Power Transcendent
Sailormoon Fanfiction by Jessica
------------------
Chapter 6
It was a beautiful, if rather crisp, Wednesday morning, and Ami was
waiting nervously by Minako's front door. Artemis had hopped down to her
shoulders to say hello and then dashed off for parts unknown, leaving
the Senshi of Water along to await Minako's arrival.
Ami hoped her friend was feeling better. Despite their talk last night,
Minako had just seemed so down the day before. Frustrated, confused,
sad...and maybe even scared. Ami had no idea why she thought Minako was
frightened, or by what, but her gut reaction that that was the case was
so strong that she couldn't discount it.
As for Ami herself, after finishing the curry with her mother and
eating, she had thrown herself into analyzing the data her computer had
gathered, staying up probably quite a bit later than she should have. In
the process, she had all but forgotten the incredibly strong emotions
that had washed over her as Minako had held her in her arms. Nothing was
left but a warmth felt deep in her chest, and a vague feeling of
disquiet if she let her mind wander too long.
Minako finally stepped out, favoring Ami with a bright, sunny smile.
"Good morning, Ami-chan!" She chirped.
Ami smiled back. "Good morning, Minako-chan! Artemis already left...he
was really in a rush. Is everything okay?"
"Oh, everything's fine." Minako said with a laugh. "There's a seafood
place a few streets over that gets some deliveries this morning, and
Artemis likes to see if anything can be persuaded to 'fall off the
truck.'"
"I should have known." Ami said with a chuckle. "Well, shall we?"
"Of course!" Minako beamed. She grabbed Ami around the shoulders and
pointed towards school, a bold smile on her face. "To school! The
journey of a thousand miles begins with another man's shoes!"
Ami closed her eyes and her smile looked a bit pained. "I'm not sure
that proverb goes quite like that..." But Minako was already walking.
Ami just shrugged with a smile and walked after her. "I'm glad you're
feeling better." She said quietly.
Minako turned her head towards her friend with a smile and a wink. "Are
you sure I am?" The question was asked teasingly, but there was an
undertone of seriousness to it. Ami nodded in response.
"Yes, I am." She smiled at the blonde girl. "I know you act energetic
and happy, even when you don't really feel that way. But I think I can
tell the difference now."
"Oh no...my camouflage is ruined! What am I going to do now?" Minako
gasped, holding her head back and throwing her arm over her face. She
held that position, still walking, for a very long moment, and Ami began
to laugh. Minako finally took her arm off her eyes and laughed as
well...then made a far more undignified sound as she ran into a lamppost
and fell heavily on her backside. "Owwwww!"
"Mina-chan!" Ami gasped, kneeling down next to her. "Are you alright?"
Minako held her nose and checked her hand. "Well, I guess I'm not
bleeding." She rubbed the back of her head and smiled ruefully, blushing
a bit. "Guess I should watch where I'm going, huh?"
Ami stood and held out a hand. Minako took it gratefully and rose to her
feet. Ami walked around Minako, carefully brushing away any dust she saw
on the girl's uniform. "Did you call me Mina-chan?" Minako suddenly
asked.
Ami blinked. "I guess I did." She walked back to Minako's front and
tilted her head. "Do you not like it?"
Minako was blushing and smiling softly. "No...I like it." The two stood
there smiling at each other for a moment. A bell suddenly rang from the
clock in a nearby building. Both jumped and looked up at it.
"We're going to be late!" Ami groaned. Both began running. They managed
to make it to the schoolyard with only seconds to spare. Yet, as if they
had planned it, both took just a moment for a hug before dashing off in
separate directions.
------------------
That same morning, in another part of Tokyo, a meeting was taking place
on the roof of an upscale boutique. Three daeva knelt on the roof,
waiting quietly. At long last, Muon appeared, stepping through one of
the black, swirling portals that closed quickly behind him. He looked
around, his robes billowing slightly and his long hair flowing back in
the crisp breeze. Finally, he nodded in satisfaction and turned his gaze
to the three creatures before him.
They were all of the same type; female, almost human in appearance if
one ignored the blue-gray skin tone. Each wore a blank metal mask over
their face, completely smooth with no holes visible, not even for eyes.
The one to Muon's left had short cropped black hair and was clothed in a
black scarf that wound at random all around her legs, arms and torso,
leaving a fair amount of skin bare, but with no sign of where the cloth
ended.
The one to the right had slate grey hair that trailed behind her in two
long tails. She was clad in truly evil looking armor that was vaguely
roman in design, with high armored boots and gauntlets but bare thighs
and arms. It was gleaming chrome and bristled with spikes and hooks in
all directions.
The daeva in the center had no hair except for a white topknot that hung
to the side of her head. She appeared to be dressed only in chains,
chains that wrapped all around her body, leaving no part of her visible
except her hands. The chains appeared to be animated somehow, sliding
against themselves like snakes, creating a soft, metallic sliding sound.
Muon looked at them for a long moment. "Ryoujin." He finally said. They
responded, speaking in turn, first the one to the left, then to the
right, then center. Their voices sounded hollow beneath their masks.
"Zetsubou."
"Semeku."
"Shieki" The one in the center looked up. "We are the Ryoujin. What is
our prey, Muon?"
"The Sailor Senshi." He replied emotionlessly.
"The Sailor Senshi are powerful." Semeku said. "Lord Hadron has said he
wishes them destroyed, not captured."
Muon nodded. "Yes...but I only want one." A shimmering image of Sailor
Saturn appeared before him. "This one, known as Saturn. Be careful with
her, she is far more dangerous than she appears."
"You have given us the tools to hold her. But how will we find her?"
Shieki asked.
"Attack this building at the appointed time, and the Sailor Senshi will
come. Saturn will be among them. Use the tools I provided you to hold
her, and I will come to collect her."
"And the other Sailor Senshi?"
"Kill them if they persist, ignore them if they flee. Your mission is to
catch Sailor Saturn. The others are nothing."
Shieki made a sound that might have been a laugh. "We are the Ryoujin of
Hadron. We have never failed to catch our prey. Sailor Saturn is already
ours."
Muon nodded again and stepped back into the portal that opened behind
him. Another instant later, and the Ryoujin were gone as well, moving
too fast for the eye to follow.
------------------
Miles away, at the home shared by the Outer Senshi, Haruka and Michiru
were in their bedroom. Haruka was lounging on the bed, leafing lazily
through a book. Michiru, on the other hand, was unpacking her bag,
separating her clothing and generally making herself useful. She stopped
in the middle of unfolding a blouse to look over at her partner.
"Haruka, you could be unpacking too, you know."
The short haired woman lifted her book a bit higher so she could look
under it to see Michiru. "It'd be too awkward with the two of us
fumbling around all over the place."
Michiru gave Haruka a smile slightly tinged with exasperation. "I
thought we said we were too tired to unpack yesterday, and that we'd do
it today."
Haruka laid the book over her face and closed her eyes. "No, you said
that. I was all ready to unpack yesterday, but I'm too tired now. We can
try again tomorrow."
The Senshi of the Sea placed her hands on her hips. The effect, however,
was somewhat spoiled by the way her mouth kept twitching upwards. "Tenoh
Haruka! This is *not* going to be like the last time we took a trip."
"What was wrong with the last time?"
"You never unpacked...you just kept taking clothes out of your suitcase
until it was empty."
Haruka shrugged lightly. "It worked...I ironed it all myself. What's the
big deal?"
Michiru growled softly. "It's a *suitcase* not a dresser!"
"Multi-functional items are more efficient."
"Haruka!" Haruka laughed and slid out of bed, walking over to give
Michiru a warm hug. She began kissing her lightly on her tightly pursed
lips. After just a few moments, Michiru relented and smiled, returning
both the hug and the kisses. Haruka held her a little tighter and the
kisses became more serious.
"Mmph!" The sea-haired woman lightly pushed her lover back with a laugh.
"No, Haruka, you're not getting out of unpacking like that either."
"It was worth a try." Haruka chuckled.
"Now, hurry up." Michiru said, lightly slapping Haruka with the blouse
she had been folding. "We still need to take Hotaru to get some new
winter clothes before we head to the restaurant."
"Right..." Haruka lifted one of her suitcases onto the bed and began
unpacking. "Is Setsuna going to be able to join us?"
Michiru shook her head. "No...she has to work late at the university."
Haruka nodded. "I hope she relaxes a little...she seems wound pretty
tight."
"She's worried, Haruka. Wouldn't you be, if you were her? She's always
been able to see an enemy on the timeline. For them to be hiding from
her so completely...it has to be very unnerving."
"I'm finding it pretty unnerving myself." Haruka admitted with a smirk.
"I'm just glad we have Ami. I hope she finishes soon...knowing where to
watch for an attack would be *very* convenient."
"Speaking of Ami..." Michiru said, putting some things away in her
closet. "Are you sure about her and Minako?"
Haruka shrugged. "Of course...at least as far as Minako's concerned. I
haven't talked with Ami yet, and she's a little harder to read anyway.
And I'm just about positive Makoto is thinking the same thing, given the
looks she was giving Minako in the arcade." She chuckled, moving over to
her dresser. "Besides, you saw Setsuna when she told us they'd been
spending so much time together. She might not be able to see our enemy,
but she obviously knows something about those two."
Michiru nodded absently. "I suppose so. Should we do anything?"
Haruka smiled a bit. "I don't think so. I told Minako she could talk to
us if she needed to, and I'd be willing to bet she'll make the first
move."
"Ami might just surprise you, Haruka." Michiru replied, smiling
mysteriously. The two continued unpacking quietly, moving around each
other with the unconscious ease that only years of companionship could
provide.
------------------
When the bell for lunch rang, Minako headed outside to eat with the
other Senshi, as usual. However, as she was walking down the hall, Ami
ran up behind her. "Minako-chan! Wait a second."
Minako blinked and stopped obligingly. The two of them moved to the side
of the hall to allow others to pass by them. "What is it Ami-chan?"
Ami looked very apologetic and embarrassed. "I just needed to tell you
that...well...we're going to need to cancel our study session today."
"What?" Minako just stared at her. "What's the matter?"
"I have a previous engagement." Ami shrugged slightly, looking down
slightly. "I'm really sorry, but I just completely forgot about it until
I was sitting in class just now."
It was clear that Ami felt very badly about it, and despite her
disappointment, Minako couldn't help but want to make her feel better.
"No, it's okay Ami-chan. I know, you've been really busy lately. We'll
make up for it later, right?" She sighed a bit, but smiled. "So what's
going on?"
"Oh...I'm getting something to eat with Mamoru. We do it every
Wednesday." Ami smiled lightly. "Thanks for understanding, Minako-
chan...it would just be really rude to cancel on such short notice."
"No problem." Minako said, keeping the smile plastered on her face. "Why
don't you go ahead and find Usagi and Mako-chan? I'll catch up."
"Sure!" Ami smiled widely and headed off down the hall. As she left
Minako's sight, the blonde senshi clenched her fists and began pacing in
a tight circle, trying to fight down the angry surge of emotion that
threatened to overwhelm her.
"So as busy as she is she can take time off to hang out with Mamoru and
not me?" She fumed to herself. She could barely understand why she was
reacting to this so strongly. She could feel tears running down her
cheeks, for heaven's sake!
She took a few more minutes to get herself under control, then carefully
wiped her face before heading outside and finding the others. "Hi guys!"
She waved with a bright smile as she bounced over. Everyone waved and
greeted her, and she sat down and opened her lunch. But she had
absolutely no appetite and ended up just picking listlessly at her food.
"Are you eating that?" The voice at her elbow made her jump a little,
and she found Usagi staring avidly at her meal.
"No...you can have it." She handed her lunch box to the pigtailed
senshi, who promptly dug in with gusto. She glanced over to where Makoto
was talking to Ami, getting a little help with some homework that was
due in the her next class. She sighed, drumming her fingers against her
knee.
"Something wrong Minako-chan?" Usagi asked, her voice muffled by a
mouthful of food.
"No..." Minako sighed. She glanced over at Usagi as a thought struck
her. "Say, Usagi-chan...did you know Ami and Mamoru have dinner on
Wednesdays?"
Usagi nodded vigorously. "Oh, sure..." She swallowed and smiled. "I come
with them sometimes, but they usually talk about physics and stuff, so I
can't really follow any of it." She shrugged carelessly and continued to
eat.
"But it doesn't bother you or anything?" Minako pressed. "I mean, it
doesn't...it doesn't make you..." She struggled to get the word out.
"Jealous?" Usagi laughed, not getting any food on Minako by sheer luck.
"Of course not!"
Minako noticed Makoto and Ami glancing over at Usagi's outburst. "Usagi-
chan, shhh!" She whispered frantically. Usagi blinked and nodded.
"Sorry..." She said more quietly. "Anyway, no, I'm not jealous. Ami and
Mamoru are just friends...they're both really busy so it's hard for them
to hang out together." She giggled. "I know they don't feel that way
about each other, and even if they did, they'd never do anything like
that."
"Yeah..." Minako grinned, rubbing the back of her head. "I guess you're
right. Just forget I said anything." She laughed a bit. "So, did you
finish that manga collection Rei lent you? Because I'd like to take a
look at it."
Usagi winced. "Oh, right. Well, I didn't really *ask* her if I could
borrow it, so she was kind of mad when she figured out that I took it.
So I don't really have it anymore..."
"Usagi-chan!" Minako laughed. They continued to talk, Minako putting up
her usual energetic front. Beneath that, however, she continued to
seethe. The conversation with Usagi hadn't really made her feel any
better about missing out on her time with Ami. And it raised some
questions about Minako's reaction that the Senshi of Love absolutely did
not want to think about.
Minako continued to brood through the rest of the school day. Luckily,
the classes she had after lunch weren't ones she paid much attention to
anyway, so she wasn't missing out on much. She stayed behind for a few
extra minutes before leaving the building, not wanting to run into
anyone on the way out.
The walk home seemed incredibly lonely without Ami. In addition to the
lonely ache she felt, a knotted little core of anger still boiled in the
pit of her stomach. "What difference does it make to me who she hangs
out with? We're only best friends...I *thought* we were, anyway." She
muttered as she kicked her feet with each step.
She stomped her way inside and angrily kicked off her shoes. She could
hear her mother saying something to her, but she ignored the woman on
her way to her room and slammed the door. A quick look around revealed
that Artemis was nowhere to be seen, so she flung herself on her bed,
buried her face in her arms and began to cry softly.
She pounded her mattress with her fists in frustration. "Why do I feel
like this?" She whispered harshly, turning over and hugging a pillow
tightly to her chest. "I don't understand...I don't like this." With a
thousand emotions she couldn't identify churning in her heart, she
pulled the pillow over her face and continued to quietly weep.
------------------
The unconventional family unit of Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru stepped
into the boutique, Hotaru coming in first and Haruka and Michiru holding
hands behind. Hotaru was carrying several bags from another store.
Haruka was wearing her favorite leather jacket, but Michiru was only
wearing a maroon knit sweater to keep out the cold evening.
"I'm glad I looked my coat over before I put it on!" Michiru chuckled,
leaning into Haruka slightly. "With all those holes, I would have been
twice as cold as I am now." She sighed and shook her head. "I can't
believe I forgot to mothball it when I put it away last year."
Haruka made a tsking sound and pulled Michiru close. "I keep telling you
how good you'd look in a leather jacket...you wouldn't really have to
worry about moths then."
Michiru gave Haruka a sidelong glance. "Now Haruka, I keep telling *you*
no leather...outside of the bedroom, anyway." Haruka released her
partner and covered her mouth to cough slightly, a small blush climbing
up her cheeks. Michiru laughed gently and gave the taller woman a
playful little shove.
"Michiru-mama, Haruka-papa!" Hotaru called to the two of them. "I found
the coats over here!"
Haruka nodded over to the younger girl and the two began making their
way towards their child, arm in arm. When they had crossed about half
the distance, there was a sudden, massive detonation from above them,
and the ceiling collapsed. The staff and customers shrieked loudly as
the lights shorted out and the store filled with dust. Haruka yanked
Michiru behind her protectively. "Hotaru!" She cried out, trying to see
through the debris. "Hotaru!"
She was about to charge forward when she felt Michiru's hand on her
shoulder. She turned around, then turned back to see what the sea-haired
woman was pointing at. Illuminated faintly from the light coming in
through the rather large hole in the ceiling, three figures were
standing in the middle of the chaos. Though they were obscured by dust,
there was a definite feeling of wrongness to them. Haruka set her mouth
grimly. "Right."
She and Michiru ducked behind a display of shirts near the far wall, far
from where the three daeva were standing.
"URANUS PLANET POWER, MAKE UP!"
"NEPTUNE PLANET POWER, MAKE UP!"
Sailor Uranus squeezed Sailor Neptune's hand gently. "Find Hotaru...I'll
distract them." Neptune nodded and the two both leapt over the display
and ran in different directions, Neptune circling round to where Hotaru
was and Uranus running right towards the daeva. Just about everyone had
fled the store already, and the few that were injured in the ceiling's
collapse were now hobbling out of the doors.
Uranus stood on the edge of the pile of rubble, looking up at the daeva
as the dust settled. She clicked her tongue as she saw them more fully
and recognized their lethality. "Alright, daeva!" She called out, and
all three turned to look at her. "I know what you're here for, and I'm
going to stop you. I am Sailor Uranus, and if you're smart, you'll run
now." She was looking around desperately for an object like the pyramid
Setsuna had told them about, but there was nothing like that visible.
Sheiki stepped forward and lifted her fist, her chains sliding around
and rising off her hand and arm and writhing like tentacles. "We are the
Ryoujin of Lord Hadron. You are not our prey, Sailor Uranus, and *you*
would be wise to flee now." The chains snapped to attention, standing
straight and rigid, and a series of glittering spines poked out of them.
"Lord Hadron, huh?" Uranus smirked. She abruptly launched into an attack,
holding her arm above her head. "Take this! WORLD SHAKING!" The orange
ball of energy zigzagged up the pile of debris and detonated at the top,
but the three daeva leapt nimbly out of the way just in time. Uranus
leapt forward, turning in the air as she did so, landing on one knee
halfway up the pile and looking back and forth for her opponents.
Acting more on instinct than thought, she threw herself to the side just
as a collecting of hooked spikes embedded themselves deeply in the
concrete where she had just been. She turned to the side to see Semeku
standing on an overturned rack, the spikes she had launched from her
armor replaced by new ones that appeared in a light glow. "You're
quick." She said hollowly, a smile in her voice that couldn't be seen
through the blank mask. "But not quick enough!" She threw her fists
forward and a shower of needles poured out of her gauntlets.
Uranus jumped out of the way, but not in time to stop a few of the
needles from embedding themselves in her calf. They melted away in a
noxious mist a moment later, but a searing, blinding agony made her
stumble and roll part of the way to the floor.
She struggled to her feet, but everything went pitch black as she did so.
She looked around desperately, finally seeing the one thing still
visible, Zetsubou, her scarf spiraling out from her wrists and expanding
into the chill darkness that surrounded them both. She leapt towards the
daeva, but chains suddenly appeared around her ankles, and she fell to
the invisible ground with a painful thud.
The darkness vanished, and she looked up to see Sheiki standing there,
chains from her chest binding Uranus's legs together. The chains pulled
upwards, and Uranus found herself hanging upside down, eye level with
the daeva's leader. "I told you to run." Sheiki hissed.
"I told you the same thing." Uranus glared back fearlessly. She looked
behind Sheiki and smiled. Shieki turned just in time to see the Silence
Glaive fly out and sever the chains holding Uranus. The shining links
dulled and fell limply to the ground, and Shieki shrieked in physical
pain, tumbling down the pile of rubble. Uranus landed on her feet and
jumped up, standing with Neptune and Saturn on top of the pile.
Shieki turned her blank mask towards Sailor Saturn. "There she is!" She
called out harshly. She pounded her fists against the ground, and a mass
of chains streaked out from her back, so quickly they blurred in the air.
Without warning they gripped Sailor Saturn around the arms, legs and
waist and flung her back behind Shieki. It happened in the blink of an
eye, far too quickly to react to.
In an instant, the other Ryoujin were there, arranged around the bound
Saturn in a triangle. Each one held out a blue jewel, and each jewel
extended a beam of blue light to the other jewels. Once they had joined,
they left their bearer's hands and contracted until they were almost
touching Saturn's body. A field of blue surrounded her, and Sheiki
removed her chains, but Saturn still stood rigid. A wave of lightning
crackled around her, and the young senshi cried out in pain.
"Saturn!" Neptune and Uranus cried out at the same time. They were
already in the air, having leapt to her air the instant she had been
seized. They landed at the bottom of the pile, and faced off against the
three daeva standing between them and their daughter.
"I think we need help." Neptune murmured. Uranus said nothing, but
nodded with a very grim look on her face.
------------------
Ami and Mamoru had met for an early dinner in a little sushi bar Mamoru
was quite fond of. The two were initially very eager to talk about a
recent article both had read regarding some exciting new developments in
superstring theory, but before too long, Mercury was trailing off,
poking listlessly at her food with her chopsticks and offering only
half-hearted responses to Mamoru.
"Ami-chan." Mamoru finally said. "Is everything alright?"
Ami looked up and offered a small smile. "Of course, Mamoru-kun. I
just..." She shook her head and sighed. "Never mind."
Mamoru smiled. "You just seem really distracted. I hope it's not because
you're too busy to be here."
Ami shook her head. "No, it's not that." She sighed again. "I just wish
I hadn't had to leave Minako behind."
"Oh..." Mamoru nodded. "You two *have* been together a lot lately. Have
you gotten closer?"
Ami smiled again, a gentle, genuine smile this time. "Oh yes...I guess
you could say we're best friends now!" A tiny amount of pink appeared on
her cheeks as she spoke. "I know that might seem kind of strange, with
us being so different, but she's really very special. She's funny and
kind and energetic...and she's actually very smart. She'd be doing much
better in school if she could concentrate more."
Mamoru was smiling. "I don't think that sounds strange at all. You can
be best friends with whoever you want, you know. And it only makes sense
that it would be with another Senshi."
"That's true." Ami nodded softly. "I guess only another Senshi would
understand a lot of what we feel." She smiled, an almost dreamy look on
her face. "But...Minako is really the first person I've met that I've
felt like I can really open up to, and who can really open up to me. She
keeps a lot inside too, you know? I guess we do have that in common."
She was mostly speaking to herself at this point. Mamoru was looking at
her a thoughtful expression on his face.
Ami caught the look and glanced up. "What is it?" Mamoru smiled a bit.
"Oh...I was just thinking. When you talk like that it almost sounds..."
He was cut off by the sound of Ami's communicator.
"This is Uranus." The voice said tersely. "Neptune, Saturn and I are at
the Eternity Boutique in the Juuban Shopping District. We need help from
anyone close. Now." The signal cut off and Ami and Mamoru looked at each
other.
"I know where that is." Mamoru said, standing. "It's close."
"Lead the way." Ami replied. Minutes later, Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor
Mercury were leaping over the rooftops of Tokyo, Tuxedo Kamen in the
lead and Mercury following just a step behind.
The Eternity boutique had ended. There was a gaping hole in the three
story building that the two landed next to when they arrived. They
peered down into the darkness, hearing the sounds of a fierce battle
below. Without a word, they looked at each other and leapt downwards,
landing on the top of a massive pile of rubble.
They arrived just in time to see Neptune launch an attack at Zetsubou,
who was trying to entrap the Senshi of the Sea in her darkness. "DEEP
SUBMERGE!" The attack washed over the daeva, who arched back and writhed
in apparent agony, but didn't make a sound. Neptune couldn't follow up,
however, as she had to leap away from the spikes that Semeku was
continually launching out of her armor.
On the other side of the pile Uranus was facing off against Sheiki in
front of the trapped Saturn, who still struggled against her bonds, pain
etched into her face. Uranus leapt and dodged around the chains that
flew at her, managing to land a solid kick in the daeva's mask. Shieki
stumbled back a few feet, but did not fall. Her mask was undamaged.
"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" The freezing water attack boiled out and struck
Zetsubou as she was climbing to her feet. Ice formed all around her
limbs and she twisted in an attempt to free herself. Mercury leapt down
from the pile to stand back to back with Sailor Neptune.
"Sailor Mercury!" Neptune said, relieved. "Glad you could come!"
"Me too...what's going on? They don't have a wedge, and this isn't one
of the places I was looking at. What do they want?"
"Saturn!" Neptune said, staring carefully at Semeku as Mercury did the
same for Zetsubou. "I don't know why, but they came for her."
"Saturn?" Any further questions were cut off, however, as both daeva
leapt to the attack at once.
On the other side, Tuxedo Kamen had thrown a rose directly in front of
Sheiki as she had prepared to attack again, causing both her and Uranus
to look up, Uranus with a grin on her face. Shieki flung her arm out
towards Tuxedo Kamen, and the warrior jumped out of the way nimbly,
letting the chains splinter the concrete he had just stood on. He took
his cane from his cape, and it extended, hitting Shieki squarely in the
chest and pushing her off balance as Tuxedo Kamen dove into the fight.
"Help Saturn!" He called out. "I'll take care of this." Uranus nodded
and darted to where Saturn stood immobile.
"Don't worry Hotaru." She said softly as she examined the jewels that
help her imprisoned. "I'll get you out of this."
"Haruka...papa..." Saturn said weakly, moving her head slightly to look
at Uranus. Her eyes widened. "Look out!" Uranus spun around, but no
attack came. Muon stood there, illuminated in the light of the field
holding Sailor Saturn. He looked at Uranus with apparent disinterest.
"I am taking her with me." He said tonelessly. "Step aside."
Uranus took a fighting stance, placing herself directly between Muon and
Saturn. "Never." She said. "Who are you? Are you Hadron?"
Muon shook his head. "No...I am Muon. I am simply Hadron's ally in the
conquest of this world. But I want Sailor Saturn for my *own* purposes.
Let me take her. I can promise that she will live longer as the object
of my studies than she will if she remains here."
"Oh? And why is that?" Uranus spat the words.
"Because you will all die when Hadron takes this world as his own. It is
inevitable." Muon set his hand at his side and drew his saber. The blade
was a polished blued metal, perfectly mirroring everything around it. It
was so sharp that it almost seemed to cut the air as it moved through it.
"Now step aside." He repeated. "Or be the first to die."
"SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" The golden, curved blade of energy sped out
towards Muon, who sidestepped so quickly it was barely visible. The
blade collided with a half-buried rack of clothing and detonated. Uranus
was already moving, giving Muon barely enough time to raise his blade to
block the downward slash Sailor Uranus aimed at him. The two stood
motionless for a long moment, Uranus glaring at Muon who looked back
with a look of blank indifference.
Finally the two separated, Uranus jumping back to a defensive position
in front of Saturn. "This isn't over." She said defiantly.
"No." Muon agreed, a breeze from outside causing his long, cobalt hair
to stream out before him. "It isn't." Uranus ran at him again, and the
sound of their blades colliding filled the store, adding to the sounds
of the fierce battle raging within.
------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My first cliffhanger! I promise, I won't make a big habit
out of it. :P It's just a really big fight and I had some plot to work
in as well. The next part will be out really soon, I promise.
***I don't own Sailormoon, but I do own the original characters here. Be
warned, lest you suffer my wrath.***
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