Begin PARobot Block
AUTHOR: Kage Musha
EDITOR: XrazielX
TITLE: Eternal Guardian Sailor Moon
PART: 8
PARTTITLE: Decisions and Returns
CATEGORY: Series
COMMENT: Taking place two years after Sailor Stars...the Hikawa Shrine is in chaos…and now a new warrior has appeared…what conflict will ensue?
End PARobot Block
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ETERNAL GUARDIAN SAILOR MOON
不朽戦士セーラームーン
CHAPTER 8: THE STALKERS SET UP BASE. BALANCE'S DELIVERY SERVICE.
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In the throne room of the dark palace of Nemesis, its queen sat quietly hidden in the unnatural darkness that seemed to flow from the planet. While her form wasn't moving, her eyes seemed transfixed on a cloud like image of the Sol System and the muffled, static voice that flowed from said image.
"MERCURY…AQUA RHAPSHODY!"
The monarch heard the voice of a female a moment before she heard a grunting sound from her seeker shaking the attack off. This was soon followed by the sound of something being ripped from the earth and destroyed. The creature's angry roar soon followed, apparently having missed its target. A few long seconds later and the monarch heard it speak a name she had not heard for eons.
"Baaaallllaaaannnnssseee." The seeker hissed. Moments later and it was destroyed.
The entire sequence of events had confirmed her suspicions. There were senshi now active on the planet earth. Worse of all, the Guardian of Balance was also active on that planet as well. This changed the entire scope and time frame of her operations. Also if the senshi already had those crystals…
"STALKERS, TO ME, NOW!"
In the depths of the darkness of the room, two silhouettes appeared. Both of them slowly fell to a kneeling position a few feet away from the base of the throne. Both silhouettes had their heads held low and eyes to the ground.
The queen's focus fell on the two before she stood, her feminine silhouette swayed slowly as a pale hand belonging to her moved in and out of the darkness. She stopped short of the two, and held her hand out into the light. In a shower of swirling black and purple smoke and shadows, a long slightly s-curved black metallic staff slowly came into being. The staff seemed to have small markings on it, which glowed as the smoke slowly filtered from it. Smoke that was moving away from the center to both ends. At the base near the floor, a small five pointed black metallic pike appeared. Meanwhile, at the top of the staff, the smoke cleared away to reveal a long, black curved blade that also seemed marked with runic symbols. In all, the weapon that the monarch now held was a very nasty and very deadly looking scythe.
She pointed the blade towards the two kneeling. "What have you to report my stalkers…Anubis…" The light filtered in to reveal one of the stalkers kneeling before her. Its entire body, which was think and sleek, seemed to be made up of a black armor and covered with various Egyptian hieroglyphic symbols. The only thing uncovered, was its upper body, which instead of a humanesque head and face, found one that was black and shaped to be like that of a jackal. It head now looked up and stared upon its queen.
"…and you…stalker Osiris." Like Anubis, a light entered and pulled away the darkness revealing another figure covered in armor. Unlike Anubis, this figure was much larger, more muscular, and his armor seemed more fragmented. This was different compared to Anubis', whose was more like several pieces that connected like a puzzle into a whole. However, like Anubis the armor didn't cover the head, but as Anubis' head was a jackal's, his was in the shape of a ram. He kept his head lowered, even though his mistress spoke his name. He was also the first to speak.
"Our search has not been fruitful my queen." The gruff voice of Osiris spoke. "We have yet to find the crystals."
The scythe slowly rose as their queen took in what they told her. She stepped back focusing on the chamber around them, and the thousands of orbs that lined its walls. She motioned her scythe to a specific set of a couple of dozen or so of those orbs. Those specific orbs which were contained in a golden case. In that case, three orbs were missing.
"STALKER ANKOU, AWAKEN!" From the case a single black orb with a white crescent moon with the points downward marked on it floated from the case to a position between the two stalkers and the queen. A purple plume of smoke shot from it and began to spiral around the orb. The smoke soon grew, becoming a large column which before the sound of a ghostly wail resounded. A second later, the smoke vanished and in the place of the smoke and the orb was a kneeling figure. The figure's face and form seemed to be hidden underneath a large brim felt hat. His body also seemed to be hidden under an old tattered brown colonial style coat. Its hands were covered in grey worn gloves.
"Thou hast summoned me, my queen?" A raspy and shrill voice asked.
"Yes." The woman's voice responded as she raised her scythe. "I have a task that I want the three of you to complete since it is apparent that Anubis and Osiris will be unable to oversee this completely alone." She noted the two seemed to glance up briefly before lowering their heads. "It seems that there are active Sailor Senshi on Earth. I want you to learn if they have received the power of those crystals. If they have…it will be impossible for us to separate them from it. Watch them Ankou, test them occasionally, but beware…the Guardian of Balance is also active. Osiris, begin collecting the soul cores of the humans on that planet. Anubis, you on the other hand, with the seekers, continue to hunt for those crystals. If those senshi do hold them, your mission will change. At that point go challenge the sailor senshi to help Ankou collect data as well as allow Osiris the time to steal soul cores. She motioned to the other orbs, the seekers are here at your disposal, you can call them when necessary. Now go."
The trio nodded simultaneously before they were engulfed in a black-purplish light and vanished. A moment later a single onyx orb vanished from the collection around the room. The Queen stared at the scene, staring off into space for a moment.
"I have a task for you too, Koschei" A pair of eyes pierced the darkness close to the thrown behind her. "Explore the system. Find out what happened to the other planets. The cry of the dead souls is strong within this system. I want to know what caused it."
"At once, my queen." A ghostly voice responded. The pair of eyes vanished from site, leaving the queen alone in her darkened chamber.
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Kage's black motorcycle raced through the streets of Tokyo and through the afternoon traffic of the day. By now schools had probably already released most of their students for the day. If he was lucky he would have an opportunity to see her. At least if his information on her current location was correct. If he didn't he could at least talk to those there and find out what happened. There was a lot he was unsure of.
He shifted his weight on the bike, revving it up and sped through a yellow light. He was so focused on getting to his destination that the sudden ringing inside is helmet caught him off guard. He frowned inside his helmet as he recomposed himself on his bike and studied the HUD that was appearing in the corner of his helmet visor. It was one of those devices that his company was planning on marketing to cyclist throughout the world. It was like a motorcycle helmet in every aspect except more cushioned for impacts. It also worked with the bike itself, giving readout of the speed, gasoline mileage, and even included its own MP3 player. Also, it included a voice interface to his cellphone using Bluetooth technology. The current ringing going throughout his speakers were to signify that someone was calling him.
"Identify caller." Kage spoke as he changed lanes and avoided another vehicle. The HUD displayed a name and number which Kage briefly studied before shifting his bike slightly. "Answer." Kage waited a moment, listened, and frowned. "I see and what do you want me to do about this...great….your good for delaying me...What do you mean have I noticed..." Kage's eyes narrowed as he noticed a sudden shift in the light of the area, "...Great...Where do you want to meet...I'll be there within moments, Kage out." Upon that command the line ended leaving Kage racing through the streets. It seemed that now he was going to be on the clock.
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"This place will be quite suitable to our needs" Osiris' voice echoed throughout the dust covered living room. The current room he and his two companions were now standing in.
"I agree, it is quite removed." A feral voice, one belonging to Anubis added. "This would make a perfect base of operations while we are here on Earth."
Ankou turned to stare at the two stalkers, sneering at them. They had only happened upon this place because of the strong negative aura surrounding it. The place which they had discovered was a two story estate hidden in a small clearing in a forest beyond the limits of downtown Tokyo. The estate appeared to have an unnatural fog of dark energy rolling off the walls and into the surrounding area. Inside, it had appeared to have been abandoned for years going by the thick layer of dust covering the furniture throughout the place. In the garage adjoining the house, held a 1984 Red Ferrari Testarossa, also covered in a thin layer of dust, though they would really have no use for such a strange vehicle.
Ankou turned away from the two and stared outward towards Tokyo.
"We needest begin." Ankou's raspy voice ordered.
"We will begin when we are good and ready Ankou." Anubis snarled. As an onyx crystal orb appeared into his hands. "RISE SEEKER!" Anubis tossed the orb from him, watching the swirling energy before a shadow of the orb itself expanded out from it, cracked in streams of white light, and 'hatched' something from its contents. The creature that emerged from it looked like a humanoid, feathered bat. Its body stood tall and erect like a human, however, its entire form was covered in feathers that had a metallic glint to them. Its face was like that of a bat, with large sharp, pointed ears, black beaded eyes, and a snout. However, while the face was not covered in feathers the rest of the head was, including an impressive multi-colored feathered crest. While it had arms, attached to those arms were wings more similar to those to a bat, yet also covered with feathers. It's feet appeared to be made similar to those of most bats as well.
Anubis turned to Ankou, his black eyes staring hard at the stalker before focusing back on the seeker. He held his hand out summoning a long thin staff. He held the staff outward as an area which looked like a bird's eye view of Tokyo came into being. The scene changed, tightening on a young man with black stringy hair and in a high school uniform sitting on a beach. The young man's hand opened slightly to reveal a dark blue orb. That same hand closed again, tightening and obstructing the view of the orb.
The image faded and Anubis motioned at the seeker. "Time to go hunting."
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Usagi's eyes focused solely on the blond head of Minako with a very small hint of worry, mild confusion, and strong concern. At the moment, Mina seemed absolutely normal. She was currently talking about the English assignment she had received. She was mentioning that it was too early to be forced to write a report for class, even if it was an advance class. While this wouldn't normally raise questions, it was what Mina wasn't discussing and actively avoiding which bothered Usagi.
Usagi studied Minako, waited, and decided on what she was going to do. "Mina-chan, how did your and A..."
"OH! There's Ami and Mako-chan, let's catch up!" Minako exclaimed, cutting Usagi's words off."
Usagi's eyes glanced in the direction of where Minako was looking. Her eyes soon spotted the two standing on a corner about a block away.
"Eh?" Usagi uttered as she felt Mina's hand grip down on her arm. The next thing she realized was her arm, followed by the rest of her, being pulled, or dragged, towards the other two girls.
Ami and Makoto eyes widened as they stared at Minako and the wailing Usagi as they arrived at their location. Ami was the first to recover from the scene as she glanced at Usagi and shook her head sadly.
"Usagi-chan," Ami began, as she watched the blond now cradling her arm and glaring at Minako. "Are you alright?"
"She's fine," Minako interjected with a wave of her hand, and causing Usagi to give her an even harder glare. A glare which Minako had yet to notice. "So..." She continued. "Where's Rei-chan?"
Makoto shook her head a small chuckle escaping her lips before she answered. "She's going to meet us along the way. She had to remain a little longer at the school to take care of a few things." Makoto shrugged. "Since we have to pass her school along the way, it shouldn't be much of a problem."
Ami's eyes returned to Minako. "Mina, did you speak with Ashe-sensei about the meeting?"
"I wonder what Setsuna wanted to speak with us about?" Mina blurted out, completely ignoring Ami question as she walked ahead of the group.
"Minako wait," Makoto said as she sped up to walk besides Minako. "Mina, you did talk to Ashe, right?"
She glanced at Makoto quickly nodding. "However I'm more curious as to what Setsuna wanted. I'm wonder if Rei-chan knows. Let's hurry up and get there so we can find out."
Makoto frowned as Mina began to walk faster. She stopped, waited for Ami and Usagi to move beside her and kept their pace. Ami was already frowning and glancing at Usagi, whom was nodding. Mako shot Usagi the same questioning look. The blond motioned from where they were to the direction of the school, causing the brunette to frown.
Usagi let out a sigh as her thoughts went along the same lines as the others. It had been their experience with Minako that there were two strongest possible indications that she was uncomfortable with a subject. The first was when she focused on any subject but the one that bothered her. The second was when she ignored anybody talking about or bringing the subject up to her. Usagi just wondered what happened between her and Ashe to bring this about.
At this point in time, Usagi knew of only two people that would get her out of this mood. Ashe, if she ever decided to talk with him about it, and then Artemis. He'd known Minako longer than any of them and he would be the best one to get her to open up. She glanced at Ami and Makoto, noting that they appeared to have the same idea. It was set, when they saw Artemis at the meeting she would talk to him.
A frown crossed Usagi's face. She decided that she would have a conversation with Ashe to find out what exactly happened between her and him.
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Hotaru navigated her way through the busy halls of the middle school she was now attending. She unfortunately now had her entrance exams to look forward to. Entrance exams which her teachers were already beginning to push for them to prepare for. She let out a sigh as she made it to the main entrance of the school, placing her shoes on and then moving outside.
"FIREFLY!"
Hotaru's eyes widened as they glanced towards the direction of the voice. Those eyes soon spotted a red sports car with Haruka leaning beside it.
"HARUKA-PAPA!" The young girl exclaimed as she rushed over to the taller blond and threw her arms around her. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to pick you up." Haruka shrugged nonchalantly.
"I meant, why are you here to pick me up?"
"After you left for class, Setsuna called a meeting with all the senshi. Usagi and the others are going to meet up with us over at our home."
Hotaru placed her bag into the car before dropping her voice to a low whisper. "Do you think it has something to do with these attacks?"
"I think so...Setsuna has been...different, since that being in black appeared." The older woman responded as she entered her car. She waited till Hotaru entered before continuing. "Hopefully she'll be able to give us some answers on what we will be facing."
Hotaru nodded as the car engine started before speeding off and away from the school.
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The shutter lense of a camera closed, moments before Haruka's red sports car sped off from the school. A few seconds passed, and that camera was withdrawn into a tiny gray coupe and into the lap of the man driving the vehicle. The man was wearing a button up striped collared shirt along with a pair of brown dress pants. He turned towards the back of his vehicle, reaching for a black camera bag in the rear seats, pulling it towards the front and sitting it in the passenger seat. He removed the zoom lense, placing it in the bag before removing the memory stick from the camera and placing the camera in the bag as well.
He turned the bag, opened a side pocket, and pulled out a large palm pilot. He checked the sides of it before finding a hidden slot and inserting the memory stick into it. A few seconds later a folder appeared on the desktop screen. The man moved the cursor to the folder opening it and revealing the shots taken by the camera. Those photographs began going through a slide show routine. They soon revealed themselves to be pictures of the school and were followed by pictures of Haruka in and out of her car, pictures of the license plate of Haruka's car, and finally, pictures of Hotaru moving towards Haruka, and then finally, the both of them leaving in the car.
The man smiled and watched as the pictures repeat the cycle. These pictures were exactly what his benefactor wanted. His benefactor also being the man whom who bought him the high tech equipment he was using now. This equipment was far more than he could or would be able to afford for a long time. Even if he saved up after he managed to pay for all his bills and expenses. It was a perk for working for those richer than himself.
He activated the palm's wireless internet feature. A few seconds later he had connected to his benefactor's satellite system and network. He logged onto a direct connection and began to upload and send the file. A few minutes later, the file was sent and seconds later the file was received.
The man chuckled as he started the car. This was the final bit of information he could provide without upright performing something illegal. He doubted his benefactor would need his services for anything concerning the case after this. Either way, in the end, this was by far, the most lucrative case he had received in a long time.
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Kage Musha stared at the palm pilot device in his hand as he placed his helmet on the seat of his bike. The private investigator he had hired had performed his task far better than he could have hoped. He had given him everything he had asked for and more. Now it was time to finally make his move and take matters into his own hand.
He tucked the pda into his jacket pocket and stared towards the building he was suppose to meet his contact at. The building was a run down house on the edge of the city that was supposedly cursed. Not that he really worried about curses or such matters. He after all, had a unique perspective on such things. What did bother him were the strange unnatural shadows in the area.
He let out a sigh. There was no point in worrying about them now. After he was over with this, he still had his own personal mission to accomplish.
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Gatsuko Konno was scared out of his mind.
His day had been pretty uneventful. He had gone to school and ditched early, having this irresistible urge to go to the ocean. He had been sitting there, staring out into the ocean for hours before he realized it. The only reason he had come out of it was because of this orb currently in his hand. It had struck his bare feet, far colder than the coming tide, and a far darker navy blue then the rushing ocean waters. He had held the orb which had a white droplet designed symbol that appeared to have water moving in it. Water that was forever changing and rough like the stormy sea, something like a maelstrom.
It was minutes after he gazed into the orb, held the orb, and decided to leave with the orb, that he was attacked. This creature, which looked like a large feathered humanoid bat, appeared from out of nowhere and almost ripped him from the ground. It was after he had dodged the first attack that he heard someone bark orders to the creature. He felt a shift in the air around him and dodged to the ground, just as the creature once again tried to grab him. It was then that he spotted the black armored dog headed warrior. Who shouted at the creature again.
He groaned and pushed himself up again and started running towards the street on the road. He took a chance and glanced behind him. He noticed the creature hovering in the air, its wings wrapped around its form. He was just about to cross from the dune area that separated and hid the street from the beach shore when pain exploded across his body. He felt the orb fly from his hand, watched it roll across the ground, and saw it stop in front of the path of a group of girls.
He didn't have another chance to ponder this thought as pain exploded in his lower back and he fell into unconsciousness.
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Usagi let out a cry of surprise as a young man suddenly fell to the ground in front of them with what appeared to be several wounds along his body. A moment ago, all of them, including Rei, had just gotten off the bus to go to the home of the Outer Senshi, when he appeared. A second later she saw a dark blue navy orb rolling to her feet. Before she could kneel down and pick it up, she heard the boy cry out in pain and looked up just in time to see what looked like a feather piercing into his lower back, before vanishing.
She let out another squeak of surprise when the creature showed up and glanced at him before turning its attention in their direction. It let out a high pitched sound before beginning to take flight and rush towards them.
"MARS...FLAME SNIPER!"
Usagi fell backwards as the creature moved to strike, only to watch it forced to shift its movements to avoid a flaming arrow rocketing past it. Her wide eyes glanced back behind her to see, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars posed in an attack form watching the creature.
Mars eyes then fell onto her briefly before looking back up to where the creature was now moving. "Hurry up and transform Odango-atama."
Usagi glowered as she reached for her Eternal Moon Article while standing up. She stuck out her tongue towards Mars before raising the item into the air. "MOON ETERNAL, MAKE-UP!" In a shower of bright silver light, Eternal Sailor Moon stood tall, staring at the creature, whom had stopped to watch the transformation, dumbfounded.
"For love and justice, I'm the pretty soldier in a sailor suit, Sailor Moon. In place of the moon, I'll punish you!"
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The creature stared at her for a moment before it released a screech. It flew higher into the air, closing its wing around its form, before spreading them wide and launching several of those feathers through the air.
"Watch Out!" Jupiter shouted, causing the other senshi to leap out the way. In the process, though, Sailor Moon tripped, however, somehow managing to avoid the attack. As Jupiter landed, her head turned, while the rod from within her tiara rose out of it, generating small electrical sparks. Her eyes focused on the creature as she brought both of her hands together in a clap before pulling them apart, with bolts of lightning traveling between them both.
"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" She cupped her hands, bringing them to her side and winding the up. A second later she pitched a ball of electrical energy towards the creature intending to take it down.
The creature though, had other plans. It shifted its weight and with a flap of its wings, avoided the attack. It eyes now focused on Jupiter, it prepared to launch another of its attacks towards her.
"VENUS...LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"
"MERCURY...AQUA RHAPSODY!"
The creature's eyes widened as it was forced to shift to avoid the spinning, streaking heart from Sailor Venus and then the icy cold whips of water that were produced by Mercury.
"DEEP SUBMERGE"
The creature turned, just in time to be struck by the crushing pressures of a planetary shaped orb of aquatic energy. The creature let out a screech as it body shook and convulsed before it fell to the ground, no longer moving. The other senshi's eyes quickly shifted away from the fallen creature to see Sailor Neptune in the distance still in the pose of an attack.
"NEPTUNE!"
The member of the Outer Senshi eyes focused on the group of girls before she dropped her pose and smiled. Leaping into the air, she landed beside the other senshi. "Your lucky Luna and Artemis both have excellent hearing. However I think it's time you finished it off, Sailor Moon."
Moon nodded, moving towards the creature, passing Mercury whom had her mini computer out and along with the use of her visor, was scanning the creature. With the Eternal Tier in one hand, a shimmer of light produced the Rainbow Moon Chalice in the other. She stopped a few feet in front of the creature, combined the chalice with the Eternal Tier, and held the Tier in front of her.
"SILVER MOON..."
A sudden beep from Ami's computer and an image appeared on her visor. Her eyes widened. "SAILOR MOON, LOOK OUT!"
Moon's eyes stared in shock as the creatures head rose and its beady black eyes stared directly into her own blue ones. Its mouth opened before releasing a supersonic screech which forced her hands to her ears and her body to its knees. The other senshi followed suit quickly, dropping to their knees as well from the pain and forced to cover their ears. Around them, street lamps began to shatter from the noise, and the force of the sound began to kick up the sand on the ground that was blown in from the sea breeze of the beach. That sand which was now whipping across their bodies.
"Augh…" Mars moaned as her head felt like it was going to explode. In a pained look, she caught a glance of the creature as she watched it stand, opened its wings, and try to fly again. However, from Neptune's attack, it's wings had seemed damaged and pain shot through its form. This only caused the power of it's voice to increase.
"Will someone PLEASE shut it UP!" Jupiter growled through gritted teeth.
"I..." Venus words were cut off as her eyes caught a violet blur followed by a navy blue blur drop down in front of her. Her eyes closed briefly and when the reopened, she barely caught the glint of a blade swing upwards. Due to the noise though, she did not hear the words that followed.
"Silent Wall!"
The screeching noise was cut off without suddenly. Mercury stared at the creature as it stopped confused. Her visor soon picked up a sudden spatial distortion in front of them. This distortion created a wall in front of them which stopped all energy from passing through to where they were. Also on the visor, the energy produced by two other senshi was present. Her eyes turned to the new senshi present.
"Saturn...Uranus." She said softly as she recovered slightly and began to steady her form.
The two senshi standing there focused on the creature, watching as it noticed that its victims were moving and recovering from the attack. Saturn nodded to Uranus as she pulled the glaive back and the effects of the invisible barrier vanished. The older senshi at the same time lifted her hand and focused on the creature.
"WORLD SHAKING!"
From Uranus, the wind picked up as a golden orange planetary orb of energy with a ring around it appeared. She held the orb before dropping and slamming it into the ground. It raced along the ground pass the senshi and towards its target. The creature had just began to open it wings in an attempt to fly when it struck, causing it to convulse again before throwing it back to the ground.
Uranus turned her head towards Sailor Moon, watching her stand on shaky legs. In her hands was the Tier. She pointed it towards the creature.
"SILVER MOON..." Silver energy in the form of feathers exploded upwards from around her. She held the tier up in front of her, which began to erupt with powerful yellow and silver beams of energy. "…CRYSTAL POWER KISS!" The beams of energy then shot from the tier and towards the creature.
"I think not." A raspy voice spoke from above the senshi. A black beam struck the creature first, causing it to shrink and return to its original black orb form. The orb continued to be surrounded by that energy when the attack from Sailor Moon washed over it, exploding into those silver feathered forms of energy around it. However, when the process was over, the orb remained before floating upwards and into the grey worn hands of a being dressed in strange clothing.
"ANKOU!" A ferel growl erupted from ahead of the senshi. Their attention turned from the being above them to the black armored, jackal headed warrior whom was now standing over the boy. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!"
"Accomplishing the orders of thine queen, Anubis" It answered. "As well as collecting the resources to do it. Like thy should be doing."
"I know what I should be doing." Anubis held his hand up, showing the orb within it.
Sailor Moon's eyes widened as she focused on the crystal held in Anubis' hand. While the other senshi were fighting with the creature, she had snuck over to the boy. Checking to make sure he was alright, she had then placed the blue crystal beside his form as to not lose it in the battle. Afterwards she had quickly moved to return to the others and help finish the battle.
She was about to speak, when something black streaked across her field of view. Anubis let out a sudden cry of pain and was forced to release the orb, which flew into the air and landed a few feet to his side. The object, which had struck him, now stood still where it had pierced the ground. That object being a rose in full bloom, but with petals of white and black.
Sailor Moon's eyes quickly searched around for the source of the rose. The rose, which was a call sign of the man she loved. The call sign of Tuxedo Kamen.
Uranus and Neptune too seemed to be frantically scanning the area for the source of the being who threw the rose. Their minds remembering the last time they encountered such an object. Both wanting to give its' owner their own special kind of thanks for his 'gifts' from their last encounter.
Anubis growled as he cradled his hand and searched for his offender. Ankou too seemed intrigued, his movements apparently scanning the area as well.
"Anubis," Ankou began, "get the crystal."
Anubis growled again but receded, moving to pick up the crystal. However, before his hand could grasp hold of the object, two more of the roses flew out. A budded version of the previous one thrown, drove into Anubis' armor. The other, another bloomed one drove into the ground at the base of the crystal. This caused it to fly into the air on a arc, and into a waiting gloved hand of a man dressed in black standing on a sand dune.
"The Guardian of Balance." Neptune muttered, barely loud enough for the others to hear.
A cool sea breeze blew in, causing the folds of his coat to whip and sending the golden flecks of sand into the air. His lips held a neutral expression on them as his head was turned in the direction of Anubis. The rest of his face was again covered by an unnatural shadow.
Anubis howled in anger from the rose not only piercing his armor, but for this being that dared to stand in his and his empress's way. He glared at Balance as he let out a howl. He held his hand to the side, summoning his staff before charging at the being.
Balance on the other hand stood relatively still and unalarmed. A cold smirk slowly began to cross his features as the stalker charged. It was a smirk Uranus recognized all to well. Her eyes quickly fell to the rose as she watched it began to open it's petals and bloom.
Ankou's eyes also noted the smirk and returned to his 'partner.' He noted the roses' reaction and shouted. "Anubis, ye fool. The rose!"
Anubis though either didn't hear him or didn't care. His arm was already poised in a position to strike and the staff in a motion to crush the being's skull in. That was when the rose fully bloomed and released the terrible energy Uranus and Neptune had felt before. Anubis' eyes widened in shock as the charge rushed over his body. This made his strike sloppy, which the guardian easily avoided. Using the opportunity, he grabbed a part of the armor and gripped the staff hand of Anubis. Balance then, using the momentum, shifted his body slightly and flung the stalker into the air, he completed the motion and watched the now air born creature.
Anubis though, recovered from the throw as well as the dying effects of the rose. He hovered in the air, turned and was prepared to move to attack the guardian again when Ankou appeared in front of him and stopped his charge.
"Anubis stop!" He ordered as the other stalker stared at him angrily. "Tis no more reason for this. That is not one of the orbs are Empress wishes us to seek."
"Are you blind Ankou?" Anubis growled. "it has a symbol in it's core."
"Tis true, but it does not react to their presence." He pointed out. This forced Anubis' eyes to focus on the crystal. The crystal did have a glimmer from the setting sun, but other than that, it held no other glow, signifying a reaction to one of the senshi present.
Anubis let out another angered sound before pulling away from Ankou. His eyes turned to focus on the Guardian. "We'll finish this next time." With that statement his body vanished. Ankou glanced at the Guardian as well before he too vanished.
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With the two stalkers gone, the senshi's focus fell on to Balance. Sailor Moon's eyes fell on to the crystal in his hand. She paused, thinking for a moment before preparing to take a step towards him.
"Thank you..." his head turned slowly towards her as he focused his attention on the group. Before she could take another step towards him Her path was intercepted by Uranus and Neptune.
"What are you doing here?" Uranus demanded in a tone less than friendly.
His attention focused on her. "Oh it's you. I do realize that our last...meeting didn't go as planned, but is that any way to treat a guest? You might not like me and for good reason I might add, but let us at least be civil." He began to move towards the boy. "After all, I've done nothing to provoke attack yet." He reached the boy, knelt and placed the crystal into the boy's pocket. "Either way, I'm only here to return something that I have found."
"You have returned the crystal. You should leave...permanently." Neptune responded.
He smirked. "Yes, I returned the crystal, but I only retrieved it from a thief. No, I have something that I believe you all would be far more interested in."
"There is nothing you have that we would ever be interested in." Uranus spat.
Balance crooked his head. "Really?" He held his hand out in front of him. At the same time a black bolt fell from the sky and struck the ground in front of his form. This forced all the senshi to take on defensive postures as they watched the bolt. A long moment followed as something formed and the bolt began to dissipate. In its' place, now gripped in Balance's hand was a long silver staff with a garnet orb at it's top. A staff that seemed to have a striking similarity to a key's shape. This elicited around of shock and confused expressions from the other senshi.
"Is that the Pluto's Garnet Staff?" Moon asked?
"Mercury...?" Mars asked focusing on Balance.
The guardian's attention turned to Mercury and a frown crossed his features as he watched her scanning his form with that computer and visor.
"It's the garnet staff." Neptune confirmed as she held up the Aqua Mirror and showing its reaction to the other talisman before them.
Uranus' talisman, the Space Sword, was suddenly pulled from whatever subspace pocket it was kept and now was held in a ready position. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH PLUTO!" She shouted in anger.
"Nothing." Balance responded, remaining calm. "Didn't I say I FOUND something and I was GOING to return it."
The youngest of the senshi suddenly stepped forward, her eyes seemed filled with anger at the prospect of something happening to Pluto.
"Bring back Pluto now!" she growled in anger as she hefted the glaive and pointed it towards him.
The Guardian focused on her and for the first time and pair of glowing silver eyes appeared from the darkness of his hood. His entire posture changed, from what appeared relaxed to a tensed hostile present.
"You, little senshi, will NEVER have the right to tell me what to do." He said in a clear cold tone. His voice lowered for the next words though as the garnet orb pulsed, "Senshi of Destruction"
------------------------------ooOoo------------------------------
Saturn stared at the Guardian. Stared into his glowing silver eyes and felt a sudden pang of fear. However she held the glaive fast, angered that he might have done something to Pluto. Angered that he knew where she was. She remained fast.
However his posture changed as he was focused solely on her. His voice, before though monotone, held some form of amusement in it. That voice now was as cold as ice and far more emotionless. Those glowing eyes drew her in. His words were drowned out by crimson filling her vision. The fear strengthened, and she closed her eyelids tightly as images suddenly appeared before her. They were images of the guardian running a long black katana through her body with rage filled eyes. He then leapt back from her, ripping the weapon from her body. Her eyes glanced down to the wound before moving to focus on her glaive. The blade of the glaive which was now covered in crimson blood. She screamed, throwing the glaive away from herself as her hands clutched the wound. The last image she saw was that of the guardian rushing towards her in a motion to finish the job. Then everything went black.
------------------------------ooOoo------------------------------
Uranus eyes widened in horror as she saw Saturn suddenly stagger and grip her head. A moment after and she let out a piercing scream before throwing the Silence Glaive away and collapsing to the ground. The guardian of Balance stood there with a cold look as he stared upon the girl the garnet orb pulsing.
"SATURN!" She heard Neptune shout as she rushed towards the girl and she held the weapon to strike.
"THROUGH THE GUARDIAN STAR OF TIME AND SPACE. I BESEECH YOU..." The Guardians words boomed as the garnet orb pulsing became regular.
"SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" Uranus swung the sword in an arc, launching an arc of golden energy towards the Guardian.
"...OPEN THE GATES OF TIME AND RETURN THAT WHICH HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM IT!" He finished as the staff left his hand and hovered before him. The staff pulsated again just as Uranus' attack connected and was nullified. Sand suddenly begin lift and start to cyclone around the staff and Guardian.
She watched as Neptune pulled Saturn away and behind Uranus as Jupiter, Venus, and Mars stepped up in line with her. Venus nodded to the older senshi and Uranus held her hand up.
"VENUS...LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"
"JUPITER...OAK EVOLUTION!"
"MARS...FLAME SNIPER!"
"WORLD SHAKING!"
The senshi launched their attacks at the cyclone and the results were the same, only the cyclone began to spin faster and grow traveling up into the sky as a special distortion appeared above it. A few more seconds and the cyclone was gone. There hovering in the air was the garnet staff. The guardian was gone as well. However in his place was the unconscious form of Pluto on the ground. A second later the garnet staff fell and vanished.
------------------------------ooOoo------------------------------
Haruka stood in the hallway of her house and leaned against the wall before angrily slamming her fist into it. Balance was going to pay the next time she saw him. Pluto and Saturn, Setsuna and Hotaru, had yet to awaken from whatever he had done to them. Also, it appeared that both of their enemies were far stronger than they were. That Anubis character had just shrugged off one of his roses. Those roses which had taken both her and Michiru out of a fight easily.
After that, they had agreed that they would wait to have their meeting till the weekend. They had also agreed that Balance was a threat to them. Though she could tell Mercury seemed reserved on making that agreement. They had moved to return home afterwards. Jupiter helped her take Saturn and Pluto to her car and they, along with Usagi and Minako went to the house. They had left Mercury to take care of the boy and make sure he would be alright. After the girls had grabbed Luna and Artemis she took them back to find Mercury frowning.
Apparently, the creature that had attacked them earlier, had attacked the boy. While he held no outward physical scars, those feathers of his had severed the spine. Without Saturn, the best they could do was take him to the hospital but it was doubtful he would ever be able to walk again.
In her opinion, this day couldn't possibly get any worse. It was at that moment the doorbell rung. Haruka let out a loud sigh of anguish and defeat. She turned walked to the door an opened. On the other side of the door stood what most women would consider a handsome man. He had long silverish-black hair, which was tied into a ponytail, its length though was undetermined as most of it was tucked into a motorcycle jacket. His facial feature gave him the appearance of being a young man in his late teens or early twenties. She glanced beyond him, spotting a black motorcycle.
Not just any motorcycle, but one that appeared design for racing. Haruka thought to herself as she glanced back to the biker. She glanced back at his face and the serious expression on it.
"What do you want?"
She watched his eyes as he studied her. He took a moment before speaking.
"You must be Haruka Tenou. My name is Kage Musha and I've come to pick up my cousin, Hotaru. Hotaru Tomoe."
Haruka stared at him and sighed. Things had just gotten worse.
-To be continued...