Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 1: Dark Kingdom.
Episode 11: Nemesis.

By Razor Knight
Last update: May 18, 2010
Last edited: May 24, 2017

"Things are almost too quiet, don't you think?"

Hotaru looked at Kage with her usual emotionless face. "I don't believe the youma have left this area. Pluto would have told us if that was the case."

"You should smile more, you know?"

"You've told me that before. A dozen times, at least."

"Doesn't mean it's not true."

Hotaru nodded. "I suppose you're right. I'll go for a walk, if anything happens, I'll contact you."

"Okay, have fun," Kage said as Hotaru walked out. That girl was quite strange, he wouldn't deny it. But he still liked her. He wouldn't tell her, though, because he didn't want to complicate things. Their mission was too important, so he'd just wait. After the current war was over, he would try and figure out what to do.

"Heard the last rumors about the Senshi?"

Usagi couldn't help but smile at that. "Sure I have. They saved Naru from a monster."

Naru nodded. "They're amazing. They always know where the monsters will attack, for some reason."

"Must be one of their powers," another classmate said.

"Or they're fake and it's all set up like that," the tall girl a few seats behind Usagi noted.

"Karin, they're real," Naru said, "I've been saved by them... I could feel how my energy was drained when those monsters got me. Yesterday's one was strange, though, he didn't attack a crowd, just me."

Karin shrugged. "Hey, sorry, but I'm a 'see to believe' person."

"Well, I hope you keep your skepticism, then," Terry noted, "I for one wouldn't risk being attacked by some super monsters just to see if the Senshi do exist."

Usagi didn't hear the rest of the conversation. Her mind had registered what Naru said, and she was surprised she hadn't noticed it. Youma always targeted crowds, why had this one singled Naru out and attacked only her?

Nei Furita looked on as the students passed by him. He was sure he had felt something from one of them today... There, she was the one. "Chie Wanako, her energy today's at its highest. How unfortunate for her, today Taurus is the chosen sign."

After school, Usagi was walking home, and took the chance to ask Ami about the youma's strange method.

"I wasn't there while the youma was still alive," Ami admitted, "but you're right, they're doing things a different way."

"Maybe after the beating we gave him, Jadeite's made a change of plans."

Usagi almost jumped at the voice. "Terry? When did you get here?"

"I am a ninja. Ninja are silent and deadly."

Usagi ignored that. "Hey, maybe it's a new General? Luna told me there were several of them. If Jadeite failed so much, maybe his boss decided to replace him?"

Terry smiled at that. "And what would they do with him, Usagi, encase him in crystal and send him to where he can't screw up their plans anymore?"

"That sounds silly," Usagi noted.

"Hey, Luna said something yesterday I found quite strange."

"What was it?" Ami asked.

"She said no normal weapons could harm youma... But I stabbed through one of them with my swords."

"Maybe they're not normal," Ami guessed.

"Hakko hinted that," Terry noted.

"Maybe Luna will know," Usagi said.

"I may or may not know," Luna said from behind Usagi, making her jump.

"What's with everyone doing that today?" Usagi snapped.

"I'm a kunoichi cat," Luna joked.

"So, what did you mean you 'may' know?" Terry asked.

"I need to examine your swords first," Luna said. "I take it you don't carry them around?"

"No, I can't make my suit and swords out of magic like you girls..."

"That's a mistake," Luna noted, "Senshi suits don't really appear out of thin air. They are stored in a sort of pocket dimension until they need to be used."

"Well, what the heck... I guess Sam won that bet."

"In any case, I can examine those swords after next battle," Luna suggested.

"Hmm... No need for that," Terry said, then talked to his watch. "Hey Sam, are you near the school?"

"I was running some errands, sir, but I'm going back in a few minutes. Why?"

"I'm thinking about bringing some friends home. We're five blocks west of the school right now."

"Understood. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Good." Terry turned to the girls and noticed their stares. "What's the problem?"

"First time I'm going to a boy's house," Ami admitted with a slight blush.

"I've been to Umino's, but he doesn't count," Usagi said.

"I've never invited anyone over except for Hana," Terry said, "but I consider you my friends."

"Hey, what about Rei?" Usagi asked.

"We could go to the shrine and ask her," Terry said.

"Hope she's not busy."

Several minutes later, the three girls and cat stood in front of the gates of Terry's "house."

"This thing must have its own ZIP code," Usagi noted.

"Or three," Rei added.

Terry waited until his butler opened the gates. "Welcome to my humble home."

"This is humble?" Rei asked with a smirk.

"Just wait until you see it from the inside."

As the girls walked through a corridor, they realized he hadn't been joking. "Hey, aren't rich people's houses supposed to be packed full of antiques?"

Terry shrugged at that. "To me, an old jar's an old jar. Dad's the same, I guess. However..." He stopped in front of a door which didn't look too different than all the other doors they had passed by, "I do collect antiques."

As he opened the door, the girls (and cat) gasped. Inside were enough weapons (both melee and ranged,) for a small army. "You collect weapons?" Rei asked.

"I've used one of each type to train," Terry admitted, "I'm not just a lousy swordsman, I'm also a lousy spearsman, a lousy bowman, and even a lousy axeman if I have to." He noticed the girls looking at him questioningly. "Hakko says self-criticism is the way to excellence."

Luna chuckled at that. "In any case, where are your swords?"

Terry walked to a wall where two familiar swords were mounted. "Here they are." He picked them both and placed them on the ground. "Dad bought them for me when I started training. He says they're rumored to belong to an ancient ninja clan."

Luna touched one of the swords, and it lit up with a cyan hue. "As I thought."

"So, what's with the light?" Terry asked. "It never did that before."

"Swords belonging to an ancient clan? You could say that. Ninja? Not quite. These are two of the Dragon swords."

"The what?" Usagi asked.

"Sailor Senshi use their transformation wands until they're ready to activate the transformation on their own. The Dragon swords work the same way, for the Dragon Senshi."

"Dragon Senshi?" Rei asked. "What's that?"

"The male version of a Sailor Senshi," Luna explained.

"So these guys... Run around wearing tight leotards and short skirts?" Terry joked.

Luna shook her head at that. "Their suits are different, but the purpose is the same. They serve as armors and have a spell which keeps their identities secret."

Terry looked at the sword, which was back to normal. "Think I could use them?"

"The swords choose their warriors. Of course, they always choose between the descendants of one of the royal families of each planet, so if you are sure you're a direct descendant of the Saturn or Mercury royal families, then..."

"What happens if I'm not the one and still give it a try?"

"A normal human's body cannot handle that much mana. It would fry you from the inside," Luna said.

Usagi gasped. "Then don't do it."

Terry smiled. "Of course I won't. I like living. It's one of the few things I do right."

"I'm not a fan of weapons, but still," Ami admitted, "this is a quite impressive collection."

"Too bad we're not good with weapons," Usagi noted.

"I can use a bow," Rei corrected.

"And you, Usagi..." Terry said, "here." He showed her a bladed disc much like her tiara. "You could use that one."

"I only use the tiara as a Senshi, I'm not..."

"Senshi powers adapt to the person using them," Luna noted, "that's why I couldn't tell you what exactly you had to shout to call forth your attacks. Your skill with that tiara is yours alone, not a consequence of you being a Senshi."

Usagi gingerly took the 'disc' and tossed it, aiming it at one of the walls. It hit right between two poleaxes, just as she had intended it to. "Wow... But I thought those things always came back?"

"That requires practice," Terry noted, "and they're meant to slice, not stab, so the hit should be sideways if you want it to return to you."

The girls looked on in disbelief as a group of small, wheeled robots rushed in, sweeping around the room, and leaving as silently as they had arrived. "What was that?" Usagi asked.

"Robot maids. They don't complain, they don't suck up to you, and they get their own food from any electric outlet in the house. And they leave no spot dirty."

"So it's just you and Sam here?" Rei asked.

"Yeah."

"Don't your parents come visit you?" Luna asked.

"Dad hasn't showed up here yet, he's busy with work back at the States," Terry said.

"And your..." Luna said before noticing Terry's mood change. "Nevermind."

"She's been gone for years," Terry said, "she was a 'sailor' too, loved the sea. There was a storm one day, and they found the yatch drifting in the middle of nowhere. She was never found."

"Sorry I asked."

"Don't worry. Back to the subject of weapons, I think I'll have to come up with something besides my sword. Having no ranged attacks is annoying."

"What about some shuriken?" Usagi said, "to keep up with the ninja pattern..."

"I'm no good at throwing those," Terry admitted. "I'll think about something, eventually."

Hotaru peeked around the corner, and saw her senses hadn't deceived her. As she reached her hand out, a small artifact appeared in it. "Orion, I'm three miles east of your location. There's youma activity in here."

Kage's voice could be heard through the artifact a second later. "I'll be right there."

Hotaru scanned the area with her eyes. As usual, civilians were too busy either running away or being frozen in fear, so she wouldn't have to worry about witnesses. "Saturn Planet Power." Just as Saturn's transformation was finishing, Orion appeared near her. "I guess things have stopped being quiet," Saturn commented.

Orion looked at the youma, who was too busy draining civilians to notice them. "We can't attack it where it's standing."

"Agreed," Saturn said. "Hey you, mindless drone."

The youma heard that voice and turned around. "Sailor Saturn and her pet. Nice."

"Hey, who are you calling a pet?" Orion snapped. "Come here and fight us, freak."

"Why go there when I can just..." The youma didn't finish his phrase, instead shooting a pair of fireballs from its palms.

Orion dove to the side and smiled. "Oh, I see. That's why he looks like a salamander."

Saturn glared at the youma. "I suppose this means we'll have to fight it where it stands."

"But what about the civilians?"

"They won't be a handicap if that youma doesn't move," Saturn said, then whispered something.

The youma laughed. "If I don't move? Well, isn't that amusing!" He felt something grab his feet and looked down. A pair of skeletal hands were clutching his feet, keeping him from moving. "Hey, what the heck..."

"Grim Edge."

Orion saw the youma vanish as the attack hit it. "Good, that's been dealt with, now..."

"Now, you die," Aurite said as she appeared in front of them.

"Grim Edge."

Aurite slapped the attack away. "Please, girl, you know that won't work if I see it coming."

"That's true, but it's still an excellent distraction. Lightning Crash."

An electric arc shot from above, knocking Aurite down to the ground. "What... That wasn't Orion."

"Amazing deductive skills."

Orion turned to see another Hunter standing near them. No, not just 'another' Hunter. "Prime Huntress Sagitta, what are you doing here?"

Sagitta looked at him. "Contrary to what other Hunters may want you youngsters to believe, we Primes do have social lives. I was on my way to visit an old friend when I heard about a monster. I must admit, this one's quite ugly."

"That's no normal youma, that's a General," Saturn noted.

"Is she? It can't be, she was affected by such a low-level spell."

Aurite snarled at that. "You bitch, what the heck was that?"

"Just a bit of electricity, dear," Sagitta said calmly, "may I show you what one of the three strongest Demon Hunters can do when fighting for real?"

"Wait, she's..."

Orion shook his head. "Saturn, don't worry. She'll take care of Aurite."

Saturn finally caught on what Sagitta had said. "Wait, is she like your mother?"

"Yes, she's one of the best."

"If that's the case, then this might be entertaining," Saturn admitted.

Aurite glared at the woman. A lowly human mage, talking to her as if she was just a weak youma? She would make this woman pay for her insolence. "Die!"

Sagitta smiled. "Astral Guard."

The General stood frozen for a second. What had just happened? The beam had shot from right under Sagitta's feet, but that barrier stopped it. How did she do that?

"See, you've got a lot of power, I can admit that much," Sagitta said, "but I have eyes all around this city. I've heard of what you can do. I know how your attacks work."

"That's just a bluff," Aurite said, "try this one!"

Another beam shot, this time from behind Sagitta. "Wind Buckler."

Again, the beam was stopped. "How in darkness...?"

"As I said, I have eyes watching your battles, Aurite. And I know exactly what the trick is with your attack."

"Still bluffing," Aurite snapped.

Sagitta closed her eyes and reached her left hand out to the side. "Poison Arrow."

Aurite's eyes widened, and then she vanished. Saturn was about to say something, when she heard a scream from the side, and saw Aurite rushing in, straight at Sagitta, an arrow embedded into her shoulder. "Die, human!"

"Not today," Sagitta said, her arm still aiming in the direction Aurite was coming from. "Sagitta's Kiss."

Aurite stopped dead in her track, her eyes widening. The arrow had suddenly started shining with a sickly green light, and it was now clear what it was for. She fell to her knees, clutching her chest as waves of pain shot through her body. "This... Isn't over, witch."

Saturn flinched as she saw Aurite vanish. "Did you kill her?"

"No, I just made sure she won't be able to fight for a few days."

"What did you exactly do?" Orion asked.

"Aurite's attack isn't really to have blasts appear from any direction. When she starts her attack, the Aurite you're seeing isn't the real one. She leaves an illusion behind to make you believe she's still right in front of you."

"I couldn't sense her anywhere except for where I was seeing her," Saturn noted.

"Your senses aren't still as good as they should be," Sagitta explained, "you would need to train for years before you could 'see' Aurite as I do."

"She's right," Orion said, "I've been training for a few years and I didn't notice Aurite wasn't there."

"What was that last attack?"

"The arrow wasn't really meant to disable her," Sagitta explained.

"But that 'Kiss' attack afterwards," Saturn guessed, "was."

"Yes. That's the strongest poison spell we Hunters know. It causes any poison in the target's body to increase its strength tenfold."

"Nice," Orion said.

"I must leave now," Sagitta noted. "And so should you. Farewell."

Saturn blinked as Sagitta vanished. "She's stronger than me. Why don't the Demon Hunters take care of youma too?"

"I'm not quite sure," Orion admitted, "but you should realize that she's not stronger than you. You're weaker than her."

"... I don't follow."

"It's simple. You're at your first 'level' of power. Sagitta, Hades and Aries are the strongest Demon Hunters alive... And they aren't much stronger than a third level Senshi."

"Oh. That means I've got a lot of room for improvement."

"You're already quite a warrior, Hotaru."

"Thanks," Saturn said with a smile.

"There, you did it again."

Saturn sighed. "You're a bad influence for me, that's all."

Karin was confused right now. The Senshi and these 'youma' were just fake, weren't they? Then how was it one of them had just drained her friend to near death, and was now snarling at her? "You bully, I'm not going to forgive you for what you've done!" she snapped at the creature. Bully was a fitting word to use here, since the monster did look like a bull. A humanoid bull.

"Stupid human girl, your energy is worthless, but I will drain you too if you insist!" the bull snapped back and charged at her. Much to his surprise, the human leapt to the side and punched him as he passed, sending him crashing to the ground. "How in darkness..."

"Did anyone mention darkness?"

The girl looked up at the same time the monster did, and saw a Senshi was standing on a nearby rooftop. The suit was like those described by her classmates, but the skirt and neck were black, and the bows were a dark shade of gray, almost as black as the skirt. "What the... Sailor Moon?"

The Senshi smiled at that. "No, not Moon. Nemesis."

"Nemesis?" The youma was shocked by that name. She was one of the strongest Senshi, if he was to trust legends. But this couldn't be the same one, it had to be a fake. "I will destroy you."

Nemesis leapt off the roof, landing near the youma. She had jumped from a three stories high building, Karin noticed, and hadn't even winced as she landed. "I doubt you can even hit me."

The youma snarled at that, and charged forwards. Nemesis waited until the very last second before she leapt aside, and the youma hissed by.

"Giving me your back is not polite," Nemesis noted. "Dark Core!" The creature veered left at the very last second, barely avoiding the dark ball. Nemesis wasn't expecting him to dodge, so she had no time to leap away.

Karin looked on as the bull crashed into a fashion store, dragging Nemesis along. "That one had to hurt."

"What's going on?"

She turned to see Chie trying to stand up. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I feel like a bull run over me," Chie muttered. "Where is it, anyhow?"

Just then, the 'bull' came walking out of the store. "Nemesis, stop hiding!"

"Oh, but why would I? Shadows are my element, after all," Nemesis voice said from somewhere inside the store.

"Hey, you dumb monster!" Chie shouted as loud as she could.

The youma turned to her. "Shut up, humans. I'll get you once I'm done with that weak Senshi."

Chie smiled. "No, you won't. As I said, you're a dumb monster."

"Dark Core!" The youma realized his error a split second before he felt the hit. Nemesis walked out of the store, and looked at the two girls. "Karin, you should get your friend to a hospital."

"I'm okay," Chie said.

"Trust me, it's better if you go see a doctor, just in case."

Karin realized something. "Hey, how did you know my name?"

Nemesis blinked at that, then smiled as she remembered what Moon had told her the first time she saved her. "We Senshi know everything."

"Uhm, right," Karin sighed. "I'm not going to question that. After all, I didn't think you existed."

"I have to go now, but I bet we'll meet again," Nemesis said, the leapt back to the rooftop she had first appeared on, and rushed away.

Karin saw Chie walk away. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'm going home. I'm fine, really!"

"I'll get you to a doctor even if I have to drag you there."

Chie sighed in defeat. "Okay, let's go."

"That was good for a first battle."

Nemesis looked at Shade. "Too bad the other Senshi didn't show up."

"They were probably looking for the Princess."

"Well, I suppose I'll talk to them next time."

Next morning, Terry walked in to find the classroom was mostly empty. Naru and Umino were there, along with Karin, but he had apparently arrived a bit too early. "Morning, ladies."

"Sure, forget about me," Umino muttered. "Karin here was telling us about what happened yesterday after school."

Karin nodded. "I'll have to eat my words after this, but some bull-like monster attacked Chie."

Terry rose an eyebrow at that. The Senshi were all with him after school. "What happened?"

"I tried to fight it, but it was strong. Some girl calling herself Sailor Nemesis showed up, though, and saved us. I would say it was all fake if I hadn't seen her shoot some black energy ball at the monster."

Sailor Nemesis? Terry would have to ask the girls about it later on. "Is Chie okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine, but she's resting at her house for the day. You know her?"

"Chie Wanako, cheerleader squad's captain, and the leader of my now mostly gone fan club," Terry said.

"I'll tell her you asked about her," Karin commented. "And don't worry, she's not going to stalk you again."

"I'm not worried, I'll just hire some hitmen and have them shoot down any girl following me," Terry joked. At the others' stares, he sighed. "I was joking."

"You're a weird guy," Karin muttered.

"I know. It's part of my charm."

"... And then Nemesis left, she said."

Ami and Rei both looked at Terry in shock. "So there's another Senshi around?"

Usagi was confused "Nemesis? I thought Senshi were named after planets?"

"The Moon is not a planet, but a satellite," Terry noted, "but you're right, there's no planet Nemesis."

Luna smiled. "Nemesis, of course. The Senshi of Darkness. Her planet is outside Pluto's orbit."

"Isn't darkness evil?" Usagi asked.

"No element is evil on its own. Fire can keep you warm, or hurt you. Water keeps you alive, but it can also drown you. Darkness can blind you, but it can also hide you."

"In short, she's using darkness against evil. Kind of an opposite of Moon, isn't she?" Terry asked.

"No, light is Venus' element," Luna explained, "Moon's the only Senshi with no element."

"Then what's the deal with her tiara?"

"She uses raw mana in her attacks," Luna noted. "Mana generates light."

"Strange," Terry said. "So, what do we do about Nemesis?"

"Nothing. If she wants to join us, which would be the best thing for both parties, then she will come to us. Until she does, we'll just keep on fighting like we always do."

A/N: The Dark Kingdom saga will have less episodes than it had in Cyber Moon, but I guess it'll be longer as far as word count goes.

And there's still plenty of surprises left to see, even for those who read Cyber Moon.