet eyes mischievously. "You should pay more attention to things." Bunny glared at her, but chuckled a bit. She looked up at the ceiling and sighed a bit.
"I want to do something other than just sit here," she said, her aqua eyes a bit distant. "I just want to escape my problems and leave them behind." Atlantica got the same look in her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling.
"Me too," she whispered. "But I can't explain why."
Zephyr was very quiet, stirring her tea with a spoon. Her burnt-cherry colored eyes were deep in thought. "What are we going to do?" she breathed. Her three friends looked up at her in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Skylar asked, turning to the older girl. Zephyr shook her head, looking fairly depressed.
"We've been going this way and that, trying to figure out which is the right course to take," she said, her voice dark. She looked up for a second, a timeless look in her eyes. "So far, we have no idea who on earth we really are or where we even come from. We are wrapped up in this battle inside ourselves. And in this battle, we are losing because we can't half figure out what we're supposed to be doing."
"You are so right," Bunny growled. She slammed her fist on the table. "I'm tired of sitting around and doing nothing! We can't spend all of our time worrying about the 'what-ifs'! We have to start thinking past the 'what-ifs' and into what we need to do. If anything is going to be done, it has to be done now!" Atlantica looked at Bunny worriedly, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"But where do we start?" she asked, her turquoise eyes looking very distressed.
"With Usagi-chan, I guess," Bunny answered with a sigh. "However, it seems that after the little stunt we pulled, those friends of hers won't let us within a looking distance of her." Skylar shrugged.
"Don't say that," she said. "That little pink-haired girl seems to think she can trust me." Bunny just shrugged, looking up at the ceiling again. She was frowning.
"Trust," she muttered. Rolling her eyes, she looked down at her coffee. "What a concept." Taking a deep breath, she struggled not to let frustration enter her voice. There were some things that she needed to find out on her own. But nothing would be accomplished if no one worked together.
"So, what do we do from here?" Zephyr murmured, folding her hands together. An odd smile crossed her face. "At this moment, I'd rather be dead then dealing with problems like this."
"That's funny," Atlantica murmured. "I'd never considered you saying something like that." The four young women became silent as they all thought about how on earth to repair their already shattered lives. The truth of what was really going on was getting to all of them. It was scaring them, the way they didn't know anything. It couldn't just be amnesia. It had to be something else that was keeping them from remembering everything.
Skylar suddenly buried her face in her hands. She let out a whimper before crying outright. The other three looked at her, wanting to comfort her. But they couldn't think of anything to say and just sank into more silence.
"I just want to go home," Skylar whispered. "I just want to go home."
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Cancer slumped down in a chair, looking very bored. She sighed a bit, glancing over at her fellow zodiac senshi. "This is so boring," she muttered as Sailor Leo tried fixing the computer. She turned to Virgo, who was silently chewing on some bubble gum. "Isn't this boring?"
"Would you stop complaining?" Aries suddenly snapped. Cancer stuck out her tongue. Aries stuck hers out as well. Sagittarius rolled her eyes as she sat back in her seat.
"Would you two please act your age?" she groaned. Libra nodded in agreement. "Both of you are seventeen. Act like it! One of you has to be more mature." Both Aries and Cancer turned bright red. Aquarius laughed a bit.
"Two peppermints," she murmured. "How cute." The blushing went even redder.
"We don't look alike!" Aries and Cancer said at the same time. They looked at each other and, continuing to speak in unison, replied, "Stop it! Don't repeat everything I say! Oh be quiet! Ugh!"
Sailor Leo rolled her eyes as she typed some more information into the computer. A grin spread across her face. "You guys are the worst bunch of bad guys I have ever seen."
"Yes, that explains it," a voice said from across the room. A girl walked over to the zodiac senshi who tried their best to look humble. Her green eyes were sharp as she strode over to Sailor Leo, her long black hair tied in a ponytail. "What are you doing?" Sailor Leo stared at her, an innocent look on her face.
"I am currently updating some files in this computer for the zodiac senshi," she said sweetly, though the harmless blue eyes were hazardous. "They seem to have forgotten what their planetary counterparts look like." The princess simply stared at her.
"Do as you must, but remember...I'm the zodiac princess. You will do as I say," she said sharply. "Where are the crystal senshi?" Sailor Leo rolled her eyes.
"You tell us," she replied, continuing to type furiously into the computer. The princess glared at her, but Leo didn't change her tone. "We went looking for them and it seems as though they aren't here."
The princess grabbed Leo's wrist suddenly. "You, my dear, are on dangerous grounds if you continue speaking to me in such a matter. I can have you killed! I'm the..." Leo just shrugged.
"Zodiac princesss...yeah, yeah, I know," she replied, taking the moment to glare at the princess. " I've always been on dangerous grounds with you. Ever since I left. I just wish you would just stop breathing down my neck and get out of my life." The princess' cheeks turned as red as apples. She quickly covered up her embarrassment as she turned to the other zodiac senshi.
"Find the taboo talisman or else your necks will be on the line," she hissed. With that, she stormed out of the room. Pisces groaned as she looked over at Leo, who had just shrugged and gone back to typing on the computer.
"Now you've gotten us in trouble again," she mumbled. Wrapping her arms around Aquarius, she sent Leo deadly glances. "Why do you have to be so smart in the mouth?" Leo just winked at her.
"'Cause you guys are too chicken to do it yourselves," she said with a laugh in her voice. With that, she turned back to the computer. It beeped twice. "There we go! Looks like this little computer of yours has dug up some pretty decent information on your counterparts." The seven senshi stood up and rushed over to Leo. The screen was black, listing a number of files on the planetary senshi.
"Where should we start?" Libra asked, looking at the numerous files. Leo grinned a bit, using the keypad as an arrow.
"How about this one?" she asked. "It includes the profiles of each of the senshi, statistics, status reports, other necessary information. Unfortunately, no pictures." There was a pause. Leo looked at the screen in interest. "I take that back, there are pictures. But it'll take another moment to upload the pictures."
Another moment of silence. "This is very interesting. Look at this profile report on Sailor Moon. Seems as if her power is linked to that little silver crystal she carries around. It is directly linked to her life. If the crystal is destroyed then the sailor leader dies. If the sailor leader dies, bye-bye crystal. Interesting concept." Cancer rolled her eyes.
"Any interesting information?" she asked. Leo glanced sharply at her before turning back to the computer.
"Let's see. How about the status reports? This might tell us exactly who we're up against. Wait a sec. This file is still downloading from another file report. What's up with that?" Leo's gloved fingers flew across the board at amazing speed. Her eyes remained locked on the computer. "Okay. Let's check you out."
The file opened, revealing numerous information on each of the senshi. Still, there weren't any pictures. Cancer expressed her delight in a muttered groan. Leo typed continuously on the keyboard. Her blue eyes were lighting up. "Look here! This here shows the classification of the planetary senshi by their zodiac signs. Likely, after the split, the soldiers were classified in here as data by their own counterpart. If you combine the lost data with the ones of the senshi files on here, you might come to the relative conclusion that we might know your planetary counterparts." Aquarius shrugged.
"If you can find the lost data, I'll believe you." Leo just grinned as she began typing furiously into the computer.
"Here," she said proudly, pointing to the screen. A new file had appeared. "This is the lost data. Now all I have do is a reboot into the new system and I think we've got it!" There was a brief wait as a time bar appeared on the screen. The zodiac senshi were quiet as the line finished and beeped. The file on the planet senshi had been updated to their zodiac counterparts.
"Yes!" Leo cheered, typing in some more data. "Looks like we have it. Ready to hear this? Sailor Virgo, your planet counterpart is Sailor Mercury, soldier of love and wisdom with powers over ice." Aries chuckled a bit at the title. Leo turned to her. "Sailor Aries, your planetary counterpart is Sailor Mars, soldier of love and war with powers over fire. Sailor Sagittarius, your planetary counterpart is Sailor Jupiter, soldier of love and protection with powers over electricity. Sailor Libra, your planetary counterpart is Sailor Venus, soldier of love and beauty with powers over love. Sailor Aquarius, your planetary counterpart is Sailor Uranus, soldier of love and flight with powers over earth. Sailor Pisces, your planetary counterpart is Sailor Neptune, soldier of love and elegance with powers over water." Leo took a deep breath as she turned to look at Cancer. "Sailor Cancer…your planetary counterpart is Sailor Moon, soldier of love and justice with powers over the soul." Cancer's face dropped.
"I'm the zodiac counterpart to that crybaby?" she gasped, looking at the others in horror. Leo snorted.
"That's nothing," she muttered. "My planetary counterpart is a guy named Tuxedo Kamen." The others just sighed a bit. Virgo looked at the computer.
"So now we know," she whispered. "Can you dig up any pictures on these guys?" Leo wasn't paying any attention. Her blue eyes were full of wonder as she looked at the screen.
"These status reports are amazing," she breathed.
"Leo!"
"Okay, okay," the blonde responded. "Here are some filed pictures in .zip mode. I'll unzip them and you can see what these senshi look like. You want separate pictures or some group pictures?"
"Separate."
Leo nodded as she began unzipping ten files. She sighed a bit, typing in some data that made the unzipping quicker. A smile appeared on her face as ten pictures came into view, the name of each senshi on the file. The pictures were a bit blurry, but began to clear.
The screen went blank.
"Ooops," Cancer muttered. She got a very silly look on her face. "Um, I didn't know the computer cord was right there." Everyone stared at her before facefaulting.
"Sailor Cancer!" Aries shrieked. Cancer giggled nervously.
"Gomen, gomen," she apologized. Leo was just muttering to herself as she rebooted her computer. The other senshi sighed, glaring at Cancer.
"Watch your step next time, little one," she whispered at the petite, rose-haired girl. Shaking her head, the files reappeared on the computer. "Now, let's try this again." Everyone lunged at Sailor Cancer, holding her tight. The rose-haired girl stuck out her tongue as she glared at the screen. The file popped up on the screen as Leo typed faster than before on the keyboard.
"The files are still downloading from .zip mode," she said slowly as each picture became clearer. Libra scanned the pictures as a little window came onto the screen.
FILE DONE.
Leo just nodded, typing in a little more. The window disappeared, leaving a clear view of the pictures. Aries folded her arms.
"So these are the little sailor brats," she muttered, her violet eyes looking at the picture labeled Sailor Mars. Her planetary senshi was using her Flame Sniper attack. The picture caught her in a beautiful and graceful mode, a fire arrow in her hands. "Hmmph, she doesn't look all that hot." Sagittarius rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, that's nothing," she groaned, pointing to the picture of Sailor Jupiter. The brunette planetary senshi of electricity was using her Sparkling Wide Pressure attack, the lightning rod on her tiara crackling wildly. "Look at this wimp." Cancer was just pouting.
"Sailor Moon isn't all that better either," she muttered, looking at a picture of Sailor Moon holding the silver crystal above her head. "What's with that hairdo anyway?" Leo was staring sullenly at Tuxedo Kamen.
"Who does that guy think he is, anyway?" she grumbled. "He looks like a shallow pretty-boy." Libra shrugged.
"Venus doesn't look all that bad," she said, pointing to the blonde hair senshi, who was using her Love-Me Chain attack. "I mean, she does have a sense of style." Virgo smacked her gum loudly, staring sharply at the blue-haired senshi of wisdom.
"Not this girl," she mumbled, her voice sounding slurred from the gum. "She looks like a total snore." Leo just sighed and looked towards Aquarius and Pisces.
"What do you guys…" she stopped suddenly. The two soldiers' faces were as pale as snow as they looked at their senshi counterparts, "…think? What is it, you two?" Aquarius pointed to her counterpart slowly, her eyes growing larger with each second. She didn't even blink as she pointed to the boyish looking soldier of flight.
"D-d-does she look familiar to you?" she gasped, her throat as dry as a match. All eyes turned to Aquarius' counterpart, confused looks in their eyes. But very soon, the room had become deathly quiet.
"Oh no…" Aries breathed.
"It can't be…"
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"I'm exhausted," Usagi muttered, dragging herself down the street. She looked into each store she passed, drooling a bit. Hogoshi giggled.
"You're funny Usagi-chan," she said. She slapped the girl on the back. "You haven't done anything to be exhausted." Usagi rolled her eyes as she continued dragging herself.
"Oh, yeah?" she asked. "Try, 'earlier this week, we witnessed our deaths from our past lives'. If that's not enough to drain your energy I don't know what is." Hogoshi was silent, but she was smiling.
"You're too much," she said. Usagi just groaned and continued walking down the street. It wasn't any fair that the others went shopping without her. It wasn't her fault that she had overslept.
Looking across the street at the Crown Game Center, Usagi let out a deep and upset sigh. She hadn't been to the arcade in over a month, ever since Hogoshi started acting weird. It wasn't fair that all their battles had to come during summer vacation when they should be at the beach.
"Tonight will make it a full year," Hogoshi suddenly whispered quietly. Usagi looked up in surprise.
"A full year?" she asked, her brain not exactly computing the thought of a 'full year'. "What do you mean?" Hogoshi looked down for a second and Usagi caught tears swelling up in her eyes.
"Tonight will make it a full year since those four died," she whispered. Usagi stopped in her tracks and put her arms around Hogoshi. Tears spilled from the taller girl's eyes.
"It hurts. It hurts so much that I wasn't able to do anything to save them," she sobbed. "And it hurts even worse that I'm starting to forget them." Usagi hugged her tighter.
"Don't worry Hogoshi-chan," she said in a hushed whisper. "Don't worry. "We won't let you forget them. None of us will ever forget them." Hogoshi didn't respond. She just sobbed some more.
Usagi held the taller girl until her tears had diminished to a few sniffles. Hogoshi looked at Usagi and managed a weak smile. "Thank you odango-atama. I really needed that." Usagi gave a peace sign.
"That's what I'm here for!" she cheered. "Remember that American song, 'Lean on Me'? I don't know all the words to it 'cause I'm really terrible in English, but I think it talks about something dealing with being there for someone else." Hogoshi giggled.
"I learned that song, but only the chorus," she said, her green eyes sparkling. "We studied it in music class."
"Do you know it? Can you sing the chorus?" Hogoshi blushed.
"Um, my accent will really mess it up. Let's not and say I did sing it." Usagi just glared at her with a very serene look and Hogoshi sighed. "Fine. But only the chorus." She began in a clear Japanese accent.
"Lean on me
When you're not strong
And I'll be your friend.
I'll help you carry on
You might have a problem
And you'll need a friend
We all need somebody
To lean on
I just call on my brother
And you'll understand
We all need somebody
To lean on."
Usagi cheered as Hogoshi stopped singing. The brunette was blushing tremendously. "That was excellent Hogoshi-chan! I think I understood it. You are so good with English." The blush deepened.
"I'm not really that good," Hogoshi replied modestly. Usagi just giggled and grabbed her hand.
"C'mon, Hogoshi-chan!" she yelped. "I heard that one of the bakeries around here is having a sweet sell. I could sure use some sugar in my system." Hogoshi raised an eyebrow.
"You mean, you don't have any in your system already?" she replied. Usagi blushed a bit and glanced across the street. Where on earth was the…bakery? Usagi stared across the street at four young women walking together. They were talking and laughing a bit, but Usagi could sense that the atmosphere around them was a bit solemn.
"Minna-chan," she breathed. Immediately, she started waving. "Bunny-san! Atlantica-san! Zephyr-san! Skylar-chan!" Hogoshi looked up and spotted the four. Her green eyes became dark and stormy.
"Let's go, Usagi-chan," she hissed, grabbing the blonde's arm. "You do not want to associate with them." Usagi stared at Hogoshi for a second, a frown etched on her face.
"Why not?"
"Don't you remember what happened with them two weeks ago?" Hogoshi demanded. Her voice was very stern. "You don't want to make friends with them."
"It's not like they're evil or anything," Usagi replied, looking over at the quartet again. She stuck out her tongue. "How come I can't decide who my friends are going to be? You've never met them before. You shouldn't judge." Hogoshi's grip remained firm, although her expression seemed a bit surprised.
"They may not be evil, but they are sure working for evil," she muttered. Usagi shrugged.
"I'd just like to talk to them," she said. "If anything happens, I'll yell. But nothing is going to be accomplished if you hold me like some puppy." Hogoshi let go of the shorter girl's arm.
"Fine," she replied, giving up. "But don't let them take you anywhere, or I'll be forced to transform and beat 'em up."
"Okay!" Usagi yelled, turning back to the four girls across the street. "Hey, wait up you guys!"
Bunny turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Her aqua eyes were confused at first, but when she saw Usagi, all doubt was cleared from her mind. "Hey, Usagi-chan!"
"Tsukino-san?" Zephyr whispered, turning around. The dumpling-haired girl ran up to them, wrapping Bunny in a hug.
"I'm so glad to see everyone!" she exclaimed. She looked up at the others, her face a bit cloudy. "Listen, about what happened the other day…"
"It's completely our fault, Usagi-chan," Atlantica interrupted. Her blue eyes were a bit sad. "We're sorry for what we did. It's just been so confusing for us, we don't know which path to follow."
"Yeah," Skylar added, looking down at the ground. "Sorry for taking your spirit chalice." It was Usagi's turn to be surprised. Her blonde eyebrows shot up into her curly bangs.
"My spirit chalice?" she replied, dumbfounded. She squinted a bit, trying to see the four girls in front of her in a new light. Her eyes widened suddenly as she took a step backwards. "You four are the crystal senshi, aren't you?" Zephyr shook her head.
"It would be more appropriate to say that the crystal senshi are us four," she corrected. She shook her head again, causing the green ponytail in the back to swing. "We've been following who knows what ever since we woke up and the amnesia hasn't gone away yet either."
"Amnesia?" Usagi gasped, staring at the four in a new concern. "How did you get amnesia?" Bunny shrugged.
"The zodiac senshi say it was from an accident, though they've been very dubious about what the accident was," she mumbled. "But whatever happened to us, we have no memories whatsoever of before the accident. A couple of dim flashbacks, but that's about it."
"I'm so sorry," Usagi whispered, a huge weight of honest sincerity in her voice. She grabbed Bunny's hand. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Atlantica shrugged.
"There's not much one can do in a state like this," she said. There was a deep sigh in her voice. "We can only hope that our memories come back to us."
"I wish that I could help somehow…" Usagi whispered, looking down at the brooch on her chest. Could the silver crystal…? Her eyes began to light up.
Carefully, she took off her brooch on her outfit. "Maybe this can help you regain your memories."
"Stop!" a voice called from behind Usagi. The blonde spun around. Hogoshi was standing behind her, arms folded. Her green eyes were dark. "Put that brooch back on your chest where it belongs!" Usagi held the locket firmly in her hands.
"No!" she replied. "Why is everyone telling me what to do? I believe that these four have goodness in their hearts. I just want that goodness to be from all the evil thoughts the zodiac senshi have plagued them with. They're my friends and I protect people who are my friends. It's not fair that the zodiac senshi have been using them to get the talisman. If there's goodness in people's hearts, then it must be released so everyone can be friends."
Hogoshi just got a cocky look in her eyes. "Everyone can't be friends, Usagi-chan! You should know that. No matter where you go, there will be enemies." Usagi shook her head.
"I refuse to believe that there is no goodness in anyone's heart," she replied softly. "If that beautiful emotion is hidden by negative feelings such as sadness, grief, anger, or confusion, but it still exists, then I will do everything in my power to help. That's why I think everyone should be friends so they can understand each other." Hogoshi was taken aback as Usagi smiled softly. "Hogoshi-chan, don't shut yourself up. Learn to trust other people. I know that you can be fairly depressed because of the loss of four people you loved very much, but if you don't learn to trust, the ice of suspension will take over your heart and make it hard. Trust me, Hogoshi-chan. I won't let this world fall apart due to evil."
Hogoshi smiled sweetly, bowing a bit. "Yes, princess." The four others young women were very silent as they stared at Usagi. They all had the strange urge to protect her. Usagi turned back to them, smiling openly.
"Now, I don't know how I can help, but I'd like to try anyway," she said. "But before I can do anything, I'll need some sugar food. I think donuts, cakes, cookies, and candy will do the trick." There was a moment of silence before everyone facefaulted.
"Um, Usagi-chan…" Hogoshi muttered, rubbing the back of her head. She looked very embarrassed. "Shouldn't you try to fix this little problem before eating? Too many sweets can be bad for you." Usagi's face dropped.
"Oooh, Hogoshi-chan has been taking strict lessons from Rei-chan," she groaned. She stuck out her tongue. "Well, I'm hungry! I didn't have lunch!" Hogoshi rolled her eyes.
"Then wait for dinner," she mumbled. "It's already 6:00. We can order a pizza and have a sleepover or something." Usagi was about to say something else when her pink sailor watch beeped. Hogoshi's silver watch soon followed. Usagi flipped the top open as Minako's face appeared on the screen.
"Hey, Minako-chan!" Usagi cried. "What's up?" Minako's face was dark.
"I don't know," she said. "Rei-chan said that something dark was popping up near the park. She and the others are heading to the park to see what's up." Hogoshi frowned.
"Sailor Mars is on my communicator and she says the zodiac senshi are at the park," she replied. Her head suddenly snapped up as she looked over at the crystal senshi. "Do you have anything to do with this?" The four girls looked surprised, then crossed.
"No!" Atlantica snapped, folding her arms. Bunny nodded in agreement.
"They're probably looking for us," she muttered. She ran a hand through her sleek blonde locks. "Probably going to discipline us on leaving without their permission."
"Who are you talking to?" Minako asked as Hogoshi closed her communicator. Usagi grinned nervously.
"Bunny-san, Atlantica-san, Zephyr-san, and Skylar-chan," she said. Minako's eyes lit up.
"What are you doing talking to them?" she gasped. There was another voice over the communicator.
"Who's she talking to?" Minako just stared back at Usagi, her pale blue eyes icy.
"Don't talk to those four after what they did," she commanded. Usagi's eyes widened.
"But-" Minako just shook her head and closed the watch top. Usagi groaned. "Oh, I'm in for an ear full." She turned back to the four crystal senshi. "You guys wanna come with us? Maybe we can get this things straightened once and for all." Zephyr shrugged.
"Sure," she replied. "I'm all for getting my memories back." The other three agreed eagerly as well. Hogoshi just shook her head.
"Fine, they can come," she mumbled. Her green eyes were dark and icy as she turned to the four girls. "But if it turns out this is a trap, then we'll have no choice but to fight you." Bunny shrugged as she touched the sapphire stone around her neck.
"Whatever," she said. Her aqua eyes were pessimistic. She looked around before stepping into the darkness of a back street. "Sapphire crystal power, make UP!" Atlantica and the other nodded their heads and touched the crystals around their necks.
"Emerald crystal power…"
"Ruby crystal power…"
"Topaz crystal power…"
"…make UP!" The four flashes of colors were dark and brooding, but there seemed to be some light in the transformation. The rhythm of the transformation was more upbeat than it usually was. Usagi and Hogoshi stared in amazement as the four senshi pulled themselves into their respective poses.
Sapphire cocked her head to the side. "What are you waiting for?"
"Oh!" Usagi gasped. She held her locket in the air, the ring on her finger glowing as well. "Eternal moon cosmos power…"
"Destiny crystal cosmos power…"
"…make UP!" they shouted in unison. There were two flashes of light before Sailor Moon and Sailor Destiny appeared.
"Okay, let's get to the park!" Sailor Destiny shouted, taking off down the street. Emerald, Ruby, and Topaz immediately followed her. Sapphire was about to take off running, when Sailor Moon grabbed her hand.
"Sapphire, you're my friend, right?" she asked. Sapphire was taken aback by the question, but a smile found its way to her face.
"Yes. I'm your friend."
"Then you'll fight with me?" Sapphire considered the offer for a second. Why not? Usagi, or Sailor Moon, was the only person who was truthful to her beside her three fellow crystal senshi. The zodiac senshi were nothing like that, just the complete opposites. All of their honest feelings were façades.
"I'll fight with you and protect you."
"Thank you, Sapphire," she said. "And I'll try my best to return your memories." Sapphire smiled.
"Okay, but until then, we had better catch up with the others," she said with a laugh in her voice. With that, she took off. Sailor Moon was caught off guard by her speed.
"Wow, she's fast," Sailor Moon whispered. Then she got a funny look on her face.
"Hey! Wait for me!"
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Sailor Mars stared at the zodiac senshi in front of her. It was the first time she had actually seen any of them in person. But the one that kept her attention was her counterpart, Sailor Aries.
Sailor Cancer walked forth, her sugary pink hair bouncing. "Hello, sailor senshi." The other people in the park had left in surprise when the zodiac senshi had arrived. The sky had become ominously dark from the dusk, the sun halfway down the horizon. The sky had turned navy blue, stars glistening in the sky like diamonds. The clouds were fluffy cotton balls of pink and purple where the sun was setting. The sun itself was a glowing orb of orange fire, but the trees hid most of the scene from view.
The zodiac senshi had just suddenly arrived, attacking people with the Oracle Mace. The sailor planets had arrived just in time to return the chalices before anything bad happened. The people had left in a hurry after seeing the black scepter. Now, only the zodiac senshi and the planetary senshi were left.
Sailor Chibi Moon stepped forward, looking at Sailor Cancer sharply. "You better leave or we're going to beat you up! We outnumber you eight to seven with more allies on the way."
"Oh really?" Cancer asked mockingly. She held the Oracle Mace in her hands and was twirling it a bit. "We're only here for the crystal senshi." Jupiter snorted.
"Well, as you can see, they're not here," she replied, crossing her arms. Her counterpart, Sagittarius, just clucked her tongue.
"You haven't changed, my dear Jupiter," she said, a wicked grin on her face. "It hasn't struck you about the crystal senshi yet?" Fighter just shrugged.
"We could care less about them," she retorted. There was a glint in her eyes. "Now, if you came looking for a fight…" Cancer just raised the Oracle Mace a bit, a grin on her face.
"I don't think you wanna cross us," she said. "We have the same powers as your friends." Mars rolled her eyes.
"Yeah right."
"Burning Mandala!" Aries shouted. Mars' jaw dropped to see the attack, her attack, coming straight at her. She jumped out of the way as the rings of black fire disappeared before hitting a tree. She turned to the zodiac senshi in shock. If that was true, then Cancer had to be as strong as Sailor Moon!
"Oh, so the fighting has started?" Jupiter asked, cracking her knuckles. "Jupiter Oak Evolution!"
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Sagittarius yelled, throwing the black electric disk. The leaves of the attack connected with the disk, causing an electric explosion. Both soldiers of electricity were blown backwards.
Venus faced off against her counterpart, Libra. Libra grinned a bit. "Fighting won't solve anything. You have a great sense of style, anyway. We have something in common." Venus, who was about to call her attack, stared at the pretty soldier in front of her dumbly.
"Really?" she gasped, her pale blue eyes sparkling. Libra grinned again.
"Nope," she laughed. Before Venus could even react, Libra was calling out her own attack. "Crescent Beam!" The dark beam hit Venus square in the chest, making her go flying backwards into a tree. She groaned a bit, the pain inflicted on her excruciating. She had never received this end of the attack!
"So, you're Sailor Mercury, huh?" Virgo asked. She blew a huge pink bubble before pulling the gum back in her mouth. "I'm a lot stronger than you, you know!" Mercury just stared back at her.
"Well, that may be so," she stared slowly, "but we have love on our side. And love makes us strong." Virgo rolled her eyes.
"Whatever," she said, bringing her hands to her chest. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury's eyes widened. What attack could put that attack on ice?
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" she shouted, pulling the strings on the water harp. The water beam went straight for a column of water heading towards it. The two attacks clashed, turned to ice and then exploded. Mercury felt the sharp stings of ice on her face and fell backwards from the force. She groaned and saw that Virgo had also fallen backwards.
This is going to be a long fight, Mercury thought has she struggled to get up.
"I'll fight against you!" Chibi Moon called to the older pink-haired girl standing in front of her. She brandished her kaleidoscope. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" she yelled. Cancer rolled her eyes and raised the OraOracle Mace. The black beam tore through the positive attack and headed straight for Chibi Moon. Her red eyes grew large in horror.
"Star Serious Laser!" a voice shouted. A line of silver stars hit the black beam, shattering it. Sailor Star Fighter stepped in front of Chibi Moon. She turned around. "Are you okay?" Chibi Moon nodded. She still found it somewhat weird that this was the young man who had said she was cute around a month earlier.
"I'm fine," she replied. "But we need to get that Oracle Mace out of her hands." Fighter nodded and turned to where Venus and Libra were fighting.
"We're going to need the Lovely Chain attack to get it out of her hands," she whispered. Turning back towards Sailor Cancer, her eyes hardened. "Okay, Sailor Cancer. You mess with one senshi, you mess with all of them." Cancer rolled her blue eyes.
"Oh, I'm so scared," she said. She raised the Oracle Mace and pointed it straight at Sailor Star Fighter. "Any last words? No? Well, then. Bye, bye." Another black beam appeared from the scepter, heading straight for the raven-haired soldier.
"Fighter!" Chibi Moon yelled as the older soldier held her ground. Too close, too close…Fighter ducked suddenly, the attack flying into a tree behind her. Chibi Moon saw the soldier collapse to the ground and rushed over to her.
"Are you okay?" she asked. Without waiting for a respond, she wrapped her tiny arms around Fighter's neck. She began crying. "Don't ever do something like that again!"
"Believe me, I don't think I'll have the guts to do something like that again," she muttered, laughing a bit.
Cancer just fumed. She had better use the attack when the two senshi were distracted. She raised the Oracle Mace and leveled it. Time to get rid off some of the trash.
"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" a high-pitched voice yelled from a tree. The attack hit Cancer from behind, knocking the scepter from her hands. It landed a few yards from her. "Stop right now!" At that moment, everyone stopped fighting and looked up at a nearby tree, silhouetted by the moonlight. A dumpling-haired girl was standing on a branch thick enough to hold the extra weight.
"How dare you!" she yelled, her feature still hidden by the moonlight. "Attacking the beautiful positive universe that holds love and friendship! I am the soldier of love and justice, Eternal Sailor Moon! And on behalf of the moon, I will punish you!" The girl jumped from the tree and gave her pose.
"Well then, Miss Moon," Cancer said slowly. "I guess we'll just have to get rid of you now, won't we?"
"Not while we're here," a quiet voice said. Four figures stepped from behind the tree. Sapphire crossed her arms. "You've taken things too far, Sailor Cancer." Sailor Destiny nodded her head. She was still sitting in the tree, unnoticed by the other senshi. She jumped out, landing next to Sailor Moon.
"We're going to settle things here and now," she said. The zodiac soldiers' eyes turned to the crystal senshi, wicked smiled spreading across their face.
"Where've you been, you four?" Aquarius asked, a hint of sarcasm on her voice. "We were so worried." Emerald scowled.
"Sure you were," she said. "If you haven't realized it yet, we quit. We're not working for you guys anymore." Pisces pretended to be shocked, but deadly evil was still on her face.
"What did we ever do to hurt you guys?" she asked. Cancer also joined in.
"Yeah, we took care of you guys after the accident," she said. Topaz shook her head.
"No. You didn't," she said simply. "We've learned enough from Sailor Moon to know that you've been lying to us all this time. It's too late to change our minds." The zodiac soldiers looked at each other, a look on all their faces showing that they didn't care.
"Whatever," Virgo said. Cancer raised the Oracle Mace and pointed it at Sailor Moon.
"Let's get the original idea down," she said as the black beam once again left the scepter, heading straight for Sailor Moon. The other senshi gasped in shock.
"Sailor Moon!" they yelled. The blonde soldier just stood frozen in panic. Sapphire's eyes grew large as she rushed over to the girl, knocking her out the way. Both senshi ended up on the ground as the beam landed on the tree. Sapphire groaned a bit, looking at Sailor Moon.
"You okay?" she asked. Sailor Moon opened one eye and then both eyes. She blinked.
"Hai, thanks to you," she said as both senshi climbed to their feet. The inner soldiers were shocked as Sapphire helped Sailor Moon to her feet.
"She saved you," Venus whispered, brushing a strand of blonde hair from her eyes. She looked at Sapphire and managed a shocked smile, her eyes as huge as dinner platters. "You saved her." Sapphire shrugged modestly.
"She's the one who saved us," she said. "I'm just returning the favor." Sailor Moon nodded in agreement before turning back to the zodiac senshi who seemed rather bored, but surprised at the event.
"It's time to get this over with," she said, holding the tier in her hands firmly. "We've been battling ever since the beginning of time. It's time to put an end to this feud." Cancer just shrugged as she pointed the Oracle Mace at Sailor Moon. Both soldiers had a scepter in their hands, pointing it at each other. One scepter had the power of healing and love and pureness while the other had the power of destruction, hate, and evil.
"That's it!" Aquarius suddenly exclaimed. Her gaze turned over to Sapphire. "Too bad you didn't stay part of the group. Now you're going to have to die." Sapphire's eyes widened a bit as Aquarius suddenly rushed at her. Groaning, she started running away.
"Sapphire!" Sailor Moon yelled and took off running after the two soldiers. Cancer murmured something beneath her breath and was about to run after Sailor Moon when a hand came down on her shoulder. Cancer turned to see who had stopped her. Aries shook her head.
"We need the Oracle Mace here," she said. "You're the only one who can control it well." Cancer fumed for a second before nodding.
"Okay, Aries." With that, she turned back to the other senshi who had continued fighting. She polished the scepter with her gloved hand before aiming it up at the sky. She sighed a bit. This wasn't going to be any fun without Sailor Moon here to be crying over everyone. Maybe she'd use the scepter when she got back.
Grinning at the thought, she charged into battle.
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"I feel uneasy," Megumi whispered, looking outside from the balcony. It was a gorgeous night outside, but something about it seemed deadly. She shivered involuntarily. "Something is going to happen, I know it."
"Me too," Kei said. She joined Megumi on the balcony, wiping some purple curls from her eyes. Her red eyes glittered in the darkness. "But I don't know what's going to happen. Whether it's good or bad, I don't know." There was a stirring near the door behind her.
"Let's hope for good," the voice mused. The two girls spun around to see Yomicha coming to join them on the balcony. Kei smiled at her.
"About time you woke up," she said playfully. Yomicha flashed a cute grin at her. "You were sleeping like a rock."
"I was not," Yomicha protested. Megumi giggled.
"Yes, you were," she said. She looked over the railing at the ten-story drop. Heights never appealed to her. She looked back at the older girls, her green eyes suddenly dark. "I feel like something is going to happen soon. I think it will affect our side, though."
"Like what?" Kei asked. Yomicha looked up at the clear sky. The moon was full, hanging low and large on the horizon. The stars were glistening brightly in the nearly black sky. She had seen skies like this before, but there was something different about it. She frowned in recognition.
"That's weird," she whispered. The other two girls turned to her.
"What's weird?" Kei asked, placing an arm on Yomicha's shoulder. The taller girl pointed to some clouds resembling the northern lights floating in the sky. They were fading in and out and Yomicha had a feeling that only sailor senshi could see them.
"I've never seen those things before," she breathed before shaking her head. "I'm probably seeing things." Megumi shrugged.
"You probably are," she said. Her frown never left though. She looked up at the sky. "Have either of you talked to the others lately?" Kei and Yomicha shook their heads.
"Nope, not since a week ago," Kei said slowly. Her hand went to touch the brooch in her pocket. She brought it out and stared at it for a while. Something was up. Something wasn't right, she could feel it. Yomicha stretched a bit.
"Well, I'm guessing they're pretty much in shock about their past lives," she joked a bit, running her hand through her silver locks. A smile crept onto her face. "I have this feeling…" The smile suddenly disappeared as her head jerked up. Almost instinctively, her hand went to henshin pen in her jacket pocket. Kei's grip on her locket hardened and Megumi pulled out her henshin pen. A wave of urgency spilled over the trio, blocking their minds of only one thing: to transform.
"The princess is in danger," Megumi gasped, her hold on the pen tightening. "They're in trouble." Kei and Yomicha nodded, the wave of urgency even stronger this time.
"We have to transform before it's too late," Yomicha whispered, holding her henshin pen high above her head. "Capricorn zodiac power…"
"Scorpio zodiac power…"
"Midnight zodiac power…"
"…make UP!" There were three flashes of light and soon, three pretty sailor-suited senshi were standing on the balcony. Selene came running onto the balcony, her eyes full of terror. She stared up at the three senshi, her violet eyes huge.
"Something is going to happen!" she shouted, jumping on top of Sailor Midnight's head. "It's going to affect our side, I just know it. Someone is going to die!" Capricorn froze at those words.
"Die?" she breathed. The world darkened on her for a second. She grasped the railing, looking at the ten-story drop. She suddenly jerked her head up, though her heartbeat was still rapid and her breath was coming in collective gasps. "We have to go. As much as I hate to think about the sacrifice right now, the talisman might appear." Scorpio nodded.
"We have to protect the senshi at all costs!" she said, her green eyes mature all of a sudden. Sailor Midnight nodded in agreement.
"Let's get this over with," she said, looking up at the sky. "If those zodiac senshi even think of harming our princess…" The three soldiers of the revelation looked at each other and knew something very important was going to affect their side. Unfortunately, they didn't know whether it was good or if it was bad.
Selene looked at the three senshi worriedly. "Please," she begged. "Don't get hurt." Midnight stroked the small cat's chin a bit as she tried to smile.
"Don't worry," she assured as the calico jumped off her head. She looked at the other two senshi. "Let's do it."
The three senshi turned and jumped off the balcony. Their enhanced senshi skills kicked in as they landed gracefully on the ground. They took off running down the street. Selene sighed as she looked up at the sky. Her eyes grew larger.
"Those stars…are shining?" she whispered.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sapphire looked behind her, but Aquarius was still hot on her trail. She took a deep breath and started running faster. She was tiring out. She had never run this fast before in her entire life…at least, what she could remember of it.
She took note of a tree up ahead. Maybe…yes, there was a branch low enough. She pushed herself harder, sweat running down her face. Her face was pink from effort and her muscles were sore from the sudden exertion of speed. Just a bit farther…
Aquarius kept Sapphire in her sight. Her long pale blue hair was whipping wildly around her face. She muttered a curse beneath her breath. Her hair was the least of her worries. She took a brief gasp as Sapphire began running faster. As if that girl wasn't running fast enough already!
Sapphire rook a deep breath, the branch was approaching quickly. With her enhanced ability, she launched herself into the air, grabbing the branch with her gloved hands. Her speed caused her to swing over and on top of the branch. The bark tore at her gloves as they circled around its rough texture. She pulled herself up before she swung back down, gripping the tree firmly. She gasped a bit as she touched the brooch on her chest. It was glowing a bit.
Aquarius ran into view, looking upset. Her back was to Sapphire who was trying not to breathe too loud. Aquarius placed her hands on her hips and looked around. Sapphire was nowhere to be seen.
"Great," she muttered, tossing her pale blue hair behind her shoulders. Her green eyes were dark as she looked around. "Just great. Where on earth did that girl go?"
Sapphire struggled not to say anything. If she could just call out her attack and make a run for it. She raised her fist into the air, feeling the burning power running through her blood stream, being released into a deadly attack. "Chaotic Storm!" she screamed, throwing the sapphire colored orb that had formed in her fist to the ground.
Aquarius spun around, but too late. The orb hit her and tore through her skin, burning every cell in her body. She screamed in agony as the dark blue attack covered her. She felt her energy giving out as her mind began shutting down. Her heart began to slow as the blue attack began to dim away.
Sapphire stared in horror as the girl collapsed to her knees. Aquarius looked up in the tree and their eyes met for a second. Aquarius glared at her before collapsing to the ground. She dissolved into blue bubbles that floated away into the night sky. Sapphire let out a sigh of relief, slumping against the trunk of the tree.
Sailor Moon suddenly ran up onto the scene. She looked around, breathing heavily. "Sapphire! Sailor Sapphire! Where were you?" Sapphire jumped from the tree, landing gently on the ground. She was a bit shaky.
"Right here, Sailor Moon," she whispered. Sailor Moon spun around and hugged her tightly. Tears spilled from her eyes as she wrapped her arms around the taller girl's waist.
"Oh, Sapphire!" she whispered. "Don't scare me like that again! Did she hurt you?" Sapphire shook her head, the long blonde pigtails swishing back and forth.
"Are you sure you're all right?"
"I'm fine."
"Hmmph, you won't be once I get done with you," a voice sneered through the darkness. Blue bubbles appeared again and Aquarius stood before them. The moonlight glistened on the knife in her hands. Sapphire's eyes widened as she stared at Aquarius.
"Impossible!" she gasped. "You're supposed to be…" Aquarius laughed a bit, rubbing the knife with her hand. She grinned as she looked back up at Sailor Moon.
"Dead?" she asked. "I don't think so. Only my planetary counterpart can kill me. With her original attack in highest power. But you, my dear, aren't my planetary counterpart." Sailor Moon looked thoroughly confused.
"Huh?" she said. "I didn't get a thing you just said." Aquarius just rolled her eyes. Sailor Moon just held her scepter firmly. "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" Aquarius just jumped up into the air and behind Sailor Moon with an amazing jump. She faced Sailor Sapphire as she raised the knife.
"Good-bye, Sailor Sapphire," she hissed. Sailor Moon spun around, but too late. She tried screaming something, but no words would come from out. Aquarius plunged the knife straight through Sapphire's side. Sapphire screamed out in pain as Aquarius pulled the knife back out. It was stained with blood, looking black in the darkness of the night. Aquarius just laughed a bit before she disappeared in a wisp of blue bubbles.
Sapphire stared at the wound dumbly before collapsing to her knees. Sailor Moon's eyes grew larger and larger as Sapphire pulled her hand away from the wound. Her white-gloved hand was stained with blood, which also looked black in the moonlight. Raising her head, she looked back at Sailor Moon with a sense of dread and hopelessness in her eyes. "Sailor Moon," she whispered as blood spilled from her mouth. Sailor Moon's hands flew to her mouth as she ran towards Sapphire.
"SAPPHIRE!" she screamed, reaching the girl. Tears spilled down her face as she looked at the wound. Deep down, she knew it was too late. Sapphire's body went limp in her arms as the blood flowing from her side began to turn black from lack of oxygen. She rocked Sapphire back and forth, as if unwilling to let the girl go. "Sapphire…no…don't go…you…can't…die… you can't…die…"
"Sailor Moon…" a deep masculine voice said from behind her. Sailor Moon didn't even look up as Tuxedo Kamen kneeled next to her. He looked at his fiancé slowly, touching Sapphire's blonde locks. Sailor Moon was crying hysterically. "Usa-ko, I'm so sorry." Sailor Moon grasped Sapphire's hand desperately.
"She can't die," she whispered to her boyfriend. Her blue eyes were raw with emotion. No heartbeat…no breathing…she was dead. It was almost as if the tragedy that occurred a year ago was repeating itself. "She can't die! She didn't do anything to deserve this. She saved my life. It's not fair."
Tuxedo Kamen held the whimpering girl. It wasn't fair, he agreed with that. Still, Sapphire had been evil and had actually taken Sailor Moon's chalice, so maybe she deserved it just a bit? No. If what Usa-ko said was true and Sapphire had saved her life, then this girl didn't deserve death.
Tuxedo Kamen gently helped the girl to her feet. Taking a glance at Sapphire's body, he silently scooped the body of the ground. The look of the blood was terrifying, but he couldn't just leave the girl there. If anything, her three allies might know what to do.
Sailor Moon clung to Tuxedo Kamen's arm as they walked back to the battle scene.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Emerald dodged another round of Pisces' attacks. That green-haired freak was really getting on her last nerves. She glared at Pisces before running from another round of attacks. Would this girl ever tire out?
"Submarine Reflection!" Pisces yelled as a tidal wave came hurtling towards Emerald. Emerald glowered at the girl before dodging the attack once again. If that girl could play dirty, then so could she. Except she'd make her play hurt.
"Sparkling Darkness!" she screamed as the dark cloud full of silver dust crashed in Pisces. The zodiac soldier slammed into a tree, confusing her for a second. Emerald grinned. That hadn't been so hard. Now, all she had to do was to get rid of her. Pisces struggled to get up.
"Why haven't you asked why we're fighting you?" she asked as she faced Sailor Emerald. "Have you ever thought about that fact that we just might be having a bad day?" Emerald shook her head.
"Nope."
"Then, I guess this will hurt," Pisces hissed between her teeth. "Deep Submerge!" The wave came shooting down towards Emerald who was too surprised to even move. The planet shaped orb of water slammed her against the ground, throwing her back a couple of yards. Emerald coughed as she tried to get the water out of her lungs. She spurted out some water, but was having a hard time with the rest.
"Geez…ugh…," Emerald managed to say before coughing some more. That was some powerful attack. Pisces approached her, a smirk on her face. She looked like she had won some sort of prize. Emerald just glared at her between convulsions.
"Oh, did that hurt?" Pisces asked, looking too cute. She twirled a strand of aqua-green hair. Suddenly, a burst of blue light shone next to her. Aquarius appeared, a murderous look in her green eyes. Her right hand was behind her back. She laughed a bit as she looked down at Sailor Emerald.
"Any last words?" she asked. "Your friend didn't have the time to say any." Emerald immediately froze as she got to her feet. Didn't have time? She remembered that Aquarius had taken off after Sapphire. Sapphire couldn't be…
"What did you do to her?" Emerald screamed, her deep blue eyes dark. "What did you do to Sapphire?" Aquarius just grinned some more as she brought her hand from behind her back. In it was knife, that was coated in blood, as black as the universe. Emerald's eyes became torn in grief as she looked at the knife.
"No," she whispered, hands flying to her mouth. "No, no, NO!" A terrible burning feeling of hopelessness surged from her heart, burning her throat and blinding her vision with tears. A screaming feeling of despair ran through her as she collapsed to her knees. The emotion caused by losing Sapphire was so powerful, she nearly reached for the knife herself. She shook in agony as tears spilled down her cheeks. She sobbed loudly as the doubled over, hugging herself in horror.
"Too bad," Pisces said, a hint of terrible sarcasm in her voice. "I guess you won't see her again." She raised her hands, preparing to send Emerald to her grave. "Submarine…"
"Stop it! Fighting won't get us anywhere!" a voice screamed. Pisces stopped in mid-attack. She turned to see Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen appear from the shadows. Tuxedo Kamen held a body in his arms and Pisces didn't even have to guess who it was. Emerald looked up and saw the girl in Tuxedo Kamen's arms. Her eyes became even more tattered.
"Sapphire!" she screamed, running to the trio. She looked at Sailor Moon in desperation. But Sailor Moon had tears streaming down her face too. Emerald looked at Sapphire and then at the wound. She cried out in agony as she buried her face in her hands. "Sapphire…don't leave me…"
The other planetary senshi had stopped fighting when Sailor Moon had appeared. They saw Sapphire in Tuxedo Kamen's arms and felt a sudden weight in their heart. They knew it, even without anyone saying anything. Tuxedo Kamen gently set Sapphire on the ground. Ruby and Topaz saw as well and immediately rushed over.
"Bunny-mama," Topaz whispered, touching the soft locks of Sapphire's hair. "Don't die…don't die…" Zephyr was momentarily stunned, but turned her gaze over to Aquarius.
"You did this to her?" she hissed, her voice so low and full of suppressed wrath, all the senshi got goosebumps on their arms. Aquarius didn't even bat an eye. She just crossed her arms.
"So?" she asked. She turned to Sailor Cancer. "Cancer, I think we can get rid of these three now." Cancer simply nodded and pointed the Oracle Mace at the three crystal senshi. A black beam came shooting straight out the orb on the scepter. Tuxedo Kamen grabbed Sailor Moon and leapt out of the way. Ruby and Topaz looked up and moved out of the way the minute they saw the black beam coming towards them. Emerald glared at Cancer in fury, but didn't move.
It doesn't matter anymore, she thought as the black beam approached her. Nothing matters anymore…not without Sapphire…
, she thought as the black beam approached her.All the senshi watched in bewilderment and horror as the black beam struck Emerald in the back. The aqua-haired girl jerked from the force before her eyes went lifeless. Her deep green spirit chalice flew from her chest and rolled to the ground a few yards away. Emerald collapsed on top of Sapphire. The black band keeping up the bun on her head loosened a bit, letting curly strands of aqua green hair fall around her face.
Sailor Destiny's brooch vibrated for a second. It glowed aqua before dimming down.
"No!" Sailor Moon screamed. She turned to Sailor Virgo, who was picking up the spirit chalice. "Don't touch it! Don't you dare touch that!" Virgo just smirked as she tossed the chalice to Sailor Cancer. "You can't do that! It's not fair!"
"All's fair in love and war, Sailor Moon," a voice said from the darkness. A figure shimmered into view, out of thin air. Her figure was very, very familiar. Sailor Moon's mouth dropped into a perfect O.
Staring back at her was…herself.
"Surprise, planetary senshi," the fake Sailor Moon said in evil voice. She tossed one of her pigtails dramatically. "Nice to meet all of you again. Let me introduce myself. I'm the zodiac counterpart of the soldier of Earth, Tuxedo Kamen. My name is Sailor Leo."
"You look like Sailor Moon," Healer replied, looking at the new figure up and down. The fraud laughed a bit, touching her brooch. Her image dissolved away, leaving behind a pretty sailor soldier. Her blue eyes twinkled.
"Oh, that's just a façade," Leo said, tossing her golden hair behind her shoulder. She looked over at Sailor Sapphire and Sailor Emerald. "Two down, two to go. Though I would have liked to have met their true selves before they died. Oh, well. Maybe next lifetime."
"True selves?" Ruby asked. She raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you mean by that?" Leo laughed a bit.
"Oh, you once served in the court of Serenity," she said. Her blue eyes got mischievous. "But that was such a long time ago. Or maybe it wasn't…" It was the planetary soldiers' turn to look surprised.
"You mean, the crystal senshi are on our side?" Jupiter gasped, her green eyes getting huge. "That's impossible. Capricorn never once mentioned them in our past."
"Oh, that's because the crystal senshi weren't the crystal senshi," Leo said, getting bored with the entire ordeal. She looked at Cancer. "You might as well get rid of the remaining two while we're at it." Cancer nodded and aimed the Oracle Mace at Sailor Topaz.
"Heaven Inferno," a voice whispered from the darkness. A dark red energy orb went straight for Sailor Cancer. Cancer glared at the attack in recognition and ducked. The attack dissolved, so not to hurt anybody other that Cancer. Leo clucked her tongue.
"Oooh, the traitors arrive," she said scornfully.
"Shut up," the voice said. It was sober and full of anger. The planetary senshi looked up, only to see Sailor Scorpio step from the darkness. But something was very different about her. Her eyes were dark and foreboding. She was staring at the zodiac senshi with an intense hatred flaring in her green eyes, but a calm expression was on her face. And she looked taller and older than she was before. She held some sort of staff in her hands, pointing it at everyone menacingly.
"Scorpio?" Sailor Moon breathed. The last time she had seen this Scorpio was when Capricorn showed them the evil side of them. She looked around at the zodiac senshi and felt a sudden panic race through her heart. The zodiac senshi had gone quite pale and had actually backed up a bit. She took a deep breath. There was something evil coming from the red and black clad soldier in front of them.
"Well, hello, my zodiac senshi," Scorpio hissed in a hollow voice, stepping causally from the shadows. The moonlight cast eerie shadows across her face. Her voice had lost its childish innocence, but maybe that was because the Scorpio standing in front of them was no longer a child. She looked at least eighteen. "Long time, no see."
"Scorpio…" Leo whispered, looking very pale. "Why are you here?" Scorpio laughed derisively.
"Why are we here, you ask?" she whispered, stroking the staff in her hands softly and deliberately. Her green eyes looked amused. She looked up and past the group, seemingly to a person standing behind them all. "She asks why we're here, Capricorn. Do you think we should answer?" Everyone immediately turned around. Capricorn was standing behind them, the same darkness vibrating around her as well.
"Might as well tell them," she said with black humor. "It wouldn't kill them to know. Or would it?" There was a staff in her hands as well. It was glowing deep purple. Capricorn laughed a bit, walking towards the group. She looked around at each face and then rested on Emerald and Sapphire's bodies. She frowned a bit. "What happened here?"
"Capricorn, can you help them?" Sailor Moon suddenly cried out, stepping toward the dark soldier. Capricorn tore her gaze from the two slain soldiers and to Sailor Moon. The blonde soldier gasped. This couldn't be the Capricorn she knew. The darkness in her eyes was overwhelming, even worse from when she had turned into creature at the Hikawa Shrine. It was the most complete, frightening evil she had ever felt before in her entire life. She gasped a bit, but regained her composure. "Capricorn?"
"Ah, the meddling moon princess," Capricorn replied, her voice low. Her slate blue eyes were nearly blank from the evil. "I thought you could use some assistance. This little vendetta has been going out for quite some time and we thought it should be put to an end. Right now. That's why those senshi," she pointed to the zodiac senshi, "are going to die." Sailor Moon's eyes widened.
"No!" she shouted, pleadingly. "Don't kill them. Isn't there some other way…"
"Oh, shut up," Capricorn replied, raising her hand. A dark beam of energy, quicker than any of the senshi could make out, headed straight for Sailor Moon. The sudden force sent her flying into a tree where the energy turned to stone, trapping her there. In fast and liquid movements, Capricorn easily trapped the other planetary and starlight senshi to a tree. She turned her gaze back to the zodiac senshi.
"That's odd," Mercury said. "I could've sworn she was on our side." Mars just looked at her, shrugging her shoulders.
"Something's up," she said. "I can feel it. Those two are giving off so much negative energy, it hurts. I have a feeling that there is a reason their doing this. I just don't know what."
"Excuse me," Venus said slowly, looking from Scorpio to Capricorn and back. "Has anyone other than me actually taken a good look at those weapons those two are holding?" The attention immediately focused as the planetary senshi looked at the weapons the two girls were holding. The reaction was instantaneous.
"Oh my lord…" Jupiter whispered.
"Impossible…" Chibi Moon added. Scorpio noticed their sudden quietness and half-finished sentences. She grinned wickedly, holding up the staff in her hands.
"Are you surprised to see the time key?" she asked. She looked over at Capricorn. "Or the Silence Glaive?" Capricorn laughed.
"I think it's time we brought a complete end to this battle," she said, raising the glaive high above her head. "Death Reborn…"
"STOP!" Cancer suddenly yelled. Capricorn lowered the glaive, grinning a bit. Cancer's blue eyes were frantic. "Please, don't do this Capricorn. It's not fair." With that, she swung the Oracle Mace around and directed it at Ruby and Topaz. The black beam shot from the orb immediately, striking Ruby in the chest. She cried out in severe pain as a red orb flew from her chest. She collapsed to the ground, her crimson eyes hazy. The orb fell to the ground, rolling away several yards.
"No!" Sailor Moon yelled, tears brimming in her eyes. She struggled against the restraints Capricorn had put on her. Nothing budged. She screamed out in frustration and desperation as Cancer aimed the Oracle Mace for the last time. It was Chibi Moon's turn to cry out.
"No, stop! STOP!" she screamed, but to no avail. It all happened so quickly. The beam hit the brooch on Topaz's chest, shattering it. The force of the blow knocked the tiny girl into a tree. The black beam had taken its toll. A yellow orb flew from Topaz's body before crashing down on the grass. Topaz's body fell limp as her eyes closed.
"NOOOOOO!" Chibi Moon screamed. She turned to Cancer in fury, her eyes raging. "How could you? They never did a thing to you!" Cancer just shrugged. She fired a black beam at Sailor Sapphire. The dead girl glowed a dark blue for a spirit chalice floated from the body. It landed on the ground, softly.
"I don't care about what happens to the planetary senshi," she said, a sigh in her voice. Fighter, even though she had disliked the crystal senshi before this battle, felt angry at the zodiac senshi for killing four senshi in cold blood.
"It doesn't matter whether you liked them or not," she hissed at the eight senshi. "You killed them and that's all that really matters at the moment."
Capricorn stared at Topaz for a brief second, her dark eyes filled with some sort of emotion. Then, slowly, she turned to Sailor Destiny. The brunette had been very quiet during the entire mix-up. Her large green eyes were a bit uncomprehending, as if she were trying to make out the whole situation. The brooch on her chest was glowing.
"Sailor Destiny, what do you think?" she asked softly. Destiny didn't even blink an eye. She seemed to know what Capricorn was talking about. She looked at the four bodies and the three spirit chalices. She smiled.
"Those spirit chalices are fake," she said slowly. The zodiac senshi stared at Sailor Destiny in surprise.
"What do you mean fake?" Libra asked, putting her hands on her hips. "There's nothing fake about them. We took them out, they died, they must be real." Destiny slowly shook her head.
"Those spirit chalices are completely fake," she said. "Their true spirits had long since left their bodies. These are just substitutes. If I didn't know any better, I'd say these senshi are anomaly." Sailor Moon scrunched up her nose in confusion.
"Ano-what?" she asked. Destiny laughed a bit.
"In the evil universe, but of another," she said. She looked over at Sailor Capricorn and then at the zodiac senshi. "You found them dead and gave them temporary spirit chalices."
"How'd you know?" Aries asked, folding her arms. "You don't recognize these four do you? You weren't there with us when we gave them these spirit chalices." Destiny shook her head.
"No, I wasn't," she said. She looked down at her brooch. "But something tells me I might know who these four are." She looked up and grinned a bit. "Are those four perhaps the outer senshi of this solar system?" Sailor Jupiter snapped her head to side, staring at Sailor Destiny like she was crazy.
"The outer senshi have been dead for a year," she said. "I know you miss them, Destiny, but now is no time to start seeing things."
"I'm not seeing things," Destiny replied. "Besides that little change in appearance, those four fit the descriptions exactly. Didn't Aries just say that those four were dead by the time they found them? And not just anyone can be a sailor senshi. You'd already have to have the pureness of the heart and the courage as well. And answer me this: why one earth did Sapphire pull out Uranus' talisman during the battle when we first met the zodiac senshi since Uranus is the only one who can use it?" The silence afterwards was nearly deafening. Destiny smiled as she looked to Capricorn.
"I have something very important to do," she said. "Let me go." Capricorn nodded and snapped her fingers. The stone dissolved into thin air. Leo growled beneath her breath.
"Oh, no you don't," she said. She raised her hand and threw a golden rose at Sailor Destiny. Destiny agilely jumped out of the way. The other zodiac senshi seemed to come out of their trance and moved in on Sailor Destiny.
"I don't think so," a pretty voice said from out of nowhere. "It wouldn't be fair to have eight against one. Twilight Expansion!" A heavy purple mist rose from out of the ground, briefly surprising the senshi. A silhouetted figure walked into their midst. She smiled as she brought a finger to her mouth, as if telling everyone to be silent. The ground began to glow a bit beneath the girl. "Do what you need to do Sailor Destiny."
"Right," Destiny whispered. She closed her eyes and concentrated. The brooch on her chest began glowing brightly. The ground was suddenly alive with a kaleidoscope of colors. The planetary senshi looked on in awe. The top to the locket opened a bit, revealing a moonstone that covered the entire area with light. It was the most gorgeous thing any of the senshi had ever seen. The light was so pure and so full of light, it nearly brought tears to everyone's eyes.
Destiny gently held the shining stone in her hands. She concentrated, connecting her very existence into the stone. The four bodies on the ground glowed with a new and pure light. Her brooch suddenly glowed gold, then aqua, then garnet, and finally violet. Destiny closed her eyes. Please. Live again. Fight with and protect the princess. Revive…the outer soldiers of this solar system!
Four orbs of light came shooting from the locket and to their respective owners. The stars in the sky began to shine nearly to a blinding extent. Sailor Moon gasped in wonder as the moon began to shine a bright silver color. The light was getting brighter with each passing second. Everyone began to forget about the entire purpose of the light and just dwelled in its pureness and lightness.
Slowly, yet surely, the light began to dim away. Sailor Moon regretted its leaving, as did the rest of the planetary and starlight senshi. The light reentered Destiny's brooch. Everything seemed to dull at the point. Even the stars in the sky seemed to have lost their shine and the moon seemed to be just a dead star in the sky. At that moment, everyone's minds began to clear and remembered what the entire purpose of the event was. They turned to four slain senshi.
What they saw shocked them.
Sailor Uranus groaned briefly before blinking her eyes. She sighed a bit as she tried to sit up. "That could hurt," she muttered, rubbing the back of head. It took her a minute to realize that she was being watched. She glowered at everybody. "What?" The other outer senshi began to revive as well.
Sailor Saturn immediately sat up, blinking a bit. "What the…" She then noticed that she was awake. She also noticed that she was no longer in a twelve-year-old's body. She looked at least sixteen. "What? Last time I checked, I was dying. Or was that before…oh, forget it. I can hardly remember anything as it is."
Pluto stood up, a bit shaky. She began looking around, a look of pure consternation on her face. Neptune didn't say anything. She just studied the other senshi who were staring at them as if they had seen a ghost.
"Um, we have company," she whispered to Uranus.
"Yeah, I noticed." She stood up and glared at the others. "Is anyone going to tell us what's going on here?"
"Are you telling me you guys don't remember being the crystal senshi?" Maker asked, dumbfounded. It was Saturn's turn to look surprise.
"I can hardly remember when I suddenly took a four year age spurt, let alone remembering being a crystal senshi," she muttered. "When'd you three get here anyway? Oh man, where's my Silence Glaive?"
Uranus seemed to be concentrating for a second. The space sword shimmered into her hand. "Okay, there's my talisman. Now would someone please tell us what's happening?" Leo stepped forward, her hips swaying a bit.
"Long time, no see," she said. Saturn cocked an eyebrow as her Silence Glaive appeared in her hand.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Sailor Leo, a zodiac senshi," Leo replied, with a bit of a bow. Irony filled her voice. Pluto sighed a bit.
"Sailor Leo, you haven't changed one bit," she murmured. She turned to Scorpio and a ghost of her old smile fluttered across her face. "Sailor Scorpio, may I have my time key?" Scorpio nodded and concentrated a bit. The time key disappeared from her hands and into Pluto's. "Arigatou."
"Oh, so the zodiac senshi are the bad guys, huh?" Uranus said with an interesting amusement in her voice. "Figures, since the good guys are tied up. World Shaking!" she called out, raising the space sword high above her head. A familiar golden globe appeared on the tip and exploded into numerous orbs as Uranus swung the sword down.
"Deep Submerge!" Neptune yelled, as the sacred mirror appeared in her hands. A huge tidal wave shot from the surface of the mirror. The three attacks combined into one, slamming into the zodiac senshi.
"Owww!" Cancer groaned. "That's it! I'm outta of here. It's too many against one!" With that, she disappeared in a shimmering of pink sparkles. Aries rolled her eyes as the other zodiac senshi disappeared as well.
"Sore losers," Saturn muttered, but there was a smile on her face. She examined her new body. "Hey, I look sixteen. That's cool."
"I still don't get it," Uranus said, shaking her head. The space sword disappeared. Neptune shrugged.
"I guess it's one of those mid-life crisis things," she said. Uranus cocked an eyebrow.
"At our age?"
"Um, good to have you four back and everything," Mars snapped. "But could someone please let us down from these trees?" Uranus turned back to the inner senshi and smirked a bit.
"Ooops, sorry," she said. Capricorn shook her head as she walked into the moonlight.
"Don't be," she said. Uranus stared at her for a second and seemed as though she was about to say something. But she just shook her head and said nothing. The stones around the senshi dissolved into thin air, freeing all of them. Chibi Moon immediately ran towards Pluto and Saturn.
"Pu! Hotaru-chan!" she yelled, wrapping Pluto in a hug. "Pu, I've missed you so much." Tears spilled down her cheeks. She felt a breeze run through the group, causing Pluto's green hair to brush against Chibi Moon's cheeks.
"Hey, do you guys realize you have to add a year onto your ages?" Venus suddenly asked. Neptune looked surprised.
"Why?"
"Well, you've been dead for a year and you do look older so…" Jupiter and Mars clapped their hands over Venus' mouth. But it was too late. The four outer senshi looked up.
"Dead?" Saturn breathed.
"A year?" Uranus added. "What's going on here?"
"Well…it's kind of a long story…"
Random author's note: How many times did I wince during this chapter…? Argh…