Author's notes are again at the end of this chapter. Enjoy!

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Ichidou - Chapter Four

"Rising Sun"

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(Jupiter)

"And which flunkie are you?" I asked with a grim smile.

"A worthy question," he shot back. "It seems only fair you should know the name of your murderer."

I charged a blast of my own. "I would never die in a fight with you!"

"You hope," was his simple and offhand comment. "I am Tomigu."

"You've got one thing wrong Tomigu," I said softly as the blast grew larger. As it grew, my voice grew louder as well. "I do not hope, I know!" I shouted, pushing my hands forward. Within a few moments, the blast hit Tomigu in the face.

"You're too cocky, Sailor Jupiter," he taunted. Suddenly, he was gone?!

"Jupiter, above you!" shouted Mercury from yards away.

"Naja – Shadow!" came a cry from above.

"Damn!" An attempt to dodge the blackness raining down from the heavens was futile. It struck my entire body at once; paralyzing mind as well as body. The pain was not only agonizing but terrifying as well. Pain burned holes in my mind and seemingly ripped tendon, muscle, flesh and bone apart.

Red was everywhere in the landscape – my line of sight now blurred to shades of red from the pain. "You bastard," I muttered. "Killing me isn't going to help you, now is it?"

Meanwhile, sounds of smaller battles were all around us. Venus was sparring with Jade…and losing from what I could make out from the blurry red shapes in front of my eyes.

A foot now rolled me over. He's going to kill me, I thought. He's too strong…maybe it's better this way… I shook my head, clearing my thought and attempting to clear my vision – which failed.

The same foot once poised above my chest now collided with it. The sound of ribs snapping was not a pleasant one, nor the feeling of having the wind knocked out of me. Surprised I wasn't dead yet, I attempted to get up. Slowly I staggered to my feet, vision still foggy as I held onto my ribs with one arm.

Tomigu looked surprised himself. "You still want more, Jupiter?"

Meagerly, I nodded. "Like I said, I will never die in a battle with you!" With unknown strength I clapped my hands together and cried, "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

Foolishly I fired the disc too high and missed Tomigu's head by mere inches.

"You missed, Senshi," he mocked me as he prepared for another attack.

Please let this work, I prayed – one eye on my disc, the other on Tomigu's growing attack. Seconds later a hint of green caught my eye. Within moments it was only a foot from the back of the enemy's head. I struggled to keep a straight face.

Tomigu flashed a smile. "You think I am stupid enough to fall for such a trick?" The disc of lightning whizzed by his head and missed by only fractions of a millimeter when he shifted his weight.

Only one word could sum up how I was feeling in this moment, so I used it liberally. "Shit!"

A horrible pathetic feeling encompassed my being as I realized that I had little strength left to put out. Only could I defend myself – if anything.

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(3rd person)

"Icestorm Freeze!"

Ice grew from the senshi of wisdom's fingertips and formed into a long staff. Through the early morning sunlight it sent off a reflective glare. Standing taller than her, it was her protection.

"Chivin Destroyer!"

Black ice shot toward Mercury, freezing the ground as it roared toward her. Burnt vegetation turned into misshapen pieces of glass in the passing of the ice.

Hands gripping the staff of ice, Mercury made her move. Now only a few inches away, the girl raises her staff.

Black exploded around the senshi of wisdom, drowning the area in darkness. From behind it there was a cry – the beam was too powerful. In a dynamic blast, the black ice beam imploded; causing black ice crystals as sharp as daggers to spray the area.

Mercury was in no danger – a fragment would fly towards her and she would flick it away with her staff. However, the rest of the senshi were. They didn't know the razor sharp blades were even existent. Kade smiled, watching Mercury deflect the blast he provided.

Feet away, Mars was fighting with another one of Anju's fighters. This time it was a woman, silver haired and fair skinned. She was fast, but Mars was able to cope with the speed.

"Fire Soul!" cried the rave haired girl. A huge spiral of fire consumed her enemy. Before Mars, the silver haired woman merely smiled, although in visible agony of the fires.

"You have your reward, Sailor Mars," she spoke as the fires burnt the flesh of her arms away. The silver haired woman – known as Satasmi – held her hand out, palm outstretched to the senshi of fire. There was no flesh left upon it, now only blackened bone. Yet still usable to convey a message.

"My only reward is your death in these fires," Mars shot back. "You my enemy, are powerless."

One brow rose on the side of Satasmi's face still beholding flesh. "Or am I?"

With curiosity in her eyes, Mars turned around. A black blade was headed toward her? "Damnit!" she hissed. Knowing it was useless, Mars still attempted to dodge it.

While she was moving, the dagger of ice buried itself in Mars' already useless right hand. Only seconds later, the ice crystal dissolved into an acid.

The senshi of fire cried out in pain, losing control over it.

"Mars!" cried Mercury, whom noticed that her friend had been hit. A she turned away from him, Kade took advantage. Raising his hand, he struck Mercury across her face and bruised her left temple with the force of the blow.

Mercury fell to the ground, her consciousness failing her.

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Her enemy struck again, although the senshi of ice was down. Kade prepared a beam of solid ice, ready to bury her for the eternities. If his allies had been more patient, they would have had the opportunity to trap the senshi rather than kill them.

The only senshi that deserved death was the one from the moon, the one that was really Princess Serenity. Her fate had been sealed for millennia, woven by his Lady Haikumei. The disease of death was made by her slave Tomoe…

"You can't finish me off," muttered Mercury with her eyes still closed. "You can't finish me off…?"

"I can," shot back Kade, "and I will. You die now, Sailor Mercury." The familiar black ice was now ready. It rose from his fingertips; thus burying the senshi of ice in her own element.

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(Minako)

I felt a loss. Though driven in my anger to fight Anju's second in command, my heart felt the loss. Pangs of pain shot through my heart. To this, I knew a horrifying fact: two of my friends were dead.

"Your friends are dead," stated Jade with a smile. "You are the only one left, as always."

"What?!" I demanded, uncomfortable.

"She died to save you, Minako," he told me, his features serious. "Anju had you possessed, but the Princess of the Moon save you – never thinking of anyone else."

Jade circled me, smirking. "You knew Serenity would die, didn't you? That if you were in her place you would never do the same for her, never save a member of your own family."

"That's not true!" I cried, hate brewing in my eyes for this evil before me. Yet he spoke partial truth… "I would save her…if I could." I stared hard at the ground in shame.  Usagi died to save me when I should have been destroyed… I thought as I grew angry.

With a twitch of my hand, I conjured a chain of light. "Love Me Chain Strike!"

"What was that?" demanded Jade, contempt in his eyes. "Angry because I know of the truth, that your feeling are so easily read?"

"You will never know how I feel, you bastard!"

Jade smirked at the outburst. "Harsh words coming from your mouth. Maybe I should silence you!"

His hand reached back, gathering energy in his palm. I faced him with my guard up. Jade was doing a good job of toying with my head – something I despised. In the back of my mind I conjured another beam of my own for a counterattack. It would be an instant response.

"Blue Lightning!" he cried, the beam intensifying. The lightning grew volatile and shifted color from black to blue. I tensed, yet the beam did not come.

In those few seconds of anticipation, I became vulnerable to Jade's physical attacks. Knowing this, the enemy made his move.

Jade's free arm stretched toward me aimed for my neck. With one hand he enclosed my entire throat. I could feel his huge fingers pressuring specific locations on my windpipe.

Though a few feet away, his arm receded to its normal length. Jade's hand kept its vast size in order to prevent my escape. "Do you enjoy this battle Venus?" he demanded, one finger place itself on a key area of my windpipe. "You have lost everything, Sailor Venus. Friends, family, even your own soul for a few moments." He paused to let the lightning to dissipate. He did not need it any more – Jade had the upper hand.

"I never thought I would see the day that Minako of Venus would lose a battle," he added. "The original leader of the Sailor Senshi fall, lose such a vital battle."

My captor's eyes sparkled with anticipation. His hair blew back, revealing a scar – one that was millennia old. Unable to stop myself, I gasped.

"You gave me this," Jade snorted, another finger moving itself to another critical area on my throat. "Remember that fateful battle…you for your precious Moon Kingdom, I for the soon to be rulers of the galaxy."

I closed my eyes. Horrible memories returned that I didn't even realize I possessed. The worst an image of Jupiter being torn limb from limb, her blood staining the walkway where Usagi would have met Mamoru in secret. I had failed to save Makoto then, as well as now…

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(3rd person)

"Damn," she muttered, watching dead flesh melt from her wound.

Mars stood alone, facing only the ashes of the once blazing fire. It had dissipated once Satsami was gone; evil purged from the soul. Satsami's cauterized bones were all that was left. Black and charred, there was now no threat.

The senshi of fire attempted to move her burnt hand, but was unable to do so. A round hole as big as a quarter went through her hand. It was now useless because she had been careless.

Mars was immediately struck with a sick feeling, as if she had just vomited up her own blood. This sensation made Mars realize that someone she knew was in danger. It wasn't any of her friends, they were all fighting separate battles. "Mamoru…" hissed the senshi out loud as soon as she realized it. "Damnit!"

The girl took off to where she saw Anju's dark hair reflect the breaking dawn. As Mars ran she noticed the silence. Her footsteps thundered on the walk, over the grass. Only a few hours ago the footsteps would have been drowned out by battle cries. Something was horribly, horribly wrong.

But what was it? thought Mars, her breath heavy with her footsteps and increased speed. She had to protect the only heir left to the Earth, somehow…

Tuxedo Kamen stood unmasked before Anju. A red slash was across his cheek, still dripping blood. His hat was gone – pinned to a faraway tree with a narrowly missed ice dagger.

Anju was in bad shape as well; bruises and slices covering parts of her body. Her black clothing was tattered, her face flushed. "Tuxedo Kamen, I didn't realize you were so pathetic…"

"You killed my whole life, Anju," he replied bitterly. "The one I love. I am fighting to save what she would have wanted to preserve."

Anju grinned. "We have a guest."

Tuxedo Kamen turned to look at Mars. In the seconds this took, Anju struck him in the chest. He fell to the ground in incredible pain.

Before Mars could react, Anju had struck her as well.

"Mars," whispered the woman in my ear as I fell, "learn to respect privacy…"

Moments later, the world went black, my skull smashed…

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Author's Notes:

Brutal, huh?

If you wanted wholesale destruction, blood, and death, you probably enjoyed this chapter. For those that don't, I apologize. This was gruesome, I'll agree. Especially the ending little commentary: Mars' skull was smashed by Anju's blow…

Okay. The senshi are in trouble. If you're paying attention, Tuxedo Kamen and Minako are the only two alive at this point. Everyone else has… well, met a gruesome end to say the least. Anju is insane and is begging to be killed in a similar kind of way…

Oh, and I don't own Sailor Moon. I keep forgetting to post disclaimers. However, I do own Kade, Anju, Haikumei, Satsami, Jade, and Tomigu.

One more thing –

Sorry for all the horrible point of view changes. It just sounded good at the time.

Until next time,

-yuki

P.S.: See that little button down there? Please review!!