Chapter 15
Defeat Rubeus: The Battle in Space
With the capture of Usagi's friends, and Sora's declaration of vengeance against Rubeus, everyone soon took cover in an alleyway, as they listened to Rubeus' message.
"Listen to me, Sailor Moon. Even though you avoided capture with the others, you might as well give yourself up. Face it, without your fellow Sailor Guardians, there isn't much you can do on your own to save your precious city. However, I'll allow you time to think it over, no rush. But I will return to this spot three hours from now, at 3:00AM, and I'll expect you to have made up your mind by then," he said.
Then he vanished into his vessel, laughing with evil triumph as Usagi was unsure of what to do next. Once his ship left the atmosphere, Rubeus stood silently, as Esmeraude arrived with wicked laughter.
"Just idly standing around waiting, Rubeus?" she asked.
"Believe us, you wouldn't have to if we erased both Sora, Sailor Moon, and their pathetic little friends," added Hyena R. Droid, who also arrived.
Rubeus scoffed at them.
"You two fools, wouldn't understand. I want to savor every moment of eliminating those fools. I want them to suffer!" he remarked.
"Oh, is that so?" sneered Hyena and Esmeraude.
Raising his hand, he revealed the four Sailor Guardians held captive and bound in crystals.
"Now that I have these hostages, Sailor Moon is sure to be demoralized. She'll come back, and when she does I will slowly and painfully kill her right in front of their eyes," he said.
"Oh, really? I hope it all goes according to plan, I'll pray for your success," replied Esmeraude, then she vanished while laughing haughtily at them.
"As will I, Rebeus," agreed Hyena, as he too vanished as well.
"Ha, watch me, you two. I'll show you just how powerful I can be," Rubeus said darkly.
At Mamoru's apartment, Chibiusa looked up into the stars above, when Mamoru and Riku approached them.
"Chibiusa," they said.
"Oh, Mamo, I'm pretty sure you're Tuxedo Mask, right?" she said.
"Uh, yeah. I guess it's time to fess up," replied Mamoru.
"Guess I'll just leave you guys be for a while," said Riku.
"Wait, please stay with me, Big Brother Riku," replied Chbiiusa.
Riku nodded and stood beside her, listening intently to Chibiusa and Mamoru's conversation.
"Nothing surprises me anymore, especially after finding out that Usagi is also Sailor Moon," She said quietly.
"By the way, Chibiusa, did you finally return the Silver Crystal Brooch to Usako?" asked Mamoru.
Chibiusa nodded, then pulled the key on her necklace from underneath her shirt.
"I don't know why it didn't work the way it's supposed to," she said.
"And if you did, you would have taken the Silver Crystal with you when you went back to the future, right," replied Mamoru.
Chibiusa looked up at Mamoru, as Riku stood next to him.
"Chibiusa, I want us to stop keeping secrets from each other," he said.
"What's the one thing you'd do if you did bring the Silver Crystal back home with you?" Riku asked calmly.
"It's for mommy. I need the Silver Crystal to rescue her from those bad people," replied Chibiusa.
"Please, Chibiusa, straight answers," Mamoru said insistently.
"I don't know," replied Chibiusa.
"Chibiusa!" Mamoru said firmly.
"Mamoru, that's enough. If Chibiusa doesn't know why the Black Moon Clan attacked her family, then the answer we're looking for might be at the very timeline she came from," interjected Riku.
He turned slowly away, and walked back to Usagi, Sora, and all of their friends in the apartment, who were watching a news report about the ship Rubeus arrived on, on the Television, which soon left the world's atmosphere behind.
"Only thirty minutes left," said Artemis.
"Usagi, What happened to Mamoru and Chibiusa? Where did they go?" Luna asked.
"I think they're up on the roof together," replied Usagi.
But she was still upset about what happened when Riku stepped into the room.
"I guess she's having a little talk with her," she said.
"I know she made it difficult for you and everyone else, Usagi. But you can't blame her for what she's done," replied Riku.
"What do you care about that girl, Riku? I don't care that she's being targeted, I know I should protect her, but I don't feel like doing that anymore after what she did," she said angrily, while gripping the brooch in frustration.
"Usagi, calm down," Sora said.
"I almost feel like handing over the Silver Crystal and Chibiusa over to the enemy, just so I can get everyone back! If she hadn't appeared we wouldn't have gotten into this whole mess, and this city would have stayed peaceful," snapped Usagi.
"Usagi, I don't like the way you're talking like this, do you mean it?" gasped Luna.
"YES I DO LUNA! I HATE HER!" screamed Usagi, and she tossed the brooch towards the window.
"USAGI NO!" cried her friends.
But soon it landed in the hands of someone very important to Aqua, Ventus and Terra, who appeared in spectral form, as it held the brooch in it's hand.
"The Silver Crystal deserves more respect," the man said.
"Master Eraqus," the wayfinder trio said.
Eraqus turned and glanced at them, then looked back at Usagi.
"What are you doing?" he asked her.
"My friends were taken by Crimson Rubeus. I was so angry, and pinned the blame on Chibiusa for what happened to them," sobbed Usagi.
"But she learned her lesson, Usagi," replied Eraqus.
"I know Rubeus is evil, but if I gave him the Crystal and Chibiusa everything would be all right. And then we'd all be happy again, after being spared from his wrath," whined Usagi.
"You'd disgrace Queen Serenity's memory if you did that," countered Eraqus.
"I'm a failure to my friends, even Queen Serenity. I'm going to give up on this, because without them I'm nothing," cried Usagi.
"Well you're wrong. You're letting fear get the better of you," replied Eraqus.
Usagi blinked a tear as she looked sadly on the ground.
What are you most afraid of?" he asked.
"Failing my friends," replied Usagi.
"Because Rubeus took them from you?" said Eraqus.
Usagi was upset to hear that from him.
"But they'll always be with you," he assured her.
"Why would you say that, even though they're gone?" whimpered Usagi, as Eraqus sat down next to her.
"Because they see your spirit. Your heart. Usagi, some things are stronger than fear. Facing it head on is the destiny of those who came and went before you. You're destiny. If you don't face Rubeus, he will mean the end of this world, and the darkness will win," Eraqus assured her.
"I wanted to believe that I was stronger than my real mother, but I'm not," Usagi said sadly.
"Queen Serenity was stronger than we could have imagined," countered Eraqus.
"I don't think I can do it, especially after everything Chibiusa did to draw Rubeus to-" Usagi tried to say.
"You think Chibiusa should be blamed for everything Rubeus caused? You are Princess Serenity, Sailor Moon, and Usagi Tsukino. Fate brought Chibiusa to you for a reason, and it's to help save her mother who is in peril by this Black Moon Clan," interrupted Eraqus.
Abruptly he stood up and turned to Sora.
"There's something that Sora would like to tell you," he said, and vanished back into the young man's heart.
Then Sora slowly but surely walked to her, sat down, and placed a comforting arm around her.
"I know that you're upset, Usagi, but even through all that immaturity, you're stronger than even Queen Serenity could realize. I promise you this, we will get your friends back, and give Rubeus some payback of our own for what he did. I felt powerless once, when I thought that all of my friends had perished at the hands of Xehanort. But they were always in my heart, just like how you and the other Sailor Guardians are in my heart. Even if they're far away, or close by you, they'll always be here," explained Sora.
"Thank you," replied Usagi.
But she received a reassuring hug from Sora, which surprised her.
"We'll always be with you, Usagi. But as your friend, I'll say this. It's okay to cry whenever you want to. Just let all that negativity out of your system," he said.
Usagi wrapped her arms around Sora tightly, and cried in his shoulder, knowing now that he truly did remind her so much of herself and Mamoru. After a several seconds of crying, she pulled away from him, then gave him a respectful smile as Sora gave her something to commemorate their friendship. It looked like a star, but it had shells attached to it.
"What's this?" she asked.
"It's a wayfinder, Usagi. I'm giving it to you because it will help give you good luck. Real seamen used to give this out to people as signs of good luck, when they went on a voyage. Back then, Kairi gave me her lucky charm, because I went to find Riku and Mickey. It was after I saved her, and she saved me. Kairi told me that she'd always be with me through that charm. Even though I knew she was with me, I would always be with her as well. I promised her that one day, after we found Riku and Mickey, we'd all come home to Destiny Islands. And now, you have your own lucky charm. The connection we have with each other means that we'll always be friends no matter what. Queen Serenity's spirit will always be with you, Usagi, and she's also part of my heart. We'll find a way to beat Rubeus together when our hearts are one," explained Sora.
Luna, Artemis, and all their friends nodded in agreement.
"Sora's right, Usagi. You have never been alone, whatsoever," said the dark colored cat.
"Because you have everything you need," added Artemis.
"Sora, can you take Usagi to the balcony while we come up with a plan?" asked Roxas.
"Okay, sure," replied Sora.
Usagi nodded as well, then gently taking Sora's hand they walked out the door. When they stood out on the balcony, something snapped within her mind.
"Sora, I'm just gonna have to take Rubeus head on, If I bring the Silver Crystal along with me, maybe it'll distract him long enough," she said.
"Then I'll go with you, Usagi. Because the old you would just tell you not to do that sort of thing alone without us at your side. So I'm gonna make sure that we beat Rubeus together, and we'll all go home safe and sound. I promise you this, Rubeus will pay for what he's done with his blood," replied Sora.
Usagi nodded, then looked up at the stars, her heart and mind made up, just like Sora's.
"Hang on everyone, we're coming to rescue you now," they said.
Back inside, Luna and Artemis began discussing their plans to try and deceive Rubeus, as Usagi and Sora snuck past them.
"As I see it, our best option is one of us to bring over a fake Silver Crystal in order to buy some time," said the black cat.
"While the other sneaks aboard the spacecraft, and rescues the others before he reacts. But won't he be expecting Chibiusa to deliver it?" Artemis asked worriedly.
"Yeah, but Rubeus would want to see the kid with his own two eyes, Artemis. After all, two cats trying to pretend to be her would only make him blast you two into dust and ashes, which is something that would make Usagi and Sora angry, making them want to seek revenge for your deaths," remarked Axel.
"I suppose you're right, Axel, Rubeus would see through our ruse and have us killed in an instant," said Artemis.
"It was worth a shot, but I'm afraid Axel's right on this one," agreed Luna.
Suddenly, Mamoru burst through into his apartment, followed by Chibiusa.
"The front door's wide open! Where are Sora and Usako? I can't find them!" he said.
Luna, Artemis, and all of Sora's friends were shocked.
"They're not here," said the white cat.
"You don't think that they took off to rescue the Sailor Guardians on their own?" shuddered Luna.
"If they did, Then we'd better go after them," replied Riku.
He turned towards his friends.
"Everyone, we're going after them," he said to the other Guardians of Kingdom Hearts.
They all nodded towards him. But Chibiusa, who was still feeling repentant of her actions followed after them.
"But that's total suicide. Rubeus will kill them for sure!" Luna said worriedly.
Then suddenly Mamoru noticed that Chibiusa and the rest of Sora's friends had left, making Artemis believe that they had gone after Sora and Usagi.
"You're probably right, those guys are on the same wavelength. Man if it weren't for the age difference, those two would be identical twins," Mamoru said with grim determination in his eyes.
As Mamoru ran after them, Usagi had turned into Sailor Moon as she and Sora continued to where Rubeus would be waiting for them. Riku noticed the flash of light, and saw that Sailor Moon had arrived. Deep down, Usagi didn't want to let anyone else get in trouble for what she and Sora were doing, but refused to let another soul be lost to them forever. When they arrived at the spot where Usagi's friends had been taken, Sora and Sailor Moon looked up to see Rubeus' ship descending to the city.
"You showed up on time, everyone, and the rabbit too," laughed Rubeus.
"You mean Chibiusa, don't you!?" Sora called back.
"Chibiusa?" gasped Usagi.
She turned around and demanded to know why the young girl was here.
"Because she wants to redeem herself for what happened to your friends, Sailor Moon. But we'll protect her, no matter what happens. So let's be ready for what happens next after he brings us aboard his ship," Riku said.
"But, if she comes, she'll be doing what the enemy wants," protested Usagi.
Suddenly a shimmering light appeared overhead, and pulled everyone onto the ship, as Sora gave off a determined glare.
"We're too late," Mamoru said in dismay.
"We can't stop them. DARN!" agreed Artemis.
"YOU GUYS!" cried Luna.
On board his ship, Rubeus approached Sora, Sailor Moon, Chibiusa, and all of their friends who slowly awoke after being brought aboard his ship. There they could see Sailors Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter being held captive by the madman.
'What have you done to them!?" Sora and Sailor Moon demanded furiously.
"Nice of you to come, everyone. And I appreciate your bringing the rabbit along as well," chuckled Rubeus.
"You'll pay for this, Rubeus!" Sora said angrily at him.
"Ah yes, Vanitas still lives within you, after he separated from Ven's heart and became part of your heart, Sora," remarked Rubeus.
"Yeah, sure! And even though Chibiusa's with us, we're not giving her or the Crystal to you! Because you'd still kill us all anyway!" Sora said.
"So you're here for revenge, then? Is that why you're here?" Rubeus asked curiously.
Sora clenched his fist in anger, causing tiny droplets of his own blood to land on the floor.
"Wait, Sora!" called Sailor Moon, snapping out of his rage induced trance.
Sora turned back to her, then nodded his understanding.
"To tell you the truth, Rubeus, you're right. We did bring Chibiusa along. After all, your ability to track her movements when her power burst out, or used the time key recklessly, are what lead us up to this moment. But even though you took Sailor Moon's friends, you made a fatal mistake. That's why you'll die here," Sora said firmly.
"Hmph, So you think I'll still kill everyone when Sailor Moon hands both the rabbit and the Crystal to me?" mused Rubeus.
"That's right, and there are three reasons for that. 1: You only cared about yourself, when you cast the Spectre Sisters aside for their failures. 2: You wanted to make Sailor Moon give into fear by making her believe she was nothing without her friends. And 3: Even if she did give Chibiusa and the Silver Crystal to you, you'd still wipe out both this world and everyone on it, due to your unquenchable thirst for power. But there's no way I'm letting you kill Sailor Moon and Chibiusa, and I will not let you take the Silver Crystal from her, even if you killed her after that fact," explained Sora.
"So you think it's about your friends, don't you?" scoffed Rubeus.
"At least I have some! I've become a part of their hearts, just as they became a part of mine and Sailor Moon's. So remember this, Rubeus!" Sora shot back.
Then Sailor Moon stood next to him as he got ready for battle.
"OUR FAMILY IS OUR POWER!" they said together.
.Riku knelt down towards Chibiusa, and looked gently into her eyes.
"Chibiusa, get yourself to safety. This is one battle you don't want to get yourself caught up in, little sister," he said soothingly to her.
Chibiusa nodded hesitantly, then scurried away.
"Okay, bring it on!" Sora and Sailor Moon said bravely.
"You will suffer our wrath," added Riku.
"Because our light will overcome you!" declared Kairi.
"And since you're not good at winning over people's hearts as you believe, there's no point in redeeming yourself," said Roxas.
"Hatred and vengeance will always breed darkness," added Terra.
"You shall pay the price with your life!" cried Aqua.
"This time there will be no mercy!" said Axel.
"Our light will shine strongest, even in the darkest darkness," agreed Ventus.
"And once you're gone, you will fade from our memories!" said Xion.
"That way, no one miss you," agreed Namine.
"So let's finish this," said Mickey.
"Because it's all for one, and one for all!" finished Donald and Goofy.
As the ship rose up and away from Juban, Luna, Artemis, and Mamoru stood anxiously as they all did their best to cheer for them with their hearts. But at the same time, Rubeus had managed to send Sailor Moon flying back.
"That was merely a warm up exercise now you will pay for the bitter experiences that you've given me," he said.
Sailor Moon still got back up on to her feet, as Sora rushed to her side, holding his Keyblade at the ready.
"Try your Moon Princess Halation," he said.
Sailor Moon nodded, and readied her princess rod. But Rubeus was anticipating it, and blocked it with the power of darkness.
"Wait what happened? Moon Princess Halation isn't working!" she gasped.
Suddenly Sailor Moon began to feel heavy. Sora soon glanced around nervously as Rubeus laughed tauntingly at them.
"Shall I tell you what's happening? My ship enables me to amplify my power to play with the forces of nature. You're experiencing my super gravity right now. In case you're wondering, I can do the opposite too," he said to Sailor Moon.
"Two can play at that game, Rubeus!" Sora said bravely.
He channeled his own power within his heart, and looked deep within the memories of his previous adventures.
"FINAL!" he shouted.
In a brilliant burst of light, Sora's clothes underwent a change, revealing his Kingdom Key, and Two Become One floating behind him like a pair of wings.
"Ah, Impressive Sora. but not good enough!" remarked Rubeus.
He sent Sailor Moon upwards, but Sora used the artificial gravity to his advantage, until Chibiusa noticed the dark crystal glimmering with power.
"Where are we?" Sailor Moon asked.
"I thought you'd never ask. Outer space, tens of thousands of meters above this world you live on. It's impossible for you to escape," replied Rubeus.
"Save it, Rubeus! We'll find a way off this ship after we beat you!" countered Sora, as Chibiusa quickly ran to try and save Sailor Moon's friends, with Riku following after her.
She stopped abruptly, when she felt herself feel as if she was struck by lightning, which inadvertently activated her powers.
"Chibiusa!" cried Sora and Sailor Moon.
"Well, it seems that Sora was right about her all along," sneered Rubeus.
But Chibiusa wasn't willing to give up just yet, and she stood up once again.
"I suggest you stop your futile rescue efforts. There's a high voltage shield around them that will zap you in seconds, everytime you get near," he said to her.
But Chibiusa's determination still gave her the drive to go on, as she managed to break through the barrier, despite Sailor Moon and Sora's pleas.
"Well, guess it's just about time to kill you all," Rubeus said to his foes, forcing them to the ground.
Sailor Moon crashed hard onto the ground, but Sora was now on one knee.
"Crawl like some toads, while my gravity grinds you all into muck!" he said furiously.
Then he soon slammed his power against them pinning them to the floor, as he laughed maniacally, and the darkness slowly began to over take him.
"Say goodbye," he said.
But to his shock, Sailor Moon and Sora stood up, withstanding against the power of gravity.
"I'll never give up," she said.
"And neither will I," added Sora.
"We will save our friends, and we will defeat you!" they said.
"That's impossible, you can't stand up in the super gravity field," gasped Rubeus.
"If Chibiusa has the courage to break through your high voltage barrier, then I, Sailor Moon, am determined to find the strength to do nothing less," Sailor Moon said, despite the strain.
"And as Sailor Moon's knight, I say that you've signed your death warrant, Rubeus," added Sora.
"Hunh, you're not as helpless as I thought. I underestimated you quite a bit," remarked Rubeus.
He deactivated the gravity field restoring it to normal.
"I'm going to come at you with my fool power that would normally crush any person left alive," declared Rubeus.
"Let's finish this, Rubeus. We have to stop you, even if that means killing you," replied Sora.
Then he and Sailor Moon unleashed their strongest attacks against each other, causing a power struggle to occur between them. At that same instant, Chibiusa soon saw the crystal, and grabbed hold of it. It zapped her once, but she still held on with all her strength.
"Everybody's here because of me. So it's my responsibility to set things right and save them all," the young girl said.
Then she began pulling with all her might, withstanding any pain as Rubeus blasted Sailor Moon and Sora back. But when he turned around, he tried to stop her from removing his exposed power amplifier, only for Sailor Moon and Sora to strike back with even greater power from their combined might of Moon Princess Halation, and Ultima Beam.
"Stubborn fools!" snapped Rubeus.
"Now Chibiusa, do it!" Sora and Sailor Moon called out to the young girl.
Chibiusa nodded, and with great strength, pulled out the amplifire, which sent Rubeus flying back.
"Cursed fools," he hissed.
When the power went off, the four Sailor Guardians awoke, and realized they had been set free.
"Does anyone know where we are?" Sailor Venus asked.
"I do, Sailor Venus. We're inside Rubeus' ship. The very place he held all of you captive. But at the same time, I'm just glad you're all okay," replied Sora, as he hugged the love Guardian.
"I'm sorry, this is all my fault," Chibiusa said as she crawled to them.
Everyone comforted the young girl as Sailor Moon staggered towards them.
"I'm also glad you're all okay," she said to them.
Rubeus laughed despite this happy reunion.
"You think everything's okay now? You fools, this ship is out of control and is going to blow up at any given moment. And when that happens you'll all become space dust," he said sadistically to them.
"Why should we believe you?" demanded Sailor Mars.
"That would mean your gonna end up the same way," added Sailor Jupiter.
"Exactly, I won't ever be able to return to the future. However, I'll have the satisfaction of knowing you'll be coming along with me," cackled Rubeus.
"If so, you've already lost, Rubeus. So consider this your burial at sea," replied Sora.
Explosions began to erupt around them, as flames burst out from the floor.
"We'd better think of a way out of here, quick. Or we're all going up in flames with him," Sailor Mars said.
"Even in a ship like this, we'll still find a way off together," replied Sora.
"Sora's right, you guys. There is a way, But it's a long shot," agreed Sailor Mercury.
"I'm with Sailor Mercury on this one. If you all use Sailor Teleport, and combine your powers with our keyblade magic, we can get out of this ship in one piece," said Terra.
"It may be risky, but we don't have a choice, even with Chibiusa at our side," replied Sailor Mars.
"If we put our hearts and minds together, I believe it's possible to make it work. We have to take that chance and try," explained Sailor Mercury.
"My energy is just fine," agreed Sailor Moon.
Then she turned to Chibiusa and told her to concentrate with her heart and mind connected with their own. The young girl nodded, and was even promised a special treat for their return trip home, which made her smile.
"It's time to abandon ship, guys," Sora said.
One by one, the five Sailor Guardians, Sora, Kairi, Riku, Roxas, Xion, Axel, Namine, Aqua, Terra, Ventus, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy all focused on the connection with their hearts.
"SAILOR TELEPORT!" everyone cried out.
Then they all vanished in a flash of light, leaving Rubeus to go down with his burning ship just as Esmeraude arrived with her haughty laughter alongside Hyena.
"What a mess Rubeus," she said.
"Ah, Esmeraude, Hyena, you came to check up on me, and I'm so glad you did. Now take me back to the future with you. We need to hurry, this ship is going to explode in two minutes," Rubeus said in desperation.
"Oh tough luck," Esmeraude and Hyena replied, swatting his hand aside.
"But why?" he asked.
"It's because you allowed Sailor Moon, Sora, that pathetic child, and their friends to escape alive. But there's no point in us saving your pathetic life from the burning flames of death, Rubeus," guffawed the cybernetic Keyblader.
"You're a truly pathetic specimen," they said together.
"Our glorious clan has no place for an incompotent man who has failed in his mission. Do us all a favor and vanish with this ship," finished Esmeraude.
Then she and Hyena disappeared into the dark corridor, laughing maniacally at Rubeus who cried out in desperation.
KABOOM!
Rubeus' ship soon exploded in a burst of light, and everyone looked up as they saw the brilliant flash of light.
"We did it!" cheered Sora.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and exchanged hugs and handshakes with each other in celebration of their victory.
"Hey, Sailor Moon, don't forget you promised me hotcakes with syrup, and I want the best kind that are made from scratch," Chibiusa said to Sailor Moon.
"Usagi is a horrible cook. I think you'd be better off settling for take out," mused Rei
"Nope, I don't want that," remarked Chibiusa.
"I'll make 'em, But I can't promise they'll be edible," Usagi said.
"Not if Little Chef can help you out, Usagi," grinned Sora.
But everyone just laughed happily, after earning their victory. But somewhere in the other timeline, Esmeraude stood before another man who wore a white royal garment with dark violet cape.
"Prince Demande, it was just more than Rubeus was able to handle," she said to him.
"In the end, his lust for power, and his obsession for killing them proved to become his undoing," added Hyena who stood beside her.
"Distressing, but I thought he was more capable than that," replied Demande, as he held his glass of wine.
He then glanced down at his charge, from the throne.
"Well then, Esmeraude, you have to see to it that you don't repeat Rubeus' failures," he said.
"Yes, my lord. You can count on me and Hyena," replied Esmereaude.
As they vanished into the darkness, Prince Demande soon glanced upon the image of the woman resembling Usagi.
"Everything I've ever wanted will be mine. Everything," he chuckled to himself, holding his glass before him.