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Enjoy!


The FFML Refugee List


Here we go.  The next chapter of Shades of Gray.  Enjoy, and C&C is
welcome and greatly appreciated.  Previous chapters can be found at my
website.


           Aaron Nowack
"Never let reality get in the way of a good hypothesis."
http://www.geocities.com/anowack/

Shades of Gray
A Sailor Moon Fanfic
By: Aaron Nowack

Chapter 7: Convergence

        "With great power comes great responsibility."
                -almost any issue of Spiderman

***********************************************************************
Disclaimer:  Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi, whose creative
talents far exceed my most humble own.  Distribution and other rights to
Sailor Moon belong to lots of different companies that I do not own.  I
make or imply no claim to ownership of Sailor Moon or its characters.
However, the text of this fanfic and all original characters presented
within are mine, and should not be used without permission. Thank you.
***********************************************************************


        Sailor Pluto was upset.  This was putting it somewhat mildly,
actually.  In the past few hours, she had been through Castle Charon
like a tornado, destroying everything she saw.  But, finally, she felt
that she had worked out some of her anger.  At least enough to actually
be able to think rather than mindlessly rage.
        Damn Chronus!  So arrogant, so self righteous... so... so smug.
He had made it to the present era the easy way, but she... she had had
to stand her lonely vigil.  She had waited ten thousand years for the
Senshi to return.  What did it matter if she broke a few rules to ensure
her wait was not in vain?
        She remembered Chronus's mocking words from the latest battle.
"None of my blood would abandon their oaths that much, even you, Pluto."
Pluto growled in anger.  His blood?  Hardly.  Not one drop of his blood
flowed through her veins.  The man who had been her father had died
eight thousand years before the Moon Kingdom fell, when Chronus had
first been summoned.
        Of course, she didn't remember it, herself.  She had only been
four when the Champions had descended on Luna and engaged the Senshi for
the first time, fulfilling the wishes of their dead summoners.  She had
been half a solar system away when Gaia and Princess Serenity had met
and sworn an oath of sisterhood.  She had not been there when her
predecessor as the Senshi of Pluto and the Senshi of Saturn had stood by
their Queen while the others joined the Champions.  She had not been
present when the Queen had been cast into the darkness.  She had not
even been aware of the ultimatums made by Chronus and Hades, nor of the
new Queen's plan to solve the impasse.  The plan that had made her
Senshi Pluto.  The Senshi of Time.  Whose power she had used to witness
all these events.
        Pluto stepped forward.  She now stood directly in front of the
Gates of Time.  With a touch of her Time Staff, the Gates swung open.
She willed it, and time began to swirl backwards.  She could
only observe that which had already happened, not interfere.  The
alternative was paradox.
        She waited until she had reached a certain far too familiar
point in time: eighteen thousand years in the past, give or take a few,
a time just before the rise of the Silver Millenium.  She gazed on an
image of the very courtyard in which she stood.  She watched as the
group gathered.
        First entered ten of the most powerful mages known in the entire
Solar System, gathered in this new castle on the unexplored planet, far
away from the Queen's gaze.  Each of them was the foremost master of one
of the ten elements.  Some were old, such as the stooped Master of Air.
Others were young, such as the mysterious Master of Death, whose wisdom
was far beyond his years.  Pluto stared for a moment at the sigil on his
forehead, the upside down crescent moon, and wondered for the thousandth
time at the strange coincidence.
        She watched as they positioned five gemstones about the
courtyard.  It had taken many brave lives to retrieve those from the
Lunar Palace.  It had taken more to bring them to Pluto.  Those would
not be the last sacrifices to be made.
        Pluto watched as one by one the volunteers entered.  They were,
for the most part, ordinary men.  Most had no families.  She watched as
her father, the seventh member of the group, moved into his position on
the mural.  Her eyes watered as she saw her father smile.
        She bowed her head as the chanting began, only to look up once
more as the first Master stepped forward, standing before the first
volunteer.  "I summon you, Lord of Ice.  I call you forth into this
mortal shell to be our Champion.  Come forth, for I call you by your
true name. Come forth, Hermes!"  The Master of Ice collapsed, his death
rattle in his throat, as armor of ice formed around the volunteer and
the five gems flashed.  The volunteer's eyes flashed an icy blue.
        The second Master stepped forward, and Aphrodite was summoned, a
glowing being that hurt to look upon.  Gaia, whose very presence caused
green things to glow between the flagstones of the courtyard, was next.
Then came Ares, a spirit of destruction, fire blazing around him.  Hera,
encrusted with rock.  Zeus, lighting dancing around him.
        And now it was time.  Six Masters lay dead, six Champions stood,
watching the proceedings with interest.  The Master of Time stood before
her father.  "I summon you, Lord of Time.  I call you forth into this
mortal shell to be our Champion.  Come forth, for I call you by your
true name.  Come forth, Chronus."  Very little visible change appeared
in her father, but the eyes... the eyes.  They now glowed with a purple
light, accentuating the changes. The time stream now twisted like a wild
river around him, obscuring her view.
        She barely noticed as the summonings continued.  Medea, cloaked
in darkness.  Poseidon, flowing like water.  Hades, whose gaze could
bring death.  Only one of the Masters would survive, and he would be
withered and broken.  She did not watch as the others arrived,
explaining the situation to the newborn Champions.  Pluto returned to
the present, carefully shutting the Gates of Time.
        And she cried.  She cried.

***********************************************************************

        This was a dying land.  This was a land lit by no sun.  This was
a land never tilled by human hand.  This was a land where a life was
worth only the energy it held.  This was a land wracked by war.  This
was the Dark Kingdom.
        And when war came to the Dark Kingdom, it was like something out
of the collective nightmares of mankind.  Winged beasts filled the air,
blocking the dim light that made it through the heavy clouds that
shrouded this realm.  They whirled about each other, occasionally
darting in and striking.  Others calmly circled, every so often diving
down to the ground and destroying a target.  And for them, a target
could be anything that moved.
        On the ground below, armies made of monstrosities surged towards
each other.  Bursts of dark energy, summoned projectiles, and other
ranged attacks flew, cutting down hundreds of youma.  Here, a tentacled
being strangled the life out of a centaur-like creature with the
hindquarters of a lion.  There, a shambling wolfman tore into a
mechanical looking beast, sending the black fluid that served as its
opponent's blood flying.
        This was the horror Beryl had sought to unleash on the Earth.
Had enough energy been available, this would have been the force that
attacked Tokyo.  No human army could have stopped even one of these
hordes, much less both.  Though perhaps a nuclear strike could have
delayed the conquest, if it had been launched early enough; and even
then, it would have been only days before a second invasion was begun.
More than any other enemy the Senshi had ever faced, the Dark Kingdom
had numbers on its side.
        A few miles west of the main confrontation, a small keep was
just falling to the forces of the Mountains of Desolation.  As walls
tumbled before a massive magical assault, the scene that had first
played out at Grim Respite was about to get yet another repetition.  The
warriors of Mordrangar's army formed up for the final assault, while the
defenders readied themselves, swearing to take down as many of the enemy
as they could before falling themselves.
        However, just as the attackers were reaching the fallen walls,
the script was unexpectedly changed.  A bolt of pure darkness descended
from the heavens, disintegrating the first rank of Mordrangar's youma
and bowling over the next two.  The charge stumbled to a halt, searching
for the source of this powerful attack.
        Slowly, Nyxan, Overlord of Valgoden and General of the Dark
Kingdom, descended from the sky.  He was humanoid in shape, though his
ebony skin, massive claws, and red eyes marked him as anything but
human.  Indeed, as had just been demonstrated, he was one of the most
powerful Overlords.  A handful of magical bolts rose to meet him, but
they were harmlessly absorbed by his defensive fields.
        A grin on his face, Nyxan gestured once more.  "Shadow Bolt!"
The dark energy burst slaughtered the attackers once again.  This time
it was met by a much more determined counterattack, but this was to no
avail.  More Dark Kingdom youma descended, launching a volley of fire as
the defenders poured out of the ruined keep, charging towards the
stalled attackers.
         This small part of the battle was not over yet.  However, it
was only a matter of time.  Mordrangar's youma were about to experience
the same fate their comrades had brought on Jadeite's forces before.
Though they fought well and bravely, they could not stand in the face of
the enemy's superior strength, falling first by ones and then by dozens
until none were left.  And like the dead of Grim Respite, they were not
the last. All along the long battlefront, the Dark Kingdom forces staged
a massive counterattack.
        A human general would have considered this move madness.  The
Dark Kingdom forces were outnumbered three to one, and conventional
wisdom would have involved building defensive positions and waiting out
the attackers.  But youma war was a very different matter than human
war.  Mordrangar had already demonstrated the effectiveness, or lack
thereof, of defenses against his numbers.  Staying put was suicide.
What made the attack otherwise was the inherent chaos of a youma army.
When things were not going to plan or when taken by surprise, whatever
discipline youma had tended to evaporate.
        The Mountains forces were already demonstrating this trait, as
their advance quickly turned into a stall, then a retreat, and finally a
rout.  Soon, the battle was back over terrain that had already been
devastated by Mordrangar's advance.  Within six hours, the Mountains'
center had completely collapsed, and their entire line had been driven
back a dozen miles.  Things were starting to look up for the Dark
Kingdom.
        A few miles back from the new front line, the two Generals of
the Dark Kingdom conversed.  "Well, that went well," said Ishamanar with
a smile.
        "Almost too well..." replied Nyxan.  "Always be suspicious of
any plan that goes off perfectly."
        Ishamanar frowned.  "You don't mean to imply this was a set up?
There's no way Mordrangar could have wanted this to happen.  Estimates
show his force has been cut by a third, and a few of the more cowardly
Overlords are withdrawing their support for his war."
        "No... but I don't think we should get too cocky," stated Nyxan.
"I don't think Mordrangar has shown his full hand yet,"
        Ishamanar nodded in reply.  "True.  But what... wait.
Mordrangar himself hasn't taken to the battlefield yet."
        "You're right," hissed Nyxan, a worried look on his face.  "I'm
not sure even the two of us combined have enough strength to take him
down.  Maybe not even Jadeite."
        "He will be defeated," said Ishamanar.  "The prophecy speaks of
Metallia's return... and only we can accomplish that."

***********************************************************************

        "Oh, drat!" exclaimed Usagi, reaching down for another quarter.
The screen was displaying her opponent's taunt.
        Her opponent laughed merrily.  "Come on, Usagi!  There's no way
you're ever going to beat me at Sailor Fighter II."
        Usagi briefly stuck her tongue out at Minako.  "Grr... if I ever
figure out how to do the Moon Spiral Heart Attack on this thing, I'll
beat you in no time flat."
        Minako sighed.  "It's down to forward, jab, high punch, low
kick.  It's not that hard," she replied as she glanced around the Crown
Arcade, looking for any cute boys that had entered in the five minutes
since she had last checked.
        "You've told me that before, Minako.  It just doesn't work!"
complained Usagi.
        "You're just not timing it right," replied Minako.
        Not very far away, Furuhata Motoki smiled as he watched the two
bicker.  Usagi was almost a little sister to him, and Minako had become
something of a fixture at the Arcade in the past year.
         As he thought these things, his real little sister walked up
from behind him.  "How's it going, bro?" asked Unazuki, her eyes
sparkling.
         Motoki turned to look at her.  So odd, for Azala to be his
little sister.  So odd, for his little sister to be a warrior.
         Unazuki sensed his discomfort.  "What's wrong?"
        "It's..." Motoki said, trying to organize his scattered
thoughts.  "It's just so hard to think of you fighting beside me," he
whispered, after making sure no one was within earshot.  "I'm your
brother, I'm supposed to protect you..."
        Unazuki smiled at him.  "I can protect myself now," she said
simply.
        Motoki frowned.  "I know that.  It's just..."
        Unazuki shook her head.  "I understand."  Two simple words,
coming not from eight thousand years of experience with Zeus, but from a
lifetime of living with Motoki.  And they made all the difference.
        Motoki's frown slowly lifted upwards, until it was a smile.
"Thank you."
        "No problem," said Unazuki.  "I better get back to work, or Ms.
Farrel will fire me."  Allana Farrel was the new manager of the Crown
Arcade and Cafe, and was quite strict about breaks being exactly five
minutes, no more and no less.
        As Unazuki headed back upstairs to the Cafe and resumed her
duties, two more people entered the Cafe.  They were Kudo Sachiko,
editor of the student paper for the college that Motoki attended, and
Genda Uji, one of the photographers for the paper.  The two seated
themselves, quickly ordering and receiving their drinks.
        "So," said Sachiko, sipping her coffee, "what have you got that
has you so excited, Uji?"
        "These," said Uji, placing several photographs on the table.
        Sachiko's eyes widened as she saw them.  "These are really good.
How did you get them?"
        "I was down at the park when this attack happened.  I had my
camera with me, so I snapped a few, then forgot about it.  After all,
they would just come out blurred, right?"  Uji paused to take a gulp of
his soda.  "Well, I finally got around to getting them developed, and
they came out just fine.  I'm not sure why, but they did."
        "A fortunate accident indeed," whispered Sachiko, as she flipped
through the photos.  "This one will look nice on the front page," she
said as she pointed to a glossy photo of Ares, sword at Sailor Moon's
throat.

***********************************************************************

        "Okay.  We're all here, so let's get started," said Mamoru,
looking around his apartment.  There had been a group project assigned
in Survey of Music, and his place had been chosen as a meeting ground.
He knew Shoju and Tamori from his study group, but the fourth member,
Aihara Hoshi, was less familiar to him.
        "Let's see..." Shoju said, glancing at the assignment papers.
"We have to do a report on a modern musician."  It went without saying
that the teacher did not mean a member of a pop group, but rather
somebody that played "real music", as he was often fond of putting it.
"Anybody have any suggestions?"
        "Hmm..." Hoshi said.  "I just read something in the paper about
some violinist named Kaiou Michiru who's supposed to be pretty good..."
He trailed off.  "Why are you all smiling like that?"
        "Actually, that would work well.  I don't know why I didn't
think of that," said Mamoru.  "You see, I'm a good friend of hers."
        "And I'm living with her," interjected Tamori, a grin on his
face.
        "Living with her?" exclaimed Hoshi.  Suddenly, a sly smile
appeared on his face.  "So how is she in bed?"
        Tamori laughed out loud.  "It's not like that, Hoshi, we're both
just boarding with Professor Tomoe.  Besides, she has a girlfriend,
anyway."
        "A girlfriend?" asked Hoshi.  "Do they let you watch?"
        Shoju lightly hit Hoshi on the top of the head.  "Shut up,
pervert," he said, laughing.  "Anyway, sounds like Ms. Kaiou will be
perfect."
        "I'll ask her if it's alright with her tonight," said Tamori.
        A few minutes later, the group broke up, and Tamori slowly
walked home.  His thoughts quickly turned to his work there.  It was
much easier now that he remembered all the basic principles of magic.
The technology, if it could be called that, he was working with would
have been fascinating in the Silver Millenium, and was even more so
having been found in the Twentieth Century.  He had quickly ascertained
that none of it was Dark Kingdom related, and therefore not important at
the moment.
        As he reached the Tomoe house and unlocked the door, he decided
that it was much easier to stay sane in this place when he wasn't trying
to deny the existence of magic.  One of the major things that would have
that denial difficult greeted him as he entered.
        "Hello, Hotaru," he said as he shut the door behind him.  He
smiled at the twelve year old girl, reminding himself to find out just
how she had been involved in these Death Busters' attacks at some point.
"Is Michiru home?"
        Hotaru shook her head.  "She's out with Haruka right now."
        "All right.  And how has your day been, young girl?" he asked.
        Hotaru smiled.  "It's been fine.  Oh yes, Poppa wants to see you
down in the lab.  Something about a breakthrough on the heart stealing
gun."
        Tamori perked up at that.  The two of them had been struggling
futilely with that piece of equipment for the past few days.  "Well, I'd
better go see what your father is up to then.  See you later, Hotaru."
Tamori smiled as he raced downstairs.  Hotaru was such a sweet girl.

***********************************************************************

        Fuarku Ikawa slowly walked towards the Hikawa Shrine,
luxuriating in the warm afternoon air.  "Just like a nice winter day on
Mars..." he muttered, then quickly looked around to make sure no one had
overheard him.  Seeing that he had been unheard, he breathed a sigh of
relief, then continued on his way.  Sometimes, it was so hard to keep
all his memories straight.
        The red setting sun cast gray shadows over the street, giving
everything an odd look.  It was quiet, or at least as quiet as Tokyo
ever got.  A gust of wind blew a few cherry petals across Ikawa's path.
Ikawa frowned briefly.  Something seemed odd.  He was by no means a
seer.  He couldn't sense the flows of time like Sailor Pluto or Chronus.
But he did have a measure of danger sense, and it was going off at full
blast.  What could possibly be causing it?
        With a sigh, he started up the long flight of steps up to the
shrine.  Whatever was causing it would almost certainly make itself
known soon enough.  And then he would deal with it.  But still he
wondered what could be causing this much danger.
        As Ikawa reached the top of the steps, he noticed a short old
man tending the Shrine grounds.  He realized that this must be Rei's
grandfather, who he had yet to actually meet.  "Mr. Hino?"  he asked
quietly.
        "Yes?" the man replied, looking up from his work.  "What is it?"
        "Is Rei in?" said Ikawa.
        "Yes, she is," answered Mr. Hino.  "You would be Ikawa, then?"
he asked.
        "Yes, sir," replied Ikawa as he headed towards the Shrine
proper.
        Grandpa Hino frowned as he extended his senses outward.  There
was something strange about this Ikawa.  Something seemed wrong.  A
subtle thing, something Grandpa Hino doubted he wouldn't have noticed if
Ikawa had been on guard.  The young man's aura was... unbalanced,
perhaps.  Odd...
        Ikawa didn't notice anything as he walked forward.  He stopped
suddenly as the figure of a man interposed itself between him and the
Shrine.  Ikawa took a half step back and looked over the figure.  "You
would be Yuuichiro?"
        "That's my name, and I'm not letting you get a step closer to
Rei, two-timer," replied the man.
        Ikawa's face displayed shock.  "Two-timer?"
        "That's right!"  shouted Yuuichiro.  "I saw you yesterday with
that redhead.  You should be ashamed of yourself!"
        Ikawa frowned.  "Redhead... Unazuki?  Are you serious?  She's
like a sister to me!"
        "Silence, cur!" was Yuuichiro's reply as he charged forward,
swinging his fist wildly.
        Ikawa quickly dodged the blow and fell into a fighting stance.
"You want a fight?  I'll give you one, then."  Could this be what his
senses had been warning him of?  But how could this pathetic fool cause
so much danger?  Was it possible he was a Dark Kingdom agent?  Ikawa
cautiously waited for his opponent's next attack.
        Hearing the commotion, both Grandpa Hino and Rei quickly made
their way to the scene of the fight.  "What's going on?" asked Rei.
"Yuuichiro, don't tell me you're..."
        Yuuichiro raced towards Ikawa once more, attacking blindly.
Ikawa dodged one fist and grabbed the other, then used the leverage to
hurl Yuuichiro away from him.
        Rei frowned.  She had studied some martial arts, and she
couldn't quite place Ikawa's style, though it seemed familiar.  Grandpa
Hino, on the other hand, realized that the style was completely
unfamiliar to him.
        Yuuichiro shakily rose to his feet.  "Had enough?" asked Ikawa.
        "Never!" cried Yuuichiro, charging towards Ikawa once more.
Ikawa sidestepped the charge, throwing a hard punch into his opponent's
gut, causing him to double over.
        "Honestly!"  cried Rei as she walked towards the fight.  "What
are you two doing?  Stop this!"
        Neither combatant listened to her as they circled each other.

***********************************************************************

        Jadeite waited quietly, keeping an eye on the timepiece on the
wall.  He would have to start this at exactly the right time, or the
Grand Conjunction would go to waste.  So far, everything was going to
plan.  He had ten thousand youma of varying strength here, all waiting
for the gate to open.
        Jadeite observed the room's centerpiece, once again checking
that everything was in its proper place.  At six points on an intricate
diagram, the six daimon eggs he had retrieved waited.  He had so far
been unable to activate them, but he hoped they would serve for this
purpose.
        He double-checked the tome he had taken from Nephrite's
quarters.  Everything had to be perfect.  Once the gate was opened, he
could lead thousands of youma through, raze Tokyo to the ground, and
defeat the Sailor Senshi.  Then, he would return and deal with
Mordrangar.
        Nothing would stand in his way.  Not the Sailor Senshi, not the
Champions, not Mordrangar, not his Generals.  No one.  He would have his
vengeance.  He would triumph.
        With a start, Jadeite noticed that the time had come.  Slowly,
he began to chant, sending pulses of dark energy into the daimon eggs.
The eggs began to turn first gray, then black as the energy filled them,
twisting them to its purposes.  Blisters began to form on the smooth
surfaces, slowly popping open, revealing the dark red liquid within.
        Constrained by walls of magic, the murky liquid flowed over the
sigil inscribed on the floor.  A grin on his face, Jadeite paused,
reassuring himself that the sigil was correct.  He then reached into
subspace and pulled out a red gemstone.  He concentrated for a moment,
and the Flame Diamond sent forth a bolt of white-hot fire which struck
the symbol, setting it aflame.
        Jadeite chanted the last few lines of the spell he had
developed, and waited.  He had selected the center point of the gate to
be the Osa-P shopping center, nostalgically remembering his first energy
draining operation so long ago.
        He smiled evilly as out of the ashes of the daimon fluid, six
dark ovoids rose, then merged with the objects prepared for that
purpose.  Yes... these six would be able to force the gateway open.  His
grin widened as he and his new minions crossed over to Earth.

***********************************************************************

        Above Tokyo, the sky caught fire as the Grand Conjunction began.
The entire heavens blazed with a red glare, throwing the streets below
into chaos.  Only one person in the city recognized it as Metallia's
Eye, the sky that graced the firmament of the Dark Kingdom, and took
appropriate measures. In other words, she hid.
        In the yard of the Hikawa Shrine, the two combatants suddenly
stopped, staring at the sky.  "Oh crap!" cried Ikawa as he felt the
overwhelming presence of evil.  He raced out the Shrine, with great
effort and great pain accessing a bit of Ares's superior speed.  As soon
as he found a convenient alleyway, he transformed, and Ares emerged and
headed towards where he felt the center of the darkness lay.
        "Hey, wait!" yelled Rei, as she hurried after him.  She too
found a hiding place, and soon Sailor Mars was ready to punish her
enemies in the name of the planet Mars.
        All over the city, Champions and Senshi did likewise, all,
almost unknowingly, converging on the Osa-P.  Their progress was fast...
at first.  Then, Jadeite's minions moved to intercept them, draining
energy as they went.

***********************************************************************

        Sailor Neptune skidded to a halt as the massive figure appeared
before her.  Behind her, Sailor Uranus did likewise, pulling her Space
Sword out of subspace.  "What is that thing?" she asked.
        The object of her question appeared to be made of some type of
glassy black stone.  It was roughly humanoid in shape, and its face was
devoid of features.
        "Probably a youma of some kind," replied Neptune as she raised
her hand.  "Deep Submerge!"  The attack sped towards its target, which
did not try to dodge.  As it hit, the ball of energy suddenly vanished,
and aqua light briefly played over the monster.
        Unnoticed by the Senshi, the sky grew darker, as the attack's
energy was absorbed by Jadeite's creation, then channeled into his
spell.  The monster also changed, its few movements becoming faster and
more fluid.
        Seeing the ineffectiveness of her partner's attack, Sailor
Uranus darted forward, cutting a gash in the enemy's side with her
sword.  However, her opponent responded by slamming her into the ground
with a blow from one of its massive fists.
        Sailor Neptune raced forward, striking out with her fists.  She
did no damage to the monster, but she did distract it long enough for
Sailor Uranus to rise.
        Uranus covered her lover's quick retreat.  Neptune then
retrieved her own Talisman.  Perhaps if they hit their enemy with enough
power.  "Uranus!" she called.  "Let's hit it together!"
        As one the two extended their Talismans.  "Now!" cried Uranus.
        "Submarine Reflection!"
        "Space Sword Blaster!"
        The two attacks lanced into the monster, which began to dissolve
under the energy.  Finally, only a small black object was left, which
rose into the fiery heavens.  This time, the Senshi did notice the
darkening of the sky, and the increase in dark energy that accompanied
it.
        However, Uranus had something else on her mind as she stared
after the retreating object.  "Daimon?" she asked.

***********************************************************************

        In another part of the city, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter
confronted a similar beast.  "Keep it busy!" said Sailor Mercury as she
pulled out her computer.
        "Right!" replied Jupiter.  "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
        The monster harmlessly absorbed the ball of lightning, and green
light shone from its dark body.  This time, the sky did not darken.
Instead, the monster raised its hand and summoned a massive lightning
bolt and hurled it towards Sailor Jupiter.  As it did so, the green
light vanished.
        Sailor Jupiter was sent flying across the street and into a wall
by the blast.  As she struggled to rise, the monster charged Mercury.
The Senshi of Ice nearly dropped her computer as she rolled to one side.
        As soon as the monster was behind her, she spun around and
raised her arms.  "Shine Aqua Illusion!"  The blast of ice knocked the
monster back a step, at the cost of fueling Jadeite's dark spell.
        Mercury quickly grasped the connection between her attack
hitting the monster and the increase in dark energy readings.  As
Jupiter rose, she called out, "It's absorbing our attacks!"
        Jupiter cursed.  "Well, what do we do?"
        Suddenly, one of the enemy's arms detached itself from its body.
The monster whirled around, revealing Aphrodite standing behind it,
glowing sword ready.  "This," the Champion stated simply.
        As if to support her argument, Zeus leapt out from the cover of
a nearby alley and removed the monster's other arm.  The monster stood
there, stupefied.  But only for a moment...
        Any joy the Champions may have felt at their success dwindled as
the monster regenerated its limbs.  Roaring wordlessly, it lurched
forward, swinging at Aphrodite and knocking her to the ground.  Zeus
stood over his fallen sister, barely blocking the next blow with his
blade.
        "Physical attacks, huh?" said Sailor Jupiter.  "I can do that.
Mercury, cover me!"
        "Right!" replied her fellow Senshi.  "Bubbles Spray!"
        The magical fog quickly shrouded the area, giving Zeus a few
moments to drag the fallen Aphrodite out of harm's way.  Meanwhile,
Jupiter raced forward, attacking the monster from behind.
        The monster fell forward under the flurry of kicks and punches,
but it was obvious that no real damage had been done.  Zeus returned to
the fray, striking out with his sword to only slightly more effect.
        Sailor Mercury quickly returned her attention to her computer,
scanning the enemy for any signs of weakness.  Thus, she was unprepared
when the beast grabbed Jupiter and hurled the Senshi of Lightning at
her.
        With a cry, the two fell to the ground, and the monster
redoubled its attacks on Zeus, the only one of its opponents left
standing.  With a mighty roar, the monster connected with one of its
overpowering punches, and sent Zeus tumbling into a wall.
        "Crescent Beam!"  The attack came from a nearby rooftop, and
halted the monster in its tracks.  Sailor Venus leapt to the ground,
landing neatly between the enemy and the Champions.  As the monster
recovered and ran forward, Venus moved into her next attack.  "Venus
Love-Me Chain!"  The golden chain encircled the monster, halting it for
the moment, and granting the champions and Senshi a moment to recover.
        "I think..." Mercury gasped as she rose.  "I think if we all hit
it at once, we'll overpower it... NOW!  Shine Aqua Illusion!"
        "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Jupiter hurled the ball lightning at
the enemy as Sailor Venus concentrated on keeping the monster contained.
        "Thunder Bolt!"  was Zeus's contribution to the assault.
        Aphrodite raised her blade.  "Blazing Light!"  Her sword began
to glow even more brightly than usual until a burst a bright light was
hurled at the monster.
        The beast literally vanished under the hail of attacks.  Before
the Senshi and champions had recovered from the blinding glare of
Aphrodite's attack, a tiny black ovoid had already flown into the
distance.

***********************************************************************

        "Flame Strike!" screamed Ares, sending another blast of fire at
the monstrosity that confronted him.  Sailor Mars joined in with a
Burning Mandala, but the two attacks impacted against the monster to no
effect.
        "It's no good!" cried the Senshi as she dodged a blow from her
opponent.  "This thing's just absorbing the energy!"
        Ares ducked under another blow, slicing forward with his weapon.
The monster ignored the insignificant wound, battering Ares with a black
fist.  The Champion fell back under the assault, and briefed a sigh of
relief as the monster whirled around to face Sailor Mars.
        Sailor Mars leapt backward, sending a quick Fire Soul at the
enemy to distract it.  As she did so, Ares reentered the fray, charging
the monster from behind.  As Mars prepared for a Burning Mandala, Ares
impaled the monster on his blade.
        With a roar, the beast punched backward, sending Ares flying
through the air.  Ignoring the weapon that still stuck out of its back,
the monster charged Sailor Mars.  The Senshi stood her ground.
        "Burning Mandala!"  The attack flew towards the monster.  As it
hit, the monster stumbled to a halt, and Sailor Mars breathed a sigh of
relief, thinking she had finally wounded it.
        She was quickly disillusioned as the monster raised one of its
fists and sent a burst of fire back at the Senshi.  Too stunned to
dodge, Sailor Mars took the full brunt of her reflected attack.  As the
monster resumed its charge, she could only muster the strength for a
weak Fire Soul.
        As she sent off her attack, Ares rose, a mad light in his eyes
as he raced towards the enemy's back.  Mars barely dodged the monster's
first strike, and the monster's second sent her tumbling to the ground.
But then, Ares reached the beast.
        "Let's see how much fire you can take," he growled as he grasped
his sword with both hands.  The monster reached backward to dislodge the
pesky human as Ares called out, "Raging Inferno!"
        For a moment, nothing seemed to happen.  Then, the monster
glowed white hot for a brief moment, and exploded in a shower of blazing
fragments.  As the Senshi and Champion weathered the storm of fiery
shards, neither noticed the black daimon egg ascend into the red sky
above.

***********************************************************************

        Chronus moved faster than was humanly possible, weaving under
the monster's blows and striking out again and again with his blade.
However, his blows merely bounced off the enemy's stone-like hide.
Though the monster could not hit him, he could not seriously damage it.
        Hermes was currently maneuvering to try and remedy that
situation.  The Champion of Mercury frowned as he considered his
options.  An Ice Storm would likely hurt his fellow Champion more than
it hurt the monster.  He wasn't certain what good a Deep Freeze would
do, as the enemy appeared to be more than strong enough to simply break
free of the ice.  And as for hand-to-hand, well, Chronus was
demonstrating that tactic's lack of effectiveness.
        Fortunately, Chronus could hold the monster off long enough to
allow him to scan the creature for weaknesses.  With that thought,
Hermes pulled his computer out of subspace and did so.  Two seconds
later the results came up on the supercomputer's screen, and Hermes
found reason to frown a second time.
        The first oddity was that the computer reported only a fifty
percent match with typical youma energy patterns.  The other half of the
pattern bore no correlation to any known energy type.  "Damn it!" Hermes
thought.  "We need more information on what happened before we awakened!
I have no idea whether this is simple evolution or what!"
        Though that was the main problem, there were others.  The
monster appeared to be able to absorb massive amounts of energy and
channel it into... something.  It also apparently needed to draw on dark
energy to prevent Chronus from wounding it with his sword.
Unfortunately, there were effectively infinite amounts of dark energy
available at the moment.  The only way Hermes could see to overcome this
was to hit it with multiple strong attacks at once and overwhelm both
its defenses and its absorption ability.  However, neither he nor
Chronus possessed enough offensive power to do so.
        As Hermes had been analyzing all this, Chronus had been
continuing his deadly dance with the enemy.  He darted to one side to
dodge one blow, then delivered a strike of his own before ducking under
a second fist.  He too knew that his weapon was having no effect, and,
unlike Hermes, he knew that he could not keep this up indefinitely.  The
monster seemed to constantly be getting stronger and faster, and it was
only a matter of time until he made a mistake.
        With that grim thought in mind, Chronus leapt over another
strike, only to see his prediction come true as he flew straight into
the path of a fierce uppercut from the monster's other arm.  The result
was predictable, and Chronus ended slumped up against the display window
of a nearby bookstore.
        With the Champion of Saturn out of the way, the monster charged
towards the unprepared Hermes, who barely had time to ready his sword
before the monster reached him.  Soon, the sound of metal hitting stone
filled the air.
        Though Hermes was by no means unskilled in the art of the sword,
he knew that he was not nearly as effective in melee combat as Chronus.
He was barely able to protect himself from his enemy, much less launch
any sort of serious assault.  And the ultimate result of a purely
defensive strategy was defeat.  He could only hope to buy Chronus enough
time to recover.
        A moment, later, Hermes found himself slightly too slow.  The
monster's fist slammed into his shoulder, causing him to reflexively
release his grip on his weapon.  Backing up rapidly, Hermes prepared to
use his only option, even though he knew it would do no good.
        "Deep..." Damn it!  He wouldn't have enough time!  The monster
roared as it closed once more, and Hermes desperately tried to roll out
of the way of the monster's strike.  Hermes blinked as he found his roll
unimpeded.  As he stood, he realized the reason.
        The monster stood a few feet away from him, a rose embedded in
the pavement at its feet.  Hermes looked up, and saw Tuxedo Kamen
standing on a nearby rooftop.  "Endymion," he said simply as he reached
for his sword.
        Tuxedo Kamen nodded, then stepped to one side, revealing another
figure.  "Now, Sailor Moon," he called out.
        "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"
        A moment later, all that remained of the monster was the tiny
daimon egg, which followed its brethren into the skies.

***********************************************************************

        All around Juuban, Senshi and Champions breathed heavily after
having defeated Jadeite's minions.  However, the fiery firmament still
raged above them, and they knew they had to go towards the strongest
point of dark energy they could feel.  There, they would confront
whatever was causing this and destroy it.
        Some of them realized they were heading towards the Osa-P.  Some
of them did not.  Some sensed their destination instinctively.  Others
deduced it from energy readings.  All of them, however, moved
cautiously, always on the lookout for another monster.
        Sailor Pluto simply appeared in the shadows near the Osa-P and
waited.

***********************************************************************

        The Tomoe house was unnaturally quiet.  No disturbance had come
near it as of yet, and only two out of the six people that lived there
were currently present.  Those two were Professor Tomoe and his
daughter.  Hotaru.  Sailor Saturn.  The Senshi of Silence.
        This dreaded creature was currently staring out the window, once
again wondering whether she was making the right decision.  Once more,
she had refused to transform and join the Senshi.  She was too afraid of
what she might do.
        Professor Tomoe watched his daughter, a worried look on his
face.  Finally, he broke the silence.  "Why didn't you go?"
        Hotaru turned to her father.  "Because I'm too dangerous.  I
can't be trusted."
        "The Senshi trust you."  Professor Tomoe watched his daughter's
resolve flicker for a moment.
        "They're wrong," replied Hotaru.  The resolve was back.
        "Why?" asked the professor.
        "Because I almost destroyed the world.  I will not ever let that
happen again."  Hotaru was acting defensive.
        "They need you," stated Professor Tomoe, trying a different
tactic.  "They might die without you."
        A look of horrid indecision and inner turmoil appeared on
Hotaru's face.  "No," she finally said.  "I can't be trusted," she
repeated.  Tears shone in her eyes as she struggled to control herself.
        The professor stared at his daughter for a long moment.  He
wished he could ask how his daughter had become so sad and repressed,
how she had become so doubting of her own self worth.  Unfortunately, he
knew the answers to those questions far too well.  He could easily trace
the sequence of events that had created these insecurities.  Many of the
events had been engineered by his own hand.  But maybe he could make up
some small amount of the harm he had done.
        "Hotaru," he said quietly.  "I trust you."
        Hotaru resolve broke as she raced forward and embraced her
father.  "Father..." she sobbed, tears running down her face.
        That was when the monster attacked.

***********************************************************************

        Mordrangar waited.  As he did so, his advisors scurried about,
panicking.  The Dark Kingdom forces were advancing, and their own armies
were routed and falling back in disarray.  They knew they faced only a
portion of the Dark Kingdom's might, but already their invasion, by far
larger than anything Jadeite could pull together, seemed about to end in
defeat.
        The Dragon of Earth knew that all this panic was needless.  He
was one of the strongest beings to ever inhabit the Dark Kingdom.  His
power was unequalled by anyone in the field before him.  He could end
this farce of a battle in an instant, but he wanted to slay as many Dark
Kingdom youma as possible while doing so.  Therefore, he waited for more
of the enemy to enter his trap.
        He had hoped not to use the trap.  He had wanted to continue
unimpeded until Jadeite was nothing more then a memory, but he was too
practical to plan for that eventuality.  Instead, he had planned for
resistance far stronger and more effective than the Dark Kingdom could
ever muster.
        At least half the Dark Kingdom army was now in the valley below
the Dragon, and Mordrangar smiled a smile that did not touch his solid
brown eyes.  Though he said no words nor made any gesture, he set off
the trap.
        Hours previous, he had mentally scouted the lay of the land, and
identified all the critical points that lay deep beneath the surface.
As Mordrangar smiled, all of these points shifted.  Far below the
battlefield, the rock began to break up.
        With a literally earth shattering groan, the surface broke open,
revealing a rapidly widening chasm.  The Dark Kingdom vanguard was
swallowed up instantaneously, and those behind them futilely struggled
to outrun the abyss.  Within moments, almost five thousand of the enemy
were dead, and more were to follow.
        However, the Generals of the Dark Kingdom force were not fools,
and were not about to let this attack go unanswered.  Already, their
aerial youma had received commands to continue to press the attack, and
soon the two Generals took to the air as well.  Dozens of elite youma
gathered around them as they prepared their counterstroke.
        The first indication of the target of that counterstroke was a
bolt of lightning that vaporized one of Mordrangar's advisors.  It was
followed by other ranged attacks that took a dreadful toll on the youma
around the Dragon of Earth.
        Not content with this devastating strafing run, the Dark Kingdom
force descended to surround the survivors.  Nyxan and Ishamanar quickly
headed towards Mordrangar.  The Dragon stood unmoved, his calm eyes
taking in the destruction around him.
        None dared to hinder their advance, and it was doubtful any
could.  The remaining members of Mordrangar's court were being
slaughtered one by one, and it was doubtful any would survive.  The
Generals planned to add Mordrangar to the list of dead.
        "Shadow Bolt!" Nyxan's attack flew towards the Dragon, who still
did not move, even as Ishamanar hurled a small fireball as his
contribution.  Mere moments before the attacks would have struck the
King of the Mountains, they stopped.
        The Generals' advance stumbled to a halt as they stared in brief
shock.  They had never seen anyone with enough power to halt their
attacks, though they had performed the same maneuver on lesser youma
more times than either could recall.  Their shock quickly changed to
panic as the attacks reversed course.
        Nyxan dodged out of the way, while Ishamanar raised a defensive
field.  In both cases, the effort was futile.  They had put everything
they had into those strikes, and now they were paying for
underestimating the Dragon of the North.  Even as the two struggled to
recover from the attacks, Mordrangar started his next move.  Twin spears
of stone shot out at the Generals.  This time, however, the Generals
were more prepared, and they easily dodged the attack.
        Mordrangar frowned.  "You cannot win, little youma.  Give it up
and die easily."
        Nyxan rose and replied, "It is you who cannot win, Dragon.
Shadow Bolt!"
        Mordrangar casually deflected the bolt of dark energy.  "Your
arrogance is amusing, youma."  The Dragon spun around, easily blocking
Ishamanar's fists as the General began an all out physical assault.
        "You're going to die, Mordrangar!" screamed the four armed
General, hurling a fireball that knocked the Dragon back several steps.
        "You are mistaken," stated the King of the Mountains.  The
Dragon struck the ground with one fist, causing the earth to explode and
shower the two Generals with rock shards.
        Nyxan raised one arm, throwing another Shadow Bolt as Ishamanar
pressed his assault.  "You will fall, Earth Dragon.  It is foreseen!"
        Mordrangar fell back, frowning once more.  "Perhaps.  But not
this day, for I fear this little charade has come to an end."
        With a start, the two Generals realized that they could hear
reinforcements coming to beat back their attack, and simultaneously
decided it was time to depart.  The two rose into the air, followed by
their companions, and swiftly fled to their own lines, leaving the field
of battle to the Mountains of Desolation.

***********************************************************************

        Hotaru instinctively rolled to one side as the monster charged
into the parlor of the Tomoe house, leaving a shattered doorframe in its
wake.  This monster had a different mission than its brothers.  It had
been sent to try and find other daimon eggs, and had thus homed in on
the largest source of daimon energy patterns in the area.
        Professor Tomoe was not as fast as his daughter, and was bowled
over by the monster's headlong charge for the basement.  As he tumbled
over, the beast casually swatted him away, setting him into a collision
course with a wall.
        Hotaru didn't think.  She had expected this moment would have
been one of great solemnity, one of careful thought.  Instead, it was a
hasty moment, with no time for reflection.  "Saturn Planet Power... MAKE
UP!"
        A few moments later, Sailor Saturn stood in the parlor of her
home.  Her face emotionless, she pointed her weapon at the monster,
which had not yet noticed her transformation.  "Silence Glaive..."
        Saturn suddenly shuddered.  Did she want to use that inside the
house?  She had been right... she was dangerous.  But it was too late to
go back now.  She realized her hesitation had allowed the beast to break
through the basement door.  From the sound of things, it was running
down the stairs at the moment.
        Sailor Saturn raced after the monster.  How could she stop it
without destroying everything else?  Her quick mind quickly realized
that she had a very dangerous weapon at her disposal.  With that in
mind, the instant she saw the monster, she leapt up and forward,
extending her glaive for one deadly slash.
        A moment later, the monster lay in two halves at the bottom of
the stairs, and Sailor Saturn stood before it, panting.  She waited a
moment to make sure it would not regenerate.  Then she slowly walked
back up the stairs.
        She felt something move behind her and whirled around, seeing
the black daimon egg rise out of the body of the monster she had slain.
Even though the color was different, it was close enough to raise
unpleasant memories.  With a growl in her throat, Sailor Saturn expertly
cut the egg in half.  As the dark cloud flowed out to the accompaniment
of a screech, she turned around once more and continued on her way up.
        As she entered the front room, the first thing she saw was the
slumped-over form of her father.  She silently cursed herself.  How
could she had forgotten her father?  She raced over to his side,
dropping the Silence Glaive and cradling his head in her gloved hands.
She then briefed a sigh of relief.  He had taken a nasty blow, but he
was only unconscious, not dead.
        After a small amount of healing to insure a swift recovery,
Sailor Saturn rose and retrieved her weapon.  It was time for the her to
do her duty.  The duty she had been neglecting since her rebirth.  With
that thought, she left.

***********************************************************************

        By one of those strange coincidences by which it sometimes seems
the universe is governed, all the groups of Sailor Senshi and Champions
arrived at the Osa-P at the same time.  As they did so, Sailor Pluto
stepped out of the shadows and joined them.
        In the center of the road stood a creature similar to those the
various groups had already defeated.  However it was much larger, and
one could easily feel the dark energy pouring off of it.  Sailor Uranus
was the first to react, hurling a World Shaking at the beast.  She was
disappointed, but hardly surprised, when it harmlessly absorbed the
attack.
        A low chuckle filled the air.  "Greetings, my lady Sailor
Senshi, my lord and lady Champions," a voice called out.
        Sailor Mercury frowned.  "I recognize that..." she began.
        "Jadeite," growled Ares.
        "Correct," said the former General as he stepped out from the
door of the Osa-P and crossed over to stand before his minion.
        "You... you're dead!" Sailor Moon stammered out.
        "Really?  I guess someone forgot to let me know," replied
Jadeite, a smirk on his face.  "Now," he continued, "I would like to
thank you for your generous energy contributions.  My army will be
arriving momentarily."
        "What?" exclaimed Sailor Venus.
        "It's quite simple," responded Jadeite.  With a flourish, he
revealed four black ovoids.  "Recognize these?"
        "Those are..." said Sailor Moon.
        "Daimon eggs," finished Sailor Mercury.
        "Which are?" asked Zeus.
        "I believe they were the creation method for the monsters used
by a group that previously attacked this city.  The Dying Busters, or
something like that," said Jadeite.  "In any case, I recovered some, and
have found them simply delightful."  Jadeite threw the eggs into the
air, and they all flew straight for the monster in the center of the
street.  "Soon, my foolish enemies, the portal will open, and you will
die."
        Chronus moved.  One instant, he was still, the next he was a
blur in the air.  He intercepted each of the daimon eggs, swiftly
cracking each open with his sword.  As he returned to his starting
position he commented, "Somehow, I don't believe that I want those to
reach their destination, no?"
        Jadeite growled, "It's already too late to stop me, Champion.
You only delay the inevitable.  Kill them!"  The last was directed
towards the monster,  which immediately lumbered towards the Senshi and
Champions.  Jadeite himself called out, "Soul Flame!" sending the bolt
hurling at Ares.
        Ares darted out of the way of the fire before racing towards
Jadeite.  Jadeite laughed.  "Fool!  Soul Flame Barrage!" A dozen
firebolts lanced out from Jadeite's outstretched arms, forcing Ares to
his knees.
        Nearby, the monster reached the hastily assembled defensive
line, amidst a virtual wall of attacks.  With one fist it sent Aphrodite
flying through the air, while the other nearly knocked off Sailor
Neptune's head.  The Senshi of water responded with a Deep Submerge,
which was joined by attacks from the other Outer Senshi.
        "Burning Mandala!" Sailor Mars sent the attack speeding towards
Jadeite.
        He laughed and casually deflected the attack, sending it towards
his monster, which seemed unharmed by the fire.  "Foolish girl!  I've
already killed you once.  You cannot win!"
        A second coordinated barrage of attacks smashed into the
monster, vaporizing it instantly except for its heart... the daimon egg.
The egg began to glow with a dark light.  Jadeite laughed once more.
The energy level had passed the critical threshold.  "Victory is mine!"
he called out.  A blast of dark lightning leapt up into the heavens.
        For a moment, all was silent.  Then, the gateway to the Dark
Kingdom opened, and Jadeite's vanguard poured out into the streets of
Tokyo.
        The tidal wave of youma swept over the defensive line like an
unstoppable force, driving both Senshi and Champions away from the
gateway.  Perhaps two dozen youma were vanquished in the first few
moments, but two more arrived for every monster that was destroyed.
        Ares struggled to rise as Sailor Mars continued to confront
Jadeite.  Jadeite grinned.  "Perfect.  Ares and Sailor Mars in one
place."  Jadeite took to the air, ignoring the barrage of fire sent his
way by Sailor Mars.  He raised both arms.  "Hellfire!"
        It was as though the flaming sky had descended, as a massive
column of white hot fire slammed down onto the ground where the Senshi
and Champion of Mars stood.  Jadeite chortled as he continued to call
down the massive blast, certain that two of his hated enemies were to
die this day.  The sheer heat of the blast set the Osa-P afire.
        "Crescent Beam!"  Sailor Venus's blast slew a wolf youma, but
soon she found herself in the grasp of a tentacled beast.  Sailor Uranus
leapt forward, Space Sword in hand, intending to cut her fellow Senshi
free.
        A tentacle leapt towards her, only to be lopped off by Zeus's
blade, allowing Uranus to vanquish the beast.  Nearby, Tuxedo Kamen
threw roses by the dozen.  Sailor Moon launched one Moon Spiral Heart
Attack after another.  Sailor Pluto carefully placed her Dead Screams
for best effect.  Sailor Jupiter was striking out with all four limbs,
easily breaking youma in two with her strong blows.  The Champions were
hacking through the horde, downing dozens of monsters every second.
Every Champion and Senshi was giving his or her all, fighting better
than ever before.
        But it wasn't enough.  Slowly but surely, they were driven back,
foot by foot.  And even worse, youma were slipping past them, into the
streets of Tokyo.  Where there was no one to stop them.
        Nearby, Jadeite finally lowered his arms, expecting to see the
scorched corpses of Ares and Sailor Mars.  Instead, he found a badly
burnt but still living Ares kneeling over Sailor Mars near the edge of
the blast radius, sheltering her with his body.  Jadeite quickly
surmised that he had tackled the Senshi, sparing both of them the worst
of the attack.
        Jadeite smiled.  "I see you're as good at pointless acts of
heroism as always, Ares.  Do you still love her?  After everything
that's happened?"
        "No! That meant nothing!" growled the Champion as he rose.  He
then turned to Jadeite.  "Let's settle this!  But leave her out of it!"
        "Why should I leave her out of it?  After all, is she not the
reason for this?"  Jadeite asked.
        "Shut up and fight!"  screamed Ares as he leapt up, tackling
Jadeite and sending the two crashing through the window of the Osa-
P.  The flames swirled around them, obscuring them from vision.
        Sailor Mars quickly rose and followed.

***********************************************************************

        Sailor Saturn raced down the street.  She could feel where she
needed to be.  Even if it weren't for the vast feeling of dark energy,
the pillar of fire towering over the Osa-P would have helped her find
her path.  Now that she had crossed the line and become a Senshi once
more, there was no hesitation.  She had a job to do, and she would do
it.
        But a tiny voice inside her still protested.  Part of her
loathed everything about Sailor Saturn.  She had to bear the knowledge
that with just three little words she could end all of human
civilization.  She had to bear the fact that she was designed to kill,
designed under the doctrine that there was no such thing as overkill.
Her biggest problem was not destroying enemies.  It was making sure she
didn't destroy too much else with them.
        She broke out of her musings as she noticed a large group of
youma trying to break into a building.  Her keen eyes quickly noticed
that the building was inhabited.  She didn't ask herself why such a
large group of youma was in Tokyo.  She merely considered her options.
How to destroy the monsters without hurting the humans?
        Hand to hand combat was too dangerous.  She couldn't risk simply
firing off a Silence Glaive Surprise.  A plan quickly came to her.  She
ran through the steps until she was confident it would work.  She halted
for a moment to catch her breath, then went into motion.
        Sailor Saturn ran forward, then leapt into the air just before
she reached the horde of youma.  She ignored the attempts at attacks as
she sailed over head, waiting until she was over the center of the
horde.
        She then pointed her weapon straight down and hissed out,
"Silence Glaive Surprise!"  The blast smashed down onto the youma,
leaving nothing behind.  As Saturn landed on the rooftop of the
building, she glanced back at the devastation and winced.  Nothing was
left of the youma.  Or the road they had been standing on.  Or the
ground underneath the road.  Or the sewer pipes that ran underneath it.
        The crater was at least ten feet deep.  Sailor Saturn frowned.
She was going to have to learn better control, and quickly.  Or else she
would be even more of a danger than she expected.  With that dreary
thought, she resumed her run to the Osa-P.

***********************************************************************

        Jadeite swore as he rolled to one side, dodging a wild sword
blow from Ares.  "All right, Champion.  You asked for it."  Jadeite
rose, summoning a blade of pure fire.  "Come on... Deinas!"
        Ares rose to the challenge, charging forward through the flames.
He feinted at Jadeite's leg before coming in on Jadeite's off hand side.
However, the former General parried the blow, grinning wildly.  "Please,
Deinas!  I know you can do better than that!"
        Ares growled as he continued his attack,  "This time you die,
traitor!"
        Jadeite laughed as he easily deflected Ares's blows.  "You call
me traitor?  You?  You who was called the Betrayer of Peace?  You who
cut down the armies of Queen Aurora at Vulcan's Gap?"  Jadeite grinned
as he took the offensive.  "You make me sick!"
        Ares roared, an inhuman madness in his eyes, his flaming sword
weaving an impenetrable defense.  "I am not a traitor!  I stood true to
my oath!  You turned on all of humanity, abandoned your own oaths...
Guardian."
        Jadeite's weapon poked forward, scorching Ares's armor.  "You
always were too emotional, Deinas.  My oath?  An oath to a Queen you
despised, a Queen with no right to rule.  Whose crimes are greater,
Champion?  Who laid waste to Venus?"
        Ares spun to one side, striking out with a blow that left a long
trail of scorched skin down Jadeite's side.  "Shut up!"
        Jadeite grimaced from the pain.  "You seek to silence me only
because you hear the truth in my words, Betrayer!"  Jadeite rushed
forward, bodily slamming Ares, sending the Champion stumbling backwards
into the flames that surrounded them.  "Soul Flame!"  The bolt caused
the flames Ares lay in to flare up, burning even hotter than before.
        Jadeite laughed as he stood over the fallen Champion.  "Finally,
Deinas.  Finally I will see you dead!"  Jadeite slowly raised one arm.
"Incin..."
        "Fire Soul!"  The firebolt hit Jadeite's unwounded side, forcing
him aside and scorching a hole through his gray uniform.  As he lost his
concentration, his sword of flame vanished.  The ruler of the Dark
Kingdom looked up at Sailor Mars, an odd glint in his eyes.  "You defend
him, Phoebe?" he asked.
        Sailor Mars paused.  For a moment, Jadeite seemed... almost
human.  Different from how she had ever seen him before.  And so, she
hesitated.
        "Soul Flame Barrage!"  The storm of firebolts slammed into
Sailor Mars, causing her to shriek out in pain.  Before she could
recover, Jadeite raced over and grabbed her, even as Ares rose from the
flames, sword in hand.
        "Don't even think about moving, Champion," Jadeite said.  "One
step, and our dear pretty soldier Sailor Mars dies."
        Ares stopped.  "You think I care?"
        Jadeite laughed as Sailor Mars futilely struggled to break free.
"Yes.  I think you do.  Now, drop the sword!"
        The flames burned high, continuing to consume the Osa-P.
Already the structure of the building was beginning to weaken, and
oxygen was becoming scarce inside the store.  A loud groan echoed
throughout the building as Ares shifted his weight...

***********************************************************************

        Outside the Osa-P, the battle raged full force.  The flow of
youma seemed endless, as every second saw more of Jadeite's army
crossing through the shimmering portal in the center of the street.  The
column of smoke from the burning jewelry store obscured the red sky, but
the heavens were still alight.
        "Supreme Thunder!"  Sailor Jupiter had long ago given up on
gaining enough time to use one of her more powerful attacks, and was
sticking to the basics.  And they worked, as demonstrated by the pile of
dust that had previously been a insectile youma.
        Unfortunately for Sailor Jupiter, another youma was right behind
that one, and the lizard beast charged forward, throwing Jupiter to the
ground.  It was reminiscent of the recent battle at Mugen High... only
much, much worse.  At least the half-formed daimons had been
individually weak.
        Jupiter rolled to the side to avoid a clawed foot, then grabbed
the limb that had threatened her and used her enhanced strength to hurl
the lizard youma back where it had come from.  She was barely able to
rise before the next monster was upon her.
        Not far away, Pluto calmly rammed her staff down onto the throat
of a fallen youma, ending its life.  A moment later, she found herself
in the grip of another monster, which slowly pulled her towards its maw.
        A single sword blow from Chronus, and the youma collapsed,
freeing the Senshi of Time.  "You owe me one, daughter."
        "I am not your daughter!" hissed Sailor Pluto as she rose.
"Dead Scream!"  The attack flew over Chronus's shoulder, vaporizing a
youma that had been about to attack the Champion.  "There, we're even!"
        "Perhaps," said Chronus before disappearing into the horde.
        Zeus swore as he slashed a youma in two.  "We're not making any
progress like this... Champions, to me!"
        As one the Champions present fought their way to Zeus's side.
The Champion of Jupiter nodded as the last of them made it to him.
"We're going to have to try something different..."
        The others quickly grasped his plan.  Hermes was the first to
have a chance to act on it.  "Mercury Sword Power!"
        Aphrodite stabbed a youma, then spun to one side. "Venus Sword
Power!"
        Chronus dodged out of the way of a claw.  "Saturn Sword Power!"
        Finally, Zeus managed to gain enough time to put in his part.
"Jupiter Sword Power!"
        As one, the Champions called out, "Champion Planet Attack!"  The
resulting blast of energy burned through the youma horde, slaying at
least fifty beasts.  As the energy burst died out the Champions
collapsed.
        Taking advantage of the reprieve, the Senshi pressed their own
attacks.  For one precious moment it seemed as though the youma were
being driven back.  Then, the next wave arrived, and the Senshi found
themselves forced back once more.
        "Damn it!" cried Sailor Uranus as her Space Sword decapitated a
youma that had gotten too close to her for comfort.  "There's no end to
them!"
        As the Senshi of Air said those words, Sailor Saturn arrived on
the rooftop of a nearby building.  Her purple eyes quickly took in the
situation.  Once again, she could not simply use a full strength blast
to defeat the invasion.  Once again, however, she developed a plan.
        Sailor Saturn leapt into the air, sailing over the heads of
Senshi, Champions, and youma until she landed beside the flickering
gateway.  After she casually sliced a nearby youma in two, she pointed
her weapon at the portal.  "Silence Glaive Surprise."
        The massive bolt of energy flew forward, disrupting the weave of
the portal and causing it to simply vanish.  It then flew onward
impacting against the front of the Osa-P, causing the wall to literally
vanish into thin air.  So did the twenty or so youma in between Saturn
and the jewelry store.
        As the portal vanished, so did the fire in the heavens, and the
sky returned to its ordinary blue shade.  The surviving youma also
disappeared, returning to the Dark Kingdom as the conjunction
prematurely came to an end.
        Inside the Osa-P, the three combatants stared in shock as the
front wall disappeared.  Ares was the first to recover, leaping forward
and wrenching Sailor Mars from Jadeite's grasp.  As the former General
struggled to recover, the Senshi and Champion leapt into the air,
landing on the sidewalk before the still burning store.
        Jadeite swore once before returning to the Dark Kingdom.
        Outside, Sailor Moon began to feel a little hopeful.  Perhaps
there was a chance for the two groups of warriors to get along.  After
all, during the latest battle, the two sides had united to fight off a
greater peril.  There had been no arguing, no hesitation.  A member of
one side had saved one of the other side's life at least a dozen times
during the course of the battle.  Perhaps some of the Champions had also
thought along those lines... until they laid eyes on Sailor Saturn.
        As one, the tired and battered Champion rose, pointing their
weapons at the Senshi of Death.  Their eyes were cold and their faces
hard, displaying at the same time a terrible resolve and more than a
little fear.
        "Deep Freeze!"  Hermes hurled a blast of supercold water at
Saturn.
        "Blazing Light!"  Aphrodite joined in with her blinding ball of
light.
        "Flame Strike!"  Ares, scorched though he was, also sent his own
attack forward.
        "Thunder Bolt!" Zeus hurled the bolt of lightning straight at
Sailor Saturn.
        Chronus raced forward, blurring as he ran towards the Senshi.
        "Wha... What are you doing?" stammered out Sailor Moon.
        Sailor Saturn uttered the more practical, "Silence Wall!"  As
she said this, Chronus stumbled to a halt, while the attacks of the
other Champions splattered harmlessly off of her defensive power.
        For a moment, the Champions stood silently.  Some of their eyes
blazed with hatred, while others remained cold.  Finally, it was Hermes
who spoke.  "Let's go.  There's no way we can fight Saturn in this
condition."
        Ares nodded, and the Champions walked off into the distance.
The Senshi were too exhausted to pursue, and none of them were in the
mood for another fight.  But they all knew that someday, there was going
to be a final confrontation.  Someday soon.

***********************************************************************

Author's Random Ramblings

1) Another chapter down, by far the longest yet (almost two and a half 
times a normal-sized chapter), and indeed the longest single piece of 
writing I have ever written.  I did say lots of action for this time, 
didn't I?  Now it's time for the home stretch of introducing all the 
remaining Champions, and then the real fun starts...

2) Believe it or not, the last batch of major new characters have finally

appeared.  First person to guess the identities of the remaining
Champions,
and match them up with the correct planet, wins... a mention in the
Author's
Random Ramblings!

3) As always, my thanks for Angus MacSpon's excellent prereading, without

which this chapter would be vastly inferior (and shorter).

4) C&C is, of course, welcome and greatly desired.

5) Previous chapters can be found at my website
(http://www.geocities.com/anowack/) 
and are archived at Fanfiction.Net (http://www.fanfiction.net).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     desaix@sysnet.net
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee           
              anime  fanfics available at 
  http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm

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