Hey, here is the fifth chapter of "Child of the Glaive!" Enjoy! (Sorry for taking so long to get this up - I had a bad case of writer's block! ^^;;; Thanks for your patience and for your reviews too! ^^) Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own Sailor Moon. Naoko Takeuchi does. So don't sue me! *************************** CHILD OF THE GLAIVE By Jellicatso Rated PG *************************** The panicky servants were scurrying forth and back, frightened beyond reason by the fact that there were dangerous intruders on the premises, ready to pull an all-out war against the Senshi warriors right inside the Palace. And the servants wanted to be as far away from the scene as possible. As they moved frantically around, they paid no attention to the white cat who was swerving right and left desperately to avoid getting trampled under their feet. "Daddy..." Diana gasped, her lower part of her body swinging from side to side. She covered her eyes with her paws, "Watch out!" "Just hold on, kiddo," Artemis muttered through his daughter's fur in his mouth and bolted right through between the legs of a very startled manservant, through the open door and into another hallway. There it was less congested and the cat was able to move quickly without fear of getting stepped upon. Artemis thought grimly, "Artemis!" A familiar female voice called from behind him. Artemis twirled around and hurried toward a cat-sized door placed conveniently on the wall. There an anxious black cat rushed out to meet them. "Artemis, is Diana hurt...?" Diana let out a glad meow. "Mommy!" "Diana's as fine as she can be, Luna," Artemis said as he released his hold on Diana and the kitten immediately bounced over to rub her head affectionately against her mother. "Diana-chan, thank kami-sama you're all right!" Luna exclaimed with some relief, licking her daughter's forehead avidly, "I was so worried about you!" Then she looked at her white counterpart. "Artemis, we have intruders. What are we going to do?" "Luna, take Diana somewhere safe," Artemis told her, "And I'm going down to see if I can be of an assistance to Queen Serenity, King Endymion, and the council!" He turned around and hurried away. "Be careful, Artemis!" Luna called out. "Daddy, wait!" Diana cried and would gladly trotted off after her father. "Oh, no you don't, Diana-chan! You're coming with me!" With that the black cat quickly reached out, took her daughter by the neck, and vanished through the small door and into the tunnel built especially for the Lunar Cats. Artemis thought as he sped down the hallway, turned the corner and hurried down the stairs. Suddenly, at the bottom of the stairs a door swung outward and Artemis, unable to stop in time, slammed headfirst into the door with a crash. "Owch!" he yowled, falling backward. "My head!" "Artemis-sama? Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!" A young voice apologized. Artemis, still holding his head, cracked opened one eye. It was Chibi-Moon, leaning over him with a concerned look on her face. She held up one finger. "How many do you see?" "Very funny," Artemis swatted her hand away. He sat up and touched the top of his head gingerly. Already he could feel a third bump coming up. He grimaced. "You should have watched where you go, young girl!" "Gomen, Artemis-sama," Chibi-Moon said. "Say, have you seen Saturn and Chibi-Hotaru? They are not at home!" The white cat shook his head again. "No. Not since I last seen them at the infirmary." Then he frowned. "What are you doing running around by yourself, when you're supposed to be with your parents? And what's with the Senshi uniform anyway?" Chibi-Moon made a face. "They went to the emergency meeting and left me home alone with Mars the younger to baby-sit me," she griped. "But a couple of youmas broke in, and that's why I transformed. They sure made a big mess in the suite!" "Indeed! They didn't hurt you, did they?" Artemis said, his brows furrowing slightly. "Nope. They took one look, said 'wrong kid' and took off!" Chibi-Moon replied. She looked a little worried, "I think they're after Chibi-Hotaru!" "Huh. That would be why they ganged up on me and asked me where 'the brat' is!" Artemis said, more to himself than to Chibi-Moon. "But I don't understand - what's so special about the girl that got the youmas running after her?" "I don't know either. But anyways, I want to go find Saturn and Chibi-Hotaru!" Chibi-Moon turned and started running off in another direction. "Wait!" Artemis shouted. He scrambled to his paws and hurried after the little pink-haired girl, "I don't think you should go by yourself, considering there's so many youmas around here!" "But I've got to help Chibi-Hotaru! No way we're letting the nasty youmas come take her away - whoops! Excuse me!" Chibi-Moon swerved to avoid colliding with a fleeing portly servant, "And besides, I've fought the youmas before, so no big deal. I'm not afraid of them!" "No big deal?" Artemis sweatdropped. Suddenly, down the long corridor a wall blew out with an ear-splitting explosion, leaving a huge ragged hole. There, in front of Chibi-Moon and Artemis, three tall youmas stepped out. The young Senshi and the cat screeched to a stop and as they did the youmas turned their heads in unison and spotted the little girl right away. "There she is!" One of the youmas shrieked, "Don't let her get away!" "Right! We're not letting her get by us!" Another voice answered from behind Chibi-Moon and Artemis. Both the girl and the cat looked back, and saw two more youmas drawing up closer to them, grinning evilly all the while. Chibi-Moon gasped and looked frantically around, but it seemed there was no other way to escape the youmas. If she made one move in any direction they would quickly capture her without effort. Both the young Senshi and the cat looked at each other in consternation. "Damn," was all Artemis said. ******************* In a room within another part of Palace Chibi-Hotaru was still disconsolate. "I want Mommy," she whimpered, although she had stopped long stopped struggling and lay quietly in Serenity's arms. "There, there. Your mother promised she'll be back soon," Serenity soothed, wiping away the tears from the dark-skinned girl's face, "And so she will! Don't cry now, Chibi-Hotaru." Chibi-Hotaru's next response was to sniffle once and rested her head sadly on the queen's shoulder. "I still can't get over how this kawaii child looked remarkably like the young Hotaru from the past," remarked one of the Elder Senshi - which happened to be the older Sailor Mars - as she gazed at the little girl with interest. "Don't you think so, Sailor Uranus?" "Indeed she is," replied another Elder Senshi - *THE* Sailor Uranus (^_^) as she also gazed with fascination at the little girl, "Except for her somehow darker complexion, she could pass for our adopted daughter!" "She's so precious," cooed Sailor Neptune (yes, THE one and the only Senshi of Ocean! ^^) "How we missed the old days when we were raising Hotaru!" Hearing their voices, Chibi-Hotaru's eyes popped open. "Haruka-grandpa? Michiru-grandma?" The sandy-haired Senshi of Wind blinked, then grinned. "Well, Neptune," Uranus glanced at her lover who was standing next to her, "Looks like we still have a chance to become grandparents after all!" "How wonderful! I've been looking forward to a little grandchild or two!" Neptune exclaimed with pure delight. "And to think our daughter was destined to be alone ALL her life! Things must be looking up for her!" Suddenly a lone figure burst into view, interrupting the small conversation. Startled, Chibi-Hotaru squeaked with fright. Thinking it was a youma, the Senshi immediately surrounded the queen and the little girl protectively. King Endymion drew out his sword, ready to deal with the latest menace. However, after they took one look at the newcomer they dropped their defensive stance for they recognized who it was. "Sailor Mars the younger? What's going on?" Endymion asked, looking a tad put out as he put his sword away. "You are supposed to look after Small Lady!" Serenity gasped. "And where is she?" she demanded, looking extremely worried. The teen Senshi was quite agitated. "Your Majesty! Gomen nasai!" she cried, bowing before the queen and the king repeatedly, "Some youmas broke in your suite, saying they are looking for a child. They went after Princess Usagi, thinking it was her, then changed their minds and left. And before I can stop her, Princess Usagi also ran off! I searched for her, but I can't find her! I think she went looking for Chibi-Hotaru - or so that is what I heard her saying before she left!" Serenity tottered on her feet, her face turning pale with horror. "You meant to tell me she's all alone among the vicious youmas? Oh, no!" She would have keeled over just like that, but then Endymion and the elder Mars on both sides grabbed her before she could touch the floor. "Mars, take her and Chibi-Hotaru to someplace safe," Endymion told the elder Senshi of Fire, "That way, Chibi-Hotaru can be out of reach of the youmas looking for her!" "Hai, your majesty!" the older Mars answered. The king then kissed Serenity on the cheek. "Don't fret, love. Small Lady will be fine. We'll find her and bring her home safely," he assured his wife, "This I promise you!" Serenity recovered sufficiently to look squarely at Endymion. "You better," she growled, "If anything happen to Small Lady, I'll have your hide!" Endymion's eyebrows flew high and he gulped almost inaudibly, drawing snickers from the elder Senshi around him at his discomfort. As Serenity and the elder Mars hurried away, taking Chibi-Hotaru with them, Endymion took deep breath and turned toward the remaining Senshi. "All right. Before we commence our search for Small Lady, I want to be certain that every Senshi have been called to the battle. It looks like it's going to be ugly for a while, and we need every help we need to destroy the youmas and if possible drive the rest of them out of here!" Sailor Neptune took out her own personal mini-computer [A.N.: well, Neptune may be smart but she is not like Ami in every sense! Let's just assume she has other duties that requires the use of computer.] and keyed in a few commands. "Hai. Every Senshi has been called for and all are present up front," the aqua-haired woman said, She frowned and added, "Except for Sailor Mercury and Sailor Pluto." All the heads turned toward her in surprise. "Nani? What do you mean, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Pluto are not present?" Endymion said in a puzzled voice. "Where are they now?" Neptune shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. This computer only indicted that she had not responded to the Senshi Alert. It did not say where she is at the moment." "And Pluto hardly leaves the Gate of Time except in time of emergency, or she brings important news exclusively for you and Serenity," Uranus said with a small frown, "It seems odd that now we are in a state of emergency, Pluto's not here. That's not like of her to be somewhere else if she knew we need her down here!" The king ran his hand through his dark hair and sighed again. "Well, let's hope they turn up soon enough. There's not much we can do for them right now. All right, you - " He pointed at the younger Mars, "You're coming with me. And Uranus and Neptune," He looked at the two Outer Senshi, "You both go this way and we'll go that way. Right now my daughter is in danger and we must find Small Lady as quickly as possible. And when you found her, you know where to take her for safety. Now go!" "Hai!" The Outer Senshi acknowledged with a nod and took off at once. "Follow me then," Endymion said as he left the room and headed down the corridor. As Mars the younger trotted after him, Endymion could not help but felt a growing anxiety for the welfare of his only daughter. ************************** "Don't let her escape!" One of the youmas shouted. Needless to say, they spread out and moved even closer, forcing Chibi-Moon and Artemis to back up against wall. It appeared to be a hopeless situation, as the youmas were on every side with no space between them for the little pink-haired Senshi and the cat to slip through. "Now what are we gonna do, Artemis?" Chibi-Moon whispered. "I don't know," the white cat whispered back. "But if worst comes to worst, we may have no choice but to fight!" "Now then, you little pipsqueak," A youma addressed the young Senshi authoritatively as she stepped forward. She has a purple skin and, though short in statue, she was obviously in charge. Her evil red eyes glittered down at the little girl. "We're not going to hurt you, at least not yet. You are not the brat we're looking for anyway. All I want to do is ask a few questions." "What questions?" Chibi-Moon asked, trying not to sound nervous. The purple-skinned youma produced a small photo. "Have you seen her?" She asked, raising one eyebrow. "My mistress considers her extremely valuable and wishes her back as soon as possible. If you saw her, I'd like you tell to me where she is and maybe we'll be nice enough to let you go without hassle." Both Chibi-Moon and Artemis looked closely at the photo. It was a picture of Chibi-Hotaru. "Kawaii kid," the white cat remarked, "But I haven't a clue where she is!" "Me either," the pink-haired Senshi said with a shrug. The purple-skinned youma frowned and drew herself up, looking very put out. "So you do know her, and won't admit where she is! Well, too bad, then!" She stretched forth her hands. Long, razor-sharp claws popped into view and she brandished them before Chibi-Moon. "Say your prayers before I rip your heart out!" Artemis flattened his ears and hissed vehemently. "My, my, such rude cat. I think I shall take your tail as a souvenir," The youma said nastily and continued her advance upon the girl and the cat. With an angry yowl the cat exploded, fur rising and claws slashing as he sailed toward the purple-skinned youma's face. The other youmas gasped loudly. But their leader hardly flinched at all. She caught Artemis almost casually by his neck and held him high. "Look here," He addressed the horrified Chibi-Moon again, "If you would just tell me where the little brat is, your mangy animal shall live." "I don't know where she is!" Chibi-Moon said loudly. "Oh?" The youma gave the girl a level look. "Somehow I don't think you are telling the truth." With that, she tightened her grip on the cat. Artemis continued clawing and twisting around and yowling fiercely, only his eyes began to bug out. Chibi-Moon became upset. "Come on, we don't have all day!" The youma snapped. "I...I don't know where Chibi-Hotaru is, I honestly don't!" The young Senshi said. Then she begged; "Please.... don't hurt Artemis. Let him go!" "Well, that is too bad," The youma shrugged and his fist squeezed around Artemis. The cat's flailing legs began to slow down. He stopped yowling and instead let out a long, rasping gasp. "Artemis! IIIEEEE!" With a cry, Chibi-Moon abruptly whipped her wand out of her sub-space pocket and pointed at the bemused youma. "SUGAR HEART ATTACK!" Before the purple-skinned youma could react the pink heart-shaped missiles flew out and knocked her clean off the feet. Artemis was quickly released and fell to the floor with a thud. "Artemis," Chibi-Moon ran over to where the cat lay prostrate nearby and scooped him up. The cat lay limp over her arms, gasping and wheezing. "Artemis-sama, are you all right?" The girl asked anxiously with tears in her reddish-brown eyes. "Don't die on me, please!" Artemis managed to recover his voice at last. "I...I'll live, thank you very much," He said weakly. The youma, apparently unhurt, sat up looking thoroughly livid with rage. "Seize them and destroy them!" she shrieked. The rest of the youmas who had been standing openmouthed in dazed surprise at the unexpected scene, immediately jumped into action and moved toward Chili-Moon and Artemis. "SUGAR HEART ATTACK!" The young Senshi shouted again. Another burst of pink hearts knocked over a couple of youmas, but they immediately bounced back on their feet growling fiercely. Artemis sweatdropped. "Is that the best you can do?" "Hold on, I can do better than that!" Chibi-Moon cried. She took off her tiara and flung it toward the advancing youmas. "MOON TIARA ACTION!" The tiara, now glowing brilliantly and spinning like mad, sailed through the air with such speed that it cut through the purple youma's punk-like hair as neatly as a professional barber's shaver, leaving a stubble in its wake. The youma was so startled she fell backward with a loud squawk. "Whoa," Artemis said, impressed in spite of himself. The glowing tiara appeared to have taken a life of its own, for it circled overhead once and flew toward the next youma, never once slackening in its speed. The would-be victim let out a piercing scream and flung herself out of way, knocking down two other youmas as she did so. That left a wide space for the little girl to make good her escape. "GANGWAY!" Chibi-Moon shouted. She grabbed her tiara as it returned to her and, still cradling the cat in her arms, took off running like mad for one of the gaping holes on the wall. The purple youma roared and sat back up, intending to stop the pink-haired girl. Too late, the young Senshi scurried over her, leaving a nicely placed boot print right on the youma's face. In the next moment the girl and the cat had disappeared into the hole and were out of sight. "Dammit! You let her escaped!" The youma in charge screamed, "Go after her!" The youmas re-grouped and swarmed after their fleeing prey. ****************** The elder Sailor Mars looked cautiously around the corner and whispered, "Okay, the coast is clear. Come along then, Serenity!" She and the queen hurried off down the empty hallway, taking care not to make any noise to avoid attracting the unwanted attention. Chibi-Hotaru was still in Serenity's arms. She was not crying now, just looking a bit sad because she still wanted her mother. Serenity noticed her face and gave the little girl a reassuring hug. "It'll be all right. Soon it will all be over, and you'll see your mother again, Chibi-Hotaru," the queen murmured softly to the young child, As soon as possible...I hope!" Chibi-Hotaru's only response was to sniffle once and nodded slowly. Mars looked over her shoulder, looking a little annoyed. "Please do be quiet, will you?" The Senshi of Fire muttered, giving Serenity a warning glare, "There may be some youma hiding somewhere around here. I promised Endymion to get you and Chibi-Hotaru to somewhere safe, and we can't risk having them hear us..." she abruptly stopped when they heard sounds of rapid footfalls approaching them. "Oh great, now they're coming. Serenity, get behind me!" The queen immediately moved behind her protective friend just as a small figure burst into view, running from around the corner at the end of the hallway and headed toward them. "Mars, wait!" Serenity shouted, recognizing the newcomer. She reached out to restrain the elder Senshi from doing anything drastic, "It's Small Lady!" Sure enough it was Chibi-Moon with the white cat in her arms, scurrying at a high speed. She spotted Mars and Serenity right away. "Mama! Mars!" she cried, making a beeline for the women. "Watch out - the youmas are coming!" Both Serenity and Mars looked up and saw the small group youmas, led by a purple-skinned and stubble-haired one, storming down the hallway toward them. The youma in charge let out a shriek of gleeful triumph. "Look! There she is!" She pointed her finger. But it was not Chibi-Moon she was pointing at, but Chibi-Hotaru. "At last, we found the one we've been looking for! Seize her!" The Senshi of Fire immediately took on a combative stance. "Not unless you wanted to be fried first!" she shouted, and let loose her fiery attacks. Two hapless youmas were caught point-blank and ended up in pile of smoking ashes within seconds. The rest, including their leader, broke up and scattered in separate directions except for one cute-looking little youma who crouched and aimed her arm toward the elder Senshi. The arm formed into what looked like a bazooka and fired off a missile with a loud bang. "Get down!" Mars cried. Serenity and the children flung themselves to the floor even as the shiny, strange-looking missile whistled shrilly through the air. Just before it reached the target it popped open. Before Mars knew what hit her she was instantly wrapped from head to feet in a metallic cocoon. Completely helpless and powerless to protect her friends, Mars toppled over and lay there cussing at the top of her lungs. "This is getting worse!" Artemis yelled, seeing the awful predicament they were in. He heard sharp gasps from both Serenity and Chibi-Moon followed by a chilling laughter and swirled his head in time to see the purple youma approaching them with a gloating look on her face. The youma looked straight at Chibi-Hotaru. "Finally, we found you. This time you won't get away from us!" The youma said. The dark-haired little girl trembled, her eyes wide with fright. The purple youma crackled, and started reaching out for the young child. "And you're coming with me!" ***************************** The tall yellow-skinned youma with wild green and violet hair was glaring balefully at the Senshi warriors who gazed back evenly. Judging from her constant mutterings and dark expression on her face she was not in a very good mood. "I have no time to play with you, imbecile wenches!" She grounded out angrily, "If you would only just hand that one girl I wanted over to me, we will depart from here and leave you all alive! " "Not a chance!" One of the Senshi warriors shouted. A familiar figure in purple uniform stepped forward, twirling the Glaive menacingly. It was Sailor Saturn. She gave the tall youma a withering look. "This girl stays here with us. You will have to leave without her!" The yellow-skinned youma stared at her for a moment and then her lips curled with a snarl. "Ah, I remember you! We fought not too long ago!" "Quite a memorable event, isn't it?" Saturn said dryily. The youma's feral eyes narrowed. "And you forced me to leave without the brat. My mistress was NOT very pleased with me!" Then she flashed a cold smile. "So I'm returning, and you can now see, I am not alone this time!" She swept her arm toward her sisters standing behind her. "And we will not leave unless you give up the little brat to us. Otherwise, we WILL destroy every one of you all until we find her! I have warned you!" Saturn frowned and grimly readied her deadly Glaive for whatever she had to do. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that the Senshi warriors had already taken on their various defensive poses. No doubt they would call down their respective powers if necessary. The yellow youma snarled again and raised her hands slowly over her heads. Her sisters did likewise and within moments their hands turned white hot with burning energy. She screamed: "Prepare to die!" ************* TO BE CONTINUED! ************* I know, I know. Another cliffhanger. Don't shoot me, okay? Stay tuned for the sixth chapter which should be out soon! Thanks so much for your patience!