"Mercury Star Power!"
"Mars Star Power!"
"Jupiter Star Power!"
"Venus Star Power!"
"Moon Prism Power!"
"Moon.........Cosmic.......Power!"
With a wave of water, a burst of fire, a crash of thunder, a stream of stars, a blizzard of hearts, and a flurry of ribbons, six Sailor Scouts stood ready. The Ronins who hadn't seen all transformations were given a rare treat to see, and there wasn't a single boy who didn't have his mouth hanging open. Mia sighed slightly at their idiotic expressions, and Darien just laughed a little bit. After all, he was used to it. But he couldn't say that he didn't enjoy seeing it.
"WOW!!!!" Kento exclaimed. Sage actually applauded, at least until Jupiter came over and bopped him on his head. Cye had stared, then turned crimson in embarrassment at having watched. Mercury assured him it was all right. Ryo just gave Mars a small wink, making her blush slightly. And Yuli thought it was awesome.
It's amazing how they do that. Rowen commented about it to Alosha, opening a link to her mind. She glanced over at him and smiled, nodding in agreement.
"Darien, what about you?" Sailor Moon asked.
He shrugged as he spoke. "I'll sit this one out. Besides, I get plenty of practice as it is."
Jupiter rubbed her palms together eagerly. "Well, come on! Let's get started!"
So there they are, he thought. Alosha had managed to hide herself very well up until this point, but now he knew where she and those troublemakers were. Trem, or rather the thing inhabiting Trem, frowned as he saw Alosha through his viewing window. He then noticed that the five young woman and that one little girl were fighting each other, unaware of him watching. The one in the orange outfit, Sailor Venus he believed she was called, flung a chain of hearts at the one in red in an attempt to try and ensnare her. Sailor Mars dodged the attack and shot a stream of fire at Venus, nearly grazing her arm. Venus jumped in surprise and then shouted angrily at Mars. "Watch it! We're only sparring, not trying to kill each other."
"Geez, Venus! I know how to hold back my powers," Mars rebutted. "Even if that had hit you, the most you would have gotten was a heat rash. Besides, you didn't seem to have any reservations about flogging me to death with your love chain."
Venus huffed, looking very annoyed. "I wasn't trying to flog you." The chain disappeared as she raised her hand and pointed her finger at Mars. "Venus Crescent Beam, Smash!" Mars's eyes widened as the bolt of light slammed into her chest, knocking her flat on her back. After laying there for a moment, she sat up in surprise. Mars half-expected to have a hole through her body. Then she heard Venus giggling and looked up at the blond girl. Venus had a slightly smug expression on her face. "You're not the only one who can control her powers."
Mars narrowed her eyes as she stood up, smiling craftily. "Of course you know, this means war!"
"Yeah, you and what army?" Venus asked tauntingly.
Meanwhile, Mercury ducked under Jupiter's fist and darted to her left, whirling around to face other girl. "Take it easy!" she exclaimed incredulously as she leapt out of the way of a kick.
"Ah, come on, Mercury!" Jupiter complained, stopping for a moment to put her hands on her hips. "We're supposed to be fighting! How am I gonna get any practice if you don't try to attack?"
Mercury had misgivings about this, but Jupiter did have a point. "All right, if you say so..."
"Don't worry! We can do this as long as we keep our powers in check." The other girl reluctantly nodded her head. "Great!" Jupiter said with a sneaky grin, which was a dead give away to Mercury to watch herself. The antenna on Jupiter's tiara extended and began sparking. "Think fast!" Jupiter started playfully shooting mild lightning bolts at Mercury, making her frantically dodge this way and that. Then one of then actually hit and a feeling similar to having a major static shock jolted her. Mercury's blue hair suddenly began sticking up in several places. Jupiter took one look at that and nearly fell over with laughter.
"Jupiter! That wasn't funny!" Mercury said in embarrassment, trying to smooth her hair back down. Jupiter was laughing too hard to respond. Unfortunately, Mercury took that opportunity. She quickly raised her arms to her chest while the other scout was distracted. "Shine Aqua Illusion!"
Jupiter glanced up in time to see a blast of freezing water launched at the ground near her. She didn't even have time to move as the liquid washed over her boots and then froze. "Hey!" Jupiter cried out in surprise, unable to move her feet.
Mercury looked rather pleased with herself. "How was that?" she asked innocently.
"Pretty good," Jupiter replied calmly. With a burst of strength, she pulled one of her legs up and broke out. With her freed foot, she stomped down and shattered the rest of the ice. Jupiter stepped out of the crumbled ice, shaking the frost from her boots. She then gave Mercury an approving smile. "I think you're learning!"
"Ouch!" Sailor Moon let out a pained cry as Chibi Moon kicked her in the shin. She held her bruised ankle while hopping on one foot. "That was a cheap shot!"
Chibi Moon stuck out her tongue mockingly. "Who says?"
"I do!" Sailor Moon stopped in her rabbit impression and grabbed Chibi Moon by the waist, hoisting her up at a horizontal angle. She held the little girl the way you carry luggage. Except this luggage was squirming and kicking.
"Put me down!" Chibi Moon yelled furiously.
Sailor Moon laughed at that. "Yeah, sure. How are you gonna make me?"
Famous last words. Chibi Moon's heart rod appeared in her hand as she aimed at Sailor Moon's butt and shouted, "Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"
Letting out a high-pitched yelp as a barrage of stinging pink hearts slapped against her bottom, Sailor Moon dropped the pink-haired scout who scrambled to her feet. She gingerly rubbed her smarting behind, then literal flames appeared in her eyes. "Why you little....!" she snarled, clenching her fists. Chibi Moon immediately took off running, with an enraged Sailor Moon on her tail.
Darien sighed from where he was watching with the Ronins, Mia, Whiteblaze, Yuli, and the two cats. "I think we better have a team switch," he said as he stood and walked over to separate the two squabbling girls.
"Why am I not surprised?" Luna asked no one in particular.
Artemis hung his head in defeat. "It never fails."
Trem watched all of this, and all the while, his anger rose. These children were pathetic! How could he let them threaten his hold on this world? But he relaxed slightly as he recalled the plan he had in store for them. He had only to choose who would carry it out for him. Trem had a wide selection of choices from the group of people Alosha had brought to help her. Perhaps I should see how well each of them can fight, Trem thought with a wicked smile. "Edua...."
"Yes?" a person hissed from the darkness behind him.
"I have work for you......."
Rowen shivered slightly, feeling an odd chill in his bones as he observed the scouts' practice. He had a strange sense of dread all of a sudden. Sage noticed his discomfort and asked, "Hey, you okay?"
Frowning, Rowen turned to Sage with an apprehensive expression. "I have this feeling that we're being watched," he said uncertainly.
"Being watched? By who?" Mia asked.
Kento heard that and searched around the area. "There's nobody else here, Rowen. You sure?" Ryo and Cye looked over at Rowen, waiting for his response. Yuli clung to Whiteblaze fearfully.
Rowen paused for a moment, but that foreboding experience was now gone. He shook his head and smiled faintly. "Never mind. I guess I'm just getting paranoid." But even though the feeling was gone, it stuck in his mind like a bad memory. But he ignored it and went back to watching the spar.
Venus plopped onto the grass wearily after the spar. She was sore and tired. Alosha had called over Sailor Moon and Ryo and was discussing something with them. By their serious faces, it must have been important. Jupiter and Sage were chatting cheerfully. Cye was sitting with Mercury, the two of them enjoying each other's company. Mia and Mars were laughing about something. Darien and Rowen stood off talking amongst themselves. Yuli and Chibi Moon appeared to be playing a game of tag with Whiteblaze, with Luna and Artemis watching on.
Venus sighed in a dispirited manner. All of this was so unreal to her sometimes. They'd only been in this world for a few days, yet it seemed much longer than that. Venus wondered if anyone had noticed them missing back in their world. She wanted to go back. Home. The word had attached more meaning to itself while she had been here.
"Hey." Venus glanced up at the voice. Kento looked down at her with a friendly, but slightly worried expression. "You okay?"
"What do you mean?" Venus asked, trying to hide her troubled eyes, but not fooling him one bit. He sat down next to her and rested his elbows on his knees.
"You look bummed out," he said tentatively. "Do you want to talk or something?"
"Mercury Star Power!"
"Mars Star Power!"
"Jupiter Star Power!"
"Venus Star Power!"
"Moon Prism Power!"
"Moon.........Cosmic.......Power!"
With a wave of water, a burst of fire, a crash of thunder, a stream of stars, a blizzard of hearts, and a flurry of ribbons, six Sailor Scouts stood ready. The Ronins who hadn't seen all transformations were given a rare treat to see, and there wasn't a single boy who didn't have his mouth hanging open. Mia sighed slightly at their idiotic expressions, and Darien just laughed a little bit. After all, he was used to it. But he couldn't say that he didn't enjoy seeing it.
"WOW!!!!" Kento exclaimed. Sage actually applauded, at least until Jupiter came over and bopped him on his head. Cye had stared, then turned crimson in embarrassment at having watched. Mercury assured him it was all right. Ryo just gave Mars a small wink, making her blush slightly. And Yuli thought it was awesome.
It's amazing how they do that. Rowen commented about it to Alosha, opening a link to her mind. She glanced over at him and smiled, nodding in agreement.
"Darien, what about you?" Sailor Moon asked.
He shrugged as he spoke. "I'll sit this one out. Besides, I get plenty of practice as it is."
Jupiter rubbed her palms together eagerly. "Well, come on! Let's get started!"
So there they are, he thought. Alosha had managed to hide herself very well up until this point, but now he knew where she and those troublemakers were. Trem, or rather the thing inhabiting Trem, frowned as he saw Alosha through his viewing window. He then noticed that the five young woman and that one little girl were fighting each other, unaware of him watching. The one in the orange outfit, Sailor Venus he believed she was called, flung a chain of hearts at the one in red in an attempt to try and ensnare her. Sailor Mars dodged the attack and shot a stream of fire at Venus, nearly grazing her arm. Venus jumped in surprise and then shouted angrily at Mars. "Watch it! We're only sparring, not trying to kill each other."
"Geez, Venus! I know how to hold back my powers," Mars rebutted. "Even if that had hit you, the most you would have gotten was a heat rash. Besides, you didn't seem to have any reservations about flogging me to death with your love chain."
Venus huffed, looking very annoyed. "I wasn't trying to flog you." The chain disappeared as she raised her hand and pointed her finger at Mars. "Venus Crescent Beam, Smash!" Mars's eyes widened as the bolt of light slammed into her chest, knocking her flat on her back. After laying there for a moment, she sat up in surprise. Mars half-expected to have a hole through her body. Then she heard Venus giggling and looked up at the blond girl. Venus had a slightly smug expression on her face. "You're not the only one who can control her powers."
Mars narrowed her eyes as she stood up, smiling craftily. "Of course you know, this means war!"
"Yeah, you and what army?" Venus asked tauntingly.
Meanwhile, Mercury ducked under Jupiter's fist and darted to her left, whirling around to face other girl. "Take it easy!" she exclaimed incredulously as she leapt out of the way of a kick.
"Ah, come on, Mercury!" Jupiter complained, stopping for a moment to put her hands on her hips. "We're supposed to be fighting! How am I gonna get any practice if you don't try to attack?"
Mercury had misgivings about this, but Jupiter did have a point. "All right, if you say so..."
"Don't worry! We can do this as long as we keep our powers in check." The other girl reluctantly nodded her head. "Great!" Jupiter said with a sneaky grin, which was a dead give away to Mercury to watch herself. The antenna on Jupiter's tiara extended and began sparking. "Think fast!" Jupiter started playfully shooting mild lightning bolts at Mercury, making her frantically dodge this way and that. Then one of then actually hit and a feeling similar to having a major static shock jolted her. Mercury's blue hair suddenly began sticking up in several places. Jupiter took one look at that and nearly fell over with laughter.
"Jupiter! That wasn't funny!" Mercury said in embarrassment, trying to smooth her hair back down. Jupiter was laughing too hard to respond. Unfortunately, Mercury took that opportunity. She quickly raised her arms to her chest while the other scout was distracted. "Shine Aqua Illusion!"
Jupiter glanced up in time to see a blast of freezing water launched at the ground near her. She didn't even have time to move as the liquid washed over her boots and then froze. "Hey!" Jupiter cried out in surprise, unable to move her feet.
Mercury looked rather pleased with herself. "How was that?" she asked innocently.
"Pretty good," Jupiter replied calmly. With a burst of strength, she pulled one of her legs up and broke out. With her freed foot, she stomped down and shattered the rest of the ice. Jupiter stepped out of the crumbled ice, shaking the frost from her boots. She then gave Mercury an approving smile. "I think you're learning!"
"Ouch!" Sailor Moon let out a pained cry as Chibi Moon kicked her in the shin. She held her bruised ankle while hopping on one foot. "That was a cheap shot!"
Chibi Moon stuck out her tongue mockingly. "Who says?"
"I do!" Sailor Moon stopped in her rabbit impression and grabbed Chibi Moon by the waist, hoisting her up at a horizontal angle. She held the little girl the way you carry luggage. Except this luggage was squirming and kicking.
"Put me down!" Chibi Moon yelled furiously.
Sailor Moon laughed at that. "Yeah, sure. How are you gonna make me?"
Famous last words. Chibi Moon's heart rod appeared in her hand as she aimed at Sailor Moon's butt and shouted, "Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"
Letting out a high-pitched yelp as a barrage of stinging pink hearts slapped against her bottom, Sailor Moon dropped the pink-haired scout who scrambled to her feet. She gingerly rubbed her smarting behind, then literal flames appeared in her eyes. "Why you little....!" she snarled, clenching her fists. Chibi Moon immediately took off running, with an enraged Sailor Moon on her tail.
Darien sighed from where he was watching with the Ronins, Mia, Whiteblaze, Yuli, and the two cats. "I think we better have a team switch," he said as he stood and walked over to separate the two squabbling girls.
"Why am I not surprised?" Luna asked no one in particular.
Artemis hung his head in defeat. "It never fails."
Trem watched all of this, and all the while, his anger rose. These children were pathetic! How could he let them threaten his hold on this world? But he relaxed slightly as he recalled the plan he had in store for them. He had only to choose who would carry it out for him. Trem had a wide selection of choices from the group of people Alosha had brought to help her. Perhaps I should see how well each of them can fight, Trem thought with a wicked smile. "Edua...."
"Yes?" a person hissed from the darkness behind him.
"I have work for you......."
Rowen shivered slightly, feeling an odd chill in his bones as he observed the scouts' practice. He had a strange sense of dread all of a sudden. Sage noticed his discomfort and asked, "Hey, you okay?"
Frowning, Rowen turned to Sage with an apprehensive expression. "I have this feeling that we're being watched," he said uncertainly.
"Being watched? By who?" Mia asked.
Kento heard that and searched around the area. "There's nobody else here, Rowen. You sure?" Ryo and Cye looked over at Rowen, waiting for his response. Yuli clung to Whiteblaze fearfully.
Rowen paused for a moment, but that foreboding experience was now gone. He shook his head and smiled faintly. "Never mind. I guess I'm just getting paranoid." But even though the feeling was gone, it stuck in his mind like a bad memory. But he ignored it and went back to watching the spar.
Venus plopped onto the grass wearily after the spar. She was sore and tired. Alosha had called over Sailor Moon and Ryo and was discussing something with them. By their serious faces, it must have been important. Jupiter and Sage were chatting cheerfully. Cye was sitting with Mercury, the two of them enjoying each other's company. Mia and Mars were laughing about something. Darien and Rowen stood off talking amongst themselves. Yuli and Chibi Moon appeared to be playing a game of tag with Whiteblaze, with Luna and Artemis watching on.
Venus sighed in a dispirited manner. All of this was so unreal to her sometimes. They'd only been in this world for a few days, yet it seemed much longer than that. Venus wondered if anyone had noticed them missing back in their world. She wanted to go back. Home. The word had attached more meaning to itself while she had been here.
"Hey." Venus glanced up at the voice. Kento looked down at her with a friendly, but slightly worried expression. "You okay?"
"What do you mean?" Venus asked, trying to hide her troubled eyes, but not fooling him one bit. He sat down next to her and rested his elbows on his knees.
"You look bummed out," he said tentatively. "Do you want to talk or something?"
Venus chuckled dryly as she spoke. "I'm fine. I think I'm just a little homesick." She perked up as a thought entered her mind. "But, hey! Once we beat this evil force, we can all go home, so there's no problem, right?"
Kento was silent for a moment. "So you want to go home, huh?"
"Of course!" She looked at him in surprise. "Don't you?"
"Oh, yeah, sure I do. But," Kento said, suddenly seeming dejected, "when you leave, I won't ever see you again."
Venus was taken back a bit by that. "I suppose that's true."
"Yeah." Kento shook himself and smiled at her faintly. "What am I saying? You probably got your family and friends waiting for you back home, not to mention a boyfriend."
"Uh, actually," Venus countered, blushing, "I don't have a boyfriend yet."
"What?!" Kento exclaimed, amazed. "You're kidding!" When Venus shook her head, his eyes widened in disbelief. "How can you not have a boyfriend? I mean, you're so pretty, and you're fun to be around, and you're a nice person, and......" Then Kento realized what he was saying out loud and stopped, but he was too late.
Staring at him, Venus was mildly shocked and flattered by his words. "Do....do you really mean those things?"
"Well," Kento admitted, rubbing the back of his head self-consciously, "yeah." Come on, Kento, here's your chance, an insistent voice in his head prompted him. Tell her! He swallowed his fear, although he still felt like he wanted to run and hide. But he had to go through with this now, or he'd never get the courage to say it to her again. "I think you're a really wonderful, no, incredible person, and I really....." Kento's voice cracked slightly and he cleared his throat, then blurted out the rest in a rush. "I really like you." He quickly squeezed his eyes shut and waited for Venus to laugh, scoff, or something worse. He immediately regretted saying that to her. She must have thought he was such a dope. What was I thinking? What could she possibly see in me?
Venus was stunned by his declaration. Then her expression softened as her heart speed up. Wow, he just said he likes me. It was by far the sweetest thing a guy had ever said to her. She studied him briefly, a warm smile lighting up her face. Kento appeared to be anxiously awaiting her verdict, so bashful and shy. Never in a million years would Venus think of disappointing such a caring boy. The ball was in her court, so to speak. It was time to score a point. Here goes, she thought nervously, gathering her nerve. "Kento?"
He opened one eye and timidly peered at her. As soon as he met her gaze, Venus leaned in his direction and kissed him on the cheek. Kento's other eye flashed open in astonishment. When she pulled back, he put his hand to his face and touched it unsurely. He blinked a few times, then asked in a puzzled tone, "Does that mean you like me too?"
Venus looked at him in a dumbfounded manner, then burst into giggles. "You're so silly!" she exclaimed, reaching out to give him a friendly shove. She wasn't sure what happened next. One second she was just sitting there, then the next thing she knew, something blasted Kento and Venus. Her body was thrown through the air and thudded against the ground.
"Venus!" She heard the hazy voice of Sailor Moon and felt someone help her up. The pain in her arm brought her fully into awareness again. Wincing slightly at the stinging sensation coming from her elbow, she saw that Jupiter and Mercury were supporting her. Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Chibi Moon stood in front of them, acting as a shield.
"I'm okay," Venus said, shaking off the two girls holding her up. She searched around and sighed in relief when she spotted Kento standing with the other Ronins. Venus was trying to figure out what hit her when she caught sight of a foreboding form a few yards away. He grinned evilly, displaying a row of teeth that were much longer than they should have been. His cold eyes, placed close together under a ridged forehead, were directed straight at the group of people and cats.
"I'm sorry." His voice seemed to slither from his lips and snake into their ears. "Forgive my intrusion, but my master has bid me to eradicate a number of pests that are hiding here." He scrutinized the teens who glared at him in defiance. "I assume that those pests are you?"
"Mia, take Alosha and Yuli and get somewhere safe," Ryo said. Mia nodded and grabbed Yuli, pulling him along as the three ran for the fortress.
"Chibi Moon, I want you to stay with them and make sure they're safe." Sailor Moon added.
"But...!" the girl said in protest, but Sailor Moon cut her off.
"Go!" Chibi Moon finally turned reluctantly and headed for the building.
Sailor Moon glanced over at Luna and Artemis. "You two get going too."
"Be careful," Luna said before she and the other cat bounded off.
Whiteblaze growled menacingly as he went to his master's side. Ryo petted the tiger's head to calm him as he asked, "Okay, who are you?"
The man lazily held out his palm, a red spark of energy forming into a ball. He looked at it with a rather bored expression. "If you must know, my name Edua, though I do not see what good it will do you." Without warning, he flung the energy orb into the air.
"Watch it!" Ryo cautioned everyone. All eyes followed the sphere, which is just what Edua wanted. While everyone was distracted, he suddenly vanished.
"Hey! He's gone!" Mars said in surprise. As she spoke, Edua reappeared behind her and lashed out at her leg before disappearing. She cried out in pain as she fell to one knee.
"Mars!" Ryo was at her side in a second. She stood with some difficulty, grimacing.
"I'll be fine."
Jupiter clenched her hand in fury. "That son of...!" She didn't get to finish as Edua was abruptly in front of her. She was startled for a moment, but then narrowed her eyes in anger as she swung her fist at his face. To her amazement, he stopped her punch just inches from his cheek and held it there. He smiled in a mocking, pitying manner. "Nice try," he said. Then she was knocked sideways as he backhanded her. His next target already in mind, Venus didn't have time to move as he reappeared and seized her arm. She began screamed in agony as he slowly electrocuted her with his dark power.
"Venus!" Sailor Moon cried out.
"No!" Kento shouted, enraged. He quickly clasped his wrist, and called his armor. "Armor of Hardrock, Tao Gi!" The other Ronins quickly followed his example.
"Armor of Strata! Tao Inochi!"
"Armor of Halo! Tao Chi!"
"Armor of Torrent! Tao Shin!"
"Armor of Wildfire! Tao Jin!"
As soon as Kento had his staff in his grasp, he raised it above his head and began spinning it. Edua noticed and ceased in his assault on his victim to watch Kento in interest. "Get your hands off her," Kento ground out in hostility.
Edua took a hold of Venus by her neck and held her up off the ground in front of him. "Or what? You'll kill her to destroy me?" he asked haughtily, tightening his grip on her throat to show his control over the situation.
"Kento, don't! If you use your special attack, there's a good chance you'll hurt Venus too!" Cye shouted.
Kento faltered, slowing down his spinning a little. Venus winced and opened her eyes slightly, her vision foggy. It cleared enough for her to meet Kento's worried face. She swallowed with some difficulty and mouthed three words to him that he understood all too well, though he wished he hadn't. Get him, Kento. Still, he hesitated. Venus cried out involuntarily as she was shocked further by Edua.
Kento cringed at the sound, then lowered his staff and threw it on the ground in defeat. "I...I can't, Venus. I'm sorry."
"How sad," Edua commented. Then he turned his power on full-blast and Venus's screams pierced the air, and Kento's soul. Then they were cut off as Edua suddenly shrieked, dropping Venus's limp body. A blur of movement occurred and someone caught the girl before she hit the ground. Stunned, Edua stared down at the rose embedded in his hand. The masked person who had saved Venus, dressed in a black tuxedo complete with a cape and top hat, stepped over to Kento and handed her to him.
"Take care of her," he said. Turning to Edua, he regarded him with scorn. "You're a dishonorable little cretin, you know that? Why don't you stand your ground and fight like a real warrior? I, Tuxedo Mask," he said with a flourish, taking off his mask and hat and tossing them aside, "will not permit this act to go unpunished." The Ronins gasped in astonishment to see that it was Darien.
"Just in time, Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon exclaimed happily. She also turned to look at Edua in anger. "How dare you attack my friends! You don't even fight fair! In the name of the moon....." The other Scouts chimed in.
"In the name of Mercury....."
"In the name of Mars....."
"In the name of Jupiter...."
Then they all shouted together. "We will punish you!" Their little performance gained a few sweat drops from the Ronin Warriors who were listening to this.
Ryo blinked for a second and said, "Uh, yeah, ditto on that." He looked at his teammates. "Come on, let's go!" He unsheathed his swords and started the first attack.
Kento stayed behind, holding Venus in his arms. "Mina? Mina!" he called, thinking that her real name might get more of a answer. But she didn't respond. What do I do, he thought, as she drew in a faint, ragged breath of air. She's probably dying and I can't do anything! I'm so useless! In one of the few rare moments of his life, tears spilled down his cheeks as he brushed her blond hair out of her still face. "Aw, man. Why did this have to happen?" he whispered helplessly. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced up to see Sage.
"You shouldn't worry so much," Sage chided as he knelt next to Kento. He grasped Venus's hand and a soft, green aura surrounded her. Sage concentrated for minute or so before releasing her and looking at Kento with a confident expression. "She'll be fine. Now, go help the others! I'll watch out for her."
Kento was undecided for a moment before finally nodding. He stood and raced off to the battle as he thought, I'm gonna make that guy pay.
Ryo attempted to slash at the enemy, but Edua kept phasing in and out of his reach. Rowen fired a volley of arrows, to no avail. Kento shot out the end of his staff at him, missing totally. Whiteblaze lunged at him to snap at nothing but air. "He's just too fast!" Rowen yelled. But while this was going on, Mercury was scanning Edua with her visor.
"Got anything?" Cye asked, watching the fight anxiously.
"I think so," Mercury replied. "Every time before he reappears, my computer picks up an energy reading. So if I'm right," she said, pointing to her left, "you should strike that spot right...." She waited a moment and then shouted, "now!"
Cye was already on it. "Super Wave Smasher!"
Right as Edua faded in, he was pummeled by a blast of water. He was slammed backgrounds and skidded across the ground. "What?!" he said in disbelief and pain. He quickly disappeared again, but Mercury was too fast for him.
"Mars! Jupiter! Direct your attack over there!"
"Got it! Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!"
"Mars Celestial Fire Surround!"
Electrified rings of fire hammered into Edua to his unpleasant surprise. Edua fell to his knees, gasping. He couldn't believe he was actually losing. Ryo stepped up and held one of his swords under the fallen man's neck in a gesture of dead seriousness. "Had enough?"
"Not yet," Edua said darkly, snickering. He suddenly leapt up, landing several feet away, and raised both hands above his head. He created another red ball of energy, only this one looked like it was for real. "Chaos's Hell Storm!" he screamed, shooting the power orb up above the group of teens. It exploded in midair, blasting bolts of energy down at the Sailor Scout and Ronins.
Tuxedo Mask brought up his cape to shield himself, but Sailor Moon suddenly jumped in front of him. Her moon rod was instantly in her hands as she shouted, "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!" She fired a round of pink energy at the red power, pushing it back from her and her friends and abruptly canceling it out. She staggered back slightly, feeling worn out.
Edua laughed manically at her efforts. "Very good! But can you do it again?" he asked, forming another red energy sphere and preparing to send it at them.
"Venus Love Chain Encircle!" The energy vanished as a golden chain of hearts suddenly streaked through the air and wrapped around Edua's wrists. He strained for a moment before looking down in shock to see a familiar blond girl in an orange sailor suit holding the end of the chain. "You!"
"And I thought you had forgotten about me," Venus said slyly.
"Venus!" Kento exclaimed in relief. She was totally fine, thanks to Sage's healing. Kento looked around to find Sage now standing with the Ronins and he smiled gratefully at the green clad teen. Sage waved his hand in an unconcerned manner.
"I told you not to worry about it."
Edua struggled against his restraints, but Venus held tight to her chain. He then pulled up hard on the chain, hauling her with it. She lost her grip and was flung through the air. But before she was slammed into the ground, she was caught in the arms of someone. As they landed, she had the idea that this was similar to something that had happened to her already. Her theory was cliched when a voice said teasingly, "Maybe you should keep your feet on the ground."
"Kento!" She met his eyes, glad to see him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him as best she could with his armor on. "That's the second time you've caught me!"
Kento set her down with a sheepish grin. "Well, I couldn't just let you fall."
Edua's face contorted in hatred as his entire body began to glow blood red. "I will kill you all!" He began to form an immense red energy bomb in his hands. In his eyes, there was nothing but pure insanity
"Thunder Bolt Cut!" Sage launched a huge stream of electricity at Edua. It rammed into the man before fizzling out. "What?" Sage said in astonishment. "He absorbed it!"
Mercury activated her scanner and shook her head. "No. All the energy he's gathering is counteracting our attacks like a shield. It's also very unstable. If he uses that thing, he'll not only kill us, he'll kill himself too."
"It doesn't look like he's concerned about that." Rowen said.
"We need an attack powerful enough to break through that barrier." Tuxedo Mask declared.
"What if we used Inferno?" Cye suggested, confusing the Scouts who had no idea what he was talking about.
"I'm not sure we'll have enough time!" Ryo replied grimly.
"And we won't have enough time to use the Sailor Planet Attack!" Mars said.
The energy started to grow fierce, driving the Ronins and Sailor Scouts back. Kento gritted his teeth and slowly stepped toward the red light. The evil power surged against his armor, causing him extreme discomfort. But he wasn't about to be beaten by this creep. Then he stopped as someone caught his arm. He looked back to see Venus standing with him, holding onto his wrist. She winced as the red energy lashed at her skin, leaving several scorch marks. "Kento, wait!"
"Get back before you get hurt again! My Iron Rock Crusher can do the job!"
"You can't take that risk!"
"I have to, or we'll all be dead!"
"No! I won't let you do this by yourself!" she shouted, grabbing his staff. Suddenly, a tremor of power ran up both their spines. The sign of Venus and the kanji of Justice flared up on their foreheads and the two became covered with a brilliant, orange light. It pushed back the energy coming from Edua. As their startled eyes connected, a look of hidden realization passed between them. An understanding of something that had been locked away in their subconscious. Something that had been waiting for these two to meet before it could awaken. And under these grave circumstances, that power had decided to come forth.
"What's happening?!" Sage shouted.
"Venus, Kento!" Sailor Moon called out desperately.
Venus and Kento ignored their friends' worried voices, still staring at each other. "I know what to do now," Venus said, her mind in a slight trance state. Kento nodded in agreement. The light surrounding them softened to a shimmering glow as they clasped each other's hand. Kento held the end of his staff with his free hand at a horizontal angle, and Venus took a hold of the other end. They stood side by side facing Edua, their eyes focused calmly on him.
Cye watched this worriedly. "Mercury, what's happening to them?"
Mercury was scanning the pair with her computer. "I don't know, but their energy readings are through the roof!"
"I hope they have a plan. Otherwise, we're done for!" Rowen said as Edua's red orb kept expanding to greater proportions.
Venus lifted her head and spoke. "Sleeping power that has now awakened, grant us permission to use your force," she said, a new note in her voice.
"Our spirits are ready to receive your strength and might." Kento echoed solemnly. Deep inside, they both felt an intense spark of power surfacing and somehow, they knew how to use it. Together, they slid their hands down the staff and turned it until the knife part was pointed at Edua. The orange radiance flowed over the weapon, glowing like the two teens were. The time had come. "Now, by our will," Kento said in a louder but just as serene tone of voice.
"We unleash your fury!" Venus finished, sounding just as calm. But as she said that, the blade section that was aimed at Edua separated itself from the rest of the weapon without any assistance. By some unnatural force, it rammed itself into the dirt in front of Kento and Venus. The earth split, and the crack traveled across the ground until it passed under Edua. The man was too occupied to notice, unfortunately for him. Otherwise, he could have avoided the coming onslaught.
The others watched in stunned amazement as Venus and Kento narrowed their eyes and sealed Edua's fate as they shouted out. "Earth Shatterer!" The Sailor Scouts and Ronins heard a rumbling noise and felt the ground begin to tremble under their feet. The sound and the shaking quickly increased until no one could maintain their balance. Edua finally took note of this and the energy ball stopped expanding as he saw the glowing teens.
"What are you doing?" he demanded in anger and confusion. His eyes widened in shock as the earth suddenly ripped apart under him. Both he and the energy bomb plunged into the created abyss. If Edua was able to escape from that, he wasn't given the chance as the fissure slammed shut upon him. The bomb exploded within the closed chasm, vaporizing Edua. A geyser of rocks and dirt erupted into the sky and violent tremors rocked the area, throwing everyone to the ground. The entire terrain became a dust cloud.
Trem sighed as he witnessed Edua's untimely demise. This outcome had not been entirely surprising to him. Edua had been too overconfident and careless. However, that Sailor Venus and Hardrock's sudden increase in energy had been an interesting development. He hadn't known that these children could learn to combine their powers. The linked attack had been impressive. But that wasn't what Trem was looking for. He needed a single person out of Alosha's allies who had a considerable amount of strength. The girl and boy by themselves weren't quite right for his tastes. But Trem had found one other who was more up to his standards. It wasn't just the amount of strength and the abilities this person possessed. It was also that individual's relationship with the others in their particular group. Yes, Trem thought, that one will be an excellent choice.........
Sailor Moon coughed and stood, waving the dust away from her face. Her ears were still ringing from that huge boom. "Is everyone ok?" she asked. The other scouts and the Ronins were nodding, though an occasional sneeze was heard.
"Is it over?" Jupiter asked, looking around warily.
Mercury checked her computer readings and nodded in relief. "I think so. I'm not picking up any evil readings now. That Edua must have been totally destroyed."
Yuli, Alosha, Chibi Moon, Mia, and the two cats came running up from the fortress. "Hurray! You guys did it!" Yuli exclaimed, jumping up and down happily.
"Yeah, thanks to Kento and Venus," Sage said. He took a moment to detransform, feeling a bit drained. Ryo, Cye, and Rowen did the same.
"Hey, where is Kento?" Cye asked worriedly.
"And Venus?" added Mars.
Rowen suddenly pointed off to the right. "There they are!"
The two in question were on the ground, motionless. Everyone gathered around them and Mia knelt down. She gently shook them, and gradually Venus stirred. She sat up and placed a hand to her head. Except for a few bruises and scraps, plus a mild case of dizziness, she was none worse for wear. "What happened?" she inquired, dazed.
"You and Kento defeated Edua!" Tuxedo Mask said, his face full in amazement.
"We did?" Venus's memories were unclear on what had happened for a moment, then entire battle flooded back into her mind. "Whoa!" She couldn't believe that she and Kento had been able to do that attack. It had been a long time since she had learned a new technique and it was just incredible. Then she realized she didn't know where Kento was. She searched for him and gasped as she saw him laying near her. His armor was gone, probably from his lack of energy. Venus got to her knees and leaned over him, trying to wake him up. "Kento?"
"Uh, what hit me?" He opened his eyes groggily.
Venus helped him up, giggling. "Nothing. We just blasted a bad guy, that's all."
Kento's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah! Wow, how did we do that?"
"Your similar powers must have merged together to form that magic." Alosha explained to them.
"So, we did some kind of combo attack?" Venus asked, getting a nod from the little girl.
"Wow, a new attack! That's awesome!" Yuli declared.
Alosha regarded the Sailor Scouts and the Ronin Warriors with a solemn expression. "This world's balance is maintained by the elements. Since your powers are each connected to one of the elements, you should be able to manipulate your attacks in different ways." The teens looked at each other in surprise at this new information. Alosha smiled confidently. "I believe more than ever that you will be able to save my world. Now, please come with me. I must discuss something with you all now that the threat to us is gone." With that she turned and headed into the fortress. Everyone followed, save Kento who held Venus back with him. They both waited until they were alone.
"Something wrong?" Venus asked. Kento's guilty expression confused and startled her.
"I'm sorry," he said unhappily.
"For what?"
He turned away from her and sighed. "You got hurt by that jerk and it's all my fault. I should have been able to protect you."
Venus stepped in front of him and met his eyes. "Don't blame yourself. You didn't know that was going to happen. Besides, I'm all right, aren't I?" She spoke seriously, folding her arms across her chest. "I knew what the dangers were when I became a Sailor Scout. I wouldn't be doing this if I were afraid of taking some risks once in a while." Her tone then became stern. "Now stop feeling bad about this! No one's mad at you for anything."
Despite himself, Kento chuckled. "Okay."
"Good. We should probably get back to the others." She began to walk to the building, but Kento caught her wrist.
"Wait a sec. You never answered my question before."
"Huh?" Venus was confused.
Kento smiled coyly, though he was a lot more nervous than he let on. "You know, when you kissed me."
"Oh." His innocent question was so cute to Venus. Her eyes sparkled as she answered. "Yes, I do like you, a lot."
"That's good," he said pleasantly, glancing around to see if his friends were snooping around.
Venus was slightly surprised, not expecting that response. "How come?"
"Well, because if you didn't, I wouldn't have the nerve to do this." In a swift movement, he placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her on the lips. Her stunned reaction lasted only a second before she returned his affections. The two stood there for a long time, unaware of anything but each other. The only other witness to this was a large white tiger who had stayed behind and he had a knowing expression on its face. Whiteblaze didn't understand humans that much, but he knew that this was something that didn't need explaining. After all, who needs to explain the human heart? It simply knows this kind of stuff.
11 chapters and going strong! I can't believe how long this is! Well, anyway, see ya next time!
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