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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Bishoujo Sailor Moon + Other series in this story are not owned by me.

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Chapter 37: From Hot to Cold

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"Ne, Shin-kun?"

It was a lovely day at school, and while lessons had gone through fine, everyone in my friend group had noticed an anomaly.

"Yes, Mika?"

"Do you know if Lilim is sick or something?" The girl asked with a hint of worry. "She was supposed to be here so we could share notes on History for the upcoming test."

I hadn't exactly noticed much of the quiet side of the classroom but... yeah, Lilim was skipping school as her desk was completely empty. Not enough of an event to make me worried, but I couldn't help but frown at Mika's words.

It had been quite sudden and, from the looks of it, she had to be here today for the notes-exchange.

I promised to give it a look right after school, and that was what I did as the bell rang.

Moon Knight swung around the city, the daylight trip a bit unusual compared to my usual schedule but... I felt a bit of a gut feeling. I wasn't Spider-Man, but I sure as hell could tell something didn't feel right about Lilim's situation. And as I arrived to her flat, I had those feelings validated: the place was empty. Not just of people, no, it was outright stripped of anything Lilim had set there.

It was empty- as if they had moved out quite suddenly in a single day.

I looked around for clues at this weird development. Maybe Lilim had just 'moved into a new place'. But... it made little sense. The girl was in love with this place, and while it wasn't the finest, it was still her 'home'.

Thus, I pushed aside the simplest reason to look around for clues. I looked and looked and then I found something. Crouching down, I found what looked to be something unusual for the location - a dart. The substance that it once contained and now was there in a limited amount was, upon a closer inspection, some sort of strong sleeping agent.

Unnatural by normal chemistry, which meant that it was something strong enough to take down a demon. Or a succubus.

My lips twitched as I looked for more clues. It was now clear that this was the crime scene of a kidnapping, but I had yet to fully delve on who may have done it. A big group, and this limited the numbers of potential suspects.

As I was finishing the investigation, I felt eyes on me. I turned to the window, and I saw two human-looking individuals slipping inside and... aiming guns at me. They had pointy ears and their energy was weird - demons.

"In the name of Lord Black, you are to surrender-"

I had enough to know where to go next, and I manifested the Moon Sword-

"Getsuga Tenshou!"

Their guns went off, but the bullets were ineffective as a widespread blast struck those and them. Half of the building's wall was torn apart as I jumped and started to move out of sight, flying demons trying to catch me, but I had long trained with Taimanin to know how to dodge well while airborne.

The chase was on- but who was the hunter and who was the prey? Maybe it was a bit more complicated than that as those agents were clearly trying to catch me, while I was trying to get to their nearest base- Nomad. I was dealing with Nomad.

But why did they target Lilim- actually, how did they know she was here?!

More questions for later, especially as Tokyo's sunny skies were ruined by the aerial combat. I had a destination- I had been keeping tracks of potential bases Nomad had in the Japanese Capital in case I had to deal with them and reach into the Dark World through some unconventional ways. More low-powered blasts freed me of the worst pests, and, upon arriving at the closest Nomad base, I started to ravage the area.

No matter their numbers, I was far too strong for the limited group of low-level demons. Even their executives there were far from matching with me.

Roughly twenty minutes later, I was wandering a most desolate building and looking for some terminals. If Nomad was indeed coordinating this operation, they had to have told their closest agents what was going on and... I found it. Lilim was designated as 'Succubus Princess' and she was being sent to...

"...Yomi?" I frowned, my mind racing as I realized what Nomad was trying to do.

Lilim was, in theory, the rightful heir of that land. Yomi, or the Land of Incubi and Succubi, had been torn by infighting between factions after Lord Kamadeva, their king, had grown too weak to command unity. Kamadeva was Lilim's father and he had... given up most of his powers to Lilim herself, designating her as the proper heir but also sending her away for her good.

Nomad may be trying to destabilize the situation or, in the best scenario, try to win good guys' points by trying to oust the current administration for one led by 'Fair Lilim'.

That wasn't gonna work for me.

With this new knowledge in mind, I looked next into how to reach Yomi. From the looks of it, all bases had a teleporter that connected the human world with the Dark World, the precise destination being some sort of restored old railway system connecting the northern section of the realm all over.

There was a train with a few wagons that had been unused for a while that may be my best bet to catch up to Lilim. I should be behind just by five hours, which was a lot but... the train I was planning to use was, in theory, faster than the one carrying Lilim.

Without hesitation, I darted to the location of the teleporter, and dashed through it to the Dark World a few minutes before the government moved to seize the area, trying to make sense on what had occurred.

I didn't have the time to bother with them - I had a friend to save ASAP!

"L-Let me go!"

There are many things that made this reunion so awkward, but it was perhaps Lilim's own reluctance to go home that made the loyalists so nervous over this matter.

Out of their entire group, only one stood there confident while glancing back at... well, her niece.

"You are not to be hurt, Lilim. You are just going to claim the birthright and save us all," A most motherly voice assured, but the voice itself only made Lilim more worried.

A sign that truly disheartened the one that was Lady Ishtar, the most loyal servant of Lord Kamadeva.

Perhaps Kii was right. This could have been handled better.

Or maybe not. After all, Lord Kamadeva had just a few months of life left to him. And once he passed away, the entire Yomi was going to shatter in a brutal civil war. Sure, the current status quo was far from ideal, but the reason they had been struggling so much for peace was indeed a matter of unity.

Kamadeva was weak. He had admitted as such and Ishtar, despite her loyalty, was a blunt woman - he just wasn't the same powerful demon as he used to be. Love changed him, weakened him but... also made him a much pleasant leader.

His daughter was feisty, with Lilim's squirming showing a fighty attitude that enticed Ishtar to believe she would fit right well.

The issue was a matter of will - even though Lilim had inherited her father's might, she was unable to use it because of her mindset. Education would fix it, her seeing the harsh reality of the home she had been forced to leave should also aid them in the process.

Still, she could already imagine her brother nagging at her.

'You could have been more diplomatic- you should have been more diplomatic.'

Kii was usually a submissive incubus, but he sure sounded particularly angry at the 'poorly-handled rescue'. He was a rather clean and orderly fellow too, which explained much.

Still... Ishtar knew it was needed. They had to rescue their princess and put an end to the upcoming bloodshed to come.

But as the train given to them by Nomad rocked through the rails while moving fast into the Land of Ice and Snow, a concerning piece of news had reached her ears.

"Milady! Nomad has reported that a train is in hot pursuit at a fast pace. They said that- that it was taken over by the one known as Moon Knight!"

The name rang no bell inside Ishtar's mind but-

"Shin- I mean, Moon Knight!? That means I am saved!" Lilim squeaked and then grinned. "Ahah! You are all cooked!"

...

"Your boyfriend, little niece~?"

Lilim's face turned an adorable red at the tease. "N-No! He is just- a friend. A close friend-"

"With benefit?" One of the lesser succubi tag-teamed with Ishtar, and got the poor princess squirming at the embarrassing topic.

Nonetheless, this was still a concern. She had now reason to apprehend the boy and make sure he was amiable to the idea of becoming the permanent consort to their future queen.

First, however, she had to catch up to him.

Leaving all guards aboard the train, Ishtar's wings flapped intensely as magic kept the stormy weather from ruining her dress and hair.

The flight was swift as the littler train had indeed been close to catch up to her.

And soon this 'Moon Knight' was out to fight. She could sense his energy, which was astonishing for a human, but she was sure he hadn't noticed one thing that not many humans were aware: the Dark World tended to severely weaken humans.

So, while he may have been a legitimate threat in the human world, he was severely crippled from facing someone her caliber. And he was realizing it quite fast as he had taken to dodges as much as he run distractions with weak blasts.

The boy's attack were, by all means, quite impressive for someone his age but... Ishtar had ruled for decades and had shed her own share of blood for the sake of unity in the land she called home.

As much as she wished to praise the intent, she had to take a step back over her familial duties and take care of this little threat. Instead of risking it with a prolonged fight, Ishtar's blasts focused on the train.

The reinforced metal could endure so much before it started to catch on fire and then... it derailed.

The boy, once again quite smart, jumped away in time before being struck by the resulting explosion that tore the train and the rails apart.

It was going to be difficult to explain to Nomad how their railway got destroyed, but at least Ishtar didn't have to tell her niece that her boy-crush was dead.

Small victories, but at least one threat could be handled at her own pace now.

AN

In the Land of Ice and Snow, Shingo winds up learning more about the Dark World. And making a few powerful friends in the process.