Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Sailor Moon Crystal or anything to do with Sailor Moon for that matter. All rights belong to Naoko Takeuchi.
I do however own my own OC characters and Story :-)
Act Eight –Thunder
The weather had been abnormal with thunder storms all day. It had Usagi and Minako a little more than twitchy. Kunzite had decided to spend the day with Jadeite and Zoisite but of course, they couldn't go anywhere where there were people who knew their civilian identities as Jun'ichi and Fumio. Minako had wanted to spend some time with Usagi so Rei and Ami stayed back at the apartment. This was something Rei and Ami were not used too but did they have a choice in the matter? Was it even their fault?
Valuable information had been given to Minako from the returned Senshi and Minako was confident of bringing the team back together. What worried her was Painites plans to bring about another storm similar to the time storm. He wasn't simply collecting energy, he had been using the energy to create dark clouds to unleash on the earth, thats what Jadeite and Rei had told her.
She had to tell Usagi herself.
Usagi was distraught at the idea of another storm. Would Earth survive such a thing? Minako hadn't thought of a plan to get to Painite, her focus was simple, get the others back in. Being Minako had worked alone before, she had spent time working things out herself and soon she realised that the storm was not some accident, she could feel Jupiter and knowing the fact that they attacked in twos, she knew Nephrite or Arata would be partnering with her.
Sailor Jupiter, Kino Makoto.
She was pure and unadulterated strength, something Minako wasn't looking forward to and from what she could remember of Arata, he too was powerful. This was a battle that Minako and Kunzite would have to work together on tightly. Thankfully for them they had extra fire power with Rei and Jun'ichi back in the fold.
"Don't forget Uranus and Neptune" Usagi added. Minako nodded, their last battle with the Outer Senshi had been difficult, they weren't averse to killing.
"And Mamo-chan…." Usagi said in a sad voice. Minako stopped walking and made Usagi look at her. They had been walking down a quiet path towards the back of the sky tower.
"Don't Usagi, don't blame yourself or think this is the end. We'll get him back, we'll get them all back. I bet Pluto and Saturn are still alive too so we must keep hope, you are our hope Princess, if you lose hope then we have already lost" Minako said urgently. Usagi was too shocked to say anything so she simply nodded her head.
Random lightning strikes started occurring which meant that Kino Makoto was not controlling her powers well. As Sailor Jupiter, her lightning strikes would never be so random.
"We have to confront them, regardless if we're ready or not" Kunzite said as he and Minako stared out the window together in their apartment.
"I think the girls should get involved, I mean Haru, Ayaka and Izumi, they need battle experience if they are to team up with us in the future" Minako said. Kunzite was quiet for a while.
"Jadeite and Fumio have been helping them as I am sure Ami and Rei's further training is making them better" Minako further pushed.
"They're still amateurs. This isn't a small threat we're dealing with, this is Arata and Makoto not to mention we don't know where Haruka, Michiru or even our Prince is" Kunzite said closing his eyes and placing his finger on the bridge of his nose.
"They need field experience" Minako said. She wasn't going to let this go.
"Would you push our Princess as such had you been the first to meet her all those years ago?" Kunzite said seriously. Minako was startled at first.
"Of course not! But being on the field has changed her, she is different from the Princess I remembered, she is more battle hardened and that came from field experience" Minako answered.
"But would you have allowed her on the field when she first became Sailor Moon?" Kunzite further pushed. Minako didn't answer.
"Why should we push these girls, they are young and will make mistakes. You're lucky Usagi wasn't killed in her first battle considering in her past life she had no experience as a warrior" Kunzite added. Minako groaned, damn it he was right.
"They will have to come out at some point, why not put them up against Nephrite and Jupiter? It would prepare them for Uranus, Neptune and Endymion" Minako added.
"True" Kunzite agreed. They both stood there in silence again pondering their next move.
The meeting between them happened only an hour later after their conversation as Kino Makoto had started sending lightning bolts towards civilians.
"Isn't that the girl who use to go to Jubaan high school?" one civilian said as they ran away. Makoto held a wicked little grin on her face as she watched people running away in fear from her.
"MAKOTO-CHAN, STOP THIS NOW!" Venus yelled over the screaming of the ground. Makoto had caused a lot of damaged to shops, cars and houses. Arata stood stock still watching everyone, he was waiting for the main event. The moment he saw Kunzite he went after him but was blocked by Scarlet who was Haru.
"Move you little brat" Arata spat out as he formed a lightning bolt into a sword.
"No!" Scarlet yelled as she swung down her own sword at him. Darya who was Izumi and Ayaka who was Rose were trying to distract Makoto but Makoto grinned at the girls.
"You think you can stop me?" Makoto mocked as she used what looked to be her thunder crash. She hit Rose and Darya who were then caught by Eternal Sailor Moon.
From afar Sailor Mars, Mercury, Jadeite and Zoisite stood afar near another portal that was opened.
"Do you think they'll show?" Jadeite asked.
"Maybe, we can't engage in battle yet, we don't know if the civilians will recognise us in our transformed states, this will be the real test" Zoisite said as he took out a mini-computer and started to make quick calculations.
"If anything, our Prince may make an entrance" Zoisite said as he noticed the portal close and reopen behind Eternal Sailor Moon. Suddenly, Mamoru came out and grabbed Sailor Moon from behind.
"Let her go!" Venus cried out as she took out her chain and readied for an attack.
"No Venus, free Jupiter and Nephrite, I can handle it" Eternal Sailor Moon cried as she struggled against Mamoru. He had a death grip around her waist and was smirking as she tried to fight him off.
"I do enjoy you struggling Princess…." Mamoru said as he created vines to wrap around Sailor Moon and then electrocuted her. Scarlet grew furious at such an attack and went after Mamoru. Kunzite took the opportunity to land a heavy punch on Arata's face knocking him clean out.
"You should know better than to get distracted" Kunzite whispered as Arata fell to the ground.
"VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!" Venus yelled out from behind Makoto hitting her back. Venus then landed in front of Makoto and kicked her high up into the air. Makoto fell to the ground with a thud breathing hard. Once Scarlet had managed to distract Mamoru, Sailor Moon used her Moon Healing attack which surrounded Makoto and Arata. The dark energy that had been surrounding them disappeared. The storms stopped and the skies began to clear.
Mamoru grew angry and grabbed Eternal Sailor Moon. He then opened up a new portal and threw her in, he then quickly followed behind and closed the portal before Mars, Mercury, Zoisite and Jadeite could reach him.
"Damn it!" Jadeite yelled.
"No….Princess…." Venus said as she fell to her knees, they had come so close to winning.
Kino Makoto woke up with a terrible headache and butterflies in her stomach. She felt sick and confused. Ami knocked gently on the door and then entered with Rei holding a cup of green tea.
"You're awake" Ami said as she sat on the side of what was Minako's bed. Makoto nodded and took the cup gratefully from Rei's hand.
"Do you remember much about what happened?" Rei aske, her voice a little strained. Makoto at first shook her head. Her eyes then went wide with shock as she remembered Venus's broken cry.
"Usagi-chan!" Makoto yelled out. Ami and Rei looked at each other sadly. Makoto wanted to throw the cup against the wall and then scream until she couldn't scream anymore. Her princess, she had actually fought against her princess.
"Mamoru took her, I'm not sure what's going to happen now" Ami said before Minako walked into the room. Minako looked as if she hadn't had any sleep. She wore a loose white shirt and blue jeans. Artemis and Luna followed in. Finally, the Inner Senshi were all back together but Minako could feel it, they were broken. She could see the links forming again, the link they all had as Senshi but the very thing that held them together as a group was gone. Minako felt useless. She had spent so much time trying to help her Princess piece her life back together again, they had grown close even though lately their relationship was a little strained, not because they were mad at each other, no, it was something with Usagi, something in her mind that frightened Minako.
"The weather is changing again" Ami said suddenly making Minako look at Ami.
"It's his plan, he wants to create another sort of Time Storm and bring mankind down to its knees so that they will worship him. He plans to use our Princess" Makoto said remembering bits and pieces of the plan she had overheard.
"But Usa doesn't want to use the Silver Crystal, she blames it for….." Minako closed her lips as the three Senshi looked at her.
"She blames the Silver Crystal? Are you telling me she doesn't use it?" Rei asked a little shocked.
"She hasn't used it since she healed the Earth, then she just stopped until we found you all again. She only used the Crystal because she had too, it impelled her to" Minako said. They all looked grave not sure how to proceed.
"The Shitennou are working on a plan to free their Prince, in a way its good that Usagi is with Mamoru, she might be able to set him and the Outer's free. Where is Pluto and Saturn?" Makoto asked. Minako shrugged her shoulders.
"I assumed they perished but now I am wondering if they are still alive? If they are, then where are they?" Minako said visibly shaking. She would be so angry if they had stayed away when they could've helped.
"I think we need to free Uranus and Neptune, then we can find out what happened to Pluto and Saturn, they have a connection to each other much like we do" Ami surmised. Minako nodded and then walked out of her own bedroom. She was still shaking wondering what her Princess was going through. She was leader of the Sailor Senshi and her biggest and most important responsibility was to the safety of her Princess. She felt as if she had failed.
"Oh Usa, I am sorry for not being able to save you. You're not just my responsibility, you are a lot more than that to me" Minako whispered as Artemis made his way to her.
"Minako-chan?" Artemis looked at her with sadness in his own eyes.
"How are we going to get her back Artemis? She's all alone with the enemy and there is nothing I can do" Minako said through a voice that sounded as if she were on the verge of tears.
"You know, as time has passed us by I have watched Usagi change. She has hardened herself and while I admit I am worried about that change in her, I also believe and have faith that she will do all she can on her side to set Uranus, Neptune and Prince Endymion free, we just have to stay strong and do what we can on our side" Artemis said. Minako nodded.
"You always know what to say to help me Artemis" Minako said softly as she picked Artemis up and patted him on the head. Luna looked at the two of them with her own sad eyes, she missed her Princess.