Well, on with the stories. Enjoy chapter 3, 4 will be up in about 30
minutes to an hour.
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"Mamono is Found! The Sailor Team Comes Together!"
by
Akihiro & Vodka
***Disclaimer: We hold no legal rights to any of the characters created
by Takeuchi Naoko. They are property of those persons/companies with
legal rights and no infringement is intended. No profit is being made
from their use.***
{...} Indicates character thoughts
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It had been a week since the defeat of the cobra oni and the senshi had
little luck locating Mamono's realm.
Ami, Luna, Artemis, and Ceres sat around the ceremoial fire channeling
their energy into Rei as she performed a reading.
"Spirits of the fire," she spoke. "Please guide us to the location of
this new evil so we may defeat it and protect the world from its grasp."
The fire flared brightly for a moment then died to the level it had been
at before.
"That's it!" Rei shouted as she jumped to her feet. "With your energy
in addition to mine I was able to determine the location of Mamono's
Lair."
"Great!" Ami called out as she too jumped up. "I'll call the others and
we can go take care of him now!"
"Wait!" Ceres interupted. "I know you are strong, but Mamono is more
powerful that any of you could possibly imagine. If I couldn't see what
he will do, I myself wouldn't believe it. We're going to need some help
to go directly against him. Artemis, can you contact the Outer Senshi?
Their powers will be needed."
Artemis, while not fond of taking orders from Ceres, nodded and quickly
left the room.
"Luna-chan," Ceres continued. "Would you please contact the seven
knights? I think we'll need them too."
"Um, Ceres?" Luna replied.
"Yes, Luna-chan?"
"The knights are gone, only Endymion is left," she informed him. "He is
Usagi's boyfriend Mamoru, and he's away at college."
{But I've had visions of them fighting alongside the Sailor Senshi...}
he thought. {Whatever, no time to worry about it.} "Well, contact him
and get him to come back as quick as possible. I'll try to find Usagi,
if we can locate something belonging to each of the knights, she can
revive them with the power of the Ginzuishou. And believe me, we _will_
need them for the final confrotation with Mamono," the siamese
explained.
Luna nodded before she left as well.
Ami appeared confused. "Ceres, are you referring to the knights that
Queen Beryl had taken control of?"
"Yes, I am."
"Well, there were only four of them, so wouldn't that be five knights if
Endymion were included?" she asked attentively.
Ceres nodded at her before explaining. "Five that you can remember, but
there were two more knights that Beryl never gained control of. They
were hidden when Beryl started taking the others so she couldn't get
them as well. When Serenity sent us all to be reborn here, she made
sure to send them as well in case they were ever needed." He looked
over the two girls in front of him.
"Well, there's never been any other knights that showed up here so I
would think it is safe to assume they're still alive," said Ami.
"Yeah, so why don't you just go find them and wake them up!" Rei almost
shouted at the cat.
"It's not that easy!" Ceres returned. "I can't activate them without
knowing who they are, but without someone to activate them all they will
have is the subconcious knowledge of their identities and the power to
be transformed when needed. Much like Mamoru was when he first became
Tuxedo Kamen.
"I also think that Mamono may be using some power to limit what I can
see now that he knows of my ability," the cat further explained. "So
all we can do is wait for the sixth and seventh knights to realize who
they they are on their own. In the mean time, you two could help by
trying to locate anything that would have belonged to or come into
cantact with the four knights that Beryl did take control of."
Rei and Ami both nodded, then left the shrine.
{At least I won't have to tell them about that spell now,} thought
Ceres.
***
"They've found me," Mamono said in mock-fear as he turned from his
intangible view-screen. "Let them come, that cat knows nothing of my
power. Even his so called foresight sees only what I allow it to see
about me."
The cloaked figure began chanting, and several spheres of light appeared
around him. "Go, my creations, to the outer area of my realm to slow
the senshi upon their arrival." As the spheres began to fade, Mamono
halted the nearest three. "I have other plans for you." He spoke
first to the two directly in front of him, "I want you two to go gather
more lights for me. Even though the senshi are busy preparing for their
attack, you will still need to exercise caution, but all I need is three
more lights and I can complete my spell so I want you to gather one
light every two hours from a source that will not be noticed. If you
follow those instructions, you shouldn't confront the senshi, but if you
do, you are _not_ to battle them but to return here immediatley."
The spheres' glow intesified for a split second then they faded out.
Mamono turned to the remaining sphere and addressed it, "I want you to
confront the senshi themselves. You are to prevent them from reviving
Beryl's knights and stop the awakening of the final knights."
The sphere seemed to acknowledge and accept the command before it too
faded from view.
The chamber was filled with maniacal laughter as Mamono basked in the
prospect of all that he would control. {Soon... Very soon...}
***
Usagi, Naru, Makoto, and Minako found Luna outside the Crown Game
Center.
"Why are you here, Luna?" Usagi asked.
"Well, I just contacted Mamoru like Ceres asked, and Ceres needed to
talk to you so I thought I'd check here for you," the cat explained.
"Oh, where is he?" Mako asked.
"And why did he want you to call Mamo-chan?" asked Usagi.
"That will be explained at the meeting tonight," Ami interjected as she
joined the others.
"Alright," said Naru. "We'll be there. Is eight o'clock okay?"
"Perfect," replied Ami.
Usagi stepped away from the others and indicated for Luna to follow.
Once they were out of ear shot, she loked to the cat. "Luna, I'm really
worried about Naru. With Umino moving away soon she'll be so lonely.
I'll be there for her, and I'm sure the others will, but she's already
so depressed. And last week, Umino gave her a memento to remember him
by and she carries it everywhere. I don't know what to do, I mean this
thing will remind her of both Umino and Nephrite."
Luna's eyes enlarged in shock. "Nephrite?! What is it?"
"You remember when Zoicite had some of his youma attack Nephrite?" Usagi
asked. "Well, Naru used a peice of cloth from her night clothes to try
to bandage one of his wounds. When he died, it was left behind. Then
when Umino was hurt trying to protect Naru from another youma, she use
it to bandage him too."
Luna didn't care about the last part, she had found an item for one of
the knights. "You've got to get it from her!" she demanded.
"I know," Usagi replied. "But how can I do it without upsetting her?"
"Tell her the truth!"
"Alright, how should I put this?" she wondered aloud. " 'Naru-chan, I
know you still miss Nephrite and that you'll miss Umino too, but you
have to give me that peice of cloth,' " she began.
"So far so good," Luna agreed.
" 'I just can't handle seeing you as depressed as you get when you have
that to remind you of them both.' There, how's that?" Usagi finished.
"What?! Nothing about how we need it to bring Nephrite back?!" Luna
asked in shock.
Usagi was utterly confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, you weren't there. I'll explain it at the meeting," the cat said
sheepishly. "If you haven't got it by then, I'm sure she'll give it to
us when all is explained."
***
That evening Usagi and Naru walked toward the Hikawa Shrine for the
senshi meeting. As they walked, Naru noted the pensiveness about the
other girl.
"What's bothering you, Usagi-chan?" she finally asked.
"Luna says I have to get something," Usagi replied evasively. "But this
thing is very important to someone close to me so I have no idea how to
ask for it."
"What is it?" Naru inquired.
Usagi's mind was racing trying to decide what to tell her friend when
the other girl had a flash of insight that eliminated the need for her
to answer.
"It's this isn't it?" Naru asked as she pulled the tattered piece of
clothe from her bag.
"Yes," Usagi replied in a quiet voice. "I was worried about you so I
asked Luna for advice and she said she needed me to get that away from
you anyway. Something about bringing Nephrite back."
Naru halted in her tracks. "Bringing Nephrite back...?" she spoke
hesitantly.
Usagi looked strangely at her friend for a moment before realizing what
this meant. "Hey! If we can bring him back then you won't have to be
upset any more!"
The other girl was still in shock as she repeated, "Bringing Nephrite
back...?"
"This is so great! The two of you can..." Usagi began, but was abruptly
cut off as a giant griffin looking beast burst from the ground before
them. "An oni! Naru-chan, we have to transform!"
"Bringing Nephrite back...?" she replied.
Usagi pulled out her communicator in frustration and let the others know
what was going on.
The beast stood at least twenty feet tall and had horns on its head
which added another three feet to its height.
Usagi put her communicator away and called out "MOON ETERNAL, MAKE
UP!!!"
The griffin lunged at Sailor Moon just as her transformation completed.
She was able to evade the attack by diving to the side, but could do
nothing to counter as the creature instantly turned and made for her
again.
"WORLD SHAKING!!!"
A sphere of golden energy impacted on the side of the beast's head
knocking it to the ground just short of Sailor Moon.
"Arigatou, Uranus," Sailor Moon said as she recovered from her shock.
"Whatever," Uranus replied. "If you had been any further from the
shrine though you wouldn't be thanking anyone again."
The griffin oni quickly regained its feet and turned to the new arrival
with a snarl. It sprang forward with lightning speed and extended its
talons.
"WORLD SHAKING!!!" Sailor Uranus shouted as she cast her attack again.
"DEEP SUBMERGE!!!" chorused another voice as though in reply.
A third voice joined in with a exclamation of "DEAD SCREAM!!!"
The oni was again driven to the ground by the multiple attacks, but was
on its feet again in mere moments. After taking another moment to shake
off the effects of the attacks, it once again charged Sailor Moon,
successfully dodging the renewed attacks set against it by the other
senshi.
Just as the beast was about to reach its target a small child, no older
than eight by her appearance, seemed to materialize in it's path.
"SILENCE WALL!!!" the child shouted as she held her glaive out in front
of her.
The griffin continued its charge and ran headlong into the energy field.
The energy seemed to electricute the beast as it kept trying to
penetrate the shield.
The other senshi again cast their attacks at the oni, this time with
success as the creature seemed to loose a large amount of it's strength.
"Sailor Moon!" Saturn said over her shoulder as she maintained the
protective field.
Sailor Moon nodded then stepped out from behind the younger senshi and
immediately initiated her attack. "STARLIGHT HONEYMOON THERAPY KISS!!!"
The oni gave an ear-shattering cry and imploded into nothingness.
"Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Saturn!" Sailor Moon said as she faced each in
turn. "Thank you all for the help. Let's all get to that meeting so we
can see what the others have come up with." She turned to face Naru
again. "Come on!"
"Bringing Nephrite back...?" Naru answered.
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Well, another episode posted with more soon to come (though we are going
to take a short break before posting more). We'll have more posted
soon so don't go too far!
Akihiro & Vodka
TendouNabiki@webtv.net