Part II of the LWA/Sailor Moon arc!
Akko wakes up to find Diana and the Sailor Guardians close to fighting each other.
Could this all be part of a new villain's nefarious plan?

Ps: I would normally post some OST to play while reading this if that's what you like but unfortunately fanfiction doesn't let you paste links.

Still, I'll name the songs just in case you're interested.

Inner Sailors' Transformation: Crisis Power Make Up! OST Sailor Moon Crystal S3

Sailor Uranus Theme: Sailor Moon Crystal S3

Battle Theme: tragic Battle ~ Yasuharu Takanashi

Enjoy!


Darkness, she's surrounded by darkness.

Akko…

Why couldn't she open her eyes? Why was she feeling so weak?

Because I ran out of magic… Akko thinks bitterly.

She was supposed to be stronger, better at using her magic in tense situations. That's why she had been practicing with Ursula and Diana daily. To be helpful in difficult situation and to defend herself.

But again, it turns out that when she needed her magic the most, it failed her.

Akko…

Though to be fair, she did manage to attack some creatures, fight alongside Ursula-Sensei and almost destroy the core. It was bad luck that she got distracted and missed one of those monsters creeping from behind.

A creature that was destroyed by her friend Usagi who happened to be there, was wearing a costume and had used some kind of spell to obliterate the monster.

Her friend Usagi who last time she checked was just a regular middle school student.

Finally opening her eyes, Akko can see Usagi staring down at her. The blonde woman was carefully holding her head since it seemed that she had collapsed the moment she ran out of magic? Akko wasn't sure. Nevertheless, there was also a light pink rod laying next to them and that reminded the brunette witch of what had happened a couple of moments ago.

"Usagi…" Akko starts saying. "How did you…" she intends to ask but is interrupted by a frantic scream.

"AKKO!" the brunette witch hears a panicked familiar voice and opens her eyes in shock, instantly moving up and bumping her head with Usagi's.

"Ouch!" the Japanese witch groans and watches Diana running straight towards her, only stopping when she realizes that someone else is holding her.

"Let go of her." Diana threatens Usagi while pointing her wand at the strange woman.

"What?" Usagi asks surprised. "I was just helping her."

"Release her, now." the heiress whispers and Akko knows that Diana is really close to losing it.

"Diana…" she tries to soothe her girlfriend. "It's alright, she wasn't the one that hurt me. She helped me."

This makes Diana take a deep breath but still keep her wand up.

"Wait!" they all hear many steps coming their way and that's when the room is filled with four more women that are wearing clothes like the one Usagi has.

Women that were now staring at Diana and the way she was pointing her wand at Usagi.

"You!" a blue-haired woman says to Diana surprised. "I thought we told you to get out of this place."

This makes Akko stare curiously at the newcomers and Diana, because she was pretty sure that her girlfriend had never mentioned to her that she had friends here in Japan.

And with the way the blonde witch was staring at them, it seemed like that wasn't the case at all.

"I knew it was a bad idea to help her." a woman with long blonde hair and a bow mutters. "I think you should lower that weapon."

"Not until she lets her go." Diana doesn't budge.

"Diana!" Akko tries to move up but groans in pain when she realizes that she's still weak.

This groan is misunderstood by Diana who takes a step forward, one that sets the other women in the room to an attack stance.

"Stop!" a woman with raven hair threatens and raises her hand. "Or we'll attack you."

"Girls!" Usagi exclaims worriedly. "Don't!"

"And I'll be forced to retaliate." Diana says sternly. "I don't want to, specially because you helped me earlier, but I will if I have to."

"You... After we saved you, you plan to attack us." a tall ginger-haired woman growls and electricity starts coming out of her body.

Nevertheless, before something could be done by either of them, there is a spark of light that envelops the room in a mix of petals, four unfamiliar fighters coming out of what seemed to be a set of doors. The four newcomers were wearing clothes similar to the ones the rest of women had and that only worried Diana even more than before.

Akko and her were clearly outnumbered.

"No one will attack." a green-haired woman says calmly and all the women in the room feel the authority behind those four words.

Whomever this person was, Diana and Akko thought, she held power and her opinion mattered to this group of fighters.

Yet before the fighters from earlier had a chance to argue, there was another ray of light. But in this one, instead of more sailors, Diana and Akko saw their mentors; Ursula and Croix. The two older witches made their way towards the newcomers and nodded politely at them.

"Ursula and Croix-Sensei!"

"Neptune, Uranus, Saturn and Pluto!" Usagi and Akko say at the same time and the two of them just look at each other before bursting into laugher, making the newcomers smirk and the rest of women to stare dumbly at them.

"What is happening?" the blue-haired woman from earlier asks Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto.

"We didn't know you were back in Japan." the one with the thunder powers adds.

"We weren't." a beautiful woman with aquamarine hair replies soothingly. "But Saturn told us that a new threat was coming and that you were going to need our help." she smiles proudly at the black-haired girl that was standing next to them.

"Hence, we had to cut our vacation short." a blonde with short hair pouts. "Anyway, Saturn, tell them what you told us."

Saturn nods and points at the four witches.

"These women are no danger to Sailor Moon." Saturn promises the other fighters and they all take her words to heart because they immediately relax.

"Just like these sailors will not hurt Akko, Diana." Ursula smiles kindly. "Please lower your wand." she asks and the blonde witch does so immediately.

Once the situation has calmed down and there is no longer the danger of the two factions attacking each other, Uranus approaches the four fighters from earlier.

"You four." Uranus huffs. "Before threatening to attack someone, relax and take a moment to hear them out."

"But she was pointing her weapon at Sailor Moon!" the blonde with the bow defends herself and her team's response.

"Well Venus, wouldn't you do the same if you happened to find Mars being held by a total stranger?" Neptune jokes and watches both Venus and Mars blush brightly.

"Besides, you shouldn't blame Diana for getting worried about her girlfriend's well-being." Croix smirks. "Though Diana, to act so irrationally is unlike you."

"Akko wasn't answering her phone and I just thought that something horrible had happened to her." Diana chokes out and all the women in the room immediately feel sorry for her.

"I'm sorry Dia, I fainted because I lost my magic the moment my attack failed." Akko apologizes and uses Usagi to support herself while standing up. "And, this woman, she's my friend." she smiles brightly.

"She is?" Diana and the other four women who were previously close to attacking each other ask at the same time.

"Yes!" Akko walks to where Diana is and switches from Usagi's arms to hers, kissing her girlfriend on the lips before turning around to start the introductions. "Diana, this is Usagi, my best friend. Usagi, this is Diana, my girlfriend."

Diana simply stares at the blonde woman, who was giving her a welcoming smile while holding her hand out.

"THAT'S USAGI?!"

"THAT'S AKKO?!" Diana, Venus, Mars and the other two women ask at the same time, making everyone in the room apart from them start laughing.

LWALWALWALWA

"I'm deeply sorry about what happened!" Diana apologizes to the four sailors that she had almost attacked.

After making sure that were no traces of the dark energy in the building, the sailors and witches of Luna Nova decided to reconvene at the sailors' headquarters to further discuss what had happened and what could be done about it.

"Please!" Venus says immediately. "We are the ones that are sorry!" she promises and her three other friends nod in confirmation. "We should have asked you what was happening before threatening to attack you."

"Well, I should have done the same." the heiress looks at Usagi. "I really am sorry."

"I understand. Let bygones be bygones." Usagi gives her a warm smile.

"Usagi is right." Uranus smiles softly at her and then stares at the other women. "In fact, I thought that it would be nice to introduce each other as a sign of friendship." she proposes and gets confirmation nods from everyone in the room.

Usagi takes the lead and turns around to look at Akko, Diana, Ursula and Croix.

"My name is Usagi Tsukino, also known as Sailor Moon. Pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Rei Hino, also known as Sailor Mars. Nice to meet you." Mars smiles at them.

"My name is Minako Aino but I'm also known as Sailor Venus." Venus tells them cheekily. "Nice to meet you." she grabs the blue-haired woman that was standing close to her with a soft chuckle. "And this is Ami Mizuno, also called Sailor Mercury."

"A pleasure to meet you." Ami says embarrassed.

"And I'm Makoto Kino." the tall ginger-haired woman smiles happily at them. "Also known as Sailor Jupiter. Nice to meet you."

"We five." Minako continues to explain. "Are known as the Inner Sailors. We are responsible of protecting Sailor Moon and helping her fight evil."

"While we four…" Uranus tells them calmly. "Are the Outer Sailors. We are also responsible of protecting Sailor Moon but our jurisdiction are threats from outer space. My name is Haruka Tenoh, also known as Sailor Uranus."

"I'm Michiru Tenoh and Sailor Neptune, a pleasure." Neptune introduces herself charmingly.

"Setsuna Meioh. Sailor Pluto." Pluto tells them simply.

"And I'm Hotaru Tomoe as well as Sailor Saturn." the youngest woman tells them with a kind smile. "It is nice to meet Usagi's friends." she looks at Akko. "I can only imagine how much Usagi must have been talking about you coming."

This makes the inner sailor nod in agreement and for Usagi to blush brightly.

"Don't feel embarrassed." Diana chuckles. "Akko has also been really excited about seeing you."

"Diana!" Akko mutters embarrassed.

"I's only fair I tell them Akko." the blonde heiress smirks before turning to look at all the sailors. "My name is Diana Cavendish, Luna Nova student and heiress of the Cavendish family. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Ursula Callistis and I'm a teacher at Luna Nova." Ursula smiles kindly. "But some people may also know me as Shiny Chariot."

"YOU'RE SHINY CHARIOT?!" Usagi, Rei, Minako and Makoto scream excitedly.

"I loved your shows!" Makoto says happily to the blushing red-haired woman. "When you came to Japan I traveled all the way to Osaka to watch you perform."

"I think we all did." Rei murmurs. "Everyone loved Shiny Chariot."

"Well, I totally get their sentiment because she's the greatest witch of all time." Croix chuckles when Chariot blushes even more than before. "And my name is Croix Meridies, Luna Nova teacher and inventor."

"YOU'RE CROIX MERIDIES!" they all stare at Ami who was looking at Croix with stars in her eyes.

"You've heard of me?" the lilac-haired woman asks pleasantly surprised.

"I KNOW ALL ABOUT YOU! How your inventions have been saving millions of dollars in energy consumption while helping to re-direct it to the poorest communities in England." Ami explains happily. "I find the design and schematics you used for the neutron plant fascinating."

This makes all the sailor women laugh while Ami blushes brightly.

"I'm flattered." Croix tells her kindly. "In fact, how about we work together on something while I'm here?"

"Really?!" Ami feels like it's Christmas.

"Well, seems like we were meant to based on the circumstances that allowed us to meet." Croix tells them seriously.

"Indeed." Setsuna agrees. "The fact that this attack occurred the moment you arrived to Tokyo is no coincidence."

"Does that mean we caused it?" Akko asks softly.

"Of course not." the older woman soothes her. "It just means that this new threat is connected to you as well as to us since the power those creatures had is like ours."

"Our powers come from our home planets." Minako explains to the witches. "Since I'm Sailor Venus, that means my powers are a manifestation of my planet's energy."

"So that's why your magic feels different." Diana realizes.

"Our powers are connected to specific elements." Ami tells them. "Water, fire, lighting, thunder, darkness, wind, etc.; they're all elements that we use to perform our attacks."

"Our magic comes from a network of magic channels around the earth." Ursula smiles. "We call them Leylines and by using wands, witches can extract magic from the Leylines and use them. Or at least they could when they were stronger."

"Right now, to perform spells, we need to be either close to magical stones called Sorcerer's Stones or use routers like this one." Akko shows them the machine. "Magic is concentrated in different areas of the world and unfortunately there's not a lot of it in Japan."

"So your spells are the ones that allow you to do different things?" Rei asks intrigued.

"Correct, it all depends on the spell and skill of the witch." Diana says.

"So that's how you fought the creatures before we got there." Usagi mutters. "You used your magic and then tracked the dark energy of the core to inside the building."

Croix, Ursula, Diana and Akko nod in confirmation.

"Although the core's magic was different, it could still be traceable." Croix says carefully. "But, I have a question." she looks at the sailors. "If I was able to track this power, why weren't you? Based on the machines I can see here, none of them are from this planet, correct?"

Ami nods in confirmation.

"We don't know why it took us such a long time to get an alert." the blue-haired woman admits to them.

"We only realized something was happening when Rei had a vision about it." Makoto mutters.

"Unlike the Outer Sailors, most of us, except for Rei, are not as sensible as they are when it comes to tracing foreign magic." Minako says annoyed.

"That's why we were able to come aid you as quickly as we did." Setsuna explains to them and then looks at the witches. "We are more sensible to dark energies because our weapons and powers are stronger than the Inner Sailors."

"They are?" Akko asks.

"Indeed." Michiru says to her calmly. "Since we are the ones meant to stop any threat that comes from outer space, we need more power. The Inner Sailors' sole mission is to protect Sailor Moon."

"Why is Usagi so important?" the brunette witch asks curiously and this earns her some smirks and chuckles from all the sailors except Usagi, who was blushing brightly.

"Because of who Sailor Moon is." Haruka laughs. "Come on Usagi, tell her who you are."

"Haruka!" Usagi complains. "It's so embarrassing to say."

"But still true." Hotaru smiles kindly at her. "One would think that you would already be over it."

"I am!" the blonde complains. "But that doesn't mean that I don't get embarrassed when I explain it." she takes a deep breath and stares at Akko. "Turns out that I'm the reincarnation of a Moon Queen that had her planet destroyed millions of years ago and my friends are also the reincarnations of my sailor guardians from the past. We fight against aliens and other forces of evil that are trying to destroy the world by taking control of the Silver Moon Crystal that allows me to transform into Sailor Moon or to Queen Serenity."

Akko simply stares at her.

"I know it's hard to believe." Usagi stutters. "But I promise you that's the truth! The reason I didn't tell you this when you were here in Japan was because I didn't remember. I only got my memories back after I became Sailor Moon."

Akko continues to remain silent.

"Akko?" she asks worriedly and everyone in the room is anxiously waiting for the brunette's reaction.

"THAT IS FUCKING AMAZING!" Akko screams and this makes Usagi and everyone else stare at her in shock. "YOU'RE A QUEEN FROM THE MOON AND YOU HAVE YOUR OWN SET OF KNIGHTS?!"

"Well, I guess that's a good way to summarize things." Minako chuckles and everyone else does so as well. "Nice to see you taking it so well."

"Being a witch means that I've seen a lot of weird stuff." Akko smiles warmly. "I mean, there are some odd spells and things out there." she reminisces. "Like giant bats, or bizarre red stones that make you switch bodies, or flowers that act as aphrodisiacs…"

"Ok Akko I think they get it." Diana interrupts her with a bright blush on her face.

"Flowers that act as aphrodisiacs." Haruka smirks knowingly at Diana. "Now that sounds interesting. Tell us more about it, Akko."

"Don't, Akko…" Diana threatens her girlfriend. "Besides, I think we should focus on today's situation."

"I agree." Setsuna says amused and gives Haruka a warning look. "Although this is the first attack that we've had in a while, it's not going to be a one-time incident."

"How can you be certain of that?" Rei asks worriedly.

"Because even though we destroyed this core, there are other ones inactive around the city."

"Croix-Sensei was able to locate them with the aid of Mama-Michiru's mirror." Hotaru explains to them, making Diana, Akko, Croix and Ursula stare curiously at each other after that remark.

"We only realized this after we arrived to help you and met with Ursula and Croix. Setsuna and I are assuming that our talismans and technology are not powerful enough to detect this new evil energy without the aid of magic from these Leylines." Michiru informs them and this makes Ami open her eyes in shock.

"Which means that this new enemy has both. It has magic and powers." she realizes and watches Setsuna nod in agreement.

"That seems like the most plausible explanation for our tracker's ineffectiveness."

"Then you have our full support." Akko offers them immediately.

"But these creatures are our responsibility." Usagi says softly.

"Yet they have magic like ours." it's Diana the one that says this. "Which means that we're also responsible for them."

"We can help you." Ursula agrees with them. "Although they were vulnerable to our magic, it took a lot of spells and energy to eliminate them. I believe that if we combine your powers with our magic it should be easier to combat them."

"I cannot argue that." Minako tells her sailors. "It did take us a while to get rid of those creatures and not because they were experts at fighting."

"And…" Croix gives Ami a happy smile. "We can work together on upgrading your machine and integrating some elements that will help you track our type of magic as well."

"That sounds wonderful."

"Then we agree to work together!" Haruka smiles happily. "And since you've already tracked many cores in the city you know what that means!"

"Secret mission time!" every sailor in the room exclaims and Akko, Diana, Ursula and Croix merely chuckle, excited and nervous about what was coming.

LWALWALWALWA

After resting for a little bit in the sailors' headquarters, the group decided to split into two teams to cover more territories and get rid of more cores. Akko, Usagi, Makoto, Rei and Haruka were part of group A while Diana, Minako, Michiru, Setsuna and Ursula were part of group B. The remaining members of the team, who were Hotaru, Ami and Croix; had decided to stay back and work on fixing the tracking machine, hoping to fix it before another attack occurred.

The plan, which seemed solid, had been one all the sailors and witches had agreed with. It just made more sense to divide the location of the cores and separate the teams based on the energy-sensibility of its members. Minako and Haruka had determined that since the tracking machine from the sailors' headquarters wasn't working, the best thing for them to do was split the groups so that each one would have two energy-sensible members to track the cores.

Yet now that Akko had gotten the chance to interact more with the sailors, it was clear that even though Haruka and Rei had been adamant about executing this plan, neither of them seemed to like it very much. The two women, who were walking ahead of the team because they were the ones that had more sensibility to dark energy, were fidgeting and trying to act like they weren't worried.

"Will they be alright?" Akko whispers to Usagi while watching the two sailors in front of them.

"It has just been a while since the two of them have had to separate from their girlfriends." Usagi smiles condescendingly. "But they proposed this plan because they know it is the best course of action."

"To us sailors, our first duty is to protect our Queen and her new planet." Makoto explains to Akko. "So even though they may feel uncomfortable about separating from their significant others, they will do so it if that means keeping Usagi safe."

"Which is something I wish you wouldn't do." Usagi murmurs dejectedly. "You already gave your life for me once."

"And we will do it as many times as we need to." Rei adds simply. "Minako agrees with my sentiment."

"And so does Michiru." Haruka gives her a kind smile. "Besides, it is easy for us to do this because we know you'll protect us."

"Of course I will." Usagi promises them vehemently. "With everything I have."

"We know, Queen Serenity." the three women respond and this makes Usagi groan.

"I swear you're so annoying." the blonde sailor huffs annoyed and the three other ones laugh.

Akko watches the exchange with a warm smile on her face.

"I'm happy for you, Usagi." she says suddenly and this makes her friend look curiously at her. "You found a family."

Usagi smiles and nods in agreement while Haruka, Makoto and Rei decide to give the two friends some space to talk privately.

"You still remember that talk we had."

"How could I forget?" Akko chuckles. "It was what made me decide to leave Japan."

"I'm sorry." Usagi whispers.

"Don't be. You helped me realize that I needed to be somewhere else. And thanks to you, I learned magic and then met Diana."

Usagi nods in acceptance and remains silent, watching the brunette witch look at their surroundings.

"You know…" Akko says after a while. "Here was the last place I was expecting to fight some evil forces."

This makes Usagi give her a sad smile.

"I was surprised you decided to come back." she admits hesitantly. "I thought it would take you longer to find your way here."

"I thought so as well." the brunette agrees with her friend. "But after everything I've gone through in Luna Nova, after saving the world and getting together with Diana… I guess I just wanted to come back home and show the people I care about who I've become." she then looks down. "To show them who I really am."

Usagi nods in understanding.

"And I will be with you every step of the way." she promises her dear friend.

"Thank you Usagi." Akko smiles warmly and hugs her tight, immediately reminiscing the many hugs the two of them had shared in the past.

Nevertheless, out of the corner of her eye, Akko caught a strange shadow moving towards them, her reflexes helping her raise a shield around Usagi and her just as Haruka and Rei were screaming at the two of them to look out.

The shield, fortunately, worked and protected both from one of those strange creatures.

Moving Usagi out of the way, Akko concentrates on her magic and feels it coming forth, her wand lighting up and letting her know that it was ready to be used.

"Murowa!" Akko shoots the monster that had attacked them and it moves away, the strength of her spell making the creature turn to dust.

"Usagi!" Haruka says relieved while making sure that nothing had happened to her. "Are you alright?"

"I am." the blonde sailor promises her. "Akko protected us with her shield."

"I am sorry." Rei says bitterly. "I only just sensed them."

"It's alright." Usagi soothes her friend and notices that more creatures were appearing.

"We're going to be surrounded." Makoto exclaims worriedly.

"We need to transform." Haruka groans and kicks one creature that got too close. "But they're so close that we don't have enough time to take our pens out!"

Looking at the rest of the women and knowing that they needed space to transform before fighting, Akko makes sure Usagi is staring at her before giving her a nod.

"I'll be the distraction!" Akko tells them determined. "Belga Veeda!" she yells and aims her attack at the group of monsters that were trying to surround Usagi, Rei, Haruka and Makoto.

Realizing what Akko was trying to do, Usagi immediately watches the creatures turn away from them and focus on the Luna Nova witch. Smiling at the sight of her friend confidently moving around the field and taking down the monsters with her magic, Usagi turns to look at her fellow sailors.

"Everyone!" Usagi gets the attention of her sailors. "Let's transform!" she orders her friends who nod in confirmation and take their pens out.

(Play Inner Sailors song here)

"Moon Cosmic Power!"

"Mars Planet Power!"

"Jupiter Planet Power!"

"Uranus Planet Power!"

"MAKE-UP!"

They all say and immediately feel the power of the moon and their planets run through them, their clothes changing to their fighting assemble and their strength multiplying. Closing their eyes and letting themselves be lost in their past selves, the sailors confidently allow their powers to manifest and finally feel the transformation process complete.

(Play Uranus song here)

"I am the pretty guardian who fights for love and for justice. I am Sailor Moon!" Usagi says confidently while preparing herself for battle. "And now in the name of the moon: I'll punish you!"

"Protected by Mars, the planet of fire, guardian of war, I am Sailor Mars!" Rei exclaims determined. "In the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!"

"Protected by Jupiter, the planet of thunder, guardian of protection, I am Sailor Jupiter!" Makoto smirks. "I'll fill you with regret and leave you numb!"

"Protected by Uranus of the Outer Solar System, the planet of winds. Guardian of heavens. I am Sailor Uranus!" Haruka yells and calls forth her sword. "My magic tool, Talisman! Show thy power and protect me!" a sword appears in her hand and the blonde woman raises it up. "Space Sword Blaster!" she aims her attack at the creatures that were near Akko and takes most of them out.

(Play Battle Theme here)

"Nice shot!" Akko calls to her and watches the other sailors aiming their attacks at where she was. "Vega Varulus!" she uses magic on her legs and jumps up and out of the way, landing a couple of meters away from where Usagi, Rei, Makoto and Haruka were.

"Mars Snake Eyes!" Rei screams and a fire snake hits two monsters, the two immediately becoming dust.

"Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!" Makoto calls her lighting forth and concentrates it in a ball, it going straight towards a group of those dark entities and making them disappear.

"Neo Queen Serenity, lend your power to my rod, Heart Moon Rod!" Usagi screams and starts turning around in circles, power concentrating and surrounding her. "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" she shouts and watches her attack finish the monsters that had remained, the fogginess and darkness that had been sullying the area disappearing.

Getting close to the sailors, Akko nods in thanks before focusing on Usagi.

"If those monsters attacked us then that must mean we're close to a core."

"You're right." Usagi then turns to Haruka and Rei. "Mars, Uranus, can you feel anything?"

Closing their eyes and concentrating, both Haruka and Rei start stretching their powers, trying to see whether it would crash with their own energy.

Pop!

Haruka and Rei snap, both turning towards a dome a couple of meters away from them.

"There!" the two scream.

"It's that dome." Rei adds and all the women start running towards it.

"Though we can sense more of those monsters protecting it." Haruka mutters while placing herself next to Usagi and watches Rei and Makoto do the same.

"Last time they disappeared the moment Usagi destroyed the core, right?" Akko asks them and gets a confirmation nod. "Then we should focus on destroying the dome."

"But last time it took for Sailor Moon to be in her Super Sailor Moon form to destroy it." Makoto adds. "And if we're not all together, Sailor Moon can't transform."

"But I have Akko with me and both Pluto and Croix-Sensei said to us that the core had to be made with both of our powers." Usagi determines.

"Hence if we both attack it at the same time then it will be easier to destroy it." Akko understands what Usagi is trying to say.

"Ok then!" Haruka chuckles. "Since I am the leader of the Outer Sailors I'll take over Sailor Venus' role." she says to Rei and Makoto who nod in agreement. "We need to create an opening for Sailor Moon and Akko so that they can hit the core with their combined powers." she tells the two inner sailors. "That means we three will try to bring all of those monsters' attention to us!"

This makes Rei and Makoto smirk.

"Does that mean that you're giving us permission to create a mess?" Rei asks hopefully.

"Yes!" Haruka smiles. "We will go in there and annihilate all of them!"

"Nice!" Makoto laughs and thunder starts coming from within her. "It's been a while since I've used my full power."

Akko and Usagi merely look at them with a fond smile.

"Should we be getting worried about them destroying the plaza?" Akko asks amused.

"If we want to prevent that then we have to destroy the core as fast as we can." Usagi smirks and can see the monsters Haruka and Rei had been talking about, as well as the dome in the middle of the plaza.

"Ok everyone!" Haruka says excitedly. "Are we ready?!" she asks and gets confirmation nods from everyone. "Then let's begin!" she continues to run forward with Makoto and Rei. "World Shaking!" she screams and the earth crumbles, monsters collapsing and tripping because of this.

"Burning Mandala!" Rei yells and balls of fire start pouring out of her hands, all of them going straight towards the creatures who shriek and burn away.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Makoto concentrates and the thunder that had been surrounding her starts to form a big ball, it carefully staying suspended in her hand. "Go!" she throws it out and hits the remaining monsters, a path finally created.

"Now go!" Uranus tells Usagi and Akko, who nod in confirmation.

"Vega Varulus!" Akko concentrates on her legs and arms and feels her strength multiplying. "Allow me!" she smirks at Usagi and carries her bridal style, making her friend blush brightly.

"Akko!" Usagi shrieks embarrassed. "I can walk just fine!"

"Really?" the brunette smirks and points towards the ground where big craters had been formed.

"I can jump."

"That far away?"

Usagi mutters because without her Super Sailor Moon powers she can't. This form, her basic Sailor Moon form, was the weakest of the sailor ones and it didn't have much power.

"Ok, perhaps not right now." Usagi admits.

"That's what I thought." Akko chuckles and jumps high up, using her magic to control their bodies and allow them to safely land at the other side. "Now…" the witch stares at the dome. "How do we do this?"

"As fast as you can!" Rei scolds them for taking their time. "Since it's not so simple to keep these monsters away from you!"

"Sorry!" she apologizes to the raven-haired woman. "Ok, let me concentrate my magic!" she closes her eyes and uses the technique Diana taught her to call her magic forth.

Usagi, meanwhile, watches her friend, noticing small tendrils of green light going inside Akko's body. The magic, which seemed to come from their environment, was making Akko shine and was creating a soft veil that seemed to be protecting the brunette woman. And her wand, which had been simply laying on her hand, was now emitting a bright glow.

"Nice Akko!" Usagi compliments her friend who opens her eyes and gives her a dashing smile.

Akko, finally aware of what she was doing, starts creating a shape with her wand and notices tiny specks of green and gold magic pouring out of it. Smirking at the sight, she watches those little specks turn to small creatures that are the same ones that had appeared during her fight with the dark missile.

"What's that?" Makoto asks as she watches Akko's wand. "Those little creatures…" she notices them moving around the field and land on the dark monsters, making them shriek and wail.

"Whatever they are they're bothering the evil entities." Rei says and uses her fire powers to finish destroying them.

"I'm ready!" Akko takes a deep breath and concentrates on her spell.

"So am I!" the blonde sailor produces her wand. "Neo Queen Serenity, lend your power to my rod, Heart Moon Rod!" she feels the power of her crystal concentrating on her rod.

"Diphulaniado!"

"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"

Usagi and Akko scream, the two friends watching how their attacks combine and become a supernova of energy, it hitting the core directly. The moment the core is compromised, Haruka, Rei and Makoto notice that just like Akko and Usagi had suspected, the creatures disappeared and the plaza returned to normal.

"We did it." Usagi whispers relieved. "We really did it." she feels her energy waver and is luckily held by Akko, who watches Usagi de-transform with concerned eyes.

"Usagi!" Akko says worriedly while holding her friend close. "Guys!" she calls Rei, Makoto and Haruka who quickly run towards them, letting their transformations fall.

"What happened?" Makoto asks while touching Usagi's forehead to see if she was running a fever. "She doesn't seem to have a fever."

"She must have run out of energy." Haruka says solemnly.

"Sailor Moon is her weakest form and she did use a lot of energy." Rei adds simply while holding Usagi close and noticing her open her eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I am. It just seems like I ran out of energy after our combined attack." Usagi chuckles.

"I'm glad." Haruka says honestly and looks at Akko. "Thank you for that. It would have taken us longer and more energy to eliminate the core without your help."

"Of course." Akko smiles softly but then becomes serious. "Though I'm worried that those creatures managed to sneak-up on us even though Rei and you should be able to sense them."

Rei and Haruka both look down, ashamed of themselves.

"I didn't mean it like that!" the brunette witch immediately says and tries to explain herself but is thankfully saved by Makoto.

"Perhaps you weren't able to sense them because they didn't use magic to approach us. I mean, it seemed like they jumped us instead of materializing like these dark creatures usually do." Makoto murmurs.

"You're right." Rei exhales before continuing. "I was only able to sense them the moment they tried to launch their attack at Usagi and Akko." she then looks at Akko. "But you were already activating your shield before Haruka and I warned you. Which means that you must have seen them before us."

"You saw them?" Haruka asks intrigued and Akko nods in confirmation.

"I saw a shadow moving in the woods and kept alert just in case." Akko simply explains. "I didn't sense a dark energy though, just happened to see something and chose to act cautiously."

"So they were walking and that's why we didn't sense them." Rei says annoyed. "I don't like this."

"The fact that they managed to find a way to surprise us?" Makoto asks.

"The fact that it seems like these creatures are capable of thinking, creating plans and correcting past mistakes." Usagi understands what Rei is trying to say.

"Because if they do, then that means that just like we're learning how to fight them better, they're also realizing and using our weaknesses against us." Haruka explains worriedly. "And to be honest, I don't think that these creatures are very high-up in the chain of command."

"The chain of command?" Akko asks confused.

"What Haruka means is that these monsters are most probably just simple soldiers sent to die and measure our power." Rei explains to the witch. "And that they're being led by a stronger monster. A general in a manner of speaking."

"And this general is getting information about us and our attacks and how to best counter-produce them." Makoto groans. "That's why they didn't use their magic until they were close enough to ambush us."

"Indeed." Haruka says and hears a ringtone, all the women looking at Akko who was taking her phone out of her pocket.

"Yes, Croix-Sensei?" Akko asks surprised because she wasn't expecting the inventor to call her.

"Akko, the tracker sensed an increase in dark energy. Did you run into some creatures?"

"We did." the witch tells her calmly. "We also found a core and destroyed it combining Usagi's and my magic."

"Ami, that means our theory was correct." Croix seems to say to Ami. "Put me on speaker."

"Ok…" Akko does as told and signs to the other women to get closer. "You're on speaker."

"Everyone…" Ami says. "Croix-Sensei and I have been working on the tracker but are still unable to track these creatures' energies unless they actively use them."

"But still, we should have been able to sense them once the sailors and Akko fought against them." Croix adds worriedly.

"They only started using their magic once they cornered us." Haruka informs the two scientists. "It seems like they're learning from past mistakes and using those strategies in future attacks."

"But how?" Ami asks. "I don't remember leaving any survivors in our first fight? We destroyed them all."

"We also destroyed them all." Rei whispers.

"And the rest disappeared the moment Akko and I destroyed the core." Usagi adds.

"It's the core!" Croix screams. "That's what they're using to communicate with each other! They're all made with the same dark energy and we have already seen that the core can act like a jammer to your tracker."

All the women open their eyes in shock.

"That seems plausible." they can hear Ami typing. "From your previous calculations, the cores that we found seem to be in areas that can be interconnected with each other."

"So the cores are also acting like satellite towers?" Makoto asks confused.

"The cores are all sharing information with each other and also seem to control the presence of dark creatures." Croix explains. "In a way, allowing them to change their strategies and exchange information within cores."

"And right now…" Haruka says terrified. "We just showed them that their strategy to ambush us works and how we have planned to attack them."

Rei and Akko immediately realizes what Haruka means and the raven-haired woman takes her phone out, frantically dialing Minako.

"Which can be used against group B." Ami whispers. "Their powers or magic haven't been activated and we can't see anything on the tracker."

"That tracker doesn't work!" Rei screams and shrieks when her call goes straight to voicemail. "Minako isn't answering."

"Diana…" Akko panics as well and tries to use her magic to sense her girlfriend but realizes she's too exhausted for it to work. "I can't use my magic to sense her!"

"Everyone calm down!" Makoto says because she can see that Usagi was also close to losing it. "I can only imagine what you must be feeling." she tells them honestly. "But if we don't calm down we won't be of any help to them."

"Makoto is right." Croix tells them bitterly. "Believe me, I know how you feel because Chariot is with them." she adds softly. "But the reality of things is that we won't be able to track them until the tracker senses their power."

"How long did it take for it to sense us?" Haruka whispers dejectedly.

"We called you the moment it did." Ami admits.

"The fight was already over when that happened!" the Haruka screams.

"It seems that the cores are the ones blocking our tracker from sensing energy and magic." the young inventor tries to explain.

"So what, are you telling us that there's nothing we can do? That we have to wait until they either destroy the core or die before finding them?!" Rei cries desperately. "Ami, our friends are there! My Minako is there!"

Haruka, shockingly, doesn't say anything and just sits on the floor; her gaze absent and her stance defeated.

"Rei…" Usagi whimpers. "It's not her fault."

"I know that!" Rei is losing it. "I just… We can't just stay here and wait! There must be something we can do!"

Akko closes her eyes, thinking of a way to find Diana. She knew that her bond with the blonde was powerful, and that when needed, they could do miracles together. And, based on the way Rei and Haruka were panicking, it seemed like their bond with their significant other was just as powerful as hers was.

"Haruka, Rei…" Akko tells them firmly. "Close your eyes."

"What?" Rei asks angrily. "Akko, if you tell me to close my eyes and take a breath…" she threatens her.

"Akko, right now is not the tim…" Haruka starts saying.

"CLOSE THEM!" the brunette witch screams and the two older women immediately do as said. "Now…" she takes a deep breath. "Concentrate on your girlfriend. Think of Minako." she says to Rei. "Try to remember the essence of her power and what it feels like when you're close to her."

Rei nods in confirmation and starts doing what Akko was telling her.

"Haruka, think of Michiru." Akko tells her softly. "Think of what it feels like when your powers combine, of her aura when you're together and try to imagine it as a thin thread that you're trying to hold…" Akko opens her eyes and watches the two women smile softly.

"Ok, now that you found it." she can find Diana's thread quickly as well. "Imagine us joining our threats, putting them all together and making a ticker and stronger one." she senses the two sailors doing as said. "Feel it wrapping around each other and materializing in front of you. Feel it leading us to where our girlfriends are."

Akko, Rei and Haruka smile happily at the warmth and love that was emanating from the thread, the three women capable of sensing how much the bond of the other women meant to each of them and how special this type of connection was.

A connection that seemed to be leading them to the shrine.

"They're in the shrine!" Akko, Haruka and Rei scream at the same time, getting some surprised looks from Makoto and Usagi.

"You sure?" Makoto asks.

"Positive." Haruka says and waits for Usagi to give the order.

Nodding in acceptance, Usagi takes the lead.

"Everyone!" she says determined. "Let's go save our friends!"

"Ok!" they all scream and start heading to the shrine.

"Akko…" the brunette hears Croix say. "Be careful." she warns her student.

"I will make sure Ursula-Sensei is alright as well!" she vows.

"Thank you." the lilac-haired woman says relieved. "Now go! Help your friends and don't do anything too risky."

"Hai Sensei!" she promises and hangs up, catching up to her friends who were quickly running towards the shrine.

Please Diana… the brunette witch thinks worriedly while concentrating on canalizing her magic… Please be alright.

A Suivre...