Multiversal Madness

by SailorGuardian9

A new threat has appeared from beyond the stars, the guardians and their allies must give everything they have to stop it! Failure is not an option, because if they fail, it will be the end of everything.

4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

They Call Him Jack

It was early the next morning when the first person awoke from their slumber. It had been a rough night with little sleep for them, but not as rough as it had been for one heartbroken young woman. "Uh, seven a.m? I can't believe it's only seven." Tony mumbled as he slowly stood up and stretched. "That nightmare went on forever last night." Tony quietly said to himself as he sat down on the couch.

"Hey! Watch where you're sitting!" Usagi yelled as she wiggled underneath Tony.

"Usagi?! What the hell are you doing in my apartment?!" Tony shouted as he jumped to his feet and looked at Usagi.

"Apartment? We're in Sarah's house, what are you talking about an apartment for?" Usagi groaned as she slowly sat up.

"Wait, we're in a house, and you're here with me? If that's the case then... Oh Gibbs." Tony quietly said as he sat down on the arm of the couch and looked down at his feet. "It wasn't a dream; Gibbs is really gone, isn't he?" Tony quietly asked as he looked at Usagi.

"I'm so sorry Mr. DiNozzo, Mr. Gibbs was a great man. I didn't know him for long, at least not nearly as long as all of you, but I knew him long enough to know how amazing he was and how much he meant to the people in his life. I'm sorry for the loss you all endured yesterday. I'm sorry I couldn't save him." Usagi quietly said with a sad expression.

"Rule number six Usagi, never say you're sorry. It's a sign of weakness." Tony said with a smile as he put a hand on Usagi's shoulder. "We know you did everything you could on that ship, you almost died trying to save us all. Gibbs would be proud of you and your courage, and I want you to know that none of us blame you, not even Abby. She didn't mean what she said to Ami last night, her and Gibbs were just... really close. She was like a daughter to him and he a father to her, Abby's gonna be okay though, we all will. The best thing we can do is make sure Gibbs didn't die in vain. We'll find the sword that Aku fears so much, then we'll avenge our fallen friends and family with it. As you and your friends would say, our hearts and souls to the cause." Tony said with a grin.

"Oorah." Usagi replied with a small smile. "Thank you Mr. DiNozzo, that makes me feel a little better about the way things are going. To be honest I'm scared, really scared. Aku's like nothing we've ever seen or fought before, and right now our only hope of defeating him is a sword that we don't know anything about. We don't have a general location, type, size, for all we know it could be a plastic toy sitting in a bin at a store somewhere. That's the scariest thing about all of this, the unknowing. Not knowing where to find the weapon to beat him, not knowing where he'll strike next, and not knowing what's gonna happen when we do confront him again." Usagi quietly explained with a sad sigh. "What if I screw up, what if I lead my friends to their deaths?" Usagi quietly asked with a few tears as she stared at Tony.

"Then we'll die fighting, and with honor." Rei said as she sat up and looked at Usagi. "Morning princess, you feeling better?" Rei asked with a small smile.

"A little." Usagi quietly answered as she looked at Rei.

"Five more minutes please." Minako mumbled as she rolled over, resting her arm on Rei's lap as she did.

"Even in your sleep you're a handsy little perv." Rei giggled as she moved Minako's hand from her lap and held it.

"You're calling me a perv? Let's ask our friends who touches who more often Rei." Minako replied with a grin as she poked Rei's breast.

"You're both handsy perverts." Mako grumbled as she sat up and stretched. "Morning Ami, good morning girls." Mako said with a small yawn as she looked over at Ami and the puffs, only to find that they weren't there. "Ami? Girls? Are you in the kitchen Ami?!" Mako yelled as she looked towards the kitchen, there was no answer though.

"That's strange, it ain't like Ami and the gals ta just disappear." Sarah said with a straight face as she looked at Kaede.

"Hey you two, how long have you ladies been up?" Rei asked as she looked at Kaede and Sarah.

"Maybe twenty minutes or so. We couldn't fall back asleep, so we just decided to cuddle a little." Kaede answered as she gently ran her finger's through Sarah's hair.

"Good morning friends, how is everyone today?" Ducky asked as walked into the living room from the kitchen.

"Hey Ducky." McGee said with a small wave.

"Good morning Ducky." Ziva greeted in a friendly tone.

"Hey uh, have you seen Abby today? I just noticed that she isn't in here with everyone." McGee asked as he looked around the room a little.

"Sadly I have, Mr. Palmer is in the kitchen with Ms. Schiuto. She's...taking everything very hard to say the least." Ducky quietly answered with a sad expression.

"How so?" Ziva asked as she walked over by Ducky.

"The bottle is empty, as is her heart." Ducky answered with a small frown.

"I'll check on her." McGee said with a small frown as he walked into the kitchen. "Oh Abbs." McGee quietly said as he stared at Abby, who was passed out on the table with an empty bourbon bottle next to her.

"I didn't know Abby drank bourbon, let alone to this extent." Palmer said in a sad tone as he looked at McGee.

"She doesn't. Gibbs's death really got to her, more so than any of us realized I think." McGee replied as he put a hand on Abby's shoulder.

"I still can't believe that Gibbs is gone, it all feels like a bad dream." Palmer said with a sad expression.

"I know what you mean Jimmy, but this isn't a dream unfortunately. He's really gone, and now we have to make sure that he didn't die in vain." McGee replied as he gently sat Abby up. "Abbs? Abby can you hear me?" McGee asked as he gently patted Abby's cheek.

"Cafe pow for me? Thanks Gibbs, you're the best." Abby mumbled in her sleep.

"Oh Abbs." McGee quietly said as he gently hugged Abby. "Let's get you on the couch, hopefully Usagi won't mind sharing." McGee said in a sad tone as he gently picked Abby up and carried her into the living room.

"How is she?" Tony asked as he watched McGee carry Abby into the room.

"Based on the empty bourbon bottle next to her, I'd say not well." McGee answered as he walked over by Usagi. "I'm sorry to ask Usagi, but do you mind if..." McGee started asking until Usagi interrupted him.

"Of course not, I should get up and move a little anyways." Usagi replied as she slowly got to her feet.

"Thank you." McGee thanked as he laid Abby on her side and titled her head slightly over the side of the couch. "Just in case she throws up, don't want her choking." McGee quietly said as he covered Abby with a blanket.

"After that much booze I'd be surprised if she didn't throw up." Tony said with a small frown as he looked down at Abby.

"So how are you feeling today Usagi, any better than last night?" McGee asked with a straight face.

"Well, I'm walking again and I don't feel nauseous. I'm still kind of tired though." Usagi answered with a small smile.

"I'm not surprised, the amount of energy you used yesterday based on my estimates, would've been enough to power that entire ship for over a week straight. Any ordinary person would've been torn apart just by having that much energy in their body, let alone using it as a weapon. You truly are a remarkable young woman Ms. Tsukino." Ducky said with a smile.

"Thanks Ducky, but I'm feeling that energy today for sure. I'm so achy, I feel like I got hit by a convoy of busses after being struck by lightning." Usagi groaned as she rubbed her neck a little.

"Quite an interesting analogy, you speaking from experience?" Ducky asked with a chuckle.

"Thankfully no, those were just the first words that popped into my head." Usagi answered as she stretched a little. "Still no sign of Ami and the girls?" Usagi asked as she looked around a little.

"Not yet, we should go ask if any of the adults have seen them, that or if Shingo and Chibiusa saw them at all." Rei answered as she started walking towards the steps.

"Morning y'all! How's everyone doing today?" Jud asked as he and Emily came down the steps.

"Okay Mr. Blouse. Have you seen Ami or the puffs at all today?" Rei asked with a hint of concern.

"Can't say we have sadly. Why, they ain't in any kinda trouble are they?" Emily asked in a worried tone.

"We don't know, none of us have seen them yet today." Rei answered with a straight face.

"Oh no, Ami's missing? Why is it always Ami, and now my grand babies to? We'd best go look for them." Saeko replied as she appeared at the top of the steps.

"Don't worry everyone, Ami and the girls are fine." Luna informed as she, Artemis, and Diana walked out of Chibiusa's room.

"Where are they then?" Saeko asked as she looked down at Luna.

"The puffs had some bad dreams last night from what I overheard, so Ami took them outside to star gaze for a bit. I think they camped out in some old treehouse they found in the woods. It made the girls happy." Luna explained with a small smile.

"They camped out and didn't invite me? That's cold." Mako said with a smile as she gave Luna a pat on her head. "Thanks for letting us know Luna." Mako thanked as she started walking towards the door.

"You want some alone time with your fiancé and kids Mako?" Usagi asked with a smile.

"You guys can come if you want to, I'm sure Ami and the girls won't mind." Mako replied as she looked back at everyone.

"That's okay Mako, go spend some alone time with your girls. We'll be around if you need us." Saeko said with a smile.

"I'll get breakfast going in the mean time. Eggs and bacon okay with ya folks?" Jud asked as he started walking into the kitchen.

"Sure is pa." Sarah answered in a happy tone.

"You want any help with anything Mr. Blouse?" McGee asked in a kind tone.

"I ain't gonna complain if any of yas wanna come and make some pancakes as well." Jud chuckled as he walked into the kitchen.

"Allow me, pancakes are my specialty." Palmer said with a smile as he followed Jud into the kitchen.

"Much appreciated Mr... Palmer right?" Jud asked as Palmer entered the kitchen.

"Yes sir, James Palmer, but most people just call me either Palmer or Jimmy." Palmer answered as he held his hand out to Jud.

"Jud Blouse, nice ta formally make yer acquaintance Mr. Palmer." Jud replied as he shook Palmer's hand. "Now let's get cooking." Jud said with a grin as he put an apron on and grabbed some ingredients and pans.

"Yes sir." Palmer replied with a smile. While Jud and Palmer made breakfast, and the others sat around resting and talking a little, Mako was deep in the woods searching for Ami.

"Alright Mako, it's time to admit it to yourself. You're lost." Mako talked to herself as she looked around the somewhat dense forest she'd blindly wandered into. Thankfully for her though, there were four pairs of eyes watching her closely.

"Ahoy captain Blossom, there be a shipmate overboard!" Buttercup yelled as she stared at Mako.

"Aye first mate Buttercup, drop anchor and prepare the life boat!" Blossom replied with a smile.

"Aye aye captain!" Buttercup replied as she threw a large rock out the window.

"I hope you looked before you tossed that rock out there, first mate." Ami said with a grin as she stared at Buttercup.

"Of course I did, I be an experienced pretend pirate." Buttercup answered with a grin.

"Lieutenant Mizuno, you and shipmate Bubbles head down and pull that poor woman out of the raging sea before it swallows her whole!" Blossom instructed as she looked behind her at Ami.

"Aye aye captain." Ami replied as she and Bubbles opened the trapdoor in the floor, then headed down the ladder.

"Oh no lieutenant, the life boat is gone!" Bubbles squealed as she clung to the ladder just above the ground.

"Hold on Bubbles, I know where there be another one." Ami said with a wink before she held her hand out and made a small boat out of ice. "Yar, here be the life boat. Now climb aboard first mate, and prepare ye bottom fer a freeze." Ami said with a smile as she sat down in her ice boat.

"Good work lieutenant, now row! Row like the wind!" Bubbles instructed as she pointed towards Mako.

"Aye aye Bubbles!" Ami replied as she froze a small trench of ice, then filled it with water from her shine aqua illusion attack.

"What in the world?" Mako asked herself as she watched Ami row a boat towards her in the middle of the woods.

"Ahoy there Mako mommy, we've come to rescue you from the raging seas!" Bubbles said with a giggle as she stared at Mako.

"Uh, hi?" Mako said as she looked at Ami.

"The girls are pretending to be pirates, just play along." Ami whispered with a smile.

"Oh! Thank you for saving me, I thought I was a goner for sure. My tiny boat was no match for the raging storms and angry sea. Thank you for saving me, may I ask your names?" Mako asked with a smile.

"I'm shipmate Bubbles, and this is lieutenant Mizuno. Now hold on, we're going back to our ship. The S.S Unicorn Glitter." Bubbles giggled as Ami started making the ice boat head back towards the treehouse.

"We didn't agree on that name!" Buttercup yelled down from the treehouse.

"Shut up Buttercup, you're breaking character!" Everyone heard Blossom yell from out of view.

"There she be, now climb aboard." Bubbles ordered as she floated towards the trap door in the floor of the treehouse.

"They're so adorable." Mako giggle as she started up the ladder.

"You say that now, but wait until you have to walk the plank." Ami replied with a grin as she followed Mako up the ladder.

"Arg captain, we be returning with the lost ship mate." Bubbles said with a giggle as she floated through the door.

"Aye! Good work Bubbles, you and lieutenant Mizuno are to be accommodated for ye bravery." Blossom replied with a smile.

"Ahoy, thanks for letting me come aboard captain." Mako said with a smile as she poked her head through the door.

"Arg, it be no problem me matey." Blossom replied as she pretended to steer a ship.

"Well actually captain I uh, hate to criticize your ship at all, but would you happen to have a slightly bigger entrance?" Mako asked with an embarrassed smile as she looked down at her breasts.

"Could you move it along please Mako, as cute as I think your butt is I'd prefer not to stare at for so long. At least not around the girls anyways." Ami said with a smile as she patted Mako's butt.

"Teehee! Mako mommies big boobies don't fit." Bubbles giggled as she stared at Mako.

"That's not an appropriate word Bubbles, say chest or breasts instead." Ami scolded from outside.

"Sorry Ami mommy." Bubbles apologized as she stared at Mako.

"She's right though Mako, you and your top deck are a little big for this ship." Ami said with a grin as she gently pushed on Mako's breast.

"Easy down there, keep your hands off my treasure you pirate." Mako said with a smirk as she wiggled in the hole a bit.

"But those doubloons of yours be so perfect, any pirate worth her sea legs couldn't resist them." Ami giggled as she gently wiggled Mako's chest through the hole.

"Well ye better resist them, especially with yer young shipmates being so close." Mako replied as she lifted herself the rest of the way through the hole.

"I can't help me self matey, yer beauty be like a sirens call. So elegant and lovely, no poor soul in all the seven seas could resist ye." Ami said with a giggle as she entered the treehouse.

"Yer beauty be just as magnificent, perhaps even more so. Like the most majestic of mermaids, ye bring a warmth to me heart." Mako replied with a smile as she stared at Ami.

"Yuck, you guys are too lovey. It grosses me out." Buttercup grumbled with a look of disgust.

"I think it's sweet that Ami and Mako mommy love each other so much, you're just jealous that you can't find something special like that." Blossom said with a smirk as she looked back at Buttercup.

"Like you have?" Buttercup replied with a smug grin.

"Now now girls, no fighting. Especially not over something like who has a partner and who doesn't. You girls are too young for relationships anyways." Ami informed with a smile.

"You're never too young for love Ami." Blossom replied as she pretended to steer a ship.

"True, but you can definitely be too young for a relationship. See, relationships are complicated, they're not like what you see on your cartoons. It's not all roses and rainbows, they can get messy and stressful at times. Even your Mako mommy and I have had difficulties before, and don't even ask about your aunties." Ami informed with a sad smile as she put her arm around Mako's waist.

"Really? You and Mako mommy have had difficulties before?!" Bubbles asked in a surprised tone.

"Definitely. Like Ami said, it's not all roses and rainbows, there's a lot more to a relationship than the happy stuff. I remember when we came home from that scary world, we argued and fought a lot. It was stressful, and it definitely put our relationship to the test at times, but we fought hard and worked through our issues. Now we're closer than ever." Mako answered as she put her arm around Ami's shoulders.

"Have our aunties ever had struggles before?" Blossom asked in an intrigued tone.

"Mhm. All of them have had rough patches in their relationships, even Usagi and Naru have gotten into an argument or two in the few months they've been together. Arguments are part of what relationships are, they're a part of life." Mako answered with a small smile.

"But that's okay, because your mommies and aunties love each other very much, and in the end they always figure out how to fix whatever problems they have. That's how you strengthen a relationship, by working together to fix the issues that come with it. If you do it right your relationship will be stronger than ever by the end of your conflicts. Isn't that right lightning bug?" Ami asked with a smile as she looked into Mako's eyes.

"It sure is little blueberry." Mako giggled as she looked back at Ami, then kissed her.

"Gross, cheesy nicknames." Buttercup groaned as she made a disgusted expression, before putting her arms up and looking away.

"Awe, I think it's really sweet. Like a marshmallow unicorn with a sugar coated horn of frosting." Bubbles giggled.

"Hungry Bubbles?" Ami asked with a smirk as she stared at Bubbles.

"Um..." Bubbles started answering, until her stomach grumbled.

"I'll take that as a yes." Ami chuckled as she looked at Mako. "I suppose we should head into port and stop at a local pub." Ami said with a grin.

"Aye, that sounds good to me matey. What do ye think captain, shall we drop anchor and grab some grub?" Mako asked with a grin as she looked at Blossom.

"Arg, I think that be a fine idea. Prepare ta drop anchor me matey's." Blossom ordered as she looked over at Buttercup.

"Arg captain, the anchor already be in the water." Buttercup informed as she looked out one of the windows.

"Then let us head to ye old pub fer a good meal." Blossom replied as she floated out the trap door, followed by Buttercup and Bubbles.

"After you matey." Ami giggled as she looked at Mako and gestured to the trap door.

"You just wanna watch my boobs get jammed in the hole." Mako replied with a grin as she crossed her arms.

"What?! No, I'd hate to see that. Those big beautiful melons of yours bulging out around a little hole, that'd be just awful to see that." Ami replied in a sarcastically shocked tone.

"I bet it would. You uh, got something you wanna tell me Ami? Does my sweet and innocent little fiancé have a little kink she'd like to tell me about?" Mako asked with a grin.

"Ummm... I plead the fifth." Ami replied with a nervous expression.

"Nice try little perv, but I think that only works if you're a legal citizen in this country." Mako said with a smile as she patted Ami's head. "It's okay Ami, we all have our weird kinks. Remember that thing we did last Halloween with the chocolate lingerie?" Mako asked with a smirk.

"How could I ever forget, you ate it right off of me. I on the other hand had a gut ache halfway through your bra." Ami replied with a reminiscent sigh.

"Yeah you did, halfway through our fun you puked it up. I felt kinda bad for you, though I admit I would've felt slightly worse if it hadn't been all over my chest and stomach." Mako said with a small chuckle.

"I said I was sorry, it's not my fault I don't have the same capacity for chocolate that you do." Ami replied with an embarrassed blush.

"I don't think you have the same capacity as me in general." Mako said with a smirk as she started lowering herself through the hole.

"I don't know Mako, I can put a decent amount of ice cream away." Ami replied with a grin as she watched Mako lower herself through the hole up to her chest.

"Here we go again." Mako grumbled as she twisted around, trying to find a good angle to squeeze her chest through.

"Awe, is someone a little stuck?" Ami asked with a smile as she laid down in front of Mako.

"Yeah. I think it's gonna be harder to get out than it was to get in." Mako groaned as she wiggled her chest back and forth.

"Oh, you poor thing. Lucky me though, maybe I'll have a little fun while you struggle." Ami giggled as she lightly traced the outline of Mako's breasts with her finger.

"You really do have some kind of kink for me being in a tight spot, don't you Ami?" Mako asked as she continued to struggle in the hole.

"To be honest I'm not sure. I don't know if I just like the way your breasts look when they're bulging around something like this hole, or if it's just your predicament in general. I don't know if I'd feel as um... excited if it were your hips or butt giving you trouble. I haven't really had many opportunities to explore the strange sensation I feel when this happens, especially since it doesn't happen to you often. But given your claustrophobia, I don't know if it's something I'd put you up to even if I did get some kind of odd kick out of it." Ami explained as she gently started to push on Mako's breasts.

"Well Ami, maybe we need to explore this... kink of yours a bit more once things calm down some. If it's something that excites you then we can definitely have some fun with it. After all, you let me eat chocolate lingerie off your naked body, I can certainly squeeze myself into a tight spot so you can rescue me, if that's what does it for you." Mako replied with a smile, putting air quotes around the word rescue as she did.

"Really Mako? You'd put yourself in that kind of frightening position, just to make me happy?" Ami quietly asked with a small smile.

"Of course I would Ami, I'd do anything to make you happy; plus I've been working with our therapist for a few months on my claustrophobia and the issues surrounding it. I'm not perfect, but I'm much better than I was." Mako answered with a warm smile.

"Thanks Mako, you really are the best fiancé a woman could ask for. I love you Mako." Ami quietly replied as she hugged Mako.

"I love you to Ami. Now get me out of this hole please, I feel like I'm trying to do pull ups with my breasts." Mako said with a straight face as she looked down at her chest.

"Alright, this might pinch a bit though." Ami replied as she placed her hands on Mako's breasts. "Ready? Push!" Ami yelled as she pushed down on Mako's breasts.

"Ah. Okay, almost there. Oh this is torture, like putting my breasts in a compactor." Mako groaned as her chest slowly slid out of the hole. "Got it. Thanks Ami, I owe you one." Mako thanked as her chest slipped out and she started descending the ladder.

"Any time Mako. Seriously." Ami replied with a smirk as she followed Mako out of the treehouse.

"That was fun Ami, it was nice to take my mind off of all the chaos in the world for a while." Mako said with a smile as she jumped off the last ladder rung.

"It sure was, but unfortunately we need to shift into our serious mode now. We have to figure out how to obtain this sword that Aku fears so much, the only problem is that we haven't a clue where to even begin looking for it. Hell, we don't even know what we should be looking for specifically." Ami quietly replied as she stepped off the last rung.

"You've got a point, all we know is that it's some kind of sword. Like you said yesterday, it could be anywhere across the multiverse, it'll be all but impossible to find." Mako replied with a straight face as she lead Ami towards the house.

"Are you two coming, breakfast is gonna be cold by the time you get here?!" Kaede shouted as she poked her head out the front door.

"Coming!" Ami yelled as she started jogging towards the house, followed by Mako.

"Pancakes! Thank you Mr. Blouse!" Blossom yelled with excitement as she and her sisters sat down at the table.

"Y're welcome darling. We's also got bacon and eggs if any of yas want." Jud informed as he poured some milk for the puffs.

"There you are sis, did you and your girls have fun?" Kaede asked with a smile as Ami and Mako sat down at the table.

"A lot of fun, I got to be a pirate. Thankfully I wasn't forced to walk the plank, unlike someone I know." Mako said with a grin as she looked over at Ami.

"Arg, that's what she gets for committing a mutiny on me ship." Blossom said with a grin.

"All I did was refuse to swab the poop deck, you should've made shipmate Bubbles do the hard labor, not your lieutenant." Ami giggled as she took a bite of her pancake.

"That's no fun, I don't wanna clean the poopy deck. That's gross." Bubbles said with a disgusted expression.

"Poop deck doesn't mean a literal deck of poop Bubbles, it's a term that describes the highest deck of a ship." McGee explained with a smile.

"Oh." Bubbles replied with a smile as she took a bite of her eggs.

"I hate to be the serious one right now, but does anyone have any idea what we're going to do now? How are we gonna stop Aku from hurting more innocent people? As much as I wish we could just sit here at Sarah's place and enjoy the peace, we can't let other people suffer his wrath while we just sit around eating bacon and playing pirates." Minako asked with a small frown as she looked around the table at everyone.

"I don't know Mina, the only thing we have that can harm him so far is my feather attack. But that can't be something we rely on long term, I can only use it so much before I completely burn out. If that happens then that's it, our world is finished. Unless of course we can locate that sword." Usagi answered with a sad expression.

"That's gonna be all but impossible though, we have no idea what it looks like or where it could be. It's hopeless." Rei quietly said with a sad sigh.

"I know it seems hopeless Rei, but we can't give up. The fate of the multiverse hangs in the balance, we could be the only ones between Aku and the destruction of everything that has or will ever exist. We can't give up, we have to fight until we either win or fall. There's no other way." Usagi replied with a stern expression.

"I agree with Usagi, if we sit here and do nothing we're only delaying the inevitable. Personally, if I have to go down I'd rather do it fighting than on my knees." Kaede said with a sad expression as she looked at Mako.

"Spoken like a true Kino, sis." Mako chuckled as she patted Kaede's shoulder.

"Wait a moment. Last night after I took the girls out to the treehouse and fell asleep with them, I had a dream. I didn't think much of it at the time since we'd been stargazing and picking out shapes in the stars, but now I think it might not have been just a dream." Ami informed with a thoughtful expression.

"What did you see in your dream?" Usagi asked in an intrigued tone.

"It's not what I saw but what I heard. I heard a man, he said something about getting back, back to the past. Then I heard some shouting and maybe metal clashing together, it was really strange. I heard one last thing before I was startled awake. I heard a woman scream the word samurai, that's when I woke up." Ami explained with a tired expression. "It all happened so fast that I didn't think it was important, I thought maybe it was my subconscious processing everything that had happened yesterday. I should've told you all though, I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner Usagi." Ami quietly apologized with a sad expression.

"It's okay Ami, I know that you don't completely understand your new powers yet. I'm sure it's hard to distinguish visions from dreams, especially after all the crazy things we've been through lately." Usagi replied with a small smile.

"You're sure that's all you can remember Ami? No locations or faces at all?" Minako asked with a straight face as she stared at Ami.

"No, that's all I know. I'm sorry guys." Ami apologized in a sad tone.

"Don't sweat it Ami, it's more than we knew yesterday. Your visions have never been wrong before, they're just hard to put together. But we'll figure it out, don't you worry." Usagi said with a smile as she patted Ami's shoulder.

"Thanks. Speaking of figuring things out, what are we gonna do now? Where do we go from here?" Ami asked with a straight face as she looked around the table at everyone.

"Let us call director Vance and see if he has any new information for us to work with, if so we'll plan around that. Otherwise we'll have to do some digging of our own in order to best plan our next move." Tony suggested with a small smile.

"Sounds good, we'll let you take care of that when you're ready. In the meantime though I don't know what we should do." Usagi replied with a small smile.

"Perhaps you should continue to do what you've been doing. Resting and enjoying yourselves, sometimes the best thing a person can do when they can't find answers to their problems is walk away for a bit. That way they can clear their minds, then when they return to the issue they can look at it with a clear mind, giving them what could be a better perspective on the issue." Ducky suggested with a smile.

"Ducky is correct, take a break and have some fun for a bit. Let the professionals do some work for a change." Ziva said with a smile.

"We'll get in touch with Vance and see if he or anyone else has any additional information that could benefit us, but until then go have some fun. We'll call you if anything comes up." McGee informed with a smile.

"Thanks guys, we really appreciate that." Usagi thanked with a small smile.

"Well now that y'all got some time, who wants ta go get some of that sweet frozen cow juice?" Sarah asked with a grin.

"That sounds gross, what the heck is frozen cow juice?" Kaede asked with a disgusted expression.

"Ice cream." Sarah answered with a smile.

"Yay!" All three puffs cheered as they looked at Ami. "Can we get ice cream Ami mommy?! Pretty pretty pretty please with glitter and rainbows on top?!" Bubbles begged as she stared at Ami.

"Well, I suppose so. You've been very good lately after all." Ami giggled as she hugged the puffs.

"Yay!" All three puffs cheered with excitement.

"Guess we'd best get going befere they get too impatient." Sarah said with a smile as she stood up from the table.

"Anyone wanna join us?" Kaede asked as she stood up as well.

"We do!" Shingo and Chibiusa yelled with joy.

"I could go for some ice cream, assuming you guys don't need me here." Abby informed as she looked at her team.

"Go ahead Abbs." McGee replied with a small smile.

"Why don't you join them Mr. Palmer." Ducky suggested with a smile.

"I'd love to Doctor Mallard, but I'm too full from that delicious breakfast." Palmer informed with a smile.

"Very well then, we could use your brains anyway." Ducky said with a small grin.

"Come on y'all let's get going!" Sarah yelled as she ran out of the kitchen and grabbed her keys.

"Yippee! Ice cream, ice cream!" Bubbles squealed as she dashed after Sarah.

"See y'all later I guess." Sarah chuckled as she followed Bubbles out of the house.

"Y'all have fun, but be safe!" Jud yelled as the door closed behind Minako.

"Don't worry Mr. Blouse, I'm sure they'll be fine. It won't be like last time they went out, I don't think anyone's catching them off guard any time soon. Especially not with those three special girls in tow." McGee informed with a small smile.

"I hope you're right Mr. McGee, we're all worried enough about them as it is." Kenji quietly said as he stared out the window, watching as Sarah drove away.

"I suppose we should start brainstorming how to deal with Aku, that way we'll have a starting point for when everyone returns." Tony suggested with a serious expression.

"I'll get director Vance on the line, it might be good to keep him in the loop." Ziva informed as she pulled out her phone.

"I agree." Tony replied as he looked around the table at his team. While the N.C.I.S team disgusted their next move, Sarah and the others were about halfway to town.

"I can't wait to get ice cream! I want a big scoop of the unicorn one!" Bubbles yelled in a giddy tone.

"I want a hot fudge sundae with extra hot fudge and lots of whipped cream! Oh, and I also want sprinkles and cookie crumbles on it!" Buttercup yelled as she practically drooled at the thought of her ice cream.

"I want a big thing of chocolate dipped twist ice cream in a cake cone!" Blossom yelled with a big smile as she looked at Ami. "What are you gonna get Ami mommy?" Blossom asked in a curious tone. Ami didn't respond, she just sat with her elbows on her knees and her hands clasped together.

"Hey, Ami." Mako quietly said as she gently nudged Ami.

"Hm? What, I'm sorry. Were one of you talking to me?" Ami asked as she looked at Mako, then at the puffs.

"Blossom wants to know what ice cream you're getting." Mako informed with a suspicious look.

"Oh, uh... I'm not sure yet. I'll see what they have once we get there." Ami replied with a small smile.

"You okay Ami, you seem a little detached right now?" Minako asked with a small frown.

"Maybe a little. I'm just thinking about that dream I had last night. The voices and sounds I heard, I don't understand why I heard what I did. But it has to be important somehow. Especially that sound, the grinding clanging sound of metal on metal. I've heard it before, but I'm stumped as to where." Ami explained with a thoughtful expression.

"Was it like a shing or screeching sound kind of?" Usagi quietly asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Ami asked in a surprised tone as she stared at Usagi.

"In Mikasa's world, we all heard that sound regularly. The original ODM gear made that sound any time you pulled a blade from your sheath. The distinct sound of metal grinding on metal." Usagi answered with a sad expression.

"You don't think that..." Minako started asking, until Usagi interrupted her.

"No. Those definitely aren't the swords Aku's so terrified of. The fact that Ami said something about a samurai makes me think that the sword we could be looking for may be a samurai sword, most likely some sort of katana. That's just a guess though." Usagi replied with a thoughtful expression.

"A samurai?" Blossom asked as she looked at Ami.

"Yeah, like the warriors of ancient Japan." Kaede explained with a small smile.

"Ami mommy said something about a samurai when she was in our universe the first time. We thought she was having some kind of bad dream." Blossom informed with a straight face as she looked at Ami.

"Yeah, she said that something was coming and that she couldn't stop it; then she said something about a samurai." Bubbles added with a similar expression.

"Something was coming? Could it have been Aku?" Mako asked as she looked at Ami.

"I can't remember exactly, it was so long ago." Ami informed with a small frown as she gently rubbed her head.

"You need to try Ami, lives could depend on you remembering that information." Usagi instructed in a firm tone.

"I'm sorry Usagi, I really don't remember anything about that. That was six months ago, even my memory isn't that good." Ami apologized with a sad expression.

"I'm not asking Ami, I'm telling you to dig deep and think about that dream. Lives are depending on us to stop Aku, now think back to that day. Think hard Ami." Usagi ordered in an authoritative tone.

"Yes princess." Ami replied as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out. "I hear yelling, the ground is shaking, like an earthquake or something." Ami quietly said as she focused as hard as she could on her subconscious mind.

"Good, what else Ami?" Usagi asked as she stared at Ami.

"I hear a man, he's screaming Aku's name. Aku's afraid, afraid of this man." Ami answered with another deep breath. "Aku's doing something, scratching at something. Tearing something." Ami continued as she focused on her vision.

"Anything else?" Usagi calmly asked with a straight face.

"I feel a great heat, and I see a...fish skeleton? Something odd like that." Ami informed as she opened her eyes with a small breath. "I'm sorry Usagi, that's all I've got." Ami groaned as she rubbed her temples. "Oooooh, my head. Uh, Sarah pull over." Ami groaned as she held her head in one hand and clutched her stomach with her opposite arm.

"We's almost there Ami, just a couple more minutes." Sarah informed as she continued driving.

"Now Sarah! Unless you want your ambulance to smell like have digested bacon and eggs!" Ami shouted as she clutched her stomach. The vehicle came to a screeching halt and the back doors whipped opened just seconds later.

"Oh no, Ami mommy's sick." Bubbles said in a sad tone as she watched Ami throw up in the street.

"Ami." Abby quietly said as she watched Ami throw up.

"I'm... I'm okay. I just over excreted myself with those focused visions. I'll be okay though." Ami informed as she leaned back into the vehicle and closed the doors.

"I'm so sorry Ami, I didn't mean to push you so hard. I didn't realize it would cause you that kind of discomfort." Usagi apologized with a sad expression as she put her arm around Ami's shoulders.

"It's okay Usagi, it's worth it if it helps us stop Aku. Remember, our hearts and souls to the cause." Ami replied with a smile as she made a scout salute.

"Captain Levi would be proud Ami." Usagi said with a smile as she gently hugged Ami.

"Thanks Usagi, now let's get some ice cream before this Texas heat bakes me." Ami giggled as she looked at Sarah's reflection in the rear view mirror.

"Sounds good to me Ami." Usagi replied as she looked at Sarah and gave her a nod.

"Alright, but it's a long drive." Sarah said with a smile as she stepped on the gas and drove a few feet into a parking lot. "We're here. Bet y'all can't wait ta move after such a long drive." Sarah said with a smirk as she turned her ambulance off.

"Oh yeah, my legs are totally asleep right now." Rei said with a grin as she opened the back doors and jumped out.

"Ice cream!" All three puffs yelled as they dashed out of the ambulance.

"Girls wait! People aren't use to..." Mako started yelling, but the puffs were already gone through the front doors.

"In three, two, one." Kaede said with a sigh as she waited for the inevitable reactions of the people inside.

"AAAH! Aliens!" Someone screamed from inside the store.

"Saw that coming a mile away." Usagi said as she and everyone else ran into the ice cream shop.

"There're so many flavors!" Bubbles excitedly yelled as she stared at the terrified woman behind the counter. "Can I have the unicorn one please?" Bubbles politely asked with a smile.

"Here! Take whatever you want, just don't eat my brain or lay eggs in me!" The woman yelled in a panicked tone as she cried on the floor.

"Eww! That's gross!" Blossom yelled with a disgusted expression.

"That sounds cool." Buttercup said with a huge grin.

"Girls!" Ami shouted as she stormed through the door and glared at them.

"Why is everyone acting so weird Ami mommy?" Bubbles asked as she and her sisters floated over by Ami.

"Because people in my world aren't use to seeing floating children Bubbles. Remember how Tanaka-San acted when she first saw you?" Ami asked with a small smile as she stared at Bubbles.

"She was really loud and afraid." Blossom quietly answered with a sad expression.

"That's right. It's not because people don't like you though, they're just not use to seeing people like you. In my world people who can do what you do are just characters of fiction, like comic book heroes." Ami explained with a smile.

"Th-those things are with you?" The woman behind the counter stuttered as she slowly peeked at the puffs through the clear counter cover.

"Sure are!" Sarah answered with a smile.

"Sarah? These floating creatures are friends of yers?" The woman asked as she slowly got to her feet.

"They sure are Mrs. Wallace. These are my adopted nieces, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. They's uh, not from around these parts. Er any parts that ya know of." Sarah explained with a small smile.

"Really? I never would've guessed." The woman replied with a grin as she stared at the puffs.

"Hello ice cream lady!" Bubbles giggled as she frantically waved at the woman.

"Hello." The woman replied with a small smile as she waved back. "So, what can I get for you folks today?" The woman asked with a smile as she grabbed an ice cream scooper.

"I want the unicorn one please!" Bubbles yelled as she tapped on the glass in front of the unicorn candy ice cream.

"Sure thang sweetie, ya want it in a dish er a cone?" The woman asked with a smile.

"A cone please, one of the cake ones." Bubbles answered as she pointed at an example cone on top of the display case.

"No problem honey." The woman replied as she scraped a huge scoop of ice cream out of the container and placed it on Bubble's cone. "There ya are, one big ol' scoop of unicorn dream supreme in a cake cone." The woman said with a smile as she handed Bubbles her cone.

"Yippee! Thank you ice cream lady!" Bubbles thanked as she grabbed the cone and started licking it.

"My turn! Could I please get a scoop of cake batter dipped in butterscotch?" Blossom asked in a polite tone with a smile.

"Sure thang, any specific type of cone?" The woman replied as she rinsed off her scooper.

"Cake please." Blossom answered with a smile.

"There ya are young lady, and what would you like little man?" The woman asked as she handed Blossom her cone and looked at Buttercup.

"Pst, she's a girl Ms. Wallace." Sarah whispered as she nudged her head towards Buttercup.

"Oh I'm sorry honey, yer short hair done threw me." The woman apologized with a small smile.

"It's fine, people tell me that all the time." Buttercup replied with a sigh. "Could I please get a hot fudge sundae with cookie crumbles, extra hot fudge, lots of whipped cream, and sprinkles please?" Buttercup asked with a big smile.

"Now there's a gal who knows exactly what she likes. Coming right up." The woman replied with a smile as she quickly whipped together Buttercup's order. "There ya are sugar, a sundae fit fer a super hero. Enjoy." The woman said with a smile as she handed Buttercup her sundae.

"Thank you ma'am!" Buttercup thanked as she took her sundae and floated over to a table with her sisters.

"Go ahead Abby." Usagi said with a smile as she looked at Abby.

"Thanks Usagi." Abby quietly thanked as she looked at all the ice cream options. "Could I please get a scoop of mint chip, a scoop of dinosaur tracks, and a scoop of cookies and cream in a waffle bowl please? Also, could you please top it with hot fudge, whipped cream, and caramel drizzle?" Abby politely asked with a smile.

"Of course, coming right up." The woman replied as she threw together Abby's sundae and handed it to her. "There you go, have a good day now." The woman said with a smile.

"Thank you, you to." Abby replied as she walked over by the puffs and sat down.

"What kind did you get Abby?" Blossom asked as she licked her cone.

"I got mint chip, dinosaur tracks, and cookies and cream. They sounded good." Abby answered with a small smile.

"That sounds yummy." Bubbles said with a smile as she ate one of the caramel filled unicorn heads in her ice cream. "Teehee, I'm like a monster. Eating yummy unicorn heads." Bubbles giggled as she ate another head.

"Don't say that around your mommy and aunties, they might get scared." Abby warned as she took a bite of her ice cream.

"Why is Ami mommy so scared sometimes? She totally freaked out when I showed her a game in my world." Buttercup asked as she took a bite of her sundae.

"Your mommy's been through a lot of scary things. Sometimes she has bad memories about that stuff and it changes her behavior, she doesn't do it on purpose, she's just been... conditioned to respond to those scary things in the way she does. Doctor Mallard would be able to explain it better than I could, I'm not always good at talking to kids." Abby explained with a sad smile.

"What does conditioned mean? Is it like the stuff our daddy puts in our hair so it stays soft?" Bubbles asked with an innocent smile.

"No. It means that she's learned through experience to automatically react or respond to certain situations or words in a very specific way. It's complicated, but you three don't have to worry about that right now, hopefully you won't ever have to." Abby replied as everyone else sat down around the table.

"You wouldn't be gossiping about your mommies and aunties now, would you?" Mako asked with a grin as she sat down next to Blossom.

"Not at all, they were just curious about Ami's uh... mental condition." Abby answered with a small smile.

"Her mental condition? You mean her ridiculously high IQ?" Mako asked with a curious expression.

"Not exactly, her other one. The one you all have." Abby clarified with a straight face.

"It's okay to say it Abby, the professor's talked to them about my issue before. However, if you girls have questions you can always ask." Ami informed as she looked at the puffs.

"Okay. Why do you get scared sometimes, like when Buttercup made you play that game in our world?" Blossom asked with a straight face as she ate some of her ice cream.

"Well, that's because I have a condition. All of your aunties do, it's a psychological illness called post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD for short. It's something that happens when you go through some kind of trauma, something that's really scary that you can't forget. Remember how Buttercup was after all those bad guys hurt her? Remember how she'd get angry or she'd space out at times, those are some symptoms of PTSD." Ami explained with a small smile.

"You all have that?" Blossom quietly asked as she stared at Ami.

"Yes, though we've been working on recovering. We've come a long way, but we still get triggered some times." Mako answered with a smile.

"What does triggered mean?" Buttercup asked with a confused expression.

"It's when certain types of stimulation trigger an involuntary reaction, it could be a physical or psychological response. Like when I got scared playing that game, that was a form of triggering. Obviously it's just a game and it can't hurt me, but the sounds of the guns in the game caused an instinctive response that told me to prepare for battle. Something that made me think I was in danger, even though I wasn't." Ami explained with a small frown.

"Does it happen a lot?" Blossom asked with a sad expression.

"Not nearly as much as it use to, but it happens every now and then." Ami answered as she ate some of her ice cream. "Eat up girls, don't want it to melt." Ami instructed with a smile as she continued eating her ice cream.

"Yes Ami mommy!" All three puffs replied as they munched on their ice creams. 'Beep, beep, beep.' Someone's communicator suddenly started beeping.

"Hold on." Usagi said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her communicator. "Go ahead." Usagi instructed as she licked her ice cream.

"Ah, Ms. Tsukino, how fascinating this device is. I'm calling on behalf of Tony and McGee, they just got off the phone with Director Vance and were wondering how long you'd all be. We received new intel that could be of use, something about a weird zebra striped light appearing in the middle of one of the seven wonders. The light was reported to have hit the ground almost directly in the center of Stonehenge, the monument in the U.K." Ducky informed with a small smile.

"We'll return as soon as we're done with our ice cream, I don't wanna have to rush the girls." Usagi answered as she took a bite of her cone.

"Of course Ms. Tsukino, take your time. It's not like the monuments going anywhere." Ducky chuckled. "I'll leave you all be then, now if only I knew how to hang up." Ducky mumbled as he started hitting random buttons on the communicator.

"I think you just called Mako." Usagi giggled as Mako's communicator started beeping.

"Press the big button on the left side Ducky." Ami chuckled as she pointed at the button out on her own communicator.

"Ah. Farewell ladies." Ducky said with a smile as he hung up.

"We'd best finish up, God only knows what that light could've been." Usagi instructed as she started eating a little faster.

"Agreed, but let's not eat too fast. Don't wanna get sick." Ami giggled as she finished her ice cream.

"Can we come with Ami mommy? Pretty please." Blossom begged with big puppy dog eyes.

"Absolutely not, we have no idea what we're walking into. It could be anything from an odd weather anomaly to a trick from Aku. I refuse to put you girls in danger like that. You'll be staying at Sarah's place for the time being." Ami replied in a stern tone.

"Yes Ami mommy." All three puffs replied in disappointed tones.

"Those are my good little puffs. Now let's get a move on, we'll drop you off at Sarah's then sailor teleport to Stonehenge. Sound good everyone?" Ami asked with a smile as she looked at everyone around the table.

"Sounds good Ami, let's get going." Usagi replied as she stood up, followed by everyone else.

"Y'all have a nice day now!" The woman behind the counter yelled with a smile as everyone started heading towards the door.

"Thank ya Mrs. Wallace, ya have a good one as well!" Sarah yelled back as she lead everyone outside.

"Let's get the girls and dare I say, civilians home." Usagi said with a smile as she looked at Abby and Naru.

"Who're you calling a civilian Usagi? I'll be starting at the fire academy at the end of year, and so will my hopefully best teammate ever." Naru said with a grin as she nudged Kaede.

"It's been that long already, I didn't realize the end of our schooling was so close. I've been so distracted with everything lately that it slipped my mind." Usagi chuckled as she got in Sarah's vehicle.

"Yep, we're officially gonna be picking career based colleges in a few months. Any ideas what you wanna do?" Naru asked as she climbed in the back with Usagi.

"Not really, to be honest I'm more concerned with surviving long enough to graduate. As are we all." Usagi quietly replied as she gestured to the rest of the guardians.

"Hey, have faith Usagi. You're all gonna be okay, I know it." Naru said with a smile as she hugged Usagi.

"I hope so Naru, I really do." Usagi quietly replied as Sarah started driving home.

"So Abby, any idea what that light might've been?" Rei asked with a straight face as she looked at Abby.

"How would I know?" Abby asked with a shrug.

"I just thought that since you're a scientist you might have some kind of rational explanation for it." Rei clarified with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry Rei, I'm a forensic scientist. I don't know anything about how lights and beams like that work, I know it's not what you wanna hear, but it's probably Aku." Abby informed with a stern expression.

"I figured as much, but I didn't wanna be the one to have to say it. Thanks Abby, I appreciate you being honest with me." Rei quietly thanked as she turned around and stared out the back windows.

"Is there something else wrong Rei? You seem sad about something?" Minako asked with some concern as she stared at Rei.

"Have you heard anything from grandpa since this all began? I've called him a couple times since we left for the ship, and then to here, but I haven't heard anything back. I haven't spoken to grandpa since before we left for Sarah's place. I called him and tried to tell him to come with, but that stubborn old man wouldn't leave the shrine. He said that people would need a place to pray now more than ever, so he stayed behind. I haven't heard anything from him since." Rei quietly answered with a sniffle.

"Don't worry Rei, Hino-Sama's fine. Nothing's gonna stop him or keep him down, just you wait, by the time this is all over you'll both be laughing together about whatever. It'll be okay Rei." Usagi said with a smile as she looked at Rei.

"Are you sure?" Rei asked with a few tears and a small sniffle.

"Yeah Rei, I'm positive." Usagi replied with a bright smile as she patted Rei's shoulder.

"Thanks Usagi, I don't know what I'd do without a friend like you." Rei quietly said as she hugged Usagi.

"I hate ta break up yer little moment, but we's here. Y'all best get ready." Sarah informed as she pulled up to her house and turned her car off.

"This is it, let's transform and move out." Usagi instructed as she opened the back doors and got out of the ambulance.

"Good luck everyone, and be safe." Abby said with a smile as she hugged everyone.

"You to Abby, and please make sure the girls are taken care of. I know my mom and everyone else is there, but I feel like they'd really like spending time with you, especially Blossom." Ami quietly replied as she hugged Abby back.

"I'll take care of them like they were my own flesh and blood Ami, I promise." Abby said with a smile as she looked at the puffs.

"Alright girls, your mommies and aunties have to go check some things out. Please be good and listen to everyone, and don't fight with each other please." Ami instructed with a sad smile as she held her arms out to the puffs.

"We promise Ami mommy." Blossom replied as she and her sisters hugged Ami.

"Those are my sweet little puffs. Ami mommy loves you girls and she'll see you later." Ami said with a smile as she handed the puffs to Mako.

"I'm gonna miss you girls, and I'm so proud of you girls for being so strong and brave through everything. I love you girls so much." Mako quietly said as she squeezed all three puffs in a bear hug.

"We love you to Mako mommy." Bubbles said with a smile as she and her sister hugged Mako back.

"Be good for everyone, hopefully we'll be back soon." Ami instructed with a smile.

"Here Abby, will you take them please?" Mako asked as she held the puffs out to Abby.

"Of course Mako." Abby replied as Mako handed her the puffs. "Oh my, you girls are much heavier than you look. It must be all that cuteness, you're overflowing with it." Abby chuckled as she held the puffs close.

"Goodbye everyone, hopefully we won't be gone long." Usagi said with a smile as she took her brooch out. "Moon love make up!" Usagi called out, instantly taking her guardian form. "That's your cue everyone, transform." Sailor Moon instructed as she stretched her wings.

"Yes princess." The rest of the guardians calmly replied as they followed Sailor Moon's lead and transformed. "Let's go, off to Stonehenge." Mercury instructed as she held her hand out to Jupiter.

"I've always wanted to visit that place." Europa said with a smile as she held her hand out to Mars.

"Me to, I was just hoping that it'd be a personal trip rather than a business one." Mars replied as she and the rest of the guardians locked hands.

"Enough chit chat, we've got work to do." Sailor Moon said with a grin as she looked towards the sky. "Sailor teleport!" Sailor Moon called out.

"Sailor teleport!" The rest of the guardians yelled in unison. Seconds later the group vanished with a flash, leaving no trace of their presence behind.

"Good luck." Naru quietly said as she stared towards the sky.

"Have faith Naru, if anyone can save the world from a creature like Aku, it's them." Abby said with a smile as she put an arm around Naru's shoulder.

"Thanks Abby. Now let's get the girls inside, maybe we can all find a fun game to play." Naru said with a smile as she put Bubbles on her shoulders.

"Like go fishy!" Bubbles yelled with a smile.

"Or war, I love that card game." Buttercup said with a grin.

"But you hate math." Blossom pointed out with a smirk.

"Math? What does math have to do with that game, isn't that what it's called when you just take the deck and throw the cards like ninja stars at people?" Buttercup asked with a confused expression.

"I don't think you're playing cards right." Blossom sighed as she went into the house with her sisters and Abby.

---

"We're here, stay quiet everyone." Sailor Moon whispered as she crouched down.

"RIght." Mars quietly replied as she and the other guardians copied Sailor Moon.

"Stand by for a scan." Mercury whispered as she flipped on her visor and looked around. It was dark and very quiet, dead quiet. The guardians stayed low, concealed by an eerie white fog that coated the land like a blanket.

"What's the situation Ami?" Sailor Moon whispered as she looked back at Ami.

"I don't know, something about this fog and environment is messing with my scanners." Mercury informed as she typed on her computer. The wind blew lightly through the monument, and the sound of small pebbles plinking down the sides of the large structures echoed through the eerie silence.

"You hear that?" Mars quietly asked as she looked around.

"No, what do you hear?" Venus asked as she looked at Mars.

"It sounded like gravel crunching under a shoe or something. Keep your eyes peeled everyone, I sense an evil aura in the air." Mars instructed as she carefully scanned their foggy surroundings.

"What the hell?" Europa said as she stared into the fog.

"What is it sis?" Jupiter asked as she looked at Europa.

"I think I saw something move through the fog." Europa whispered as she flipped on her visor. "I've got an unknown heartbeat in the vicinity, watch your backs everyone." Europa instructed as she tried to track the heartbeat.

"Guys." Sailor Moon quietly said as she lightly nudged Jupiter.

"Yeah Usagi?" Jupiter asked as she continued to stare forward.

"There's something watching us, on my left." Sailor Moon warned as she stared at a pair of glowing eyes.

"That's where the heartbeat's coming from, what is it Usagi?" Europa asked as she looked towards Sailor Moon.

"I don't know, but I think it's coming closer." Sailor Moon warned as the eyes slowly started to approach her.

"Get ready to fight, it could be anything. You never know with Aku." Jupiter instructed as she stood next to Sailor Moon and prepared to attack.

"We're with you Mako." Mercury replied as she stood next to Jupiter and took a fighting stance. The eyes got a little closer, then suddenly lunged at Sailor Moon.

"Not today A...ku?" Sailor Moon started yelling, until the rest of the creature came into view. The creature revealed itself to be a possum, and it was a little upset about having been disturbed by the guardian's sudden appearance in its habitat. "Sorry little buddy, we thought you were a bad guy." Sailor Moon giggled as she held her hand out to the possum. It lightly sniffed her hand before scampering off into the fog.

"Wow, you nearly met your maker there Usagi." Mars chuckled as she looked at Sailor Moon.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up Rei. You were just as tense as me though, so don't laugh too hard." Sailor Moon replied with a grin.

"I was certainly not as worried as you, little miss crybaby." Mars said with an evil grin.

"Crybaby, now that nickname takes me back." Sailor Moon giggled as she and the rest of the guardians relaxed a little.

"Well whatever caused the anomaly here may have left, we should scout around and see if it left anything behind." Mercury suggested as she switched the view mode of her visor to better inspect the area.

"Sounds good, but everyone partner up. I don't want anyone going off on their own in this dense fog." Sailor Moon ordered as she walked over to Europa.

"Sure thing Usagi." Mercury replied as she grabbed the first hand she could find in her general vicinity.

"You know I'm not Mako, right Ami?" Venus asked with a grin as she looked at Mercury.

"That's okay, I'm sure our girlfriends could use a break from us every once in while." Mercury giggled as she and Venus walked away.

"I think your girlfriend stole my girlfriend." Mars grumbled as she grabbed Jupiter's hand.

"No, your girlfriend stole my girlfriend." Jupiter replied in a grumpy tone. "I'm kicking her butt later." Mars and Jupiter grumbled simultaneously as they started searching the area together.

"Hey, check that out." Venus quietly said as she stared into the distance.

"Check what out?" Mercury asked as she looked at Venus.

"That red glow over there, do you see it?" Venus asked with a smile.

"A little maybe, it's hard to tell though." Mercury replied as she squinted a bit.

"Come on, let's check it out." Venus instructed as she pulled forward, slipping from Mercury's grasp as she did.

"Mina wait, don't let go of each other." Mercury ordered as she grabbed at the air, desperately trying to find Venus's hand again. "Mina? Mina?" Mercury called out as she slowly wandered forward. A shadow darted past her, causing her stop dead in her tracks. "Hello? Is that you Mina?" Mercury whispered as she looked towards the shadow. The shadow darted away once more, vanishing like a ghost. "This isn't the time for games Mina, this is serious." Mercury said in a slightly nervous tone as she looked around the fog. Sticks snapped and cracked around her, and Mercury could feel her heart start to race. "Rei? Usagi? If one of you guys are out there please say something." Mercury instructed as she took a fighting stance. Mercury carefully surveyed what little of her surroundings she could see, she caught sight of something that was pure black in color, and almost liquid in composition. "What the..." Mercury started saying, until the sludge dashed at her, pulling her feet out from under her and slamming her to the ground. Mercury hit the ground with a loud thud, and she blacked out seconds later.

"Ami? Ami where are you!" Venus shouted as she ran blindly through the fog. "Why am I running around like an idiot in the fog; communicators, duh Mina." Venus said to herself as she pulled out her communicator, then pressed the Mercurian symbol. Mercury's communicator beeped continuously, like a beacon that was guiding Venus to her location. "Hold on Ami, I'm coming." Venus said to herself as she moved towards the sound of Mercury's communicator. Venus continued walking until she stepped in a deep slimy puddle of goo. "Eww, what in the world?" Venus said to herself as as she pulled her foot out of the goo. Venus looked down at the goo, inspecting it closely. Her eyes widened in horror once she realized what the goo was. "Oh no. Guys, it's a trap! He's..." Venus started to yell, until something covered her mouth and nose, slowly suffocating her into a state of unconsciousness.

"Rei, did you..." Jupiter started asking, until Mars interrupted her.

"Yeah, something's wrong. We need to regroup with the others." Mars replied as she turned around. "There's just one problem, this fog has us all discombobulated. Who knows where the others are right now." Mars said as she tried to see through the dense fog.

"I don't know Rei, but I know that we can't afford to be separated right now. Stay close Rei, I don't care if we have to tie our bows together, we're not getting separated here." Jupiter replied as she squeezed Mars's hand in her own.

"You can say that again." Mars replied as she looked around a bit more.

"Yes, please do. Two take downs for the energy of one, I love bargains." A sadistic voice called out from behind them.

"I know that voice, it's..." Jupiter was silenced with a loud crunch, and Mars followed closely behind.

"Something's going on Usagi, I can feel it in my gut." Europa quietly said as she stood guard in front of Sailor Moon.

"Me to Kaede, but stay calm. We're only easier targets if we're panicked." Sailor Moon replied as she stood back to back with Europa.

"Kinda hard not to panic a bit right now, we can't see more than two feet ahead of us and we have no idea what if anything's out there." Europa replied in a stern tone.

"I know Kaede, but panicking isn't going to... AAH!" Sailor Moon suddenly screamed, just before falling on her back with tremendous force.

"Usagi!" Europa shouted as she spun around and gazed at Sailor Moon for a second.

"Kaedeeeeee!" Sailor Moon shouted as she was dragged away into the fog.

"What the hell?! Alright, I know it's you Aku! Show yourself coward!" Europa screamed as she held her hands up in a defensive form, waiting for Aku to strike.

"Finally! Someone had time to say it! I must admit that toying with you pesky guardians has been most entertaining!" Aku yelled with an evil laugh, as he slowly materialized in front of Europa.

"That light that was spotted in the area, that was you wasn't it?! You tricked us into coming here so you could pick us off like some kind of sick game of cat and mouse! You're a monster, what have you done with my friends?!" Europa shouted as she glared at Aku.

"As much as I'd like to take credit for this entertaining time, I had nothing to do with the light. I came to investigate it myself, I thought that maybe he'd finally caught up to me. But the only ones I found were you pesky little toys, and I've had a great deal of fun playing with you. But now play time is over, say goodnight guardian." Aku replied with a wicked smile as he quickly grabbed Europa in a massive hand.

"I won't go down without a fight." Europa growled as she struggled in Aku's grip.

"Of course not, what fun would it be if you did?!" Aku yelled with a smile as he slammed Europa into the ground, then into some of the stones around her. "Nighty night Sailor Guardian." Aku chuckled as he threw Europa on the ground, right next to the rest of the unconscious and or broken guardians.

"K-Kaede." Sailor Moon quietly said as she reached a shaky hand towards Europa.

"I'm sorry princess, I tried my best." Europa quietly said as she reached for Sailor Moon.

"I know you did, I'm proud of you all." Sailor Moon quietly said with a small smile.

"How touching, it almost makes me not want to kill you. NOT! Ha ha, I love the sight of broken heroes! Nothing can save you now, and without you this world will belong to me, AKU!" Aku cackled as he raised his hands in the air.

"I-I can't...believe this...is how it ends. Professor, girls, I'm...sorry. I let...you down." Mercury choked out as she stared up at Aku.

"Oh that's right, those flying little gnats of yours. Oh I can't wait to see their faces when they find out you're dead, just like their pathetic father! HA! The way they cried when they found him lying there, it was hilarious! Now I get to see the show all over again. Bye bye guardians." Aku maniacally laughed as he raised a massive fist to everyone.

"I'm sorry Usagi, we failed you. We couldn't...couldn't protect you. Please, forgive us princess." Mars quietly cried as she looked at Sailor Moon.

"You could never fail me Rei, none of you could. I'm proud to have called you all my guardians, and fought alongside all of you for so long. I'll miss you all." Sailor Moon quietly cried as she stared up at the colossal fist hanging above them.

"Time to squash some bugs." Aku said with a grin as he prepared to smash everyone. "DIIIIIIIE!" Aku screamed as he hurled his fist down towards everyone. They all closed their eyes and braced for the end, but instead of hearing bones break and organs collapse, they heard screaming, and it wasn't from any of them.

"ENOUGH!" A man shouted with fury as he landed behind Aku.

"AAAH! The sword!" Aku shouted in pain and anger as he looked at his hand, which had started to disintegrate.

"Your evil reign ends now Aku, you've tortured your last victims! Die demon!" The man yelled as he darted at Aku, madly swinging a sword at him, shaving pieces of the demon away with every swing.

"AAAH! No, not like this!" Aku yelled as he quickly transformed into a mouse then darted away. "I'll be back samurai!" Aku shouted as he darted away through the fog.

"Typical coward." The man grumbled as she slowly sheathed his sword. "I tracked that monster through time and space, but it's always the same. He just runs away, leaving death and sorrow in his wake." The man quietly said as he knelt down by Sailor Moon.

"W-we're not dead yet." Sailor Moon quietly said with a smile as she looked at the man. He was tall with black hair tied in a single top knot that was typical of samurais. He wore a long white gi that reached the floor, and on his hip he carried a black sword sheath. The sword that it held was in the samurai's hand, it was average in size, about three feet in length. The handle was black with a dark yellow diamond pattern.

"I'm very grateful for that, not many who oppose Aku live to tell about it." The man quietly replied as he slowly sheathed his sword. "What is your name, brave warrior?" The man asked as he knelt down by Sailor Moon.

"U-Usagi, Usagi Tsukino." Sailor Moon quietly answered with a smile. "Who are...you?" Sailor Moon asked with a weak smile as she looked at the man.

"They call me Jack, Samurai Jack." The man answered with a smile.

"Jack. Thank you...for saving my friends and I, we...we owe you our lives." Sailor Moon thanked with a painful breath.

"No, I don't deserve your thanks. It is my fault that Aku has come to this land, if I hadn't allowed him to trick me back then, I could've stopped all of this from happening. But when I confronted him, he tricked me and threw me into the distance future. I wandered the lands of the future for almost half a century before finding a time portal, but it was not strong enough to send me to my own time. Instead, I found myself here, in this era." Jack quietly said with a sad expression.

"I-I'm sorry...Samurai, but I...think the universe...s-sent you here...for a reason." Sailor Moon choked out as she held a hand on her chest.

"Perhaps. But enough talking, you are clearly injured, as are your friends. We must get you all to safety, Aku could return to finish you off at any time." Jack informed as he gently picked Sailor Moon up.

"W-wait, my friends. I can't leave them." Sailor Moon quietly said as she looked at Jack.

"I know about the other five, I'll help them. You stay put, I'll be back." Jack quietly said as he gently set Sailor Moon down, just outside the fogged over area.

"Thank you...Jack." Sailor Moon thanked with a small smile as she passed out. Jack smiled back at Sailor Moon before running into the fog, his incredibly tuned senses picking up on the slightest breath or crunch of gravel, guiding him to each guardian. Within ten minutes all but one guardian had been recovered.

"Thank you...Samurai, we...owe you our lives." Sailor Moon quietly thanked with obvious pain in her voice.

"Don't thank me yet, one more still remains in the fog." Jack replied as he disappeared once more into the dense fog, leaving Sailor Moon and the others to wait and hope. "Hello young lady." Jack quietly said as he knelt down by Mercury.

"M-my girls, he's...he's gonna..." Mercury choked out with a painful breath.

"Your girls are safe, he doesn't know where to find them. If he did he would've come for them and the rest of you long ago. So just calm down, you're safe now." Jack calmly said as he stared at Mercury. He was shocked to see how much of a beating she'd taken compared to her friends, she was bleeding profusely from the back of her head, and she was clearly disoriented and in a great deal of pain. "Why would he do this to you specifically, he hurt your friends, but he completely broke you? I do not understand this sort of targeted attack, it's not like Aku to make any one opponent suffer so much more than others." Jack said with a small frown as he looked into Mercury's eyes.

"I-it's our...history. He and...I have b-been foes for...a long time. He h...has a p-personal grudge against...m-me." Mercury quietly explained with clear agony in her voice.

"How though?" Jack asked as he carefully picked Mercury up.

"T-the piece h-he...split from...himself. He tried...t-to conqueror m-my world w-with an...essence of...his being. We fought it...for months. I...was i-it's biggest...threat. I...destroyed it s-several t-times. So i-it's m-more...personal with...me." Mercury explained, barely holding back tears as she did.

"I see. Don't worry, I won't let him hurt any of you like this again. Now rest young one, you are gravely wounded." Jack quietly said as he carried Mercury over by the other guardians.

"Holly shit Ami, what happened to you?" Venus asked as she and the rest of the guardians stared at Mercury with shocked expressions.

"Aku happened." Mercury groaned as Jack gently set her down by Jupiter.

"He got us all Ami, but why would he beat you to that extent and not the rest of us?" Jupiter asked as she scooted over by Mercury.

"I asked the same question, your friend said that she and Aku had history of some sort. If there's one thing Aku can't do, it's let go after a loss." Jack informed as he knelt down in front of Mercury.

"Thank you for saving us sir, we owe you our lives." Sailor Moon thanked with a small smile.

"You owe me nothing, Aku's existence in this time and place is my fault. When I first confronted him so long ago, I fought with honor, but Aku did not. He tricked me and sent me into the distant future, I've roamed that time zone for almost half a century before finding a time portal home; or so I thought." Jack quietly explained with a sad expression.

"The time portal sent you here instead of your own time, didn't it?" Sailor Moon quietly asked with a small frown.

"Yes, it wasn't powerful enough to send me to my own time." Jack explained with a small frown.

"I wish there was something we could do to help you Jack, maybe a friend of ours could help you return to your time." Sailor Moon suggested with a thoughtful expression.

"How? They know of an existing time portal?!" Jack asked with a hopeful expression and excited tone.

"In a way, we'll explain later. For now though we need to get back home, we need to get Ami treated and update SecDef on the situation." Sailor Moon groaned as she slowly got to her feet.

"Of course. So, where is your carriage?" Jack asked as he looked around a little.

"Carriage?" Sailor Moon asked with a confused expression.

"You know, a wheeled carriage drawn by horses. Or is this one of those places with the flying chariots?" Jack asked with a smile.

"We're somewhere in between." Sailor Moon giggled as she slowly sat Mercury up.

"Ow, ow. Okay, I'm up. Thanks." Mercury groaned as she put some pressure on the back of her head. "Oooooh, that feels like a lot of liquid. Is it bad Mako?" Mercury groaned as she turned the back of her head towards Jupiter.

"You're asking the wrong Kino Ami. Hey sis, I need a medic." Jupiter calmly said as she looked at Europa.

"Let me see it Ami." Europa said as she knelt down behind Mercury. "It's pretty bloody Ami, but head wounds tend to bleed a lot despite how severe they are or aren't." Europa quietly said as she summoned her bag.

"What sort of sorcery is this?!" Jack yelled as he jumped back from Europa and grabbed his sword handle.

"Sorry, we should've warned you. In our universe or time era, whatever you wanna call it, we're earth's protectors. Officially called Sailor Guardians or Sailor Soldiers, we protect the world with magical abilities and take on forces that typical law enforcement can't deal with. Such as Aku." Europa explained as she dabbed at Mercury's wound with some gauze.

"Hm. Interesting, so you are like demon slayers or spiritual warriors of sorts?" Jack asked with a smile.

"I guess you could call us that." Sailor Moon replied with a chuckle.

"Come on guys, we need to get Ami home." Europa instructed as she slowly helped Mercury to her feet. "Hopefully she won't have to go to a hospital, we'll have to keep an eye on her though for at least the next few hours." Europa informed as she kept Mercury stable.

"Alright. Will you come with us Jack?" Sailor Moon asked as she looked at Jack.

"Of course." Jack answered with a smile as he walked over by Sailor Moon.

"Here, give me your hand." Sailor Moon said with a smile as she held her hand out to Jack.

"Oh, uh, okay." Jack replied as he took Sailor Moon's hand in his own. "So now what?" Jack asked as he stared at Sailor Moon's hand.

"Hold on, we're coming." Mars informed as she and the other guardians walked over by Sailor Moon and Jack.

"Ready everyone?" Sailor Moon asked as everyone locked hands.

"Yeah, let's go Usagi." Mars replied as she and Jupiter helped keep Mercury steady.

"Brace yourself Jack, this might feel a little weird." Sailor Moon warned as she looked towards the sky. "Sailor teleport!" Everyone called out in unison, except Mercury who barely had the energy to stay on her feet. With a flash everyone vanished, back to Sarah's house to update everyone else.

---

"A little weird is an understatement, that was almost as bad as when I time traveled." Jack quietly said as he rubbed his head a little. "How fascinating, we're nowhere near where we started! We're at a house now." Jack said with amusement as he looked around a little.

"Teleportation is a wonderful thing, now come inside so you can meet the rest of the team." Sailor Moon instructed as she started leading Jack inside.

"Hold the door please, and have someone clear a spot on the couch." Europa ordered as she threw Mercury into a fireman's carry.

"Please, allow me." Jack politely said as he held the door for Sailor Moon.

"Thank you Jack." Sailor Moon thanked as she rushed inside.

"Thank goodness you're all back, how did things... go?" Ikuko asked with a smile, which quickly turned to a look of confusion as Sailor Moon rushed past her.

"Sorry Abby, I have to kick you guys off the couch." Sailor Moon informed as she grabbed Abby's hand and pulled her to her feet.

"What's going on Usagi?" McGee asked as he and Ziva got up.

"We've got wounded." Sailor Moon answered as she looked towards the door.

"Who, and how bad?" Saeko asked as she quickly stood up.

"You're not gonna like the answer Mizuno-San." Sailor Moon replied as she quickly got the couch set up.

"Clear a path please, wounded coming through." Europa ordered as she carried Mercury to the couch and laid her down.

"Ami mommy!" All three puffs yelled with horror as they stared at Mercury.

"It's okay girls, I just bumped my head a bit." Mercury groaned as Europa gently rolled her on her side.

"Try not to move too much Ami, I have to examine this a bit closer now that we're in a safer place." Europa ordered as she flipped on her visor.

"It's so bloody! Is Ami mommy gonna die like the professor?! He was all bloody to, and then he stoped moving!" Bubbles cried as she thought back to when they'd found their dad.

"Do not worry little girl, this magical doctor is going to help make your mommy feel all better again." Jack said with a smile as he knelt down by the puffs.

"AAAH! A stranger! Stranger danger!" Bubbles screamed as she jumped into the air.

"AAAH! A floating demon child! Aku sent you to destroy us, didn't he demon?!" Jack shouted as he grabbed his sword.

"NO! They're not demons or minions of Aku, they're superheroes! They're with us Jack!" Jupiter shouted as she quickly stepped between Jack and the puffs.

"Superheroes? But they are so young." Jack replied with confusion and surprise, as he slowly put his sword away.

"You're never too young to be a hero." Jupiter giggled as she grabbed Bubbles out of the air and hugged her.

"Forgive me young super girl, it is nice to meet you. My name is Jack, Samurai Jack." Jack introduced himself as he bowed to the puffs.

"Hi Jack, I'm Bubbles, and these are my sister Blossom and Buttercup. Then over there is my grandma and grandpa Mizuno, and auntie Ikuko, and uncle Kenji; oh, there's also auntie Sarah, auntie Emily, and uncle Jud. Who did I forget? Oh yeah, cousin Shingo cousin Chibiusa, and auntie Naru." Bubbles rambled with a few squeaky giggles.

"Wow, you have quite a family. It is nice to meet them all." Jack chuckled as he patted Bubble's head.

"Sorry to cut in here, but who are you and why are you here again?" Tony asked as he stared at Jack.

"Right. My name is Jack, I came from the past. I originally intended to stop Aku's evil in my own time, but that demon tricked me and used his powers to send me into the future. I found a time portal and tried to use it to return home, but instead it only took me as far back as your time." Jack explained with a serious expression.

"Uh... sure pal, and I'm Abraham Lincoln." Tony replied with a smug expression.

"He's telling the truth Mr. DiNozzo." Usagi informed as she sat down and rubbed her eyes a little.

"Not only that, but he has the sword, the one that Aku feared so much. We saw it in action, it carved through Aku like a knife through warm butter." Rei added with a smile.

"You don't say. So your sword is the key to stoping Aku?" Tony asked in an intrigued tone.

"Yes, it was specially made by the gods and given to my father many years ago. Aku's evil is no match for the purity of this blade." Jack explained as he put a hand on his sword.

"Glad to have you on our team Jack." Tony said with a grin as he held his hand out to Jack.

"I'm happy to be accepted onto it." Jack replied as he shook Tony's hand.

"So what's the new plan Usagi?" Minako asked as she looked at Usagi.

"Rest and recover, Ami's not going anywhere till at least late afternoon tomorrow, preferably the day after." Europa answered as she let down her transformation. "There's no serious damage thankfully, but I'd be surprised if she didn't at least have a mild concussion after a hit like she took. None of us saw it happen, but if it was hard enough to split her head open then it was hard enough to concuss her for sure. I hate to say this Ami, but no sleeping for you. Not for at least three hours or until your relatively symptomless." Kaede instructed with a straight face.

"Yes doctor." Ami mumbled with a small grin.

"That's your department." Kaede chuckled as she walked over by Sarah.

"Well why don't we all order some pizza's er somethang, ya eat pizza Jack?" Jud asked as he walked over to the phone.

"What is pizza?" Jack asked as he followed Jud.

"Jack seems nice, almost child like with his lack of knowledge though." Ikuko giggled to herself.

"Not at all mom, he's from the past, ancient Japan to be exact. So it's not surprising that he doesn't know a lot about our world. But he's a good guy and great fighter, if it hadn't been for him we'd all be dead right now." Usagi quietly said with a small smile.

"What happened out there Usagi?" Ikuko asked with a sad expression.

"It was very foggy, none of us could see more than two feet in front of us. We split into pairs and searched the monument for anything useful, but then Aku started picking us off. Like some kind of sick game. Thankfully he was cocky and didn't kill anyone, he wanted to quote, play with us. But Jack swooped in and saved the day. Then we came back here, that's about it." Usagi explained with a small yawn.

"I'm glad you're all safe Usagi." Ikuko quietly said as she hugged Usagi.

"Me to mom." Usagi replied as she hugged Ikuko back.

"Alright y'all, pizza's on the way. Sarah why don't ya pop a movie in fer everybody ta watch." Jud informed and suggested as he looked at Sarah.

"But I's so comfy pa." Sarah said with a sigh as she hugged Kaede.

"I'm glad one of us is." Kaede chuckled as she ran her fingers through Sarah's hair.

"I'll do it!" Blossom yelled as she dashed over to the movie cabinet.

"So fast, all I saw was light; then poof, she was there. Such an interesting child." Jack said with a smile as he stared at Blossom.

"You get use to it after a while." Saeko giggled as she looked at Jack.

"Yay! You have the movie about the yellow guy that lives in the fruit! I love this show!" Blossom cheered as she put the movie in.

"YAY!" All the children yelled as they stared at the T.V.

"Shh! Keep it down, your mommy's trying to rest. She has a bad head boo boo." Mako scolded as she stared at the younger ones.

"Sorry Mako mommy." Blossom apologized as she looked back at Mako.

"It's okay Mako, I'm not allowed to sleep for a while yet anyways. Better safe than sorry." Ami replied as she looked up at Mako.

"I suppose." Mako said with a small smile as she gently took Ami's hand in her own. "I wish you wouldn't scare me like this so much Ami, you keep worrying me like this and I'm gonna have another heart attack." Mako chuckled as she gently squeezed Ami's hand.

"I'm sorry I worry you so much Mako, but to be fair you worry me plenty as well. You use to worry me every time we went into battle. You and your Jovian nature, you were always the first one to step into the ring so to speak. I still remember how scared I was when that youma attacked us after you'd donated blood to your friend. You had me worried sick trying to fight in your condition. Even before I ever said the words I love you I feared for a life without you. So now it's payback time." Ami said with a grin as she squeezed Mako's hand in her own.

"You're making me pay you back with interest and fees up the ying yang, I can't count on both hands how many times you've almost died or ended up alone somewhere, leaving me to worry myself sick. Literally at times." Mako grumbled as she looked down at Ami. "Rest up little blueberry, let me know if you need anything." Mako said with a smile as she gave Ami a kiss, then covered her with a blanket.

"Thanks lightning bug." Ami whispered as she rolled over and went to sleep.

"I thought she wasn't supposed to sleep." Naru quietly said as she looked at Ami.

"I'll keep an eye on her brain waves and other readings, there's no guarantee anything's gonna happen. I'll wake her up every now and then just to check on her." Kaede informed as she held her hand up. "Europa moon power, make up." Kaede quietly said, taking her guardian form seconds later.

"Thanks for watching her for us Kaede." Usagi thanked with a small smile.

"Any time princess." Europa replied as she switched her visor on and flipped through the modes.

"Let's rest guys, hopefully dinner gets here soon. I'm famished." Usagi said as she stretched a bit before sitting down in front of the T.V.

"Us to Usagi." Rei said with a smile as she and everyone else sat down to watch the movie.

"Y'all ready?" Sarah asked as she looked back at everyone.

"Yep, start it up Sarah." Minako said with a smile as she snuggled with Rei.

"Alright!" Sarah quietly yelled as she hit play. The house was quiet for the next half-hour or so until there was a knock at the door.

"Wow, that was fast." Jud said as he got up and walked over to the door.

"Don't ferget the tip dear." Emily reminded as she looked at Jud.

"I's got it dear." Jud replied as he opened the door.

"Blouse residence?" A young woman asked as she looked up at Jud.

"Yes ma'am." Jud answered with a smile.

"Great. Here you are Mr. Blouse, four large pizzas, onion rings, and some cheese bread." The woman said with a smile as she handed Jud the food.

"Excellent, thank ya ma'am; and this is fer you. Ya have a great rest of yer night now." Jud replied as he handed the woman a tip.

"Thank you kindly sir, enjoy your evening." The woman thanked as she tipped her hat to Jud before leaving.

"Alright y'all, dinner is served." Jud informed as he set the pizzas on the table.

"Thank you Mr. Blouse. Please, take this in return for your family's kindness. It's most appreciated." Ducky said with a smile as he held a stack of cash out to Jud.

"That ain't necessary Ducky, y'all are welcome ta stay here without any expectations of payment." Jud said with a smile.

"I know, but it would warm our hearts if you'd accept our gift. It's what Jethro would've done, or at least something like it." Ducky replied as he continued to hold the cash out to Jud.

"Alright, but only because it's what Mr. Gibbs would've wanted. Thank ya Ducky." Jud thanked as he took the money from Ducky. "Now help yerself ta some pizza Duck." Jud said with a smile as he gestured to the pizza.

"Why thank you." Ducky thanked as he grabbed a plate and a slice of pizza. Everyone but Jack and Ami quickly got up and grabbed a slice or two of pizza.

"Here Jack, I don't know what you like to eat so I just grabbed you a slice of plain cheese." Usagi informed as she handed Jack a plate.

"Thank you Usagi, it smells very good. Whatever it is." Jack thanked as he picked up the pizza slice and looked at it.

"You just bite it wherever, though people typically start at the thinnest part, at the tip of the triangle." Usagi informed as she took a bite of her pizza.

"Oh, like this?" Jack asked as he bit into the pizza slice.

"Yep, you've got it." Usagi replied with a smile as she ate some of hers.

"It is very good, so gooey and warm; and that flavor, it's hard to explain. Kind of... tangy maybe? It's good no matter how you describe it. I'm very grateful to you all for your hospitality, please let me know if I can repay you all in any way." Jack said as he bowed his head to Usagi.

"Actually, can I ask you a question about Aku?" Usagi asked with a serious expression.

"Of course, I'll do my best to shed some light on this dark matter." Jack answered with an equally serious expression.

"What is he, and where did he come from?" Usagi asked with a straight face.

"Where he came from is uncertain, when first discovered he was nothing more than a swamp like goo puddle. A puddle of death, anything that came into contact with the goo like substance would either die from it's fumes or drown in its inescapable depths. My father attempted to destroy this demonic goo with a poison tipped arrow and sacred prayer, unfortunately his actions only helped Aku. Freeing him from his liquid form and allowing him to take the form that you all know. The gods eventually bestowed this sword upon my father, and he used it to seal Aku away for many years. But now he's returned, and it is up to me to destroy him for good." Jack explained with a stern expression as he put a hand on his sword.

"So he is beatable, it's just not gonna be an easy fight. But if it's been done in the past then we can do it again, especially now that you're here Jack. We really appreciate you joining our team." Usagi said with a smile.

"I am glad you accepted me to it Usagi, now let us eat and rest. We'll stop Aku soon, but not until your friend has recovered." Jack replied with a smile of his own.

"Agreed." Usagi said as she took a bite of her pizza. The rest of the night was quiet as everyone ate and watched various movies and T.V shows, but after a while it was apparent that the siren call of sleep was being heard by everyone.

"That was a nice way to end an otherwise rough day. Goodnight everyone, sleep tight." Usagi said with a yawn as she and Naru curled up together.

"Goodnight Usagi." Rei whispered as she and Minako went to sleep.

"How's she doing sis?" Mako asked as she looked at Europa, who was checking on Ami.

"Stable and asleep. I'll check on her in a few hours just to be safe though." Europa whispered as she leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes.

"Don't ya worry 'bout watching Ami darling, I'll take first watch over her. Ya get some rest, I'm sure ya need it." Sarah whispered as she put her arm around Europa.

"Thanks babe, I really am exhausted." Europa yawned as she rested her head on Sarah's shoulder and fell asleep.

"Thanks Sarah, wake me if you need anything." Mako instructed as she curled up with the puffs and fell asleep.

"Night everyone." Sarah whispered as she turned and looked at Ami.