Thorny Roses
Chapter 13
Usagi and Mamoru ran towards the Juuban Supermarket, Chibiusa bouncing in Mamoru's arms. Luna and Artemis running behind them as LunaP floated above their heads.
They arrived at Juuban Supermarket, shocked at what they saw.
A large Yuma with diamond spikes protruding from its back was destroying the supermarket. It had a silvery clear body and sharp teeth and fingers. Its eyes were a glowing red. Usagi and Mamoru looked at each other with worry; the Yuma was easily the size of a tall tree.
"Let's go," Usagi said. Mamoru nodded, putting Chibiusa on the ground.
"Luna, Artemis, watch her," Mamoru said. The cats nodded as Chibiusa followed them to a hiding place. Last minute, the pink haired girl turned around.
"Usagi," Chibiusa called.
"Yes?" She responded but kept her eyes on the Yuma destroying the supermarket.
"Be careful."
Usagi turned around to smile at the little girl and nodded. "Moon Light Power, Make Up!"
Sailor Moon quickly transformed, surprised but pleased to see that her staff was still the same from when she and Tuxedo Mask had battled Berthier. The four revolving stones floated around the Silver Crystal, seemingly stuck in its orbit.
"Ready?" Tuxedo Mask asked, smirking at Usagi.
She smirked back. "You bet I am."
…
"Shit…" Sailor Jupiter cursed, lightly touching a cut on her arm. Blood seeped from the cut but she would be fine.
Suddenly, a hand appeared on her arm, erasing the cut and the pain. Jupiter looked up in surprise at Nephrite's smiling face. "All better," he whispered.
Sailor Jupiter blushed and opened her mouth to thank him. However, they had to jump apart as a flash of electricity exploded between them.
Nephrite and Sailor Jupiter looked back to their Yuma. It had climbed on top of the Bob-Floy ice cream parlor, shooting electricity bolts at surrounding people and destroying the store. It was a relatively small Yuma, a bright yellow color. It had a large head with its hair on end, as though it had been shocked. It had curled fingers and no legs could be seen. Its eyes were a slanted black and it had no mouth.
"Thank me later!" Nephrite yelled as he swung his sword at one of the electric blasts, blocking it by a millimeter.
"If we survive until later," Jupiter muttered. "JUPITER LIGHTNING STORM!"
The Yuma shrieked as the lightning collided with its body. It hunched over from the pain, electricity curling towards the sky through the Yuma's hair.
Nephrite yelled, raising his sword while running towards the Yuma's crumpled figure. Suddenly, a blast of black electricity hit him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. He skidded on the cement before slowing to a stop.
"Nephrite!" Jupiter ran over to him.
Nephrite coughed, the ends of his wavy brunette hair singed and smoking as he looked up at her. His blue eyes smiled, twinkling at her green ones.
Jupiter smiled at him in relief before turning to see who had struck Nephrite, as it was clear that it was not the Yuma.
A few feet away, a tall, pale woman floated in the air, her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. She had short, dark green hair and wore strange clothing adorned with feathers. Jupiter and Nephrite took note of the upside-down, black crescent moon on her forehead.
"Who are you?" Nephrite called out.
The woman scoffed. "I am Petz of the Ayaka—"
"Ayakyugi Sisters!" Jupiter exclaimed.
Petz glared. "No, it's the Aya—"
"No, I'm pretty sure it was the Ayakiri Sisters," Nephrite pondered.
"No, that can't be it!" Jupiter laughed. "It was definitely Ayakanabi Sisters!"
Nephrite opened his mouth to contradict her but was interrupted by Petz.
"It's the Ayakashi Sisters, damn it!" Petz screamed.
"Well," Jupiter smirked. "Not like it matters anyways!"
"Of course it matters!" Petz haughtily said. "Because I am the sister that will defeat Sailor Moon and the rest of you Sailor bitches!"
Jupiter's smirk disappeared. It didn't matter to her that Petz was insulting her. What mattered most was that she was insulting her friends as well her leader and comrades. "Yeah, we'll see about that!" Jupiter stood up. "Jupiter Lightning Storm!"
Petz dodged the blow with a spin and flew towards Jupiter's form. The lightning senshi had only a few seconds to block Petz's fist before delivering a strong kick to the Ayakashi sister. Petz harshly landed on the ground. She sat up, glaring fiercely at Sailor Jupiter.
Jupiter only glared back.
"Nephrite, you take care of the Yuma. I'll take care of her," Sailor Jupiter growled.
Nephrite nodded, turning back to the Yuma. It was still dazed but would still be able to attack. Nephrite raised his sword, running towards the Yuma as it prepared to strike with an electric blast.
…
Sailor Venus struggled against the ropes of hair that were wound around her wrists and ankles. A tall, thin Yuma in the form of a woman grinned maliciously at Sailor Venus' trapped figure. It had incredibly long hair, the same dark orange color as its scaly skin. It had white eyes, shaped much like a cat's eyes. Its teeth were sharp, pointed triangles placed in a large wide mouth.
The Yuma whipped its head, its hair stretching to form another rope around Sailor Venus' neck. Sailor Venus gritted her teeth as she tried to pull away. She gasped as she felt the ropes tightening around her neck and she began to see spots in her vision.
Kunzite raised his sword and brought it down on the ropes of hair, neatly slicing them. The Yuma shrieked in pain while Sailor Venus clutched her throat, gasping at the sudden air entering her lungs.
"Thanks," Venus rasped.
Kunzite smiled in return. The two turned back to the Yuma, which was beyond furious. Its hair stretched towards the two but they both were able to jump out of the way. The Yuma still managed to wrap its hair around Venus' ankle, picking her up and slamming her into the ground.
Sailor Venus groaned. "That is it! VENUS BEAUTIFUL LOVE!" Golden beams blasted into the Yuma, muffling her shrieks.
Suddenly, a strangled cry came from behind her. Sailor Venus whipped around, gasping at what she saw. Kunzite was struggling against a rope around his neck, desperately trying to claw off the rope as he collapsed to his knees. Sailor Venus traced the rope, not made of the Yuma's hair, to a woman dressed in orange and red. She had large brown eyes and wore a large yellow bow in her bun. Her most prominent feature, however, was the black crescent moon on her forehead.
"So, you're Berthier's sister," Venus growled, her eyes narrow. She tried to think of a way to free Kunzite without the woman with the whip knowing.
"Yes, I am Calaveras," the woman preened herself. "I'm surprised you're smart enough to remember my sister's name."
"Why are you doing this?" Venus said, taking a step towards Kunzite. Her heart clenched as she heard him groan against the whip.
"Ah ah ah!" Calaveras smirked. "We don't want to hurt pretty boy over here do we?"
Venus gritted her teeth and glared.
Kunzite watched as the Yuma's hair grabbed Venus' ankle again and slammed her over and over again into the cement. The Yuma finished by throwing Venus through the glass window of the Lucky Charms jewelry store.
Calaveras laughed loudly against the back of her hand. She didn't realize that she had loosened her grip on the whip and on Kunzite's throat. Kunzite whirled around, slicing his sword through the whip and continuing towards Calaveras.
The Ayakashi sister was able to dodge out of the way but still received a cut across her shoulder. She shrieked in outrage.
Kunzite hurried towards Venus' crumpled figure.
"Venus!" He urgently tapped her cheeks, trying to ignore the cuts and bruises on her body. Her uniform was torn in many places from the glass shards she had landed on.
Kunzite placed a quick hand on her forehead, healing her injuries. Sailor Venus' eyes fluttered open before coming to focus on Kunzite's lavender eyes. She smiled, placing a hand on her dark cheek.
"Thanks," she grinned.
Kunzite blushed, coughing as he pulled her up.
"Let's finish this," Venus grinned.
…
Sailor Mercury and Zoicite waited silently around the corner of a building, a few feet away from the Chess Tower.
All was silent.
"It's strange…all of the Yuma attacks have stopped," Mercury observed.
"Yes, it is. The attacks only really consisted of freezing random pedestrians," Zoicite replied. All around the Chess Tower building, people were frozen in misshapen blocks of ice, terrified expression stuck on bodies running away.
Mercury nodded determinedly. "Well, there's no other way to face the enemy except to go inside the Chess Tower."
Zoicite smiled at her, grabbing her hand. "Together?"
Sailor Mercury blushed in surprise before nodding. "Together," she smiled.
They walked past the frozen pedestrians, but not without Sailor Mercury emitting a shudder of pity for the people. Hand in hand, the entered the Chess Tower, only to see ice freeze over the doors as they closed.
"Guess there's no turning back…" Zoicite muttered. They went on, reaching the elevator. The doors dinged open when the stood in front of it. The two looked at each other warily before entering the elevator. The doors closed and the elevator moved of its own accord to the top floor.
The doors slid open with an eerie ding of the elevator bell. The room was swirling with dark energy and ice. Mercury and Zoicite could see their breaths in the frosty room. The room was empty except for a woman standing in the middle of the room. Zoicite and Mercury immediately recognized her as Berthier.
"Berthier? Where's the Yuma?" Mercury asked calmly.
Berthier sneered. "There isn't one. I only attacked the people to make you think there was one."
"So you lured us here?" Zoicite surmised. He smirked. "Well, no problem, we can take you." In a flash, Zoicite's feet were frozen to the ground. "W-what?! What is this?!"
"Now, now," Berthier chimed. "Let's be fair. Instead of physically fighting, which I know all of us are rather weak at, why don't we have a battle of wits?"
Mercury looked up in surprise. "What do you mean?"
A chess board shimmered into existence behind Berthier. The ice-blue haired woman sat down in one of the chairs, behind the black chess pieces. Mercury took a step towards the chess board and Berthier smiled maliciously.
"Mercury! Wait!" Zoicite called. The ice was beginning to spread up his legs. "We should fight her together! That's what our training was for!"
Mercury smiled back at him. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." She sat down and immediately, her legs were frozen to the chair.
"Don't take it personally," Berthier smirked. "It's so you—"
"It's so I won't try anything," Mercury completed. "I know."
Berthier glowered. "Your move first," she growled.
Mercury hesitantly, though confidently, picked up a pawn and made her first move.
…
Sailor Mars and Jadeite ran around the Yuma, trying to confuse it while attacking it with fire and sword. The Yuma was a large, black snake, with flames coming from its mouth. A large purple gem rested on its breast.
Sailor Mars dodged the Yuma's tail as it swung towards her. Jumping into the air, she flipped over the Yuma's back, catapulting flames at its back while Jadeite attacked it from the front. However, as Jadeite was running away and Mars was landing, she nearly landed on him.
"Hey! Watch it!" Sailor Mars yelled.
"Can we argue later?!" Jadeite yelled back. Mars glared at him while serving a fresh onslaught of flames on the Yuma. It shrieked, but in irritation rather than pain.
"It's no use!" Mars groaned. "What else can we do?"
"Nothing at all, naturally."
Sailor Mars and Jadeite whirled around to face a woman dressed in a pink suit with a purple tutu. Her dark purple hair was thick around her frame and was topped with two cat-ear shaped buns. A black crescent moon was emblazoned on her forehead.
"You must be a part of the Black Moon Clan," Mars assumed.
"Koan," the woman replied.
"Is that your language for 'yes'?" Jadeite smirked.
Koan's eyes narrowed and she gave a sharp nod. The snake Yuma whipped its tail in Jadeite's direction, causing him to fly back a good twenty feet.
"Jadeite!" Mars yelled. "Mars Wildfire!"
Koan yelped as she jumped out of the way. She hadn't expected the Sailor to retaliate so quickly. Koan let on her own assault of black flames.
Mars wasted no time in attacking with speed, power, and precision. This is better, Mars thought as she fought. Jadeite and I haven't mastered working together as well as the others. Jadeite can fight the Yuma while I handle her.
Sailor Mars felt a strong wave of confidence flow through her, creating a larger flame. Koan backed away from the flame, crying out in surprise.
She fell to the ground, tears of humiliation in her eyes as she glared at Sailor Mars.
"This is going to be fun," Sailor Mars smirked. I'm counting on you to take care of yourself, Jadeite. We'll make it out of this together.
…
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask danced around the large, crystal Yuma. Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon took turns physically attacking their opponent, waiting for the right time to use Silver Moon Kiss.
"Silver Moon—" Sailor Moon began. However, she was interrupted by a harsh scream: her own. Black energy spun around her, making herself feel as though she was being cut by a thousand tiny knives or glass shards. The energy disappeared and Sailor Moon fell to the ground, leaning on her staff.
"Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask ran towards her, only stopping when the Yuma had thrown its fist in his path. Tuxedo Mask jumped out of the way just in time.
"How interesting!"
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask looked up at a floating figure above them. He had red hair and was dressed in a dark red vest and green pants. A black crescent shone above his dark red eyes.
"It seems the rumors are true!" The man chuckled grimly.
"Who are you?" Tuxedo Mask growled.
"Rubeus of the Black Moon Clan," the man smirked. "It's really remarkable, it is!" Rubeus hadn't truly paid attention to the holograms of the Sailor Moon fighting back in Prince Diamond's throne room. However, seeing Neo-Queen Serenity's past form in person was rather mind-boggling. If he destroyed her now, the entire future of Crystal Tokyo would disappear and leave Earth for the Black Moon Clan's taking. Just by squashing a mere girl.
But Diamond would never allow that. Rubeus pushed these thoughts away, smirking gleefully again.
"What rumors?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Oh, they don't concern you or your fellow comrades," Rubeus airily said. "What does it matter? You'll only be dead in a few moments. Who knows? Maybe you'll be able to find out in the Afterlife."
Tuxedo Mask growled at the threat towards his love and his friends. "Afterlife my ass!" Tuxedo Mask felt a burst of energy flow through his veins, Tuxedo Mask felt his body float just the tiniest amount, and in a flash of light, he had become Endymion. He pulled out his sword, shining silver with a gold hilt. Imbedded in one side of the blade were four stones, one for each of the General's respective color.
"Mamoru…" Usagi whispered in shock.
"Rubeus," Endymion's voice thundered. "Rubeus of the Black Moon Clan! I propose a duel between you and me. Do you accept?"
A black sword sizzled into existence in front of Rubeus. He grabbed it and gave it a swing. "Oh, you bet. Bring it on, pretty boy."
Sailor Moon watched as the two men began combat. This is no time to watch and be idle, Sailor Moon thought. She turned towards the Yuma, stupid enough to have its back turned towards her. She looked down at her staff and smiled. "Let's see what else I can do with this."
So sorry it took so long! I'm having some problems at home so I haven't gotten a chance to write. Things will get better soon, hopefully! Thanks for sticking by Thorny Roses!
Pegasus'Horn