Fatal Fury Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Sailor Rifts ❯ Chapter 13: A) The Missing Senshi, Or B) Who's That Girl? ( Chapter 13 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Sailor Moon/Rifts Crossover (Revised Edition) By Simon Woodington

Chapter 13: A) The Missing Senshi, Or B) Who's That Girl?

In a world much more unpleasant than Rifts Earth, a robed figure
called out the names of two senshi.

'Akari! Yanei!'

Their forms wavered into reality, the first, a short female, dressed
in a pale gold officer's uniform, with long red hair, orange eyes, a
slender, well-formed body, and an childish whim. The second, a
slightly taller male, was dressed in a uniform of pale blue, opposite
of the woman aside him. His stocky build, dark blue hair and lighter
eyes contrasted hers beautifully, as if designed carefully to strike
that effect between them.

Immediately, before speaking, they bowed before their elder.

'What would you require of us, sensei?' the man requested respectfully
in Japanese. It was true; he was their teacher, having trained the
both of them since they were old enough to wield weapons.

He trusted them more than even the foolish Queen Beryl who had failed
so recently. Hand picked senshi had their advantages. He did not have
any confidence in Galaxia's religious selection of so called
'champions' who had more faith than brains, power, or fighting
capability. To her, it was not a matter of capability, merely
servitude. Many centuries ago he had decided to entrust the knowledge
of war with his senshi and it had earned him much respect in the eyes
of his Queen. Enough respect to command several small armies. Not that
he had lacked any faith in her on his own terms. He merely had a more
efficient method of dealing with those who were deemed her 'enemies.'

Even knowing that list included 'everyone.'

So far all was going well. The lion demon Yalen had successfully
neutralized the Sailor Senshi, and made the struggle to send them to
another dimension much less... costly. He only paid attention to their
apparent dilemma on occasion, when he felt like a good laugh. Their
struggles he found quite humorous, and changes also most interesting.
One thing surprised him; none of them were yet dead. Many of them had
come close, but they still survived.

:Is it possible I have underestimated them?; he mused thoughtfully.
:It is true that the Moon Princess only seems to gain strength from
such events, yet I was certain this would crush her soul...:

'What is it, sensei-san?' asked a gentle female voice.

'Hm? Oh. I was just thinking on the success of my plan,' he replied
evenly. He stood, and drew his staff in assistance to his step. 'I
have a task for the both of you. One which I am quite sure you will
experience no difficulty with.'

Akari smiled lightly, eager to see action.

'Anything!'

The man read the eagerness in his student's eyes.

'You are my most pliant students, if not the brightest. No matter. I
do not expect you to have to trouble yourselves with many variables.'

Akari merely awaited his command. Yanei, on the other hand, pouted.

'You think us fools? Old man, you confuse us with Beryl's asinine
fledglings.'

The man merely smiled.

'No, dear Yanei. If you were as intelligent as I, might you not be
where I am now? Think on that.'

She bowed her head, pout fading to a frown.

'But not now. I have other matters of greater concern.'

'Hai, Uraki-sama,' she replied sullenly.

The man hobbled up to his two champions, and examined them, eyes
gazing over their forms.

'I have eliminated the Bishojo Sailor Senshi as a factor in our war.
They are no longer a concern to us.' He turned away and began pacing
slowly, unevenly. 'There is only one person who concerns me now. It is
the Earth Guardian, Mamoru. He is stronger now since Beryl lost him to
Usagi.'

He shook his head.

:Idiot woman. Why Galaxia entrusted her with the task of destroying
them I still cannot fathom; he lamented in his mind. How many times he
had remarked on her inability he could no longer count.

'I want you to lure him to the Moon, and then destroy him.' His voice
hung on the second to last word, in emphasis. 'How you do this is not
my concern. You will not fail me. Hai?'

'We would sooner perish,' Akari replied in earnest.

'I would advise you to be watchful of the new element in this battle,
as well.'

He waved his hardwood staff vaguely, creating a circular portal of
second sight in the air. Within it appeared a simple girl of waist
length brunette hair, and an energetic countenance. She sprinted home
adorned in the grey sailor suit uniform of her school as she tossed a
glaringly green tennis ball between her long fingered hands.

'What problem might she pose, as lovely as she is?' Akari queried.

'She is pretty, indeed. It is the way of our enemies, to be
continuously attractive, it seems. Nonetheless, for a reason I cannot
fathom, she has been deemed a threat. So much so, that I would have
you capture her.'

Yanei rolled her eyes.

'Her beauty pales to mine, wouldn't you say, Akari?' she yawned,
undoing buttons enough of her tunic to reveal several sundry inches of
her more than mid-sized cleavage.

Akari failed to notice, his eyes locked upon the vital body of the
youth.

'Akari!'

He faced her, his eyes dropping to the displayed flesh.

'Hai my beloved. Much more...' he murmured distractedly.

'Enough games!' Uraki declared impatiently. 'You will see her captured
and brought to me. I will give you a week of respite with which to
question her as you might, but do not kill her. I have a sense she may
be of use.'

Both bowed deeply.

'Of course, my lord.'

'Ours is only to serve,' Yanei added.

'Then there is nothing more to be said here. Go.'

Both students bowed, and returned to the faded state from which they
had come.

---

There was a somewhat distressed regard upon that young woman's face as
she strode quickly towards her appointed destination: Central Tokyo.
She had been told the Kei-san had gone into hiding, due to the recent
threat.

:Hiding? If she gets to hide, then what are we supposed to do?; she
thought, terribly upset by the recent culmination of events. Even
hardball hadn't helped, even though she'd tromped Cale, Ayla, Meisu,
and most notably Masurani, among others of lesser notice. It was those
four in the game that had interested her most greatly. It was coming
so close to the final selections, and she was being set aside like
this? It was confusing.

There was a noise, somewhat like the strangled mew of a kitten. A
flash of alarm tore through Xalia, and the fact that the freedom of
the very world itself was being threatened ceased to matter, beyond
the sudden search for a very frightened sounding baby cat. As she
rounded the corner, a startled voice caught her off guard.

'Xalia!' blurted the tones of a voice the target dully recognized to
be her sensei.

'Nasura-sensei?' she queried, peering about swiftly. 'I'm kind looking
for a lost kitten, have you seen.. uh.. oh!'

The torteous shell colored cat gave a squeak as she was swept into the
young woman's arms.

'Cuuute!!' she spouted, tossing the frightened looking cat up into the
air briefly before hugging her tightly.

'Oh shimatta! Xalia! Stop!' protested the little feline desperately,
its voice choked by Xalia's smothering attentions. Just as she had
begun, she halted, holding the cat so as to gaze into its yellow eyes.

'Nasura?!' she gasped, stunned.

'Hai! Would you put me down? You scared the living daylights out of
me!'

'So sorry Kei-san!' she bowed, setting her down in the process.

'Nevermind Xalia-chan,' she replied, 'We have matters of greater
import to attend to.'

'Sensei-san, may I ask a question?'

'Hai.'

'Why are you a cat?'

'It shields me from their detection, young one,' was the reply. 'Oh, I
have decided to Knight you.'

'Um, are you sure this is such a good idea? Not that I'm about to
openly refuse or anything...'

'Such a good idea? I'm afraid there's really no choice.'

She glanced curiously at the brown and silver haired cat perched on
the pavement at her feet. The feline returned the regard, but somehow
much more seriously than any ordinary cat might.

'Don't forget why you were sent here,' she chided, pawing the young
woman's leg. 'It's your duty to...'

'Sssh! Someone's coming.' With a congenial smile, she took the cat
into her arms and began stroking her gently. A fellow of short dark
hair, silk pants and a black sweater approached with sunglasses, and a
dark expression upon his face. 'Oh no! It's Mamoru!'

'Don't worry!' the feline whispered. 'He doesn't know...mmpph!'

Feeling her gaze upon him, he glanced up, only to see her giggling and
waving nervously. Normally, he would have passed her by, but as a
result of recent events, he wasn't taking any chances.

'Hi,' he began, half-smiling. 'Do I know you?'

:Is this some kind of stupid pick up line? Somehow, I doubt it...:

'Uh,' she giggled. 'No.'

He pulled his hands out of his pants pockets and folded them across
his chest, as if readying further interrogation, when a scream tore
through the small business sector.

'Oh, that's my cue!' she blurted, bowing her head quickly and making a
mad dash towards the source of the noise. As she tore down the
sidewalk, the cat matching her running pace tersely commented:

'Why did you have to say that? Do you want to get caught?'

'Nasura! What was I supposed to say?'

'Anything else! Just not that!'

She rolled her brown eyes, her waist length brunette hair flying out
behind her.

'Too late now.'

'I suppose so. Okay, stop!' she commanded, drawing to a halt in front
of a restaurant, which seemed rather vacant. The small feline closed
her eyes and bowed her head, after which a palm sized shining jade
crystal appeared on the pavement at her feet.

'Take it,' she commanded, and after she did so, ordered: 'Hold it and
say: Sailor Ether - Sugoi Henshin!'

'Uh, sure,' she replied, raising the crystal above her head and
pronouncing: 'Sailor Ether - Sugoi Henshin!'

As she did, swirls of energy produced a uniform that suited her every
desire as to how she envisioned herself one of the Bishojo Sailor
Senshi. As she fell into her final pose, adorned in the greens and
white of her uniform, she gave herself a once over glance.

'Eeek!' she exclaimed, pushing at the microskirt. 'It's so short!'

'It's what you wanted!' Nasura explained. 'This is how you envisioned
yourself as a Sailor Senshi.'

'Great,' she sighed, then spotted the stylish dark green mid-calf
length boots upon her feet. 'Oh cool!'

'Don't forget, you've got a job to do!'

'Oh, right,' she blinked, snapping out of her trance. 'How do I stomp
it?'

'You control wind, and have incredible speed. You run fast enough that
the human eye cannot detect you. You can also fly.'

'Huh?' she muttered, practically drooling.

'Fly. You have wings, you ninny! And you can't be seen when you run,'
she stated on a flat, slightly disappointed sounding note. 'Don't be
afraid to use your kick boxing, or to get creative with your powers.
Nothing is defined yet. It's all up to you.'

'Oh, wings!' she laughed, flapping them experimentally. Her expression
turned to puzzlement, which slowly found Nasura. 'What do I throw at
it?'

'When you want to throw something just shout "Wind Blade - Slice" and
act like you're throwing your strikeout fastball,' she hinted,
sulking. 'But don't be afraid to experiment. Play with your powers.'

'Oh, sure.' :Whatever that means: She made a single running step, and
was gone.

'Look! It's Sailor V! She'll save us!'

To the four dozen men and women trapped in the demon besieged
restaurant, she was both recognizable - in a vague fashion, despite
the unusual colour of hair and undeniable presence of wings - and
their only savior.

'Halt beast of the NegaVerse! Release that woman!'

The rotund sumo wrestler-like black skinned creature smiled a toothy,
blood filled smile, and proceeded to tear the woman in two. Before it
could complete the task, the young woman proclaimed "Sailor V"
shouted:

'Wind Blade - Slice!"

Despite the strangeness of the declaration, four cloud-like free
flying chakram blades rapidly sought the distracted demon. As the new
senshi landed on her feet, the hands attempting to segment the victim
fell to the ground, allowing the internally rent woman to collapse in
agony.

'I am Sailor Ether! I live to destroy all evil! I won't stand by and
watch you harm another living being! Prepare to be punished!'

'You think you can beat me, little girl?' growled the beast
gutturally, swinging its abruptly regenerated clawed hands and easily
decapitating a nearby business suited man as it laughed loudly. With a
lunging toss, he hurled the grimacing head at her. Deftly, she dodged
the attack, leaping towards the creature.

As she did, she seemed to disappear.

'It's no use hiding! I'll ge-aaaaagggh!!!'

The beast fell to the earth, its collapsed skull rolling free from its
gutted body. The gory spray of blood turned into a fine grey dust as
the creature dissipated, banished from the realm to which it had been
summoned.

'So who's hiding?' she smirked, holding a blackened crystal in her
hand, watching uninterestedly as it turned to powder in her palm.

---

Mid-summer heat brought little comfort to those in their offices.
Appreciation of the brilliant weather was passed down to
beach-dwellers, of which there was many that day. What better way to
spend the restlessly hot day but in the sun? The cool waters lapping
at the edge of the beach drew a misty breeze to those who had accepted
the offer of the weather.

They were, in part, interested by the gathering of individuals, and
why they nestled in groups, and such heat. Yet more distinct was their
interest in how this collective might serve them.

'Uraki-sama was right,' Akari observed. 'The girl has become a
problem.'

'Of course he was right. She can wait, however. We have greater
concerns right now to deal with.'

Akari and Yanei had spied their lure. Neither expected their task to
be an easy one. In the past, Mamoru had not been easily fooled.
Defeated and simply overpowered, but not fooled. He was considered to
be a most worthy opponent.

'So we must draw his attention,' Yanei observed, her gaze settled on
the iridescent pool of seeing.

Akari nodded.

'I will summon a gem-beast. It will steal the energy of the fool
humans on the beach. Mamoru will have no choice but to respond.' He
smiled, quite proud of himself. 'Uraki-Ayo would be pleased.'

'Even if it does take time,' Yanei added.

Akari blinked, confused.

'Time? Why should it?'

'How will he know to reach us? It may take months to sufficiently bait
him, my darling,' Yanei explained lovingly.

'I see your point, beloved. Is there nothing we can do to alter this
delay?'

For a moment, she was silent with thought. Her finger twirled several
wayward lengths of orange hair absently.

'Ah!' she grinned. 'We can tempt him directly. It will cost us
valuable energy, but I am certain it will be worth it. An appearance,
however brief, will certainly motivate Luna and Artemis, hai?'

'Hai! You are much wiser than I, my sweet, and I love you for it,'
Akari smiled, taking her hand and pressing his lips to it briefly.
Childishly, she blushed, a pleasant smile warming her young face.

Akari bowed his blue haired head and mumbled a series of words under
his breath. Moments later, the pool of seeing fogged, the image on the
surface swirling and fading into grey. Several slivers of light
rippled from the edges of the pool to the center, where they gathered
into a physical substance. As the process continued, a small opaque
object began to take form. Akari stopped his chanting, and let the
spell complete itself. His hand reached and picked up the
crimson-tinted gem in two fingers.

'It is your turn my beloved,' he said, not looking at Yanei.

She said nothing as she closed her eyes. The image of the beach
returned, and shifted, as if panning, like a camera. The image moved
to the strip of park that strode the length of the sandy surface of
land.

:Now; Yanei thought.

Akari's fingers appeared to let the gem slip. The gem disappeared into
the waters. When it reappeared, it seemed to have landed on the
pavement pictured in the pool.

'It only requires a touch, and they will bring forth the beast
within.' Akari smiled, and leaned backwards. 'We have only to wait.'

'What about the girl?'

'I think I have a gem that will work beautifully for our cute little
warrior...'

---

He landed effortlessly on the ground. A small black feline ran aside
the formally dressed man, calling out his name.

'Tuxedo Kamen!'

He looked at her behind his white mask.

'How do you expect me to defeat this creature, Luna-chan? I can't
banish them the way Usagi did.' Irritation and anxiety rang in his
voice.

She halted suddenly.

'I d-don't know.'

A small white cat followed up behind her.

"We can't just let it roam free!"

His words came as more of a command than advice. Tuxedo Kamen had no
choice in the matter, and he knew it. For a moment he watched the
beast, the humanoid qualities of it as it grabbed and stole the life
energy from the scattering people on the beach.

:Hardly efficient; he decided suspiciously. It was taking much too
long, terrorizing single victims before seizing their energy. Playing
with them as one does with food.

It appeared to be mostly humanoid, aside from the claw-like appendages
in the place of arms. He decided that if he was going to act, he had
to do it carefully. Perhaps he could scare it off? He grumbled
discontentedly, placing himself before the beast, preparing for the
confrontation.

'I am Tuxedo Kamen!' he declared, expecting rage from the creature as
a reaction. 'What did Usako used to say?' he muttered under his
breath. 'Uh... In the name of... uh... oh hell, prepare to get your
ass kicked!'

The creature spied him, and paused.

'Tuxedo Kamen?' a guttural voice mumbled. A deep war cry tore loose
from the beast's throat, assaulting his ears. 'You will die!'

Without further ado, the beast charged at him.

Tuxedo Kamen aptly sidestepped the attack, swatting the beast with his
cane. The beast fell over, causing a brief explosion of sand. No
question as to who was the superior fighter here, he decided.

With a growl, the beast rose to his feet. It did not move, it merely
stood, seeming to gauge the opponent it faced. The oddly formally
dressed man was suddenly gripped by the question; was it actually
thinking ahead? He nearly laughed at the concept. When the gem-beast
saw his distraction, it struck. Tendrils from the creature reached out
and grabbed him by the arm, latching on tightly. Tuxedo Kamen gasped
at the unexpected movement, and also when he realized he was about to
be defeated.

'Damn,' Luna cursed, then jumped at the creature. Claws raked across
the dark blue skin of the beast's face, drawing blood and rendering it
sightless. The creature wailed out in agony and dropped the weakening
Tuxedo Kamen.

'Thank you, Luna-chan,' he gasped.

Artemis ran up to Luna.

'How do you suppose he defeats the demon, Luna-chan?' he asked.

Luna's eyes narrowed.

'I have a thought, but I'm not sure it will work.'

'Whatever you're thinking has got to be better than not trying at
all,' Artemis stated flatly.

She glanced at Artemis briefly.

'Hai. Of course.' She looked at the kneeling Tuxedo Kamen. 'Try to
pierce its heart with your rose!'

He gave her a strange look, but nodded.

'Summoning crystal?' Artemis whispered, voicing his own suspicion.

'Hai,' she replied. 'That's my thought. If not, then we're in
trouble.'

Tuxedo Kamen got to his feet, to face a severely angry, and equally
disoriented gem-beast. It tossed and struck out blindly, hoping to
grasp something from which it could steal energy. He moved like liquid
lighting, his action only clear when completed. The stem of a full red
rose sat embedded in the chest of the creature, which cried out in
further pain, and dissipated with a cool hiss.

'Good work, Tuxedo Ka...' she fell short when she realized her tone.
This was not the klutzy Usagi she was used to dealing with! Luna
cleared her throat. 'So sorry, Tuxedo Kamen.'

'No, Luna-chan, don't worry about it,' he replied, with a somewhat
sorrowed tone. He turned, preparing to leave the scene.

'Konnichi wa, ronin Tuxedo Kamen. Where are your lovely senshi when
they are needed most, neh?'

He turned sharply in response to the voice. Suspended several feet
from the ground was a transparent image of a stocky humanoid male,
dressed in a purple gi. Standing beside him was a short woman, dressed
in a gi of pale orange.

'Nan desu ka!' Mamoru demanded curtly, drawing his cane from thin air
and hefting it threateningly.

'I am Akari. This is my beloved, Yanei,' he began. 'We are here, to
destroy you.'

'Tsk, tsk, love,' the woman said. 'So blunt! Do you recall that is not
our purpose?'

He gazed at her and smiled.

'Hai. You are right. My personal desire proceeded before my wit.' His
dark blue eyes turned on his opponent, narrowed, and cold. 'Perhaps
you are wondering about your missing Sailor Senshi? You might be
interested to learn that they no longer exist.'

Tuxedo Kamen felt a brief bolt of fear and panic.

'No! You lie!'

'Do I? Perhaps if you can find us, you can reach what you seek.' The
image waned and faded as the man laughed boldly.

Tuxedo Kamen sank to his knees, tears trailing in abundance from his
eyes, and whispered; 'Iye, Usako...'

'Tuxedo Kamen?' queried a gentle female voice. He wiped his eyes and
stood, presenting strength where none he felt. The girl was not
smiling as she greeted him.

'I'm Sailor Ether, I'm here to help you.'

For a while he just looked at her, as if really just realizing she was
standing there being quite pretty and on his side. Luna, on the other
hand, neared him, and glared up at the stranger.

'If you are a royal senshi of the Moon Kingdom, then why don't I
recognize you?'

The girl shrugged.

'I was given a crystal, and told to help. That's all I know.'

'By whom?'

'She asked me not to tell you. I'm sorry,' she replied, fidgeting with
her hands at her skirt.

'"She?"' Luna prodded. With that, the strange girl turned and flew up
into the air.

'Forget it! I've said too much already! I just wanted you to know I'll
be around to help! I'll take care of things!' she called as her
slender, winged figure disappeared into the distance.

---

Several days later, after many lost hours of sleep, Mamoru sat up with
Luna and Artemis in his apartment. Days of speculation had shed no
light. The only reasonable explanation was that these two were from
the NegaVerse. How could that be? Had Usagi not defeated Queen Beryl,
banishing her, and the NegaForce back to the dimension from which it
had come? There seemed no logic to the source, if indeed, it was them.

'I'm sure they're lying,' Luna offered weakly. The slender black cat
the voice issued from jumped up on the young man's lap. He refused to
pet her. He was too angry. He had remained quite angry since losing
this battle.

'You don't sound sure,' Artemis replied tentatively. Luna could say
nothing, nor could she meet his scrutinizing gaze.

'Where could the Sailor Senshi be if Akari and Yanei aren't lying,
Luna-chan? They can't have just disappeared from Tokyo.'

The Japanese youth scowled. He ran a hand through his short black
hair, the knowledge of his greatest fear born to reality consuming him
from the inside out. He did not know where the Sailors were, and he
was unable to protect them. How could it get worse?

'If these two... Akari and Yanei... are as powerful as I seem to feel
they are, then they very well could have, Mamoru. We clearly don't
know what we're up against.' Luna was feigning calmness. She had
already spent her tears some days ago. This was her greatest failure,
losing the Moon Princess to an unknown force. Luna was quite certain
that it was Akari and his consort, Yanei. She could not belay the
darkness she felt when she regarded the situation. She was lying to
Mamoru, and herself, in the hopes that she was wrong.

The similarly slender, white cat regarded Mamoru sternly.

'I don't know what's going to get done with you guys just sitting
around,' Artemis' cool deep voice stated evenly, his eyes then met the
disillusioned young man. 'You've got to face them.'

'How?' Though he had successfully destroyed six gem beasts since their
initial appearance, the idea of fighting their creators made him
somewhat hesitant. Quickly, he brushed that hesitation aside. If Akari
and Yanei had the Sailor Senshi, he would save them!

'Go to the moon. I think that between the three of us, we can channel
enough energy to get there,' Luna said, her tail twitching nervously.

Mamoru could only nod.

'What about this... new Sailor? I hear them calling her "Sailor V",
but it's not her. I would know,' Artemis stated, a timbre of fine
unease in his usually cool voice.

'Of course it's not,' Luna replied. 'I don't know who it is. I don't
recognize her as one of the Inner Senshi. She's not familiar.'

'Do you think she might be from the NegaVerse?'

'It's not their style,' Luna observed. 'They wouldn't try the same
trick twice, after Zoisite fouled it up the first time.'

'Hai, I agree, but neither is capturing our senshi,' Artemis tersely
frowned. 'We can't be sure what they'll do anymore.'

'I'm sure I would know,' Luna shook her head morosely. 'Especially
under the current circumstances.'

'I don't think she's evil. She's been helping too much. We've even
talked to her, and she was honest.'

'As far as we know, Mamoru,' Luna pointed out, lying down slowly. 'But
I think you're right. She did say she wasn't Sailor V.'

'The title "Sailor Ether" doesn't ring any bells, if you know what I
mean,' Artemis commented.

'There were senshi from other dimensions, you know,' Luna said,
glancing at Artemis. 'I'm pretty sure we can't have known all of
them.'

'I suppose. I say we forget about her. She can take care of things
here while we're gone. She's destroyed over a dozen of the creatures
during the last week on her own! I think we can trust her.'

'I don't know...' Luna hesitated. 'It's awfully risky.'

'Anything we do is. Even if we didn't have this stranger helping us
out, leaving would put everyone in Tokyo in danger anyway.'

'There's no choice,' Mamoru agreed firmly. 'We go. Without Usagi we
don't stand a chance.'

Luna remained silent for a time.

'I'm still not sure,' she began. 'But what else can we do...?'

---

'Dance-ance-ance! Or you won't be stayin' alive-ive-ive!'

The camerawoman hiked her skirt up awkwardly, moving her feet as to
avoid the spikes of metal which shattered the tile underneath her.
With a frown at the woman's success, the patchwork clown of red eye
and black tooth took her by the throat, laid a claw about her waist
suggestively, and began draining her of energy.

'Drop her, fiend!' commanded a slight, but loud voice. It ignored the
request, but glanced about, seeking its source.

'Cannot fool-ool-ool the clown of NegaForce! Come forward-ard-ard
Sailor Girl! Let me drain you!'

There was an echoed nervous clearing of throat.

'Your innuendo doesn't scare me,' she replied defiantly. :But you
being a clown doesn't exactly help!: 'I said let her go!'

The body from which the voice originated appeared standing as defiant
as the vocal weapon, hands upon her hips, snarl upon her face, adorned
prettily in a green body suit with even deeper green microskirt. The
suit was coated by a thin layer of mystic armor, whereas upon her
naked arms and legs were armlets and shin guards of white. The
expression upon her face, however, denoted extreme distaste, even
while she harbored similarly inclined anger at the creature's very
presence.

'Why should-ould-ould eye,' it pointed to the optic organ of which it
spoke. 'Little greenie?'

'Because I am Sailor Ether! I live to destroy all evil! And I won't
stand by and watch you harm another living being! Prepare to be
punished!'

The crowd cheered, filling the young woman with confidence.

'Oh really-ally-ally?' it sneered, tossing the woman across the news
desk and reached, extending its arms with such speed towards Xalia
that she found herself held by waist and thigh before she could move.
She gripped the limbs and pried, finding little give despite her
augmented strength.

She screamed despite herself, the following words trailing into the
high pitched exclamation. 'Let... go... Stop! Let go of me!'

There was a small sea of gasps, accompanied by a rather distinctive:

"Drop her you damn ugly clown!"

With suitably unsightly frown, it turned upon the small gathering of
people and uttered a wail of challenge so powerful, that the crowd
shattered like warming mercury, fleeing as if on a downhill slope. A
high pitched laugh rang through her skull, its multi-toned falsetto
taunting her as much as threatening a major headache.

'Helpless, little greenie-eenie-eenie is helpless! At my
mercy-ercy-ercy!'

'That's what you'd like,' she snarled hatefully. 'Hurricane!'

The spinning of wind began, tossing her hair and pulling at the
creature, threatening it with untold of violence... until it halted
unduly, sputtering like a car on empty. With an unearthly, toothy
grin, it locked its metal claw hand around her neck, forming a simple
collar. The long limbed clown like creature tore at her bow and the
crystal embedded within, shearing away these items easily. Her uniform
flickered and disappeared, leaving her dressed in black tights and a
loose, short sleeved green top. The small jade stone flipped away with
the rending motion and landed on the floor with a glass-like tink.

:Oh hell!; she cried, thrashing against the restraining monster, her
unaugmented strength a far cry from sufficent.

:Oh no!; Nasura gasped. :She's losing! I haven't worked through this
scenario!:

It raised the nullified senshi into the air, draining energy as it
did.

'Sailor Ether - or should this clown say Xalia! - Is lost for
good-ood-ood! Never stood a chance-ance-ance!'

'No...' she uttered faintly, feeling her strength waning.

:How does it know?; Nasura wondered, dashing towards the creature and
making a leap for its face. With a scowl, it simply swatted her aside,
who then aptly landed on her feet.

'Face it girl-irl-irl, you don't have the goods!'

It drew her forward, grabbing her right breast and placing an
unwelcome kiss upon her lax lips. Struggling nigh uselessly, her mind
rang out in scintillating shards of pain as tears formed in her
squinted eyes.

:Stupid, stupid, stupid, Nasura! You can't help her as a cat!:

'But then again-ain-ain,' it taunted, pulling away, 'there may be
hope-ope-ope for you yet...'

'Drop her!' declared a voice in unquestionable selfless fear spurred
anger.

The clown swiveled about to face a glowing woman adorned in a grey
kimono and flaring waist length purple hair, her eyes giving presence
to the timeless phrase "Hell hath no fury as a woman's scorn."

'Catch,' she issued, tossing a silver crystal at the creature, who
caught it with a free hand. Suddenly it gave a withered cry as she
clenched her hands, from which light flared like the interior of a
sun. The crystal in its hand exploded, and as it dropped its prey, it
fell forward and turned to dust, scattering on the wind inspired by
Xalia's limited recovery.

'You know we really hadn't anticipated this,' stated a rather calm
male baritone, considering the event. 'Magi do so complicate things.'

'Akari! Yanei!' Nasura snapped, whirling upon the semi-transparent
pair.

'Don't look so bloody shocked, Nasura," Yanei snarled, stepping
forward, hands on her slender hips. "You knew we were behind this.
Just hoping we'd forget about your cute senshi? Not when she's toting
power of that kind around!'

'What do you want?' she snarled, positioning her hands gracefully so
as to summon manna.

'Isn't it obvious?' she replied, then balked thoughtfully. 'Well, I
suppose not. You know, you really are quite pretty. For your age,' she
commented seriously, hands upon her slender hips. 'No matter. We've
done our research, channeller. We know you are useless without a
portal through which to focus your power.'

'Don't think you know me,' she snarled coldly, straightening her
posture and reciting a brief spell.

The lovers dropped to their knees as if she had lit a fire in their
bellies. Yanei held her eyes with an unfeigned expression of newfound
respect while she executed a counter-spell. They recovered, and Yanei
gasped thusly:

'Damn it. It's not over, witch!' she issued, their forms slowly
washing out of that reality. 'We will have her, sooner or later, then
you will have truly lost.'

Her echoed laugh as they faded away brought a dark unease to Nasura as
she touched Xalia's limp form, waking the pale looking young woman.

'Nasura, it...' she curled up against her, weeping quietly.

'I know,' she replied sympathetically. :What are they playing at? Rape
was never a factor before! Why now, why her?:

Gazing up into the sallow sky, she could glean no answer, and knew not
how much longer they could last without the Bishojo Sailor Senshi.

:Hurry Mamoru! The Earth needs the senshi!:

---

The strong pitch of the wind tossed and pulled at the heavy clothes
and coat he wore. He squinted his eyes behind a pair of thick goggles,
looking into the distance ahead. That distance held little of
interest, as it consisted mostly of white powder, and the light that
reflected brightly from it. Save for the existence of a small cave,
Mamoru might otherwise have left the life-starved scene.

'He made it!' she smiled, kneeling down next to the pool of seeing.
She was a long, lithe creature of some slender, childish beauty. She
wore a simple dress of pale gold, none to elaborate in style, but well
suited to her tall, soft-skinned form. Her ashen red hair flowed to
the small of her back, no lower. Flaccid orange eyes gazed into the
pool, and then to the focus of her life, her love; Akari.

'It is as I said it would be, my beloved.'

Akari smiled as Yanei gazed at him. Akari was a tall, barrel-chested
humanoid male who prided himself on his supernatural strength, and his
capabilities in battle. His blue eyes followed his love as she took a
scroll from the shelf near her. He ran a hand through his short green
hair, and smoothed out his long dark blue robe, the grin fading from
his face.

'What to you intend to do, my love?' he asked gently.

Her replied smile was deceptive.

'He will need further guidance.' She bowed her head and chanted a few
words under her breath. 'Come Uyline-chan, take the lost one, bring
him to us, show him his true destiny.'

As her voice fell silent, a large shadow grew to cover Mamoru's form.

'Mamoru-kun!' Luna cried, noting the snow beast before him, and
attempting to warn him of its presence.

'Silly man-thing,' the creature observed. 'Do you really think my
masters sent me here to harm you?' Mamoru dodged the grasping fist
that came at him, indicating exactly his thoughts on the matter. The
ten foot tall snow woman 'tsked' and grabbed him.

'Come along nicely,' she said in almost motherly tones. 'Or I might
have to hurt you!'

Mamoru struggled as they approached the cave, certain that the snow
beast would throw him over some cliff to his death.

'Now wouldn't that be a silly thing for me to do,' she chided his
thought. 'I might get in trouble with my masters! I do not think I
will do that.'

Mamoru remained silent in mind as word, trying to think as little as
possible. The cave carried into darkness, as much in lack of light as
sense of evil.

'Luna! Artemis!' he called. Both cats struggled to keep up, even
though they knew that they were slowly losing him, as well.

'I think we're going to be a little late, Luna-chan,' Artemis panted.

'Mamoru-kun!' she cried, as if having not heard him. 'No!! I won't
lose him too!' she snarled. 'C'mon Artemis-kun!'

---

The snow beast set him down carefully, nearly chilled through to the
bone. He shivered violently.

'Thank you Uyline-chan, that will be all. Why don't you go and watch
out for other lost humans?' Yanei smiled.

'To please my masters is my sole desire,' she bowed, water trickling
from her femininely snow bound form, and exited, her feet leaving only
a trailing echo.

'So where is your bravado now, Mamoru-san?' she started, her face
bearing a near-perfect confident white toothed and wicked smile.

'W-what have y-you d-d-done... uhhh,' he got to his knees slowly,
still shivering.

'Done... you are in no place to ask questions, failed champion! What
do you think? How do you believe your fair Xalia, um, fares?'

Mamoru did not reply. He merely shivered in place, trying to recover
some warmth, but not succeeding.

'Calmly, Yanei-san, calmly,' Akari urged softly. 'I think he might be
a little...' he paused, searching for the word, '... cold. Humans tend
to suffer from that when without warmth. If you are to question him,
then...?'

His hand indicated the cave about them. Yanei pouted, looking very
much the child, and sighed.

'Hai. If I must,' she said. She muttered a few more words under her
breath and Mamoru finally felt a gentle warmth surround him.

'I asked you a question! Answer it!' she demanded, glaring at Mamoru,
then glancing at Akari for reassurance. He smiled and nodded. Mamoru
struggled to his feet. Numbly, he pulled open his coat, and pulled out
what appeared to be a rose of crimson.

Yanei gave a little gasp.

'I am Tuxedo Kamen,' he declared weakly. Only moments after this
statement, Mamoru's water soaked clothes were replaced by a complete
formal outfit: Tuxedo, cape, cane, hat, and mask, all but the latter
black. 'In my mind there is no question how she fares, but well!'

'Amusing!' Akari laughed, standing, sounding impressed. 'Your faith is
quite remarkable, even though you hardly know the child!'

:Ah, Akari; Yanei smiled, glad she had coached him on his manner prior
to this meeting. His calmness angered the righteous warrior, as she
had known it would. :You play the King well. Keep to it, and we shall
win yet!:

Tuxedo Kamen's expression turned sour.

'I want to know what you have done with the Sailor Senshi!'

Yanei looked at her love, face placid for a moment. Then she giggled.
She glanced at Tuxedo Kamen and smiled.

'Done? My you are a foolish one, aren't you? Even for such a beautiful
senshi...'

Akari looked irritated as he approached his intended opponent.

'We have done nothing to your precious girls,' he snapped, angered by
his love's flirtations. Mamoru ignored Yanei's attentions, adamant on
his answer.

'You have them!'

Akari took a moment to clear his mind.

:Yanei; he thought. :Please my love, remember the one who cherishes
you:

She glared at him, then sighed, frowning prettily.

:Hai, love, of course. Shall we end this?:

Akari nodded. Tuxedo Kamen took a step towards the two, confused by
their silence.

'We have nothing that would interest you here, Earth Guardian,' Akari
stressed softly, walking backward towards Yanei. 'Perhaps some of
these might entertain you.'

With a gesture, four demons swathed in shadow dropped down from the
darkness above.

The masked gentleman did not hesitate in his attack, knowing that the
demons would not in theirs. Pulling a rose from his coat, he pierced
the nearest creature with it, thrown, like a dagger. There was a dry
hiss, and the form of the shadow-like beast turned into stale streams
of smoke.

Akari chuckled to himself, wondering if he would find a chance to
battle the masked one himself. A good battle, as short as it might be,
would be a refreshing change.

Approaching his love, the sounds of hand to hand combat clearly
audible in the background, he leaned over and kissed her softly. When
his lips left hers, she stood, and bid him towards the elaborate
thrones of ice they had abandoned in their interest of their opponent.

'Do you expect him to win, my beloved?' she asked.

'Hai. Against the darklings,' he mused, 'but not me.'

She blinked and smiled, tossing back a length of hair affectatiously.

'Of course not. I have yet to see a human best you in combat.'

He frowned slightly.

'The potential energy wasted while we bicker over his silly Bishojo
Senshi.'

She nodded, empathic in his concern. Yet, something prodded her.

'My love,' she began, distracted by the swift, skilled combat. 'I do
not think... that Uraki-sama would have gone to such trouble to remove
them from their home dimension if they were merely silly!'

'Perhaps,' he frowned thoughtfully, placing a thick hand against his
chin. 'Why did he not just kill them?'

'There is a good reason. He would have slain them, rather than sending
Yalen after them, but there's more to it...'

'Hai. He did need the exercise,' he remarked, glancing at her briefly.

'Maybe... I'm not sure about this,' she replied his gaze for a moment,
'... but, maybe it's about breaking them.'

'Breaking them? I could do that,' he started with a scowl. 'Yalen
himself broke the blue haired girl, and nearly killed that long haired
one.'

'You mean Ami and Rei? Hai, but they are alive now. No, my beloved, it
is, I think, about breaking their will to fight.'

Silence drew a veil over the two. Yanei found herself watching the
human, the smoothness and grace of his movements as he struck down the
third demon. As the fourth took care to sneak up from behind, the
black haired human turned aptly and hit the assailant with what would
have otherwise been a winding blow. As it was, he merely knocked the
darkling aside, setting up for his next attack. She desired further
time to converse with Akari, so she breathed a simple spell, summoning
another half-dozen shadowlings.

'I don't understand, my phoenix,' Akari stated plainly, not noticing
the additional opponents. Or, simply not caring.

:He's good; she observed, closing her mind from that of her love.

'Do you remember? We watched Beryl's senshi continuously fail against
them?'

:Good enough to best Akari-san?: She shook her head. :Such
foolishness. He is a mortal. No mortal has ever beaten my love:

'Hai,' Akari growled. 'Fools, every one.'

'It wasn't entirely their fault. They came so close, and each time the
senshi grew in strength.'

'Hmm, true.'

'It is their will to survive. Their spirit. No matter how hard they
are knocked down, it gives them the strength to get up again.'

Silence overtook them again. She knew Akari was not pleased with her
observations, as they interfered with his want to combat the powerful
human warrior, and she almost felt badly. Yet, Uraki had encouraged
her to analyze the situation. It was her responsibility to see that
they did not fail! Moreover, Akari would have plenty of time to
challenge the young Xalia.

'My love, is that why you have instructed our gem-beasts to take
sexual advantage of the child as much as possible? I did not
understand that, either. She is pretty, perhaps, but I cannot see what
is accomplished by molesting her. Moreover, how could she deserve such
vile treatment?'

As Yanei gazed at her mate, she both realized, and felt, that he was
genuine in his confusion. He did not understand the concept of rape.
She frowned, averted her gaze, grateful she had closed her mind. It
was something she indeed understood, and had experienced. Uraki-Ayo
had been careful to place her with one who treated her with such
support, and gentility, during the period of her physical and
emotional recovery. She owed Akari very much, even though he did not
realize it, and never may.

'My love, she doesn't. But Uraki-Ayo wants her out of the way... It
would hurt her emotionally Akari-san,' she stated clinically, removing
herself from the fact of the matter. Truth was, the very idea of the
action she had taken left her with sallow reflective nightmares of
that night. She had prayed forgiveness, and had received guidance to
merely let her feelings subside.

:Flitting chance of that; she thought bitterly against her rising
sense of guilt. :I do not hate her, but she is an interference! There
is naught I can do!:

'So?'

'Oh? Ah, um, it is more intimidating to face the fear of rape.
Violence is a simple matter one really must only heal from physically.
Rape affects the innermost part of one's personality, and scars. She
will be less willing to fight them, making matters far easier for us,
my sweet. Even though the none of them actually will force her. It is
a mere scare tactic.'

Internally, she shuddered at the mentioning of it, but held her gaze
upon Akari, who had such peace in his eyes that she was comforted. His
nod was almost a bow, and she accepted it, knowing he was once again
paying respect for her intelligence, for which he was greatly in debt.
Gradually, her fleeting interest returned to the fighting warrior, as
he neared the battle's termination. Briefly, searching his heart, as
only she could, she came to see that it was bound most powerfully to
another.

:Of course. He loves that moon girl, Tsukino. Even if he was to defeat
Akari, I could not have him. He would not love me as Akari does: She
closed her eyes. :I tire of this. I will help Akari-san to end it:

Abruptly she realized that the battle had ended. The beautiful male
human had defeat the darklings, sending them back to their native
realm. Home.

'Now I will challenge him,' Akari decided, sitting forward.

Yanei put a hand on his arm, halting him.

'No, my beloved. Why do we not send him to his senshi? We will waste
no more time. Perhaps it may break his spirit as well.'

He gazed at her, an uncertainty on his face. Consideration dwelled for
some time in the minuscule reaches of his mind.

'Hai, my love!' he agreed, a smile creeping across his well muscled
face. 'We will send him to the Earth, to find his senshi, and be lost
with them! You are a most worthy woman Yanei,' Akari offered from the
core of his being. 'Most beautiful, and most loving.'

He stood, kissed her again, lingering a moment, and then approached
the edge of the ice platform. Her smile was complete, a fulfilling
warmth alighting within her slender frame.

'Well fought,' Akari smiled approvingly. 'Too bad I won't get to
challenge you myself.'

Tuxedo Kamen glared at him icily.

'Oh really? You afraid of losing to me?' he snarled with a slight
grin.

'I fear no such thing. What I do have, is a matter of much interest to
you, mortal.' He pointed towards the pool of seeing. Tuxedo Kamen
approached the limpid waters warily, unsure of the intent.

'Mamoru-kun!' a voice cried.

Tuxedo Kamen turned towards the source of the voice.

'Luna-chan? Artemis-kun?'

The two small cats stopped as they realized who else was in the room.

'Akari! Yanei! What have you done!'

Yanei sniffed, indicating her distaste of cats.

'We are showing your Earth Guardian his senshi.'

Luna thought; :she must be lying. How could she know?:

'Don't think you're fooling us Yanei!' The dark blue haired feline
growled determinedly.

Artemis whispered to her; 'look at her, pretty kitty, I don't think
she's bluffing.'

Luna looked back at him.

'Do I look like I'm bluffing?' she snarled. Artemis conceded, a stern
expression on his face.

'Foolish mortal. Look to the image, see what it will show you,' Yanei
snapped impatiently.

Mamoru glanced nervously at Luna, who did not appear to even see him,
and then at the pool. He was not quite sure what he was seeing. After
several moments, he slowly came to recognize a scene. It was a dock.
There were... he squinted, eleven girls, only five standing. As he
watched them, one of the five in what he recognized to be the uniforms
of the Bishojo Sailor Senshi shot the remaining two in skin tight body
suits. Mamoru trained his eyes on the pair of blond haired girls, not
believing what he saw.

'No...' he started. Her odango atama - the dumplings of blond strands
- hairstyle could not be mistaken. Mamoru did not want to see the hole
where her shoulder should be. He did not want to think about the
ensuing implications. Facing the possibility of that reality was
almost worse than having lost them.

'Usako!' he cried, tears rising to his eyes unexpectedly.

'Mamoru-kun no! It's a trick!' Luna implored, quite certain she had
lost him already to the image he saw, whatever it was. She studied
him. Was he crying? As he watched, the girl wielding the weapon
continued firing. In his heart, he knew it was them. His Senshi. His
Sailors. They were alive.

'If you wish to join your beloved, be our guest. All you have to do is
touch the pool of seeing,' Yanei offered, knowing he was sold to her
proposition already.

'Mamoru-kun!' Luna snapped in a panic, 'You can't abandon the mission
like this!'

'I'm supposed to protect the Moon Princess,' Mamoru said in uneven
tones. 'How can I protect the one I love if I'm not with her?'

Luna looked at Artemis, hoping he had an answer. He did, but it was
not one she expected.

'He can't go alone, Luna-chan,' he said coolly.

For the first time in her feline life she did not know what to say.
She knew, however, that she had no choice now. If the Moon Princess
was alive, she had to be next to her, to guide her, and protect her.

'Mamoru-kun!' Luna snapped, frightened and uncertain. 'We're coming
with you.'

Mamoru nodded, and picked them up in his arms. He gazed solidly at
Akari.

'If this is a trick, demon, I will return and destroy you both.'

Akari was having a hard time not looking smug. In one fell swoop, they
had won the battle for the NegaVerse!

'I assure you, it is no trick.'

Mamoru gave him a hard look, then turned and reached toward the water
of the pool. For a moment he felt wetness surround his fingers before
the world about him swirled and faded.

He landed on his stomach. The voices were clear to him before he
became aware of his location.

'Die!'

'Usagi-chan...'

'No!'

Despite his weariness, he fought his way to his feet. He opened his
eyes, his vision blurred and fogged. Slowly, as it came into focus, he
saw them. Usagi lay in Minako's arms, her face bruised and dirty, a
dark looking gap in her shoulder the only remnant of her left arm.
Minako was in tears, Rei and Ami were hurt, and lay motionless at the
edge of the dock. Makoto appeared to be the only one left standing.
Mamoru wanted to run to them, to protect them, to fight whatever it
was they were up against.

But he could not make himself move. Whether it was shock, fear, or
something else, Mamoru could not seem to get his mind to work to
figure it out.

'Mamoru-kun...' a familiar voice whispered weakly. He looked down. In
the place that Luna had fallen, there was a small humanoid woman. She
had long black hair, and a long, slender form. Beside her was a white
haired man. He had neither clothes nor consciousness. The woman had
the latter, but not the former.

'Luna-chan?' Mamoru dropped to his knees, confused, angered, and lost.
He did not know what to do.

Just as his mind began to toss with the revelations brought, an
explosion consumed the small dock.