Part VI: The Battle For Everything
Dry lightning cracks across the skies
Those storm clouds gather in her eyes
Her daddy was a mean old mister
Mama was an angel in the ground
The weather man called for a twister
She prayed ..."Blow it down."
There's not enough rain in Oklahoma
To wash the sins out of that house
There's not enough wind in Oklahoma
To rip the nails out of the past
Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,
Blown away!
BLOWN AWAY!
"Mamo-chan, we'll be together again..." Usagi lifted her right fist up to her heart as she continued to stare upwards at the mansion's surrounding wall, the same mansion she had once thought looked too much like a castle, and it really was: Queen Beryl's castle. Her blonde hair blew to the side steadily as she built up her courage within her heart. "I swear it!"
Luna sat watching the nine women standing together in a line as they each took in the dark aura given off by the palace-like mansion, and Artemis sat down beside her.
"Will they really be able to save it?" He asked softly. Luna nodded.
"Yes." She said with a strong voice. "Usagi-chan, the others, they will all fight for it... It will not be lost!" She said with her voice rising slightly.
"Moon Crisis! Make Up!" Usagi yelled out and The Holy Chalice filled with light in front of her as it filled with power and she drank it in once more.
"Venus Crystal Power!"
"Mercury Crystal Power!"
"Jupiter Crystal Power!" Usagi removed the cup from her lips with her eyes still closed as a few drips of light fell from the cup as she lowered it.
"Uranus Crystal Power!"
"Neptune Crystal Power!"
"Saturn Crystal Power!" The light engulfed Usagi and the others as the their powers surged together as one.
"Pluto Eternal!"
"Make Up!"
Luna and Artemis watched as the group of women were completely engulfed in light and their powers continued to merge together.
"Sailor Moon will definitely save our future. She will not let Chibiusa and Diana be erased..." Luna said believing in it completely now. They would not lose!
"Di...ana..." Artemis repeated as if the word had hit him in the gut and Luna's eyes widen as she realized she had spoken it aloud. She looked at Artemis with her large blue eyes and he seemed to be thinking; his face with a surprised, perhaps almost pained, expression. Luna smiled sadly at him and he turned his head to face her. "That name is important... to us." He said, and Luna's eyes watered as she nodded.
"Yes. Very important." She confirmed. Artemis blushed.
"We... We were a couple. Just like they have been suggesting." He said, but he did not make the connection between what the name Diana fully meant to the two of them. It was just an intense feeling. Luna let out a soft cry and she buried her head in Artemis' shoulder's fur, her ears tucked back and her eyes closed tightly.
"Artemis." She said almost crying again. His muscles relaxed after the initial surprise faded, and he rubbed his chin on the top of her head in comfort. Luna chided herself once more for not appreciating his gently, caring, but also passionate love for her when she had been so close to him. It had been one of the hardest things... Doing all of it without him, and then appearing to have to go against him. The thought of him hating her; those hardened green eyes... it still ran her blood cold. But right then... his body was warm against hers.
"Everyone..." Luna looked up and saw the Senshi standing tall as the stared upward again. Super Sailor Moon stood in the middle with her rainbow coloured outfit, and butterfly ruffles blowing in the breeze along with her hair. "Let's go!" Sailor Moon said finding her strength. Luna rushed forward and Artemis followed after her.
"I'm going too!" Luna cried, and Sailor Moon turned to face her.
"It will be too dangerous for you and Artemis. We don't know how difficult it will be." Sailor Mercury argued, but Luna did not acknowledge her, only Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon stared her into her determined eyes with a wide expression on her face. Luna knew it was going to be hard... that's why she needed to stay with Sailor Moon at all times. She had promised. She would never leave her side again!
"Arigato." Sailor Moon said with a small smile as she knelt down in front of Luna, and the others hesitated in their objections. Luna deserved her request, and they feared just like Luna did, that... Sailor Moon would need her to get through this. Luna made her way onto Sailor Moon's shoulder, and instantly Sailor Moon's hand lifted to her shoulder as well; as if she were already drawing in strength from Luna's presence. Sailor Moon smiled down at Artemis and a moment later he found himself draped over her other shoulder. The others watched Sailor Moon pick herself up off of the ground with the two small cats on each side of her and turned towards the wall. "Let's go!" The group shone with white energy and they each appeared as streams of light as they surged upwards and over the wall. Usagi landed on her feet with a slight jolt but the two cats remained firmly on her shoulders. The nine women stared at the darkened palace with both a mixture of determination and anger.
"Mercury!" Venus turned to her, and the woman was already typing away at her computer. They could all feel the dark energy; it was no secret.
"There seems to be a vast number of life sources in the place." Mercury said quickly. "Youma, and others..." She said looking up from the screen and activated her visor. "The largest energy source is astronomical." She said. "It seems to be in the dead center of the place." The others looked at the mansion, and Mercury's eyes narrowed. "It's almost off the charts..." She commented.
"If we all work together, we will not loose." Saturn said as Uranus slashed her sword out to the side of her. She had told Venus to keep her anger out of the equation, but they all seemed to reverberate with it. It was unavoidable. What was needed was to keep it in check: to not let it control their actions. "We cannot loose!" Saturn finished acutely. They took a step forward together, but as they did so, movement behind Sailor Moon caught Venus' eye and she turned quickly just in time to see the red ball of light collide with her Princess.
"Aaaahhhh!" Sailor Moon let the terrified scream out as the ball shot her forward and she found herself trapped within it along with the two cats and Venus could see her legs kicking against it as she rocketed through the air.
"SAILOR MOON!" The Senshi let out a collective scream, and they watched in horror as the ball whisked Sailor Moon away. The double backdoor's opened wide and she was out of sight in an instant as the doors closed again. "Sailor Moon!" They all ran forward and Sailor Jupiter took the lead along with Sailor Uranus.
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
"World Shaking!" The two balls of energy blasted the doors off of their hinges and smoke rained down upon them. The two wasted no time before running up the steps to the now open mansion.
"Wait!" Mercury yelled out behind them, but the entire group of Senshi were already pilling into the mansion; herself included as her feet refused to listen to her brain as she continued to panic about Sailor Moon. There was also the fear of being left alone and unable to help. As soon as each of them were inside the area around them completely darkened and the opening to the outside disappeared as well as everything around them in the mansion.
"Welcome Sailor Senshi." A female's voice laughed loudly all around them. "I wonder... How long you can stay alive in my Youma's grasp... As I take the life out of your precious Princess?!"The Senshi grouped together as they looked all around them preparing for the attack.
"Beryl..." Venus let out in a low growl as she instantly recognized the hated voice, but they each let out an involuntary gasp of fear as they found their feet touching nothing but void, and they each found themselves falling in different directions; piercing screams filling the area around them as the falling sensation filled each of them, and they began to loose sight of each other. Beryl's laughter grew louder as they fell and everything was covered in darkness.
"Jupiter!" Jupiter twisted around as she continued to fall and reached upwards towards Mercury's voice, and a gloved hand grabbed hold of it tightly as they continued to fall. Everything was blackened and dark except for the few times there would be a burst of light as they crashed through the bursts. They fell through one more burst of light and suddenly Jupiter's body slammed down hard upon something, and her body stopped falling, and Mercury landed on top of her, sending a sharp pain shooting up her back for a brief moment as the corner of Mercury's computer stabbed her along with the woman's elbow and knee as Mercury rolled off of her from the force. Jupiter lay still on the "ground" for a moment before moaning and turning herself over onto her back. A few feet away Mercury was attempting to lift herself up onto her knees, but she fell again onto her stomach. The two of them remain trying to regain their breath.
"What... was... that?" Jupiter asked through hard breathing. Mercury succeeded in getting to her knees finally and she picked up The Mercury Computer again and opened it.
"It seems to be a Youma-made dimension with many different levels." She said typing away at the computer. "Those lights must have been the portals to the next level upwards." She concluded. Jupiter nodded slowly as she tried to remember how many times they had crashed through the lights, but she couldn't. All she knew was that it had been too many. Jupiter picked herself up with difficulty after finally regaining the ability to breathe normally. Ghoulish laughter came from the far right of them and the two turned quickly to face the sound, and Mercury forced herself up onto her feet and both took a defensive position. "Youma." Mercury confirmed with her visor as the computer disappeared in her hands and she prepared for the attack. Jupiter held her hand out to the side.
"My planet Jupiter! Give me the strength! Give me the ability to face this foe! To protect the ones I love!" She demanded, and a surge of energy and light emanated from her hand as something formed and once it was gone Jupiter clutched what looked like a wreath of golden leaves. She lifted it up to look at it with both hands and stared at it in shock as its power filled her. "I remember this..." She thought in surprise. The laughter grew louder and just as Jupiter looked up two large Youma leapt out from the darkness and Jupiter pulled the wreath back and let its power fill her as she leapt forward to meet the two of them as The Leaves of Oak filled her with magic words. "Jupiter!" She shouted loudly as she began to spin. "Oak Evolution!" The whirlwind of green and leaves surged towards her enemies and it impeded the Youma, but not entirely destroyed them as she engaged with hand to hand combat.
"Mercury Aqua Mirage!" The streams of water shot forward against one of the Youma and it encased it in a large globe of water the crystalized into ice. Sailor Mercury lifted her hand upward in a cutting motion and the ball shattered into a million pieces; the Youma along with it. Sailor Jupiter punched the second Youma in the stomach and as it staggered backwards she kicked it and it fell onto the invisible ground.
"Jupiter Thunderbolt!" The lighting struck the Youma and it withered away into a pile of ash. Sailor Mercury ran up beside her.
"Well done Kino-san, Mizuno-san.." A familiar voice said from behind them and the two turned once more to face the coming enemy. Two dark figures remained just out of view, and the Senshi stood almost back to back anticipating what would happen next.
"Who are you?!" Jupiter demanded. The two figures stepped into the light and Mercury heard a sharp gasp escape Jupiter's lungs and her back straighten in surprise as her eyes widened. Mercury glanced at her carefully remembering what she and Neptune had discussed, how it would be harder this time with their memories more fully brought to light. "You..." Jupiter whispered and both Nephrite and Jedeite held swords in front of them as the waited for Jupiter or Mercury to make a move. Jupiter's surprised eyes transformed in anger and she took a half step forward along with Mercury.
"Where is Mars?!" Mercury demanded looking directly at Jedeite. The man did not respond but lifted the sword with both hands over his head and Nephrite did the same before a bright blue light surged at the two Senshi as the Shitennou slashed their swords downward together.
"Mercury!" Jupiter pushed her behind and held The Leaves of Oak out in front of her and her power interacted with the blue attack in the center of the area between the two groups. Once the attacks singed out Jupiter raced forward and Nephrite moved to meet her in the center. Jedeite walked slowly after him. The unstoppable force of Jupiter met with the unmovable balance of Nephrite and the two began to strike physical blows against each other as Jupiter's anger began to break through her every action. "You..." She growled as they gripped onto each other's hands trying to still the other's blows from reaching their body.
"Me?" Nephrite grunted not understanding her anger towards him. Jedeite moved past the two raging forces and he stopped as he finally reached a few feet in front of Mercury who stood with a serious glare underneath her mask. She lifted her left hand to her ear and the visor disappeared. She had already gotten the information she could from it about his strengths and weaknesses. All that was left was to fight and see.
"Shabon..." She twirled with the bubbles forming in her hands using the faster version of her mist creating abilities. "Spray!" The mist covered the entire area and the only thing Jedeite could still see was the flashes from Jupiter's attacks off to the side of them. Jedeite peered into the mist and his sword lifted to the side of him as he prepared for her eventual attack. He caught the movement behind him and turned with his sword ready as Mercury's figure reappeared, but his sword did not meet her flesh. Instead it clashed against her own sword. The mist cleared around them and Mercury pulled back with the jagged sword of ice held out to her side as she regained her balance. Jedeite blinked in surprise, but then lifted his sword again as she swung at him once more. Their swords clashed and she pressed against him; physically strong in spite of her weak appearance. "Where is Rei-chan?!" She demanded of him.
"You should be worrying about yourself." He told her and he pushed her away forcefully and she fell back onto the ground and the ice sword shattered to the side of her. Jedeite swung downward and Mercury gasped as she rolled out of the way just in time and stood up in a run. She ran for a few yards and then turned back to face him. He cut an 'x' through the air and the surge of energy raced towards her and she barely had time to make a wall of water in front of her that evaporated as the heated attack struck it. Jedeite seemed unconcerned and raced towards her, and Mercury rushed forward to meet him.
Venus crashed through another blinding wall of light and to her surprise she immediately hit a hard surface though everything around her was dark and the blackness was only broken by the white circle she stood on.
"Mercury! Jupiter! Uranus! Saturn!" She called out as she picked herself up after a moment's respite. "Neptune!" She looked upwards and the light she had just crashed through was gone for the moment, and then back again a few paces away. "Pluto..." She finished, but it was obvious she was entirely alone. She stood up and raced towards the light and once she got to it she broke through, and it blinded her. Once she could see again she was still surrounded in darkness and the ball of light was behind her for a moment but then it was moving again. "Portal?" She asked herself. She couldn't be sure. Everything looked the same... black and empty. As she walked forward she began to noticed that the floor, though invisible in the blackness, was steadily moving her upwards in a gradual incline. She smiled. If she followed this she would eventually reach where she had started. She had to! She broke into a run even though the amount of time she had been falling made the possibility seem impossible.
The sounds of something to her right caught her attention and as she turned to look a ball of energy collided with her and she let out a surprised scream as she collided with a wall... Apparently the dimension did in fact have walls. Venus slide down onto the ground and looked up to see two Youma there to greet her. She gritted her teeth together and stood up taking the chain off of her waist.
"You will not stop me!" She told them loudly and the ghoulish laughter came from them. They appeared amused by her struggle to get upwards though it was perhaps futile. Venus turned her hip towards them with the chain gripped in her two hands. "You will not." She said in a low voice and she jerked the whip upwards as it glowed brightly. "My Guardian Venus!" The Whip wrapped around her as the power surged through her and it stuck out against the Youma who were attempting to get close to her. She tilted her head backwards and her eyes closed as she pleaded. "Give me the strength and power to defeat Beryl... To give Serenity a happy ending this time!" Her eyes opened and the orange glow of the chain disappeared from top to bottom in front of her eyes as the chain transformed from hearts to a chain of metal roses. She grasped onto the whip and glared at the two Youma who had staggered backwards from her power. "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" She spoke the attack and the chain cut through the air and the two Youmas let out a scream as it went through them and their was a pause as they froze in place and then shattered in front of her. Venus held the Love Whip in both hands again and it returned to around her hip as she willed it out of her hands. "No one will stop me... I will protect Sailor Moon!" She declared to the darkness, and then leaned forward to start running upwards again.
"Unfortunately neither of us can fulfill what we desire most." Venus froze after only taking one step forward, and her fingers curled together in anger.
"Kunzite..." She said harshly without looking towards his voice and her chin drew closer to her chest.
"Venus." He said in response, almost like a casual greeting. She seethed inwardly and turned to face him, but to her surprise he stood in normal clothing, and a young man gripped onto his arm fearfully.
"W-What's going on?!" The other man demanded, but Kunza did not look down at him. Zoi's grip on Kunza's arm tightened. He and Kunza had not been spared the nightmare of the Youma-created dimensions. Kunza removed Zoi from his arm and took a step towards Venus.
"I cannot let you go forward." He told Venus. Venus' eyes remained narrowed in anger as a whirl of wind enveloped him and he stood transformed, his cape floating out behind him before settling. Zoi's eyes widened in horror and he took several steps back. Kunzite looked back over his shoulder as his sword formed in his hands. "Stay back and out of the way." Kunzite instructed and then he turned back to Venus before he took a step towards her. Sailor Venus lifted her hand out to her side.
"Holy Sword that protects The Princess... Come to my hand!" She demanded and the stone sword reappeared to its owner now that she willed it and she held it vertically in front of her face, her eyes piercing through Kunzite. Kunzite moved forward quickly and Venus met his sword with her own and the two began to fight fiercely. Venus let her determination move her hands, but she kept only a small reserve of anger in her heart to strike her forward. She kept reminding herself of what he had done to Serenity; his great betrayal. She clashed her sword against his in an attempt to strike it out of his grasp, but he held on tightly. She screamed and pressed against him, but he was taller than her, and even taller than Uranus had been. They separated and Venus held the sword horizontally beside her face with both hands ready to strike him through if he gave her the chance.
"You fight well. Even better than last time." He commented, and Venus' grip on the hilt of the sword tightened as her eyes continued to send daggers through him. "I remember almost everything." He told her. Venus' anger took control of her emotions as he admitted that; not allowing her anger to control her like it had when she had went against Uranus. There was no room for mistake this time.
"Then you should fall to your knees and let me kill you right here!" She yelled loudly at him. "Giving into Beryl like you did..." She hissed and they engaged once more. As she pressed against him tears stung in her eyes. "You traitor!" She screamed. "You not only betrayed me, but the one you swore to protect!" She disentangled from him and returned to a defensive position. "I looked up to you!" She screamed at him, and she knew that it was true, but it had also been something more; a crush, a girlish fantasy.
"We did it to save Master Endymion..." Kunzite said, and Venus halted in surprise. "That much I remember..." His gaze cast downward shamefully and Venus let the opportunity to strike him down pass by as she stared at him.
"You're different... This time." She realized letting the sword drop slightly. "You're eyes... aren't vacant. You're there... mentally." Kunzite looked upwards.
"It doesn't matter." He said raising his sword again. "No matter what... We gave ourselves to Beryl in order to have Endymion spared and in return we killed him ourselves." He said angrily. Venus' chin lifted again in surprise and she could see the pain in his features. Behind him Zoi seemed to be rubbing hard at his forehead as he pushed the strange pain away as he tried to remember and make sense of their conversation, but he just couldn't. Venus' hands fell to her side as she stared at him finally having the answer she had mauled over for so long. Something she had not been able to handle in the past: why they had betrayed them and their country.
"Serenity!"
"Endymion!"
Venus gasped and Kunzite lifted his sword again to engage her, but she didn't move against him. He waited for her to move, but she didn't.
"You... You don't remember." She whispered. He frowned not in understanding. "You don't remember what happened... to them: Serenity and Endymion."
"I know enough." He said darkly. "One of us killed him, it doesn't matter who." He reasoned. "We were all just as guilty as whoever of us did the deed."
"But it does matter!" Venus shouted. Her grip on the sword tightening and she pressed her eyes closed tightly as she remembered the scene in its entirely, and how Beryl had laughed... Had laughed so loudly and how the pain had ripped through Venus' heart as she had screamed and ran forward to strike her down. Venus' eyes opened and she stared at him. "Who killed them..." She said forcefully. Kunzite frowned and glared at her.
"Who?" He asked slowly. Venus pulled the sword close to her chest as she stared him down.
"Beryl." He seemed genuinely shocked by her declaration and his mouth opened to dispute it, but then he stopped. Venus watched the emotions raged across his usually stoic face; a face she had once fawned over and admired for his never ending sense of duty. Something that she had strove to imitate from the very beginning. A small piece of regret surfaced as she began to realize that sense had never truly left him. His sword fell to his side, but they didn't have the time to discuss it more as the wind surged through the dimension and they turned towards the source. Venus gasped as a bright, white light surged towards them and she let out a scream as if struck. Kunzite spread his cape protectively over Zoi who had edged closer to the two of them during the course of the battle. The blast sent them to the ground and Venus felt the shock of the blast coil up her skin, and she lost consciousness as she struck the wall of the dimension once more.
Jupiter punched Nephrite in the stomach and as he fell back a bit he swung his leg underneath her and her right leg gave out which forced her to fall as well. She was up in a matter of seconds and her knee pressed down against his stomach. He hit her, but she held him down with all of her strength and anger.
"Get off of me!" He demanded and a surge of energy sparked between them sending both of them away from each other. He lifted himself up and Sailor Jupiter turned to face him again. Her hand moved in a throwing motion to the side of her and Nephrite felt two sharp objects slash across his cheek. Two red covered orbs returned to Jupiter's hands and she rotated her body so her hip pointed towards him and she held the two rose earrings in her hands as Nephrite touched his cheeks to find two scratches from where the earrings had struck.
"Suiting... Don't you think?" Jupiter asked plainly and the earrings returned to her ears. Nephrite's muscle's tensed in anger.
"Who are you?!" He demanded. He could feel her anger pulsing through her every attack, but it was more than just from them being enemies. Nor was it her personality to be so cruel. She had already proven it and even impressed him by her willingness to protect her fellow Senshi. She was caring, but also strong enough to greet his attacks with equal power. Sailor Jupiter lifted her golden leaves to her chest and it surged with power. Nephrite frowned and rushed forward. He would not be struck by that attack again. It was incredibly strong, and he didn't feel like feeling its heat again any time soon. He kicked her in the stomach and they both fell as he pressed himself on top of her. In the back of his mind an image of her in a green dress came to his mind as they both fell onto the grassy ground. They had struggled against each other then too, but it had been different that time: a different reason they had been intertwined together. He stared down at the Senshi in surprise. "Jupiter." He said remembering her name. Sailor Jupiter remained pushing against him and suddenly she spat on his face. He jolted in surprise and this gave her the chance she needed to kick him off of her and leap up onto her feet. He remained sitting on the ground as she stood tall over him, her eyes hard but also hurt. Nephrite couldn't remember everything, but he suddenly didn't know what he should be doing exactly. He was beginning to understand why he hadn't been able to refuse Jed's earlier request. He had understood the desire all too well... "Jupiter!" He shouted standing up unsure of whether he should attack or... what? Who was she?! Jupiter viewed him in the corner of her eyes as they remained hardened and in a hard glare.
"A woman scorned, ne?" She said forcefully and Jupiter lifted her chin high as her head fell back as far as it could go. Her ponytail cascaded down her arched back and her fists lifted to her side as her toes pointed completely downward. "SUPREME!" The electricity leached down the void to the top of her tiara's antenna and surged through her. "THUNDER!" She screamed out dropping her arms to her side with a quick and forceful motion as the lightning turned into a bright ball of white light and expanded across the entire area around them from her body with a surge of power that ate at Nephrite's skin and pushed him back violently. The sound of thunder mixed with the sound of walls crashing down around them as their bubbled dimension popped entirely from the force of her power on the weak portal. He could hear both Jed and the other Senshi shouting nearby as their floor gave way and the fell again through the void; following the white light in its path of destruction. Nephrite hit the next level and groaned as he tried to pick himself up.
"Nephrite!" Jedeite called as he ran to his side and they both stood. Sailor Jupiter was on one of her knees with her eyes closed as one of her fists pressed hard against the floor and a stray bit of lightning danced down her hair and then her opposite glove. Sailor Mercury picked herself off of the ground and crawled next to her.
"Jupiter!" She shouted. Jupiter's eyes opened and she stood up fully prepared to attack again. Her hand lifted above her head and she rotated it over her head. Sailor Mercury stood up beside her; wide-eyed.
"Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!" She shouted and the white balls of energy scattered around her and both Jedeite and Nephrite had to combine their powers in order to keep it from doing any damage to them.
"Jupiter! Calm down!" Mercury demanded. "We can't let our anger control our powers!"
"Jed! Nephra!" The four of the fighters stopped short and turned to see Zoi on his knees. Mercury gasped as she saw him completely, and then her heart exploded in panic as her hands immediately rose in the attack.
"Shine Aqua Illusion!" She screamed desperately. The attack surged towards the man and he coward back as both Jedeite and Nephrite rushed in front of him and created another shield that the water attack struck and Sailor Mercury began to prepare another attack. Beside her Jupiter's head fell and she sighed.
"Hypocrite..." She said under her breath as she moved to join in the attacking. The two Senshi and Shitennou were at it again, and Jupiter let her raging power separate them once more. Jedeite and Nephrite stood up in front of Zoi protectively and drew their swords again. Jupiter clashed against the two of them and Mercury provided magical support. Zoi rose to his feet. Sailor Mercury turned against him and she lifted her hand out in front of her with her index finger extended ready to chastise him for trying to run.
"What's going on?" Zoi shouted, and it caught Mercury off guard. "Who are you all? Why are you all fighting?!" He rubbed at his temples. "I... I don't... don't understand..." He said. Mercury's lips parted in surprise and her hand dropped. To the side both Nephrite and Jedeite found themselves fighting hard against Jupiter who was handling both of them with little difficulty now that she had been worked up. "What's going on?" Zoi asked again unsure as he continued to rub his forehead. Mercury couldn't take her gaze off of him. He truly didn't remember... She turned back to the fighting group. Sailor Jupiter's attack surged from her and sent the two Shitennou to the ground and it surge to both her and Zoi. Sailor Mercury gasped and she pushed Zoi to the ground as she protected him from the brunt of the blast and she let out a sharp shout from the pain. The attack ceased and Mercury picked herself with a bit of difficulty as Zoi stared up at her in surprise. She turned back to the group as the three continued their attacks.
"Stop!" Mercury shouted, but they did not listen. Mercury glanced down at Zoi again and then looked back at the group more determined to stop the fighting. "Mercury... My Guardian. Give me the strength I need!" She begged and she felt her heart stir as a ball of blue light formed in front of her and once it died away a harp was left behind. She grabbed hold of it remembering vividly that it was the source of her next attack. She held it close the her chest and waist as she began to play it as water rushed around her as well as magical energy. "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" The attack ripped the fighting group apart and Mercury ran to Jupiter's side on the ground. "Are you alright?" She asked and Jupiter sat up. Both Jedeite and Nephrite were trying to stand.
"Enough of this!" Nephrite shouted and the two Shitennou surged with energy as they prepared their attacks. Sailor Mercury extended her hand out in front of her quickly.
"Stop!" She cried.
"Jedeite! Nephrite!" The two stopped, and turned quickly to see that Kunzite had reappeared behind Zoi. "That will be enough." He told them. The two looked at each other.
"We can't stop!" Nephrite said in anger. They had been ordered by Beryl herself to kill the Senshi. Disobeying would not go well.
"Retreat." Kunzite ordered sternly. "Follow us." Kunzite lifted his cape and wrapped it around him and both he and Zoi disappeared. Jedeite and Nephrite glanced back at Sailor Jupiter and Mercury and then both followed his example and disappeared. The two Senshi collapsed onto their knees; completely exhausted.
"What was that?" Jupiter asked finally as she fell back onto the ground and lay there for a moment. Sailor Mercury shook her head. She wasn't sure.
"Zoi, uh, Zoisite didn't remember." She said. "But he seemed to be the only one."
"I wonder what their planning..." Jupiter stated weakly.
"It doesn't matter." Sailor Venus' said behind them and they turned to face her in surprise. She stood in front of them with black smudges on her gloves and torso. "We only have to focus on going upwards!" She told them. Sailor Jupiter and Mercury rose to their feet ready to follow her. They had to get to Sailor Moon! But now that The Shitennou were gone it would probably be a bitter fight against Youma.
"Let's go!" Jupiter agreed and they began to run upwards.