Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse
a Sailor Moon/X-Men crossover
Chapter 38: Surviving the Experience
11-18-2018
by Grey-X
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is the creation and property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation. X-Men is the creation and property of Stan Lee, Marvel Comics and Disney.
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Frenzy slammed Naru's face onto her knee again and again. The blows were hard enough to daze her a little, thus it required some effort to build up a burst of dark energy. Frenzy got wind of this, and put distance between the two of them with a punch to Naru's gut that sent her flying across the chamber.
Not as hard-hitting as the Blob, but definitely packing more of a punch than Sabretooth, Naru mused as rock and metal plating gave way to her backside. Ahhh, the comparisons I can make after a few short hours in an X-Men uniform...
Groaning, Naru pried herself off the wall. She readied another surge of dark power, but Frenzy was wasting no time. She had charged ahead, bridging the gap between them, fist reared back. How do people as huge as Blob and this bitch move so damn fast!? Naru wondered as she unleashed a bolt of black lightning.
It only slowed Frenzy down. With crazed determination, Frenzy powered her way through it. "Not good enough, Little Miss Eclipse!" Frenzy sneered. "Before I pay your pet human another visit, I'll pulp you into extra-fine paste for putting on those colors!"
Fortunately, Naru had plenty more tricks up her sleeve. While Frenzy was forcing back her dark power, Naru let her ooze flow. It pooled at her feet, then traveled along the ground until it snaked up and ensnare Frenzy while her attention was elsewhere.
"Oh, I'm sure you could, Cargill," said Naru airily. She slammed Frenzy against the platform, the walls, everything solid in sight. "Good thing I've got more going for me than muscle." Naru kept delivering shocks of dark energy through her tendrils as well, in the hopes she'd finally wear Frenzy down. She'd have to trust in Lockheed and Chibi-Moon to watch Umino's back. She couldn't take her eyes off Frenzy until she was beaten into submission. At least she's determined to take me out first. Seeing me in this uniform has worked her into, well, a 'frenzy'...
Unfortunately, Frenzy wasn't exactly all muscle and no brains either. When Naru slammed her down onto the platform again, Frenzy dug one hand into the metal grating and grabbed a tendril with the other. It was solid enough to let Frenzy pull Naru toward her. With a surprised cry, Naru was flung toward the Acolyte, stopping only when Frenzy's fist sank into her gut.
Her oil slick reflexively retracted as Frenzy let her drop. It was far from the hardest hit Naru had ever taken, and she was already rising on shaky legs.
Frenzy seized the opening, however, and kicked her back down to the ground. Naru tried bringing her oil slick and dark power back out, but Frenzy brought her foot down, driving Naru's head down into the metal.
"You little human-humping hussy!" Frenzy shrieked, planting a foot onto her spine next. Thankfully, Naru's own invulnerability saved her from a broken back. "For a while it looked like you had the right of it, but now you side with the blasphemous X-Men!? Why!? Don't tell me that scrawny little twitwaffle convinced you to submit to flatscan law! Before I paste you, I just may rip his head off while you watch, so..."
A familiar sound drowned out Frenzy's maniacal voice, and the pressure on her back faded. Naru pried her face out and looked across the chamber. Sailor Uranus stared at her from the other end, Space Sword out, nodding.
Meanwhile, Neptune used Deep Submerge to smother Unuscione's psionic exskeleton. Uranus turned back and used World Shaking. Sandwiched between the Outer Senshi's attacks, her exoskeleton finally collapsed.
The Outers had Unuscione on the ropes, so she had to finish this with Frenzy. Rising to her feet, she saw Frenzy was dazed, more surprised than anything else. Not as surprised as you're about to be, Naru thought angrily, charging. Frenzy's eyes met hers just as Naru landed punch after punch into her gut. Can't give her a moment's breath, or she'll grapple me again and game over. Mixing it up with shocks of dark energy and lashes of her oily tendrils, along with asteroid-shaking punches, Naru kept Frenzy on the defensive. "It was MY decision to stand trial, Frenzy, MY decision to put on this uniform!" Naru snarled. "I'm DONE with people like Erina Kizachi and Magneto pulling strings! And by the way, my personal life is NONE OF YOUR GODDAMN BUSINESS!"
She emphasized that by jumping up and delivering one last punch to Frenzy's face. Naru smiled when she saw blood spurt from her nose and mouth. Frenzy was forced several meters back, her boots skidding against the metal grating. She brought a hand up to her face, and her eyes widened when she saw blood had dribbled onto her fingers.
Naru shrugged her shoulders. "Want some more? I can do this all day, too."
Frenzy simply snarled, charging again. But there was a resounding cry of "Submarine Reflection!" Frenzy turned to see Unuscione rocketing right toward her, propelled by Neptune's attack.
Unuscione had partially erected her psionic exoskeleton again. So when she slammed into Frenzy, it must have been like getting hit by a semi truck going full speed. Something Naru could stand her ground against, but Frenzy, not quite as well.
Both Acolytes went through the rocky wall. Naru peered inside the gaping hole Neptune had made. Frenzy and Unuscione were embedded several meters into solid rock. Both were still breathing, but out cold, and hopefully would remain so for some time.
For a moment, Naru's gaze lingered on Frenzy. "Such hate... I got over it, though. Maybe you will too, one day," she muttered to herself.
When she turned back to the Outer Senshi, Naru saw they were already making their way back to the central consoles. Casting one last look back at Unuscione and Frenzy, Naru flung a tendril up at the level above her, and pulled herself up.
Once she regrouped with Uranus and Neptune, she found Chibi-Moon and Lockheed barely clinging to consciousness. One of those weird shotguns lay on a console next to Fabian Cortez, smoking. Cortez himself had his hands around Umino's throat, slamming him against the main console.
"Trying to undo my work, were you flatscan?" Cortez sneered. Umino gazed up at him fearfully, but then his eyes fell on the three of them. "It matters little, now. Sailor Moon halted this asteroid's descent at the expense of her one chance to stop Lord Magneto, and now..." He stopped upon noticing Umino was looking elsewhere. "Your friends... are right behind me, aren't they?"
Naru answered by wrapping a tendril around Cortez's neck. She yanked him off of Umino and threw him at Uranus and Neptune's feet. At the moment, she couldn't trust herself to not snap the cretin in half. Let the Outer Senshi blow off some more steam instead.
As Uranus and Neptune pummeled Cortez with bare fists, Naru helped Chibi-Moon to her feet. "Oh no, Chibiusa... What did he do? He didn't try that power amplification thing, did he?"
"N-N-No, it doesn't work on Sailor Senshi. T-T-That shotgun just packs a punch is all. I'll live, d-d-d-don't worry," Chibi-Moon croaked. "H-H-How're Umino and Lockheed?"
"I'll survive," Umino grumbled. "B-B-But you heard Cortez. He baited Sailor Moon into diverting energy. I-I-I tried to stop it, but I was locked out, and..."
"No one's blaming you, Umino," said Neptune, standing over Cortez's still form. Naru looked down to see his face was now an unrecognizable slab of beef. No less than he deserved. "Still, you're right. I could sense the asteroid shaking during the fight with Unuscione, but far less now."
"And the resonance my crystal had with the Ginzuishou, I don't feel it anymore either," said Chibi-Moon, who was cradling Lockheed.
"Then the princess stopped using it," said Neptune. "The question is, did she defeat Magneto before it got too dangerous to use?"
"We'd better make haste to the far end of the asteroid and find out," said Uranus gravely. "Unless we still need to fiddle with computers here," she added, glaring at Umino.
"No, THAT'S done and over with," Umino said quickly. "Still, how do you suggest we get halfway across Asteroid M in time to help?"
Naru was wondering the same thing herself, then noticed Uranus was now glaring at her instead. "Oh no, you do NOT want me to try that!" Naru cried. "The people I teleport with... I nearly killed Umino when I tried it with him! Besides, I don't have anything tagged over where Magneto is! I can't make blind teleports that far!"
"Umino may be a problem, but the rest of us can survive," said Uranus, undaunted. "So figure something out, fast."
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Once the X-Men could move on, Charles Xavier had dared to hope they could get to Sailor Moon in time. It turned out Luna's guess was on the money. Soon after the asteroid had stopped shaking for the most part, Cable's bionic eye could still pick up traces of intense, localized electromagnetic fields. His old friend was still fighting, and Sailor Moon forced to stop using her greatest weapon.
Worse, those electromagnetic fields were undoubtedly set up as a defensive measure, to block his and Cable's telepathy. Magneto's helmet must have been destroyed or taken, since at times he could brush against his anguished mind. But with the interference thrown up, Xavier couldn't really do anything, and Magneto's strong will did the rest.
And that wasn't the only roadblock Magneto had put in their path. Determined to keep the X-Men from interfering, he had barred just about every conceivable path with junk and chunks of the asteroid. Some tunnels were packed so densely, even Rogue and Colossus had difficulty plowing through.
Gambit charged up cards with as much energy as he dared, then slid them between some metal beams that were stuffed into the passageway the X-Men were currently in. Colossus stepped forward as Gambit backed away, easily taking the blast and moving in to pound more junk loose.
Gambit shook his head upon seeing he hadn't exactly made things easier for Colossus. "We be gettin' nowhere this way," Gambit grumbled. "Moonie may've worn Mags down, but it'll be a while before we can take advantage of it."
"He's still got enough juice to keep this area electrostatically charged," said Shadowcat. "Enough so I don't dare try phasing anyone through."
"Yet we will forge a path onward, Katya, because we must," said Colossus. He sank punch after punch into the mass of compressed metal junk, and Rogue flew in to lend a hand. "The Sailor Senshi have done so much for us, leaving their leader to face Magneto herself is out of the question."
"Can't ANY of you do something to speed this up!?" Luna spat. "You're the X-MEN, for crying out loud! You held your own against the Sailor Senshi and then some, the destined protectors of this world! How have you beaten Magneto every other time if it's so easy for him to keep you at bay!?"
"The little kitty's got a point," said Wolverine. "We've pulled through against Magneto for the whole damn world. We gotta do it again for these kids."
Xavier nodded, feeling quite ashamed himself. All of the Sailor Senshi were willing to sacrifice their reputations, put everything on the line, to fight for his dream in their home country. It humbled Xavier to no end, but now, when the Sailor Senshi needed them the most, once again they were found wanting. Bad enough he didn't dare use his powers against Magneto so directly again. Now, they couldn't even REACH him.
Still, Luna was right. Between him and nine X-Men, one of them had to have a solution. Wait, perhaps not necessarily one of us, Xavier suddenly realized. "Luna, would Sailor Chibi-Moon be able to help? Isn't her transformation item actually the Ginzuishou from the future, or at least imbued with a portion of its power? Perhaps it will resonate with Sailor Moon's Ginzuishou, at least point to where she is?"
The cat looked up at him quizzically. "I... suppose that would work."
"Not like we have any better ideas right now," said Artemis. "OK Professor, see if you can find her." Xavier nodded, then closed his eyes and concentrated. Luckily, Magneto's power wasn't keeping him from scanning the rest of the asteroid.
For a while, all he could find were the minds of panicked 'citizens' of Asteroid M. Mutants who weren't exactly Acolytes and had stayed out of the fighting, but still agreed to serve Magneto and maintain Asteroid M's systems. But then, Xavier finally zeroed in on Sailor Chibi-Moon, her mind like a bright, shining beacon.
"Sailor Chibi-Moon, we have a dire situation over here," Xavier told her. "Magneto has set up considerable roadblocks to keep us from reaching the Inner Senshi. Worse, someone arranged to have Asteroid M fall to Earth, to goad Sailor Moon into raising it up with the Ginzuishou."
"We already know about that last part, Professor X," came Chibi-Moon's reply, surprisingly calm. "Fabian Cortez was put in his place for that, and we've got Naru, so we're done over here, and..." A pause, quite a loud silence, but Xavier could sense the gears turning in the young girl's head. "Professor, can you latch onto ALL the minds around me, and in turn, let us know where you and the X-Men are?"
"Of course," said Xavier. "But to what end?"
"Please, just do it," said Chibi-Moon. "There's someone here who can better explain it than I can."
Confused, but willing to go along, Xavier scanned for all the minds around Sailor Chibi-Moon. As usual, Lockheed's proved elusive, but those of Umino, Uranus and Neptune were easy to pick up. There was one mind completely alien to him, at least at first. Once he delved a little deeper, Xavier gasped in shock.
"Is that you I feel sneaking around, Professor Xavier?" came a snarky retort. "Allow me to finally bid you welcome."
"Naru Osaka?" Xavier demanded incredulously. "How is this possible? You couldn't even willingly let me into your mind!"
A flash of sorrow, of excruciating loss, hit back at Xavier like a hammer. Yet when Naru replied, she was resolute, setting aside her grief. "I've... lost something forever, what shielded my mind. But I've gained something as well. Help me reach you, use your telepathy like a beacon for me to follow, and you'll see."
Xavier hesitated a moment, not sure what Naru was getting at. He could now peer into her mind for precise answers, of course, but now was not the time.
Very well, Ms. Osaka, he said, linking his mind to Naru's. Suddenly, he understood what was about to happen, mere seconds before it did.
"Well, did you find her?" Luna asked impatiently.
Xavier looked to her, then at Iceman and Beast, who were standing over the cats. "Umm, you four might want to back up. Quite a bit."
The cats looked to each other, confused. "I don't get it," said Artemis. "What's... RAWR!"
Beast picked up both cats by the scruffs of their necks. "When the professor suggests something, it's a prudent to listen," said Beast as he backed up along with Iceman. They had moved just in time. A plume of billowing, black fire erupted without warning in the middle of the passageway, making some of the X-Men jump back.
Then the flames coalesced, taking distinct shapes. When the fire and darkness faded, Xavier saw Naru standing there, Lockheed perched on her head, and Umino and the rest of the Sailor Senshi clinging to her. Lockheed seemed unaffected by the trip, but Umino collapsed to his knees, shivering and gagging, then threw up. The teleport wasn't as deleterious for the three Sailor Senshi, though they were visibly shaken.
As Naru knelt beside Umino, Uranus looked to Xavier. "So, it's been a slog trying to reach Magneto, I hear?" she said impatiently.
"With Sailor Neptune here, maybe she'll speed things up, using that mirror to blast us a path," said Cable. "But yes, it's not looking good so far."
"Unless Eclipse can teleport some of us right to wherever Sailor Moon and Magneto are," Beast suggested. "Dark energy is more or less theorized to not participate in interaction with electromagnetic forces. So perhaps the electromagnetic interference that is stymying Kitty's phasing, Cable's bodyslide and the professor's telepathy with not impede your abilities, Ms. Osaka."
As Xavier looked back to Naru, he noticed what she was wearing. Bright blue and yellow, the uniform for his original X-Men! Is this what Naru meant about 'gaining something as well'!?
The surprised stares from some of the X-Men mirrored his own. "Well now, Mags hung onto some of them New Mutants uniforms, huh?" said Wolverine with a hint of amusement. "And here he was fixin' to take you under his wing, but instead... Oh, the irony."
Indeed, her rejection of Magneto's path could not be me more complete. But what had she lost? He had suspected that there was a subtle duality to her psyche, from what happened with this Nephrite. Did it go deeper than that?
Whatever the case, Naru seemed oblivious to his befuddlement. She slowly stood, satisfied that Umino would be fine, and nodded to Beast.
"I can help guide you, Ms. Osaka. Going by Fury's intelligence, I can pinpoint where Magneto's command chamber is," said Xavier. Nodding to him as well, she shut her eyes and concentrated as Xavier touched her mind again. As he did so, he felt very little anger, her grief over her losses more or less let go. In place of that, there was only a determination to fix her mistakes.
Dark power crackled over her body, and black fire engulfed her. But soon, the flames fizzled. Naru shook her head. "I'm sorry, Dr. McCoy. Magneto's thought of everything. He must've set up something like what you tried to do to stymie dark energy. He didn't want me teleporting in any more than Cable."
"So there's no way for you to break in!?" Luna cried.
Xavier saw Naru begin to tear up. "I-I-I-I feel like I could do it, force my way through, with some more power," said Naru apologetically. "But like Rei said, Nephrite's abilities are tied to my physical maturity like all the rest, so there's no... way to..." Suddenly, she turned to Xavier. "Professor Xavier, I hear it's not something you like to do, but... You've got to use your telepathy to bend someone's will."
"It won't work, Osaka," said Cable. "Even if he's lost his helmet, our combined power can't punch through this interference to control Magneto."
Naru fixed Cable with a surprisingly steely glare. "Who said anything about controlling Magneto?"
With that, she vanished in a black blaze. Only to reappear seconds later, with someone else held overhead. Naru threw someone in an Acolyte uniform at Xavier's feet. Given his face had been beaten into a bloody pulp, it took a moment to realize this was Fabian Cortez.
Looking back up to Naru, she stared back and nodded. Deciding they had no better options, Xavier concentrated, and Cortez's eyes snapped open.
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With his powers taxed to their limit by the Ginzuishou, a lot of the fight had been taken out of Magneto. Of course, this wasn't all good news for Sailor Moon. Plenty of junk could still be flung her way. And using the Ginzuishou like that left her exhausted as well, slowing her reaction time.
"WAAAAAAH!" Sailor Moon cried, a trail of asteroid chunks and metal beams striking the ground behind her as she ran in a panic. Granted, it was hard to think straight when one of the most powerful mutants ever was still out for your hide. Not to mention, he was keeping her from reaching any of the trapped Sailor Senshi.
Sailor Moon reached for her tiara while turning around, twisting in midair as she jumped to avoid getting impaled by another metal beam. "Moon Tiara Action!" she cried. The blazing disc cut through more of that junk.
Magneto was standing on the ground, perhaps too exhausted to hover. It hadn't looked like his shields were up, but the disc stopped a short distance in front of him. Sailor Moon willed it to press forward, and Magneto grit his teeth as he tried to repel it.
With his attention focused on that, and perhaps unable to erect that magnetic bubble fully, Sailor Moon figured she had an opening. She charged while willing her tiara to keep at it, and jumped. "Sailor Moon Kick!" She nailed Magneto right between the eyes, and he toppled backwards.
As Magneto struggled to sit up, Sailor Moon produced her kaleidoscope, pointing it right at his face. "Just face it, it's over Magneto!" she pleaded. "You were Xavier's friend once, it shouldn't have to end this way!"
Magneto spat out some blood. Plenty more blood dribbled down through his hair, punctuating how drained he looked. He fixed Sailor Moon with a defiant gaze.
"No, it shouldn't," Magneto said evenly. "The things we have endured together, whether we were locking horns or on the same side..."
"You've been through a lot, Magneto. Plenty couldn't blame you for feeling as you do," said Sailor Moon. "But this fight's got to end. You used Naru like a chess piece, brought her here against her will, but we're taking her back. It's over."
Magneto stifled a chuckle. "After everything she's done, you stand by Eclipse without a second thought. I... admire such unwavering dedication to your old friend. Perhaps it is a bond stronger than what Charles and I shared. As for me, if you've studied my history with the X-Men, listened to what Charles told you about me, you'd know..."
Suddenly, Sailor Moon felt something cold grasp her from behind. She had been standing on a rocky part of the floor, but Magneto had surreptitiously manipulated metal plating elsewhere. The metal sheets embedded themselves into the rocky floor and wrapped around Sailor Moon, forcing her to spread her arms, aiming the kaleidoscope away from Magneto.
"You'd know that I cannot, and will never, yield," Magneto finished.
Sailor Moon stared back fearfully, but Magneto's expression was unreadable. He just stood there a few meters away, hunched over slightly, one hand cradling his side. It was as if he was just as reluctant to decidedly end this as Sailor Moon was.
"As for your friend, I couldn't let her foolishly submit herself to laws written by those who see us as abominations. I lived through that horror once. Never again."
"Two words that sum it all up!" came an echoing, furious cry from above. "Let you pull on strings and make decisions for me? NEVER AGAIN!"
Sailor Moon and Magneto craned their heads up. Something surrounded in crackling, coalescing darkness, beneath which were glimpses of bright blue and yellow, dropped down toward them. It landed with a booming thud that rattled Sailor Moon's teeth and knocked Magneto back.
Sailor Moon shook her head, then looked at who just came to the rescue. She recognized this. That arrangement of blue and yellow... an old-school X-Men uniform! Only, the sleeves were ripped off. Sailor Moon saw black ooze dribbling down those arms, then saw reddish-brown hair tied back with a bow.
"NARU!? Is that really you!?" Sailor Moon cried in disbelief.
Naru turned around, and Sailor Moon gasped. Naru's eyes were now solid black orbs. That dark energy kept crackling all over her, as if she now had trouble containing it. And her muscles... They didn't look any bigger, but somehow, more defined than ever. What had happened to Naru? It was as if all her powers just got supercharged!
There had been a hardness to her gaze, but after looking Sailor Moon in the eye, her expression softened a little. "Usagi, I..." she began uneasily. "I-I-I-I mean, I r-r-r-really didn't apologize before getting picked up and..." Naru shook her head, then brought out an oily tendril. She lashed it out at Sailor Moon like a whip.
Sailor Moon wailed, shutting her eyes. But instead of the expected pain, she felt the metal plating fall off of her.
"Look, we'll talk later, once the X-Men get us off this rock," Naru went on as Sailor Moon stared back in confusion. "For now, j-j-j-just... Just take a breather. You've done enough, busting out the Ginzuishou. Let me finish this."
Naru turned back to Magneto, who was just getting back up. He began flinging more machinery parts and rock chunks at them, but Naru charged, heedless of it all. She knocked aside bulldozer-sized hunks of rock as if they were nothing. Magneto kept levitating backward as he kept up the pressure, but Naru was still closing the gap.
At one point, she brought out a plethora of tendrils and scooped up a good deal of Magneto's junk. Before Magneto could repel it, Naru swung it all around like a mace. This knocked Magneto back toward that glass barrier, beyond which some of Asteroid M's heavy machinery was situated.
Still on the move, Naru leaped and tackled Magneto. He must have had some shielding erected over his body. Sailor Moon heard Naru scream, and electricity crackled over her body. Still, Naru had smashed Magneto into the glass barrier so hard, it shattered, and both fell out of sight.
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The two mutants tumbled a good distance. While Magneto concentrated on bringing his magnetic powers to bear, tapping what reserves he had left, Naru lashed out with her tendrils. But not at Magneto. Rather, she scooped up jagged pieces of shattered glass. They stuck to her forearms, turning them into spiky bludgeons.
Magneto halted his descent just enough to land safely, but Naru was there to meet him. With a shriek of fury, she landed a blow with those jagged glass chunks. Magneto still had partial shielding erected around his body, but he kept staggering back as she landed one hit after another.
Thanks to her strength getting boosted again, possibly well past Colossus's level, the impacts were getting through. The strain from Cortez's power boost was excruciating, but Naru pushed past the pain. This had to be finished before the boost wore off. The Inner Senshi had carried the fight this far. To make up for how she had betrayed their friendship and trust, she had to finish it.
Another blow, and Magneto was knocked to the ground. Not letting up, Naru rained punch after punch down on Magneto with those glass shards.
"You and Kizachi manipulate me into turning on the Sailor Senshi!? Try to ruin my life so I see things your way, because your childhood was so horrific!?" Her words were almost drowned out by how the machine chamber quaked with each blow. "Like the Sailor Senshi themselves might say... UNFORGIVABLE!"
Naru raised her arm again, aiming to keep bludgeoning Magneto until that shield finally collapsed. But something yanked her off of him. Looking up, Naru saw Magneto had willed some part of the heavy machinery in here to grasp her. Before she could teleport away or wrench herself free, a surge of electricity went through it, making Naru scream. The boost hadn't removed her vulnerability to electricity.
But as suddenly as the surge began, it ceased. Feeling herself falling, Naru looked to see the mechanical arm had been severed. A glowing, blazing disc shot up to where Magneto and Naru crashed through, and Sailor Moon dropped down. Once she landed, she aimed her kaleidoscope at Magneto and screamed, "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!"
Even after the beating Magneto took, his defenses were still holding out. Sailor Moon's attack drove him back, his feet sliding against the floor, but otherwise Magneto stood his ground.
We'll see about that! Naru rushed up to Sailor Moon as she let the glass shards fall away. She placed her hands on her shoulders, pouring dark power into her friend like before. Hopefully, Magneto's shields will buckle under the strain, just like Mastermold's armor, Naru silently pleaded. Out loud, she said, "Just keep pouring it on, Usagi! This has GOT to put him down!"
Naru could sense Sailor Moon's unease. Most likely, her boosted dark power influx would be far more painful than before. Indeed, just as Magneto was blasted back into a wall, Sailor Moon cried out, "Naru, that's enough! I can't take any more!"
Sighing, Naru let go of Sailor Moon's shoulders and backed away. She had put her old friend through enough already, no sense adding to it. "Alright, Usagi," said Naru. "It looks like we got him anyway, so..."
Naru gasped in disbelief as Magneto emerged from the wall, electromagnetic energy crackling around him. Blood dribbled down his face, not to mention his chest where that armor was blasted away, and he looked ready to collapse from exhaustion. And yet, Magneto still wouldn't give it up.
"You can't go Ginzuishou again anytime soon, Moon Gorgeous Meditation can't be powered up reliably without Helios..." Naru grumbled. "Damnit Sailor Moon, is there anything left in the tank that'll put him down!? This power boost of mine won't last forever..."
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Magneto expected both girls to strike in unison. Surely they smelled blood and believed that if they kept up the pressure, he would ultimately fall. They... would be right about that, Magneto admitted to himself. Withstanding that assault from the Ginzuishou, it was almost as if the Silver Surfer himself let loose. I... don't have much left.
Naru whispered something to Sailor Moon, who simply nodded. Then Naru charged, once again aiming to tackle him alone. The sight of her in one of those old New Mutants uniforms... Magneto thought he had buried those memories, of that disastrous time where he had tried to walk Charles's path and failed.
Now Naru was throwing those failures back in his face. It was part of the reason he did what he did, why he wanted Naru to represent young mutants of her country rising up. But yet again, his plans to secure the future of young mutants had ended in bitter failure.
Strips of metal flew to Magneto, wrapping around his arms. Naru threw a punch, but Magneto blocked it with his metal-covered forearm, aided by his magnetic shielding. He threw a punch with his other hand, delivering an electric jolt in the progress, but Naru barely flinched.
Expecting her to strike again right away, Magneto readied an even bigger surge of energy. But just as he unleashed it, Naru vanished in a flash of black flame. Obviously, the countermeasures to keep Naru from freely teleporting in sensitive areas weren't working. How could this be? Naru's overall power... It was far greater than it should be.
Hmmm, Cortez, is this your scheming again? Or did Charles force you into this? Magneto wondered. A puzzle for another time. Sailor Moon may not be thirst for blood, but Osaka is something else entirely.
Magneto had shields around his body, as strong as he could make them. Still, braced as he was, Naru's next punch rattled him to the core when she teleported in from behind and struck. Magneto fired electromagnetic force bolts in all directions, and one struck Naru. She hit the deck, screaming, but immediately sprang up and whipped at him with a tendril. It was enough to disorient him, and she teleported away again.
When she appeared again, several seconds later, only the sound of her crackling black lightning alerted Magneto to her presence. With other teleporters, like Nightcrawler, their movements could be sensed along lines of electromagnetic force. Not so with Naru. This power from the Dark Kingdom, when used to teleport, was almost impossible to pinpoint until it was too late.
Naru unleashed a volley of black lightning, powerful enough to hammer Magneto to his knees. Still, he had enough strength to fling some ruined bits from that mechanical arm at Naru. Naru saw it coming, and teleported away.
"What are you playing at, Eclipse!?" Magneto demanded vehemently. "If you seek retribution against me, then face me!"
It wasn't just Naru he had to be wary of. There was no sign of Sailor Moon now. It was easy to sense a Sailor Senshi right before they struck, if he was on alert, but their leader was lying low for the moment. Was this part of Naru's plan? What were these girls up to?
Naru said nothing as she teleported in, rushing at him with a kick to his gut, then vanished again. Another few seconds passed before Naru reemerged, whipping at him with piledriving tendrils, then teleported away.
On and on this would go, these hit-and-run maneuvers. Given enough time, Naru could easily wear him down and claim victory. But this couldn't go on forever. Magneto had been watching Naru closely. With each teleport, it was visibly taking more and more effort to pull it off. Cortez's power boost was fading fast.
Magneto concentrated, suspending tiny flecks of metal, almost invisible to the naked eye, in the air around him. So when Naru teleported in again, he could sense where suspended flecks were disrupted. Magneto cut loose in that direction will all the electromagnetic force he could muster, slamming Naru into a nearby wall.
As he watched Naru struggle, he could see it. Naru's eyes went from that solid black to their usual state. The power boost had faded just enough to keep Naru from teleporting away, at least while in this part of Asteroid M. Magneto levitated the girl over to him. Naru writhed in his grip, clenching her teeth to keep from screaming as electric energy was conducted through her.
"So much hope was pinned on you, Naru Osaka," said Magneto, as calmly as he could. It took so much effort to keep his legs from buckling. "Even before you revealed yourself as Eclipse to the world, you were already suffering in silence. You saw the fear and distrust of our kind, dreaded you would be the next target. And your disillusionment with the Sailor Senshi settled in long before I made that monorail track collapse. So why? Why put on that uniform, which represents a dream that's failed the both of us? What you do think you'll accomplish?"
Naru just stared back silently, her face stony. But then, to Magneto's surprise, she cracked a smile. "What do I think I'll accomplish?" Naru repeated mockingly. "Nothing. I'm the same girl I always was, Magneto. The one who needs Sailor Moon to rescue her. And sometimes, the perfect decoy!"
Magneto's eyes widened, sensing it an instant before Naru finished her rant. He looked over his shoulder, and saw all five Inner Senshi standing a good distance away, forming a ring. "Sailor... Planet..." they began.
THIS was Naru's plan all along! Free a Sailor Senshi in between teleports, then keep him occupied as they prepared to strike!
"ATTACK!" the Inner Senshi screamed, unleashing their combined fury. Right before their attack struck, several spinning roses hit Magneto in the face. This let Tuxedo Kamen rush in and tackle Naru, getting her out of harm's way.
Even with his shields as strong as he could make them, the Sailor Planet Attack blew him away. It knocked him into one of the chamber's machine towers, which promptly toppled.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sailor Moon raised her arms to shield her face from the rush of wind and metal flecks kicked up by that tower toppling over Magneto. At first, she feared that the Sailor Planet Attack had killed him. The aim was still, even after everything he had done, to take the Master of Magnetism alive. But her concern for him was swiftly eclipsed by worry over Tuxedo Kamen and Naru once she lowered her arms. She saw no trace of them. Could they have been caught up in that collapsing machine tower, too?
"Tuxedo Kamen! Naru! Say something!" Sailor Moon cried, rushing over to the closest bits of wreckage. She started moving some of the junk aside, but a good deal of the debris was too heavy. Even when Sailor Jupiter joined in, the bigger pieces simply couldn't be budged. And none of them were overly eager to try using any attacks to clear it, lest they accidentally hurt Naru or Tuxedo Kamen in the process.
Still, Sailor Moon pressed on. They hadn't come this far just to lose Naru now, not to mention the love of her life.
Just as hope was fading, Sailor Moon heard a soft rumbling, and then something dropped down with a booming thud. Sailor Moon looked up to see Colossus walk over to remove debris, and then Rogue flew down to help.
"Fear not, Sailor Moon," said Colossus. "We will find your friends, even if we must clear every scrap of this junkpile."
Sailor Moon stared at him for a moment, watching as he effortlessly tossed aside massive chunks of machinery. Then she turned around, and saw Cable lowering himself and some of the other X-Men down. Iceman created an ice slide to let the rest slide down. The remaining Sailor Senshi, the mooncats and Umino followed this way. They looked around in shock for a moment, then looked to Sailor Moon.
"So, I take it Magneto's buried somewhere under several hundred metric tons of debris?" Neptune asked dubiously. But mostly, she sounded disappointed that she and Uranus wouldn't get another chance to tackle Magneto themselves.
Sailor Moon could only nod dully. "Does this mean you did it, Usagi?" Artemis asked. "The Sailor Senshi triumphed over him?"
"C'mon Artemis," Venus scoffed, striking a pose. "Was there ever a doubt?" Her bravado couldn't quite hide how worn out they all looked. Or how worried they still were about Tuxedo Kamen and Naru.
"B-B-B-But Tuxedo Kamen and Naru are buried somewhere under all that, too!" Sailor Moon cried, dread clawing at her heart.
"Don't give up hope just yet," said Xavier. "I can sense their thoughts. They're alive, and mostly unharmed."
"I can second that," said Cable. He stepped up, looking at some spot just beyond Sailor Moon. She looked to where he was gazing, and some of the wreckage there was flung away by an unseen force. Sailor Moon forced herself to steady her breathing. This was telekinesis, not magnetism.
After Cable removed more bits of junk, a large slag of metal plating was flipped over off the ground by pillars of black goo. And then, slowly, Tuxedo Kamen and Naru rose. Both their outfits were torn in several places. Not only that, they had to lean on each other as they slowly made their way to the others.
Sailor Moon and Umino ran up to meet them. Tuxedo Kamen winced as Sailor Moon tackled him with a hug, wailing and sobbing, but he bit back a hiss of pain and hugged her back. Happy now that Tuxedo Kamen was safe, she looked over to Naru and Umino. They quietly embraced each other, crying softly now that the ordeal was over.
Xavier walked up to them. "Ms. Osaka, that was incredibly brave, what you just did," said Xavier. "I couldn't take the risk of confronting Magneto directly again, but you... You threw yourself in his path without a second thought, once again." Sailor Moon felt a surge of pride for her, but Naru just looked down, still plagued with doubt and shame.
"So... is it really over?" Chibi-Moon asked, her voice full of doubt as well.
"Not really. We still need to see if Magneto survived," said Mercury.
"So we keep clearin' all this junk until we find what's left of 'im," said Wolverine.
"Oh please. After everything we threw at him, the Sailor Planet Attack mashing him into that machine tower..." Mars scoffed. "C'mon, he's just a normal man under all the magnetic shielding. How could ANYONE survive that!?"
"Little lady, if I had five bucks for every time the X-Men thought Magneto was put on ice..." Iceman grumbled.
"Bobby's right," said Cable. "And I'm picking up low levels of electromagnetic energy with my bionic eye, along with erratic thought patterns, from over there."
Everyone turned to where Cable was pointing, just as massive bits of machinery began to shift. "Oh great, that's not Cable's telekinesis, people! Look alive!" Jupiter cried, her antenna still out.
"Is this for real!? He's STILL not down!?" Venus spat in disbelief. Parts of the downed machine tower moved aside, and smaller bits of junk began to levitate, as if ready to fling themselves at the X-Men and Sailor Senshi. But then, Sailor Moon heard Jupiter exhale, and a moment later, all that junk fell back down.
"Depends. What d'you classify as 'down'?" Gambit asked.
The Sailor Senshi and X-Men climbed over the bits of debris in between them and where Cable had sensed Magneto. Soon enough, they found him. After getting off the bulk of the debris, he had just enough strength to fling away a scrap of plating pinning him down. His cape was in tatters, more of that compound armor had been burned and blasted away, revealing more sickly burns. Blood still poured down his face, obfuscating that look that still oozed defiance even as they all approached.
"And here I thought there'd be no opportunity to settle the score," Uranus sneered, calmly walking up to him. Many of the others weren't so confident Magneto had nothing left. Sailor Moon saw Gambit charge up some cards, and Neptune had her mirror at the ready. Magneto's expression did not change in the face of all this, even as Uranus grabbed his hair to hoist him up. "You go after our princess's heart, and then her life? And betray the best friend you ever had countless times before that?" She raised the tip of her Space Sword to Magneto's throat.
Magneto spat out some blood. "Very well, Tenoh," he said in a gurgling voice, meeting her gaze. "If only this will satisfy you, so be it."
"Uranus, we talked about this," came Naru's voice.
"This isn't like Sabretooth," Uranus said quickly. "His power is far too great to be contained, he's proven a match even for the Sailor Senshi's collective might. This opportunity may never come again."
"Gotta side with the kid, Uranus," said Wolverine. "Mags ain't ever gonna be on my Christmas card list, believe me, but a line's gotta be drawn somwhere. We got Naru back, Asteroid M's a wreck, and now Mags knows better than t' pick fights with the Sailor Senshi goin' forward."
"We've all been tempted to just end it when the opportunity arose," Storm added. "But the X-Men have to stand for something. Is that not also true of the Sailor Senshi?"
"And he keeps coming back, again and again, making your goal of harmony between humans and mutants a pipe dream," said Uranus. "Maybe you X-Men aren't willing to see this through, but I won't let him come after the Sailor Senshi again."
"Don't any other Sailor Senshi get a say in this?" Venus asked delicately.
"Yeah, as much as I despise Magneto for what he's done, I'd rather him repent and understand how wrong he's been, not kill him in cold blood," Mercury added. "We pleaded with Naru to not kill Kizachi out of revenge. Now it's our turn."
"I don't want him dead, either," said Naru. "There's... been enough suffering as is."
"Can we risk it?" Uranus protested, letting Magneto drop back down. "What if Queen Beryl had survived by the skin of her teeth? Would you have just let her go?"
Magneto snorted with amusement. "I'm not sure whether to be flattered or offended by that comparison."
"Well Magneto, you DID stir up resentment, aiming to build an army to satiate your lust for power, and a need to conquer," said Luna.
"No, Luna. He did it because he sees no other way for mutants to be safe. Because he's lost hope," said Sailor Moon. She narrowed her eyes at Magneto when he turned to meet her gaze. "I'll admit it, Magneto, because of you and Kizachi, I came close to losing hope myself. But I had friends to help me through that, to convince me that there was still a reason to keep working toward a peaceful world. Charles Xavier has always tried to be that sort of friend to you, and for a while you listened. Why did you go back? What's it gotten you, Magneto?"
"Sailor Moon makes a good point, old friend," said Xavier. Magneto finally looked a little chastised as Xavier walked up. "For so long Erik, you've believed that only force and overwhelming might can secure a future for our kind. Yet Sailor Moon thwarted all your designs for Japan with more than just the raw power of a Sailor Senshi. And because she refused to give up hope for Naru Osaka, she changed her heart. And she turned the tide against both you and Kizachi's Mastermold."
Magneto looked up at them from the floor, still looking crushed and defeated, and took a long moment to consider his answer. And were those tears? Did he still care enough about Xavier, that he couldn't bear this sort of confrontation?
"Oh Charles, still the optimist, and you've certainly found yourself in good company," Magneto said airily. "You know the answer, Charles. You choose to remain hopeful, while I saw humanity at its absolute worst, and little has changed. As the Nazis themselves said, appeal to national pride, find an enemy to denigrate, then accuse those refusing to go along of being soft on national security. It works in every country, they said. It didn't take much for Erina Kizachi to make it work in Japan, now did it?"
"And because Sailor Moon refused to stand back and let Japan tear itself apart, things didn't go as you planned, Erik," said Xavier. "And now, just as humans have seen the X-Men fight other mutants aiming to do them harm, our fellow mutants have seen humans stand up for them in a way previously unimaginable."
"Yes, Charles, little surprise you choose to see that turn of events as encouraging. But do you think it can last? That that sentiment will truly spread?" Magneto looked past him, to where Naru was standing. "And you, Naru Osaka. You say you'll never join me. Seeing you in that uniform... Perhaps you're right not to. I wasn't much of a leader to the New Mutants, made terrible mistakes... But please tell me, do you honestly believe in what that uniform represents? You've seen humanity at its ugliest, as I have. Will you be happy, risking your life day in and day out for a cause that will often seem hopeless?"
Naru looked stricken by Magneto's question. Her lip quivered, as if Magneto had broken through at last. But then she cast an anxious sideways glance at Sailor Moon.
"Maybe not, Magneto, but since learning the truth about Sailor Moon, I already know being a superhero isn't fun and games," said Naru. "And sometimes it'll seem hopeless, but... It's what my mother hoped I would do. I dishonored her memory enough by losing my head, and tried to run from everything. If I have make a stand, it'll be..."
There was a loud crack and a bright flash, making many of the Sailor Senshi and X-Men recoil and gasp. Sailor Moon shivered when she saw Exodus standing beside Magneto, eyes blazing with hatred. A moment later, green mist appeared out of nowhere, swirling and coalescing into a human shape. Amelia Voght eyed them with contempt as well.
"You told me not to butt in, but... Just give the word, Magneto," Voght snarled. "I'll dump this lot into space like I should've done from the start!"
"Assuming I don't vaporize them all first!" Exodus added.
"Oh hey Paris!" Shadowcat beamed, undaunted. "How's your head?"
Exodus glowered at Shadowcat. "Please, Lord Magneto, give the word, so I can..."
Magneto had slowly risen to one knee, and held up a hand to silence him. "No, Exodus. This fight is over." Voght looked down to him in disbelief, while Exodus looked ready to protest. Magneto went on, cutting both of them off. "I've recovered just enough to sense that Asteroid M is breaking apart. Sailor Moon unleashing the Ginzuishou's power, and the destruction of some of the heavy machinery here, had greater repercussions than we first thought. A chain reaction has begun. I can keep it together just long enough so you and Voght may teleport our people to our fallback spots on Earth. I suspect many of them are in no condition to make it to escape pods, not after the Sailor Senshi got through with them."
Exodus was silent for a moment, looking from Magneto to Sailor Moon and back. "And the Sailor Senshi and X-Men? What of them?"
"We let Cable and Eclipse get them back on their plane, and leave," said Magneto. "The Sailor Senshi came to reclaim their friend, first and foremost. To the victors go the spoils."
"A gracious concession, Magneto," said Beast. "But if this is in the hopes of salvaging something from this fiasco... I do hope you are not counting on Erina Kizachi's continued aid, since Wolverine sniffed out where you stuffed her." Magneto looked up just as some Sailor Senshi and X-Men stepped out of the way, to reveal Beast standing over a defeated-looking Kizachi.
"Oh, and if you were counting on salvaging your computers, don't count on finding any data about Sentinels on them," Umino added.
For a moment, it looked like Magneto would lash out in anger, as hopeless as that would be. But in the end, he saw reason. Magneto sighed in defeat, and said, "Very well. Sailor Moon, Charles, your victory over me could not be more complete. Over a year of planning and nothing to show for it, and it will be many months before I'm well enough for action again."
"Then hopefully Erik, in that time, you will reflect on just why you gained absolutely nothing from stirring up distrust between humanity and our kind," said Xavier.
Sailor Moon nodded. "You saw reason once Magneto, decided to work with Professor X. Think of what could've been accomplished if you kept at it. Hopefully, one day, you two can again."
"One day, perhaps," said Magneto, finally rising to his feet. "Exodus, Voght, no more dawdling. Get our people to safety." Exodus and Amelia Voght still looked mutinous, but said nothing and then vanished.
"Yes Erik, one day perhaps," said Xavier hopefully. "In any case, Ms. Osaka, I'll help you direct your teleports to the Blackbird."
It took a moment for Sailor Moon to realize that that shouldn't be possible. "Wait, Naru, Xavier can get inside your head? When did that happen?"
"When Nephrite sacrificed the little bit of his soul remaining to block Magneto's inhibitor field, which also kept my mind safe," said Naru sorrowfully.
"Ah, so that's how you broke out, and why Rem-Ram could never invade your dreams," said Magneto.
Naru glared back at him. "And made me realize what I had to do. I put on this uniform for him as much as I did for my mother." Sailor Moon didn't know what to say. What could she say, after hearing Naru had to suffer that loss all over again? Yet now, unlike Magneto, she chose to embrace hope and let go of her bitterness...
Naru grabbed onto Uranus and vanished in a plume of black fire, just as Cable used his bodyslide to get Beast and Kizachi onto the Blackbird. Just as Magneto had said, nothing kept either from teleporting now. Naru kept coming back for Sailor Senshi as they could better handle her teleports than most of the X-Men, while Cable got everyone else out. While they were slowly being ferreted to the Blackbird, low rumblings began to pick up in intensity. Even with Magneto using what he had left to keep Asteroid M together, it was fixing to break apart.
Sailor Moon, Umino and Xavier were the last to go. Magneto stared back at them as he focused on keeping it all together. "I know what you're thinking, Charles, but I must stay," said Magneto suddenly. "Don't worry about me, old friend. I'm certain we'll see each other again in due time."
"As am I," said Xavier. "Hopefully by that time, you'll have thought long and hard about why more than this asteroid has fallen apart around you, Erik."
Magneto glared back at Xavier coldly, but nodded. Naru placed a hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder, and she looked into her friend's eyes. Still so much regret in those eyes, so much pain and shame. Sailor Moon smiled and nodded, hoping to give her some encouragement. Naru sighed, just as Cable activated his bodyslide, taking Xavier and Umino with him. And then everything, including Magneto, who kept staring at them icily, disappeared in a rush of billowing, black flames.