The Sailor Senshi were momentarily stunned, first by Muon's sudden appearance, then by Gluon's outburst and subsequent action. Sailor Neptune was the first to recover, and she did not look happy. She turned not to either of the enemies, however, nor to the black objects embedded in the concrete. She turned directly to Sailor Moon. "What," she asked in a deceptively mild tone of voice, "is she doing here?" She pointed at Sailor Saturn, who had backed up towards Sailor Chibi-Moon. "I thought we all agreed to keep her out of trouble." "Um..." Sailor Moon smiled awkwardly. "She...wanted to come?" "She wanted to come." The whining from the Tears embedded in the concrete became louder. Neptune turned to them, along with the rest of the Senshi, but not before giving Sailor Moon a look that clearly said the subject was not closed. Sailor Moon looked less than pleased. Sailor Uranus, in the meantime, had placed herself between Muon and Sailor Saturn, holding the younger Senshi behind her protectively and giving the blue-clad man a hard glare. "Not very popular, are you?" She spat, glancing up at the still laughing Gluon. "It would seem not." Muon said, looking at his creations with a kind of dead-eyed curiosity. The green lightning that crackled around the exposed hemispheres cut out abruptly, and at the same instant, the concrete floor of the courtyard changed to match the texture of the Tears, becoming smooth, black and reflective. "What...what's happening?" Jupiter asked, looking from one side to the other. "Gluon has used his power to bond my creations with the ground of this area." Muon answered. "I admit, I had not anticipated his gaining this level of control over my weapons." "You created those things?" Sailor Mars said, aghast. "Well, stop them!" She looked up at Gluon, who was grinning down on all of them, as if waiting to see what they would do next. "I think he's going to kill you, too." "I cannot." Muon said nothing else, continuing to observe with a notable lack of enthusiasm. In a far corner of the courtyard, Mercury had managed to help Sailor Venus find relative shelter behind a pile of broken chairs and tables. Venus's face was tight and strained, and sweat had broken on her forehead. She had managed to avoid any hits from the Tears, but with the stress of moving to avoid them, Mercury was afraid she had damaged her healing ribs again. "Thanks." Venus said with a small smile. "But I'm afraid we might have just wasted our time...it doesn't look like those things will be flying around much more." Mercury smiled back. "I'm just glad you're here...you'll be safe." She placed her gloved hand on the altered ground and rubbed the new surface. "How bizarre..." She murmured. Venus laughed weakly. "Oh, come on. It's not that weird." She crossed her legs and sat up. "What do you have?" Mercury's visor came on again, and Venus could see the flashes and fragments of light that raced across it. Mercury winced and quickly shut it off. "I don't know! There's too much for the computer to analyze." They looked back out to the center of the courtyard where the other Senshi and Muon still stood. Uranus looked furious. "Well if you can't do something, I will." She stepped forward, glaring up at Gluon. "SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" The curved energy sword spun out towards the roof of the shop, but hit an invisible barrier as it left the boundary of the courtyard, and vanished. "What the..." An eyeblink later, a pillar of yellow energy erupted from the ground directly beneath Uranus. Her body became rigid as the energy rushed over her, leaving her unable even to scream. "Uranus!" Neptune cried out. The Senshi of the Sea ran to her lover and heedlessly grabbed her arm, pulling her with all her might. Neptune threw her head back and screamed in pain, but did not loosen her grip. At first, her attempt seemed futile. Mars ran forward, tears in her eyes, ready to try to pull Neptune away. But just as she reached the two Outer Senshi, there was a massive detonation of green and yellow, and the pillar vanished, Uranus and Neptune spinning away to rest on the ground, unmoving, fukus singed and smoking. Jupiter knelt by the two of them, looking worried. Mars ran up, panicked, Sailor Moon and Mercury running just a few steps behind. "Are they..." With a small, comforting smile, Jupiter shook her head. "They'll be fine...they'll be out for awhile, though." Gluon was smirking. "Too easy...I can't believe how easy this is!" He laughed, but got himself under control before he lost it again. "There's no way out of the field I've created...every single attack you launch will come back at you. And that goes for you as well, Muon." He grinned at Muon, waiting to see how he would react. Muon, however, just looked at him with the same blank expression. "Obviously." He finally said, turning his back on Gluon, his cobalt robes swirling around him. Gluon was livid. "I swear, Muon...before I kill you, I *will* hear you scream." He raised his arms again, and the green lightning began to crackle from the embedded Tears, spreading along the ground and forming a honeycomb pattern. A sudden flash of red appeared, washing over Gluon and forcing him to form a green barrier around himself. The pattern in the courtyard below faded out. "I told you, Gluon." Sailor Pluto had leapt from a neighboring roof and was rising from a crouch in front of him. "Your tricks are useless against me." Gluon lowered his arms from their defensive position, a wide-eyed smile on his face. "And you are a fool for thinking I wouldn't have new tricks, Sailor Pluto!" With a loud cry, he slammed his fists together. Pluto was already rushing towards him, energy flashing around her Garnet Orb as she moved to attack. As the Rod swung downward, Gluon reached up and caught it on his wrist. There was a violent concussion and red and green energy flew all across the roof. Pluto looked shocked, and Gluon just smirked. "You see? New trick." Pluto looked confused, and then her eyes widened in understanding. The garnet energy flying from her Rod hadn't stopped, and was now flowing towards the invisible barrier around the courtyard. Pluto straightened and turned away, but it was too late. The barrier became visible for a moment, a pulsing field of darkness surrounding the courtyard, swelling up where Pluto's energy collided with it. The darkness reached outward and absorbed Pluto into it, yanking her backward with a loud exclamation and holding her immobile and limp in the air above the courtyard. The Senshi below all cried out as they saw Pluto disabled. Saturn was the worst hit of all, and would have run headlong into the barrier if Chibi-Moon hadn't pulled her back. "Setsuna-mama!" She screamed. "Setsuna-mama!" "Why don't you save her?" Muon asked, stepping forward. Saturn and Chibi-Moon turned to him. Chibi-Moon glared at him furiously, and opened her mouth to yell, but Saturn put a hand on her shoulder. "What do you mean?" She asked. "None of my creations, no matter how Gluon had altered them, have the capacity to resist the energy I know you possess." For the first time, there was a hint of eagerness in his voice, and his eyes were glowing very softly. "Show me." Sailor Saturn stared at him, and for a moment, her eyes dulled, her voice sliding again into that of her other, ancient persona. "So...I see." Her eyes brightened again, and she shook her head, as if to clear it. She bit her lip and looked down. "I...can't." She gripped the haft of her Silence Glaive tightly, her shoulders quivering. "What you're asking...is impossible." Chibi-Moon stood in front of her, and Saturn gratefully leaned on her, giving her a one armed hug. Chibi-Moon glared at Muon, but he didn't even register her presence. He continued to stare at Saturn, measuring her carefully. "I understand." He finally said. "Disappointing." He turned his gaze back up to the rooftop, where Gluon still stood, gloating. A rose flew by Gluon's cheek, and he frowned suddenly, spinning around. The rose flew into the barrier and disintegrated. On the opposite side of the roof, Tuxedo Kamen stood there, his cape draped over him. "You." Gluon said, his eyes narrowing. "Who are you?" "Tuxedo Kamen." Was the soft reply. He threw his cape back, brandishing his cane. "Release them. Now!" "Do you really expect me to?" Gluon said, smirking. He clenched his fists and green energy once again swirled over them. "No." Tuxedo Kamen twirled the cane around and rushed Gluon. His cane rebounded off the emerald aura around Gluon's fist, but he jumped backwards before the counterstrike. He threw another rose, and Gluon just managed to move his hand to deflect it. Without pause, he rushed forward, forcing Tuxedo Kamen to backflip out of the path of the attack. From her sitting position, Sailor Venus had watched everything that had happened. She looked up at where Tuxedo Kamen and Gluon were fighting furiously to the cheers of Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon. Then she looked at Sailor Pluto, still unconscious and limp in the air, and down at Uranus and Neptune, who were just beginning to stir. Finally, her gaze fell on the five Death's Tears, still embedded into the transformed ground. She yanked herself to her feet, ignoring the flashes of pain from her fiercely protesting ribs. She joined the other Senshi, who turned to look at her. "Venus!" Mercury exclaimed, running to meet her. Venus smiled in return. "Okay guys, it's time to stop playing around. I have an idea." She looked at Chibi-Moon. "You look after Saturn...and yourself." Venus glanced at Muon. "I don't trust him. The rest of you, it's time." She held her hands out. The two youngest Senshi ran for shelter in the debris Venus had just vacated. Mercury took Venus' right hand, and Sailor Moon took her right. Then Mark joined hands with Sailor Moon and Jupiter completed the circle. "Okay...we need to do this fast." Venus said. "Tuxedo Kamen can't hold out much longer, and I don't think we can do this if Gluon has a chance to concentrate." "So let's go all out." Jupiter smiled confidently. "No problem." All five of the warriors closed their eyes and concentrated. Each began to glow from within, surrounded by the light of their power. A pillar of identical color flew up from beneath each one, and they all staggered a bit, but held firm. "Now!" Venus cried out. As one, the Inner Senshi called out. "SAILOR PLANET ATTACK!" The pillars were lost in the blazing white sphere of energy that sprang from the Sailor Senshi. It expanded, throwing back the barrier of energy that surrounded the courtyard. "NO!" Gluon screamed, looking towards them. He pressed his fists together and slammed them into the floor beneath him, cracking the surface and creating a massive green explosion that sent Tuxedo Kamen skidding across the roof. But it was too late. When the light cleared, the concrete floor of the courtyard was returned to normal, and the Death's Tears lay on their sides, rolling gently across the ground. Sailor Pluto remained suspended in the air for a moment, then started to fall. Fortunately, before she hit the ground, Neptune and Uranus both caught her, having been awoken by the light and fury of the attack. The five Inner Senshi slumped to the ground, exhausted. Tuxedo Kamen leapt to the ground to aid them. Muon had watched the attack with a complete lack of interest, and now turned his face towards Gluon. Gluon's face was contorted with rage. His shoulders shook, and he opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Finally, he threw his head back and screamed in rage. The Tears sprang into the air again, flying around and ripping deep gouges in the concrete where the points made contact. "Enough!" Muon said, raising his voice to be heard over the traitorous Gluon. "Nothing can be gained by continuing this. End it." A silver shadow slid up the side of the shop. Gluon took no notice, continuing to shriek in anger. His scream cut off sharply when a silver point suddenly appeared in the center of his chest. He looked down at it with a complete lack of understanding. Gluon looked behind him. There stood Gylax, her arm extended into a point that she had stabbed right through his back and out the other side. "Gylax...?" He gasped, falling to his knees. "Why?" "A better offer, Gluon." She said, a smirk in her hollow voice. "Now...farewell." She raised her other arm and it also flew into a needle like point, this one stabbing right through his neck. Below, the Sailor Senshi all turned their heads from the gruesome sight. There was a final, gurgling sigh, and Gluon collapsed into the ground. Everyone stared, first at the silvery daeva who stood atop the now fairly battle-worn tea shop, and then back at Muon. "Now." Muon said softly. The Death's Tears wobbled for a moment, flashing green for a moment. Then an azure glow swept them, and they snapped to attention. "Now, Sailor Saturn. You may not be what I thought, but I will still have you. Come to me." "No!" Uranus shouted, pulling Saturn behind her. She pulled herself shakily to her feet. Muon simply raised an eyebrow. "Don't be foolish. None of you have to power to oppose me now." "Shut up!" Uranus retorted. "You'll have to kill me if you want her." Neptune and Pluto also pulled themselves up, forming a wall between Muon and his quarry. "So be it." The Tears all spun around until their points were leveled at the Outer Senshi. It sounded like Saturn was struggling, but Uranus was finding the strength to hold her. "Not...so fast." Sailor Moon had also pulled herself to her feet. She glared at Muon. "Why do you want her?" Muon turned to look at the furious Moon Princess. "I wish to study her." One of the black Tears turned its point towards her. "Do not try to thwart me." Sailor Moon took several deep breaths. With each breath, she seemed to gain strength. "You're not taking her. You're not hurting anyone else. You're leaving. *Now.*" Tuxedo Kamen stepped behind her and placed a supporting hand on her shoulder, and Sailor Moon smiled back at him. She revealed her scepter, and twirled it in her hand. A light pink glow seemed to suffuse her. "MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!" The attack sped out, building on itself and splitting into five twisting coils of pink energy. Each one hit a Tear, and each Tear burst into pink light. They held firm, however, and began to build up their own energy for a counter attack. Sailor Moon cried out, her pigtails flying out straight behind her from the energy pouring from her body. With one final, massive detonation the Death's Tears exploded, black fragments flying high into the air. Muon looked irritated for a moment. He turned fully to Sailor Moon, blue lightning crackling around his hand as he reached for his saber. Then he stopped. The Sailor Senshi had all stood up now. They were weary and damaged, but each warrior bore a look of fierce determination. "Leave." Uranus said behind him, smiling. "Now." "Hmm...Sailor Moon." The light faded, and his hand slipped from his hilt. "I see...Sailor Senshi, the ancient guardians of the Silver Millennium. Now I understand...it seems once again I have been guilty of underestimating you." He lifted his hand, and a portal appeared behind him. "It will not happen again. Gylax." He stepped backwards through the portal. Gylax leapt from the roof, collapsing into a puddle that slithered across the ground with blinding speed into the vortex. The portal closed, and there was a moment of utter silence. Uranus drew Saturn around to her front, lightly resting her hands on the Senshi of Silence's shoulders. She closed her eyes, a lopsided smile on her face. "Well, I guess we won." With that, cheers broke out from the gathered Senshi. Uranus and Neptune embraced closely, and Saturn ran to Pluto, who knelt to embrace her. They were joined a moment later by Chibi-Moon, almost falling over when the pink-haired tornado flung herself onto Saturn's back. Meanwhile, Tuxedo Kamen looked on, smiling as the Inner Senshi exuberantly hugged one another in victory. Sailor Moon popped up from the crowd and waved towards the Outer Senshi. "Hey guys! Come join us!" Neptune looked back at Sailor Moon with a sugary-sweet smile. "Just remember, Your Highness...we still have to discuss exactly what Sailor Saturn was doing here." Though her voice was bright and cheery, there was an unmistakable threat in her voice. Sailor Moon cringed a little, her arm still half-extended, her smile growing somewhat shaky. She spun around in place and dashed through her bodyguard as quickly as possible. "Tuxedo Kamen! I didn't see you there!" Sailor Venus had been sticking to the outskirts of the knot of Sailor Senshi, not wanting to aggravate her poor, much-abused ribs anymore than necessary at this point. Like her companions, she was nearly bowled over by Sailor Moon's hasty retreat. She spun around completely once, and reached out blindly for something to support her. Her palm hit something warm and smooth, and looked up to find her hand resting directly on the brooch in the center of Sailor Mercury's bow. She yanked her hand away, both girls blushing like maniacs. She grinned randomly at Mercury. "Um...thanks for...um...breaking my fall." "Oh...yes! Erm...any...anytime..." The two Senshi stood there, smiling at each other goofily. Finally, Venus had enough and threw her arms around Ami's neck, pulling her close. Mercury gently slid her arms around her waist in return. "I'm glad you're okay." Venus whispered, closing her eyes. Mercury smiled and leaned her head against Venus's. "Me too..." She paused. "I didn't mean it like that...well, I mean I'm glad I'm okay, of course...but I'm really glad you're okay..." Her cheeks became pinker and pinker as she spoke, and finally she decided to just shut up. Venus pulled back from Mercury enough to look her in the face, grinning. Mercury just blushed more and awkwardly turned her eyes to the ground. "Hey, it's okay...I knew what you meant." Mercury looked back up, her cheeks still flushed. "Thanks..." They continued looking at each other for a long, still moment. The loud, celebratory noises seemed to fade away as the atmosphere around them changed, becoming charged and heavy. Mercury's eyes half-closed, and she leaned her head in slowly. Sailor Venus began to tremble slightly. Her mind was buzzing with equal amounts of alarm and excitement, but she didn't pull back. In fact, as she watched Mercury's face approach her, she leaned in as well, her lips parted slightly. As with many such moments, this one died a quick and ignoble death. Jupiter and Mars ran over and hugged Venus and Mercury from behind respectively. "Hey guys!" Jupiter called out enthusiastically. "We're getting out of here before the cops finally get their courage up. Let's go." -*KILL!*- Venus turned with her fists clenched, but managed to restrain her more murderous impulses and be drawn out of the courtyard along with the rest of the Senshi. As she left, she couldn't help but appreciate the irony of being torn away from Mercury by the two girls who seemed to be bent on setting Venus up with her. ------------------- Once well away from the poor teashop and transformed, the Sailor Senshi were exhausted. Worst hit was Usagi, who was literally falling asleep on her feet. Setsuna and Haruka were little better. Mamoru agreed to drive Usagi, Setsuna Chibi-Usa and Hotaru home. Haruka seemed dead-set on riding her motorcycle home, but Michiru finally informed her that if she insisted on driving, not only would she be riding home alone, she'd be sleeping alone too. So with a large amount of grumbling, Haruka climbed up behind Michiru, who headed home at a more conservative speed that Haruka probably appreciated. "I didn't know she could drive that thing." Makoto noted, watching the bike's taillights vanishing down the streets of Tokyo. "I'm not surprised." Rei said with a small smile. Makoto gave her a look out of the corner of her eye, then smiled as well. "Well," Rei continued, looking at the other three girls. "What's the plan now? We could all head to the Shrine..." Ami yawned. "Actually, I think I'm just going to head home. I need some sleep." Minako had her hand half-raised, planning on supporting Rei's plan. But on hearing Ami speak, she managed to make her movement look like a stretch. She yawned as well. "Yeah...um...I'm pretty wiped out too." She smiled brightly. "We did great tonight, Senshi. You should all be proud. I know I am." Ami smiled, first at Minako, then at the others. "Thanks, Mina-chan. Well...good night!" She headed off down the street. After giving Rei and Makoto another hug, Minako left as well, taking a different street that headed to her home. Makoto and Rei looked at each other for a long moment, then broke out laughing. "How long do you think it will take those two to run into each other?" Makoto asked, wiping her eyes. "Maybe about two minutes." Rei said, chuckling. She smiled. "I hope they're doing alright...they really are sweet together." "Yeah, they are." Makoto nodded. She smiled over at Rei. "I saw what you were going to do, by the way. You were going to try to pull Michiru away. That was really brave of you." Rei blushed, then laughed. "Well...yeah." She stuck her tongue out at the brunette. "Jeez, when did you get so observant?" Makoto shrugged. "Who knows?" She smiled. "Well, it's just me, but is the invitation still open? You have that new OVA I've been wanting to see...and I'll whip us up a little snack." "Of course!" Rei grinned. "I watched it with Usagi already...but it'll be nice to hear it without the shrieking." Laughing, the two girls turned their feet towards the Hikawa Shrine. ------------------- Minako had passed several streets before she realized her ribs were not hurting as she would have expected. They were aching a bit, sure...but really, they hurt less now than they did that morning. She turned a corner, trying to puzzle that out, and almost ran directly into Ami, who had been turning that same corner. Ami took several steps back to avoid colliding with Minako, smiling as she. "Oh! Mina-chan! I was just looking for you...are you okay?" Minako grinned. "Oh sure...I was just looking for you, too." She rocked back on her heels, her hands behind her back. "So...what's up?" "Well...I guess I was just worried...I realized you were walking back, and your ribs..." "Yeah...but they don't really hurt that badly anymore." She shrugged. "Go figure." Ami blinked. "That's...hm..." She thought for a moment, cupping her hand over her mouth. "I think I may understand. Our power is what makes us heal quickly. When we perform the Planet Attack, we channel our power directly through our bodies." "So doing that made my ribs heal faster?" Minako chuckled. "Well, I guess I'm glad, but it seems like a pretty complicated way to get better." Ami chuckled as well. She looked like there was something else she wanted to say, and Minako gave her time to speak. "That wasn't the only thing I was worried about, Mina-chan." She finally said. Minako tilted her head quizzically. "Ami-chan?" Ami looked down at the sidewalk. Around them, the lights of Tokyo were turning on in response to the falling evening. A breeze picked up around them, cold and smelling of winter. "I wanted to know if you wanted to stay with me tonight." She said in a small voice. "I was worried...because I didn't want you to be all alone tonight. So...if you wanted to, I'm sure Mother wouldn't mind." Minako took an involuntary step backwards. The adrenaline of the battle before had worn off, and her fear was winning out again. She wanted to...she truly did. Compared to the thought of spending a night with her best friend...her love...the thought of another night in her lonely, cold house was singularly unappealing. She cursed herself. -Why? Why can't I do this? I want to!- But she knew she couldn't. Her feelings were too intense, and they still terrified her. Going with Ami tonight would cross a line that Minako was just unable to cross. Ami was still looking at her, an expectant smile on her face. "Ami-chan..." She started, her voice cracking slightly. She swallowed and tried again. "Ami-chan...I don't think that's a good idea." "Oh." Ami just looked shocked. That was obviously not the answer she had been expecting. "That's okay Mina-chan." Her hurt expression cut Minako right to the heart, and Ami quickly turned away. "I understand...I'll see you around..." Minako turned around herself and actually took several steps towards home. Then she stopped. "Minako." She took a deep breath. "Decide...is this how you want things to be? Because if you want things to be different...it has to be now." She turned back. Ami was walking away, her head lowered dejectedly. Minako bit her lip tightly and jogged back. "Ami-chan!" Ami looked back, suspiciously wiping her eyes as she turned. Minako laid her hands on Ami's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Ami-chan...I..." She found herself blushing deeply as she spoke. "You..." She took another deep breath and smiled. "Do you want to...go out with me sometime?" Ami just stared at her for a long moment. Then she began to blush as well. She offered a tiny smile. "Mina-chan...you mean like a date?" Swallowing deeply, Minako just nodded. For an instant, she experienced a wholly new kind of fear. -What if she says no?- Only for an instant, though. Ami's smile widened, and she nodded back. "I'd love to, Mina-chan." "Great!" Minako's voice cracked again, and she made a sour face. Ami just laughed softly and leaned her head against Minako's arm. Minako and Ami both stood like that for what seemed like both a very long moment, and one that was over all too quickly. Finally Ami giggled a little bit. "So..." Minako blinked, not understanding. "So...?" Ami smiled. "So, when did you want to...?" "Oh...oh!" Minako blushed, a silly grin on her face. "Um...I guess...Saturday?" "Great!" Ami beamed. "I'll be at your house at six, alright?" She very gently disentangled herself from Minako's arms, letting her hands linger on the blonde girl's as she did so. "See you tomorrow, Mina-chan." She said softly, smiling. "Tomorrow..." Minako smiled back, a little dazed. Ami walked off down the street, turning back when she was about twenty feet away to wave. Minako waved back absently, wearing the same fuzzy smile. Finally, Minako headed home herself. The rest of the night was a blur to her. She remembered little of the walk home, save that it never felt like her feet actually touched the ground. When she got there, Artemis was waiting, full of questions about the day's massive battle. Minako answered them with some part of her brain she wasn't really familiar with. Artemis finally got fed up with her rather haphazard answers and let her get ready for bed. Minako fell asleep with relatively little trouble, given the fact that her entire body felt like it was buzzing with electricity, especially where she had made contact with Ami. The one certainty she had was that, despite her continued reservations, despite how scared she still was (and oh, she *was* scared,) despite all of that...she was happy. ------------------- AUTHOR'S NOTE: You know, with how popular the 'slow built' approach has been so far, I'm actually rather nervous taking a step this big. However, I really think it's time...not that it's going to be smooth sailing for the two of them from here on in, far from it. ^_^ But there's only so long they can dance around each other before I'd just be dragging events out for the sake of dragging them out. And besides, given the differences in their personalities, I've just been itching to have the pair of them hit the town! Sailormoon and all other characters in this story belong to their respective owners. Figure it out. ^_^
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