Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Looking Up To You ❯ An Incredible Love, An Incredible Battle! ( Chapter 14 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the characters, blah, blah, blah.

NOTE: This story takes place after Sailor Stars, however, I haven't seen Sailor Stars, so forgive me if I miss a plot point or two. Also, I'm gonna go for American attack names here… *begs forgiveness from the purists*

---

Sammy hopped out of the window in his room, dressed in his Masked Warrior costume. When he landed in the front yard, his eyes widened.

"Wow…." Sammy said in an amazed tone. A large, red-colored, circular portal was hovering over the yard. Sammy looked into it. "Well…. I'd better go, then."

Sammy hopped into the portal. The portal flashed, and then Sammy and the portal were gone.

---

Meanwhile, in the park…

"Well, Sailor Moon," Letine said, pointing her magical sword at Sailor Moon's heart. "I defeated your friends, and you're next!

The sword lit up. A large bolt of lightning coursed through it and rushed at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon leapt above the lightning bolt and clutched her henshin stick defensively.

"Whoa," Sailor Moon said. "I've gotta be careful!"

Letine fired another lightning bolt at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon ducked under the bolt, and rolled over to Letine.

"Have a nice trip!" Sailor Moon shouted, sweeping her leg under Letine's leg.

"Argh!" Letine shouted, dropping the sword and crashing to the ground on her back. The sword hit the ground and dissipated on contact.

"That's the thing about magical swords," Sailor Moon said. "They're awfully fragile!"

Letine growled. Sailor Moon pointed her henshin stick at the dark witch.

"No!" Letine shrieked.

"Moon… Blessed…. Hallation!" Sailor Moon shouted, sending waves of Moon energy towards Letine. Letine put up her arms to shield herself as the waves hit her. Finally, the volley of waves ended.

"Heh heh, Sailor Moon…" Letine groaned, standing up. "Such weak attacks won't work on me!"

"Darn it," Sailor Moon thought. "I need the others!"

"Take this!" Letine shouted, blasting Sailor Moon with red lightning. Sailor Moon screamed in pain as the lightning electrocuted her. She fell to her knees.

"Too strong…" Sailor Moon gasped.

"This time, I win!" Letine yelled. "Bwahaha-"

A red rose landed in front of Letine.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon and Letine shouted in unison.

---

The portal dropped Sammy into a large, wide corridor. The walls of the corridor were made of crystal, and they shimmered as the light shined on them.

"So bright…" Sammy said. "This place wasn't nearly as bright when I was first here…"

Sammy ran through the corridor, which seemed to be endless.

"Ami has to be at the end of this corridor!" Sammy said. "I can feel it!"

Sammy continued to run through the corridor, until finally, he could see an opening. Sammy ran through the opening in the corridor and stepped into a huge, crystalline room. The walls of the room shimmered like the corridor had, and the ceiling of the room seemed to be ten stories above Sammy's head. Sammy ran toward the center of the room, until he could make out a large pillar in front of him. Someone appeared to be attached to the pillar.

"Ami!" Sammy shouted.

Ami turned her head to look at Sammy. Her arms and legs were bound to the pillar by crystalline chains that snaked around her body. A piece of transparent tape had been placed over her mouth. Her eyes shimmered with a mixture of fear and hope. Blood dripped in a small trickle from her nose, where Alexis had smacked her to knock her out earlier.

"Ami?" Sammy said, slowly walking toward her. Ami attempted to speak to Sammy through the tape, but it only came out as muffled whimpers. She began to shake her head.

"Got you!" yelled a loud voice from the entrance of the room. Four crystal pillars rose up around the pillar Ami was bound to, cutting her off from Sammy. Sammy turned to look where the voice had come from. Alexis was standing twenty feet away from Sammy, a sick smile on his face.

"You!" Sammy yelled, pointing at Alexis.

"There's no escape, Sammy," Alexis said. "Just you and me."

Sammy unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Alexis.

"You think that pathetic thing can hurt me?" Alexis said. "You can't beat me. You're just a pathetic human."

"I'm the Masked Warrior!" Sammy yelled. "Superhero extraordinare!"

"Give it up, kid," Alexis said. "It's over."

"Shut up!" Sammy yelled, charging Alexis with his sword. Alexis put his hand out in front of Sammy. A large wave of black energy rushed forth from Alexis' hand, sending Sammy flying. Sammy hit the hard, crystalline ground and skidded several feet before coming to a stop. His eyes slowly began to close.

"One attack put you out of commission?" Alexis asked. "I thought you were supposed to be a superhero."

Sammy's eyes fluttered open. He stood up and pointed his sword at Alexis.

"I have not… yet… begun to fight!" Sammy said in a determined tone. Alexis smirked.

"That's more like it," Alexis said.

Through the crystal pillars that imprisoned her, Ami could see the fight between Alexis and Sammy, although the rounded glass distorted the images somewhat.

"Sammy… I'll try to break free and help you… it might be difficult…"

Ami began to struggle against the chains with no avail.

---

"You?" Letine said. "Not again! If it's not Mucha Lucha-wannabe with the sword, it's Fancy Nancy and his stupid roses. I'm sick of this!"

"And I'm sick of you and your cohorts hurting innocent people!" Tuxedo Mask shouted. "It's time to finally put an end to your ways!"

"That's right," Sailor Jupiter said, slowly standing up. "We'll show you!"

"You're history, Letine!" Sailor Mars said.

"We're the Sailor Senshi, and we're gonna take you down!" Sailor Venus yelled.

"Guys, you're back!" Sailor Moon said.

"A tiny little electric shock won't keep us down!" Sailor Mars said.

"That's right," Sailor Jupiter said. "My lightning attacks are stronger than Letine's!"

Letine stared at the Senshi. Then, she began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Tuxedo Mask asked.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Letine remarked.

"You mean Mercury?" Sailor Moon said. "She's on other business right now. She's a valuable part of the team, but the four of us and Tuxedo Mask can still beat you!"

"Business?" Letine asked. "You're sadly mistaken."

"What do you mean?" Sailor Moon shouted.

"Your friend Sailor Mercury is trapped in our castle at this very moment!" Letine cackled. "Oh, the things Alexis must be doing to her right now!"

"You're lying!" Sailor Venus yelled.

"Really? Just ask her yourself," Letine said. "Use those fancy communicators you guys keep on your wrists."

"I think I will," Sailor Moon said. She raised the communicator up to her lips and began to speak into it. "Mercury? You there?"

"How does she know about the communicators?" Sailor Mars whispered to Sailor Venus.

"I don't know," Venus replied. "This is fishy…"

---

Sammy stared at Alexis, trying to think of a way to attack.

"He's got all sorts of magic and stuff," Sammy thought. "All I have is a sword…"

"Hold it," Alexis said, reaching into his pocket. "I have a call coming in."

Alexis pulled a small, watch-like device out of his pocket and held it up to his face.

"That's Ami's communicator!" Sammy yelled. "Why'd you take it?"

"Mercury?" said the feminine voice coming through the communicator. "You okay?"

"Your friend Ami can't come to the phone right now," Alexis said mockingly. "She's a bit tied up at the moment. Can I take a message?"

"Sailor Moon!" Sammy yelled. "I'm here at the ca-"

Alexis crushed the communicator in his hand.

"Wrong number," Alexis said. He reached behind his back and unsheathed a large katana.

"What a big sword," Sammy said. "Uh oh…"

"Since I'm fair, we'll make this a sword fight. Is that okay with you?" Alexis asked.

"Whatever," Sammy said, pointing his sword at Alexis. "I just want Ami back!"

---

"Guys, Mercury's been kidnapped!" Sailor Moon yelled. "And I think that Alexis guy knows who she really is!"

"Bwahaha!" Letine cackled. "I told you fools!"

"I also heard someone else," Sailor Moon said. "It was Sammy…"

"Did Alexis take him too?" Sailor Mars asked.

"Your friend Sammy is fighting Alexis right now, one-on-one for Ami's life!" Letine shouted. "You see, your little brother is that annoying Masked Warrior!"

"What?" Sailor Mars asked. "No way…"

"And I thought he was cool!" Venus shouted.

"Guys, he's fighting Alexis one-on-one!" Jupiter said. "It takes a pretty cool guy to do all that for the girl he cares about!"

"Uh, Jupiter, you seem to be forgetting…. that poor kid is in a deathtrap!" Sailor Moon shrieked.

"Well, too bad for him," Letine said. "But remember, you still have to fight me!"

"Letine, we've had just about enough of you!" Sailor Mars shouted, pointing her finger at Letine. "Mars Flame Sniper!"

"Venus… Love… Chain… Encircle!" Sailor Venus shouted.

"Jupiter… Oak… Evolution!" Jupiter shouted.

The three attacks rushed at Letine with incredible speed. Letine smiled.

"Haven't you forgotten?" Letine shrieked. "I can turn all of your attacks against you! And now-"

Tuxedo Mask suddenly appeared behind Letine. He raised his staff and smashed Letine hard in the back of the head. The stunned Letine had no time to respond to the three attacks heading toward her. The Senshi's attacks connected with Letine, causing a huge explosion.

"Now, Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask yelled.

"Right!" Moon shouted. "Moon… Blessed… Hallation!"

"Oh NO!" Letine shouted. The waves, which were much more powerful than the last ones, hit Letine with incredible force. Letine collapsed to the ground.

"No…" Letine gasped. "I'll get you next time, Sailor Senshi!"

Letine screamed, and raised her hand into the air. Then, she disappeared.

"She got away again!" Sailor Moon said.

"One of these days, we'll get her…" Mars said. "I can feel it."

"I'm so worried about Sammy," Sailor Moon said. Tears began to stream down her face. Tuxedo Mask walked up to her and lifted her chin up.

"Don't worry, Serena," Tuxedo Mask said. "Your brother is strong… and Ami is with him. He'll be okay."

"Yeah…" Sailor Moon sobbed. "Oh, Darien…"

Sailor Moon collapsed into Tuxedo Mask's arms.

---

"No more interruptions!" Sammy shouted. "Fight me now!"

Sammy lunged at Alexis with his sword. Alexis quickly dashed forward and parried Sammy's slash. He began to push Sammy's sword back with his own.

"You're so weak, boy!" Alexis yelled. "When will you learn?"

Alexis spun around and slashed Sammy across the face. The mask did nothing to protect Sammy from the slash, sustaining a large cut. Blood dripped from the spot that Alexis' sword had slashed. Sammy wiped the blood from his face, but Alexis quickly came down again with another slash, ripping the mask again and giving Sammy a large gash on his forehead. Sammy staggered back, and Alexis' foot connected with Sammy's face, knocking the boy flat on his back. Ami screamed in a loud, muffled cry.

"Ami…" Sammy moaned painfully. "I won't fail you again…"

Sammy slowly began to climb to his feet, but suddenly had Alexis' katana pointed at his chest.

"I can finish you off right now, boy…" Alexis said, smiling. "In fact, I think I will."

Alexis began to press the blade of the sword into Sammy's chest, piercing the thin lining of the jumpsuit and into the boy's skin. Blood began to slide down Sammy's chest and onto the sword.

"Wait…" Sammy said. "Just like that."

Alexis pulled the sword back slightly, but still kept it pointed against Sammy's chest.

"You're not going to torture me or anything," Sammy said. "Just a quick impaling death."

"I've played enough of your games, boy," Alexis said. "I'm going to end this now."

"Wouldn't it be great if the last thing that I saw was the image of you and Ami-"

"You'd like to see that, wouldn't you?" Alexis asked. "I know human boys. Perverted creatures who would do anything just to see a flash of skin. You didn't love Ami at all. You just wanted to…."

"Get her in the sack?" Sammy said. "Yeah, that would have been nice."

"What a dirty little mind you have," Alexis stated.

"You're the one who wanted to force yourself on Ami," Sammy said. All this time, Sammy had been moving his sword ever closer to Alexis' knee.

"I'm through talking to you, Sammy," Alexis said. "Time to die."

But just before Alexis could begin to push his katana into Sammy's chest, Sammy slammed his own sword right into Alexis' knee. Alexis screamed in pain, and Sammy used the split-second reaction to roll away from Alexis and kick him hard in the forehead. Alexis stumbled back, clutching his sword in one hand and his knee in the other.

"Little bastard!" Alexis spat. "How dare you!"

Sammy laughed.

"Yeah, I've been called that one a lot," Sammy said. "Mostly by my sister. Hey, that reminds me. I should probably tell you that my sister happens to be the one and only Sailor Moon!"

"What?" Alexis said.

"Sammy, what are you doing?" Ami thought.

Ami groaned angrily through the tape that covered her mouth.

"Hey, Ami, chill out," Sammy said. "It's not like the Amazing Pervert is leaving this room alive. Don't worry, Ami, I'll have you out of those chains faster than you can say… uh… 'mmph?'"

"So, you think you're real funny, don't you?" Alexis asked. He put his sword back in its sheath. "No more!"

Alexis pointed his arms at Sammy. Suddenly, Sammy was surrounded on all sides by a field of crackling black lightning.

"You said we were gonna fight fair!" Sammy shouted.

"I lied," Alexis said. The field of lightning converged on Sammy and shocked him with thousands of volts of deadly electricity. Sammy screamed in pain.

"No!" Ami thought. "I have to break out of these chains somehow…"

"Maybe we should give Miss Mizuno a better view of the fight," Alexis said. "And your suffering."

Alexis waved his hand, causing the pillars encasing Ami to fall away.

"I could already see the fight," Ami thought. "This just gives Sammy a better way to get to me… if he can survive that lightning! Oh, Sammy!"

"Argh!" Sammy screamed, the lightning continuing to shock him. "I won't let Ami down! I can't!"

Sammy fell to his knees. Alexis walked up to Sammy and slapped him hard in the face.

"How's that feel, huh?" Alexis asked. "This time, I'll finish you off for good."

Alexis pointed his hand at Sammy's head. A large ball of energy appeared in front of the boy's face.

"No! No!" Ami thought. She continued to struggle against the chains, even though blood had begun to trickle down her arms from the chains rubbing against her wrists. She screamed again, trying to get Alexis' attention.

"I'll get to you in a second, my dear," Alexis said, turning his head back to Sammy. "Any last words?"

Sammy raised up his right hand and gave Alexis the one-fingered salute. Alexis laughed again.

"Just the kind of obscene and immature thing I'd expect from a pathetic human boy," Alexis said. "Time to die."

Tears began to slide down Ami's face.

"Sammy…"

Alexis released the ball of energy. But almost instantaneously, before the ball could hit Sammy and finish him off, Sammy lifted up his sword and smacked the ball away. The ball of energy careened off of the sword and slammed harmlessly into the wall.

"No," Sammy said angrily, standing up. The lightning around the boy dissipated. The sword in Sammy's hands took on an eerie blue glow.

"What in the world?" Alexis stammered. "How could-"

Alexis gasped.

"What's wrong?" Sammy asked. "Am I tougher than you?"

"Idiot, it's not you, it's the sword!" Alexis shouted. "My blood is still on it…"

"I thought I washed it off," Sammy said. "Oh wait, when I stabbed you in the knee! Of course! But what would that have to do with anything?"

"It has to do with the blood of the Darkspawn," Alexis said. He shook his head. "Why would I want to tell you? Argh!"

Alexis angrily threw another ball of energy at Sammy. The sword continued to glow. Sammy smacked the energy ball with the sword, swatting it right into Alexis. Alexis cried out in pain and stumbled back as the ball of energy hit him.

"Hey, this is cool!" Sammy said. "I didn't know my sword could do that…"

"Darn you, boy!" Alexis shouted, firing a stream of black lightning at Sammy. Sammy lifted his sword in the path of the lightning attack. The sword absorbed the attack and took on a blackish glow. Sammy smiled and swung the sword at Alexis. The lightning collected into another large energy ball, which hit Alexis and knocked him back into the wall.

"Ami, I'm coming!" Sammy said. Ignoring the temporarily stunned Alexis, Sammy ran over to Ami and placed his sword inbetween the pillar and the chains around Ami's arms. With one mighty tug, the chains broke, and Ami pulled the tape off of her mouth.

"Sammy, go finish him off!" Ami said.

"Not now," Sammy said, cutting the chains around Ami's legs. "I need you!"

The chains fell into a heap on the floor. Ami took out her henshin stick.

"Mercury…. Star… Power!" Ami shouted. In a flash, she transformed into Super Sailor Mercury. "Now, what do you need me for?"

"Use that cool computer of yours and find out why my sword can absorb his attacks because his blood is on it!" Sammy shouted.

"You got it, Sammy!" Mercury said, giving Sammy a thumbs-up. "I mean… Masked Warrior!"

"That won't be necessary," Alexis said, standing up. "I'll tell you why. You see, the Darkspawn are a race of ancient warriors, descendants of the mighty Queen Metallia, whom you may know as the Negaforce."

"What?" Mercury said. "The Negaforce?"

"You see, the dark queen you know as Queen Beryl actually had a husband… an ancient knight who used to serve in the Moon Kingdom." Alexis said. "To make a long story short, Serenity eventually used her powers to seal up this knight in the Negaverse forever. Or so she thought. A few months ago, our leader, known as Scion, was able to release the dark force from his imprisonment, and now-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sammy said. "Tell me about the blood!"

"Sammy, this is important!" Mercury scolded.

"The power of the Darkspawn lies within their blood," Alexis said. "Anything with our blood on it will be able to repel our attacks. But it won't matter now."

"Why is that?" Sammy asked.

"I may not be able to hurt you, but this room can!" Alexis shouted. Suddenly, the crystalline floor beneath Sammy and Sailor Mercury began to light up. The floor beneath Sammy glowed yellow, and the floor beneath Sailor Mercury glowed red. "Floor panels activate!"

Suddenly, a huge burst of lightning engulfed Sammy, bringing him to his knees. Meanwhile, Mercury was engulfed by a burst of flame.

"Argh!" Mercury screamed. "The fire… can't… too hot!"

"Bwahaha!" Alexis laughed. "Fools!"

The floor beneath Sammy changed to blue. Suddenly, a huge pillar of ice rose up out of the floor. Sammy barely managed to get out of the way… and landed right on a green pillar. Thorns shot out of the ground, cutting Sammy in several places and severely damaging his costume. Sammy rolled out of the thorns and collapsed to his knees on the ground.

"How do you like that?" Alexis asked.

"We… we have to find some way to stop him!" Mercury shouted. "Look for a control somewhere!"

Sailor Mercury turned on her VR Visor and scanned the room. A cursor appeared in her visor, highlighting the pillar she had been bound to earlier.

"The pillar!" Mercury shouted. "Aim for the-"

The yellow pillar below Mercury's feet lit up, zapping her with a burst of lightning. Sammy crawled toward the pillar, but was suddenly blocked by a smiling Alexis, holding his katana.

"Going somewhere, kid?" Alexis said. He placed his katana to the boy's neck. "You're not going- urk!"

Alexis collapsed to the ground, holding his groin.

"Wow, you kicked him in the nuts?" Sammy asked, slowly standing up.

"Hurry, Sammy!" Mercury yelled. "Before the panels light up again!"

"Right!" Sammy said. He pointed his sword at the pillar and began running toward it, dodging the ice, fire, lightning, and thorns coming out of the floor. "I'm gonna need some help!"

"You got it!" Mercury shouted. She pointed her arms at Sammy's sword. "Mercury… Aqua… Rhapsody!"

Ice and water encircled around Sammy's sword. He charged into the pillar and slammed the magically enfused sword into it. The pillar shattered instantly.

"No!" Alexis yelled, slowly standing up. The ice, water, thorns, and fire all disappeared. The walls and the floor began to shatter.

"I think we broke something!" Sammy yelled.

"You fools!" Alexis shouted. Suddenly, he began to laugh. "Without that pillar, this place is gonna collapse! This will become your tomb!"

Alexis laughed, and then teleported away.

"After him!" Sammy shouted. "He knows my sis is Sailor Moon!"

"Yes, that wasn't a very smart move, Sammy," Mercury said. "But don't worry about it now! We have to get out of here!"

"Right!" Sammy said. He sheathed his sword and ran out of the room with Mercury. The corridor began to collapse around the two as they ran.

"Hurry!" Mercury screamed.

"There's no way out!" Sammy yelled, coming to a stop. "The portal's gone!"

Sammy and Sailor Mercury looked around desperately for a way out, with no avail.

"It's hopeless!" Sammy shouted. "Oh no… Ami, I'm so sorry!"

Sailor Mercury smiled.

"It's not over yet," Mercury said, taking Sammy's hands in hers. "Just believe."

"But I'm not a Sailor Senshi! I can't get us out of here!" Sammy yelled.

"Everyone has power within!" Mercury said. "You proved that today, Sammy. Thank you."

"Ami?" Sammy said. "Are you… crying?"

"I'm so happy you're alright," Sailor Mercury sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "We can't give up…"

"Ami…" Sammy said. Sammy leaned his face in close to Sailor Mercury's. Their lips met as the corridor collapsed around them.

---

Greg sat outside the restaurant, sobbing.

"Ami…" Greg sighed. "I couldn't protect you…"

Suddenly, Sammy and a detransformed Ami appeared next to Greg. Greg turned around to look at them.

"Ami?" Greg said, looking at Ami and Sammy. "And Sammy?"

Greg leapt into Ami's arms and embraced her.

"I'm so glad you're safe!" Greg said. "What happened? Your nose and your wrists are hurt…"

"It's okay," Ami said. "Greg, I missed you so…"

Ami kissed Greg briefly on the lips. Then, they turned to Sammy.

"Sammy?" Greg said. "You need to get to a hospital…"

"I feel fine!" Sammy protested. He clutched his arm in pain. "Ouch!"

Sammy was covered with many large cuts, and his costume was nearly torn to shreds.

"What happened?" Greg asked.

"I saved Ami!" Sammy said happily.

"Oh, I see…" Greg said. "Well…"

Ami turned to Greg and smiled.

"Greg, I'm fine now," Ami said. "I'm sure if you were there, you could have saved me too…"

"Yeah, I guess…" Greg sighed.

"Hey, cheer up, man!" Sammy said, slapping Greg on the back. "Ami likes you a whole lot! You're one cool dude!"

Greg smiled.

"You really think so, huh?" Greg said. "Well, if you went through all that, you're pretty cool too, I guess."

Greg, Ami, and Sammy laughed.

"But seriously, Sammy, you do need to go to the hospital," Ami said.

"What I need is a new costume!" Sammy said. Ami, Sammy, and Greg laughed again.

"Hey guys!" Sailor Moon yelled. "Ami! You're safe!"

Ami, Sammy, and Greg turned to see the four other Senshi and Tuxedo Mask running toward them.

"So, you escaped?" Sailor Mars asked. "Or did the Masked Warrior save you?"

Sailor Mars winked at Sammy.

"A little of both, actually," Ami said.

"Sammy Tsukino, you are a bloody mess!" Sailor Moon shrieked. "How am I ever gonna explain to Mom how you got messed up like that?"

"Wait, you know?" Sammy asked. "There goes my secret identity…"

"Letine told us," Jupiter said.

"And even if she hadn't, it would be pretty easy to tell," Venus said. "Your costume's ruined!"

"I'm sorry I lied to you guys," Sammy said.

"Nonsense!" Sailor Moon said. "Sammy, you are probably the coolest superhero around besides Tuxedo Mask, of course!"

"I think he's cooler than I am," Tuxedo Mask said. "You showed great valor and courage today, Sammy. However, you're gonna have to come up with a whopper of an explanation for your parents, or you'll be grounded for a year!"

The five Senshi, Greg, Tuxedo Mask, and Sammy all laughed.

"Let's go home, okay?" Sammy asked. "I'll tell mom I got into a fight."

"Yeah, a fight with a grain thresher," Sailor Moon said.

"Serena!" Mars scolded. The 8 teens began laughing again.

---

Meanwhile, in the dark castle…

"You two are horrible failures!" Scion yelled. "I can't believe I put up with you for so long!"

"But-" Alexis stammered.

"Defeated by a mere boy and a few little girls. You two are pathetic," Scion spat. "I never want to see either of you again."

"One more chance!" Letine pleaded.

"Get out!" Scion shouted. "Ninjetti will be here in a little more than a day! He will be a suitable replace-"

"I know the identity of their leader," Alexis said. "Sailor Moon."

"Hmm?" Scion said. "Really?"

"Her name is Serena Tsukino," Alexis said.

"You're not going to try kidnapping again?" Scion said. "That obviously doesn't work."

"If we can attack her while in her detransformed state, we can kill her easily," Alexis said. "Without their leader, the Senshi will collapse from within."

"You have one more chance," Scion said. "But if you fail, don't bother coming back."

"Yes, my lord," Alexis said. He turned to Letine. "This is it."

"This time, we'll bury them," Letine said. "Once and for all!"

---

Meanwhile, in Sammy's room…

"Grounded for three weeks, huh?" Serena asked.

"No friends, no computer, no nothing," Sammy said. Several bandages covered his face, arms, and chest.

"Tough break," Serena said.

"But it's worth it," Sammy said. "I got to save Ami's life. I'd give anything for her…"

"You're a good kid, Sammy," Serena said. She hugged him, and then left.

"Ami…." Sammy said to himself. "I'm so glad you're safe again…"

Suddenly, a blue-haired girl tumbled through Sammy's window. Sammy crawled onto his bed and looked down on the other side.

"Ami?" Sammy said.

Ami crawled onto Sammy's bed and smiled.

"I need more practice," Ami said. "So, what did you say to your mother?"

"I told her that I got these wounds saving the most wonderful girl in the world from a vicious, evil, sick fiend," Sammy said.

"You did?" Ami said.

"I told her I got into a fight with the school bully," Sammy said. "She told me that I shouldn't pick fights, and now I'm grounded for three weeks."

"That's harsh," Ami said.

"That's what Serena said!" Sammy replied. "You're not starting to think like her, are you?"

Ami giggled.

"Oh, Sammy…" Ami sighed. "Anyway, I just came to thank you again for saving my life, and to give you this."

Ami handed Sammy 15,000 yen.

"To replace your costume," Ami said. "Take it."

"You don't have to-"

"I insist," Ami said. "And while I may not be as stubborn as your sister, this is something I'm very stubborn about, so-"

Sammy took the money and put it in his pocket.

"Thank you, Ami… Ami, I shouldn't have…. I shouldn't have kissed you," Sammy said.

"What?" Ami said.

"You're dating Greg," Sammy said. "I shouldn't have kissed you like that… I'm not your boyfriend… I…"

"Sammy, right then, at that moment, I… oh, Sammy, it's not important right now… what is important is that you're safe, and I'm safe…"

"How did that happen?" Sammy asked. "One minute we're kissing, and the next minute, we're standing outside the restaurant. How does that work?"

"It must have been the power within you giving me the strength to use a Sailor Teleport technique," Ami said.

"Oh," Sammy said.

"Well, I'm awfully tired right now," Ami said, yawning. "And I should probably leave before your mom catches me in here, since you're grounded and all."

"Bye, Ami," Sammy said. Ami hopped off of Sammy's bed and started to climb back out the window.

"Wait," Sammy said. He opened up a small compartment in his desk and handed a photograph to Ami. "An autographed picture of the Masked Warrior!"

"You're not giving these out, are you?" Ami asked.

"Only one," Sammy said. "To you."

"Thank you, Sammy," Ami said, clutching it close to her chest. "I'll treasure it… because you gave it to me."

"And I'll always treasure our adventures together," Sammy said. "See you in three weeks!"

"It won't be that long," Ami said. "As long as your mom doesn't nail this window shut!"

Ami smiled and dropped to the front lawn. Sammy smiled and collapsed onto his bed.

"One day, the Masked Warrior will return!" Sammy declared. "Ami, just you wait! I'll always be around to protect you!"

Sammy laughed. He was the happiest he had ever been. He just hoped that the Masked Warrior would always be around to protect Ami… no, he knew it.

---

Welp, that's the end of the second little "arc" of this story! Looks like a final showdown with Alexis and Letine is imminent! But what kind of impact will Ninjetti make once he arrives on the scene? Will Sammy ever get ungrounded? And what is the full story behind the Darkspawn? You'll just hafta wait to find out!