Chapter 2

As I opened the door the situation seemed almost anti-climactic. They pull me out of a very nice warm embrace to deal with this? I was almost amazed that their pride was heckled that they called me in to deal with something so stupid. Actually, now that I think about it that was probably Mercury's problem. She was probably extremely annoyed that she had to call in the big guns when the problem was, to excuse the pun, so tiny.

I strolled in and the nano-bugs turned their attention to me. I pulled out my scepter and called my energy to focus into the round globe at the top and it shot out towards the tiny machines. The energy still pulsing I moved the sphere and turned the rest of the bugs to dust. I stopped it short after the last thing was destroyed.

Mercury, Mars and Jupiter turned to look at me in surprise and their jaws hung low. "What?" I asked looking around. "Why are you looking at me like that? Don't tell me you couldn't even dent one of those things."

"You-you-" Jupiter was stuck on one word.

Mars' amazement turned to an almost angry tone. "I can't believe that the klutzoid was able to just waltz in here and destroy everything without falling on her ass ten times!"

"How-I mean- we've been fighting them for- a half hour- but you- you- you-" I almost feared that Mercury was now stuck on the same word Jupiter was but she gained her wit's back. "You destroyed them!"

"Now if you're done, I'm leaving."

A blast of energy sent down upon us and hitting before my feet frightened me. I jumped back and sent my gaze looking for what sent that. "I think not Sailor Moon. While your powers are enough for my little toys, your not strong enough to take me on."

I muffled a groan and looked directly into the eyes of none other then the general Zoicite. "Greetings." I mumbled, loud enough for him to hear me.

"A hello?" Zoicite raised a dubious eyebrow. "What is with the politeness that wasn't given to even my predecessors?"

"It wasn't a hello per se, it was a hello, now goodbye." I said tersely. "Your intrusion at this time isn't necessary."

"But it's so much fun." He said in his annoying slightly high, almost slightly feminine male voice.

"Only to you." I bit back, I wanted to go home, take a shower and meet up with my Mamo-chan for dinner and a few drinks. Regardless of the fact that I had spent the last two hours with him, we still had a lot to talk about.

Zoicite really was the worst general to ever exist I had strong convictions about this because he was the smallest one we have fought and very agile while dodging our energy shots but he happened to also be very annoying. It didn't help that he was stronger than the other two in energy wise; I had to wonder how strong he was physically. It had never come down to a hand-to-hand battle between the two of us.

I mean at twenty-three I was still only five feet two inches exactly. However my small stature didn't mean that I couldn't take on the dark kingdom's general. At this point I was more than willing to beat his ass down.

"Of course, what other type of fun is there? Obviously not worth experiencing." He grinned at me, that wicked, cocky grin that said he had something planned and there was nothing I could do to change it. He however didn't realize I was getting oh so very good at reading him.

"Whatever Zoi, you won't win." I yawned delicately before finishing my thought. "So get on with what you're planning because quite frankly you're starting to bore me."

I should have known it was coming, I mean I had just egged him on and I knew he had something stupid planned. I however could not foresee the alternate attack. I had not known about it or else I would have done something to stop it.

Expecting Zoicite to attack outright in anger or a sneaky attack from behind I had not expected to feel two large hands surround my neck and picked me off my feet. My hands instantly flung to try to tear the larger ones away. My eyes I could feel widening as I looked to the face of another man. One I had never seen before.

Struggling my eyes darted around to find help but there was none as Zoicite attacked my senshi at the same time this stranger attacked me.

"Not so sure about yourself now are you Sailor Moon?" The stranger taunted as the hands surrounding my neck tightened. Lacking breath I scratched and clawed at them trying to get some oxygen if not to get free. My feet were hanging in the air and I started to swing them to see if I could connect my sharp-heeled boot into his stomach. There was no luck as the oxygen in my system depleted faster. My eyes started to grow hazy and droopy. My legs stopped moving and my hands stilled. Blackness was closing in on me, this was it. My final thought was that I wasn't able to honor my promises.

The next thing I knew I was on the ground. The hard pebbles were betting into my arms and legs but none of that mattered to me. What mattered was that I was alive. How this happened I'll never know for sure. My eyes had trouble opening and my lips once freed were suddenly being pressed down by another pair, breathing air into my system. They were intoxicating and felt so familiar but then I realized I was still Sailor Moon and I wasn't having a sweet dream about my lovely Mamoru, my eyes flew open all the way.

I pushed Tuxedo Kamen off and away from me. "What?" My voice was raspy and the anger I intended to put behind my word sounded more like confusion. He held my shoulders as I struggled to bring air into my lungs by my own accord and everything clicked into place.

"Thank you." I gasped, no longer appalled by his help, I hadn't betrayed anybody and neither had he. It had been a situation of life and death. He nodded solemnly, turning his head to look at the senshi glaring at him.

"It appears only you are thankful." I knew only too well that he wasn't just talking about this time. The senshi had never appreciated his help no matter how often he saved my life. They didn't trust him and I doubted they ever would.

"Only my thanks matters." I reminded him. "I would never let them harm you."

"And I would never let any harm bestow upon you." His white-gloved hand reached out and gently outlined the bruises I most likely received. "At least I try not to let any harm come your way."

"You save me from any serious harm and that's all that can be asked, it's all that matters."

His head ducked forward in acknowledgement before helping me to my feet. I tilted slightly but he helped to hold me straight until I regained my bearings. "I will see you the next time my help is needed. Until then."

He dissolved into the shadows.

Jupiter was the one to walk over to me and her mouth was down cast into a tight line staring after the masked man the way we had seen him go before turning to look at me with just a hint more of animation. "I really wish you'd stop making Zoicite angry."

"Why?" I asked curious for the answer.

"Why?" She sounded bewildered that I had even contemplating asking that much less asking it right out. "Because you damn fool, he almost killed you tonight."

"Not true." I countered. "The new general did, not Zoicite and until Zoicite proves himself to be stronger then me I will continue to irk the irksome man."

Mercury shook her head from the sidelines at my words, she still couldn't believe that I was a teacher and used such an interesting range of phrasing. "Moony." She stepped forward. "We're concerned about you. Recently you've been avoiding us and it's not something we wish for to continue."

I bristled and it apparently showed in my posture as Mars growled low before snapping. "You know as well as the rest of us that you're suppose to come to each meeting every week no matter what excuses and we will not tolerate your avoiding us at any other time as well. If we have to we will drag you to them kicking and screaming."

I was about to reply to that blatant threat when Jupiter placed her hand on my arm. "What Mars is trying to say in her rude way of putting it is that we thought we were your friends and we miss you and it hurts us that you are trying to snub us out of your life."

I wouldn't have to if you had your own to go about with. However I could not utter those words no matter how tempted I was, for Jupiter spoke the truth, we were friends and I had missed them all terribly these last few months of avoiding them. "All right." I relented. "I'm sorry that I've been avoiding you to the point of not seeing you outside of the battle field."

"We forgive you, now how about we all head out to a restaurant tonight and talk over what has been going on the last few months over dinner." Ami suggested. "I know I haven't ate, have any of you?" She looked around at the other senshi and they all shook their heads in the negative.

I smiled and sighed. "While I would love to girls, I can't, not only have I already ate but I have other plans." At their downward gaze I hurried on with my excuse. "But I'm free tomorrow." I twisted my fingers behind my back, hopefully I really was free tomorrow, at the moment I couldn't remember. "So lets postpone the dinner for then. Unless you have something to do or you can still go tonight without me." There were a chorus of "sure"s and we disbanded going our separate ways.