"And you're sure this is the place?" Mamoru didn't attempt to hide his lack of patience and frustration from Azula nor the cats behind them.
He was gazing at some creepy, dirty alleyway where apparently Sailor Circe's power had been tracked to just before the girls were taken. To him, it looked like any ordinary alleyway. Putrid smell and nothing useful.
"We tracked the origin point of the energy Circe dispelled earlier," Azula explained, holding out a handheld device currently beeping the closer they got to the right spot. "This is where it led to."
"Azula, it's an alleyway." Mamoru was unusually harsh with his tone but Azula paid no attention to it.
"Well obviously I can see that," she remarked casually, totally unphased by his demeanor. He, in turn, was unphased by her sardonic tone. "But this is where the signal is leading us to, so deal with it. Finding Sailor Circe is the only card we have to get the others back unless you can somehow beam us up into that spaceship?"
Mamoru rolled his eyes at her. "Fine, but what do we do then? Follow that thing until it leads us to a literal wall?"
Azula came to a sudden stop and he bumped into her back. Again, she wasn't phased. "No, the first part of the plan was getting to the source of her powers. Now we're onto phase 2."
"Phase two?" repeated Mamoru, unimpressed.
Azula looked down at Luna and Artemis. They'd come up with a plan alright.
"We think you could find Sailor Circe's location through your abilities," Luna spoke up. She headed up to a spot on the ground where there was an oddly formed crack. "We believe this is where the energy Sailor Circe dispersed came from."
"Underground?" Mamoru gazed at the ground with some horror.
"It's reasonable to think that these girls were covered up as the centuries went on," Artemis joined Luna over the crack. "Eons ago, this place could have been the Shadow Kingdom's garden or palace or something along those lines."
"Yeah, things get buried," Azula shrugged. "History 101."
"Alright, fine," Mamoru walked up to the two cats and bent down. At this point he would try anything if it meant bringing Usagi and the others back. He placed a hand on the ground and focused on finding the missing Scout.
He saw a few visions in which a black haired girl was aimlessly walking the streets. Her eyes seemed permanently wide as she took in everything she passed by, including the people.
Above her, the scenery panned to a large building with a blinking sign advertising free gym membership for a month.
Mamoru raised his hand off the ground and straightened up, turning to meet Azula's anxious self. "She's walking by the Kalo Gym."
"But that's like...two blocks away from here," Azula threw a thumb over her shoulder, soon realizing just how close they were to their solution. With one look at each other, she and Mamoru bolted from the alleyway, leaving Luna and Artemis to dash after them.
~0~
When Sailor Moon awoke, she found herself in a room seemingly made out to be from dark glass. Strangely enough, the glass held no reflections.
"Sailor Moon!" Chibiusa crawled over to her. Her Luna P ball bounced behind her. "Everyone's gone!"
"What?" Sailor Moon shook her grogginess and examined the room they were in. It was true. They were the only ones there. "Where is everyone?" She got up on her feet and turned around twice to catch sight of anyone else.
"Hidden amongst my glass labyrinth, of course," Rubeus appeared in the air again. The malicious look on his face gave Sailor Moon shivers. "They can be returned if you give up the rabbit and your Silver Crystal the easy way."
Sailor Moon didn't believe him one bit. "You're not going to get anything."
Rubeus raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to wager then? One final game?" Sailor Moon's eyebrows knitted together in suspicion. Rubeus lowered himself to the floor and snapped his fingers to reveal the Sailor Scouts hung up on glass crosses.
"No!" Sailor Moon tried running to them but Rubeus snapped his fingers again and made the girls disappear. "Where are they? Tell me now!"
"They're on the ship, obviously. My wager is simple, really. An old-fashioned one-on-one fight between you and me."
Sailor Moon hesitated to believe it would be that simple. "Why?"
"Why?" Rubeus laughed shortly before glaring at her. "Because you turned my loyal followers into weakling humans. You've foiled all my plans and now I'm on the verge of death. If I bring your corpse and the rabbit I'm sure to be forgiven."
"You don't have to do this—"
"Spare me the lecture. I'm not the Spectre sisters. So, what do you say? One last fight?"
Sailor Moon bit her lip nervously. She glanced back at Chibiusa who was fearfully staring at Rubeus. There weren't many options…
Rubeus snapped his fingers and each of the unconscious Sailor Scouts re-appeared behind him, bound to the glass crosses.
~0~
"How are we ever going to find her around here?" Azula helplessly stared at the dozens of people walking down the streets. Luna and Artemis popped their heads from her bag to see what they were dealing with.
Mamoru was just a little up ahead, very focused on their search. His eyes bounced from one black-haired woman to the next. Azula nearly crashed into two people trying to catch up with him, and she was sure the cats were being jostled in her bag too.
"What does she look like at least?" Azula asked more questions that went unanswered. She sighed and broke into a sprint when Mamoru took a sudden turn down the block.
Suddenly, he broke into a full on run.
"WAIT!" Azula cried and tried her best to run after him despite getting scolded by people she was crashing into.
Mamoru had spotted a tall, black-haired girl who seemed to be watching every single thing around her with her head whipping in all the directions. It had to be Sailor Circe in a civilian form. All of a sudden she'd started to run and so Mamoru needed to follow her in order to get her.
He finally cornered her into an alleyway...or so he thought.
"You're following me," her raspy voice stated once the two were still. She turned around then, revealing some pale skin but shining black eyes. There was something twitchy about her, her fingers kept fiddling with each other. "Why?"
"I-I need your help, we need your help," Mamoru motioned he was coming in peace, raising his hands in the air. She tilted her head but even that was in pauses. Her eyes were blinking unusually fast too. "Are you alright?"
"How do you know about me?" she asked without any subtlety about her true form. It was as if…
"You know that I know about you?"
"You wouldn't follow a random person just because. You know me, you want something. I can feel it."
"Okay, fine," Mamoru thought this might be a little easier then if they could skip the whole introductions about secret identities. "I'm Endymion reincarnated—" her eyes stopped blinking for only a second in response, "—and your comrades and my friends need your help."
"Sailor Hemera," she blurted like it'd been a secret she'd been holding for ages. She flexed her hands repeatedly with no known desired action. "I felt her rage. I felt her power. It's what drove me to awaken."
"She's been taken by a powerful dark person and if you don't help them, they're going to get killed."
"There you are!" Azula came running in and stopped just beside Mamoru. Hands on her knees, she tried to catch her breath. Luna and Artemis jumped out of her bag, one over the other.
"Silver Milleniums," Circe gazed at the cats with wonder. "You've been reincarnated like Queen Nyx said you would be."
"It's her, then?" Azula pointed at the girl and took in a deep breath to finally get herself back in order.
"We need your help," Mamoru repeated to Circe. "We need to get on a spaceship that's protected by a barrier and God knows what else."
"I can't!" Circe exclaimed and bit her nails. "I-I have this power and I...it wants to explode! I can't…"
"Um, just to clarify," Azula raised a finger in the air, "you're holding the same excess powers that the previous Shadow Scouts have had?"
"Of course I would have. It was I who cast the sleeping spell."
Both Mamoru and Azula blinked at the revelation.
"You put Asteria and Siren to sleep?" asked Azula after a moment of silence.
"Queen Nyx ordered me to," Circe swallowed and balled her fists. "The energy inside me is bubbling...it needs to be released…"
"Release it then," Mamoru said, eyes raising to the sky. "But let's do it in a special spot…"
Circe followed his gaze to the sky and swallowed hard.
~ 0 ~
Sailor Moon cried out in pain when another of Rubeus' dark attacks blasted her against a wall. She summoned up her Moon Rod, even though her body ached terribly. "Moon...Princess...Halation!"
The golden wasps of energy were deflected with a swing of Rubeus' arm. He snapped his fingers and shut down the gravity in the room. Sailor Moon was pushed hard against the ground like something was weighing over her.
Chibiusa had plastered herself against a different wall. Her eyes fearfully flickered from Sailor Moon to Rubeus. The odds were not getting better. Rubeus shifted the gravity again so that Sailor Moon flew up to the ceiling. The blonde struggled to get her landing and glared at the laughing Rubeus. It was then that Chibiusa noticed the glowing Malefic Crystal at the other end of the room.
I wonder...She thought about an idea, a crazy idea…
But those happened all the time. Sometimes, they were crazy enough to work.
She started tiptoeing towards the Malefic Crystal…
"We're leaving Earth's orbit," Rubeus informed Sailor Moon in passing.
Sailor Moon reached out to the ceiling and used it to crawl like a spider would towards the nearest window. She gasped when she saw the deep darkness of space surrounding them. "Oh no…"
"Looks like you won't be escaping at all," Rubeus smirked.
"I don't know how...but we will stop you!" Sailor Moon aimed her moon rod at him again, ready to try the attack with all its force.
Rubeus wouldn't take the chance. He killed the gravity and watched her crash face first onto the ground.
She was sure she'd just broken her nose right there. "Ow…" she gingerly touched her nose.
Chibiusa reached the glowing Malefic Crystal and took in a deep breath before wrapping her arms around it. The moment she came in contact with it, she felt the incredible pain shoot through. Her scream caused a momentary energy to flash on her forehead, but it only made Rubeus laugh.
"Well, at least now I'm certain you're the Rabbit." He thrust a hand forwards and slammed Sailor Moon into the wall again. "But let me just take care of this one first."
Sailor Moon readied herself to intake the attack but it would be damned if she would make it easy. Her Moon Rod met his dark energy and the two streams battled for dominance.
Chibiusa continued her own battle against the Malefic Crystal. The thing was just too heavy for her. And it hurt a lot. Her fingers were getting too numb from the pain. Were they beginning to slip? Oh no...she had to hold on...just a bit longer…
"Together now, Chibiusa!"
"Mamoru?" Chibiusa blinked at Tuxedo Mask beside her. He wrapped his arms around the crystal, along with hers, and started pulling the Crystal out.
Sailor Circe made her own presence known with an attack. "Magic sparkle venom!"
Rubeus didn't account for an attack from the side. His body rolled to a stop on the ground. "Who was that!?"
"A transcendental Guardian, I am the Guardian of Magic and Illusions - Sailor Circe!" The dark-haired girl had commanded authority despite her current frail-looking condition. Both Rubeus and Sailor Moon stared at her in awe. Sailor Circe twirled her staff and aimed its threatening sharp point at Rubeus. "You will pay for imprisoning my comrades and these Silver Milleniums! Feel the wrath of a Shadow Scout!" She let the bubbling energy inside her finally reach its climax and burst out of her like a crashing wave.
Rubeus was prepared to protect himself with his powers, but at that moment Chibiusa and Tuxedo Mask had successfully pulled out the Malefic Crystal and cut his source of power. "NOOOO!" he screamed at them but was soon engulfed in Sailor Circe's power.
Sailor Moon crawled towards her friends and ignored her injuries as best as she could. She didn't understand how Sailor Circe was found so quickly, nor how she and Tuxedo Mask had gotten on board but she was thankful they had.
Sailor Circe's power slowly died down, but the chaos it ensued afterwards was drastic. The ship rocked dangerously and sparks exploded from every corner. The responsible Scout fell to the floor, barely conscious.
"Circe!" Sailor Hemera cried first when she came to. She wobbled on her feet but she made it to her comrade.
"What's happening!?" Chibiusa fell into Tuxedo Mask's arms from the rockus of the ship. They pulled the Malefic Crystal out of its place, shouldn't that mean good things should be happening?
"You fools!" Rubeus laid crumpled on the floor, one hand over his abdomen. "The Malefic Crystal you pulled out controlled the ship! Thanks to your little witch friend over there, it went into overdrive. The ship's about to explode! And you're all going to die with me!"
"Can't Sailor Circe just teleport again?" Sailor Hemera shook her friend in question a bit.
Sailor Siren and Sailor Asteria rushed over to check on the eldest scout.
"She's too weak," Sailor Siren shook her head. "She used up all her excess energy anyways."
"Okay, but we can still do the Sailor Teleport," Sailor Venus pushed herself up on her feet.
"But Sailor Moon is still weak too," Sailor Mars reminded.
Sailor Moon shook her head. "I can do it," she assured. She stood tall and proud. "Let's hurry!"
The Sailor Scouts gathered in a circle with Chibiusa and Tuxedo Mask (holding Sailor Circe's unconscious form) in the middle.
Just minutes before the ship exploded with Rubeus, they teleported out.
~ 0 ~
It was dawn when the group re-appeared in the familiar streets of the Juuban district. Azula had waited for hours with Luna and Artemis, despite it being cold and dark out. None of them could bear to leave not knowing what became of their friends. She knew her sister would be furious for never coming home but when Azula saw her friends returning...it was well worth it.
"You're back!" she exclaimed and dashed forwards to give everyone hugs. She only stopped when she reached Sailor Siren and instead gave a little smile.
"And you're all okay!" Luna went scampering behind to see the group.
Artemis went directly into Venus' arms. "We were really worried!"
"What happened?" Azula stepped back to see what news she would get.
Chibiusa was the first to answer as she came practically bouncing to Azula. "I owned up to my mistake and I tried to fix it!"
Azula's smile was wide and fake. "And next time don't go putting yourself in danger just to prove my point!" Chibiusa still laughed. "Come here!" Azula pulled her into another hug. "I'm so glad you're all okay."
"Not all of us," Sailor Siren bitterly gazed upon her unconscious Leader. "She expelled too much energy…"
"She just needs to rest," Sailor Mercury reassured her. "We've seen it happen to you and Sailor Asteria."
"She took down Rubeus all on her own," Chibiusa told Azula in a rapid explanation. "She's just as powerful as she was in my home."
"We should get her to rest," Sailor Hemera said. "We'll take her back to our place where we can look after her."
Sailor Asteria cleared her throat suddenly and nervously looked at Sailor Moon. "Thank you...for coming to help us."
Sailor Moon was surprised by the sentiment but nonetheless smiled. "You're welcome."
Sailor Asteria then sent Sailor Siren a sharp glance, nodding to her to do the same. Sailor Siren rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Yeah, thanks," she took Sailor Circe from Tuxedo Mask and started on the way home.
"Really," Sailor Asteria smiled at the group, for the first time genuine, "thank you. We didn't deserve it and yet you still came. Maybe...my sister has better judgement than I have had."
Sailor Hemera smiled at her sister. "We'll see you guys later," she told the group and rushed off with Sailor Asteria.
"So...what exactly happened on that ship?" Azula asked the remainder after the girls were gone.
"Let's just say, Rubeus won't be coming back," Sailor Jupiter made a cutting motion across her neck.
Azula's eyes widened for a second before the shock wore off and was replaced with concern. "That leaves the question, doesn't it?" her friends hadn't understood what she meant. "If Rubeus is gone, then...who's coming for us next?"
A/N: As always, I have an AO3/Wattpad account under "noblecrescent" and a tumblr account under "saiilorstars" if you'd like to follow :)