Chapter 14

One second he had the kid by the throat about to punch through his heart and the next he was blasted through a concrete wall. Brushing the debris Koji admitted to himself that he under estimated the Sailor Senshi. Normally he would have been livid by what just happened, but for some reason he didn't quite know, he was glad for the challenge. An easy fight was boring. Now he knew he didn't have to hold back against these girls, and that was thrilling.

He went through the full range of motions with his arms and legs, taking note of any stiffness or soreness. Luckily there was little, except in his right shoulder where the girl had crashed into him. "What the hell was that?!" Aksuna asked in stunned disbelief. Koji calmly walked away from the dust and debris littering the floor now. He unbuttoned the cuff links of his suit and proceeded to take his jacket off.

"That was one of the Senshi, letting her true power show. It seems we've under estimated them." Koji couldn't contain his excitement and let a smile cross his face. "You wait here; I'm going to have some fun." Aksuna nodded and swallowed hard. This is a side of me she's never seen. He walked to the door that she had shot through like a bullet. The steel door was twisted and charred from the impact of heat and energy that had surrounded her as she moved like lightning. Making his way through the front offices, his heart began to beat faster in anticipation.

Koji opened the front door and was greeted by the sight of her standing over the motionless kid on the street. Noticing him laying there triggered something the boy had said. It was the palace that gave him power? I'm going to need to investigate that after this. It seemed she had noticed his steady approach as she was now standing with her hands up defensively. He hoped that she actually knew how to fight and not just mimicking something she saw on TV. The dark haired man picked up the pace and began to jog towards her, steadily increasing his speed, never taking his eyes off the target directly in front of him. He was close enough now that he could see her jaw set in determination, eyes glaring into his own.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" Koji didn't even have time to process what he had just heard when he was hit by what felt like a truck from his right side. Water was forced into his mouth and eyes, effectively cutting off his oxygen, the impact picking him off his feet as pain shot up is already injured shoulder. He felt himself tumble across the pavement, finally coming to a stop and now soaking wet.

"Magnificent!" He laughed to himself. This only getting better. The one dressed in blue had shown up now and was already standing beside the green girl. She looked much more timid, almost afraid and unwilling to fight. Take care of the support first. But they had the advantage of range. For the moment at least. Letting some of his dark energy out, he burst forward with enough force to crack the pavement he had just been standing on. Closing the distance with alarming speed, he brought his left fist up into her abdomen, taking her clean off her feet as she buckled under the blow. Still in the air Koji brought his right elbow down into the girl's spine, smashing her back down into the hard ground beneath. He could have hit her a lot harder, but the injuries to his shoulder were holding him back.

Now back in front of his original target, heart pounding from the thrill of a real fight, he quickly brought his left hand back, prepared to deliver a straight punch at the girl.

"Venus Love Me Chain!" A golden heart linked chain wrapped itself around his arm at the elbow, and dug in to his flesh with incredible force, tearing open a fresh wound. Blood soaked his white shirt immediately as he growled against the pain. Swiftly, he reached back with his other hand and grabbed hold of the chain, jerking it towards him with all his strength. The golden one come flying and he kicked his right leg out, landing cleanly against her delicate looking face. He half expected it to shatter like porcelain from the impact. The girl grunted in pain as she went sprawling to the ground.

Turning his attention back to the girl he really wanted to fight, he saw that she had retreated with the unconscious kid. The blue one was back on her feet, looking like she could barely stand. She crossed her arms in front of her chest with her hands coming up, framing her face. "Bubble Spray!" She yelled as she extended her arms out towards him. Koji expected another attack, but he quickly realized this was passive as the entire area filled with a thick mist. Closing his eyes, Koji let his other senses take over. His ears picked up what sounded like a flag flapping in the wind behind him, but it was approaching quickly.

The muscular man spun and put his hands out defensively, expecting another large attack as he opened his eyes, but a narrow black cane slipped past his outstretched hands and jabbed him in the face just below his left eye. The impact was much more than he anticipated as his head was thrown back. Stumbling backwards and holding his face with one hand, Koji peered out into the mist. Whoever had struck him was already gone. They work well as a team. But this is a fight I'm not going to lose. He stood still and strained his ears, trying to pick up any sounds, frustration setting in. Not too far away Koji heard the flapping again, coming from behind. Knowing what was coming he waited until the last second and spun, grabbing the cane as it sailed towards his face. He pushed the end to one side, away from him and struck out with his other hand, only meeting air.

The black cane was forcefully extracted from his hand as he stood in disbelief. Quickly he realized the cane was retractable. A smart move by whoever was wielding it. Again he stood alone, listening for any signs of an incoming attack. "Burning Mandela!" The voice came from his left and he could see eight round discs through the thick fog. They turned swiftly in his direction; his depth perception in the mist was difficult to judge. Ducking and side stepping as quickly as he could, the discs came at him like bullets. Avoiding all but one as it sliced the side of his neck, not deeply, but enough to spill more blood all over his already soaked shirt.

He growled in frustration. This wasn't the fight he was expecting. He knew these girls were tougher than a single Dark One, or even possibly five, but to be bested like this was humiliating. Taking off towards where the last attack came from, he heard the click of high heels as she ran away. His senses were already attuned to what was going on around him and he tracked her down almost immediately. Once he saw the figure of a body, he lashed out with his hands, desperately trying to grab hold of an arm or piece of clothing. Instead his hand was batted away by this phantom cane that came and went like a ghost.

Pivoting midstride, he stopped chasing the girl and took off to where the cane came from. He tapped into the dark energy stored within his body and burst forward, finally finding the man hiding in the mist. His eyes widened in shock, but he recovered quickly as the masked man swung the cane at Koji's head. Koji easily grabbed the cane before it struck him, and threw his right fist straight into the man's face. He went sprawling backwards, blood gushing out his nose as he fell to the ground. Koji was on top of him immediately, not wanting to let this chance slip away. He coughed as blood filled his mouth, pouring out of the broken nose.

"Moon-" Koji didn't hear the word spoken not far behind where he was, instead his ears rang with rage as he raised his hand, ready to crush the man's skull with a single blow.

"Princess-" The man under him squirmed and turned, trying to get away, so Koji grabbed him by the throat, pinning his head down under the pavement.

"Halation!" A bright light formed behind him and he was brought out of his reckless rage. Knowing there was no time, he had to act now. He used the dark energy to throw himself off the man sideways. For a split second he thought he had dodged the attack, but a sudden piercing pain shot through his back. A golden spinning crescent moon erupted through his abdomen, narrowly missing his spine as blood poured out of the gaping wound. Koji fell to the ground and felt his mouth fill with more blood. Is this how it really ends? He put his hands to the wound and applied pressure, trying to slow the flow as his life was being drained from him. He could recover from this, could heal himself, but it took time and energy. He wouldn't be able to heal in the middle of this fight.

The fog began to lift and the figures of the Senshi formed around him, looking down at his beaten body. Koji wasn't a dog though; he wouldn't lose lying on his back like a coward. Struggling to get to his feet, Sailor Moon held out her scepter to him "It's over. Give up and turn yourself in. We know it was you who framed us so-" The squeal of tires interrupted her as head lights came bursting through what was left of the mist. The girls jumped out of the way as the red sports car came skidding to a stop beside him and the passenger door was flung open. "Get in!" Aksuna barked. For once, Koji didn't mind being told what to do, and dropped his exhausted body into the passenger seat. Aksuna put the pedal to the floor and took off down the road, leaving the Senshi in her review for the second time that day.

-/-*-\-

The squeal of tires brought Sol out of his dazed state as a car peeled off not far away. He tried to sit up but his head throbbed and his ribs ached. Grunting against the pain as he rolled over off his back to get to his hands and knees, he heard footsteps approach him. As he took in short breaths to minimize the pain, a pair of green white laced high heeled boots came into his vision. That's when everything came back to him. Makoto is Sailor Jupiter! She had transformed right in front of him. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. She had transformed and Koji had picked him up by the throat and was going to kill him when there was a crash, and everything went dark.

Sailor Jupiter crouched down beside him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Let me help you stand up." He accepted the assistance as she gently got him to his feet. Placing his arm around her shoulder, and letting her take some of his weight he said smiling "Thank you Mako-chan."

Her faced turned bright red almost instantly, and the others gasped. Sailor Venus spoke up quickly, trying to sound convincing but failing "Mako-chan? Who is this Mako-chan you speak of? We don't know anyone named Mako-chan" she finished with a laugh and grunted, holding her hand to her face where Koji had kicked her.

"He already knows, Venus" Sailor Jupiter hung her head, brown hair covering her eyes. "I had to transform in front of him. And Koji. If I didn't Sol would have been..." She choked off the sentence, unable to finish. "I'm sorry I had to deceive you Sol" she continued, still looking down. "I understand if you're upset, but please let me-"

"Upset? Why would I be upset? I don't see it as deception. Being a Sailor Senshi isn't something you can go advertising about. You five are like Super Hero's, but you also have your personal lives. I understand why you didn't tell me." Sailor Jupiter raised her head and looked him in the eye while he spoke softly to her. She couldn't help the tears of relief that filled her own eyes as he accepted her completely and without judgement.

Sailor Jupiter opened her mouth to give her thanks when Sailor Mercury collapsed to the ground, holding her midsection. The other three girls and Tuxedo Kamen rushed to her side. "What's wrong Mercury?" Sailor Moon asked

"Koji hit me pretty heard. I guess now that the adrenalin has worn off, I'm feeling the full effect of his attacks. I'll be ok, I just need to rest for a little while." A collective sigh of relief escaped everyone's lips as it seemed they were all holding their breath.

Sol turned his attention back to Sailor Jupiter, smiling slyly at the shorter brown haired girl. "So if you're Sailor Jupiter, than that means she's Mizuno Ami right?" He pointed at Sailor Mercury who blushed and nodded. "And she must be Tsukino Usagi?" He pointed at Sailor Venus, who burst out laughing.

"No, no I'm not Usagi. She is." Sailor Venus corrected him and pointed to Sailor Moon. Sol blinked rapidly in confusion as his mind began to race.

"You mean to tell me head-in-the-clouds, happy go lucky Usagi is your leader?!" Sol blurted out before he could stop himself. He was in total disbelief. But now that he knew, it made sense; they did have the same hair style. She was hiding in plain sight, so to speak. Sailor Venus' demeanor turned from jovial to dark quickly.

"Why did you think I was Usagi? And what's so unbelievable about it?" She growled at the injured boy hanging off of Sailor Jupiter. Sol swallowed hard and put his one hand up in defence, but Sailor Jupiter spoke before he could.

"He's probably suffering a head injury Venus. He didn't mean it like that" she said cheerfully, trying to defuse the situation. "Anyway, let's transform and go back to Hikawa Shrine to get some rest" she continued. Everyone agreed and changed back to their civilian identities. Almost immediately after going back, Ami collapsed again into the arms of Mamoru.

"Let me carry you Ami" Mamoru offered as he held her up. Sol watched as she looked up through dazed eyes and nodded in silent agreement. Mamoru easily scooped up the smaller girl and held her close as he began to walk.

"Ami-chan" Usagi said through gritted teeth. The blue haired girl slowly turned her head towards the shorter blonde.

"Yes?"

"You could have fallen into Rei-chan, but instead you chose to fall into my Mamo-chan. Are you secretly in love with him?" She asked suspiciously.

"Usako" Mamoru mumbled under his breath.

"Honestly Usagi, do you think she is any kind of condition to be answering your ridiculous questions right now?" Rei barked. The two squared off and began staring each other down with glares.

"It's alright Rei-chan" Ami began. "I know she is very protective of Mamoru-san. I'm sorry Usagi-chan, I wouldn't have done it if I thought I could have stood on my own." Usagi's anger disappeared instantly and was replaced by concern for her injured friend. She walked beside Mamoru and began apologizing for her rash behaviour.

"Are you girls always like this?" Sol asked Makoto. She let out a small laugh and nodded.

"Usagi-chan and Rei-chan butt heads a lot, but they never stay mad at each other for long. They say friends who a fight and forget like that are the closest kind." Sol couldn't help but envy the two girls. He had never had a friend like that and hoped one day he might be so fortunate.

"Sol?" Makoto asked as they walked with her supporting him.

"Hmm?"

"I've been dying to know since we found you, why were you under a giant pile of books? I have been trying to figure it out night after night and I can't wrap my head around it." Now it was Sol's turn to let out a short laugh, which was quickly cut off by the pain in his ribs.

"I read once that paper is a good insulator so I thought if I could weather the storm, I would be able to see you. I didn't even know where you lived, but I was determined to find you. Not the best plan, I know" he defended as Makoto rolled her eyes at him. "Before I knew it, I was asleep. Guess the paper wasn't a very good insulator after all." He answered. Makoto brushed some hair away from her face and chuckled.

"You're quite the romantic aren't you?" She teased, gently poking his chest with her finger as she smiled.

"Is that romantic?" Sol quizzed. Minako had caught up to them and joined the conversation.

"Of course it's romantic" she gushed with stars in her eyes. "A man braving the elements and throwing his life into reckless abandonment to see the one he loves. You've set the bar pretty high for yourself Sol." Now it was Minako's turn to poke him in the chest. They carried on their short trek back to Hikawa Shrine like this, joking with each other and enjoying the day, almost as if their lives hadn't just been in danger. They're probably used to dealing with life and death situations. But this does help ease the tension. Sol was beginning to understand why these girls were considered heroes in this city. To have this kind of resolve in the face of such danger was foreign to the Irish boy.

Soon the tall stone walls of Hikawa Shrine were in view and Sol was glad to be able to sit down soon. His ribs were throbbing with each step and he took short quick breaths to ease the pain. Climbing the stairs worried him, but Rei got on the other side and helped Makoto hoist him up with little effort on his part. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, they were greeted by a white cat with a yellow crescent moon on its forehead. The cat meowed loudly and began rubbing its head against Minako's leg, purring softly.

"Artemis, this is Sol. Don't worry, he knows now, so you and Luna can be yourselves." The cat stopped and looked Sol directly in the eye. It was kind of unnerving for him, almost like the cat knew what she was saying.

"Well I guess you were bound to find out eventually. We welcome you as our ally" the cat said. Sol shook his head and lowered his voice so only Makoto could hear.

"I think I got hit harder than we originally thought." Makoto turned to him with a confused look on her face. "I must be hallucinating because I think the cat just spoke to me."

"You're not hallucinating, I can speak." The cat answered. Sol jumped back and would have fallen to the ground if Makoto's grip around him hadn't tightened. He felt his head get light and his vision began to fade. This is too much! He thought to himself as his knees went weak. Slowly he drifted back into the comforting darkness of unconsciousness for the third time that day.

A/N: I know, I know it's been much too long since I updated, and I apologize. Life gets hectic sometimes. Hope you like this chapter and I thank everyone for your support in reading my story. It really means a lot that you can enjoy this.HHHHHHknnkjbHhhhhhhklnbnkj