Kyouko Tsukino
Steampunker
Act 7 begins. Only "a few" more acts to finish this book. The previous version had more than two hundred episodes, this one may have a few episodes less - but more content.
Usagi looked out the window and let out a sigh. Six months. A whole six months with no enemy attacks. Back when she had started fighting, she would have said she enjoyed the peace, but she couldn't lie to herself. While no attacks meant people could live in peace, she missed the fighting.
And despite how chaotic they had been, she also missed the way fans had reacted to their decision to reveal their identities. Sometimes she would still meet a fan who would be very enthusiastic (or to use Terry's words, "crazy") but those were a rarity.
She looked down and noticed Luna staring at her. "Luna? How long have you been there?"
"A minute or two. You seemed lost in thought, and I didn't want to interrupt you."
Usagi smiled. "Sorry about that."
"Usagi, you've been acting strange lately. When in front of your friends, or your family, you seem to be enjoying yourself, but when you're alone... You look sad, and it worries me."
"I haven't told anyone, because I'm not sure what they'll think. Luna, I miss fighting."
"... That's all?"
"I'm one of the good guys, right? I'm not supposed to like fighting-"
"That's not true. Enjoying something means you're good at it, and since you'll probably have to go through more fighting in the future, it will make things easier for you, in a way. As long as you don't go out there and try to pick up fights with anyone you see-" she sighed. "You should tell the others, I'm sure you'll be surprised at their answers."
"You mean..."
"I'm sure a few of them miss those battles too. Just don't let that ruin everything else for you."
"I won't." Usagi looked out the window as she heard screams, and frowned. "Sometimes I think the universe has a strange sense of humor."
Luna saw what Usagi meant and shook her head. "How many of those are there?"
"Something tells me we won't like the answer to that question."
Nova had been patrolling the city, but then she saw Usagi taking on an enemy. Usagi, not Sailor Moon, but she could guess why. She stopped and watched the 'battle,' short as it was, then phased near her friend. "They don't make alien invaders like they used to."
Usagi looked at the remains of the mantis-like creature. "That's an understatement. Looking for Shingo?"
"No, I was just flying by. Tell him I said hi, though."
"Will do." Usagi saw Nova turn to leave, and sighed. "I've been thinking... Would you be mad if any of us decided to help?"
"Help?" Nova smiled. "Oh, I get it. Honestly, I wouldn't mind, but you would be surprised at the effect having an actual superhero or ten around has on criminals."
Usagi nodded. True, Phase, Ail and Ann and Warwitch had also been seen plenty of times around the city, and caught a good number of criminals. "It's not our 'job' but I feel like I could use some action between evil group and evil group."
Nova stared at Usagi. "As long as you can control your own strength-"
Usagi flinched at that. "I know that. I asked Terry about how strong I was compared to a normal human, he told me even my fists, in my normal form, could kill someone in one blow."
"It's not a bad idea, but you don't need to do it."
"Neither do you," Usagi said.
"I know."
"Hey, I thought you were patrolling?"
Nova turned to see Shingo walking to them. "I am. Sorry I can't spend more time with you, but-"
Shingo smiled at her. "It's fine, don't worry."
"I'll come back before dinner," Nova said, then vanished.
Usagi noticed Shingo's frown. "It's not fine, right?"
"Ugh, sometimes I wish you could turn that ability of yours off. I... Feel useless."
"Shingo, you're just a boy, and-"
"I'm almost as old as you were when you started fighting monsters. Heck, ChibiUsa was younger than me."
Luna had walked out of the house in time to hear that. "Not every human can be a Senshi."
"What if I am?"
Usagi looked down, then shook her head. "Even if my sword chose you to be a Dragon, this is not all fun and games, you-"
"I know that. But both my sister and my girlfriend go and risk their lives while I just sit around. I wish I could help you both."
"There's ways to know if the sword would choose you, but they're not infallible... And the risk is too high."
"What could it do, zap me?"
Luna looked at Usagi, then at Shingo. "I never really described this, even to the Senshi, but here's the thing: If the sword doesn't accept you, and you try to force it to, it has... You could call them security measures, to make sure no evil being can use its power. It would flood your body with energy until there's nothing left - not even a Saturn Senshi could bring you back if that happens."
"Ugh. Well, that's just peachy."
Usagi sighed and summoned her sword. "Feel anything?"
"Anything?" Shingo asked.
"You should have a feeling, in the back of your mind, something... Drawing you to the sword."
"Usagi, that's dangerous," Luna said.
Shingo looked at the sword. "No, I don't feel anything."
Usagi stared at Shingo. "You sure?"
"Yeah. Sorry to nag you with that, sis. I guess I'll just be a normal human being, as always."
Luna saw Shingo walk into the house and frowned. "Well, that's somewhat disappointing, I guess."
Usagi chuckled. "He was lying."
"You mean-"
"I could see it in his eyes - the same 'spark' I saw in Terry's eyes when he used the Saturn sword. He felt something, but... He's scared of it. I don't know if he's scared of the risk, or of the responsibility."
"Why didn't you tell him you knew?"
"An insecure, doubtful warrior would not be any help to us. He'll ask me for the sword when he's ready."
Luna stared at Usagi for a few seconds before whistling. "Usagi, you've grown much wiser than I thought."
"I guess. I couldn't stay an airhead forever."
"... You could have," Luna noted, "but I'm glad you... No, 'changed' isn't the right word, you're still the same in many ways."
"I'm glad, too. I'm going to the base for a while, see if anyone wants to spar."
Luna nodded. "Have fun."
"I'll try."
Warwitch stared at her latest foes. Criminals, they always thought their weapons made them powerful. But she was more than happy to show them the truth.
"What the hell are you?"
The witch smiled at the man, the only one of this 'gang' who was still conscious. "What am I? Someone who uses her power the right way, to help people."
"Stop it right there!"
Warwitch turned to the one police officer who had just arrived. "You're gonna need a bunch of you to take these guys to prison."
"I said freeze!"
Warwitch walked to the man, who just stared at her. She wasn't even close to Usagi when it came to reading people, but this man's fear was clearly visible, he was shaking. "I have no reason to hurt you, so stop pointing that thing at me. It's rude. Calling for reinforcements so you can take that trash I left lying around to the nearest prison would be a much wiser use of your time."
"I..." The man lowered his gun. "You're acting outside the law."
"A 'thank you' would be enough," Warwitch said. "Teleport."
The man stood there, surprised for a few seconds, before sighing. "Damn vigilantes."
Yukiko chuckled as she observed the cops taking the gang she had knocked out away. In a way, she was glad she still had her secret identity - tough as it was to keep it nowadays. She looked to the side as she noticed something familiar, and smiled. "Hey, Usagi!"
Usagi saw Yukiko waving at her, then sensed something. She could a white-haired woman walking straight to Yukiko from behind, but the power she was sensing... It had to be wrong. "Yuki, behind you!"
Yukiko turned and saw a woman growling at her. White hair tied up in buns much like Usagi's ones, and a white business suit which suddenly morphed into something which was halfway between a Sailor Senshi outfit and a swimsuit. "What-"
"Gotcha!" the woman said and rushed at Yukiko, putting a hand in her forehead. As she pulled the hand back, Usagi - who had been rushing in to help - could see a small item pop out of Yukiko's forehead - it looked like a small seed. "Aw crap, a dud."
"Damn it, what did you do to her?" Usagi snapped. "Moon Cosmic Power!"
The woman chuckled. "I would be more worried about what she'll do to you, human."
Moon saw her foe turn to leave and glared at her. "Cosmic Flash!"
The woman turned as the attack hit, smiling mockingly at her. "Seriously? I am one of Galaxia's strongest soldiers. I won't waste my time fighting a weakling. Have fun!"
"Damn it!" Moon glared at the spot where the woman had been for a second, but then sensed movement behind her, and was barely able to move aside as someone rushed by. She looked at the new foe. Wearing a purple Sailor Suit, with a very short skirt - even by Senshi standards - and holding a couple magic wands. Still, she recognized this foe. "What... Yuki?"
The fake Senshi laughed. "I hope you're ready to be demolished by the burning passion of Sailor Otaku!"
Moon saw Yukiko strike a pose, and winced. "Damn did we look that silly back when we did that?"
"Who are you calling silly? You're the one wearing a bad cosplay. Who are you supposed to be, Cutie Honey's uglier sister?"
Moon frowned. Whatever that woman had done to Yukiko, it had turned her into... Well, probably what she would be like if she didn't curb her enthusiasm. She saw the 'seed' still floating in mid-air, near them, and blinked. "The whole 'take something out of the target' deal again? This is getting old."
'Sailor Otaku' growled at her. "I see you're not taking me seriously, evildoer. Let that be your last mistake. Manga storm!"
Moon had to admit that Otaku was right, she hadn't been taken her opponent seriously enough. But after being knocked back half a block by a wave of manga pages, she could see this enemy was quite a threat. "Damn it, Yukiko, get a-" she looked at the 'seed' and frowned. It seemed impossible, and yet... "Oh, I get it. Cosmic Flash!"
Otaku was knocked down by the attack, but leapt back up and charged. Before Moon could react, she had already hit her several times - with a rolled-up manga. "Time to finish this! DVD Finisher!"
Another 'beam' was shot, this time made of Anime DVDs. Moon was shocked, this 'Otaku' had looked like a bad joke at first, but... She fell to one knee and winced. She had to think of something, or else...
Otaku smiled and summoned a sword twice as tall as her. "Time to rid the world of you, evildoer. Mecha Blad-"
"Golden Paw."
Moon saw Otaku get hit from the side, and 'fly' for a whole block before hitting a car. "Yuki!"
Luna rushed by - in her Senshi form, and smiled at Moon. She grabbed the seed and dropped it on Sailor Otaku's forehead, and the fake Senshi turned back into her old self. "It's done."
Moon tried to stand up. "You didn't need to hurt-"
Luna returned Moon's glare. "Yes, I did. That's how this will work as long as whoever did this is around. You need to weaken these fake Senshi or knock them out cold before returning them to normal."
Moon looked down. "Sorry." She then blinked and looked up at her friend. "Wait, how do you know-"
"Who was the enemy?"
"Some white-haired girl, her suit looked like a Senshi suit. She mentioned Galaxia, I think I've heard that name before-" Moon stopped as she saw Luna's face. It was the first time she saw Luna that scared. "Luna?"
"It's just as I feared, only someone like Galaxia could give others such a power."
"How did you know-"
"If you don't mind, call all your friends. Any who is able to use magic. I need to warn you about this, but I'd rather do it once."
Moon saw Luna return to normal, and sighed. "Thanks for saving my life."
"It's what I-" Luna shook her head. "No, even if it wasn't my mission to protect you, I would not let you die, Usagi. You're like a daughter to me."
Moon blushed slightly, then sighed. "Okay, I'll call the others."
Luna saw Yukiko stir and smiled. "Welcome back."
"What the heck-"
"I'll explain it all, but not here."
"... Gotcha."
Moon was done talking through her communicator, and turned to them. "You don't remember a thing? That's sort of good. You turned into a fake Sailor Senshi and, frankly, kicked my badly. Luna had to jump in and fight you herself."
"Whoa, I missed the one time I was able to beat Sailor Moon?" Yukiko said, then noticed the way Moon was looking at her. "Uh, sorry, I just-"
Moon smiled. "It's fine. Let's go to the base, Luna will tell us what we know about that white-haired freak."
"So, she's already here."
"We have to make sure she doesn't get the golden seed."
"I know that. What about the Senshi?"
"They're too weak to face her. We should focus on our mission, this world's fate is irrelevant for us."
"So, here we are," Terry commented, looking around the room. "If we keep on getting allies, we'll need a bigger base."
Usagi smiled at Luna. "I think you have a lot of things to explain."
Luna nodded. "This new enemy will be more dangerous than anything you've faced thus far. I only heard of such an ability in legends, legends which were already old and mostly forgotten in Silver Millennium. Also... The enemy Usagi faced, and who turned Yukiko into a 'fake Senshi' mentioned Galaxia."
Ami paled. "."
Luna wasn't amused at all by Ami's reaction, because she knew its cause. "I can guess you read about her."
"Yes," Ami said, "she was one of the first Senshi, and possibly the most powerful Senshi ever born. She supposedly died fighting a strong enemy known as Chaos."
Luna smiled. "That's the official version, but the legend I read... This creature, Chaos, erased mankind from many worlds, including the Earth, but Galaxia defeated it. Or so she thought. Chaos needed a host, and after its previous host was destroyed, it used Galaxia's rage and despair against her, taking over her and destroying her very soul. However, Galaxia's last act before being erased was to teleport to a very distant galaxy, buying this galaxy time, hoping by the time Chaos returned there would be Senshi here who could destroy it for good."
"Wait, how long has it been since that happened?"
"A few million years," Luna explained.
"So basically, you're telling us there's a group of Senshi who shrug Moon's attack off, turn anyone they target into a fake Senshi who can kick Moon's rear, and are being lead by an immortal, evil Senshi who may possibly out-power us all combined?"
Luna looked at Minako. "That's right."
Artemis saw Minako's worried face and smiled. "We have faith in you, guys."
Shade nodded. "And we don't even know if it's the same Galaxia. It could be someone using that legend to scare potential enemies away."
"Well, I hope that's the case."
Usagi frowned. "Guys, what if she's supposedly invincible? Fighting isn't the only way to fix things. She's a Senshi, perhaps..."
"Sailor Galaxia is gone," Luna said, "what's left is a soul-less puppet."
"Can you be sure of that?"
Luna stared at Usagi for a few seconds before shaking her head. "No, all I have are legends."
Usagi nodded. "So, perhaps there is a way to win without killing her. But guys, don't underestimate the fake Senshi. I did, and it almost got me killed, again."
"Any of you could be a target. The 'seed' Usagi saw coming out of Yukiko is called a Star Seed. It's basically a representation of your soul, in a much more complete sense than the 'Heart Crystals' were. Also, unlike the crystals, you won't die from having that seed removed, unless it's destroyed. I'm not sure what the enemy is after, but-"
"The Golden Seed."
Shade looked at Ami. "What is that?"
Ami had been busily browsing her computer's archives while listening to the cats, and she had found something the trio didn't seem to know about. "It's an old legend, that one Senshi of each system, of each generation, has a Golden Seed, a special seed."
"When Yuki's seed showed up, that woman said it was 'a dud,'" Usagi noted. "Perhaps they're looking for that golden one."
Terry turned to Luna. "Say, just out of curiosity, what 'level' was Galaxia supposedly at?"
"It can't be classified, much like with every Serenity we know of - A level beyond Holy, sometimes called "Aeon." But what makes her different to every other 'Aeon' Senshi we know of, is the source of her power."
Ami flinched at that. "I had thought about this. If Senshi are named after the thing they take their power from, then she has... The power of a whole galaxy."
"Crap, that's just-"
Usagi looked at her friends in turns. "We shouldn't give up before we try. That's not how a Senshi should be."
"You're right," Rei said, "it's not like any of our wars have been easy. We'll find a way to beat that Galaxia woman."
Next morning, Usagi was greeted by a familiar sight - the school's entrance was completely blocked by a crowd of students, mostly females. "Eh... It was today?"
"Sure was," Rei said with a smirk.
"So those three are coming to our school," Usagi said, looking up at Rei.
Rei leapt off her air board and shrugged. "Brings back memories, huh?"
"You're talking like it happened years ago."
"Ugh, I should have known this would happen."
Usagi heard Hotaru's voice, then heard screams coming from the crowd and saw some students running away. She could see the reason as the crowd dispersed: Several skeletal arms had risen from the ground. "Hotaru..."
"What? They were in my way, and those are not meant to harm, just hold."
"Still, that's not nice," Usagi said. "Effective, but not nice."
"I'm not nice to those I consider annoyances."
"I thank you for dispersing the crowd, however, it was not needed."
Hotaru looked at the guy who had just spoken. Brown hair, tied in a long ponytail which almost brushed the ground. One of the three people responsible for that mess. "I didn't do it for you."
"Thank you anyways," the guy said, then looked at her. "You know, it's a rare sight to see a girl who's not interested in us."
"No offense, but you're just musicians. Me and my friends, we save the world a few times per year. Sorry if I'm not impressed by your popularity."
The black-haired guy smirked at that. "I like girls who see beyond the surface."
Hotaru sighed. "Sorry, I'm taken."
"From what I heard, that's true for all of you."
"Seiya, we should head for the classroom, the bell's about to ring."
Seiya, the black-haired guy, smiled. "Sure, we don't have anything better to do now that the fans were scared off."
Hotaru saw them walk in and sighed as she saw the way the other two girls were looking at her. "I know, I know, perhaps I could have been a bit nicer to them."
"I'm sure they know why you're so grim nowadays."
"The whole damn world knows," Hotaru said. "But... I don't think any of them really understands."
Usagi smiled at that. "I don't think anyone went through what you're-"
Hotaru shrugged. "I'll get over it, eventually."
As the three reached their classroom, however, Hotaru felt her mood darken again. "Damn, they're in our group?"
Mako walked out of the crowd and smiled at them. "We're lucky, huh?"
"Your definition of luck worries me," Hotaru said.
Haruna walked in right then, and let out a very loud growl. "Not this again. Okay students, whoever is not from this class, leave, whoever is, please return to your seats. If that isn't done by the next minute, I'll suspend everyone until I feel like they've learnt the lesson."
Just like months before, the crowd quickly left the classroom. "How do you do that?"
Haruna smiled. "It's a talent you're born with, much like your powers."
"Hey, it's Sailor Moon!"
Usagi saw a group of kids run her way and let out a short sigh. "Guess that's me."
"Can you show us your suit?"
Usagi smiled. "Sure. Moon Cosmic Power!"
"Whoa..."
"Cute."
Naru walked by and chuckled. "It never gets old, huh?"
Moon smiled at her. "I guess." She turned back to normal (causing some of the children to complain) and walked to her friend. "Haven't seen you much outside the base or school."
"Sorry about that, I'm just- Trying to learn all I can so I can run the store when I'm older."
Usagi noticed the children had left - a part of her liked the attention, and she knew it - then nodded at her friend. "You know, I kind of envy you. Heck, most of you guys already know what you'll do -"
"You'll be a queen someday, what are you complaining about?"
"Yeah, but what about before that?"
"I'm not sure even those who could answer that will."
"Ugh, right. I guess I'll have to figure it out on my own."
Naru was about to say something else, but then saw someone else walking to them. "Hey, Umino!"
Umino smiled at them. "Hi girls, what's up?"
Usagi saw something and flinched. "Umino, watch out!"
Umino turned around and shot a yellow energy beam at the white-haired woman, who just stood there, smiling coldly at him. "... Well crap, she's as strong as you said."
The woman did the same she had done with Yukiko, and again, the seed that came out was a dull brown. "Damn it, another failure."
Usagi saw the woman turn to leave, and growled. "Hey, stay and fight!"
Her foe turned to her, laughing. "Fool, I could kill you in one hit if I wanted, but my boss would kill me if I did."
Naru noticed Umino was wrapped in darkness. "Then what if one of those fakes you create-"
"That's just a side effect, anyone with magic could turn into a better version of themselves when their souls are removed. We can't stop it, and we've been told those of your level should have no trouble fighting them."
And with that, the woman was gone. Naru, or rather Nemesis, looked at Umino and flinched. "What the heck..."
Umino's outfit looked like a cross between a karate gi and a Senshi outfit, and Nemesis recognized it. "Ryu Hoshi, really?"
"I am Dragon Gamer."
Moon frowned. "Not going to let you get the upper hand. Cosmic Flash!"
A small blast shot at the Dragon, who smiled. "Hadoken!"
Nemesis saw the two blast cancel each other and frowned. "Damn it. Shadow Surge."
The Dragon used a huge sword to split the beam in half. "If this is all you got, then you'll never def-"
Moon blinked in awe. One moment the Dragon had been gloating, the next he was flying sideways. As the enemy crashed into a car, Moon turned to the newcomer. "Uh, thanks."
Jupiter looked at the Dragon as Nemesis returned his seed to him. "I didn't hit him too hard, did I?"
Umino woke up and flinched. "I feel like a pack of Koopas ran over me."
Jupiter sighed. "Sorry, that was me."
"Well, it worked, so I won't complain," Umino said. "Naru, are you free right now?"
Nemesis smiled. "Yeah. Let's go home."
Moon watched the couple walk away then noticed someone was walking to them. "Uh..."
The woman looked at the car that had been hit during the battle - its driver side was quite wrecked. "Hey, who's going to pay for this?"
Jupiter flinched. "Damn, I'm sorry, we-"
"I don't care if you kids are saving the world, you can't just-"
Suddenly, another figure appeared near them. "I'll take care of that, or rather, dad will."
Moon blinked in shock. "Phase?"
"I was watching your battle."
"When did you learn how to teleport?"
"Warwitch taught me," Phase said, "anyhow..." She turned to look at the wrecked car's owner. "Apologies for the inconvenience our battle has caused you. I've already contacted someone and a brand new car will be arriving here in a few minutes."
"That's-" The woman was both relieved and surprised. "You'll replace it, just like that?"
"It's our fault it was damaged," Jupiter said. She looked at Phase and sighed. "Tell Terry I'm sorry, too."
"I don't think he'll mind," Phase admitted.
"Phase, you don't mind if we leave, right?"
"Go ahead, I'll stay here until the car arrives."
"Teleport."
The woman smiled. "You don't have to-"
"I just want to make sure they got the model right," Phase said as Moon and Jupiter vanished.
As Moon appeared in the base, she saw someone there, and gasped. "Aiko? But-"
Aiko smiled. "I have more than one 'copy' of my body."
Jupiter looked at her. "Getting an army ready to take over the world, huh?"
Aiko chuckled. "With you guys around, that would be both pointless and painful."
"Where are Ami and Terry? I thought they would be-"
"I'm... Also with them, right now. Yuki's mom has been curious about my parents, so..."
"I can bet that will be interesting."
"I hope it goes well," Aiko noted, "but best laid plans..."
Yukiko sighed. She could guess this would be harder than fighting evil aliens, in a way. Still, it had to be done. "Mom, are you home?"
Her mother walked out of the kitchen, and smiled. "I see you brought some friends home..."
"Miss Fuyuko," Aiko said, going with the plan they had prepared, "there's something you should know about your daughter and me."
The woman noticed how serious Aiko's tone was. "... I'm listening."
Yukiko knew some things were better shown than told, so she decided to explain herself with actions. She closed her eyes, calling on the few spells she used to 'transform' and when she opened them, it was Warwitch standing there, not Yukiko. "I'm sorry I've kept this a secret from you, but-"
Fuyuko looked at Warwitch. "You're Warwitch? You-" only then she remembered who the other two teens, who had been silent through all this, were. "Oh, you two are Senshi, but what does that have to do with-"
"We'll explain that soon, but you should listen to your daughter," Ami said.
"Mom, you must have seen the news. It may be hard to accept, but I've been doing this since I was fourteen. Heck, I've helped the Senshi fight things I would have run away from before I found out about my powers."
"Are you a Senshi too?"
Warwitch shook her head. "No, I'm... I got my magic from another source. What's important is, I met Aiko thanks to these powers, and I met a lot of good friends too."
Aiko sighed as the woman looked at her. "Before you ask, I'm not a Senshi."
"What are you, then? Or am I wrong in assuming you're not a normal human?"
Aiko smiled as her arm turned into a sword. "Some wouldn't even consider me human."
The woman gasped. "What-"
And that's when Ami decided to talk. "Yukiko told us you wanted to meet Aiko's parents. See, a few years ago, we decided we needed a base from which to watch over the city. We created a program to run that base, an artificial intelligence system that could operate all the scanners and other things we needed without us having to keep an eye on them constantly. Said AI was, due to an unexpected, and hard to explain, external factor, able to gain self-awareness and, eventually, become more human than we could have dreamed of. Human enough to fool normal humans into thinking she's no different from them."
The woman looked at Aiko. Aiko. Of course, so she was... "So she's... A program?"
"The technical term would be 'cyborg' since my 'soul' is as human as yours, Fuyuko," Aiko said, then noticed the older woman was looking at Ami and Terry in turns, and smiled. "You're as smart as your daughter, so you must already be guessing it. They both created me, coded my original program, so I consider them - no, they are my parents."
Fuyuko sat on a chair and sighed. "This is... Too many things are not as I thought they were."
"Mom, we-"
"Yuki, you're still my daughter, and Aiko... I don't care how she started, I don't care what she is, I've seen the way you two look at each other and I would be a horrible mother if I did something to get between you. I just... Need some time to sort through all this."
Ami smiled. "We understand. Not the first time we've had to tell others who we are."
Fuyuko smiled back at her. "When we moved to this city, all Yukiko talked about was the Senshi. Heck, she's still like that."
"Some of us weren't quite okay with her... Enthusiasm," Terry admitted, "but she's friendly and she is willing to protect what she loves. She's a lot like us, even if her powers are different."
"Well, I guess I wanted to meet Aiko's parents, and I did, even though I wasn't ready for all the extra details," Fuyuko admitted. "Just out of curiosity, where is this... Base of yours?"
"Why?"
"I'm not going to tell anyone, I'm just curious... Let's say some of Yukiko's enthusiasm has rubbed unto me."
Aiko smiled. "We'll show you, but not right now."
"Why?"
"A black, plate-less van parking right next to one of the city's largest banks," Aiko said.
Warwitch sighed. "What about the others?"
"Nova's taking care of a meth lab, Ail and Ann are dealing with a gang near our school."
Yukiko looked at her mother. "Well, I guess I'll go have fun for a while."
Aiko nodded and her 'Phase' outfit formed over her normal clothing. "Let's go. Teleport."
Terry looked at Fuyuko. "You've taken all this better than we thought you would."
"Maybe it just hasn't hit me yet," Fuyuko admitted. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"How do you deal with being... With having to fight those creatures, risking your lives? I want to understand why Yuki does it."
"We were born with these powers," Ami said, "we can't simply stop being Senshi. There's no off button for this," and to drive her point home, she summoned a small ball of ice, letting it hover on her open hand for a few seconds before dismissing it. "Having these powers and not using them would be a waste, heck, when there's peace we all feel a bit restless. I guess Yukiko may be the same, she has powers and she feels like not using them is a waste, and if she can use them to help those who can't fight, then it's good that she has those powers, don't you think?"
Fuyuko smiled. "I guess I can only be proud of her, I thought she didn't know what to do with her life, but she's already doing something so selfless..."
Terry nodded. "Well, if you excuse us, we're going back to our not-so-secret base, to see if there's anything out there causing trouble."
Fuyuko saw the two teenagers walk out the door and sighed. Her confusion was mostly gone, so she could honestly say she was proud of her daughter. And Yukiko's childhood fantasies of being a heroine had been more likely to happen than she had thought back then.
Usagi had been feeling something, in her mind, for the whole morning. It wasn't her 'special' power detecting anything, just... What one would call a hunch. She walked into her house and sighed - everything seemed normal there, so maybe it was just her imagination. "Mom, are you home?"
Ikuko walked out of the kitchen and sighed. "Usagi, there's... A visitor."
"Visitor?" Usagi asked, but then felt it, a surge of energy. She saw a small girl walk to her and flinched. "Who is she?"
"No idea, and she doesn't quite talk, but-"
Luna walked down the stairs. "There's no evil intent in her. Despite the energy you're surely sensing, she doesn't seem to be different than a human toddler."
"Chibi!" the girl squeaked.
Usagi looked at her. "Uh, hi?"
"Chibi!" the girl repeated.
"What's your name, little girl?"
"Chibi Chibi!"
Usagi stared at the small girl. She seemed cute and harmless, but the magic she was sensing- She noticed something, a strange yet familiar feel to that magic. And the girl's looks also gave her an odd feeling. She had her red hair tied in small, heart-shaped buns, something which reminded her of... "ChibiUsa?"
Ikuko heard Usagi say that, and then looked at the girl. "You mean this kid could be-"
"I don't know, and there's only one person who could answer that." She picked the girl up, who didn't protest, and sighed. "I'll go see if I can have a talk with her now. Teleport."
Ikuko blinked as Usagi and the small girl vanished, then looked at Luna. "Is it possible? That small girl being my grand-daughter's..."
Luna noticed Ikuko's sad voice and sighed. "It's a possibility. A very unlikely one, but we've seen enough impossibles by now to know it shouldn't be discarded. Also, we're not sure ChibiUsa herself won't be back. We thought she wouldn't come back the first time she was around, after all."
"Usagi's face when she saw her... Is that girl really a mage?"
"She has magic energy, but I'm not sure she can use it, she may be too young," Luna said, "the thing is, what I detected was enough to make me doubt I could beat her, if she becomes our enemy."
There were some Senshi who had rarely visited the base in the last six months, but this particular Senshi was the one who had visited it the least since it was built. Usagi looked at the older woman. "You wouldn't be here if there wasn't something important you had to tell us."
Setsuna smiled. "I had to wait until those I wanted to speak to were here. I'm going to take the weakest of your group with me for special training. They must be ready for the wars you'll fight in the future."
"The weakest..." Rei looked at Yuichiro and Umino. "Uh, guess you're right, our normal training won't get them to our level anytime soon."
"Will you help us?"
Setsuna smiled at Usagi. "In due time, I will." She looked at the small girl. "And also, I know what you've come here for. Don't let anything happen to that girl, she'll also help us, when the time is right."
"What-"
"You should know I can't answer that," Setsuna said. "I can tell you this much, however. Despite her uncanny resemblance to the Princess, she is not related to her."
Hotaru had been silently looking at the girl, and sighed. "I have to admit I was surprised when I saw her."
"In any case, the sooner we leave, the sooner we'll be back. Kumada, Gurio, whenever you're ready."
Yuichiro walked to Rei and hugged her. "I'm not sure how much this will take, but I'll do my best."
Naru looked at Setsuna. "You could just train them and bring them back right away."
"I'll bring them back at the right time," Setsuna said.
Umino grinned. "Time for a level up!"
"Umino, can't we have a normal farewell?" Naru asked with a groan.
"If you wanted normal, you wouldn't be dating me," Umino said.
Naru hugged him and sighed. "Guess you're right. Good luck."
"I'll try to bring them back in one piece," Setsuna joked, "oh, and I'll be taking someone else soon," she added before the three vanished.
"Uh, what did that mean?" Rei asked.
"She was looking at Usagi," Ami noted. "Still, she should stop doing that, it's quite annoying."
Hotaru chuckled. "That's probably one of the reasons she does it."
"Damn, we forgot to ask her about Galaxia," Rei said.
Nova appeared in the room and looked around. "Oh, there you are."
Usagi saw the way Nova was looking at her. "What's wrong?"
"You lied to Shingo. Why?"
"I didn't-" Usagi stopped and looked at her. "Is this about him 'not wanting' to be a Senshi?"
"Yes. He said you didn't notice he was lying when he said changed his mind. I don't think that's what happened. You're too good at reading people for something like that to go unnoticed."
Usagi smiled at Nova, despite her friend's tone and stare. "Thank you."
That made Nova's stare turn into a confused once. "Huh? Why?"
"For worrying about him so much. I'm glad you want to protect him, because that's just why I lied to him."
"... I don't follow."
"See, a part of him wants to be a Senshi, have the power to protect you... And me. But there was no- How to say it... When Terry risked turning into Dragon Saturn, I could see something in him, something that told me he was willing to risk his life - willing to take the chance despite the odds. I didn't see that in Shingo. He's full of doubt, scared, there's- There's no spark in him. Much despite myself, and I don't care if you don't like hearing this, we don't need a scared rookie who doesn't even trust himself. It may have worked - barely - back when I was fighting the Dark Kingdom, but... Not with the enemies we're facing now. He'll just get himself killed."
Nova seemed ready to shout at Usagi for a few seconds, but then shook her head. "Damn. I- You're right, Usagi. If he isn't sure he's up to the task, he'll just be in the way."
"Looking back, it was luck that kept us alive back then."
"And luck can turn against you," Terry said. "I think we know about that, eh Hana?"
Nova flinched at that. "Yes, of course." She looked at Usagi and smiled. "I won't tell Shingo what you told me. If a time comes when he's ready, then... I guess you'll know, right?"
"Right," Usagi said.
"I would love to stay, but there's a gang I'm hunting," Nova said, "I'll see you at school."
As Nova vanished, the others could see Usagi had a shocked face. Before they could ask, she chuckled. "I can guess the time will come sooner than I thought."
Terry looked at her, then muttered something in English the others couldn't hear. "So that's what Setsuna's last line meant?"
Usagi saw the girl staring at the base's computer. "Uh, don't touch that."
"Chibi?"
"Just don't, okay?"
"Chibi!" The small girl squeaked, and hugged Usagi's leg.
Rei smirked as Usagi picked the small girl up. "I would doubt that midget can help us at all, but... I can sense the energy in her."
Ami had been using her computer glove and visor to scan the girl. "Her latent power is beyond anything I've seen before. She's got enough power to beat us all."
"Chibi?"
"Good thing you're on our side," Usagi said to the small girl. "You are on our side, right?"
"Chibi!"
"Good."
Terry looked at Usagi. "Wait, you understand that Pokemon?"
Usagi smiled. "No, not at all."
"If she could speak, it would make things easier for us," Rei noted.
"It's never easy for us," Usagi said, "but I know we'll figure out what she's here for, eventually."
That night, Mamoru was standing right outside the Tsukino house. When Usagi opened the door, however, he blinked in awe. "So, this is the girl? What's her name?"
"Chibi Chibi," Usagi said. That was what the girl had said when she asked her name, after all.
Mamoru smiled as he looked at Usagi. "She looks a lot like-"
"Coincidences do exist," Usagi noted. "I'm sorry I didn't get ready for our date, I'll-"
"I don't mind, I'm in love the girl, not the dress."
Usagi blushed at that. "Just let me put this small lady somewhere mom can keep an eye on... Her."
Mamoru noticed Usagi's face. "Small Lady, huh?"
"I miss her," Usagi said. "Silly me, right?"
"That's not silly, I miss her too," Mamoru said, "but unless there's something Pluto isn't telling us, we won't see her again for a long time-"
"Chibi!"
Usagi heard the small girl's squeak at the same time she sensed something. "Damn, that woman again."
The white-haired Senshi smiled coldly at them. "Just let me do my job, blonde joke."
Usagi understood what she meant and put Chibi Chibi down before glaring at the woman. "I won't let you touch him. Moon Cosmic Power!"
Mamoru saw Moon shoot an energy blast at the woman, who shrugged it off. Still... "Wait, you didn't-"
"Credit where credit's due," the woman said, "you are strong enough to not need to chant your attack's name. Still, you're not strong enough to hurt me."
Moon didn't say a thing, just rushed forwards, slashing at the woman with her sword. Or, rather, trying to, as the woman clutched her sword with her bare hand and then kicked her back. "Ugh, damn it, you..."
"The fight I'm not allowed to fight you doesn't mean I'll let you nag me for too long, weakling. Just be glad I didn't kick hard enough to break a few ribs." She tossed the sword away, then looked at Mamoru. "Hi there, cutie." She phased next to him and got his seed out. "Damn it, another dud. Galaxia's not going to be happy."
"Star Laser."
The woman was knocked to the ground by an attack, but stood up rapidly, looking in the direction the attack had come from. "You? We killed you!"
"Your merry gang of weaklings was too weak, but we didn't want to face Galaxia herself. That's why we let you think you had killed us."
"I'll just have to make sure you're dead now!" The woman said and shot a blast at whoever she was talking to.
"That's pointless, Iron Mouse," the figure said, walking out of the shadows, "you won't defeat me on your own."
Moon saw the newcomer had a strange suit, a black bra and a skirt that was too short even by Senshi standards - and skin-tight, too. The woman had long boots and gloves, too. Was she a Senshi? "Who are you?"
The new fighter ignored that. "Leave now, Mouse."
Iron Mouse glared at her. "As you wish. But if you interfere again, I'll destroy you!"
Moon saw Iron Mouse vanish, and the other girl turn to leave. "Hey, wait! Won't you help me?"
"I'm not here to save your world, human."
So much for her being an ally, Moon thought with a frown. Still... She turned to see Mamoru standing next to her, but instead of a Dragon suit, he was wearing a silver chain mail. "Uh... You were already up?"
Mamoru nodded. "It would be most cowardly to attack an enemy while they're distracted."
Moon had by now figured what his 'evil' name was, and his actions confirmed it. "I see, you're a knight."
"Indeed, I'm Dragon Knight. Are you ready to face me?"
Usagi couldn't help but smile at that. He was still courteous and polite even when turned evil. "I'm going to hate myself for beating you up," she noted.
The 'knight' laughed at that. "It's good that you won't have to hate yourself at all, then."
Okay, so he could also be a bit of a jerk at times...
Ikuko had seen everything from inside the house, along with Kenji, Shingo and Luna. "Luna, won't you help her?"
Luna sighed. "If I see her losing badly, I will. But I think she will get some unexpected help."
Kenji looked around. "Hey, where's Shingo?"
Moon's dodging skills had been put to the test for the last minute, as this Dragon Knight was using a huge sword to try and chop her in half, and swinging it as if it was feather-light. Having to dodge constantly didn't let her time to gather enough magic to attack him. If only she had her sword, she could-
"Moon Dragon Power!"
Dragon Knight had been about to slash down at Moon again, but stopped mid-slash and jumped back, just as someone hissed by. "Hmph, a squire interrupting a warrior's duel. How rude."
"Politeness is overrated," the new Dragon snapped. "Moon Flash!"
Dragon Knight staggered back, more out of surprise than pain, as the area around them lit up with a light brighter than the sun. "Such cheap tactics..."
Years ago, with something as unexpected as this, Moon would have been unsure of what to do, but once again, her training helped her think quick when she needed to. "Thanks, Shingo," she said before shooting a blast at point blank, which knocked the evil Dragon down. She noticed he was out cold and returned his seed. "I guess I should say 'welcome to the team.'"
"I was scared of-"
"I know," Moon said. "And I understand. I got scared all the time back when I started fighting, but I knew I had the chance to protect those who can't fight against these threats..."
"I still don't know how much I will help, I mean-"
Moon smiled. "There's a way for you to power up 'fast,' but it won't be easy, if what I heard from Haruka and Michiru is true."
"... What is it?"
"Sailor Pluto, the Senshi of Time, is right now training two of the Dragons, who joined up much later than the rest of us."
"Mars and Lilith."
Moon blinked at that. "Yeah... Did you find about that on the net?"
"No, Hana told me."
Mamoru woke up and groaned. "Ouch, my everything hurts."
"Sorry, I had to knock you out," Usagi explained.
"Don't worry, I'm used to it from training." He looked at the new Dragon. "Oh, we got a new Dragon?"
Ikuko walked out of the house right then, followed by Kenji. "I won't say I hadn't wondered about this," the man said, "but I didn't expect you to actually be one of them."
"Hey, if my sister can do it, so can-" Dragon Moon stopped as Moon knocked him down with a leg swipe. "Ow!"
"Your sister's gone through hellish training," Moon noted, "and so will you."
The Dragon was staring up at Moon in awe. "What-"
"When she gets serious, she can be quite scary," Mamoru admitted.
"I'm just preparing him for Pluto."
"You say that like I'm a torturer."
Moon blinked and turned back. "Hi, Setsuna."
"Hi."
"So, you'll start training him right away?"
Pluto looked at Moon. "The sooner he learns how to fight, the sooner he'll be able to help your team."
Ikuko looked at the woman. "No offense, but you look... Too old to be a Senshi."
Pluto smiled. "No offense taken. I'm much older than I look." She then bowed to Ikuko and Kenji. "It's an honor to finally meet the Princess' parents."
Ikuko nodded. "I've been told you don't usually socialize. Nice to meet you... Setsuna, is it?"
"That is my civilian name, even though I don't use it a lot."
Dragon Moon sighed. "Uh, I guess I'll see you later, mom, dad."
"Have fun," Kenji said, sarcastically.
"Yeah... I'm not sure that will happen."
Pluto smiled. "I'll bring him back soon. Farewell."
Moon sighed and turned back to normal. "I don't envy him. Training with Hakko was hellish, but from what I've heard, she's even worse."
Mamoru looked around, noticing the neighbours had been gathering as they spoke. "You know, if we hurry, we can still watch that movie..."
Usagi wasn't in the mood for fans, so she nodded at him. "Let's go. Teleport."
"Your brother is a Senshi too?"
Usagi smiled. "I feel kind of sorry for him, though. Not even a Senshi for one hour, and he was already 'borrowed' by Pluto."
Terry shrugged at that. "Setsuna is right, we don't need rookies, and if she can speed up the learning process..."
"What about that other Senshi?"
Usagi shook her head. "Other than her weird outfit, I don't know a thing about her. At least I know our current enemy is 'Sailor Iron Mouse.'"
"That sounds like an underground metal band's name, not a Senshi name," Mako muttered.
Usagi noticed Terry seemed deep in thought. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Terry shrugged. "Not much, I was just thinking I'd love to challenge Pluto to a fight, no powers."
Hotaru chuckled at that. "No offense, but she would beat you easily."
"None taken, I figured as much. I just like facing strong enemies."
Ami looked at Usagi. "I wanted to ask something... Have you sensed the enemy?"
Usagi nodded. "Yes. Aiko, can you get me a map of the city?"
Aiko appeared near her, and 'summoned' a large image in mid-air, a map of Tokyo. "There you go."
"Thanks." Usagi looked at the map and then put her finger in a seemingly random part of it. "There."
"I thought you couldn't pinpoint things-" Terry started, then frowned. "Wait, if you knew, why didn't you tell us?"
Usagi's face turned serious. "Because I feared any of you would try doing something stupid. The energy I'm feeling from that place is... I can't really describe it, but I'll just say whoever is there, is much stronger than even Pluto."
"So it may be the real Galaxia," Ami noted.
Terry looked at Usagi. "Wait, are you saying we can't defeat them?"
"I'm not giving up before trying, but we should deal with any 'Generals' Galaxia has before we face her."
"So we let the enemy attack and fight them when they're weakened? That's worked for us in the past," Mako said.
Usagi looked at Aiko. "Can you feel their power?"
"I'm trying to get through whatever they're using to stop me from sens- Oh ."
"Guess she feels it." Hotaru noted, then saw Aiko was pale. "Is it that bad?"
"Usagi can sense things I can't, but I can put data into raw numbers... Whoever is inside that building is a million times stronger than Usagi... Stronger than even Pluto."
"You should all heed the Princess' words, attacking them right now would only get you killed."
Usagi saw Pluto was there, along with someone else. "Eh, that was fast."
Yuichiro sighed. "It's been one hell of a month for me."
"So, did it work?" Terry asked.
Yuichiro smirked. "Mars Cosmic Power."
"Eh, that's cheating," Terry muttered.
Usagi noticed Dragon Mars' staff was longer, and also golden. "Wait, your weapon was also a talisman?"
"It could happen with others," Pluto admitted. "I'm going back, still need to train the other two."
"Tell my brother I said hi."
Pluto smiled at Usagi. "He told me to say hi to you, too."
As Pluto vanished, Yuichiro looked around. "I used to think the way Rei trained was tough. I know better now."
"Let me call Rei, I'll tell her you're back."
Yuichiro smiled at Aiko. "Nah, I'll go to the shrine. I want to surprise her."
As he left, the only other guy in the room frowned. "I still say that's cheating."
"You're jealous," Ami noted, "and I'm not sure of what. You're the only dual Senshi in our era."
Terry chuckled. "Uh, yeah, I guess there's that."
Usagi was, meanwhile, talking to Mako. "Remember back when Terry and Ami were avoiding speaking about something, and you made fun of them?"
Mako knew just why Usagi was saying that. "Ugh. I knew you knew, I was just waiting to see how long it would take for you to start pestering me."
"He likes you."
"I've know that for a while. What if it doesn't work?"
Hotaru had been listening to them, and walked to Mako as she said that. "I'm talking from my own experience when I say it doesn't matter if it doesn't work, or if you must wait for them for a very long time. The Hotaru from before I met you all wouldn't know this, but falling in love is one of the best things that can happen to you, even with all the problems and pain it can bring at times."
Usagi smiled at that. "Does Kage know..."
"He's been making excuses about it for the last six months. And of course, right now he has a new excuse, a what if. He may be my best friend but I feel like glaiving him, sometimes."
Mako chuckled at that and then sighed. "I'm still not sure I want to-"
"Mako, remember how me and Mamoru started."
Hotaru smiled. "And even though I'm happy I met Chibi, I don't regret the time I spent dating Kage."
"Is he a good kisser?" Mako asked, then saw Hotaru look down. "Wait, you two-"
"It's one of the things that let me realize I didn't love him the romantic way. But hey, it's more fun finding out on your own, right?"
"I guess. I'll give this some more thought, but... You're right, I'll have to make up my mind about this issue soon."
Hino saw his granddaughter walk out of the temple in a hurry, and blinked. "Rei, what's wrong?"
Rei was speeding up even before he said that. "Sorry, I got to go, I don't want to wreck the shrine again."
"Good luck, Sailor Mars."
"Thanks, I'll need it." Rei summoned her air board and started flying away, but it only took a minute for the enemy to appear. The white-haired woman floating in mid-air tried to look menacing, but her outfit didn't help. "Oh hey, it's Mighty Mouse."
"... Iron Mouse, actually," Mouse said, not getting the joke. "But I don't like talking to my prey."
"Who's the prey," Rei muttered. "Mars Cosmic Power! Flame Rain!"
Iron Mouse was wrapped in flames, but didn't seem to notice the attack. "You guys still try, huh? That's not going to work, Mars. Now let's see your seed!"
Mars chuckled as Iron Mouse crashed face-first into her barrier. "Play with fire and you shall burn."
Mouse punched the shield, which resisted her attack. "Damn it, how can you have so much power?" She kept on punching the shield, causing shock waves strong enough to shatter the windows of nearby buildings. But still, the shield didn't fall. "Impossible."
"Mars Flame Hydra!"
Mouse looked at the newcomer as several snake-like constructs wrapped around her. "Ugh, another hothead."
Mars looked at Dragon Mars. "Yuu?"
"Hi Rei, need help?"
Mars noticed his suit was different. "Cosmic level?"
Mouse laughed. "You pathetic fools, I've made Eternal level Senshi kneel before me. You're nothing!"
Mars frowned. "This is pointless. You won't get me out of this shield."
Iron Mouse glared at Mars, but then smirked. "Don't be so sure about that."
"Starlight Thunder!"
Dragon Mars saw his girlfriend get knocked out of her own shield by an electric beam, which punched through it like a soap bubble. "Rei!"
Mouse caught Mars mid-fall and took her seed out, then dropped her on a nearby rooftop. "And of course it's another dud," she muttered looking at the dull seed.
Dragon Mars looked at the one who had attacked Mars. "You... Flame Hydra!"
"Starlight Inferno!" the attack destroyed the construct, and the new Senshi smiled at the Dragon. "Nothing personal, human. We're not enemies, but if we get that seed, it will draw Galaxia out."
The Dragon growled at her, noticing Iron Mouse had taken her chance to leave. "You hurt Rei, so as far as I'm concerned, you are an enemy."
"So be it," the Senshi said, "but I have better things to do than babysit a weakling."
Dragon Mars glared at the point the new Senshi had been standing on, but then saw a barrage of fire pellets heading his way. "Oh, right." When she looked at Rei, however, he almost thought she was back to normal. Mars was now wearing a priestess outfit, but the flames surrounding her told him she wasn't really herself. "Uh, hi?"
"Evildoers, feel the cleansing fire of Sailor Miko!"
The Dragon summoned his staff. "Fight fire with fire, as they say. Flame Hydra!"
Sailor Miko leapt out of the way and laughed. "Don't you have another attack?"
"Yes, but I needed you to be airborne for it. Flame Hydra Seeker!" The flame constructs had been about to crash into a building, but they corrected their course as the Dragon shouted, and headed straight for Miko. "Gotcha."
Miko smiled. "Not really. Spell Storm." Countless ofuda appeared around Miko, swirling for a split second before bursting aflame, and shooting in all directions around her. "Evil spirit, begone."
"That's what we should be saying. Aether Wall."
Dragon Mars saw a dome of energy form around the area, stopping Miko's attack. "Who the-"
Moon run in. "Sorry I'm late."
"Sorry," the Dragon said, "I guess I wasn't strong enough yet."
"Not even I can go one on one with these fake Senshi," Moon noted, "it's a good thing I can sense them."
Miko growled at them. "Another creep to fight? Good. Flaming... Fist!" A beam of fire shot from her hand as she swung it forwards, and she smiled. "Die."
Moon punched the attack, reflecting it back at Miko. "Sorry, I've done that too much already."
"How-"
"I'll explain later, now..."
Miko saw Moon run at her, and shot another fire beam. However, Moon vanished before the beam hit. Miko guessed what she was planning, and spun around, shooting another beam... But Moon wasn't there. "What-"
"I knew you were smart enough to guess, but you guessed wrong," Moon said from above, before shooting an energy blast downwards, knocking Miko out.
The Dragon returned Rei's seed, and sighed as she turned back to normal. "Usagi, how do you-"
"There's a thing I found out about our powers, a thing I guess we wouldn't be able to do until we practiced long enough. You don't need any motion, or any shout, to summon an attack. Just thinking about using it is enough."
"Then why did you shout-"
"Hunter magic is different, and I'll need to practice a lot more to be able to cast all spells without using their names."
"Always one step ahead, huh?"
Moon saw Mars standing up, and smiled as a ball of energy appeared in her hand. "It helps us get the upper hand on our foes, so I think I'll teach everyone how to do it."
Mars smiled back at her. "I remember a few years ago, you didn't want to train. Now you're eager to teach us."
"It'll be an excuse to kick you around, so it's a win/win, right?" Moon mused. Of course, she was joking, and Mars knew it, their old 'arguments' were long gone.
As she opened her eyes, it was clear to her she wasn't just waking up from a dream. She hadn't died, either, she had just been... Away. It was hard to explain, but as pieces of her memory returned to her, she knew who she was - and, at the same time, she wasn't her, she was someone... Something else.
"Good, you're awake."
She looked at the one other person in the room. Gold hair, golden skin, gold eyes, even her suit was golden. "What happened to me?"
"Do you know who you are?"
She nodded. "My name is Prin- No, Black Lady."
"A part of you was the Princess, indeed, but we've given you a chance to fight again. The princess is gone, back to the future where she belongs, and may never return, but we managed to get samples of her DNA, and-"
"You created me," Black Lady said, then frowned. "Was it Onara?"
"Yes. I've been funding his research for a long time now, hoping to find a way to defeat the Senshi."
"Senshi..." Black Lady growled. "Where are they?"
"Curb your enthusiasm," the woman said, "The Senshi have grown much stronger than any of us, but we're looking for a way to destroy them."
Black Lady closed her eyes and frowned. "I don't sense the Ginzuishou."
"That's because we're hiding somewhere they'll never find us. Or at least, they won't find us until they grow much stronger than they are."
The pink-haired woman looked at her benefactor. "I can feel something in me has also changed."
"We've improved you, in a way. You have powers you didn't have before."
"What would stop me from just destroying you and these 'others' you speak of?"
"That you know, deep inside, that you can't win against the Senshi on your own. We've all lost our personal battles against the Senshi, and we've learnt our lesson well. We'll have time to shoot at each other after the Earth is ours - or we could split it evenly."
Black Lady finally managed to identify this woman. She remembered her from the Princess' memories, a tale from before she was born, even from before her first trip to the past. "You are... You were supposed to be dead. What is your name, youma?"
The woman smiled. "Aurite. My name is Aurite."
Brad was surprised by what Usagi had just explained. "So you can use magic without having to chant the spell or move. That's impressive. And to be honest, I didn't expect you to be the first to learn how to do that."
"You knew it was possible?" Minako asked.
"It was... A legend. Looking back, maybe I should have told you about this before, I've seen quite a few 'legends' about the Senshi come true already. Anyways, this is how it goes: Every Senshi can, with practice, do what Usagi says she can do. Some normal mages were rumored to be able to do that too, but it was said only the strongest non-Senshi mages could reach that goal, as it took them countless years to master such skill."
"Let me guess, Merlin?"
"Yeah, that guy was what ever Hunter would want to be."
Usagi smiled. "I guess I should show you what I can do, then if anyone wants to try..."
"Go ahead," Terry said, "only person I knew who can use 'magic' that way is Hana - but I'm not even sure she's using mana."
Usagi nodded, then stood still for a few seconds. Arcs of electricity started running along her arms, then a blast of lightning came, not from her hands, but from her torso, hitting the far wall of the room. Before the others could react to this, Usagi had already summoned light crescents - lunar magic - which swirled around her body like a sort of shield. "In a way," she explained, turning to look at Brad, without her movement disrupting the magic 'bubble' around her, "this is a lot like controlling our air boards, or our weapons."
"It would help us a lot in battle," Ami admitted, "so we should all try to learn how to do it."
"I never saw you train to do that," Aiko noted.
"It didn't take me too long to get it right, once I knew what I wanted to do. And you wouldn't have seen a thing, as most of the training is silent and motionless." As Usagi said that, the light around her turned black.
"Quit showing off," Rei muttered.
"Showing off is the best way of showing how," Terry mused. "Anyhow, I think someone else already figured it out."
Being focused on Usagi, the others hadn't noticed it, but Minako was holding a ball of light in her hand - without having called out any attack. "Heh, sure did. Just as Usagi says, it's not that hard to-" she stopped as the light in her hand started wobbling. "... Crap." The others leapt away just as the energy in Minako's hand exploded. She didn't look hurt, other than in her pride.
Usagi nodded. "Even after you got it, you still need to practice for a while. The slightest distraction, the smallest movement, could disrupt your spell if you don't learn to control it."
"One would think it would be easier, since we already do these spells while moving and calling them out."
Brad shook his head. "Actually, the movement and words help the mage focus and give shape to the spell. Without movement or words, the spell is harder to cast."
"Worth a shot," Rei said. The others noticed she had flames wrapped around her arms. The flames faded out and she sighed. "The old me wouldn't admit this, but I'm impressed you could master something this difficult, Usagi."
Usagi smiled at her. "I don't think I've mastered it yet, which is why I hadn't used it in battle until recently."
"Even the master needs to practice," Terry said, "Just try not to blow the base to bits while practicing, guys."
"We shouldn't even joke about that," Minako said, "what would happen to Aiko if-"
Aiko chuckled. "I guess I never told you this, guys, but I've managed to transfer my 'soul' to this body. I can make copies, that's how I can use more than one body at a time. I still have a link with the base's computer, but I wouldn't 'die' if it was destroyed."
"That's good to know," Usagi said, "weird, too, but we're used to weird."
"Mouse, you've failed enough. If your next target doesn't have a golden seed, then I'll put Siren in charge."
Sailor Iron Mouse knelt before the woman scolding her. She had no reason to complain, nor she wanted to - despite her own power, she knew Galaxia was too strong for her. And her loyalty to her, though born from fear, was still enough to keep her from trying. "I understand, Queen Galaxia. I'll need to choose my target better."
"That you do. And don't underestimate your enemies, like Papillon did."
Mako was a bit angry at herself. She had had plenty of chances to talk to him lately, but she had let them slip. What was she afraid of? That he didn't like her? Usagi said he did, and that girl was a damn romance detector. Afraid of falling in love and then losing him? He could die, they all could die. That didn't stop any of the other girls and guys in her team, so why... She sighed. She had decided to go for a walk, to clear her mind, but it wasn't helping.
"Mako? What's the matter?"
Mako turned to her left and saw someone leaning on a tall fence. She blushed as she saw who it was. "Uh, I was... Just going for a walk. What are you doing here?"
"This is where Setsuna lives... Well, she isn't around a lot."
"Oh." Mako looked at him. She didn't plan on meeting him, and a part of her was still terrified, but she knew running from this particular problem would not help, at all. "Kage, listen, I..."
Kage smiled. "I know."
Mako sighed. "I need to say it. I like you. No, it's more than just 'like.' I've been a fool, not telling you this for months, but I'm tired of running away."
"I like you, too," Kage said, "you're strong, a good friend and a great cook. I was also a fool, doubting myself because of the past. Let's make sure neither of us regrets this."
"I guess going for a walk did help, after all," Mako mused.
"Should we go to the base?"
"Is that a date?" Mako asked back in jest.
"Heh, no. I've already got something planned, though."
"... Now you've made me curious."
Usagi was at the base, once again. After her explanation the day before, most of her friends had started practicing, and some of them were already showing results. "Nice, Rei."
Rei had a falcon-like flame construct perched on her right shoulder. "It's still hard to keep the spell stable, but not impossible."
Usagi saw the elevator's doors opening, and chuckled. "Finally, you guys."
Terry wondered what she meant for a second, then looked at the two who had walked out of the elevator. Mako and Kage, who were holding hands. "I can't talk, but it did take you a while."
Hotaru walked to the new couple and smiled at them. "I've been trying to convince this guy to confess for months. Glad he finally-"
"... She confessed to me first."
"Figures," Hotaru said with fake disappointment. "Still, I'm happy for you."
"Are you okay?" Kage asked, noticing her mood was not quite as bright as she was trying to pretend it was.
"I'm still getting used to the idea of having to wait for so long," Hotaru admitted. "But I won't let that bring me down."
"No offense," Rei said, "but you seemed so sure of your decision before she left, I was surprised to see your mood change after she was gone."
"I know. I was wrong, I thought I was ready, I convinced myself that I was. But the day after she left, I came back to the base expecting to see her, and didn't find her here. I didn't find her anywhere. That's when it finally hit me." She looked at Mako and Kage and smiled apologetically. "Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the mood."
"I'm actually proud of you, in a way," Mako admitted, "back when you joined us you didn't look like you felt anything."
"Won't say that's wrong," Hotaru said. "Anyhow, back to training."
Kage saw a ghastly figure following Hotaru as she walked away, and smiled. "Back then, you didn't like showing off, either."
"That's not showing off, that's training," Hotaru said.
Aiko suddenly frowned. "Ugh, trouble."
Usagi nodded. "I can sense Iron Mouse. She's... Damn, it's Naru."
The afternoon at the Osa-P jewelry had been calm thus far, but Naru knew that was about to change as she saw the white-haired woman walking in. "Mom, I have to go."
Her mother understood what Naru meant by the way she looked at her. "Okay, be careful."
Naru walked to Iron Mouse, who was surprised by that. "Since I know I won't be able to stop you, can I at least ask for one thing?"
"Uh... Sure, I guess."
"Don't turn me so close to my house, I don't want to wreck it."
"Oh, that's all? I suppose I can agree to that, it doesn't change a thing for me."
"Good." Naru summoned her air board and flew away. "Follow me, then."
Iron Mouse floated up, then sped forwards, matching the board's speed easily. "If you're thinking about setting a trap, then-"
"What for? We haven't found a way to get rid of you yet."
Mouse smirked at the 'yet' then saw Naru stopping. "So, are you ready?"
Just as she said that, she was hit from the side by a light beam. "Hey there, Paper Hamster."
Mouse glared at Moon and the other Senshi. "I thought this wasn't a trap."
Naru shrugged. "It wasn't, but Moon can sense you from a city away."
"Big deal," Mouse said then vanished, reappearing right next to Naru and taking her seed before anyone could try to stop her. "Aaaaaaand another dud. Damn it."
"Starlight Inferno!"
Mouse was knocked out of the sky, but managed to recover before hitting the ground. "Oh great, so the three pest are all alive. This has been a good night."
"You won't get the golden seed."
"Keep pestering us and Galaxia will destroy you, fool. See you!"
Moon saw Mouse vanish, and the other girl gave her a short stare before also vanishing. "I wonder who those three are."
"This season's flavor of mystery Senshi?" Dragon Mercury joked.
"Their suits are very different to ours," Mercury noted, "it's likely they're alien Senshi, like Helios."
"Ruby Flash!"
Moon sensed something and moved to the side, barely dodged a red energy beam. "Guess it's Naru's turn."
Naru was now wearing a Senshi suit much like her own, except this one was completely made of dark gemstones. "Stop it right there, evildoers, or Sailor Jewel will give you all a clear cut."
Moon said nothing, just rushed down, energy blasts shooting out of her hands as she flew.
"Diamond shell!" Jewel's body was covered in diamonds, and the blasts were all reflected. "You will never defeat- Eek!"
Mars smirked as she watched Moon chase 'Sailor Jewel' around, shooting attack after attack without saying a word. The 'shield' Jewel had summoned was soon gone, and Moon managed to get close and punch her back. Still, Jewel wasn't too affected, and laughed at her attacker. "Guess she'll need help."
"Emerald Wave!"
Jupiter saw Moon leap up to dodge a green wave of energy. "I got this!" Moon had been about to attack again, but then sensed something, and jumped back. Jupiter had leapt off her air board and landed right next to Jewel, grabbing her and slamming her on the ground a couple times - cracking the concrete where she hit. "And stay down."
Moon returned Naru's seed and sighed. "I guess that's one way to deal with these fake Senshi."
Jupiter shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?"
Naru staggered up and groaned. "Don't tell me what I turned into, I'm sure I'll regret knowing."
"Just someone crazy about jewels."
"Good thing Umino wasn't around, I would never hear the end of that."
Moon gave Naru a smile that was one sound effect away from a chuckle. "Who knows, perhaps I'll tell her about it when he comes back."
"Don't be a pest, Usagi," Naru muttered. "Anyhow, I have to go tell mom I'm okay."
Dragon Sun smiled. "Seeing what you just did, I'm not going to make you mad."
Jupiter giggled. "I promise I won't hit you that hard if you do. Just hard enough to send you flying away."
"... Good?" the Dragon said with a sigh.
"Are you two ready?"
"Why can't we skip this fight? You said we'll still get kicked around even if we're Cosmic Senshi."
Pluto looked at the young Dragon in a way which made it clear she was dead serious. "You will be needed, and you will be there."
"Your power is quite a curse, huh?"
She looked at Dragon Nemesis. "At times, it is. I've seen both Usagi and Small Lady react badly to my... Methods. While I've already seen those things as possible, it still hurts when they don't trust me."
"Okay, let's just go. The sooner I'm back, the sooner I can pester my sister about being at her same level."
"She may be technically at Cosmic level, but power isn't everything. And if this war follows the best case scenario, then Usagi will show Galaxia that even someone as powerful as her can still be beaten."
Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 7: The Senshi of Chaos.
Episode 98: She's the one named Sailor... What?
By Razor Knight
Last update: May 29, 2015
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 7: The Senshi of Chaos.
Episode 98: She's the one named Sailor... What?
By Razor Knight
Last update: May 29, 2015
------
Usagi looked out the window and let out a sigh. Six months. A whole six months with no enemy attacks. Back when she had started fighting, she would have said she enjoyed the peace, but she couldn't lie to herself. While no attacks meant people could live in peace, she missed the fighting.
And despite how chaotic they had been, she also missed the way fans had reacted to their decision to reveal their identities. Sometimes she would still meet a fan who would be very enthusiastic (or to use Terry's words, "crazy") but those were a rarity.
She looked down and noticed Luna staring at her. "Luna? How long have you been there?"
"A minute or two. You seemed lost in thought, and I didn't want to interrupt you."
Usagi smiled. "Sorry about that."
"Usagi, you've been acting strange lately. When in front of your friends, or your family, you seem to be enjoying yourself, but when you're alone... You look sad, and it worries me."
"I haven't told anyone, because I'm not sure what they'll think. Luna, I miss fighting."
"... That's all?"
"I'm one of the good guys, right? I'm not supposed to like fighting-"
"That's not true. Enjoying something means you're good at it, and since you'll probably have to go through more fighting in the future, it will make things easier for you, in a way. As long as you don't go out there and try to pick up fights with anyone you see-" she sighed. "You should tell the others, I'm sure you'll be surprised at their answers."
"You mean..."
"I'm sure a few of them miss those battles too. Just don't let that ruin everything else for you."
"I won't." Usagi looked out the window as she heard screams, and frowned. "Sometimes I think the universe has a strange sense of humor."
Luna saw what Usagi meant and shook her head. "How many of those are there?"
"Something tells me we won't like the answer to that question."
------
Nova had been patrolling the city, but then she saw Usagi taking on an enemy. Usagi, not Sailor Moon, but she could guess why. She stopped and watched the 'battle,' short as it was, then phased near her friend. "They don't make alien invaders like they used to."
Usagi looked at the remains of the mantis-like creature. "That's an understatement. Looking for Shingo?"
"No, I was just flying by. Tell him I said hi, though."
"Will do." Usagi saw Nova turn to leave, and sighed. "I've been thinking... Would you be mad if any of us decided to help?"
"Help?" Nova smiled. "Oh, I get it. Honestly, I wouldn't mind, but you would be surprised at the effect having an actual superhero or ten around has on criminals."
Usagi nodded. True, Phase, Ail and Ann and Warwitch had also been seen plenty of times around the city, and caught a good number of criminals. "It's not our 'job' but I feel like I could use some action between evil group and evil group."
Nova stared at Usagi. "As long as you can control your own strength-"
Usagi flinched at that. "I know that. I asked Terry about how strong I was compared to a normal human, he told me even my fists, in my normal form, could kill someone in one blow."
"It's not a bad idea, but you don't need to do it."
"Neither do you," Usagi said.
"I know."
"Hey, I thought you were patrolling?"
Nova turned to see Shingo walking to them. "I am. Sorry I can't spend more time with you, but-"
Shingo smiled at her. "It's fine, don't worry."
"I'll come back before dinner," Nova said, then vanished.
Usagi noticed Shingo's frown. "It's not fine, right?"
"Ugh, sometimes I wish you could turn that ability of yours off. I... Feel useless."
"Shingo, you're just a boy, and-"
"I'm almost as old as you were when you started fighting monsters. Heck, ChibiUsa was younger than me."
Luna had walked out of the house in time to hear that. "Not every human can be a Senshi."
"What if I am?"
Usagi looked down, then shook her head. "Even if my sword chose you to be a Dragon, this is not all fun and games, you-"
"I know that. But both my sister and my girlfriend go and risk their lives while I just sit around. I wish I could help you both."
"There's ways to know if the sword would choose you, but they're not infallible... And the risk is too high."
"What could it do, zap me?"
Luna looked at Usagi, then at Shingo. "I never really described this, even to the Senshi, but here's the thing: If the sword doesn't accept you, and you try to force it to, it has... You could call them security measures, to make sure no evil being can use its power. It would flood your body with energy until there's nothing left - not even a Saturn Senshi could bring you back if that happens."
"Ugh. Well, that's just peachy."
Usagi sighed and summoned her sword. "Feel anything?"
"Anything?" Shingo asked.
"You should have a feeling, in the back of your mind, something... Drawing you to the sword."
"Usagi, that's dangerous," Luna said.
Shingo looked at the sword. "No, I don't feel anything."
Usagi stared at Shingo. "You sure?"
"Yeah. Sorry to nag you with that, sis. I guess I'll just be a normal human being, as always."
Luna saw Shingo walk into the house and frowned. "Well, that's somewhat disappointing, I guess."
Usagi chuckled. "He was lying."
"You mean-"
"I could see it in his eyes - the same 'spark' I saw in Terry's eyes when he used the Saturn sword. He felt something, but... He's scared of it. I don't know if he's scared of the risk, or of the responsibility."
"Why didn't you tell him you knew?"
"An insecure, doubtful warrior would not be any help to us. He'll ask me for the sword when he's ready."
Luna stared at Usagi for a few seconds before whistling. "Usagi, you've grown much wiser than I thought."
"I guess. I couldn't stay an airhead forever."
"... You could have," Luna noted, "but I'm glad you... No, 'changed' isn't the right word, you're still the same in many ways."
"I'm glad, too. I'm going to the base for a while, see if anyone wants to spar."
Luna nodded. "Have fun."
"I'll try."
------
Warwitch stared at her latest foes. Criminals, they always thought their weapons made them powerful. But she was more than happy to show them the truth.
"What the hell are you?"
The witch smiled at the man, the only one of this 'gang' who was still conscious. "What am I? Someone who uses her power the right way, to help people."
"Stop it right there!"
Warwitch turned to the one police officer who had just arrived. "You're gonna need a bunch of you to take these guys to prison."
"I said freeze!"
Warwitch walked to the man, who just stared at her. She wasn't even close to Usagi when it came to reading people, but this man's fear was clearly visible, he was shaking. "I have no reason to hurt you, so stop pointing that thing at me. It's rude. Calling for reinforcements so you can take that trash I left lying around to the nearest prison would be a much wiser use of your time."
"I..." The man lowered his gun. "You're acting outside the law."
"A 'thank you' would be enough," Warwitch said. "Teleport."
The man stood there, surprised for a few seconds, before sighing. "Damn vigilantes."
------
Yukiko chuckled as she observed the cops taking the gang she had knocked out away. In a way, she was glad she still had her secret identity - tough as it was to keep it nowadays. She looked to the side as she noticed something familiar, and smiled. "Hey, Usagi!"
Usagi saw Yukiko waving at her, then sensed something. She could a white-haired woman walking straight to Yukiko from behind, but the power she was sensing... It had to be wrong. "Yuki, behind you!"
Yukiko turned and saw a woman growling at her. White hair tied up in buns much like Usagi's ones, and a white business suit which suddenly morphed into something which was halfway between a Sailor Senshi outfit and a swimsuit. "What-"
"Gotcha!" the woman said and rushed at Yukiko, putting a hand in her forehead. As she pulled the hand back, Usagi - who had been rushing in to help - could see a small item pop out of Yukiko's forehead - it looked like a small seed. "Aw crap, a dud."
"Damn it, what did you do to her?" Usagi snapped. "Moon Cosmic Power!"
The woman chuckled. "I would be more worried about what she'll do to you, human."
Moon saw her foe turn to leave and glared at her. "Cosmic Flash!"
The woman turned as the attack hit, smiling mockingly at her. "Seriously? I am one of Galaxia's strongest soldiers. I won't waste my time fighting a weakling. Have fun!"
"Damn it!" Moon glared at the spot where the woman had been for a second, but then sensed movement behind her, and was barely able to move aside as someone rushed by. She looked at the new foe. Wearing a purple Sailor Suit, with a very short skirt - even by Senshi standards - and holding a couple magic wands. Still, she recognized this foe. "What... Yuki?"
The fake Senshi laughed. "I hope you're ready to be demolished by the burning passion of Sailor Otaku!"
Moon saw Yukiko strike a pose, and winced. "Damn did we look that silly back when we did that?"
"Who are you calling silly? You're the one wearing a bad cosplay. Who are you supposed to be, Cutie Honey's uglier sister?"
Moon frowned. Whatever that woman had done to Yukiko, it had turned her into... Well, probably what she would be like if she didn't curb her enthusiasm. She saw the 'seed' still floating in mid-air, near them, and blinked. "The whole 'take something out of the target' deal again? This is getting old."
'Sailor Otaku' growled at her. "I see you're not taking me seriously, evildoer. Let that be your last mistake. Manga storm!"
Moon had to admit that Otaku was right, she hadn't been taken her opponent seriously enough. But after being knocked back half a block by a wave of manga pages, she could see this enemy was quite a threat. "Damn it, Yukiko, get a-" she looked at the 'seed' and frowned. It seemed impossible, and yet... "Oh, I get it. Cosmic Flash!"
Otaku was knocked down by the attack, but leapt back up and charged. Before Moon could react, she had already hit her several times - with a rolled-up manga. "Time to finish this! DVD Finisher!"
Another 'beam' was shot, this time made of Anime DVDs. Moon was shocked, this 'Otaku' had looked like a bad joke at first, but... She fell to one knee and winced. She had to think of something, or else...
Otaku smiled and summoned a sword twice as tall as her. "Time to rid the world of you, evildoer. Mecha Blad-"
"Golden Paw."
Moon saw Otaku get hit from the side, and 'fly' for a whole block before hitting a car. "Yuki!"
Luna rushed by - in her Senshi form, and smiled at Moon. She grabbed the seed and dropped it on Sailor Otaku's forehead, and the fake Senshi turned back into her old self. "It's done."
Moon tried to stand up. "You didn't need to hurt-"
Luna returned Moon's glare. "Yes, I did. That's how this will work as long as whoever did this is around. You need to weaken these fake Senshi or knock them out cold before returning them to normal."
Moon looked down. "Sorry." She then blinked and looked up at her friend. "Wait, how do you know-"
"Who was the enemy?"
"Some white-haired girl, her suit looked like a Senshi suit. She mentioned Galaxia, I think I've heard that name before-" Moon stopped as she saw Luna's face. It was the first time she saw Luna that scared. "Luna?"
"It's just as I feared, only someone like Galaxia could give others such a power."
"How did you know-"
"If you don't mind, call all your friends. Any who is able to use magic. I need to warn you about this, but I'd rather do it once."
Moon saw Luna return to normal, and sighed. "Thanks for saving my life."
"It's what I-" Luna shook her head. "No, even if it wasn't my mission to protect you, I would not let you die, Usagi. You're like a daughter to me."
Moon blushed slightly, then sighed. "Okay, I'll call the others."
Luna saw Yukiko stir and smiled. "Welcome back."
"What the heck-"
"I'll explain it all, but not here."
"... Gotcha."
Moon was done talking through her communicator, and turned to them. "You don't remember a thing? That's sort of good. You turned into a fake Sailor Senshi and, frankly, kicked my badly. Luna had to jump in and fight you herself."
"Whoa, I missed the one time I was able to beat Sailor Moon?" Yukiko said, then noticed the way Moon was looking at her. "Uh, sorry, I just-"
Moon smiled. "It's fine. Let's go to the base, Luna will tell us what we know about that white-haired freak."
------
"So, she's already here."
"We have to make sure she doesn't get the golden seed."
"I know that. What about the Senshi?"
"They're too weak to face her. We should focus on our mission, this world's fate is irrelevant for us."
Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 7: The Senshi of Chaos.
Episode 99: Legendary Senshi.
By Razor Knight
Last update: June 8, 2015
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 7: The Senshi of Chaos.
Episode 99: Legendary Senshi.
By Razor Knight
Last update: June 8, 2015
-----
"So, here we are," Terry commented, looking around the room. "If we keep on getting allies, we'll need a bigger base."
Usagi smiled at Luna. "I think you have a lot of things to explain."
Luna nodded. "This new enemy will be more dangerous than anything you've faced thus far. I only heard of such an ability in legends, legends which were already old and mostly forgotten in Silver Millennium. Also... The enemy Usagi faced, and who turned Yukiko into a 'fake Senshi' mentioned Galaxia."
Ami paled. "."
Luna wasn't amused at all by Ami's reaction, because she knew its cause. "I can guess you read about her."
"Yes," Ami said, "she was one of the first Senshi, and possibly the most powerful Senshi ever born. She supposedly died fighting a strong enemy known as Chaos."
Luna smiled. "That's the official version, but the legend I read... This creature, Chaos, erased mankind from many worlds, including the Earth, but Galaxia defeated it. Or so she thought. Chaos needed a host, and after its previous host was destroyed, it used Galaxia's rage and despair against her, taking over her and destroying her very soul. However, Galaxia's last act before being erased was to teleport to a very distant galaxy, buying this galaxy time, hoping by the time Chaos returned there would be Senshi here who could destroy it for good."
"Wait, how long has it been since that happened?"
"A few million years," Luna explained.
"So basically, you're telling us there's a group of Senshi who shrug Moon's attack off, turn anyone they target into a fake Senshi who can kick Moon's rear, and are being lead by an immortal, evil Senshi who may possibly out-power us all combined?"
Luna looked at Minako. "That's right."
Artemis saw Minako's worried face and smiled. "We have faith in you, guys."
Shade nodded. "And we don't even know if it's the same Galaxia. It could be someone using that legend to scare potential enemies away."
"Well, I hope that's the case."
Usagi frowned. "Guys, what if she's supposedly invincible? Fighting isn't the only way to fix things. She's a Senshi, perhaps..."
"Sailor Galaxia is gone," Luna said, "what's left is a soul-less puppet."
"Can you be sure of that?"
Luna stared at Usagi for a few seconds before shaking her head. "No, all I have are legends."
Usagi nodded. "So, perhaps there is a way to win without killing her. But guys, don't underestimate the fake Senshi. I did, and it almost got me killed, again."
"Any of you could be a target. The 'seed' Usagi saw coming out of Yukiko is called a Star Seed. It's basically a representation of your soul, in a much more complete sense than the 'Heart Crystals' were. Also, unlike the crystals, you won't die from having that seed removed, unless it's destroyed. I'm not sure what the enemy is after, but-"
"The Golden Seed."
Shade looked at Ami. "What is that?"
Ami had been busily browsing her computer's archives while listening to the cats, and she had found something the trio didn't seem to know about. "It's an old legend, that one Senshi of each system, of each generation, has a Golden Seed, a special seed."
"When Yuki's seed showed up, that woman said it was 'a dud,'" Usagi noted. "Perhaps they're looking for that golden one."
Terry turned to Luna. "Say, just out of curiosity, what 'level' was Galaxia supposedly at?"
"It can't be classified, much like with every Serenity we know of - A level beyond Holy, sometimes called "Aeon." But what makes her different to every other 'Aeon' Senshi we know of, is the source of her power."
Ami flinched at that. "I had thought about this. If Senshi are named after the thing they take their power from, then she has... The power of a whole galaxy."
"Crap, that's just-"
Usagi looked at her friends in turns. "We shouldn't give up before we try. That's not how a Senshi should be."
"You're right," Rei said, "it's not like any of our wars have been easy. We'll find a way to beat that Galaxia woman."
-----
Next morning, Usagi was greeted by a familiar sight - the school's entrance was completely blocked by a crowd of students, mostly females. "Eh... It was today?"
"Sure was," Rei said with a smirk.
"So those three are coming to our school," Usagi said, looking up at Rei.
Rei leapt off her air board and shrugged. "Brings back memories, huh?"
"You're talking like it happened years ago."
"Ugh, I should have known this would happen."
Usagi heard Hotaru's voice, then heard screams coming from the crowd and saw some students running away. She could see the reason as the crowd dispersed: Several skeletal arms had risen from the ground. "Hotaru..."
"What? They were in my way, and those are not meant to harm, just hold."
"Still, that's not nice," Usagi said. "Effective, but not nice."
"I'm not nice to those I consider annoyances."
"I thank you for dispersing the crowd, however, it was not needed."
Hotaru looked at the guy who had just spoken. Brown hair, tied in a long ponytail which almost brushed the ground. One of the three people responsible for that mess. "I didn't do it for you."
"Thank you anyways," the guy said, then looked at her. "You know, it's a rare sight to see a girl who's not interested in us."
"No offense, but you're just musicians. Me and my friends, we save the world a few times per year. Sorry if I'm not impressed by your popularity."
The black-haired guy smirked at that. "I like girls who see beyond the surface."
Hotaru sighed. "Sorry, I'm taken."
"From what I heard, that's true for all of you."
"Seiya, we should head for the classroom, the bell's about to ring."
Seiya, the black-haired guy, smiled. "Sure, we don't have anything better to do now that the fans were scared off."
Hotaru saw them walk in and sighed as she saw the way the other two girls were looking at her. "I know, I know, perhaps I could have been a bit nicer to them."
"I'm sure they know why you're so grim nowadays."
"The whole damn world knows," Hotaru said. "But... I don't think any of them really understands."
Usagi smiled at that. "I don't think anyone went through what you're-"
Hotaru shrugged. "I'll get over it, eventually."
-----
As the three reached their classroom, however, Hotaru felt her mood darken again. "Damn, they're in our group?"
Mako walked out of the crowd and smiled at them. "We're lucky, huh?"
"Your definition of luck worries me," Hotaru said.
Haruna walked in right then, and let out a very loud growl. "Not this again. Okay students, whoever is not from this class, leave, whoever is, please return to your seats. If that isn't done by the next minute, I'll suspend everyone until I feel like they've learnt the lesson."
Just like months before, the crowd quickly left the classroom. "How do you do that?"
Haruna smiled. "It's a talent you're born with, much like your powers."
-----
"Hey, it's Sailor Moon!"
Usagi saw a group of kids run her way and let out a short sigh. "Guess that's me."
"Can you show us your suit?"
Usagi smiled. "Sure. Moon Cosmic Power!"
"Whoa..."
"Cute."
Naru walked by and chuckled. "It never gets old, huh?"
Moon smiled at her. "I guess." She turned back to normal (causing some of the children to complain) and walked to her friend. "Haven't seen you much outside the base or school."
"Sorry about that, I'm just- Trying to learn all I can so I can run the store when I'm older."
Usagi noticed the children had left - a part of her liked the attention, and she knew it - then nodded at her friend. "You know, I kind of envy you. Heck, most of you guys already know what you'll do -"
"You'll be a queen someday, what are you complaining about?"
"Yeah, but what about before that?"
"I'm not sure even those who could answer that will."
"Ugh, right. I guess I'll have to figure it out on my own."
Naru was about to say something else, but then saw someone else walking to them. "Hey, Umino!"
Umino smiled at them. "Hi girls, what's up?"
Usagi saw something and flinched. "Umino, watch out!"
Umino turned around and shot a yellow energy beam at the white-haired woman, who just stood there, smiling coldly at him. "... Well crap, she's as strong as you said."
The woman did the same she had done with Yukiko, and again, the seed that came out was a dull brown. "Damn it, another failure."
Usagi saw the woman turn to leave, and growled. "Hey, stay and fight!"
Her foe turned to her, laughing. "Fool, I could kill you in one hit if I wanted, but my boss would kill me if I did."
Naru noticed Umino was wrapped in darkness. "Then what if one of those fakes you create-"
"That's just a side effect, anyone with magic could turn into a better version of themselves when their souls are removed. We can't stop it, and we've been told those of your level should have no trouble fighting them."
And with that, the woman was gone. Naru, or rather Nemesis, looked at Umino and flinched. "What the heck..."
Umino's outfit looked like a cross between a karate gi and a Senshi outfit, and Nemesis recognized it. "Ryu Hoshi, really?"
"I am Dragon Gamer."
Moon frowned. "Not going to let you get the upper hand. Cosmic Flash!"
A small blast shot at the Dragon, who smiled. "Hadoken!"
Nemesis saw the two blast cancel each other and frowned. "Damn it. Shadow Surge."
The Dragon used a huge sword to split the beam in half. "If this is all you got, then you'll never def-"
Moon blinked in awe. One moment the Dragon had been gloating, the next he was flying sideways. As the enemy crashed into a car, Moon turned to the newcomer. "Uh, thanks."
Jupiter looked at the Dragon as Nemesis returned his seed to him. "I didn't hit him too hard, did I?"
Umino woke up and flinched. "I feel like a pack of Koopas ran over me."
Jupiter sighed. "Sorry, that was me."
"Well, it worked, so I won't complain," Umino said. "Naru, are you free right now?"
Nemesis smiled. "Yeah. Let's go home."
Moon watched the couple walk away then noticed someone was walking to them. "Uh..."
The woman looked at the car that had been hit during the battle - its driver side was quite wrecked. "Hey, who's going to pay for this?"
Jupiter flinched. "Damn, I'm sorry, we-"
"I don't care if you kids are saving the world, you can't just-"
Suddenly, another figure appeared near them. "I'll take care of that, or rather, dad will."
Moon blinked in shock. "Phase?"
"I was watching your battle."
"When did you learn how to teleport?"
"Warwitch taught me," Phase said, "anyhow..." She turned to look at the wrecked car's owner. "Apologies for the inconvenience our battle has caused you. I've already contacted someone and a brand new car will be arriving here in a few minutes."
"That's-" The woman was both relieved and surprised. "You'll replace it, just like that?"
"It's our fault it was damaged," Jupiter said. She looked at Phase and sighed. "Tell Terry I'm sorry, too."
"I don't think he'll mind," Phase admitted.
"Phase, you don't mind if we leave, right?"
"Go ahead, I'll stay here until the car arrives."
"Teleport."
The woman smiled. "You don't have to-"
"I just want to make sure they got the model right," Phase said as Moon and Jupiter vanished.
-----
As Moon appeared in the base, she saw someone there, and gasped. "Aiko? But-"
Aiko smiled. "I have more than one 'copy' of my body."
Jupiter looked at her. "Getting an army ready to take over the world, huh?"
Aiko chuckled. "With you guys around, that would be both pointless and painful."
"Where are Ami and Terry? I thought they would be-"
"I'm... Also with them, right now. Yuki's mom has been curious about my parents, so..."
"I can bet that will be interesting."
"I hope it goes well," Aiko noted, "but best laid plans..."
-----
Yukiko sighed. She could guess this would be harder than fighting evil aliens, in a way. Still, it had to be done. "Mom, are you home?"
Her mother walked out of the kitchen, and smiled. "I see you brought some friends home..."
"Miss Fuyuko," Aiko said, going with the plan they had prepared, "there's something you should know about your daughter and me."
The woman noticed how serious Aiko's tone was. "... I'm listening."
Yukiko knew some things were better shown than told, so she decided to explain herself with actions. She closed her eyes, calling on the few spells she used to 'transform' and when she opened them, it was Warwitch standing there, not Yukiko. "I'm sorry I've kept this a secret from you, but-"
Fuyuko looked at Warwitch. "You're Warwitch? You-" only then she remembered who the other two teens, who had been silent through all this, were. "Oh, you two are Senshi, but what does that have to do with-"
"We'll explain that soon, but you should listen to your daughter," Ami said.
"Mom, you must have seen the news. It may be hard to accept, but I've been doing this since I was fourteen. Heck, I've helped the Senshi fight things I would have run away from before I found out about my powers."
"Are you a Senshi too?"
Warwitch shook her head. "No, I'm... I got my magic from another source. What's important is, I met Aiko thanks to these powers, and I met a lot of good friends too."
Aiko sighed as the woman looked at her. "Before you ask, I'm not a Senshi."
"What are you, then? Or am I wrong in assuming you're not a normal human?"
Aiko smiled as her arm turned into a sword. "Some wouldn't even consider me human."
The woman gasped. "What-"
And that's when Ami decided to talk. "Yukiko told us you wanted to meet Aiko's parents. See, a few years ago, we decided we needed a base from which to watch over the city. We created a program to run that base, an artificial intelligence system that could operate all the scanners and other things we needed without us having to keep an eye on them constantly. Said AI was, due to an unexpected, and hard to explain, external factor, able to gain self-awareness and, eventually, become more human than we could have dreamed of. Human enough to fool normal humans into thinking she's no different from them."
The woman looked at Aiko. Aiko. Of course, so she was... "So she's... A program?"
"The technical term would be 'cyborg' since my 'soul' is as human as yours, Fuyuko," Aiko said, then noticed the older woman was looking at Ami and Terry in turns, and smiled. "You're as smart as your daughter, so you must already be guessing it. They both created me, coded my original program, so I consider them - no, they are my parents."
Fuyuko sat on a chair and sighed. "This is... Too many things are not as I thought they were."
"Mom, we-"
"Yuki, you're still my daughter, and Aiko... I don't care how she started, I don't care what she is, I've seen the way you two look at each other and I would be a horrible mother if I did something to get between you. I just... Need some time to sort through all this."
Ami smiled. "We understand. Not the first time we've had to tell others who we are."
Fuyuko smiled back at her. "When we moved to this city, all Yukiko talked about was the Senshi. Heck, she's still like that."
"Some of us weren't quite okay with her... Enthusiasm," Terry admitted, "but she's friendly and she is willing to protect what she loves. She's a lot like us, even if her powers are different."
"Well, I guess I wanted to meet Aiko's parents, and I did, even though I wasn't ready for all the extra details," Fuyuko admitted. "Just out of curiosity, where is this... Base of yours?"
"Why?"
"I'm not going to tell anyone, I'm just curious... Let's say some of Yukiko's enthusiasm has rubbed unto me."
Aiko smiled. "We'll show you, but not right now."
"Why?"
"A black, plate-less van parking right next to one of the city's largest banks," Aiko said.
Warwitch sighed. "What about the others?"
"Nova's taking care of a meth lab, Ail and Ann are dealing with a gang near our school."
Yukiko looked at her mother. "Well, I guess I'll go have fun for a while."
Aiko nodded and her 'Phase' outfit formed over her normal clothing. "Let's go. Teleport."
Terry looked at Fuyuko. "You've taken all this better than we thought you would."
"Maybe it just hasn't hit me yet," Fuyuko admitted. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"How do you deal with being... With having to fight those creatures, risking your lives? I want to understand why Yuki does it."
"We were born with these powers," Ami said, "we can't simply stop being Senshi. There's no off button for this," and to drive her point home, she summoned a small ball of ice, letting it hover on her open hand for a few seconds before dismissing it. "Having these powers and not using them would be a waste, heck, when there's peace we all feel a bit restless. I guess Yukiko may be the same, she has powers and she feels like not using them is a waste, and if she can use them to help those who can't fight, then it's good that she has those powers, don't you think?"
Fuyuko smiled. "I guess I can only be proud of her, I thought she didn't know what to do with her life, but she's already doing something so selfless..."
Terry nodded. "Well, if you excuse us, we're going back to our not-so-secret base, to see if there's anything out there causing trouble."
Fuyuko saw the two teenagers walk out the door and sighed. Her confusion was mostly gone, so she could honestly say she was proud of her daughter. And Yukiko's childhood fantasies of being a heroine had been more likely to happen than she had thought back then.
Sailor Moon Aeons.Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 7: The Senshi of Chaos.
Episode 100: Even more Senshi.
By Razor Knight
Last update: June 12, 2015
Act 7: The Senshi of Chaos.
Episode 100: Even more Senshi.
By Razor Knight
Last update: June 12, 2015
-----
Usagi had been feeling something, in her mind, for the whole morning. It wasn't her 'special' power detecting anything, just... What one would call a hunch. She walked into her house and sighed - everything seemed normal there, so maybe it was just her imagination. "Mom, are you home?"
Ikuko walked out of the kitchen and sighed. "Usagi, there's... A visitor."
"Visitor?" Usagi asked, but then felt it, a surge of energy. She saw a small girl walk to her and flinched. "Who is she?"
"No idea, and she doesn't quite talk, but-"
Luna walked down the stairs. "There's no evil intent in her. Despite the energy you're surely sensing, she doesn't seem to be different than a human toddler."
"Chibi!" the girl squeaked.
Usagi looked at her. "Uh, hi?"
"Chibi!" the girl repeated.
"What's your name, little girl?"
"Chibi Chibi!"
Usagi stared at the small girl. She seemed cute and harmless, but the magic she was sensing- She noticed something, a strange yet familiar feel to that magic. And the girl's looks also gave her an odd feeling. She had her red hair tied in small, heart-shaped buns, something which reminded her of... "ChibiUsa?"
Ikuko heard Usagi say that, and then looked at the girl. "You mean this kid could be-"
"I don't know, and there's only one person who could answer that." She picked the girl up, who didn't protest, and sighed. "I'll go see if I can have a talk with her now. Teleport."
Ikuko blinked as Usagi and the small girl vanished, then looked at Luna. "Is it possible? That small girl being my grand-daughter's..."
Luna noticed Ikuko's sad voice and sighed. "It's a possibility. A very unlikely one, but we've seen enough impossibles by now to know it shouldn't be discarded. Also, we're not sure ChibiUsa herself won't be back. We thought she wouldn't come back the first time she was around, after all."
"Usagi's face when she saw her... Is that girl really a mage?"
"She has magic energy, but I'm not sure she can use it, she may be too young," Luna said, "the thing is, what I detected was enough to make me doubt I could beat her, if she becomes our enemy."
-----
There were some Senshi who had rarely visited the base in the last six months, but this particular Senshi was the one who had visited it the least since it was built. Usagi looked at the older woman. "You wouldn't be here if there wasn't something important you had to tell us."
Setsuna smiled. "I had to wait until those I wanted to speak to were here. I'm going to take the weakest of your group with me for special training. They must be ready for the wars you'll fight in the future."
"The weakest..." Rei looked at Yuichiro and Umino. "Uh, guess you're right, our normal training won't get them to our level anytime soon."
"Will you help us?"
Setsuna smiled at Usagi. "In due time, I will." She looked at the small girl. "And also, I know what you've come here for. Don't let anything happen to that girl, she'll also help us, when the time is right."
"What-"
"You should know I can't answer that," Setsuna said. "I can tell you this much, however. Despite her uncanny resemblance to the Princess, she is not related to her."
Hotaru had been silently looking at the girl, and sighed. "I have to admit I was surprised when I saw her."
"In any case, the sooner we leave, the sooner we'll be back. Kumada, Gurio, whenever you're ready."
Yuichiro walked to Rei and hugged her. "I'm not sure how much this will take, but I'll do my best."
Naru looked at Setsuna. "You could just train them and bring them back right away."
"I'll bring them back at the right time," Setsuna said.
Umino grinned. "Time for a level up!"
"Umino, can't we have a normal farewell?" Naru asked with a groan.
"If you wanted normal, you wouldn't be dating me," Umino said.
Naru hugged him and sighed. "Guess you're right. Good luck."
"I'll try to bring them back in one piece," Setsuna joked, "oh, and I'll be taking someone else soon," she added before the three vanished.
"Uh, what did that mean?" Rei asked.
"She was looking at Usagi," Ami noted. "Still, she should stop doing that, it's quite annoying."
Hotaru chuckled. "That's probably one of the reasons she does it."
"Damn, we forgot to ask her about Galaxia," Rei said.
Nova appeared in the room and looked around. "Oh, there you are."
Usagi saw the way Nova was looking at her. "What's wrong?"
"You lied to Shingo. Why?"
"I didn't-" Usagi stopped and looked at her. "Is this about him 'not wanting' to be a Senshi?"
"Yes. He said you didn't notice he was lying when he said changed his mind. I don't think that's what happened. You're too good at reading people for something like that to go unnoticed."
Usagi smiled at Nova, despite her friend's tone and stare. "Thank you."
That made Nova's stare turn into a confused once. "Huh? Why?"
"For worrying about him so much. I'm glad you want to protect him, because that's just why I lied to him."
"... I don't follow."
"See, a part of him wants to be a Senshi, have the power to protect you... And me. But there was no- How to say it... When Terry risked turning into Dragon Saturn, I could see something in him, something that told me he was willing to risk his life - willing to take the chance despite the odds. I didn't see that in Shingo. He's full of doubt, scared, there's- There's no spark in him. Much despite myself, and I don't care if you don't like hearing this, we don't need a scared rookie who doesn't even trust himself. It may have worked - barely - back when I was fighting the Dark Kingdom, but... Not with the enemies we're facing now. He'll just get himself killed."
Nova seemed ready to shout at Usagi for a few seconds, but then shook her head. "Damn. I- You're right, Usagi. If he isn't sure he's up to the task, he'll just be in the way."
"Looking back, it was luck that kept us alive back then."
"And luck can turn against you," Terry said. "I think we know about that, eh Hana?"
Nova flinched at that. "Yes, of course." She looked at Usagi and smiled. "I won't tell Shingo what you told me. If a time comes when he's ready, then... I guess you'll know, right?"
"Right," Usagi said.
"I would love to stay, but there's a gang I'm hunting," Nova said, "I'll see you at school."
As Nova vanished, the others could see Usagi had a shocked face. Before they could ask, she chuckled. "I can guess the time will come sooner than I thought."
Terry looked at her, then muttered something in English the others couldn't hear. "So that's what Setsuna's last line meant?"
Usagi saw the girl staring at the base's computer. "Uh, don't touch that."
"Chibi?"
"Just don't, okay?"
"Chibi!" The small girl squeaked, and hugged Usagi's leg.
Rei smirked as Usagi picked the small girl up. "I would doubt that midget can help us at all, but... I can sense the energy in her."
Ami had been using her computer glove and visor to scan the girl. "Her latent power is beyond anything I've seen before. She's got enough power to beat us all."
"Chibi?"
"Good thing you're on our side," Usagi said to the small girl. "You are on our side, right?"
"Chibi!"
"Good."
Terry looked at Usagi. "Wait, you understand that Pokemon?"
Usagi smiled. "No, not at all."
"If she could speak, it would make things easier for us," Rei noted.
"It's never easy for us," Usagi said, "but I know we'll figure out what she's here for, eventually."
-----
That night, Mamoru was standing right outside the Tsukino house. When Usagi opened the door, however, he blinked in awe. "So, this is the girl? What's her name?"
"Chibi Chibi," Usagi said. That was what the girl had said when she asked her name, after all.
Mamoru smiled as he looked at Usagi. "She looks a lot like-"
"Coincidences do exist," Usagi noted. "I'm sorry I didn't get ready for our date, I'll-"
"I don't mind, I'm in love the girl, not the dress."
Usagi blushed at that. "Just let me put this small lady somewhere mom can keep an eye on... Her."
Mamoru noticed Usagi's face. "Small Lady, huh?"
"I miss her," Usagi said. "Silly me, right?"
"That's not silly, I miss her too," Mamoru said, "but unless there's something Pluto isn't telling us, we won't see her again for a long time-"
"Chibi!"
Usagi heard the small girl's squeak at the same time she sensed something. "Damn, that woman again."
The white-haired Senshi smiled coldly at them. "Just let me do my job, blonde joke."
Usagi understood what she meant and put Chibi Chibi down before glaring at the woman. "I won't let you touch him. Moon Cosmic Power!"
Mamoru saw Moon shoot an energy blast at the woman, who shrugged it off. Still... "Wait, you didn't-"
"Credit where credit's due," the woman said, "you are strong enough to not need to chant your attack's name. Still, you're not strong enough to hurt me."
Moon didn't say a thing, just rushed forwards, slashing at the woman with her sword. Or, rather, trying to, as the woman clutched her sword with her bare hand and then kicked her back. "Ugh, damn it, you..."
"The fight I'm not allowed to fight you doesn't mean I'll let you nag me for too long, weakling. Just be glad I didn't kick hard enough to break a few ribs." She tossed the sword away, then looked at Mamoru. "Hi there, cutie." She phased next to him and got his seed out. "Damn it, another dud. Galaxia's not going to be happy."
"Star Laser."
The woman was knocked to the ground by an attack, but stood up rapidly, looking in the direction the attack had come from. "You? We killed you!"
"Your merry gang of weaklings was too weak, but we didn't want to face Galaxia herself. That's why we let you think you had killed us."
"I'll just have to make sure you're dead now!" The woman said and shot a blast at whoever she was talking to.
"That's pointless, Iron Mouse," the figure said, walking out of the shadows, "you won't defeat me on your own."
Moon saw the newcomer had a strange suit, a black bra and a skirt that was too short even by Senshi standards - and skin-tight, too. The woman had long boots and gloves, too. Was she a Senshi? "Who are you?"
The new fighter ignored that. "Leave now, Mouse."
Iron Mouse glared at her. "As you wish. But if you interfere again, I'll destroy you!"
Moon saw Iron Mouse vanish, and the other girl turn to leave. "Hey, wait! Won't you help me?"
"I'm not here to save your world, human."
So much for her being an ally, Moon thought with a frown. Still... She turned to see Mamoru standing next to her, but instead of a Dragon suit, he was wearing a silver chain mail. "Uh... You were already up?"
Mamoru nodded. "It would be most cowardly to attack an enemy while they're distracted."
Moon had by now figured what his 'evil' name was, and his actions confirmed it. "I see, you're a knight."
"Indeed, I'm Dragon Knight. Are you ready to face me?"
Usagi couldn't help but smile at that. He was still courteous and polite even when turned evil. "I'm going to hate myself for beating you up," she noted.
The 'knight' laughed at that. "It's good that you won't have to hate yourself at all, then."
Okay, so he could also be a bit of a jerk at times...
Ikuko had seen everything from inside the house, along with Kenji, Shingo and Luna. "Luna, won't you help her?"
Luna sighed. "If I see her losing badly, I will. But I think she will get some unexpected help."
Kenji looked around. "Hey, where's Shingo?"
Moon's dodging skills had been put to the test for the last minute, as this Dragon Knight was using a huge sword to try and chop her in half, and swinging it as if it was feather-light. Having to dodge constantly didn't let her time to gather enough magic to attack him. If only she had her sword, she could-
"Moon Dragon Power!"
Dragon Knight had been about to slash down at Moon again, but stopped mid-slash and jumped back, just as someone hissed by. "Hmph, a squire interrupting a warrior's duel. How rude."
"Politeness is overrated," the new Dragon snapped. "Moon Flash!"
Dragon Knight staggered back, more out of surprise than pain, as the area around them lit up with a light brighter than the sun. "Such cheap tactics..."
Years ago, with something as unexpected as this, Moon would have been unsure of what to do, but once again, her training helped her think quick when she needed to. "Thanks, Shingo," she said before shooting a blast at point blank, which knocked the evil Dragon down. She noticed he was out cold and returned his seed. "I guess I should say 'welcome to the team.'"
"I was scared of-"
"I know," Moon said. "And I understand. I got scared all the time back when I started fighting, but I knew I had the chance to protect those who can't fight against these threats..."
"I still don't know how much I will help, I mean-"
Moon smiled. "There's a way for you to power up 'fast,' but it won't be easy, if what I heard from Haruka and Michiru is true."
"... What is it?"
"Sailor Pluto, the Senshi of Time, is right now training two of the Dragons, who joined up much later than the rest of us."
"Mars and Lilith."
Moon blinked at that. "Yeah... Did you find about that on the net?"
"No, Hana told me."
Mamoru woke up and groaned. "Ouch, my everything hurts."
"Sorry, I had to knock you out," Usagi explained.
"Don't worry, I'm used to it from training." He looked at the new Dragon. "Oh, we got a new Dragon?"
Ikuko walked out of the house right then, followed by Kenji. "I won't say I hadn't wondered about this," the man said, "but I didn't expect you to actually be one of them."
"Hey, if my sister can do it, so can-" Dragon Moon stopped as Moon knocked him down with a leg swipe. "Ow!"
"Your sister's gone through hellish training," Moon noted, "and so will you."
The Dragon was staring up at Moon in awe. "What-"
"When she gets serious, she can be quite scary," Mamoru admitted.
"I'm just preparing him for Pluto."
"You say that like I'm a torturer."
Moon blinked and turned back. "Hi, Setsuna."
"Hi."
"So, you'll start training him right away?"
Pluto looked at Moon. "The sooner he learns how to fight, the sooner he'll be able to help your team."
Ikuko looked at the woman. "No offense, but you look... Too old to be a Senshi."
Pluto smiled. "No offense taken. I'm much older than I look." She then bowed to Ikuko and Kenji. "It's an honor to finally meet the Princess' parents."
Ikuko nodded. "I've been told you don't usually socialize. Nice to meet you... Setsuna, is it?"
"That is my civilian name, even though I don't use it a lot."
Dragon Moon sighed. "Uh, I guess I'll see you later, mom, dad."
"Have fun," Kenji said, sarcastically.
"Yeah... I'm not sure that will happen."
Pluto smiled. "I'll bring him back soon. Farewell."
Moon sighed and turned back to normal. "I don't envy him. Training with Hakko was hellish, but from what I've heard, she's even worse."
Mamoru looked around, noticing the neighbours had been gathering as they spoke. "You know, if we hurry, we can still watch that movie..."
Usagi wasn't in the mood for fans, so she nodded at him. "Let's go. Teleport."
Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 7: The Senshi of Chaos.
Episode 101: Trial by fire.
By Razor Knight
Last update: June 22, 2015
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 7: The Senshi of Chaos.
Episode 101: Trial by fire.
By Razor Knight
Last update: June 22, 2015
-----
"Your brother is a Senshi too?"
Usagi smiled. "I feel kind of sorry for him, though. Not even a Senshi for one hour, and he was already 'borrowed' by Pluto."
Terry shrugged at that. "Setsuna is right, we don't need rookies, and if she can speed up the learning process..."
"What about that other Senshi?"
Usagi shook her head. "Other than her weird outfit, I don't know a thing about her. At least I know our current enemy is 'Sailor Iron Mouse.'"
"That sounds like an underground metal band's name, not a Senshi name," Mako muttered.
Usagi noticed Terry seemed deep in thought. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Terry shrugged. "Not much, I was just thinking I'd love to challenge Pluto to a fight, no powers."
Hotaru chuckled at that. "No offense, but she would beat you easily."
"None taken, I figured as much. I just like facing strong enemies."
Ami looked at Usagi. "I wanted to ask something... Have you sensed the enemy?"
Usagi nodded. "Yes. Aiko, can you get me a map of the city?"
Aiko appeared near her, and 'summoned' a large image in mid-air, a map of Tokyo. "There you go."
"Thanks." Usagi looked at the map and then put her finger in a seemingly random part of it. "There."
"I thought you couldn't pinpoint things-" Terry started, then frowned. "Wait, if you knew, why didn't you tell us?"
Usagi's face turned serious. "Because I feared any of you would try doing something stupid. The energy I'm feeling from that place is... I can't really describe it, but I'll just say whoever is there, is much stronger than even Pluto."
"So it may be the real Galaxia," Ami noted.
Terry looked at Usagi. "Wait, are you saying we can't defeat them?"
"I'm not giving up before trying, but we should deal with any 'Generals' Galaxia has before we face her."
"So we let the enemy attack and fight them when they're weakened? That's worked for us in the past," Mako said.
Usagi looked at Aiko. "Can you feel their power?"
"I'm trying to get through whatever they're using to stop me from sens- Oh ."
"Guess she feels it." Hotaru noted, then saw Aiko was pale. "Is it that bad?"
"Usagi can sense things I can't, but I can put data into raw numbers... Whoever is inside that building is a million times stronger than Usagi... Stronger than even Pluto."
"You should all heed the Princess' words, attacking them right now would only get you killed."
Usagi saw Pluto was there, along with someone else. "Eh, that was fast."
Yuichiro sighed. "It's been one hell of a month for me."
"So, did it work?" Terry asked.
Yuichiro smirked. "Mars Cosmic Power."
"Eh, that's cheating," Terry muttered.
Usagi noticed Dragon Mars' staff was longer, and also golden. "Wait, your weapon was also a talisman?"
"It could happen with others," Pluto admitted. "I'm going back, still need to train the other two."
"Tell my brother I said hi."
Pluto smiled at Usagi. "He told me to say hi to you, too."
As Pluto vanished, Yuichiro looked around. "I used to think the way Rei trained was tough. I know better now."
"Let me call Rei, I'll tell her you're back."
Yuichiro smiled at Aiko. "Nah, I'll go to the shrine. I want to surprise her."
As he left, the only other guy in the room frowned. "I still say that's cheating."
"You're jealous," Ami noted, "and I'm not sure of what. You're the only dual Senshi in our era."
Terry chuckled. "Uh, yeah, I guess there's that."
Usagi was, meanwhile, talking to Mako. "Remember back when Terry and Ami were avoiding speaking about something, and you made fun of them?"
Mako knew just why Usagi was saying that. "Ugh. I knew you knew, I was just waiting to see how long it would take for you to start pestering me."
"He likes you."
"I've know that for a while. What if it doesn't work?"
Hotaru had been listening to them, and walked to Mako as she said that. "I'm talking from my own experience when I say it doesn't matter if it doesn't work, or if you must wait for them for a very long time. The Hotaru from before I met you all wouldn't know this, but falling in love is one of the best things that can happen to you, even with all the problems and pain it can bring at times."
Usagi smiled at that. "Does Kage know..."
"He's been making excuses about it for the last six months. And of course, right now he has a new excuse, a what if. He may be my best friend but I feel like glaiving him, sometimes."
Mako chuckled at that and then sighed. "I'm still not sure I want to-"
"Mako, remember how me and Mamoru started."
Hotaru smiled. "And even though I'm happy I met Chibi, I don't regret the time I spent dating Kage."
"Is he a good kisser?" Mako asked, then saw Hotaru look down. "Wait, you two-"
"It's one of the things that let me realize I didn't love him the romantic way. But hey, it's more fun finding out on your own, right?"
"I guess. I'll give this some more thought, but... You're right, I'll have to make up my mind about this issue soon."
-----
Hino saw his granddaughter walk out of the temple in a hurry, and blinked. "Rei, what's wrong?"
Rei was speeding up even before he said that. "Sorry, I got to go, I don't want to wreck the shrine again."
"Good luck, Sailor Mars."
"Thanks, I'll need it." Rei summoned her air board and started flying away, but it only took a minute for the enemy to appear. The white-haired woman floating in mid-air tried to look menacing, but her outfit didn't help. "Oh hey, it's Mighty Mouse."
"... Iron Mouse, actually," Mouse said, not getting the joke. "But I don't like talking to my prey."
"Who's the prey," Rei muttered. "Mars Cosmic Power! Flame Rain!"
Iron Mouse was wrapped in flames, but didn't seem to notice the attack. "You guys still try, huh? That's not going to work, Mars. Now let's see your seed!"
Mars chuckled as Iron Mouse crashed face-first into her barrier. "Play with fire and you shall burn."
Mouse punched the shield, which resisted her attack. "Damn it, how can you have so much power?" She kept on punching the shield, causing shock waves strong enough to shatter the windows of nearby buildings. But still, the shield didn't fall. "Impossible."
"Mars Flame Hydra!"
Mouse looked at the newcomer as several snake-like constructs wrapped around her. "Ugh, another hothead."
Mars looked at Dragon Mars. "Yuu?"
"Hi Rei, need help?"
Mars noticed his suit was different. "Cosmic level?"
Mouse laughed. "You pathetic fools, I've made Eternal level Senshi kneel before me. You're nothing!"
Mars frowned. "This is pointless. You won't get me out of this shield."
Iron Mouse glared at Mars, but then smirked. "Don't be so sure about that."
"Starlight Thunder!"
Dragon Mars saw his girlfriend get knocked out of her own shield by an electric beam, which punched through it like a soap bubble. "Rei!"
Mouse caught Mars mid-fall and took her seed out, then dropped her on a nearby rooftop. "And of course it's another dud," she muttered looking at the dull seed.
Dragon Mars looked at the one who had attacked Mars. "You... Flame Hydra!"
"Starlight Inferno!" the attack destroyed the construct, and the new Senshi smiled at the Dragon. "Nothing personal, human. We're not enemies, but if we get that seed, it will draw Galaxia out."
The Dragon growled at her, noticing Iron Mouse had taken her chance to leave. "You hurt Rei, so as far as I'm concerned, you are an enemy."
"So be it," the Senshi said, "but I have better things to do than babysit a weakling."
Dragon Mars glared at the point the new Senshi had been standing on, but then saw a barrage of fire pellets heading his way. "Oh, right." When she looked at Rei, however, he almost thought she was back to normal. Mars was now wearing a priestess outfit, but the flames surrounding her told him she wasn't really herself. "Uh, hi?"
"Evildoers, feel the cleansing fire of Sailor Miko!"
The Dragon summoned his staff. "Fight fire with fire, as they say. Flame Hydra!"
Sailor Miko leapt out of the way and laughed. "Don't you have another attack?"
"Yes, but I needed you to be airborne for it. Flame Hydra Seeker!" The flame constructs had been about to crash into a building, but they corrected their course as the Dragon shouted, and headed straight for Miko. "Gotcha."
Miko smiled. "Not really. Spell Storm." Countless ofuda appeared around Miko, swirling for a split second before bursting aflame, and shooting in all directions around her. "Evil spirit, begone."
"That's what we should be saying. Aether Wall."
Dragon Mars saw a dome of energy form around the area, stopping Miko's attack. "Who the-"
Moon run in. "Sorry I'm late."
"Sorry," the Dragon said, "I guess I wasn't strong enough yet."
"Not even I can go one on one with these fake Senshi," Moon noted, "it's a good thing I can sense them."
Miko growled at them. "Another creep to fight? Good. Flaming... Fist!" A beam of fire shot from her hand as she swung it forwards, and she smiled. "Die."
Moon punched the attack, reflecting it back at Miko. "Sorry, I've done that too much already."
"How-"
"I'll explain later, now..."
Miko saw Moon run at her, and shot another fire beam. However, Moon vanished before the beam hit. Miko guessed what she was planning, and spun around, shooting another beam... But Moon wasn't there. "What-"
"I knew you were smart enough to guess, but you guessed wrong," Moon said from above, before shooting an energy blast downwards, knocking Miko out.
The Dragon returned Rei's seed, and sighed as she turned back to normal. "Usagi, how do you-"
"There's a thing I found out about our powers, a thing I guess we wouldn't be able to do until we practiced long enough. You don't need any motion, or any shout, to summon an attack. Just thinking about using it is enough."
"Then why did you shout-"
"Hunter magic is different, and I'll need to practice a lot more to be able to cast all spells without using their names."
"Always one step ahead, huh?"
Moon saw Mars standing up, and smiled as a ball of energy appeared in her hand. "It helps us get the upper hand on our foes, so I think I'll teach everyone how to do it."
Mars smiled back at her. "I remember a few years ago, you didn't want to train. Now you're eager to teach us."
"It'll be an excuse to kick you around, so it's a win/win, right?" Moon mused. Of course, she was joking, and Mars knew it, their old 'arguments' were long gone.
-----
As she opened her eyes, it was clear to her she wasn't just waking up from a dream. She hadn't died, either, she had just been... Away. It was hard to explain, but as pieces of her memory returned to her, she knew who she was - and, at the same time, she wasn't her, she was someone... Something else.
"Good, you're awake."
She looked at the one other person in the room. Gold hair, golden skin, gold eyes, even her suit was golden. "What happened to me?"
"Do you know who you are?"
She nodded. "My name is Prin- No, Black Lady."
"A part of you was the Princess, indeed, but we've given you a chance to fight again. The princess is gone, back to the future where she belongs, and may never return, but we managed to get samples of her DNA, and-"
"You created me," Black Lady said, then frowned. "Was it Onara?"
"Yes. I've been funding his research for a long time now, hoping to find a way to defeat the Senshi."
"Senshi..." Black Lady growled. "Where are they?"
"Curb your enthusiasm," the woman said, "The Senshi have grown much stronger than any of us, but we're looking for a way to destroy them."
Black Lady closed her eyes and frowned. "I don't sense the Ginzuishou."
"That's because we're hiding somewhere they'll never find us. Or at least, they won't find us until they grow much stronger than they are."
The pink-haired woman looked at her benefactor. "I can feel something in me has also changed."
"We've improved you, in a way. You have powers you didn't have before."
"What would stop me from just destroying you and these 'others' you speak of?"
"That you know, deep inside, that you can't win against the Senshi on your own. We've all lost our personal battles against the Senshi, and we've learnt our lesson well. We'll have time to shoot at each other after the Earth is ours - or we could split it evenly."
Black Lady finally managed to identify this woman. She remembered her from the Princess' memories, a tale from before she was born, even from before her first trip to the past. "You are... You were supposed to be dead. What is your name, youma?"
The woman smiled. "Aurite. My name is Aurite."
Sailor Moon Aeons.
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 7: The Senshi of Chaos.
Episode 102: Diamond in the rough.
By Razor Knight
Last update: June 24, 2015
Book 2: Rebirth.
Act 7: The Senshi of Chaos.
Episode 102: Diamond in the rough.
By Razor Knight
Last update: June 24, 2015
-----
Brad was surprised by what Usagi had just explained. "So you can use magic without having to chant the spell or move. That's impressive. And to be honest, I didn't expect you to be the first to learn how to do that."
"You knew it was possible?" Minako asked.
"It was... A legend. Looking back, maybe I should have told you about this before, I've seen quite a few 'legends' about the Senshi come true already. Anyways, this is how it goes: Every Senshi can, with practice, do what Usagi says she can do. Some normal mages were rumored to be able to do that too, but it was said only the strongest non-Senshi mages could reach that goal, as it took them countless years to master such skill."
"Let me guess, Merlin?"
"Yeah, that guy was what ever Hunter would want to be."
Usagi smiled. "I guess I should show you what I can do, then if anyone wants to try..."
"Go ahead," Terry said, "only person I knew who can use 'magic' that way is Hana - but I'm not even sure she's using mana."
Usagi nodded, then stood still for a few seconds. Arcs of electricity started running along her arms, then a blast of lightning came, not from her hands, but from her torso, hitting the far wall of the room. Before the others could react to this, Usagi had already summoned light crescents - lunar magic - which swirled around her body like a sort of shield. "In a way," she explained, turning to look at Brad, without her movement disrupting the magic 'bubble' around her, "this is a lot like controlling our air boards, or our weapons."
"It would help us a lot in battle," Ami admitted, "so we should all try to learn how to do it."
"I never saw you train to do that," Aiko noted.
"It didn't take me too long to get it right, once I knew what I wanted to do. And you wouldn't have seen a thing, as most of the training is silent and motionless." As Usagi said that, the light around her turned black.
"Quit showing off," Rei muttered.
"Showing off is the best way of showing how," Terry mused. "Anyhow, I think someone else already figured it out."
Being focused on Usagi, the others hadn't noticed it, but Minako was holding a ball of light in her hand - without having called out any attack. "Heh, sure did. Just as Usagi says, it's not that hard to-" she stopped as the light in her hand started wobbling. "... Crap." The others leapt away just as the energy in Minako's hand exploded. She didn't look hurt, other than in her pride.
Usagi nodded. "Even after you got it, you still need to practice for a while. The slightest distraction, the smallest movement, could disrupt your spell if you don't learn to control it."
"One would think it would be easier, since we already do these spells while moving and calling them out."
Brad shook his head. "Actually, the movement and words help the mage focus and give shape to the spell. Without movement or words, the spell is harder to cast."
"Worth a shot," Rei said. The others noticed she had flames wrapped around her arms. The flames faded out and she sighed. "The old me wouldn't admit this, but I'm impressed you could master something this difficult, Usagi."
Usagi smiled at her. "I don't think I've mastered it yet, which is why I hadn't used it in battle until recently."
"Even the master needs to practice," Terry said, "Just try not to blow the base to bits while practicing, guys."
"We shouldn't even joke about that," Minako said, "what would happen to Aiko if-"
Aiko chuckled. "I guess I never told you this, guys, but I've managed to transfer my 'soul' to this body. I can make copies, that's how I can use more than one body at a time. I still have a link with the base's computer, but I wouldn't 'die' if it was destroyed."
"That's good to know," Usagi said, "weird, too, but we're used to weird."
-----
"Mouse, you've failed enough. If your next target doesn't have a golden seed, then I'll put Siren in charge."
Sailor Iron Mouse knelt before the woman scolding her. She had no reason to complain, nor she wanted to - despite her own power, she knew Galaxia was too strong for her. And her loyalty to her, though born from fear, was still enough to keep her from trying. "I understand, Queen Galaxia. I'll need to choose my target better."
"That you do. And don't underestimate your enemies, like Papillon did."
-----
Mako was a bit angry at herself. She had had plenty of chances to talk to him lately, but she had let them slip. What was she afraid of? That he didn't like her? Usagi said he did, and that girl was a damn romance detector. Afraid of falling in love and then losing him? He could die, they all could die. That didn't stop any of the other girls and guys in her team, so why... She sighed. She had decided to go for a walk, to clear her mind, but it wasn't helping.
"Mako? What's the matter?"
Mako turned to her left and saw someone leaning on a tall fence. She blushed as she saw who it was. "Uh, I was... Just going for a walk. What are you doing here?"
"This is where Setsuna lives... Well, she isn't around a lot."
"Oh." Mako looked at him. She didn't plan on meeting him, and a part of her was still terrified, but she knew running from this particular problem would not help, at all. "Kage, listen, I..."
Kage smiled. "I know."
Mako sighed. "I need to say it. I like you. No, it's more than just 'like.' I've been a fool, not telling you this for months, but I'm tired of running away."
"I like you, too," Kage said, "you're strong, a good friend and a great cook. I was also a fool, doubting myself because of the past. Let's make sure neither of us regrets this."
"I guess going for a walk did help, after all," Mako mused.
"Should we go to the base?"
"Is that a date?" Mako asked back in jest.
"Heh, no. I've already got something planned, though."
"... Now you've made me curious."
-----
Usagi was at the base, once again. After her explanation the day before, most of her friends had started practicing, and some of them were already showing results. "Nice, Rei."
Rei had a falcon-like flame construct perched on her right shoulder. "It's still hard to keep the spell stable, but not impossible."
Usagi saw the elevator's doors opening, and chuckled. "Finally, you guys."
Terry wondered what she meant for a second, then looked at the two who had walked out of the elevator. Mako and Kage, who were holding hands. "I can't talk, but it did take you a while."
Hotaru walked to the new couple and smiled at them. "I've been trying to convince this guy to confess for months. Glad he finally-"
"... She confessed to me first."
"Figures," Hotaru said with fake disappointment. "Still, I'm happy for you."
"Are you okay?" Kage asked, noticing her mood was not quite as bright as she was trying to pretend it was.
"I'm still getting used to the idea of having to wait for so long," Hotaru admitted. "But I won't let that bring me down."
"No offense," Rei said, "but you seemed so sure of your decision before she left, I was surprised to see your mood change after she was gone."
"I know. I was wrong, I thought I was ready, I convinced myself that I was. But the day after she left, I came back to the base expecting to see her, and didn't find her here. I didn't find her anywhere. That's when it finally hit me." She looked at Mako and Kage and smiled apologetically. "Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the mood."
"I'm actually proud of you, in a way," Mako admitted, "back when you joined us you didn't look like you felt anything."
"Won't say that's wrong," Hotaru said. "Anyhow, back to training."
Kage saw a ghastly figure following Hotaru as she walked away, and smiled. "Back then, you didn't like showing off, either."
"That's not showing off, that's training," Hotaru said.
Aiko suddenly frowned. "Ugh, trouble."
Usagi nodded. "I can sense Iron Mouse. She's... Damn, it's Naru."
-----
The afternoon at the Osa-P jewelry had been calm thus far, but Naru knew that was about to change as she saw the white-haired woman walking in. "Mom, I have to go."
Her mother understood what Naru meant by the way she looked at her. "Okay, be careful."
Naru walked to Iron Mouse, who was surprised by that. "Since I know I won't be able to stop you, can I at least ask for one thing?"
"Uh... Sure, I guess."
"Don't turn me so close to my house, I don't want to wreck it."
"Oh, that's all? I suppose I can agree to that, it doesn't change a thing for me."
"Good." Naru summoned her air board and flew away. "Follow me, then."
Iron Mouse floated up, then sped forwards, matching the board's speed easily. "If you're thinking about setting a trap, then-"
"What for? We haven't found a way to get rid of you yet."
Mouse smirked at the 'yet' then saw Naru stopping. "So, are you ready?"
Just as she said that, she was hit from the side by a light beam. "Hey there, Paper Hamster."
Mouse glared at Moon and the other Senshi. "I thought this wasn't a trap."
Naru shrugged. "It wasn't, but Moon can sense you from a city away."
"Big deal," Mouse said then vanished, reappearing right next to Naru and taking her seed before anyone could try to stop her. "Aaaaaaand another dud. Damn it."
"Starlight Inferno!"
Mouse was knocked out of the sky, but managed to recover before hitting the ground. "Oh great, so the three pest are all alive. This has been a good night."
"You won't get the golden seed."
"Keep pestering us and Galaxia will destroy you, fool. See you!"
Moon saw Mouse vanish, and the other girl gave her a short stare before also vanishing. "I wonder who those three are."
"This season's flavor of mystery Senshi?" Dragon Mercury joked.
"Their suits are very different to ours," Mercury noted, "it's likely they're alien Senshi, like Helios."
"Ruby Flash!"
Moon sensed something and moved to the side, barely dodged a red energy beam. "Guess it's Naru's turn."
Naru was now wearing a Senshi suit much like her own, except this one was completely made of dark gemstones. "Stop it right there, evildoers, or Sailor Jewel will give you all a clear cut."
Moon said nothing, just rushed down, energy blasts shooting out of her hands as she flew.
"Diamond shell!" Jewel's body was covered in diamonds, and the blasts were all reflected. "You will never defeat- Eek!"
Mars smirked as she watched Moon chase 'Sailor Jewel' around, shooting attack after attack without saying a word. The 'shield' Jewel had summoned was soon gone, and Moon managed to get close and punch her back. Still, Jewel wasn't too affected, and laughed at her attacker. "Guess she'll need help."
"Emerald Wave!"
Jupiter saw Moon leap up to dodge a green wave of energy. "I got this!" Moon had been about to attack again, but then sensed something, and jumped back. Jupiter had leapt off her air board and landed right next to Jewel, grabbing her and slamming her on the ground a couple times - cracking the concrete where she hit. "And stay down."
Moon returned Naru's seed and sighed. "I guess that's one way to deal with these fake Senshi."
Jupiter shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?"
Naru staggered up and groaned. "Don't tell me what I turned into, I'm sure I'll regret knowing."
"Just someone crazy about jewels."
"Good thing Umino wasn't around, I would never hear the end of that."
Moon gave Naru a smile that was one sound effect away from a chuckle. "Who knows, perhaps I'll tell her about it when he comes back."
"Don't be a pest, Usagi," Naru muttered. "Anyhow, I have to go tell mom I'm okay."
Dragon Sun smiled. "Seeing what you just did, I'm not going to make you mad."
Jupiter giggled. "I promise I won't hit you that hard if you do. Just hard enough to send you flying away."
"... Good?" the Dragon said with a sigh.
-----
"Are you two ready?"
"Why can't we skip this fight? You said we'll still get kicked around even if we're Cosmic Senshi."
Pluto looked at the young Dragon in a way which made it clear she was dead serious. "You will be needed, and you will be there."
"Your power is quite a curse, huh?"
She looked at Dragon Nemesis. "At times, it is. I've seen both Usagi and Small Lady react badly to my... Methods. While I've already seen those things as possible, it still hurts when they don't trust me."
"Okay, let's just go. The sooner I'm back, the sooner I can pester my sister about being at her same level."
"She may be technically at Cosmic level, but power isn't everything. And if this war follows the best case scenario, then Usagi will show Galaxia that even someone as powerful as her can still be beaten."
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