Author's Note:  I'm BAAAACCCKK!  *Sounds of crickets chirping.*  -_-; It's just that I had moved to the other state and took time settling down...hence the long delay.  Plus, I have had quite a bit of a writer's block on this story anyhow.  

Well...here is the sixth chapter of "Child of the Glaive!"   Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Just the usual - I don't own Sailor Moon.  Naoko
Takeuchi does. So don't sue me!  

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CHILD OF THE GLAIVE
By Jellicatso 

Rated PG 
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	The purple youma with her newly shorn head reached out for the trembling Chibi-Hotaru. "You're coming with me, brat!"

	The little dark-haired girl let out a tiny squeak in fright.

	"Oh no you don't!" Chibi-Moon shouted. "SUGAR HEART ATTACK!"

	The burst of glowing hearts bopped the youma right upside her head, causing her to totter forth and back a couple of times. But it was all to no avail, for it only made her madder than before.  With an angry roar the youma swatted the wand out of Chibi-Moon's hand, then backhanded her - hard. The pink-haired young Senshi went sprawling to the floor, well out of the way. 

	"Small Lady!" Serenity gasped, horrified.

	The purple youma only snickered nastily and grabbed Chibi-Hotaru's arm.  "I have you now! You cannot escape us this time!"

	"LET HER GO!" A voice rang out, and two tall women in Senshi uniforms came running furiously down the hall toward them.  Their faces wore a look of fury that would send even the fiercest tiger fleeing for high hills.

	"It's Sailor Neptune," Artemis cried with sheer relief, "And Sailor Uranus! Thank Kami-sama, they've arrived just in nick of time!"

	The purple youma's face turned ugly. "Kill them!" she screamed to her sisters behind her.

	"Right!" The three remaining youmas cried in unison and rushed at once toward the two Outer Senshi, each bringing out the most deadly weapon imagined - one with writhing vines of long poisonous thorns, another with a pair of lobster-like claws which clicked menacingly and lastly the one bristling from head to feet with all sort of wicked-looking razor-sharp blades.

	The sandy-haired Outer Senshi did not waste one minute. "WORLD SHAKING!" she shouted without breaking her pace.  

	The three youmas did not have a prayer; they instantly gave up their ghosts the minute the blazing ball of bright golden energy slammed into them, leaving behind piles of ashes instead. That left the purple leader alone to deal with the wrathful elder Senshi who were more than ready to defend not only their Queen but their young future granddaughter as well.

	"Damn!" The surviving youma swore. Desperately she seized Chibi-Hotaru once again. The little dark girl cried out in terror. 
	"Hey! Take your filthy hand off her!" Artmeis yelled. His paw promptly shot forward with claws fully extended, and left long nasty gashes down the youma's sinewy arm.  The purple monster hissed in pain. Nevertheless, she did not let go but yanked the girl right out of the silver-haired queen's arms. 

	"Chibi-Hotaru!" Serenity cried. 

	The youma let out a yell of gleeful triumph and ran off with the child under her arm. 

	"DEEP SUB- oh no!"  Sailor Neptune shouted in distress, "She took our granddaughter!" 

	"She's not getting away, that's for sure!" Sailor Uranus shouted, looking even angrier.  She took off after the fleeing youma at accelerated pace, leaping over Chibi-Moon who was just sitting up.  

	"Hey! Wait for me!" The pink-haired young Senshi squawked and ran after Sailor Uranus and Youma as well.

	"Small Lady!" Serenity gasped. "Someone stop her, it's too dangerous for her!"

	"I'll go after her," Artemis offered and streaked off. 

	Serenity was extremely upset by now, so Sailor Neptune stayed behind and tried to comfort the queen. "Don't fret, Serenity. Uranus will not let anything happen to Chibi-Hotaru and Small Lady, that you can be assured of!" The aqua-haired Senshi said in a soothing voice.  Then she looked around curiously and said, "And where is Sailor Mars? She's supposed to be with you, doesn't she?" 

	"Let me out!" A muffled voice called out from behind her, startling Sailor Neptune.  The tall Senshi of Water turned around and noticed a large, human-sized oval metal object rocking violently from side to side. 

	Sailor Neptune eyed the strange-looking object warily and said, "Serenity, who do you think is in there?"  

	Serenity stopped fretting, looked at it and gasped. "It's Sailor Mars!"  She said, "One of the Youmas trapped her in that cocoon!"

	"Then we better free her right away!" Sailor Neptune said. But when the Senshi and the queen searched over every inch of it they could not find a way to release Mars from her metallic prison. 

	"Hurry up! What are you taking so slow?" Mars shouted from within in an annoyed voice. "Are you going to let me out or not?"

	"Well," Sailor Neptune said with a sigh, "Perhaps what we need is a can opener, I guess."

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	"Prepare to die!"  The yellow-skinned youma continued, lifting her still glowing hands slowly over her head.  Then without another word she flung her hands down, and a couple of burning projectiles shot out and smashed through the floor with a terrific BOOM.  As the floor shook terribly, causing the startled Sailor Saturn and her fellow Senshi to totter on their feet the wild-haired woman commanded, "Attack them, my sisters!" 

	And then thousands of youmas of all sizes and shapes congregated, their faces contorting grotesquely with unholy glee and howling bloodthirstily, toward the Senshi.

	Before she knew it Saturn soon found herself engaged in deadly combat with a couple of two large youmas who towered over her. She was barely aware that other Senshi were just as busy, battling grimly with their unrelenting opponents.  
	
	The Senshi of Death and Destruction stabbed one youma in the midsection and just as quickly sliced another one with one stroke of her Glaive.  But as soon as those youma were down others quickly took their places.  She gritted her teeth and swung her Glaive again and again.  Out of the corner of her eye he noticed the wild-haired yellow youma had withdrew herself from the midst of the fray and was moving slowly and surreptitiously around the hall toward the stairs with a intense predatory expression on her thin face.  Saturn gasped, realizing where she was heading for.  

	"Oh, no, you can't!"  The glaive-wielding Senshi cried.  She dodged a few savage swipes from her opponents before cutting them down in half and rushed after the youma now ascending the stairs.  "You're not going after my daughter!" 

	The youma looked back contemptuously over her shoulder at her Glaive-wielding purser. She was halfway up the stairs now, stopped because of a thoroughly terrified older manservant cowering in front of her.  "Bah! What do you care? She's not even your daughter yet!"  The youma spat.  Without warning she grabbed the bug-eyed servant by the throat and threw him down the stairs, knocking Saturn off her feet and sent them tumbling down the stairs to the floor. "And stay away from me, you hear!" With that, the youma continued her way up without another backward glance. 

	Quickly Saturn shoved the servant from her and, gripping her Glaive tightly, she dashed furiously up the stairs after the receding figure. The moment the small Senshi reached the top, however, a large dark ball of glowing energy came hurling toward her.  Saturn threw herself to the floor, narrowly missed getting scorched as destructive missives flew over her, smashing through the wall far to the other side. Flying sparks and shards scattered everywhere.

	"I'm warning you. Back off!" The youma hissed.

	"Not if I can help it!"  The purple-clad Senshi shot back. Suddenly from down the hallway came a sound of heavy, rapid footfalls approaching them.  And then Saturn heard a small sound that nearly stopped her heart. It was a sound of a child crying. <Chibi-Hotaru?!>

	"Tsuki, look! I have her!" The rasping female voice called out, and a purple-skinned youma came running toward her yellow counterpart, triumphantly holding the little dark girl high in the air. 

   	"Ah! You found her! This is good!" The yellow youma cried happily. "Then we shall return to our Mistress as quickly as possibe. She shall be so pleased to see us, Miserka!"

	"Hai, Tsuki!" The purple youma replied, grinning with pride. "And we shall be richly rewarded, too!"
 
	Chibi-Hotaru continued to weep. "Mommy..." she whimpered, tears steaming down her brown cheeks.

	It was too much for Saturn.  With a yell of fury she sprang to her feet and brandished her Glaive menacingly. "As long as I live, you're not going anywhere without my daughter! Give her back to me!"" 

	Hearing her voice, Chibi-Hotaru perked up and stretched out her arms toward Saturn. "MOMMY!"
	
	The yellow-skinned youma called Tsuki scowled, turned around shot off another burning ball of dark energy straight at the lone Senshi.   It landed on the floor right in the front of Saturn, flinging her backwards and knocking the wind out of her.

	Chibi-Hotaru became frantic. "Mommy, Mommy!"

	The purple-skinned youma called Miserka glanced down in surprise at the struggling child, then took a long, hard (and somewhat worried) look at the injured Saturn laying limply on the floor and said to her sister, "Uh...is this who I think she is...?"

	"Hai, this is her future mother we're dealing with," Tsuki replied crisply. "As much as I long to destroy her, I cannot do that - or else this little brat would cease to exist!" At this Miserka's eyes widened, but did not say anything. The yellow youma continued, "Come on, we should be leaving already!" 

	"Hai!" Miserka agreed heartily.

	Tsuki gave a long, shrill whistle. "That way our sisters will know we've found what we're looking for, and there is no need for them to remain here but to head home as soon as they can!"  Then:  "Open up the conduit!"  

	A large square hole appeared magically on the floor in the front of the youma sisters.  Tsuki smirked at Saturn. "Sayonara!" she said, then jumped into the conduit and vanished out of sight.  

	  As Miserka was about to jump and follow after her sister, Chibi-Hotaru began to wriggle wildly, still reaching out toward Saturn and wailing piteously. "MOOOOOOOMMMY!!!"

	Saturn's eyes popped open. "Chibi-Hotaru, hold on, I'm coming!" Without wasting another minute she sprang to her feet despite her pain and rushed toward the startled purple-skinned Miserka, her Glaive sweeping around in a wide arch.  

	"Oh, no you can't!"   Miserka cried. She made one quick gesture. It was all it took, and a brilliant white light flashed. 

	Sudden, sharp pain ripped through Saturn's body and she stumbled, dropping the Glaive and then collapsed with a loud cry. 
		
	Miserka snickered nastily. "Heh, heh. Serve you right!"  

	"Saturn! Oh, no!"  A young voice cried out suddenly in distress. "Hey, big ugly youma, for hurting my best friend and for trying to take away her kawaii little kid, I will punish you in the name of the Moon!"

	"Nani?!" The purple youma looked back in surprise. Before she knew it a certain young Senshi with pink hair slammed into her, pushing her several yards away from the conduit. The square hole in the floor began, very slowly, to shrink. "Damn you! Get off me, you miserable rat!" Miserka shrieked. Holding Chibi-Hotaru under one arm, the purple youma pummeled the other girl several times on the head with her balled-up fist.

	The defiant little warrior continued to hold on tightly and would not let go. "I won't let you take Chibi-Hotaru!"  She retorted.  

	<It's ChibiUsa?!> Blinking rapidly to clear away the dancing black spots the bright light caused, Saturn raised her head and looked. Sure enough, it was Chibi-Moon, trying to hold the youma from jumping into the conduit in the floor.  The pain had subsided to a tolerant level so Saturn reached for the Glaive and pulled herself up from the floor just as Sailor Uranus came running up, her Space Sword in plain view. 

	"Saturn! Are you all right?" The sandy-haired Senshi of Wind called out.

	"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Saturn assured her. Then she lifted her head and glared at the purple Youma. "You there! Let my daughter go!" 

	"Hai! And make it quick," Sailor Uranus said, giving Miserka a hard look. "Or we will make it real unpleasant for you if you don't release this kawaii girl this instant!"

	Both the weapon-toting Senshi warriors moved purposefully toward the youma. 

	Miserka snarled soundlessly and glanced quickly and anxiously at the conduit in the floor. The gaping hole continued to shrink slowly but steadily. In a few minutes it would be too small for her to jump down and make good her escape. She hissed with frustration and turned her attention back to the future mother and the grandparent. "Come any closer," She threatened, "And I will make it even more unpleasant for HER!"  Thus said, the purple Youma seized Chibi-Moon by the neck and lifted her high into the air. "I'll throttle her to death!"

	Saturn and Uranus, horrified, stopped abruptly. Certainly they did not want to see their friend Chibi-Moon in dire predicament! Already the youngest Senshi was struggling frantically to loose herself from the hand around her neck, and making small gasping noises. Her face was beginning to turn blue. 

	Miserka sneered. "Say good bye to your little friend!"

	Suddenly a white blur came streaking out of nowhere and with an angry growl it attached itself to the purple Youma's head and started raking her with fully extended claws. 

	Saturn blinked in surprise. "It's Artemis!"

	"Good old Cat!" Uranus exclaimed. 

	With a terrific scream Miserka dropped both the little Senshi and the small dark girl and danced wildly around, screaming like a banshee in an attempt to dislodge her furry tormenter from her head, to no avail. Both the Outer Senshi promptly moved forward and dragged the young girls to a safe distance, leaving the white Lunar Cat to duke it out with the hapless purple youma.

	"Take this, take that!" Artemis cried, "Go pick on someone else your size!"

	"AIEE!" Miserka shrieked. Suddenly she tottered as though she was about to lose her balance. It seemed that she had moved too close to the conduit, and now she was on the brink of toppling into it.  Artemis leaped away, and with a loud despairing wail the youma slipped and vanished straight down the conduit and out of sight.

	"Well! And that's the end of her. Good riddance!" The sandy-haired Senshi said. 
	
	"I'll say!"  Chibi-Moon agreed. She was sitting up on the floor next to Uranus, breathing deeply if rather raggedly. 

	Artemis came over. "Are you all right?" He asked, looking at the young pink-haired girl with some concern.

	"She'll be fine. She's a real scrapper, you know," Uranus said with a grin. Sure enough, Chibi-Moon's face's was not so blue now.  Already she's recovering quickly and nicely, the upside of being a Senshi sailor.  

	"That's good," Artemis said in a relieved tone. Then he looked around and found Saturn and the little dark girl.  The Senshi of Death and Destruction was sitting on the floor with her Glaive laid aside next to her, rocking forth and back with her future daughter in her arms.  Poor frightened Chibi-Hotaru was weeping non-stop and clinging tightly to Saturn. 
	
	"It's okay, it's all over," Saturn was saying soothingly to the small girl, "She is gone, and she won't come back to take you away, ever!"

	"She's gone?" Chibi-Hotaru cautiously opened one eye and peered around half expecting to see the purple youma. She cheered up immensely when she saw no sign of Miserka.  "Yay! She's gone!" 

	"That's right!" Artemis agreed, padding up to the little dark-haired girl and grinned at her, "And you can bet we'll make sure the youmas will not come back, ever!" 

	"You know," Uranus said slowly, giving the white cat a warm look of admiration, "Artemis arrived just in time and tap-danced on the head of that youma. That's quite something to see and remember the rest of my life!"

	"Hai, and he saved our lives, too!" Chibi Moon declared.

	"Ah...I'm just a humble cat. I did what I had to do!" Artemis said gruffly, looking a little embarrassed but pleased to receive such unexpected praises.

	Chibi-Hotaru's face brightened up with a huge smile. Not saying anything, she rose from Saturn's lap, walked toward Artemis and gathered up the old cat in her arms in a tight hug. 

	"Ooof! Easy, girl. I need to breathe!" Artemis gasped.

	Saturn chuckled. "That's quite a display of gratitude I ever seen. You've become her hero!" 
	
	"Ah, a Kodak moment! Anyone have a camera?" Uranus teased.

	"Humph," Artemis huffed. Suddenly his eyes widened. He bellowed; "Watch out!"

	"Nani?" The three Senshi all cried and turned around to see what alarmed the old cat, and at once saw a purplish arm snaking forward at high speed out of the dark and still shrinking square hole in the floor.  Before they could act the surprisingly elastic arm stretched forward, seized Chibi-Hotaru's leg, and yanked.
	
	The little girl gave a piercing shriek as the hand dragged her across the floor and into the conduit. Her arms flew open and grabbed the edge of the conduit barely in time.  However, in doing so she released Artemis and he vanished yowling into the hole beyond.

	"Chibi-Hotaru!"  Uranus and Saturn shouted, and started to move quickly toward the hole.  Chibi Moon, who was sitting nearest to the girl, leaped up and dashed forward, flinging herself to the ground and grabbed hold one of her little friend's hands.   "Got you!"  The pink-haired girl cried.
	
	An angry voice from below growled and, much to Saturn's dismay, both the little girls were suddenly yanked into the conduit.

	Sprinting at a frantic pace, the Senshi of Death and Destruction threw herself on one side and reached out toward her young friend and her future daughter in attempt to rescue them.  She was too late.

	 Chibi-Hotaru and Chibi Moon vanished into the beyond and out of reach.  The hole closed up immediately and was gone, leaving no trace at all.   

	That was all so sudden, scarcely lasting more than a few seconds.   Both Saturn and Uranus froze in astonishment and disbelief. Then Saturn cried out, "No!" She choked as she started hitting the floor with her fists in frustration.  "ChibiUsa's, Chili-Hotaru. Oh No, no!"



To Be Continued! (I know, I know, this is an EVIL cliffhanger! Gomen, gomen... -_-;)