AN: So despite the generous reviews I've been receiving, this is still late. Why? Work started again this week, and I was seriously worn out after going all summer doing nothing. If any more updates are overdue, chances are it'll be the same reason. I'm definitely trying, but between work and still trying to figure out precisely what should be happening this is slow going.
Disclaimer: No magic, so I don't own Sailor Moon.
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Sailor Moon doubted any of the others except Mars felt the sharp reverberations that swept through at the moment Pluto uttered her greatest power. She knew the elder warrior would have her reasons, and she was so grief-stricken at the impending death of her only child that the only bit of mourning she could spare for such a dear friend was a brief prayer for her soul.
Despite her trembling, despite the silent tears that continued to course down her cheeks, she turned back to the others.
"Send Chibiusa to our clearing," she ordered. "We have to go to Infinity Academy before anyone else is hurt."
"Usagi…" Mars whispered. "Pluto is…"
"Pluto is dead." Her innermost self was shrieking at the cold way she stated it, but she couldn't think about it. "She used a forbidden attack, and it took her life. If we can't stop them, she would have died for nothing. She and Chibiusa… and any other casualties."
"Pluto is dead?" Venus asked, horrified. "But she's immortal! Or- oh, Aphrodite. She stopped time."
"She stopped time," Sailor Moon confirmed. "I don't know why."
Mercury's hands were shaking, but her voice was firm. "We have to continue on, then. We have to end this."
The Moon Senshi faced Kunzite. "You've put protections on our clearing. It'll keep her safe until…"
"Between the wards and the spell, I should be surprised if anything short of the apocalypse can harm her before the dawn."
"Then send her so we can go. Please. We're wasting her time."
The general nodded, and her still form vanished from his arms. "She is there. Would you like me to send you ahead?"
She shook her head. "Get everyone else to the academy. I'll go on my own." Finally, she lifted her teary blue gaze to his. "I lied to you earlier. Zoisite didn't bring me; I came on my own."
"How so?"
The blonde managed to laugh through the urge to sob. "You never scold me, do you? You just take everything so calmly. I can fly, Kunzite. I have wings and I can fly, and I'll use them to save my little girl's life."
"Your wings are premature?" he asked.
She furiously wiped at the tears, fighting for some amount of control. "Yes. I'm going after them. Bring the others, and protect Mamo-chan for me. I can't lose him too."
"With my life."
The Senshi couldn't find any words to express the shock as her massive wings unfurled behind her, and the Shitennou were speechless as well. Only Zoisite and Tuxedo Kamen were unsurprised.
The younger of the two stepped forward and took her gloved hand, pressing a brief kiss to the back. "Your strength has always been your loving heart. Do not let your grief leave it barren."
"I- I won't. Or I'll try. Oh, Zoisite, I'm sorry I've dragged you into this. I wanted you to be happy."
"I will find my own happiness regardless of the situation. I do not begrudge you or the others the need for my presence." He released his grip and backed away. "May the gods protect you."
"And you. All of you." She looked at Tuxedo Kamen over her Senshi's heads. "I'm sorry."
Without allowing him to respond, she leapt into the air and was out of sight in a moment, leaving them to find their own way to the school.
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"Why did she tell you she was sorry?" Jadeite asked worriedly.
His master's eyes were hard. "She means to sacrifice herself if that's what it will take to save Chibiusa."
"But if she's gone, Chibiusa will never be born," Nephrite said.
"It never stopped her before. Hurry. I can't leave her alone like this."
"Where are Uranus and Neptune?" Mars demanded.
"Pluto was with them," Mercury responded. "She wouldn't have used her Time Stop for her own sake, so she must have done it to save them. They should be at the academy by now."
They were running hard, making their way through eerily empty streets until they reached the campus edge before they drew to a skidding halt.
Awful, unformed Daimons were emerging by the dozens from the ground, spreading inexorably further and further which each moment. Their presence made it clear that no one would be able to reach the building unopposed.
"How did Sailor Moon get in?" Venus wondered as she mercilessly destroyed one that drew too close.
The only advantage they possessed was that the Daimons were very weak. Other Daimons were strengthened by the qualities of the item they were born from, and these had none. While previously the Senshi had been all but helpless against the monsters, they were now capable of fighting them on equal terms.
Tuxedo Kamen took in the situation and made a snap decision. "Kunzite, send me after Sailor Moon. You can get me through the barrier around the main building, right?"
"Yes, but that would leave you cut off from the rest of us and in an untenable situation. You should stay where we can protect you."
"I'm not going to leave her to die, not again. Not after Demando. Send me after her, or I'll find a way on my own."
The leader of the Shitennou sighed. "There is no reasoning with either of you in such a situation. Very well, but remember to call for backup if you are in danger. I will come after you the very instant I can."
"No. Stay with them and keep the Daimons from spreading. I'll go after her on my own."
"Endymion-sama…"
Rather than the hardness of before, Tuxedo Kamen's blue eyes were desperate behind the mask. "The Senshi will need your power. Protect them."
"She charged me with your safety."
"And I'm charged with hers. Kunzite, I don't want to make it an order."
He took a moment to consider his prince. "Very well."
Tuxedo Kamen disappeared as the eight of them began to plan a defense.
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Uranus and Neptune had spared a few precious seconds after Pluto's heroic sacrifice, but it was all that they could afford. Neptune could feel the Silence building with every moment that passed, and Uranus could hear the wind's desperate cries relating the same.
The blonde warrior blew open the door on the rooftop and entered the school with her partner behind her, but at first all they found were empty corridors. The academy was seemingly deserted.
They stopped short when they recognized a figure approaching them.
"Professor Tomoe Souichi," Neptune realized.
"I had never thought my enemy might be among my very own students," he said. Knowing at least part of his true, it was unsettling for them to hear his soft voice, deceptively kind. "It was lax of me, of course. The way you acted was very suspicious in hindsight. Tenou Haruka. Kaioh Michiru."
"Spare us your blather and attack already," Uranus snapped. "We have bigger things to deal with than you."
Neither Senshi was surprised when his form mutated to that of a monster. They had suspected for some time that there was no humanity left in the academy's owner. It was questionable if there ever had been.
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He had sworn that they would regret forcing him out of the hallowed circles of academia, and that he would force them to acknowledge his genius. How dare they turn him away when his ideas were the best that they had seen?
Morals, he had been told. He was messing with things that were not meant to be tampered with. Humans weren't supposed to be test subjects.
He was scarcely aware that his wife and daughter were in the lab. Yes, a lab, despite his enemies' best efforts. He had built the academy and research facilities himself, filling them with the very best of everything.
His wife was saying something about him needing to spend time with their child now and again, but he didn't hear her. He was so close, SO close to finding the key. He would create a superior human being, and the world would grovel at his feet.
If he had known it was storming, he might have been more cautious. He might have ceased his work and spent the evening at home. He didn't, though, because he rarely thought of anything else.
When the lightning hit, all he noticed initially was a flicker of the lights. It was the scent of things burning that finally caught his attention.
Machines were erupting in flames, and chemicals, and papers. The laboratory had the best safety equipment, just as it did test equipment, but the power had failed with a second strike, this one directly against the independent generator. Except for the fire now consuming the room, the light was gone.
Only now did his thoughts turn to Keiko and little Hotaru, to his wife and daughter. And in that moment he was shocked and legitimately hurt to see the woman lying unmoving on the ground, the child struggling to get out from under her even as the flames crept closer.
She was only eight years old.
It was the first time Tomoe Souichi had considered the child as anything more than a person of potential use. He saw only then how little and fragile she was, and how frightened. She was crying for her mother to get up and to be okay. More, she had been injured falling and the flames were leaving severe burns behind.
Keiko was dead, but their daughter was alive and he wanted to save her. And that was when he heard the voice.
It was a strange one, absolutely. Slithery and slick, it didn't seem to be truly present. Instead it seemed to speak from a great distance, using a power he couldn't understand.
It offered him a choice. Give up his own life for his daughter's. And he agreed.
A something he couldn't define implanted itself in him and took control, but despite his detachment Professor Tomoe could see what was happening. Another something was implanted into the girl, no longer moving despite her valiant struggle. She looked so broken that the small part of her father that remained was afraid.
His body lifted hers and carried her out of the building even as it collapsed behind them. They went to a secondary lab within the school, where the professor's body mechanically used a combination of his cybernetic and genetic technologies. Once assured that the child would survive, the voice spoke again.
'Our bargain is fulfilled.'
And then, nothing.
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Neptune heard the thoughts and understood that there was only the tiniest bit of a human in the monster.
"Uranus, he's still in there somewhere."
The other Senshi shook her head. "Doesn't matter. What we have to do won't change. He's between us and our goal."
"Uranus-!"
"Neptune, we don't have the time! Mistress 9 is the Messiah of Silence, and we have to stop her."
Germatoid roared and leapt, knocking Uranus to the ground before she leapt back to her feet and hurled one of her attacks into him. It shook off the energy blast as though it had been nothing and turned to charge again.
"Find its weakness!" the blonde shouted as she jumped to one side to avoid it.
Neptune retrieved her Deep Aqua Mirror and first set it to use in deflecting the Daimon from her partner. "SUBMARINE REFLECTION!"
Uranus raced over. "Well?"
She studied the depths of the glass. "This Daimon is very old."
"We know that already," the other warrior said impatiently. "WORLD SHAKING! Weakness please?"
"Its eye!"
"Finally!" She pulled out her own Talisman. "SPACE SWORD BLASTER!"
The glowing sword sank deeply into the monster's lone eye, and with a shriek it died. Professor Tomoe's human form crumpled to the ground.
"Is he dead?" The two pivoted to find Sailor Moon standing behind them. "Hotaru's father, is he dead?"
Neptune ran an appraising eye over him. "…Yes."
The younger Senshi nodded. "I see. She'll be an orphan now."
"You're calm," Uranus observed.
"I'm numb. I'll cry again when this is over."
Sayonara… Papa…
Sailor Moon's head jerked up. "Hotaru!"
"Hotaru?" Neptune repeated. "What about her?"
"I just heard… But how? I've never really met her…" She trailed in the direction the voice had issued from. "Hotaru? Is that really you?"
"Has she gone mad?" Uranus asked her partner in a low tone.
The other warrior shook her head. "I caught a sense of something, but nothing concrete. Since Sailor Moon has bonds to all of the system Senshi, she might have heard something I didn't."
"Where is she going? Oi!"
All they could do when she didn't respond was follow as she led the way deeper into the building. As the surge of dark energy grew stronger with each step, Neptune could tell they were headed in the right direction.
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"There are too many!" Jupiter cried as she managed to take out three Daimons at once with a well placed Pressure. "What do we do?"
Kunzite, hovering over the battle and dealing with the more air-bound, nodded. "Simply destroying them, even en masse, is not sufficient when there are so many more replacing them. We must find a way to contain them as we do not have the strength to defeat them all."
"Got anything, Mercury?" Mars shouted, incinerating several. None of the rings of her Mandala missed a target.
She glanced at Zoisite, so he was the one that responded. "Form a force field around the area. It should be possible if we can combine all of our energies."
"Can we do that?" Venus asked. "We're not all compatible without Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen."
"You can link with Kunzite. Hopefully that will be enough for the rest of us to link through him."
Mercury frowned but nodded. "It's worth a shot, at least. Worst case scenario we'll go back to fighting them directly."
"So we split up. One Senshi to each side. I guess the Shitennou stay with Venus?" said Mars.
"No, take Jadeite with you. Your powers should mesh well enough. If we go in pairs, even if the Shitennou can't tie in they'll be able to protect us," Venus decided.
"Why am I always stuck with him?"
The blonde rolled her eyes. "BECAUSE YOU'RE A MATCH. Just like I can work with Kunzite. Get over it and go. Take the east side. Kunzite and I will go south. Mercury, can you take Zoisite to the north? And that leaves Jupiter and Nephrite on the west."
"Got it," Nephrite responded as he pivoted sharply enough to take off an approaching Daimon's head. "Let's go, Jupiter."
"Good luck, Neph, Shocker," Jadeite said as he and Mars turned in the opposite direction. "And everyone. We'll see you in the morning."
"You too, Jadeite," Zoisite replied gravely. "Remember: We must hold. Everything depends on tonight."
Kunzite laid a hand on his shoulder. "Just survive. It comes down to Sailor Moon in the end. I do not need any men dead for their bravery."
The younger general closed his eyes for a moment. "I cannot accept losing again. Even if it costs me my life. I will not do any less when Sailor Moon is willing to take the same risk."
The elder studied him. "I understand. Still, Zoisite. Be careful."
"And you. Until morning, Kunzite-sama."
He watched that pair depart with Venus at his side, waiting until he could no longer see them before the turned to their position.
"You're really worried about them."
"Yes. I imagine you feel the same."
"Of course I do. I always worry when I send them off. Still, I think you worry just as much for us as you do for them. Have you developed feelings, Kunzite?"
A raised brow was the only sign that her words had surprised him. "Really, Venus, that is rather childish. If I lacked emotion, I would not love you, would I?"
She just grinned. "I was only checking." She knelt on the concrete and extended her arms to either side, prepared to make contact with her sister Senshi. "Stay with me, Kunzite. I need your strength."
"I will not leave you again, Venus. I can only pray there will never be a day when I must choose between you and Endymion, because it will destroy me to betray my prince."
He knelt behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her back until she was flush against him. Despite the tension of battle, she all but melted in his arms.
"I wouldn't ask you to. Any more than you would ask me to betray my princess."
"I know, but it is the choice I would make. I cannot lose you again."
She tilted her head back so she could see him. "I love you, Kunzite."
Her power flared as her sisters' did, and beams of light spread around them. She could feel the Shitennou in it as well, though not as strongly.
"And I, you. Always."
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It hurt Sailor Moon than she had expected, through her haze of suffering, to see the woman that had stolen the life of her child and one of her Senshi.
Mistress 9 was facing away from them and was studying some sort of device intently. She didn't react at all as they entered the room.
"Let's just kill her," Uranus whispered to Neptune. "Before Sailor Moon gets cold feet."
The other warrior nodded, so they sprang into action. Uranus had her sword in hand and leapt at their enemy's unguarded back even as Neptune triggered her own attack.
Both assaults met with failure. A strand of Mistress 9's impossibly long hair snapped around Uranus' ankle when she was still a meter away and threw her against the wall. A second intercepted Neptune's Deep Submerge and deflected it at her. Neptune barely made it out of the way in time. Sailor Moon, fortunately, was out of range. Still, she made no move to attack herself.
"Hotaru," she said quietly. "Hotaru."
"Fight her!" Uranus shrieked as she managed to drag herself to her feet. "Stop her!"
"Hotaru, can you hear me? I need you to wake up and fight."
Mistress 9 finally turned to see them. "She can't hear you, foolish girl. She's dead."
Sailor Moon shook her head. "I heard her when Uranus and Neptune had to stop her father. She said good-bye to him. She's still in there somewhere. Hotaru, you have to give me Chibiusa-chan's broach. Without it, she'll die."
She held up the aforementioned item. "This thing? Oh, she can have it back. Once I've drained it of its power. Its energy will bring Pharaoh 90 into this world, and the Silence will begin."
No one could think of a response to that. Sailor Moon only maintained her steady, beseeching gaze as Uranus and Neptune shifted uncertainly. Mistress 9 laughed.
"You defeated Germatoid, but he was only a lesser minion for the greatest power. And I am his strongest servant! What chance do you have, you soldiers that found it difficult to match even him?"
She initiated the next attack, lashing out at the vulnerable Sailor Moon in an instant. The dark energy's impact hurled her against the two Outers, and all three toppled to the ground.
Sailor Moon struggled to extract herself from the tangle. "Hotaru, listen to me! This isn't you! You're a good person with so much power. Fight for your life! Don't let her take it away!"
"It's already gone."
Another lock of that impossibly long dark hair yanked her free and wrapped itself around her neck, holding her above the ground as she struggled to breathe. Uranus and Neptune tried to stop it, but soon they were in a similar predicament.
A well of power filled Sailor Moon, and glowing lights the shades of her Senshi's magic surrounded her. Mistress 9 released her as though she had been burned, and the Moon Senshi took advantage of that moment to get her companions loose as well.
"So there is more than one blessed power in this world. It seems that I do not yet hold all the cards. Give me your Silver Crystal, and I will return this broach that you so desire."
"Even for Chibiusa, I would never give it to you. It would only result in all of our deaths."
She smiled. "Then, the Grail. Surely you do not need it, incapable as you are of using its full strength."
Sailor Moon didn't respond, but Uranus did. "Absolutely not! We won't let you bring about the Silence!"
"I am the Messiah of Silence! It is already coming, though you can deny it if you want. Besides, I do not need her to give me the Grail." There was a wicked gleam in her eyes. "I can take it when you're all dead!"
Ropes of dark energy shot at all of them, but each of them managed to deflect the first blow- Sailor Moon with her Rod, Uranus and Neptune with their respective Talismans. They weren't prepared for the blasts from behind them, but Tuxedo Kamen did.
He leapt down and managed to intercept all three so that they exploded against the wall harmlessly. Safe for the moment, the four of them turned to face Mistress 9 as the end ticked inexorably closer.
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AN: At a guess, I'd say about two more chapters. Maybe three, but I can't say for sure. I tried to mix some fluff in with the drama, so I hope you've enjoyed this update. As always, I would love to hear what you think, so review. Till next time!