CHAPTER 13

Germatoid and Mistress 9 were preparing to extract Darien's heart next while the four girls were all trapped in Kaori's hair. Eudial had carefully placed Serena's locket in her bag along with her beating heart and was eagerly watching the proceedings. Uranus and Neptune were also quietly observing uneasy awaiting to see when whoever Sailor Pluto was sending from the future would arrive.

Before the demons could use Cenecienta to extract Darien's heart a small figure with pink hair similar to Serena's materialized a few feet away. She was dressed in a Sailor Scout uniform and she held a small pink stick with a crystal heart attached to it. "Hold it," she cried. "I have been sent from the distant future through the Door to Time by my dear friend Sailor Pluto. I am Sailor Mini-Moon and in the Name of the Future Moon Kingdom on Earth, I will save this past world and punish you."

Darien gasped. "Rini!"

Raye cried, "It must be her," and the others all shouted her name. Serena of course, was in no state to even register her future daughter's presence, let alone recognize her.

Germatoid turned Cenecienta around and turned to face Rini. "I will take care of you little girl. Your heart will also be ours."

Rini raised her weapon. "You asked for it. PINK SUGAR HEART ATTACK!"

Some little pink hearts emanated from the stick but they didn't seem to do very much. Rini was a little nervous but she kept her cool. As Germatoid raised Cenecienta's slightly broken arm revealing a black star underneath the shoulder, she suddenly remembered what her parents and Sailor Pluto had told her. "Oh yeah. Get in close."

Taking Germatoid completely by surprise she unexpectedly ran straight towards Cenecienta firing off her weapon again. The pink hearts hit her left leg at the knee shattering it off and she toppled over smashing the arm that was already chipped. The two demons had to concentrate hard to keep control of Kaori and Cenecienta. Mistress 9 yelled at Eudial. "Stay alert and ready for action. We'll use this zombie here to destroy her. Make sure you keep the heart safe."

While Serena rose blankly advancing towards her own daughter Eudial instinctively reached inside her bag to feel her prized items. But to her consternation she felt nothing. Disbelieving she stared inside frantically probing the contents but they had vanished. They materialized in front of Rini. "Don't worry Mummy. I've been told what to do. MOON CRYSTAL HEALING ACTIVATION!"

Rini handled the Silver Imperium Crystal expertly and Serena's heart re-entered her body before Germatoid or Mistress 9 realized it. Serena turned back to normal a few feet from Rini and blinked her eyes.

"Rini? What?"

"No time for talk Mummy." Rini concentrated hard and Serena's locket began to glow and change shape. It became a red and golden heart-shaped brooch. "I've upgraded your crystal's power. Take it and say Moon Cosmic Power."

Serena took the brooch and opened it up revealing the Silver Crystal inside. "MOON COSMIC POWER!"

She transformed into Sailor Moon before everybody's eyes and she immediately turned and ran to Darien still entrapped in the crystal. "Sailor Moon!" He gasped as she took hold of his hands sticking out and suddenly they began to glow and everything around them seemed to vanish.

They found themselves apparently standing just outside the grand palace in the future on earth. Darien was no longer encased in crystal and he and Sailor Moon seemed to be inside the bodies of their future selves, the rulers of Crystal Tokyo. Holding hands they spoke to each other.

"I'm sorry dear Serena. I did not realize when I declared us to be broken up until you shaped up in your scholastic acheivements it would disrupt the delicate time link to our future. My powers as Tuxedo Mask were lost to me and I could not regain them. I jeopardized our future and the birth of our beloved daughter."

"It's all right now my sweet Darien. Sailor Pluto realized the discrepancy and warned our future selves. They sent our Rini through the Door to Time to restore our relationship and your powers. I have the power to do that."

Letting go of his hands she removed her tiara and it became a very different looking scepter to the Moon Scepter it used to before. It had a heart with a crown on its top.

"My scepter is upgraded and with it I hereby restore your own powers to you."

She touched him with it and he became Tuxedo Mask once more. Then they returned to the present apparently only one second after disappearing and he jumped at Kaori swinging his cane. It sliced through her hair releasing the other girls before Mistress 9 could react and they in turn transformed in mid air landing on their feet ready for battle.

"MERCURY STAR POWER!"

"MARS STAR POWER!"

"JUPITER STAR POWER!"

"VENUS STAR POWER!"

Germatoid shouted out of Cenecienta's broken body on the ground. "Eudial! Go get the other witches and our zombie army!"

Eudial was shocked to attention while peering dismayed into her bag and she obeyed without speaking.

In the meantime Mistress 9 proceeded to regrow Kaori's hair and lash it out and Germatoid raised Cenecienta up on her remaining knee and stump.

As the hair whipped out Sailor Mars counter attacked.

"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!"

Kaori screamed in pain and terror as the rings of fire seared her hair and scorched her body and clothing where they brushed her.

Meanwhile Sailor Venus used her whip of golden hearts chain against Cenecienta just as Germatoid attempted to shoot more liguid crystal at Tuxedo Mask from her mouth. It struck her hip chipping a big piece out of it and she collapsed again.

Sailor Moon was powering up her improved scepter attack and fired at her just as the Witches 5 were materializing with all the zombie army.

"MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!"

As she beheld what looked like a giant pink heart sailing towards her, Cenecianta's face twisted in fear as Germatoid relinquished his control. "Mummy! Auntie Eudial! My Daddy!" As the force smashed into her her last word was piercing. "HOTARU!"

Her body vanished completely leaving not even a single crystal piece. Back home Hotaru suddenly began to cry hysterically. "Hotaru! What's the matter now?" asked Steering as her sisters all ran to her side. She would not be comforted bawling her eyes out.

"S-something really has happened to Cenecienta. I c-can feel her. I-i-inside m-me."

"Surely you must be wrong," said Scar. None of them said another word though. It was obvious Hotaru was beyond comfort.

Meanwhile all the witches heard Germatoid speaking to them. "Send our zombies to destroy our enemies utterly."

Though most of them were rather shook up aqt what had happened to Cenicienta they obediently directed them magically and they advanced outstretched.

"How can we fight these innocent people?" cried Sailor Moon.

"Don't worry. We will help you." It was Sailor Uranus who had spoken and as she and her companion emerged into plain sight, Sailor Neptune said, "I will drive them back as gently as possible."

"NEPTUNE DEEP SUBMERGE!" Sailor Neptune sent a huge wave of her magic water that struck the zombies picking them up and sending them back towards the dumbfounded witches.

Sailor Mini-Moon said, "Hurry and use your Moon Cosmic Crystal Healing Mummy. It is powerful enough to restore all these people."

"MOON COSMIC CRYSTAL HEALING ACTIVATION!" No sooner had Sailor Moon uttered these words then all the hearts that were previously secured in the witches magic cabinet were transported via the power of the moon. Before even Germatoid or Mistress 9 realized all their zombies had their hearts restored and were normal humans again.

They wasted no time in commanding the Witches 5 to retreat and they all de-materialized, including Kaori, still under control of Mistress 9.

While the people were all getting their bearings Tuxedo Mask quickly ran away at his superhuman speed. It was typical of him to always avoid prominent public attention and Uranus and Neptune did the same. However Rini stayed with the rest of the Scouts.

Molly and Melvin were the first ones to come to their full senses. "Suh-Sailor Moon!"

"W-what has happened? Molly and I were accepting our lover's trophy. I can't remember exactly what happened next."

"Me neither."

Sailor Moon said, "You were all taken over by some powerful malevolent force. But the Sailor Scouts and I have set you free. With the help of our newest team member." She indicated Rini by her side.

Melvin, Molly, Jamie, Mr. Yardman, his two associates, Anthony the mechanic, the concert violinist and the three random people who had been taken at the train station all wanted to know who Rini was. She introduced herself as Sailor Mini-Moon. They all cheered and clapped their hands joyfully. Greg looked at Sailor Mercury, smiled and winked. She smiled back. She knew that Greg had known this would eventually happen when he took her place at the swimming pool.

Things were the opposite of happy at the Tomoe's residence. Eudial had reported that some strange girls in fancy uniforms had attacked them and killed poor Kaori and Cenecienta. Hotaru's sisters all wept bitterly upon finding out her precognition had been right. Professor Souchi Tomoe was devastated, but in his grief he seemed to get a weird twinkle in one of his eyes that shone behind the lens of his glasses and he went megalomaniac in his speech and actions.

"My children! Auntie Eudial has survived to tell us about the attack upon our family! This must not go unavenged! I have plenty of blood samples saved from your dead mother and I can get started right away making new sisters from them with this oven device! I have plenty of items to use! Such as a drum, a tea-kettle, a gramophone, a microphone, a comic book and even a door! They shall never know their mother or their sister Cenecienta, however I shall train them to fight and destroy those murderers and I expect you all to help me!"

"We will Daddy." Scar declared.

"I shall use the ninja techniques Auntie Mimette has instructed me in," Osoji vowed and they all swore vengeance through enraged tears of grief.

Meanwhile down in their hidden underground chamber the Witches 5 were all standing around the magic cabinet which had housed their collection of hearts. Now there was only one heart ominously pulsating and nearby stood Kaori Tomoe staring blank-eyed and moaning like the zombie she had become.

Mimette asked, "But why didn't Germatoid protect Cenecienta from being killed Mistress 9? We could have healed her body magically."

Mistress 9's voice answered creepily. "Because when we broughtall our zombies we thought we had enough power to destroy the enemy and we wouldn't need to keep her. Besides we were planning that she and Kaori would never come back alive in any case."

Mimette had to stifle a gasp and Eudial said, "You had it all planned from the moment I took them with me."

"Precisely Eudial. Losing all our victims was unanticipated so we saved Kaori to start again from scratch. Now Germatoid has possessed the Professor and intensified his grief to insanity. He will get more hearts and destroy those meddlesome girls for us. Eudial. We appoint you to take full charge of this new phase in our mission. I will accompany you and the creations on their battles."

"If they knew Kaori was down here, they'd all be intensely furious," said Mimette.

"But they're not going to find out, are they? Not that you would say anything despite your inherent stupidity Mimette. You're in on this like the rest of your friends."

Mimette gulped as the truth of Mistress 9's statement hit home.

Addressing Eudial she went on, "At all costs you will bring back replacements for our zombie army. If any of the creatures, new or even old, get killed during the events we will not save them. From this moment on they are expendable without exception."

Byruit and Cyprine both felt their hearts skip a beat. Byruit thought about Scar and Nekonelle and Cyprine thought about Dovlin. Mimette was also aghast thinking about how much Osoji had grown to love her while she had helped her learn how to fight like a ninja. None of them said anything though. They feared Mistress 9. Tellu smiled coldly while Eudial pledged her oath to succeed.

"You can count on me Demonic Masters."