In the streets of Crystal Tokyo, darkness met light and war raged.  

Lurker 2: War was jealous of Darkness because he wanted to ask Light out.

Lurker-1, Lurker 4: <groan>

Chris: You guys use obscure literary refernces all over the place and miss
that one?
Skuld: Where did that come from.
Chris: [sweatdrop] Uhhh...I don't remember...but it sounded cool though!

The burning darkness was mere inches from Apollo's sides, and he could

feel

the heat and coldness on his skin.  "You're right," he hissed in pain

as

he

felt the flame lick at his skin, and he knew the power that had

protected

him was almost gone.  "I could never beat Ares."  Sudden realization

hit

him, and with it, a resolve he had never known before. Like a dam

bursting,

he felt power flow into his veins.  Apollo straightened, and silver
lightning crackled across his skin.

Lurker 3: Looks like he's been busy with Jupiter...

<Hikaru bashes Lurker 3>

Chris: Oh please, that was obvious from the start of the act.

He charged at Blood, cutting
through the dark flame like it was nothing.  He swung his sword in a

deadly

diagonal cut, the blade driving deep into the space between Blood's
shoulder and neck.

Lurker 2: Kore wa itten da.
Lurker-1: <winces>
Lurker 4: You want to translate that for the readers who don't speak
Japanese?
Lurker 3: <groans> Don't do it...
Lurker 2: <grins> There can be only one.
Lurker 3: Kuso....

Skuld: [muttering] Lurker no baka.
Chris: BETWEEN the shoulder and neck, not the neck itself, dummy.  [pause]
Nice connection, though.

Lurker 2: Just do it.

<a giant purple Nike falls on Lurker 2, crushing him>

Lurker 4: Knock it off.

Chris/Skuld: THANK YOU!

"NO!!!" Mars cried, and ran toward the two men, placing herself between
Ares and Apollo.   She awkwardly held up Crimson's shield as she tried

to

ward off the blow, and tears streamed down her face.  "No!  I just got

him

back, Apollo.  I can't lose him again.  I just can't!" 

Lurker 2: <Mars voice> I need him to open this jar for me...

Skuld: [whining] Oniichan?
Chris: Hmm?
Skuld: [pointing at Lurker 2] Can I hurt that one?
Chris: [evil grin] Go right ahead.
Skuld: Yatta! [runs out of the theater, comes back with a box of parts]

"Rei," Ares said, his voice hoarse.  "Move out of the way.  It's the

only

way."  He reached up his arm and tried to push her out of the way, but
before he could touch her, his eyes began to mist over with redness. 

"I

can't hold him much longer, Rei."

Lurker 2: <bad Scottish accent> She cannae take much more Cap'n, she's
breakin' apart!

Chris: Skuld, hurry up on that!
Skuld: [snaps] I'm working as fast as I can!

Blood's universe was the pure, seething agony that came from the shield

he

was being forced to hold, and the blinding, staggering pain that Ares
inflicted on him from within their shared mind.  Seconds felt like eons

as

he tried to fight off Ares's regained control, and he felt himself come
under attack from those twin fronts.

*GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!*

Lurker 2: "It won't give up it wants me dead goddamn this noise inside my
head..."

<The other Lurkers dogpile him, and beat the living shit out of him>

Skuld: HEY! Leave some for me! [holds up the device she's working on]
Chris: [sweatdrop] Skuld, what IS that?
Skuld: BFH Mark 10.
Chris: BFH?
Skuld: Big Fu--er...Freaking Hammer
Chris: NICE save.

He lifted her body up, and held her in his lap.  "Rei?" he whispered,
shaking her slightly.  She moved like a manikin, every muscle limp, and

Lurker-1: Mannequin

Chris: [glares at Colin] BAKA!

tears formed in his eyes.  "I'm sorry, Rei, I failed you again."  He

hugged

her body to his chest, and rocked her back and forth.  "I failed you
again," he repeated, and cried.  After a minute, a scream tore from his
throat and echoed through the city streets.  "REEEEEEIIIIIII!!!!!!!"

Lurker 4: <Rei voice> GEEENNNDOOOOUUUU!!!

Lurker 2: Wrong Rei, aho.

Chris: Skuld?
Skuld: [looks up from the BFH] Hmm?
Chris: [points at Lurker 4] Hurt that one too.
Skuld: [happily] HAI!

Over one of streets in the city, a black cloud hung.  As they watched,

it

grew bigger, and larger, boiling and rolling as it expanded.  It seemed

to

shift and move until it was a vaguely humaniod shape.

Lurker 2: Alright, who's been eating the chili again?

Skuld: ooohhh just you wait.

The first thing that greeted the three Senshi's eyes was the

devastation

the battle had wrought.  The street and sidewalks were cracked with

craters

and littered with debris.  The walls of the nearby buildings were caved

in

or scorched.  In the center of all this wreckage, a twenty foot tall
humanoid cloud stood, its black form furiously boiling and writhing.

Lurker 2: Nothing like a bad case of gas...

Lurker 4: That is nothing like a bad case of gas.

Chris: [blinks] Oh lord. [Smacks himself in the forehead]  I can't believe
he said that.

Near them, his back to the cloud, Ares sat on the ground, hugging

Sailor

Mars to his chest.  He rocked her back and forth, oblivious to the

threat

behind him or the recent arrivals.  Sailor Jupiter looked around the
carnage, and caught sight of Apollo crumpled on the ground.  She went

to

his side and checked him out.

Lurker 3: <Jupiter voice> He looks just like my sempai!

Chris, Skuld: <ROTFL!>

"SPACE SWORD BLASTER!"  Neptune pushed Ares away, and turned to look at
Uranus and the humanoid cloud.  Uranus was preparing for another attack
while trying to dodge the wildly swinging enemy.  As she watched, the

cloud

stopped its charge and turned to look at Ares and Mars.  With a roar

like

the winds of a typhoon, it charged at them.

Lurker 4: How do you stop a cloud from charging?

Lurker 2: Take away his Counter materia.

Lurker-1: <groan>

Skuld, Chris: ^_^;
Skuld: Lurker-kun, you've been playing that game WAY too much.

Following a reflex he couldn't understand, Crimson caught the bolt on

his

shield, which seemed to transform into pure fire.  Whirling on his

feet,

he

threw the shield straight at the monster, the burning disk flying from

his

hands and passing right through the creature's chest, leaving a gaping

hole

in its wake.  

Lurker 2: "There's a hole in my heart..."

Lurker 4, Lurker 3, Lurker-1, Hikaru: <groan>

Chris: Skuld, isn;t that thing ready YET?
Skuld: Not quite...gimme a second...

"I am, Rei, trust me," he assured her quickly while opening the door,

and

grinned at his brother who was waiting in the hall.  "Morning, Apollo,

you

look..." he struggled for words.  "...tired."

Apollo shook his head in negation.  "Don't go there, bro.  Just don't

go

there."

Lurker 3: Heh heh heh...

Other Lurkers, Hikaru: <sweatdrop>

Chris: <evil smirk>
Skuld: [scandalized] ONIICHAN!

Lurker-1: Well, now Shieldsman is over...when are we going to see more of
Oh! My Brother? We'll be here...<looks around> Ahem, Hopefully, only

*one*

of us will be here...for your next fic. Ja ne!

Chris: [looks nervous] Well, I'm kind of writer's blocked.  I've started a
story, but it's either a major status-quo changing event, or a minor
occurrance.  I'm not sure which.
Skuld: READY!  [Pulls out the BFH,  goes to whack Lurker 2, instant
pancake.] BAKA! [Whirls on Lurker 4, but they all disappear in lavender
smoke]  HEY!  No fair!
Chris: You can get him next time, Skuld.
Skuld: [scowling] That's what they always say.
Chris: That's a lot for the MST and your help, Lurker.


--
Christopher "God-boy" Angel
cja124@mail.usask.ca      http://www.engr.usask.ca/~cja124
"Some people LOOK marvelous, some people ACT marvelous.
I? I just AM marvelous." - anonymous