Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Enemy Within? ❯ Chapter 9

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue. Capisce?

Author Notes: Ugh...this is dragging on and on. I had originally planned for this to be longer, but it will probably be finished within at most 8 chapters. My thanks, however, to the people that have given me support thus far. I really appreciate it!

Chapter Nine

With a gasp, the swordsman came back to himself, only to find a hand on his shoulder. Jerking his gaze around, he saw a startled Usa-chan backing away slightly before her gaze turned and she gasped.

Following her line of sight, Sephiroth smiled as he saw Hotaru, her face beaming, with twin tear trails down her cheeks. Reaching a hand out, she found it instantly clasped by her fiance's own hands, his face no less joyous than hers.

"Hotaru-chan! You...you're alright!" Usa-chan squealed happily, hugging her dearest friend as tightly as possible through the wires and tubes that were still attached to her body.

Chuckling, Sephiroth commented, "Easy, Princess...it won't do any good if you end up giving Hotaru-chan another hospital stay due to some broken ribs." Blushing in embarassment, the princess pulled back, glancing back and forth between her friend and the man she was now unsure about.

"Is...is it over?" she asked.

Hotaru smiled, and nodded. "Yes...the darkness that once claimed my soul is gone...not just in remission, but gone for good. I haven't felt so...pure for quite some time," she added with a touch of wonder.

Sephiroth simply nodded, although he knew that this was just the beginning. Somewhere out there was the person who had dared to hurt his love. The question now was whether to wait for these accusations to be dropped against him, or to slip away again...

"...I see I should have finished the job more thoroughly. I should have known better than to expect you to die quietly."

All three whirled to face the originator of the voice, and all three gasped in surprise.

In the doorway stood Sephiroth, a cold sneer on his face as he gazed at the room's occupants with contempt. But...

Both Usa-chan and Hotaru glanced over to see Sephiroth standing by his love's bed, his knees bent slightly, ready to protect her from harm. Everything, the hair, eyes, clothes, was identical...the only thing that separated the two from each other at all, was the set of their face. The Sephiroth that had just appeared had a cold set to his face that could freeze anyone in their tracks, while the Sephiroth that stood by Hotaru's bedside had a fierce, protective look, with a visible amount of surprise as to the intruder's likeness.

Only the intruder held no hint of surprise as he balanced his Masamune on his shoulder. "So...you were here all along, my other half. I see you've followed the path of the weak, instead of living by the will that our mother gave us...or rather, gave me."

Sephiroth blinked, his brows furrowing together in confusion. "Mother? What the...what do you mean? Lucrecia didn't want this..."

The other Sephiroth laughed mockingly. "Lucrecia?!? That weak scientist bitch? You believe SHE was our mother?" His laugh ended abruptly, his eyes blazing coldly, almost glowing. "No...I speak of my real mother...Jenova. She charged me with claiming this planet as my own...I was defeated once...but this time, I will succeed, regardless of her absence."

The first Sephiroth blinked again, and shook his head. "No, you're wrong! Jenova was only a..."

"Shut up! You know nothing! You were turned and deceived by weak lies, just as I once was...the only difference is, you fail to see the truth." Taking his blade and pointing at his counterpart, he continued, "I originally planned to get rid of the senshi, the only force that could oppose me. But I see that I'll have to re-acquire you, as well...we'll never be complete apart. That just leaves...the question...of which to do first."

Usa-chan almost reached for her henshin, but a slice at the air from the intruder's Masamune halted that idea. "I wouldn't do that, Princess...I'm really not in the mood for games today. in fact, you've just made my choice for me. You can stand there and watch your friend die."

And as soon as those words passed his mouth, he struck. Usa-chan had little time for a gasp. Hotaru had no chance to scream. And Sephiroth...

He 'moved'.

His only desire being to protect the love of his life, he found himself in front of his counterpart, and to his utter astonishment, the deadly blade that had sought to kill being held between his two palms. Surprise was evident on his opponent's face as well, and Sephiroth used it to his advantage, lashing out automatically with a powerful kick to the man's midsection. With a grunt of pain from the attacker, it connected, giving Sephiroth enough time to run for his own weapon, hand outstretched...

Only to find the Masamune in his hand before he took two steps. Not letting the surprise throw him off one bit, he adopted his stance, and squared off against an opponent he never expected...

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Racing up the stairs, Serenity took a brief moment to transform, something she hadn't done in a while again, ready for combat. That brief moment allowed her friends to catch up, and she was pleased to note that all who were fully functional and healthy were there: Mars, Mercury, Neptune, and her husband all stood ready. She smiled gratefully at all of them, nodded up towards their destination, and then raced off at a graceful speed, the others right behind her.

As they reached the top of the stairs, a loud metallic 'CLANG!' resounded through the corridor, accompanied by the sight of two unconscious guards slumped outside Hotaru's room. With growing fear for not only the well-being of one of her senshi and friends, but also her daughter, she ran even faster, matched only by Neptune as they approached the door, their attacks charged and ready...only to stand in shock at what greeted them.

Usa-chan and Hotaru were crouched in a corner together, huddling against each other for comfort, which left the bulk of this sizable room to its two combatants...

Gasps of surprise, along with a shocked, "What in Kami's name...?" came from behind her, and Sailor Moon knew that her friends were seeing the same thing she was...two Sephiroth's fighting each other with equal skill.

No, she corrected herself mentally. Not equal skill. One was steadily losing ground to the other, who fought savagely, pressing his every advantage. The other was only defending, but against such an overwhelming offense, she could see that he'd soon succumb.

From beside her came a series of rapid beeps, and Sailor Moon anxiously looked to Mercury for results. The time seemed to stretch out as she glanced back and forth between her friend and the combatants, the clanging and curses getting unnaturally loud.

Mercury frowned, redid a few calculations on her computer, peered at both swordsman through her VR visor, and slowly blinked in surprise. She whispered finally, "I...I can't tell...they're both the same...!"

That seemed to break the spell the two combatants were under, the two of them glancing back over at the door. Seeing three senshi ready to throw attacks at them, with backup available, both Sephiroth's responded at the same time.

Holding out a hand for pause, they shouted, "Wait!" in perfect unison. A brief glance at each other, and the attacker smirked before firing a powerful fire blast at the clustered senshi and their accompanying knight. The defending warrior had barely enough time to cast a protective barrier, sparing them the worst of the attack...unfortunately, they were still blown back from the shockwave, hitting the opposite wall with audible impacts.

That was the last straw.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" Sephiroth roared, attacking his opponent with unbridled ferocity. Whereas he was once the defender, now his opponent was hard pressed to keep up with the attack, his movements now panicked. In desperation, he cast another spell, this one directed at the floor beneath their feet. With little warning, the floor quickly gave way, depositing both swordsman into another(thankfully unoccupied) hospital room. Sephiroth landed a bit awkwardly, but fared well enough to resume the vicious attack on his counterpart as the fight migrated out of the room, and down the hall...

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Blinking in surprise at how quickly events had transpired, it took a few moments before the two young senshi realized the serious predicament that their parents were in. With simultaneous cries, Usa-chan and Hotaru gingerly made their way around the new skylight for the lower room, and ran into the hall.

To their relief, everyone was alright, though a little battered from the shockwave. Moon was, surprisingly, the first up, helping her husband to his feet before she went to assist the others. Mercury was the worst off, but still lucky: a twisted ankle from landing wrong. After a short healing touch from Hotaru(despite everyone's protests that she should still be resting), and it was as good as new.

Despite the pressing business, Moon still was able to get the high points of what had transpired from her daughter and Hotaru, which led her to believe that her Pluto had been right...but what did all of this mean? The only time Pluto showed up, generally, was when the future was in grave danger. Was now such a time? But how?

Another explosion drew their attention this one from several floors below. Despite her pleas, and then orders, for Hotaru to stay behind, the senshi of silence insisted on going with her companions. Transforming with her friend, Saturn stood ready, and followed her comrades as fast as her feet could take her. Once they got to the lower levels, it was fairly easy to tell where the two combatants had gone, judging from the trail of destruction that they left. Thankfully, there were no fatal casualties, though from what little Moon knew of medicine, several guards and medical staff would be laid up for an extended period of time.

"MOON!" she heard a shout from behind, which gave her pause for a moment. Turning her head, she saw her brother, along with Venus, heading her way from a side corridor. On his face was immeasurable relief, along with surprise. "What the hell's going on here?!? It looks like World War III broke out!" he exclaimed.

Heading in the direction that she heard another explosion from(what were they DOING, she thought), she shouted back, "Just follow me! Suffice it to say you were right!" With that out of the way, she continued running as fast as she could, heading through several walls until they emerged in a familiar area. As soon as they recognized it, each senshi immediately gasped in alarm, figuring quickly the intruder's most likely destination.

The holding chamber for the Ginzuishou.