Note: This is a loooooooooong update, at least twice the size of the longest one so far. Um, there are a few definitions that some might need to know . . . either to refresh their memories or to actually learn.

Senshi: Japanese word for 'soldier.'

Phage: A monster that is born from someone's Star Seed being uncovered and found to be a blank.

Another thing that I must mention is that in this story, I will be using attacks that are introduced in the manga in addition to the ones given in the anime . . . since the animators decided to cut the outer Senshi short on attacks. Thank you, and please enjoy part six. I know I have.

p a r t s i x

The multiple security officers really did throw Haruka out of the restaurant. Of course, she was kicking and screaming, at the time more at them since Michiru and Gally were not in sight.

"Argh . . . I will have Seven Green begging to me . . ." she said, furious and cut on her hands from catching herself from yet another fall. She balled those hands into fists and then slammed them into the pavement twice. The first time was the most powerful, the second the most emotional. Haruka curled into herself on that same pavement, leaving her hands there. "No . . ."

It was there that she finally let all of her emotions drain from herself. The fists she made became tighter for a few second and then they opened. Once opened, she used them to push herself up. She only had a moment to herself before a scream brought her to attention. Looking back to the building, she wondered if this was more than a normal emergency. She had to know. Going back to the doors, she opened it on the 'wrong' side and walked in; people who were inside of the restaurant were flooding the other side's doors by running outside ever since the scream sounded. There was only one guard at the door she came through since the other three went to investigate the scream and do their best to control the running crowd. The bad thing about that was the fact that the guard there was one of those that grabbed her first and the one she gave the most trouble. Another thing she gave him was the most incredible-feeling punch she had ever given out when he came at her. Needless to say, he was on the floor. More screams of terror came from Room A. Quickly, she jumped over the security officer and opened the door.

The sound of a scream arrived to Michiru's ear as she was leaving with Gally. She quickly turned towards Seven Green and looked towards the door. However, she did look back towards Gally when the woman touched her.

"It probably isn't much, Michiru . . . the authorities can handle it." She saw Gally's expression and felt the air for foreign negativity. There was nothing.

"Perhaps you're right . . ." said Michiru. Her head ached from the shock of seeing Haruka so angry on the other side of the building and the thought of what could happen when she arrived to their home. As she thought of her lover and the peace of the times since the battles four years before, she realized that she couldn't just leave it to the 'authorities.' "I'm sorry, Gally."

Michiru took off towards the building, caring not if she was in a dress. While she ran, the thought of Gally's words filled her mind. She shook it off and reached the inner parking lot.

A few quick steps was all it took for Taiki to arrive at the spot in which Haruka had once fell (due to the security). Once he was there, he knelt down and examined the cement. Eyeing the small spots of blood, he blinked once more and looked upwards towards the building. Why did she go back in? Something isn't right . . .

At receiving a strange feeling of disease, Taiki stood quickly. His expression darkened a little as he thought more seriously. He didn't really think that he would have to transform in only four years' time. Lavender orbs gazed upon the tinted door and its immediate area. Nothing was dangerous there, so he stepped over the small bloodstains and entered the building. The sight of the security officer laid out on the carpet and bleeding was unfortunate but also very amusing; it was obvious that Haruka was the one who cleaned his clock. He kept moving and came to the two doors, A and B. There was no thinking about which door to enter, since A was the one cracked open. As soon as he opened the door, he heard a raised voice:

"Move, you idiot!"

The next thing he knew, he was on the ground. Broken glass, various liquids, and cloth lay around him. Needless to say, his red blazer and the pants that matched were stained. Bewildered, he tried to sit up. "W-Wha . . ."

A hand clasped over his mouth, and the same, now-hushed voice spoke to him. "Shut up. Now, come on."

Obeying this voice, he finally caught a glimpse of the person who was talking to him. Dusty blonde hair, dark eyes, fair skin . . . it was Haruka. Taiki was about to say something, but he remembered that he wasn't supposed to. The same hand that had covered his mouth grabbed his wrist and pulled him up after pulling its own body up. Haruka ran through the tables and fallen items with him. As they ran, he actually saw what they were running from — a phage . . . or what at least, seemed like a phage.

The figure was masculine, a discolored green, and very bulky. Remains of a torn business suit hung from his body. His eyes were red, his teeth were fanged, and his hands were destructive. A table was thrown at the two, and after that, a chair and other odd things. In only a few seconds, thousands of dollars of damage were dealt to the restaurant. The phage roared in anger at not striking the two.

She runs like the wind . . . if she wasn't leading me, I couldn't keep up. thought Taiki, as he ran with her.

Eventually, Haruka took him to a storage room and locked the door. She put a few chairs against the doorknob for the time being. Once they were safe from the monster, Haruka looked at Taiki. "We don't have time for me to lecture you right now. Transform."

"I'm not Seiya. Don't order me around like I'm a pet." His stern side made its appearance.

"Excuse me? You're the one who almost got himself forced out of the room by a table." Haruka glared at him, taking her own wand out. On the top of the wand was a golden six-pointed tar encrypted with the symbol of Uranus in the center attached to a blue orb. The orb also had two thin, curved pieces of a lighter blue that were attached to it that formed a 'v' on each side of the star when they reached around it and connected to themselves. Below the orb was a magenta and light blue heart-shaped piece that began the handle part of the wand. The handle was the same bluish color as the center of the heart, except for the bottom inch, which was spherical and gold.

"If you were going to yell, why'd you save me?"

"Because of three things: one, I don't think you're as bad as I thought four years ago, two, you're a Sailor Soldier, and three, I didn't think you'd be a dumbass and not be careful in a situation like this."

Weighing the options and considering the odds, he smiled a little. "True . . ."

"We don't have time to chat. Just don't be a klutz next time." She gave him her usual piece of a smile and then thrust her wand into the air, saying:

"Uranus Crystal Power! Make-UP!"

Once these words rolled off of her lips, the wand glowed a golden-brown color, as well as part of the room. Her clothes disappeared and she was bathed in golden light. Haruka closed her eyes and guided her wand all the way around her in a perfect circle. The wand disappeared and she bent over while golden beams engulfed her form within that circle. When the beams dissipated, Haruka could be seen in a Sailor Soldiers' uniform. the main part of the uniform, the leotard, was snow white; most of the three-quarter-length gloves she wore were white, too. Adorning her head was a tiara, and around her neck lay a choker with a golden star piece in the center. Her sailor collar, choker, pleated skirt (around the bottom of the leotard), boots, tiara jewel, and bands of her gloves were a deep, solid navy blue. The bow upon her breast was golden-yellow, the brooch holding it together a slightly lighter blue than the navy items. A sparkle could be seen in the air before the golden aura faded, and she was then Sailor Uranus.

As Haruka transformed, he wondered what Haruka valued in life. He knew that she was bonded to one of the most incredible women in the galaxy. Taiki then thought of Michiru and after that thought of her dismal expression during his stay at the pool. The man scowled into the golden light as he remembered a few choice words of Michiru's. Do you love her?

The deep, gravel-like voice of the enemy took him from delirium and brought him back to the storage room. Haruka had already finished her transformation. Hurriedly, he searched his left pocket and pulled out an earpiece microphone that he used during performances. The actual earpiece was covered by a golden chrome star with a pearl-chromed wing attached. The microphone was long and gray. Putting the earpiece on, he shouted,

"Maker Star Power! Make-UP!"

As he shouted, his body became shrouded in blue light. However, the blue light soon faded . . . along with his male body, for Taiki was actually female! Red light covered Taiki, and her own Sailor uniform appeared instantly; it was quite different from Sailor Uranus's. On this costume, there was no leotard, so it very revealing. A shiny, black sailor collar wrapped around her neck, and the back of it draped down the upper portion of her back; that was the only thing that was common between the two Sailor costume styles. Full-length gloves of the same shiny, black material adorned her arms, and thigh-high boots of the same make covered her legs. Covering her chest was a bikini-like top. All of the straps to the top were orchid-colored, including the border of the fabric that rested over her breasts; the fabric was the same aforementioned black material. Connecting the straps was a golden star-shaped brooch between her breasts in the front. Wings protruded from each side of the star on the left and right, resting upon the pieces of her top. Located just above her navel was another brooch like that, but it was connecting two crossed orchid straps that went only around her waist. Below this were shiny, black hot pants that came to a downward point in the front, revealing a golden lining that came up to just below her navel. Just above her gloves were rectangular orchid armlets, in which the rectangle was divided in half. Last but not least, instead of a tiara upon her forehead, there was a golden band with another small golden star in the middle. The transformation of Taiki into Sailor Star Maker was complete.

"Let's go." said Sailor Uranus, rushing to the door and pulling the chairs from it. Keeping Sailor Star Maker back a bit with her hand, she twisted the doorknob. Quickly, she opened the door to see a chair coming at her. As she ducked, she managed to pull Star Maker down with her. "Now let's go."

Uranus jumped over the gathering of stuff at the storage room door and ran to the mutant. Damnit . . . I'll have to hold back . . . he had to have been somebody here at this joint. The monster was picking up a table as she approached, making a horribly gruff grunt from muscular strain. However, he didn't get it that far in the air, because the blonde Sailor pushed the table into his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He crashed into a table with ashtrays and nearly full wine glasses, but when he rose a few seconds later it seemed nothing had happened. The green monstrosity smirked at Uranus with an expression that bled the words bring it on.

Needless to say, that pissed Sailor Uranus off and she charged him, swinging expertly. Her eyes blazed while she fought with him. She connected a few punches, but they were minor; all of her usual winning shots were blocked. Damn.

Because of Uranus's anger, Sailor Star Maker couldn't get a clear shot. Will you move? I an see why Michiru was upset. You're too rash. However, Maker wasn't expecting Uranus to be kicked in the stomach or end up flying into a cart of dishes against a wall. Even though she wasn't exactly harboring good feelings towards Sailor Uranus, she definitely did not like fellow Sailor Senshi being tossed around. Since Sailor Uranus was now out of her way and the monster temporarily distracted, it was time for Maker to act.

Because of Uranus's anger, Sailor Star Maker couldn't get a clear shot. However, Maker wasn't expecting Uranus to be kicked in the stomach or end up flying into a cart of dishes against a wall. Even though she wasn't exactly harboring good feelings towards Sailor Uranus, she definitely did not like fellow Sailor Senshi being tossed around. Since Sailor Uranus was now out of her way and the monster temporarily distracted, it was time for Maker to act.

Raising her arms from her chest and closing her eyes, Star Maker gathered starlight between her hands. Once her arms were fully extended, she cried:

"Star . . . Gentle . . . Uterus!"

Turning to the right, she lowered her arms, leaving her left arm out towards the enemy. Bright blue spheres of star energy and intense power were launched at the monster through her hand. Star Maker was relieved when her attack knocked him over a set of chairs and into a bare wall. She wasn't so relieved when he rose, stretched his neck, and smirked again; she understood why Uranus lost her cool. What the hell is this thing made of?

By the time Sailor Star Maker had attacked, Sailor Uranus was standing again. That was lucky . . . hmm. Guess I'll have to attack from behind. Those who knew Sailor Uranus's ways knew a certain thing and those who didn't soon found out — she used her special attacks only when necessary. Even with knowing the strength of her enemy, she was not thinking this a 'necessary' situation. Staring at the monster, she calmed down a bit, and before she knew it, Sailor Star Maker was blasted directly into a painting on the back wall beside the storage room door. The sound of breaking glass and a scream filled the room, followed by a thud; Uranus cringed then shook with anger. Not wasting another second or any speed, Sailor Uranus rushed the mutant from behind and performed a powerful flying roundhouse kick aimed at his head.

What? Sailor Uranus was in complete shock when her surprise attack was not only blocked but also caught in the enemy's hand. Shit! She squirmed and did her best to wrench herself from his grip like she had the security officer, but to no avail. The monster shook her a little, laughed a grating laugh, and then squeezed her ankle. His squeeze not only induced great pain but also sapped her of precious energy. Swinging around and scratching madly at the gargantuan figure with all her might, she kept silent . . . until he squeezed hard enough for her to stay still and only cry out.

"Uranus!" cried Sailor Star Maker, rising, but as soon as she rose, another table went flying at her, pinning her to the wall for the time being. Sailor Uranus screamed again.

"Submarine . . . Violin Tide!"

An incredible wave of water, power, and light struck the mutant. He dropped a disbelieving Sailor Uranus to the ground before being blasted into a booth on another side of the room.

". . . it . . . it can't . . . be . . ." said Sailor Uranus, slowly looking up from her position on the floor. The ankle and shin of her left leg ached her greatly, but not that the pain wasn't being forced, she could hide how it felt.

"Uranus!"

The sound of heels striking the floor repeatedly rang through the room. That sound stopped as none other than Sailor Neptune herself fell to her knees to aid Sailor Uranus. "Uranus . . ."

"Neptune . . . you . . . you . . ." Sailor Uranus's eyes widened at seeing her lover, companion, and comrade before her.

"Why wouldn't I?" said Neptune. She lifted Sailor Uranus's upper body first to where she could sit. Next, she rose herself to her haunches and slowly lifted her comrade's body up to a standing position, despite twitching and small sounds of protest; after they made it to where Uranus could stand up, she smiled. "See, you can stand . . ."

"Oh, quiet . . ." Uranus whispered, smiling back, before she heard a muffled cry of pain. "Maker!"

Sailors Uranus and Neptune made haste to the back wall (Neptune a good bit faster than Uranus) and after a few seconds lifted and discarded the heavy table that had pinned Sailor Star Maker. Finally being able to breathe a full breath of air, Maker became a little too hasty and choked. Sailor Uranus reached out her left hand, and Sailor Neptune extended her right for Star Maker to take; they both smiled to her. The Sailor Starlight was definitely glad to see them.

"Sorry about that, kid." Sailor Uranus winked to Maker.

"She should be sorry; I still think she eats too many sweets for her age." Neptune chuckled.

"Didn't I tell you that I don't ever listen to that type of talk outside a —"

The sound of an explosion and glass breaking broke Sailor Uranus's sentence and definitely grabbed all of their attention.

Candles had been most fashionably placed above many booths in the establishment to give off a mystic vibe. Sailor Neptune was so lucky as to send their enemy into one of these booths. It took a short while for the fire to engulf the large body of the monster; oddly enough, it was enough time for the three Sailor Senshi to regroup. However, when the flames reached the tablecloth and broken glass under him, as well as the spilt wine all around, the booth exploded into a fiery sphere. This explosion led to four others due to the countless trails of alcohol around the trashed room.

Uranus shielded Neptune and Star Maker when one of those four explosions was near them, but thankfully, none of them were touched by flame. However, they were nearly trapped by the growing fire, nearly trapped meaning there being only one way out besides jumping through flame, which wasn't very pretty. Sailor Neptune at first thought that her Deep Submerge attack would be the answer, but she remembered that she was not Sailor Mercury; the saltwater in her technique would make the fire worse. The fire was closing in on them; they needed a plan.

The storage room . . . that's our only hope. Sailor Star Maker thought, and took both of their wrists. She led them a few quick paces to the door of the storage room and let their wrists go. Maker thrust open the door, shut it when they were all inside, and bypassed all the junk in the room to go to the window. Opening it with the same brute force, she inwardly rejoiced at feeling wind, looking up and around after protruding her head out of the opening. "Ahh . . . thank God . . . this way!"

The three were lucky to have entered a storage room with a big window. Sailor Star Maker climbed out of the window and hopped down from its sill. When Sailor Neptune and Uranus made their way there, she helped Uranus out by setting her legs gently on the ground; Neptune was helped by a hand. Once they were outside, they all breathed fresh air. After making sure Maker and Uranus weren't drastically injured, Sailor Neptune smirked to Sailor Uranus.

"Were you scared . . . Haruka?" she said, softly.

"My leg's feeling better now, Michiru . . ." Uranus retorted, giving her a slightly evil smirk back.

Star Maker just stared at them for a moment while taking in as much air as she could without choking like the last time. Unbelievable . . . it's like nothing ever happened . . . maybe she's just —

"You two really do want to die together, don't you?" said an alto-pitched voice, raised and a little distant.

The three immediately turned their heads to the east and upwards, to see the same beautiful woman that they had seen floating in naked, angelic glory with Usagi four years before . . . the same woman that invoked the name and power of Chaos . . . the same woman that Haruka wanted to throttle earlier. She was wearing the same purple dress that Haruka and Michiru had seen her in previously. She was standing on the flat roof of the internally burning Seven Green.

"Galaxia . . . why?" said a vexed Sailor Neptune. "Why can't you leave us be? the world was saved, and you love this world, you love the galaxy . . ."

While Sailor Neptune spoke out, the luxurious dress Galaxia wore faded away. In its place was her own Sailor outfit, all gold except a few ruby jewels, some of them dangling from her tiara headpiece with golden columns all the way around. The golden top of her bangs was rolled into four loops that protruded from the top of her tiara. The rest of her hair was tightly gathered in a small golden holder on the top of her head; this holder contained a few rubies upon the cylinder and a big one resting on top of it. A few ruby pieces hung from the shoulders of the one-pieced, almost dress-like, metallic body suit she wore. The skirt was of course, short, just like the conventional Sailor Senshi. Like all Sailors, she wore a sailor collar that was attached to her uniform. Galaxia wore nothing upon her arms, and only knee-length boots upon her legs. A sword with a golden hilt and ruby stone materialized in midair and she took it. Pointing it to the ground, she smirked down at Sailor Neptune.

"My dear . . . I said that I love this world, and even that I love this galaxy. But . . . did I ever say that I loved you?"

Sailor Uranus started laughing loudly and interjected, "Of course you didn't. She's not yours to love."

Galaxia sneered at the comment Sailor Uranus made. "Ha . . . and you do? Tell me, who caused her even more grief after some incident that obviously happened earlier by making a complete fool out of herself? Who caused the rift that allowed me to plant a seed?"

The legendary golden Sailor Soldier faded from her position atop the building and re-appeared directly in front of Neptune, only a mere few inches away. Her left hand rose from her side and the knuckles of it grazed Sailor Neptune's right cheek. Bringing the cyan-haired heroine closer to her, Galaxia said a few words in her ear. Almost immediately after she started whispering, Neptune's eyes widened considerably.

Seeing Galaxia move closer to her lover angered her. Noticing that the legendary Sailor whispered to her made her ball a fist. Knowing that Michiru was scared by mere words from the vengeful woman brought her into an incontrollable rage. "Stay away from her. I will make you eat whatever words you said to her . . ."

"Oh, you want a one-on-one battle with me?"

At hearing the words of Galaxia, Star Maker and Neptune stared at Uranus.

". . . Uranus." said Maker, softly, to herself.

"Uranus, no!" Neptune pleaded; she knew that Galaxia would do anything to get over on Sailor Uranus, be it fair or dirty trick. Since Sailor Galaxia as emitting new waves and strength, they didn't know how powerful she was . . . Neptune didn't want there to be any chance of Sailor Uranus dying without her.

"Yes. Sounds fun." Uranus cracked her knuckles slowly and gave her usual cocky smile.

Sailor Galaxia relinquished Sailor Neptune's beautiful skin and turned to Sailor Uranus. While she was turning, though, she managed to deliver a sharp slap to Neptune's face; the force in that slap was so strong that the sea soldier fell to the ground. "But doesn't it?"

"Michiru!" Uranus scowled at Galaxia, shaking from her anger. Running towards the golden Soldier, she struck out at her with her right hand; a miss — Galaxia dodged it.

Sailor Galaxia raised her left hand, and deep golden light gathered around herself and Sailor Uranus. They were both transported to the top of Seven Green. Surely they both knew it was not exactly the most tranquil within its wall, but at the moment, neither cared. Smoke trickled from the windows of the establishment — neither saw it. Raising her sword, Galaxia charged at Uranus. Quickly, Sailor Uranus materialized her Space Sword and deflected the strike. More blood seeped from her hands as she grasped the hilt.

The two battled blades for quite some time, the swordfight seeming to be a stalemate. With no way to make it to the roof of the oddly tall one-story building, Sailor Neptune and Star Maker could only watch.

You always jump into a fight . . . but you manage to do it valiantly. I wish I were as free as you . . . Haruka . . . thought Sailor Neptune as she watched Uranus hold off Galaxia, once she rose to her feet. A bright flash of their blades blinded her for a moment, and she turned her head to Star Maker. Like she had been, Maker's eyes were intent upon the battle, widened. It warmed her heart to see at least a small bit of concern for Uranus in her eyes, but she could not begin to estimate how long it would last. A slight bit uneasy, she spectated the battle again for a few minutes before looking around at the building and again at Maker. When she caught sight of Sailor Star Maker, the Starlight dropped to her knees, not letting Sailors Uranus and Galaxia leave her sight.

Walking over to Sailor Star Maker, Neptune put a hand upon her shoulder. "We shouldn't be just sitting here. We need to find a way to get up there . . ."

At feeling the fingers of the sea soldier, Maker shivered. She looked to the Seven Green building for another movement before glancing at Sailor Neptune. Standing suddenly, she almost knocked the other Sailor Soldier off-balance, but put an arm around her to keep them both standing. Now truly looking at Sailor Neptune, Star maker smiled and nodded, looking to the right. "This way . . . The building is too hot over there. We don't have much time."

The two took off running towards the other side of the building, hoping that things were still untouched by flame. Shock overcame them when they saw even more smoke on that side than the other. Either they were watching the other two Soldiers battle for too long, or the fire spread unnaturally.

"I don't believe this . . ." Sailor Neptune said, watching the building burn. Haruka . . . Shaking her head, s she ran back to the other side of the building, Sailor Star Maker struggling to keep up.

They even run the same . . .thought Star Maker while catching her breath. Sailor Neptune stood beside her, gazing to the battle on the rooftop with a worried expression. It was obvious that the woman was panicking. "Hey . . . don't worry about her. She'll be fine . . . she always has been, right?"

Neptune looked over at the hunched Star Maker, eyes watering. When she noticed that her own eyes were wet, she turned around and wiped them dry. "Of course."

"Look at me."

Neptune turned around to look. "Hm?"

"If things get bad for her, we find a way out of this." A reassuring smile crossed Maker's lips. "Don't worry . . ."

Nodding, Neptune smiles back and then turned to watch the swordfight. She was shocked at what she saw.

Both blades were held against each other and both wielders were still. Uranus wore a malicious expression while Galaxia smirked to her.

"Impressive. I can't strike you." Galaxia pulled back and her sword disappeared. She also backed away a pretty long distance upon the rooftop. "How about sudden death?"

Sailor Galaxia rose her arm and it began to glow with the same deep golden light as earlier. Her smirk grew by the millisecond.

"Gladly." Sailor Uranus knew that intimidation was Galaxia's game, but she wasn't buying it. However, she also knew that Star Maker and Neptune were not safe any longer. Raising her hand, Uranus looked back to the two on the ground, specifically at Maker. I'm sorry, Michiru. "Take her and run, don't look back!"

Star Maker couldn't believe what she had heard. "What?"

"You heard me, damnit! Take her and run! Do it! Now!" She quickly turned to face Galaxia, since she didn't know if she'd attack sooner than she thought. Giving her natural smirk, she stared Galaxia down. I'm ready for you.

Shaking from confusion and slight anger, Star Maker cried out in frustration and turned around, grabbing Sailor Neptune by the waist and hoisting her up. The Starlight knew that Neptune wasn't going to go willingly; her lover was the one fighting, not a stranger. She had an odd feeling that Haruka knew this, too. In knowing this, she carried the Sailor over her shoulder, holding her by the back of her knees tightly.

"What . . . what are you doing, Maker? We can't leave her!" Sailor Neptune cried while squirming and even pounding at Star Maker's back.

"I believe in her, no matter how much she manages to piss me off. That's why I'm following her orders." said Maker, through the pain of being kicked and struck. As Sailor Uranus commanded, she didn't look back. It would have been tempting to let Michiru run back, to let her be happy, had she done so.

"If your princess told you to do something like that, would you leave her?"

"Yes, because I believe in her, too. Whether or not she'd perish, she'd have good enough reason. Believe, Neptune."

"I do believe . . . I believe that she and I are to love, fight, and die together, that's what I believe!" This time, she struck Star Maker's back harder and harder every few steps.

"Then why is she," Sailor Star Maker paused to cough up a small amount of blood before continuing, "telling me to save you? If you believe that, then she probably does, too. And . . . if that's true, then she plans on coming back."

Those words kept Sailor Neptune silent, but they didn't stop her from punching Star Maker one last time in the back. After about two more minutes of running, Sailor Star Maker slowed to a stop, still holding the Sailor upon her shoulder. Gently, she set her down, thinking that since they were pretty far away from the restaurant Sailor Neptune wouldn't want to go back. She thought that maybe she'd think for a minute.

However, she thought wrong, because as soon as Neptune landed she ran around Maker towards the Seven Green building. Very surprised, Star Maker took off after and eventually caught her by the waist but didn't pick her up; if she could just restrain her other ways, there wouldn't have to be any lifting. Of course, Neptune squirmed and rocked; this time, she was actually able to break free. Again, Maker chased her and caught her. Lifting her up, she brought her back to the previous spot, a small grassy area, and put her down a little harshly on her back. Maker held her there and looked down at her with a compassionate face. "I understand how you feel, I really do, but . . ."

"No you don't, otherwise . . . you'd be ahead of me, going over there!" Sailor Neptune struggled with all of her might, most likely causing Star Maker even more pain.

"Yes, I do! Because I was kept back from many others I wanted to protect . . . held back like you're being held back." She looked into Neptune's eyes; seeing the hurt within them only made her more angry at Sailor Uranus. From what she had seen, heard, and figured out only during that day, she knew that the woman fighting Galaxia was the source of a lot of Michiru's pain . . . she also knew she wanted to ease that pain, whether she was friend or lover, man or woman, stern or gentle . . .

"I make my own mistakes, and I'll learn from them, whether in life or death, now let me go!"

Sailor Star Maker shifted some of her own pressure from her hands to her legs and kept Sailor Neptune on the ground by sitting on her thighs. Neptune made a groan of pain and raised up, surprisingly able to break through the hold on her arms. Once free, she shoved Maker off of her and then pushed her away. After standing and taking about one second to check her legs, she took off running again. Like the last two times, Maker followed her.

"Damnit, won't you listen!" cried Star Maker when she grabbed Sailor Neptune's wrist and aggressively flung her down on the grass. Still holding her wrist, she used her other hand to pull the woman's legs behind her and fell to her knees upon them after that, applying great pressure. Using the same hand, which had been recently freed from Neptune's legs, she grabbed Neptune's other wrist. With perfect timing on both sides, Maker crossed Sailor Neptune's arms in front of her, making their hands come to the sea Soldier's shoulders. After restraining her, she slipped her hands into Neptune's interlacing their fingers and holding tight. Leaning forward, Star Maker put her lips to the panicking woman's ear in order to whisper gently. "No matter how much you fight me, you will lose the battle, just like you've lost your calm."

Knowing that she couldn't escape the hold being put upon her, Sailor Neptune looked towards the ground with the same worried expression she wore beside the building. Three tears fell upon Maker's forearms when she became silent. She shook her head abruptly and stared at the Seven Green building, yearning for some type of sign.

The feeling of Sailor Neptune's tears was indescribable; all Sailor Star Maker could do was close her eyes. Come on, smartass . . . don't 'take one for the team.'

The power of the two Sailor Senshi grew immensely, so much that the waves from the energy could lift one into the sky and suspend the poor soul in midair. If only those of normal capacity were able to feel those waves. It seemed that the two Soldiers couldn't get enough of smirking to each other as they reached their limits.

Galaxia suddenly closed her eyes, and from her peaceful expression, she seemed to enjoy the feeling of her own energy flowing through her veins. A few moments passed and she opened her crimson eyes while smirking again. "Ready to put your measly power to the test?"

"Of course."

"Then I'm guessing you're ready for me to send you to Hell?"

"You stupid bitch."

The scowl upon Sailor Galaxia's face indicated that the time for talk had passed. Jumping back a small distance, the golden Sailor brought both of her hands before her, launching an incredibly large beam of galactic power. The odd factor of her attack was that after she sent as much of the beam that she could, she materialized her sword and sent it flying in a slightly different direction. Only a millisecond after her opponent launched her beam, Sailor Uranus released her own energy in sphere form by flinging it towards Galaxia with all of her strength.

Neither of them were idiots; they knew that this attack would determine if they would fight again or if there would be no obstacles in each other's paths. What Uranus seemed to know better than Galaxia was that an explosion was going to occur due to the attacks. Since she actually grasped this idea, she jumped to the side, towards the edge. Sailor Galaxia was a little too confident in her abilities, because Sailor Uranus's thoughts were correct — an explosion occurred, bigger than either of them imagined. Sailor Galaxia disappeared by teleport and Sailor Uranus jumped off of the building behind the energy blast.

"What the hell?" said Sailor Uranus in midair. A sword was coming at her. As quickly as she could, she moved to the left to dodge it. She wasn't luck enough to do so — the flawless blade grazed her side. Crying out in pain, she shut her eyes and fell to the ground, oddly tranquil.

The blast of the two energies meeting each other caused an enormous rise in temperature around the building. The temperature change wore down upon the building, cracking it nearly everywhere. Before any of the Sailor Soldiers knew it, Seven Green exploded entirely.

"HARUKA!"