Wednesday, June 7, 2006

   Manga Books
Tell me all the manga books you have read, what are they about?
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   I have some questions on some Anime shows.
What is Naruto? What is Kiki's Delivery Service? What is Full Metal Alchemist? What is DNAngel? What is Cowboy Bebop? What is Fruits Basket about? What is Angel Sanctuary about? What is Puni Puni Poemy about? What is Tsubasa about? What is Esaflowne about? What is Howl's Moving Castle about?
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Monday, June 5, 2006

   Other Anime shows I haven't seen that I don't know.
Can someone tell me the other Anime shows that I haven't seen, that I don't know of and don't understand it?
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   Fcat Reading Summer Camp
I have to take this camp from M-Thr from 8:00a.m to 12:30p.m. I hate to take Fcat Reading! I love to read but it's the prompts that they give you is stupid.
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Monday, May 22, 2006

   Learning Japanese
learn some japanesee!
Doubutsu = Animal, Inu = Dog, Neko = Cat, Usagi = Rabbit, Kitsune = Fox, Tora = Tiger, Oukami = Wolf,

Feelings

Kokoro = Heart, Yume = Dream, Yasashisa = Kindness, Yuuki = Courage , Shinjitsu = Truth,
Akumu = Nightmare, Yuuki = Courage, Chouwa = Harmony, Tsuyosa = Strength, Chikara = Power, Mikomi = Hope, Ai = Love


Fantasy and Magic
Bakemono = Monster, Ghoul, Oni = Ogre, Devil, Youkai = Demon, Hanyou = Half-demon,
Seibutsu = Creature, Ryuu = Dragon, Akuryou = Evil spirit, Mononoke = Vengeful spirit, Kend = Sword, Unme = Destiny, Fate, Densetsu = Legend, Kiseki = Miracles, Tenshi = Angel, Miko = Priestess, Houshi = Monk, Priest, Madoushi = Sorceress

The Environment
Chikiu = Earth, Sekai = World, Uchuu = Universe, Wakuse = Planet, Kuuki = Air, Hoshi, Kousei = Star, Niji = Rainbow, Taiyo = Sun, Tsuki = Moon, Mangetsu = Full moon, Shingetsu = New moon, Shizen = Nature, Hana = Flower, Kaji = Fire, Kaze = Wind, Kaze = Wind, Kori = Ice, Mizu = Water, Ame = Rain, Hikari = Light, Yami =Darkness

OTHER USEFUL JAPANESE WORDS THAT I KNOW
Ongaku = Music, Uta = Song, Koe = Voice, Onsen = Hot spring, Hanaji = Nose bleed, Mirai = Future, Tanjoubi = Birthday, Nippon, Nihon = Japan, Paati = Party,
Batoru = Battle, Ribaru = Rival, Kisu = Kiss,

Interrogatives
Dare?, Donata? = Who, Nani? = What?, Doko? = Where?, Itsu? = When?, Dore? = Ne(?) = Hey, Right?, Yeah?Which?, Ikura? = How much?, Donna? = What kind?, Nande?, Doushite? = Why?,

Common Words and Phrases
Ohayou = Good morning, Konnichiwa = Good afternoon, Hello, Oyasumi = Good Night, Sayounara = Good-bye, Ja mata, Dewa mata = See you later, O-daijini = Take care of yourself, Hai = Yes, Iie = No, Dame = No, Don't, Itadakimasu = (said before eating a meal), O-genki desu ka? = How are you?,Ikaga desu ka? = How's it going?, Hajimemashite = Nice to meet you, Genki desu = I'm fine, Gomen = Sorry, Itai! = Ow!, Ouch!, Chikusho, Kuso = Damn it, Masaka = No way, Ridiculous, Yata! = Hooray!, Sou = Yeah, Right, Urusai!, Damare! = Shut up!, Be quiet!, Arigatou = Thank you, Dou itashimashite = You're welcome, Kurisumasu omedetou = Merry Christmas, Shinnen omedetou = Happy New Year, Aishiteru = I love you, Anata no o-namae wa? = What's your name?, Chotto matte = Wait a moment, Daijoubu(?) = Are you alright?, It's alright, Ki o tsukete = Be careful, Abunai! = Look out!, Baka = stupid

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   Sailor Moon
Isn't this pic great.
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Wednesday, May 17, 2006

   Sailor Moon website
http://www.cometpluto.com/sailormoon/index.html

Hope you like it.
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Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Who am I?
Hi! My name is Emilie Hall, I live at Port Charlotte, Fl. I go to school at Charlotte High, I am a Junior there. All my friends are at Port Charlotte High, I miss them and my boyfriend. I have an 8yr old sister named Lyndsay Marie, she has trouble with1st grade Math. So tell me about you?
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   Test
I have a test in American History. I just hope I do well. And it's a rainy day. And on top of that I have Final Exams next week. I just hope I make it through 6 periods of exams.
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Friday, May 12, 2006

   Sailor Sun Story
PROLOGUE
LEGEND’S BEGINING

The people of the Moon Kingdom fled in panic. All around them, buildings were crumbling and lightning struck the ground as the madman laughed. He stood on the roof of the tallest tower in Queen Serenity’s city, his eyes wild with insanity as he clenched something tightly in his fist. The object let out a black light that crept out his fingers, illuminating his hand. Cackling with glee, he pointed at another building and it shattered into dozens of pieces, causing more panic on the streets below. The white stone of the building collapsed, much to the amusement of the madman.
Inside the palace, people hurried about with terror in their eyes. Queen Serenity stood on her balcony overlooking the city below, watching the carnage as it took place. She held her Moon Wand in one hand and fingered it, hating to unleash the power of her Crystal against one of her citizens.
“I’m afraid we have no choice,” her advisor, Artemis said.
“We can’t allow this to continue,” Luna agreed.
The two cats stood to the Queen’s right and both looked at her expectantly. Serenity sighed.
“I do not wish to harm him,” she whispered, “but he must be stopped. It was foolish of me to allow this to begin.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Majesty,” Artemis said. “None of us knew the power of that force.”
“But we must destroy it,” Luna added.
Serenity turned to her two advisors. The cats looked back at her expectantly.
“I cannot destroy it,” the queen said at last, “but I can lock it away, so its evil will never again know human form.”
The cats nodded as one, and Queen Serenity turned from her balcony to enter the streets below.
*****
The madman looked down in surprise as the Queen of the Moon Kingdom stood unarmed below him. The power he held in his hand tickled his mind, urging him to throw some of his dark energy at her. The madman raised his hand and the energy crackled in his palm. Beneath him, Queen Serenity calmly raised her wand.
“Cosmic Moon Power!” she cried.
The madman was knocked from his perch, destroyed by the energy that had consumed him. The force itself fought against the containment of the Imperial Silver Crystal. Queen Serenity knew that before long, it would break free again, and would find another unsuspecting host lured by its power.
“Begone!” she commanded.
The dark force, still contained within the pure, white light of the Imperial Silver Crystal, flew up and out of sight. It traveled faster than the fastest star and was soon gone forever.
Queen Serenity returned to her palace, ordering her people to begin rebuilding all the madman had destroyed. She sat down in her private chambers and passed a weary hand over her face. Her two advisors appeared at her feet.
“What has become of the energy?” Luna asked curiously.
“Gone,” Serenity replied gratefully. “Locked away forever.”
“Where?” Artemis asked.
Serenity shook her head. “I will die with that knowledge safe in my heart, for if anyone knew of that force, they would seek to control it.”
The cats nodded.
It is safe, for now, Serenity thought, locked away in the centre of our sun.
*****
Years past and the Moon Kingdom never again knew the threat of the dark energy. The prophets began to read the signs, saying that the age of legend was at hand. The legend of the Moon Kingdom was that five children would be born with the mark of the crescent moon on their foreheads and they would be accepted by a planet, in the presence of the queen. The planet would entrust the child with its power so they could battle evil to keep peace in the universe. Serenity knew that one was destined to be her own child, the future heir to the Moon Kingdom’s throne, but she did not know who the other four would be.
One fateful night, Serenity was reading in her private rooms when she heard a knock on her door. She was curious as to who would be calling her so late and rose to answer it. She saw Luna standing in the doorway with a bundle in her mouth.
“Luna, what is this?” Serenity asked, taking the bundle from the cat. To her surprise, it moved.
“The first of the chosen children,” Luna replied. “Her parents brought her over as soon as the mark formed. She is not yet four days old.”
Serenity cradled the child in her arms and moved the blanket to see the crescent moon on the girl’s forehead. The queen smiled and quickly brought the infant up a flight of previously disguised stairs.
The location of the Acceptance was hidden from everyone except the queen. They arrived on the palace roof in a large glass-domed room that contained a single cradle in the centre. This room was century’s old, build in anticipation of the guardians. Through the glass, representations of the planets could be clearly seen, with the sun shining brightest in the middle. Serenity gently placed the baby girl in the cradle and waited patiently.
Minutes past and none of the planets bestowed their powers on the child. Serenity frowned, her excitement dying in her breast as she thought of what she would tell the girl’s parents. She took a step toward the infant, when suddenly the room filled with a golden light. Squinting, Serenity moved to the child’s side and saw the sun send down a beam of brilliant light. It struck the child in a radiant glow and the mark of the crescent moon was replaced with that of the sun. When the glow vanished, Serenity noticed a silver ring on the child’s finger.
As the queen hurried back through the secret passages to her chambers, she worried about the baby in her arms. The Sun had accepted her as its guardian, and with the infusion of the Sun’s powers had also come the infusion of the dark force she had sealed there years ago. Serenity realized that if the child was of strong heart and will, the dark force would be contained within her forever. The child gurgled happily and stuck her hand in her mouth. Serenity saw the ring on the child’s finger. She stopped walking.
“I cannot let this child realize the power she possesses,” Serenity thought aloud, knowing no one could hear her. “If the Negaverse knew of her, she would be in danger her entire life. I must seal her powers deep within her soul, to protect her and my Kingdom.”
Once again her room, Serenity was grateful to see that Luna had departed. The queen lay the child down and passed the Silver Crystal over her body. The baby smiled once, and fell asleep. A few minutes later, Luna returned to find Serenity sitting with the child asleep in her arms.
“Which planet chose her?” Luna asked.
“None,” Serenity replied. “She was not one of the chosen ones.”
Luna sat down. “Her parents will be devastated.”
Serenity nodded. “I will give her a place in my court, so she will be raised like a noble, perhaps as a companion to my own daughter, when she arrives. Tell her parents that the silver ring is my promise to them.”
Luna nodded and took the newly bundled child in her mouth. Quickly, the black cat sprinted out the door and out of sight.
“We shall pray the Negaverse does not sense her powers,” Serenity said softly to herself.
*****
A year passed, and the real chosen ones were born, including Serenity’s own daughter, Serena. The four children of the planets and the princess of the Moon Kingdom grew up together as best of friends in the palace, exploring their new powers.
When they were ten years old, Serenity began to condition them for life in court. Amy, the Child of Mercury, seemed to enjoy the quite life as a lady of the court, but the others were quite unruly. Often, Raye, the Child of Mars, would be caught playing with her powers of fire in the orchard and quite nearly set the entire field in flames. Mina, the Child of Venus, often sat with Amy as Serenity instructed them on proper behavior, but also would use her crescent beam to destroy walls, trees, and anything else that got in its way. Lita, the Child of Jupiter, would use her electricity to short out the entire palace while Serena, Serenity’s own daughter, would prompt her friends to use their talents for no good. Serenity’s only comfort lay in Sunny, the first crescent child, who became Serena’s lady-in-waiting. She was the most reliable of the group, and often stopped the pranks before they went too far.
*****
The peace of the Moon Kingdom, however, was not to last. Following the horrible attack of the Negaverse that destroyed all the guardians as well as Princess Serena, the great Kingdom on the Moon fell into ruin. As the Negaverse was banished by Queen Serenity’s Cosmic Moon Power, the queen used her dying breath to send the spirits of the guardians, her daughter, and her daughter’s love, to be reborn on earth.
*****
A thousand years later, they were reborn and once again began to battle the Negaverse. Calling themselves the Sailor Scouts and lead by Sailor Moon, they battled evil in the name of love and justice, defeating first Queen Beryl as well as the aliens Alan and Ann. Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus thought their lives as crime fighters were over, until the appearance of a new person in their lives.
CHAPTER ONE
ENTER THE SHINING STAR


At exactly 9:10 am, a single cry pierced the newly lit sky. All of Tokyo knew who the screamer was and what her frantic cry was for.
“Oh no, I've overslept again!” Serena wailed as she rushed around her bedroom.
“Serena, didn't I tell you to set your alarm?” Luna asked. The black cat stretched and began grooming herself. The yellow crescent on her forehead glowed.
“I forgot,” Serena called from the depths of her closet.
Quickly, Serena put on her blue and white school uniform, straightened the red bow on the front and clasped her locket around the centre. Not even pausing to brush her long, blond pigtails that began as balls on the top of her head, Serena raced out the door and up the street.
“Don't forget about the meeting at the Cherry Hill Temple after school,” Luna called after her.
*****
Serena slid into her seat just as Ms Haruna ended the mornings lesson. Serena did her best to look as if she had been there all along, but her teacher knew better.
“Serena,” Ms Haruna said. “Please review for the class the examples I just gave.”
A red blush rose into Serena’s cheeks and she opened her mouth to admit to the teacher she had missed the lesson again. Before she could speak, however, she felt someone push a few papers into her hand. Serena blinked in surprise and read the answers that she had been given. Ms Haruna tried to mask her shock.
“That’s . . . right,” she said as the bell rang.
As Serena stood to leave for lunch, she turned to see who her benefactor was. The girl appeared to be slightly older than Serena, with shoulder length curly orange hair and light blue eyes. She was taller than Serena by quite a few inches, and wore a sun shaped ring on her finger.
“Thanks,” Serena said. “You saved my life!”
“Your welcome.” the girl said.
“I have a very important meeting to go to tonight, and my friends would’ve killed me if I got detention,” Serena smiled. “My name is Serena. Are you new here?”
The girl nodded. “I’m Sunny. I just moved here a few days ago.”
“Nice to meet you,” Serena said. “Wanna go for lunch?”
*****
The Sailor Scouts waited patiently on the steps of the Cherry Hill Temple. The trees around the shrine were beginning to bloom, signaling an end to the winter. Raye paced up and down impatiently wearing her temple robes. She always dressed in the robes while at the Temple, telling everyone they were more comfortable than her normal style of dress.
Amy was seated in front of the shrine, reading a book. Her blue eyes skimmed the pages quickly. She wore her uniform from school, having just come from her after-school computer class. Luna was seated beside her, napping in the warm afternoon sun. Mina sat on a stone bench near the stairs, close enough to be able to hear anything being said, but far enough away to avoid being trampled under Raye’s pacing. She also wore her school uniform, giving the same excuse Raye gave for her temple robes. Her white cat, Artemis sat next to her, following Raye with his eyes.
“Calm down, Raye,” Artemis said at last. “You’re making me dizzy.”
“She’s late again!” Raye fumed. “How difficult is it to walk from home to the Temple?”
“Maybe she’s studying?” Amy suggested, not lifting her eyes from her book, “or has detention?”
“Probably the second one,” Luna answered dryly.
Lita, who was leaning against a tree, laughed. “I should have told her I was making cupcakes,” she remarked.
“Cupcakes? Where?” Serena asked, suddenly appearing from behind Lita.
Raye was about to march over to where Serena stood and demand an explanation when Mina rose to her feet and intercepted her angry.
“So Luna,” Mina said quickly, “why did you tell us to meet here?”
Raye turned to face the black cat. Mina sat down again and breathed a sigh of relief.
“I know you all have your memories after Alan and Ann left,” Luna began, “but I’m not sure why. Queen Serenity ensured that you would not have any memories of the Sailor Scouts unless the Earth was in danger from the Negaverse.”
“Does that mean we have to keep fighting?” Serena asked.
Luna shook her head uncertainly. “I don’t know. All I know is that Serena knows she is Sailor Moon, which means we’re not out of the woods yet.”
As if to prove Luna’s point, a scream split the still air. All the scouts raised their heads at the sound.
“It came from the park!” Raye exclaimed.
Almost instantly, the girls were on their feet and heading away from the temple.
*****
They hid among the trees as they assessed the situation. It was definitely a monster of the Negaverse, with metallic pink hair and green skin. She wore a black leotard with a puffy tutu skirt. The monster was advancing towards one girl, who stared at the creature in fright.
“Let’s go!” Serena cried. “Moon Crystal Power!”
“Mars Star Power!” Raye yelled.
“Mercury Star Power!” Amy shouted.
“Venus Star Power!” cried Mina.
“Jupiter Star Power!” Lita ended.
The Sailor Scouts jumped from the forest and placed themselves between the monster and her prey.
“You think you can steal that person's energy, do you?” Sailor Moon said. “Well, not while I'm around! I stand for love and justice and in the name of the Moon . . .”
“On behalf of Sailor Mercury,” Mercury added.
“In the name of Mars,” Mars said.
“For Venus,” Venus cried.
“And Jupiter also,” Sailor Jupiter finished.
“We will punish you!” they all cried in unison.
“I really wish they'd forget about the long speeches and get on with it,” Luna complained from the bushes.
Artemis nodded his agreement.
“Beat it!” the monster said impatiently. “It’s not you I’m after, it’s her!”
Sailor Moon turned around and saw that the victim was Sunny. She blinked in confusion and turned back to the Nega monster.
“Well, you can’t have her!”
The monster shrugged and lunged at the five girls. They scattered, but the monster shot metallic spikes from her hair, pinning Sailor Moon up against a tree.
“Guys, help!” she called.
“Mercury Bubbles Blast!” Sailor Mercury cried.
The park suddenly filled with fog. Confused, the monster began to shoot spikes randomly. Sailor Mercury gestured to Sailor Jupiter with a wave of her hand.
“Jupiter Thunder Crash!” Jupiter yelled.
A shot of lightning electrified the monster as the fog disappeared. The spikes fell from the tree where Sailor Moon was trapped and the girl fell to the ground. Now angry, the creature jumped at Sailor Mars.
“Venus Crescent Beam Smash!” Sailor Venus shouted, sending her beam to the monster's head.
Sailor Moon took off her tiara, turning it into a glowing discus.
“Moon Tiara Magic!” she shouted, throwing the tiara at the monster. It hit, and the monster dissolved into a pile of dust.
“Totally Moon dusted,” Sailor Moon giggled.
The other scouts were already helping the dizzy victim to her feet. Sailor Moon caught Sailor Venus by the elbow as she went to where Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter stood with the girl.
“I know her,” Sailor Moon whispered. “I met her today.”
Sailors Moon and Venus joined their friends. The girl was already on her feet and dusting off her jeans. She tucked her hair absently behind her ear and the sunlight reflected off of her silver ring.
“Thank you,” she said.
“No problem,” Sailor Moon answered. “Are you all right?”
Sunny nodded. “What was that thing?”
“I'm getting a weird feeling from that girl,” Luna whispered to Artemis as they joined the girls.
“Yeah, me too,” the other cat agreed. “Do you think she’s a spy?”
“Don’t worry about that thing,” Sailor Mercury answered, “as long as you’re fine.”
Luna squeezed her way over to where Sunny stood and the girl bent down to stroke her. As the ring past near Luna’s eyes, she studied it intensely.
“Remember, if you need us, we’ll be there in a flash!” Sailor Moon said with a wink.
Sunny waved goodbye as the scouts vanished into the trees.
*****
“Oh Luna, you worry too much,” Serena said.
“I'm telling you there's something about that girl that's not right,” Luna argued.
Serena sat on her bed and swung her legs back and forth. She had been getting ready to sleep when Luna had decided to bring up the topic of the girl they had saved.
“What do we know about her?” Luna asked.
“Well,” Serena said as she pulled on her pink pajamas, “she goes to my school and she’s in my home room class. Her name is Sunny, she just moved here but she doesn't have very many friends. She usually eats lunch alone, but I had lunch with her today.”
“Artemis and I sensed something strange about her. It seemed to be coming from her ring. She may be from the Negaverse,” Luna said seriously.
“That's what you thought about Amy and she ended up being a Sailor Scout. Are you sure there were only five of us?” Serena said.
Luna nodded. “There were definitely only five Scouts, but I seem to remember another member of your mother’s court, your lady-in-waiting, actually. I brought her to Queen Serenity at her birth, but she wasn’t accepted by any planets. I wonder if she’s been reborn on Earth. We should have another meeting.”
Serena yawned. “Can't it wait until tomorrow? It's late and I'm tired.”
“I suppose, but be sure you’re on time,” Luna sighed.
Serena didn't answer. She was already sound asleep. Luna curled up on the foot of her bed.
“You're hopeless, Serena,” she sighed.
*****
Amy walked down the halls of Crossroads Junior High, holding her books tightly to her chest. She had received the news from Serena about another meeting that afternoon but had said she would be late. She was working on an extra credit essay that was due in a few days and she wanted it to be perfect. Amy told Serena that she would spend a few hours in the library and come to the meeting after. Serena had made a face, but had agreed to pass on the message.
“Hey!” someone called behind her.
Amy turned around, not expecting to be the one who was called. She smiled when she saw the girl they had saved the day before running down the hall towards her.
“You dropped this,” she said, handing Amy a piece of paper.
“Thank you,” Amy said.
The girl’s eyes narrowed and she looked closer at Amy. “Have we met before?”
“I – I don’t think so,” Amy stammered, wondering if the girl knew she was a Sailor Scout.
“Yes we did!” the girl said triumphantly. “I sit behind you in history class! Remember, you lent me your notes so I could catch up?”
Amy smiled. “Of course I remember you. My name is Amy.”
“I’m Sunny,” the girl said with a grin. “Where are you going?”
“The library,” Amy answered, expected Sunny to make a face.
“Hey, me too!” Sunny said. “I work there after school sometimes, it’s volunteer, but I love books.”
The smile on Amy’s face widened. “Would you like to walk with me?”
Sunny nodded and the two girls set off, chatting as if they’d known each other for years.
*****
Amy ran up the steps of the Cherry Hill Temple, hating to be late. She had almost finished her essay, but had gotten caught up talking to Sunny and had nearly missed the meeting. She slipped through the door, but didn’t escape the notice of the other Scouts.
“Even Serena managed to get here on time,” Raye said somewhat angrily.
Amy blushed. “Sorry. I got caught up in something and forgot about the time.”
“That’s our Amy!” Mina laughed, “she studies so much, she forgets about the rest of the world!”
Amy’s blush deepened and she sat down between Lita and Serena. Mina and Raye were at the other side of the table, with Luna and Artemis at the head.
“So, what were you saying about another member of Queen Serenity's court?” Serena asked, her mouth full of cakes.
“There was a girl who was born with the crescent mark, but was not chosen by a planet. Serenity allowed her to stay in the court where she acted as Serena’s lady-in-waiting,” Luna explained.
“What’s a lady-in-waiting?” Serena interrupted.
“A companion to a noble woman,” Amy replied. “Usually, the lady would have several and they would talk. They were the noble’s best friends.”
“A best friend,” Serena mumbled to herself.
“I remember that girl,” Artemis said, getting back on track. “She used to always let me sleep in her lap, and she kept you Scouts under control when you decided to ‘explore’ your new powers. Now that you mention it, Sunny does look an awful lot like her.”
“Would she have scout powers?” Lita asked suddenly.
“Probably not, since she doesn't represent a planet. The key to your powers is the planet that you are the guardian of. If Mars suddenly exploded, Sailor Mars would be powerless,” Artemis explained.
“Hey!” Raye said angrily.
Artemis fled behind Mina. “Just an example, Raye.”
Raye turned her attention back to the problem at hand.
“Is there anything else in space?” Lita asked. “Something she could be the guardian of?”
“I think Serenity would have told me if something had accepted her,” Luna said, sounding hurt.
“Well, there's black holes, stars, comets, meteors, asteroid belts, and a lot of emptiness,” Amy said.
“She could be the guardian of one of those,” Serena said hopefully.
“It's possible she could represent a star, but it would have to be a pretty big one,” Artemis said.
“What about the Sun?” Mina suggested.
“That would be powerful enough,” Artemis agreed.
“It also would explain the ring on her finger,” Luna added.
“Sailor Sun? That had a strange ring to it,” Serena said.
“That's because you're not used to it, Meatball Head,” Raye said.
Serena stuck out her tongue at Raye, which Raye promptly returned to her. While they fought, Lita, Mina, and Amy returned to the discussion.
“If she does control the powers of the sun,” Mina said, “then it would explain why the Negaverse is after her.”
Luna nodded. “They could use her as a bargaining chip to get Serena’s Imperial Silver Crystal. We had better keep an eye on her.”
“No problem,” Amy said. “I see her everyday in class, and she works after school in the library. I can keep my eye on her.”
*****
Amy sat in the library, quietly reading. Three days had past since the last Scout meeting and not a single monster had returned. True to her word, Amy had been watching Sunny and had found talking to the girl to be quite enjoyable. Sunny had a strange sense of humour that Amy couldn’t help but like. She was also quite smart, which provided Amy with stimulating conversation.
“Are you done with these?” Sunny whispered, pointing to the pile of books Amy had put on the table.
“Yes, thanks,” Amy whispered back.
Sunny picked up the books and put them on her cart, quietly wheeling them back to the shelves where they belonged. Suddenly, there was a flash of light from one of the aisles and a muffled scream. Amy was on her feet in an instant and heading down to see what was wrong.
Sunny was being held against the wall by another Negaverse monster. The creature had a large book for a body and had wrapped Sunny up in a page. Amy ducked behind a shelf and turned on her communicator.
“Guys, get to the library fast! The Negaverse sent another monster and it has Sunny!” Amy said, sending the SOS to her friends.
She slipped her power stick out of her pocket.
“Mercury Star Power!” she whispered.
The monster laughed at Sunny. “You must be the one,” it said in a raspy voice. “Why else would I have been sent?”
“Hold it!”
The monster turned to see Sailor Mercury standing behind her. The creature smiled grimly.
“Mercury Bubbles Blast!” Sailor Mercury said.
The room filled with fog. From beneath the huge page, Sunny managed to squirm free. She fell to the ground and rolled to where Mercury stood. Her ring began to grow warm on her finger.
“Get out of here,” Sailor Mercury called.
Visions swam before Sunny’s eyes. She saw the sun and could feel herself being drawn into it. It was warm on her skin, its power coursed through her, and she suddenly knew what she had to do.
“No,” she said. Sailor Mercury turned in surprise. Sunny held her transformation broach above her hand and cried “Sun Stone Power!”
In a brilliant flash of light, Sunny was gone and in her place stood Sailor Sun. She wore the same uniform as the other scouts with a yellow skirt with a orange bow on the back, a white leotard with a yellow bow on the front, and white elbow length gloves. She wore an light yellow choker with a golden sun on it and the jewel on her tiara was also in the shape of a sun. On her feet were yellow sandals that laced up her legs in ribbon.
“I am Sailor Sun, Guardian of the Eternal Star,” Sailor Junior Sun announced, stepping in front of Sailor Mercury to face the monster. “Surrender or be destroyed!”
“You are the right one,” the monster sneered. “Master! I will not fail you!”
The creature lunged and Sailor Mercury and Sailor Sun each jumped in different directions. Sailor Mercury rolled and stood again as the monster went after her friend.
“Sailor Sun!” Mercury called. “Use your powers!”
“I don’t know what they are!” Sailor Sun replied. “I’m new at this!”
The monster grabbed Sailor Sun by the leg and began to pull the newest scout towards her.
“Jupiter Thunder Crash!”
The book creature released Sailor Sun as electricity coursed through its body. She screamed in pain as Sailor Sun scrambled away.
“Wait!” Sailor Sun cried. “I think I’ve got it now.”
She closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly. Holding up her two hands in a triangle with her thumbs and index fingers touching, she brought them up so her jewel was showing in the middle of her fingers, and opened her eyes.
“ Sun Ray Charge!” she yelled, sending a beam of pure light energy from her four finger and sun jewel.
The beam hit the book monster and it incinerated into a pile of dust. Sailor Sun stepped over it and went to meet her fellow scouts.
“Hi,” she said. “I’m Sailor Sun.”
“I’m Sailor Moon,” Sailor Moon said. She pointed to each of the scouts in turn. “This is Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, and I believe you’ve met Sailor Mercury.”
“So, am I in your little club now?” Sailor Sun asked.
Sailor Jupiter laughed. “You don’t really have much of a choice, actually.”
“Welcome to the team, Sailor Sun,” Sailor Mars said. “Meet us at the Cherry Hill Temple at five o’clock tonight so you can see our human forms.”
With that, the five original scouts vanished.
“Now, how do I change back?” Sailor Sun wondered aloud.
*****
At five o’clock on the dot, Sunny hesitantly walked up the steps leading to the Cherry Hill Temple. At the top, she spotted Serena and Amy, as well as three people she had never seen before. Slowly, she joined the small group. Sunny looked at Amy up and down as if seeing her for the first time.
“Why didn’t I notice before?” she asked herself. “Sailor Mercury, right?”
Amy smiled and nodded. Sunny turned to Serena. “You have to be Sailor Moon.”
Serena giggled. “Yeah, and this is Lita, also known as Sailor Jupiter, and Mina, our Sailor Venus, and Raye, Sailor Mars.”
“And Sailor Sun makes six,” Raye said formally. “Shall we start the meeting?”
Raye lead them inside and served them tea and cookies. Serena, as usual, stuffed herself. Once inside, Sunny noticed the two cats she had seen the first time the Sailor Scouts had saved her.
“You were great, Sunny,” Lita said after they had sat down. “I can see you have a great instinct for fighting.” Sunny said “I do a lot of Tae-Kwon-Do. But all the credit should go to my mother Erin Shields who was the first Sailor Sun.”
“But you have a lot of history to learn,” Luna said.
Sunny blinked in surprise. “Um, okay,” she said slowly. “First I turn into a superhero, now there’s a talking cat.”
“Two talking cats,” Artemis said in a slightly hurt tone.
Sunny smiled and sipped her tea. I knew you two would talk cause I have a talking bird named Aurora, a talking cat named Apollo.
“Who would have thought monster fighting would be so much fun,” she teased. “Shall we do it again tomorrow?”
Her new friends groaned.
“Looks liked she'll fit in just fine,” Luna said.
CHAPTER TWO
NEGAVERSE RETURNS

“I don’t understand,” Luna was saying. “Why attack Sunny?”
Raye shrugged. “It does seem strange that they would want her to become a Sailor Scout.”
“Don’t they think five is enough to deal with?” Lita added with a smile.
The Scouts and their two feline advisors were seated around the table in Raye’s room at the Cherry Hill Temple, discussing the events of the past few days. Amy, Raye, and Mina sat at the table, while Serena and Sunny sat on Raye’s bed. Lita stood and leaned against the wall. Suddenly, a burst of hysterical laughter came from the bed and the other scouts turned to stare at their friends.
“Will you guys pay attention?” Raye fumed. “This is serious.”
Serena kept laughing and turned the magazine around to show her friends.
“This is terrific!” she laughed. “You have to read it.”
Sunny, on the other hand, sobered up immediately.
“Sorry,” she muttered, lowering her eyes.
Raye exchanged a four way look with the other scouts.
“Lighten up, Raye,” Serena muttered, putting the magazine down.
“So, what do we know?” Mina asked, interrupting Raye's angry reply.
“They've tracked her down twice,” Lita said.
“The monsters were looking for her specifically,” Amy agreed. “The library monster even said ‘You must be the one’.”
“The one what?” Raye wondered. “That’s what we have to figure out.”
Sunny often sat out of these discussions, listening but never speaking unless asked. Luna saw this as a sign of Sunny's old self coming out. Back on the Moon, Serena’s lady-in-waiting barely ever spoke.
“What do you think Sunny?” Serena asked, turning to her newest friend.
“I . . I'll get back to you,” Sunny said hesitantly.
With that, she stood and quickly left the room.
*****
“So, what do you guys think of her?” Serena asked.
The scouts watched out the window as Sunny stood on the hill outside Raye’s room, her face lifted up towards the Sun and her eyes closed in concentration.
“I like her. She gives me company when we study because we're in almost all the same classes,” Amy said.
“She's fun to go shopping with,” Lita added.
“And great to watch movies with,” Mina said with a smile.
“She's a hard worker and very determined. She'd do anything just to make someone else happy. I like her a lot,” Raye said softly.
“There's something about her that I don't quite like. I'm not sure what it is, but it's been bothering me,” Luna said.
“It's because she's so quiet. You need to get used to it, after living with Serena,” Artemis answered.
“What did you say?” Serena said angrily, looking down at the cat.
“Ah . . . nothing,” Artemis replied sheepishly from behind Mina.
*****
Sunny stood alone on the hill outside the Temple. “Mighty Star, why have you summoned me?” she whispered.
Sunny concentrated on the sun once more. Visions swam before her eyes. She saw a silhouette of a person, wrapped in darkness. Sunny was fearful of the shadow and felt it advancing towards her. She knew she should run, but for some reason she didn’t. The shadow beckoned to her invitingly, and she wanted nothing more than to be with it. She heard her friends’ voices in the back of her mind, crying out, and she knew at once the shadow was responsible. Jenny didn't even notice when her new friends came out to see if she was all right.
*****
“Sunny?” Amy asked, taking a step towards her.
Raye put her hand on Amy's shoulder.
“Don't bother her. She's trying to get an image from the Sun, like when I get images from the Great Fire. I imagine the Sun is a lot more powerful,” Raye said.
Suddenly, Sunny's head came up and she had a surprised and worried expression on her face. It melted away as she bowed to the Sun and turned to her friends.
“Where you worried about me?” she asked in a confused voice.
They all nodded.
“Why did you leave?” Mina asked gently.
Sunny shook her head and tried to force a smile. “It's hard to explain. Ever since I was a small girl, I would often have these strange urges to stare at the Sun. When I did, I would get these weird glimpses into my future.”
“Is that what just happened?” Luna said.
Again, Sunny nodded, all traces of her weak smile fading. She looked like she was about to cry.
“Did it have to do with the Sailor Scouts?” Amy said.
“Yes,” Sunny whispered.
“So, spill it already! What did you see?” Serena said happily and loudly.
Sunny looked at Serena with a strange expression on her face.
“I'm sorry, I have to go now,” she said running towards the steps.
“Wait!” Raye cried, grabbing her arm as she ran past.
Sunny stopped and tried to jerk her arm free.
“Please,” she said with tears streaming down her cheeks, “just let me go. I can't be a scout any more and I can't be your friend.”
Raye let go and Sunny ran off crying. The scouts watched her go with shocked expressions.
“Was it something I said?” Serena asked.
*****
Sunny ran through the street. She kept her head lowered to conceal the tears that were streaking down her cheeks. The vision the Sun had shown her replayed in her mind and she knew that if she remained a Sailor Scout, her friends would suffer horribly.
Sunny rounded a corner and walked into someone. She raised her head in surprise. The man was much taller than her with pale white skin and jet black hair. His piercing blue eyes seemed to look directly into Sunny's soul.
“I’m sorry,” Sunny said, moving to pass the man. He caught hold of her arm and held her in place.
“Now, now,” he said, his voice deep and cold. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Sunny looked up again and found she couldn’t see her reflection in the man’s eyes. She tried to jerk her arm free, but the man would not release her.
“You’re hurting me!” Sunny cried. “Let me go, or – “
“Or you’ll what?” the man said with a cruel smile.
Sunny took a deep breath and let out a loud scream. The man smiled at her and began to laugh.
“No one can hear you, Sunchild,” he said. “Now, to find out if you really are all that my Master wishes.”
He grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look into his eyes. Sunny tried to look away, but found herself drawn into his gaze. They remained motionless for several minutes before the stranger threw her away roughly.
“It was nice making your acquaintance, Sunchild,” he said. “I will give my Master your regards and perhaps the next time we meet, it will be on a battle field.”
Sunny could only stare weakly as the stranger took a step away from her and held a hand over his head. In it was a dark ball of black energy.
“Nega-Away!” he said and the ball consumed him. In seconds, they were gone.
Sunny raised her arm weakly as if to protest his disappearance, and lost consciousness.
*****
“I hope she isn’t mad at me,” Serena said for the hundredth time.
Amy and Lita exchanged worried looks. They were seated outside for lunch like usual, but Serena had hardly touched her meal. Normally, she would have eaten all her food and most of Lita’s by now.
“She’s probably forgotten about it already,” Lita said reassuringly.
“Then why isn’t she eating lunch with us?” Serena asked.
“Hi, guys,” a voice said from behind them.
Serena leapt to her feet and embraced Sunny in a giant hug. Sunny seemed surprised, and gently pried her friend away before sitting down.
“You’re not mad at me, are you?” Serena asked.
Sunny blinked. “Why? What did you do?”
“Yesterday, remember?”
Sunny shook her head. “I – I don’t really remember anything that happened yesterday…”
“What do you remember?” Amy asked, her voice full of concern.
“We were at the temple,” Sunny started, “then . . . that’s it.”
“You got a reading from the Sun,” Serena said, “and I said something to make you leave in a hurry.”
Sunny shook her head slowly. “The Sun? Wait, I remember a man and he kept calling me Sunchild and said something about meeting on a battle field. I think he did something to me.”
“Another Negaverse general?” Lita wondered, keeping her voice low.
Amy shrugged. “Unless Sunny remembers, I don’t think we’ll ever know.”
“Until we come to that battle field he was talking about,” Serena added.
The thought sobered the four girls up and they spend the rest of their lunch hour in silence.
*****
Sunny wasn’t at school the next day, or at the meeting that night. The scouts waited for almost an entire hour before starting, in the hopes that Sunny would show up late with a lame excuse. Even Serena began pacing in anticipation, but the sixth scout didn’t return.
“Sunny's grandmother hasn't seen her at all today either,” Amy told her friends as she hung up the phone.
“Raye, why don't you check the Great Fire?” Luna suggested. “Sunny may need our help.”
Raye nodded and led the way into the temple. They all sat behind Raye as she tried to get a reading. They waited for a long time before Raye lifted her head and spoke.
“She must have left Tokyo because the Fire can't find her,” she reported somewhat sadly. “But the Fire did tell me of a strange energy increase at train station.”
“It may be a Negaverse monster,” Lita exclaimed. “Let’s go!”
*****
At the train station, a spider-like monster drained the energy of the waiting passengers. It had a human face and arms, with a large arachnid abdomen and eight long, thin legs. It crouched over a fainted woman, drawing energy from her.
“Hold it right there!” a voice from the shadows called out.
The monster raised its head, a look of irritation on its face.
“I am Sailor Moon and on behalf of the Moon and the Sailor Scouts, we will right wrongs and triumph over evil and that means trash like you!” Sailor Moon said.
“Come and try it Moon brat. I have something of yours!” the spider rasped.
It pointed to a nearby wall and the scouts turned their heads at once to see. There was Sailor Sun, standing perfectly still, unrestrained.
“Sailor Sun!” Sailor Moon cried.
“Run! I can't control my actions! Forget about . . ,” Sailor Sun said.
“Take care of them, Sunchild,” the spider turned its attention back to its victim.
“Why you stupid insect,” Sailor Jupiter fumed. “Jupiter Thunder Crash!” she called.
The lightning bolt when straight to the spider, but it didn't notice when it got hit. Sailor Sun, however, fell to her knees.
“Venus Crescent Beam Smash!” Venus called, pointing at the spider.
Again, Sailor Sun was hit and injured.
“Sailor Sun gets hurt every time we try to hit the monster,” Sailor Mars said.
“I'll look for weaknesses,” Sailor Mercury said, bringing up her visor.
“Look out!” Sailor Venus yelled.
“ Sun Photosphere Flash!” Sailor Sun cried.
Sailor Mercury dived out of the way just in time. Sailor Sun had tears streaming down her cheeks and looked apologetic.
“I have an idea,” Sailor Mercury said.
All the scouts moved between the spider and Sailor Sun. The spider dropped its victim and turned to face its enemy.
“Now!” Mercury cried.
“Sorry about this Sailor Sun,” Venus apologized.
“Venus Crescent Beam . . “
“Mars Fire . . “
“Jupiter Thunder . . “
“Moon Tiara . . “
“Mercury Bubble . . . “
Sailor Sun watched as the scouts combined their powers against her.
“Smash!”
“Ignite!”
“Crash!”
“Magic!”
“Blast!”
With a scream of pain, Sailor Sun fell to the ground.
“You shouldn't have done that,” she said weakly. “Now they'll make me kill you, my friends.”
She stood and held out both hands, wrists touching and fingers outspread.
“Solar Flare Sprout!” she yelled.
A huge tongue of flame shot towards the scouts. They leapt out of the way and it hit the spider.
“No!” it yelled as it vanished.
Sailor Sun cried out at the same time and her form began to waver.
“Sailor Sun is disappearing too! Save her Sailor Moon!” Luna cried.
“Moon Crystal Healing Activation!” Sailor Moon shouted, holding up her opened locket.
Sailor Moon and Sailor Sun seemed to be locked in a fight for a few minutes. Sailor Moon fell to one knee as she strained to keep the Negaverse from taking her friend. Finally, Sailor Sun reappeared and began to collapse. The scouts rushed to her and Sailor Jupiter caught her as she fell.
“Help me stand,” Sailor Sun said weakly.
Jupiter did as she was told, holding her friend up as she stood on shaking legs.
“Solar Recharge Radiation!” Sailor Sun called as she raised her hand.
A pale yellow light came from her ring and surrounded the weak girl and instantly refreshed her.
“Are you all right?” Sailor Mercury asked.
Sailor Sun smiled. “I think so,” she replied. “Thank you.”
“Hey, no problem,” Sailor Jupiter said.
“The Sailor Scouts always stick together,” Sailor Mars said.
“And you've gotten your new power,” Luna added.
“Can we go now?” Sailor Moon asked.
The others laughed and the reunited Scouts left the train station together.
*****
“So, what exactly happened?” Serena asked.
“I was at home when suddenly that man I told you about before appeared in my room,” Sunny said. “He pointed at me and the next thing I knew, we were standing in the train station. I quickly transformed, but before I could do anything, the man pointed to the spider monster and said ‘Nega-Bind’. Then, he left and the spider monster made me destroy a train to get at the people inside. Then you guys showed up.”
The two of them were at Serena's house and, after careful persuasion, Sunny was sleeping over. At Luna's suggestion, they took this time to talk about Sunny's experience.
“Did you find out anything else?” Luna asked.
“I believe the man said something about his Master being the Ruler of the Negaverse.”
“At least we have an idea about who we’re dealing with,” Luna said.
Sunny nodded and fell over as Serena knocked her from behind with a pillow.
“Ha! Gotcha,” she laughed.
“Oh yeah?” Sunny said as she whacked Serena with her pillow.
Soon, they were beating each other with pillows and laughing uncontrollably.
“One step forward, three steps back,” Luna muttered.
CHAPTER THREE
SO LONG, SAILOR SUN?

“Moon Tiara Magic,” Sailor Moon cried.
The flying discus soared towards the monster. Terrified, it turned and fled.
“Mars Firebird Strike,” Sailor Mars called from the other side of the creature.
It stopped dead in its tracks as the Firebird and the tiara both struck at the same time. Crying out in pain and anger, the monster melted into a pile of dust.
“Got'em,” Sailor Moon said.
Sailor Mercury got up from where the monster had left her. She shook her head to clear her mind and leaned against the wall.
“Why did the monster come here? It's just an abandoned factory,” Sailor Mars asked to no one in particular.
“Hey guys, can you help me down now?” a voice from directly above them called.
Sailors Moon, Mars and Mercury looked up and saw Sailor Sun hanging from a beam on the ceiling. She was tied by a rope around one arm, just above the elbow and was kicking her feet in the air.
“Oh yeah, sorry,” Sailor Moon said, throwing her tiara up again.
The rope broke and Sailor Sun fell heavily into a large pile of old boxes. The other three scouts went over to help her up.
“Thanks for the soft landing,” Sailor Sun said sarcastically.
Sailor Moon shrugged.
*****
“So, what happened last night?” Lita asked.
The girls sat around their usual tree eating lunch after a hard morning of classes. Serena had just arrived an hour ago and was already complaining about her day.
“It was an abandoned factory,” Amy said, voicing Raye’s complaint of the previous night. “I can’t understand why we were lured there.”
Lita nodded. “I know what you mean. Mina, Luna, Artemis, and I ended up just outside of town where no one lives.”
“Guys,” Serena wailed, “what am I going to do about my test?”
“Study?” Sunny suggested calmly.
Serena stuck out her tongue at her friend. Sunny giggled and tried to return her attention to Amy and Lita’s conversation. She scratched her arm absently.
“Maybe they were distracting us so they could steal something,” Sunny suggested.
“That’s not really the Negaverse’s style,” Lita replied. “They don’t normally waste energy bringing monsters to life unless it was for something important.”
Sunny scratched her arm again. Amy blinked in surprise.
“Sunny, what’s wrong with your arm?” she asked.
“Huh?” Sunny said, obviously caught off guard. “Oh, nothing. Just an itch.”
She moved away her sleeve to show Amy there was nothing to worry about. On her arm, above her elbow, was an outline of a circle.
“Isn’t that the arm you were hanging from?” Serena asked quietly.
“Yeah,” Sunny said. “It’s just an irritation. Rope burn or something. Don’t worry about it.”
Serena shrugged and returned to her lunch. Amy did the same, but kept looking at the newest scout with worry in her eyes. Amy suspected the mark was more than it appeared to be.
*****
“Come on!” Sailor Jupiter shouted.
The other scouts hurried to catch up with their energetic friend. The monster they were chasing had taken to the rooftops, and Sailors Jupiter, Venus, and Sun were following it while the others ran along the streets.
Sailor Sun hopped to another rooftop and nearly ran into Sailor Venus as the girl stopped dead. The monster had also stopped its flight and turned to face them. The creature resembled a cat, with feline features and long, pointed ears. It hissed angrily and stretched out its arms. The Sailor Scouts were forced to jump away as long, sharp claws sprang from its fingertips.
“ Sun Chromosphere Blast!” Sailor Sun shouted.
The cat creature was struck and partially immobilized.
“Moon Tiara Magic!” Sailor Moon cried.
The monster dissolved into dust. As it faded, Sailors Jupiter, Venus, and Junior Sun could see Sailors Moon, Mercury, and Mars standing on the other side of the roof.
“Great job!” Sailor Venus exclaimed.
“Not so fast,” a voice said from nowhere.
The scouts looked around in confusion. Suddenly, a dark portal opened up on the roof and a man stepped out. He was tall, with pale white skin, jet black hair, and intense blue eyes. He wore a gray uniform typical of Negaverse generals that had a black stripe across the shoulders. Stepping toward the scouts, he mock-applauded them, clapping his gloved hands together.
“Well done Sailor Scouts,” he said, “but I’m afraid you haven’t even begun to face my power.”
“Who are you?” Sailor Moon asked.
“I am Granite, disciple of the Master of the Negaverse,” the stranger introduced himself with a slight bow. “It my sworn duty to destroy you.”
“I’m afraid we’re not that easy to get rid of,” Sailor Jupiter said.
Granite smiled and Sailor Sun felt a chill go down her spine. His eyes leveled with hers as he spoke. “I don’t think I have to worry about that.”
Sailor Sun scratched her arm as the mark from the day before started to burn. Granite’s smile broadened.
“You’ve defeated my monster, so I won’t trouble you anymore tonight,” Granite said. “But believe me, we will meet again. Nega-Away!”
Granite vanished with a flash of dark energy. The Sailor Scouts turned to face one another.
“So, he’s our new enemy,” Sailor Jupiter remarked conversationally. “He doesn’t look that tough.”
“He’s the one I met in the alley that night,” Sailor Sun said quietly. “The one who told me his Master wanted to see me.”
Sailor Moon looked at her friend with worry in her eyes. “Don’t worry, Sunny,” she said. “The Negaverse will never get you as long as we’re around.”
The other scouts nodded in agreement. Sailor Sun managed a weak smile, but didn’t feel as confident as her friends.
*****
“Granite you continue to disappoint me,” Prince Rutile, Ruler of the Negaverse, said. “You should have had it by now.”
He sat on the throne once occupied by Queen Beryl and stared down at his general with hard, green eyes. His red hair lay unbound on his shoulders and his jewel incrusted crown perched atop his head. He wore a pale purple uniform resembling that of a colonel in the army and a flowing black cape lined with gold.
“I am sorry, my Master, but these girls are powerful enemies,” Granite apologized.
“They are children, fool! Take advantage of one of their weakest points and trap them!” Prince Rutile yelled.
“Yes, my Master. You have given me a great plan. I will not fail again,” Granite promised.
“I hope not Granite, for your sake. You are easily replaceable and my dear departed sister has given me many ideas,” Rutile warned.
“Yes, my Master,” Granite said.
He bowed and disappeared from the Prince's throne room.
“Halite! Albite! Come forward,” Rutile called.
Two identical twin generals stepped from the shadows. They both had white hair and red, evil eyes. They were tall and muscular and often finished each other's sentences.
“Yes, my Master?” they said in unison.
“You two shall succeed Granite when he has failed. I want you to keep a close eye on him,” Rutile ordered.
“It shall be . . ,” Halite began.
“ . . . as you command, Master,” Albite finished.
“Good. Now, go!” Rutile said as the twins vanished.
*****
Sunny, Serena, Mina, and Molly headed to the mall. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and, much to Luna’s despair, the girls had decided to spend in indoors. Molly had read about a new shop that was offering fifty percent off nearly everything in the store and the girls had decided to check it out.
Sunny felt haunted by the piercing gaze of Granite as he told her friends he would not be the one to destroy them. Something in that look had made Sunny very nervous about her next meeting with the Negaverse general. She thought she saw him all over the place, waiting for her to be alone so he could strike. She absently scratched her arm as she looked around.
“There it is,” Serena said triumphantly.
At the base of a slight hill was the Crossroads Mall. It seemed full of life as cars drove by and people filtered in and out of the doors. Sunny smiled and her paranoia almost disappeared as she thought of what fun she often had while shopping. Serena grabbed her arm and pulled her the rest of the way.
They walked for a while, taking in the sights of the place. Serena found a store that offered free food samples and nearly got them all kicked out of the mall, and Molly bought a CD she had been searching for. As they shopped, a strange sensation swept over Sunny.
“Are you okay?” Mina asked after a while.
Sunny fought off a wave of dizziness and moved to a nearby bench. “Yeah,” she replied. “I just need to sit down for a minute.”
“I’ll meet you in that jewelry store,” Molly said. “Come on, Serena.”
The two girls left and Mina sat beside Sunny.
“I feel like something is pulling at me from the inside,” Sunny said, putting her head in her hands. “I don’t know what it is.”
Mina said nothing, but smiled supportively.
“Ever since that meeting with Granite, I’ve felt strange,” Sunny continued. “Its almost like he knows something about me that I don’t.”
Sunny rubbed her arm and Mina noticed the mark was beginning to glow. Suddenly, Serena came running out of the store.
“Amy just called me,” she said softly. “We have Negaverse trouble in the park. I told Molly we had to leave.”
Mina and Sunny nodded and the three girls left.
*****
When Sailors Moon, Venus, and Sun arrived in the park, they found Sailors Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter already there, but no monster was anywhere to be found. Luna and Artemis were prowling the area, apparently searching for something.
“Did you dust it before we got here?” Sailor Moon asked hopefully.
Sailor Mars shook her head. “The Great Fire told us there was a monster here, sucking the energy out of a group of people. I saw it clearly.”
“Maybe you were mistaken,” Sailor Venus said.
“I saw it clearly,” Mars repeated, pronouncing each word slowly and angrily. “Luna and Artemis are trying to track it.”
Sailor Sun walked around the area where they stood. She hugged her arms to herself, but the mark where the rope had burned her glowed visibly. An evil laugh echoed through the park and a large, black cloud covered the sky.
“Uh oh,” Sailor Jupiter said, looking up at the sky. “I think the monster is about to find us.”
“Sailor Sun!” Sailor Moon exclaimed.
The newest scout had fallen to one knee and was clutching her arm tightly. Her face was a mask of pain. Sailor Moon rushed over to where her friend knelt and put a hand on her shoulder. Instantly, Sailor Moon jerked her hand away, as if she had been burned. The laugh echoed again.
“Sailor Mercury!” Sailor Moon cried.
Mercury had her visor in place and was scanning the area. “Strong readings, guys,” she remarked. “Most of them are focused on, or around, Sailor Sun.”
“Get ready girls,” Luna said. “This is going to be big!”
The dark cloud parted and a man appeared as a ray of dark light streamed from the sky. He brushed his uniform off casually and smiled at the girls.
“Granite!” they all gasped at once.
Granite bowed his head in acknowledgement and walked to where Sailor Sun knelt. She was struggling to stand, but any movement brought her quickly to both knees. Granite stood in front of her and looked down.
“Mars Firebird Strike!” Sailor Mars shouted.
As the firebird streaked towards Granite, the Negaverse general held out a hand. A ball of dark energy engulfed the fiery attack and extinguished it.
“Jupiter Thunder Dragon!” Sailor Jupiter yelled.
Again, Granite repelled the attack. Sailor Sun had managed to rise to her feet, but was doubled over in pain, one hand still clenching her glowing arm.
“Now, Sunchild,” Granite said in a calm voice, “I believe you have something that belongs to my master.”
Sailor Sun blinked in confusion and Granite took a step away from her. The other scouts could only watch as the Negaverse general stretched out a hand, forming another dark ball of energy.
“Nega-Remove!” he called.
The energy flew towards Sailor Sun and struck her full force in the chest. She screamed in pain as the dark energy was absorbed into her and fell to her knees. Sailor Moon tried to run to her, but the other scouts held her back.
Suddenly, Sailor Sun arched backwards until her head was nearly touching the ground behind her. Light shone around her, both light and dark, and her mouth was open in a silent scream. Granite watched and a look of frustration passed over his face. Slowly, a shadow of dark energy began to separate itself from Sailor Sun. The light energy quickly repulsed it, pushing it back into the girl’s body. The two forces struggled with each other back and forth for what seemed like an eternity before they both exploded in a blinding light that forced everyone to look away.
When the Sailor Scouts and Granite turned back, Sailor Sun was gone and Sunny lay on the ground, unconscious.
“Sunny!” Sailor Moon cried.
She ran to where her friend lay, but Granite shot balls of black energy at her. Sailor Moon stumbled backwards, but continued to try and reach her friend.
“Venus Love-chain Encircle!” Sailor Venus cried, pointing to Granite.
As the Negaverse general struggled to rid himself of the heart chain, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury reached Sunny. They crouched down next to her.
“She’s alive,” Mercury said with a smile, “barely.”
“We have to get her out of here,” Sailor Moon said.
“Not so fast,” Granite’s voice came from above them. “She still has something my Master needs. If she won’t give it up willingly, I’m afraid I’ll have to take her with me.”
Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury stood up. “You’ll have to get through us first.”
“Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!” Sailor Mercury called.
Granite brushed them off with no apparent effort.
“Moon Scepter Elimination!” Sailor Moon cried, pointing her scepter at him.
Granite was thrown backwards, but he only rose to his feet, dusted himself off, and laughed.
“Nega-Transport!” he shouted.
The still form of Sunny slowly began to sink into a dark portal. Sailor Moon frantically tried to grab her friend, but it was no use. Still laughing, Granite snapped his fingers and vanished as well.
Sailor Moon sank to the ground, staring at the place where Sunny once was. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she held her scepter in her lap.
“We’ll get her back,” Sailor Mars said.
The park seemed unusually quiet as the five scouts mourned the loss of their friend.
*****
Sunny woke up with a groan. Every muscle in her body seemed to ache as she slowly rose to her feet. She blinked in surprise as she realized she was no longer in the park. Instead she was in a dark, dismal cave and was looking through the bars of a cage. Sitting in front of her cage at a small table, was Granite.
“Where am I?” Sunny asked.
“The Negaverse,” Granite replied. He stood and opened his arms to indicate the cave. “Do you like it?”
Sunny shook her head. “What do you want from me?”
“You possess a certain . . . something that my Master finds most interesting,” Granite answered. “I tried to take it from you, but since you wouldn’t cooperate, I’m afraid we’re going to have to keep you here until we can figure out how to get it.”
“You'll never get away with this!” she yelled at Granite.
Granite laughed and sat back down. “Really? It appears I already have.”
CHAPTER FOUR
TAKEN FOR GRANITE

“Jupiter Thunder Dragon!”
With a final scream of pain and anger, the Negaverse monster disappeared. Sailor Jupiter watched in satisfaction as and turned to the monster’s victim.
“Thank you so much!” the girl gasped. She was shaken, but unhurt and the monster had not taken enough energy to severely weaken her.
“No problem,” Sailor Jupiter said with a smile. Leaving the girl to collect her things, the Sailor Scout faded into the shadows and transformed back into Lita.
“That’s the third monster since Sunny vanished,” Lita muttered to herself. “I wonder why the Negaverse suddenly go so energy hungry.”
She shrugged and picked up her discarded school bag. Raye would be furious if she was late for the meeting.
*****
Far off in the Negaverse, Sunny paced in her cage. Granite sat a little ways away at a table covered with food, and watched the girl in amusement.
"Why don't you transform and blast your way out," Granite suggested. Sunny said to herself” Why don’t I just transform and blast myself out of here and get to my friends?”
Sunny glared at him and continued pacing. Granite laughed softly and sipped at a glass of wine.
"Would you like something to eat or drink?" he asked.
Sunny stopped directly in front of him and stared into his eyes. They were cold and unforgiving.
"I would rather die," she replied.
Granite shrugged and bit into a strange looking fruit.
"Have it your way. If you don't eat, you will die," he said.
Sunny sat in a corner, her back facing him. She allowed the tears that had been building up inside her to flow out as she fingered her ring.
"The Prince would . . ," a new voice began.
" . . . like a word with you," another voice finished.
Sunny quickly brushed away her tears and turned. There were two identical generals standing on either side of Granite. They seemed more evil than Granite and Sunny became afraid.
"As the Master wishes," Granite said as he vanished.
Sunny stood and ran to the bars that blocked her from freedom, almost wishing that Granite would not leave.
"Welcome to the . . ," the first twin started.
" . . Negaverse, Sunchild," the other ended.
"What do you want from me?" Sunny asked.
The two generals laughed evilly.
"You shall soon find out," the said in unison. “Once you transform, your true self will finally be revealed to you.” Sunny said “I don’t think so.”
Granite reappeared and sat back down. The twins watched him.
"Halite, Albite you can go now" Granite said.
The twins bowed and vanished. Granite stood and walked towards Sunny.
"So, you still haven't transformed. No matter, you will soon enough," he said.
"Why are you doing this?" Sunny asked.
"Because I'm the bad guy! It's the duty of all bad guys to destroy the good guys. You're a good guy so I'm trying to destroy you," Granite explained.
"You've been reading too many comic books," Sunny accused.
Granite shrugged. "Perhaps, but that doesn't change your situation."
*****
“You were attacked?” Raye asked.
Lita had just arrived at the meeting at the Cherry Hill Temple. She was usually on time, so when Raye confronted her at the door, the fiery sailor scout had questioned her friend’s tardiness.
Lita shrugged. “Well, not me personally, but a girl was. I had to help her.”
Raye nodded. “Amy was attacked yesterday, and Mina the day before. Since Sunny’s disappearance, the Negaverse has been acting very strange.”
“It’s almost as if they need energy in a hurry for some reason,” Mina said. “Anyone have any idea why?”
“The Negaverse needs energy not only to survive in our universe, but to open the portal that will let the Negaforce out,” Luna said. “It was that force that destroyed the Moon Kingdom.”
Serena blinked. “So, if Queen Serenity was able to send the Negaforce back, why can’t I with my Crystal?”
“I don’t think it’s that easy,” Artemis replied. “The Negaverse is a lot stronger than it was before.”
Serena frowned. “Then how are we going to get Sunny back?”
Luna shook her head. “I don’t know. But we’ll think of something.”
*****
Andrew unlocked the door of the arcade early the next morning and stepped inside. He switched on the lights, illuminating the rows of quiet machines that would soon be full of life. Humming to himself, he strapped on his apron and began to set up for the day.
A man walked through the open door and Andrew turned. The man was young with blue eyes and black hair. Andrew came up to him with a polite smile on his face.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we’re not open yet,” Andrew said.
The man turned to face him and smiled back. Andrew felt a chill go down his spine. The man pointed at Andrew and a shot of dark energy sprang from his finger, hitting the clerk full force in the chest. Andrew was knocked unconscious.
“Nega-Secure!” Granite called.
An eerie black mist settled on all the machines of the arcade. Granite snapped his fingers and a robotic monster appeared before him.
“Get as much energy as you can for the Negaverse,” Granite ordered, “and capture a Sailor Scout.”
The robot bowed. “As you command, master.”
The Negaverse general peered over his shoulder to the still form of Andrew. “You might as well start with that one.”
Granite smiled his chilling smile as the monster slowly approached Andrew, and vanished.
*****
Serena was skipping down the street, whistling happily. Her friends has assured her that they would get Sunny in no time and Serena had felt her mood brighten considerably. For the first time in a long time, she felt carefree. She was so confident in their mission that she didn't even notice when she bumped into someone on the street.
"Hey, watch it, Meatball Head," a voice said fondly.
Serena looked up and squealed with joy.
"Darien! You're back! How was your trip?" Serena said as she hugged him.
Darien was a tall college boy with short, dark hair and blue eyes. He was also Tuxedo Mask, protector of Sailor Moon, and Prince Darien, Princess Serena's lost love. He had been gone for several weeks on a trip to Europe.
"It was great. I bought you something," he said, placing a small package in Serena's hand.
Quickly, Serena opened it and took out a beaded bracelet. It was yellow and looked almost exactly like the one Princess Serena had worn while on the Moon.
"Oh Darien, thank you," Serena said.
Darien returned the smile Serena had on her face.
"I'm on my way to the arcade to give Andrew his gift, do you want to come?" Darien asked.
"Sure. On the way I can tell you about Sunny," Serena agreed.
Arm in arm, the two walked down the street.
*****
Serena and Darien rounded the corner leading to the arcade. Serena was chatting about Sunny and the adventures they had already had when Darien suddenly stopped walking. Serena looked up at him with concern.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Does that seem odd to you?” Darien asked quietly, pointing toward the arcade.
Serena looked and noticed a group of people leaving the building. Their heads hung low and their eyes appeared droopy. None of them spoke.
“Does what seem odd?” Serena asked.
“They look . . . drained,” Darien remarked. “Maybe we should check it out.”
Serena nodded and the two began to walk quickly to the arcade.
As the doors slid open, Serena immediately noticed the eerie silence. The arcade was usually full of conversation, the ringing of games and a million other sounds. Girls and boys of all ages sat staring at the games like zombies. Serena clung to Darien’s arm as they walked toward the counter where Andrew usually stood.
“Hello,” a woman said, appearing before them. “Can I interest you in a free game?”
“Where’s Andrew?” Serena asked.
“He took the day off,” the woman replied with a smile. “He wasn’t feeling himself today. How about that game?”
“This doesn’t feel right,” Darien whispered. Serena nodded.
“We’re friends of Andrew’s,” Darien said to the woman. “He asked us to get something from his office.”
He tried to brush past the woman, but she stuck out her arm to block them. Darien took a step back to where he had been standing before and looked the woman in the eye.
“I have a special game for you,” she said. “Robotica! Transform!”
Serena and Darien tried to scramble out of the monsters way as the woman transformed into a Negaverse creature. She appeared to be a giant video game with a head, arms, and legs. She held a controller in one hand. As Darien pushed Serena toward the door, Robotica jumped over them to block their only way out.
“Ha ha ha!” she laughed. “Your energy is mine!”
"Don't count on it, lady," Darien said.
"Moon Crystal Power!" Serena called out, holding up her locket.
The monster stared in confusion as her two victims transformed. Soon, instead of facing two powerless humans, the monster was facing Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.
"Sailor Moon! What energy I’ll get from you!" the monster sneered.
"I don't think so, creep," Sailor Moon replied.
With that, the robot leapt and tried to catch Sailor Moon in a flying tackle. The girl dove out of the way with a terrified cry and Tuxedo Mask charged. The monster seemed to want him to do just that and she shot some sort of net at him. Tuxedo Mask was caught before he knew it.
"Sailor Moon, your tiara!" he cried from inside the net.
Sailor Moon took off her tiara and it turned into a glowing discus.
"Moon Tiara Magic!" she called, throwing it at the monster.
The evil being jumped and the tiara uselessly hit the wall. She turned to face the scout.
“My turn,” Robotica laughed. She pointed the controller at Sailor Moon and hundreds of sparks of electricity. Sailor Moon began to jump to avoid being electrocuted.
"Mercury Bubble Blast!" Sailor Mercury cried.
The room was in closed in a thick fog as Sailor Mercury joined her friend.
"Mercury, thanks. Where's every one else?" Sailor Moon asked.
"There was another monster sighting on the other side of town and they went there. I came here to find you," Sailor Mercury replied.
The fog thinned and disappeared and the two scouts saw Granite standing over Tuxedo Mask.
"Well, looks like I'll kill three birds with one stone. Nega-Destroy!" Granite commanded, pointing at Tuxedo Mask.
"No!" Sailor Moon yelled, running towards him.
"It's a trap!" Sailor Mercury shouted.
"Nega-Contain!" Granite ordered.
Soon Sailor Moon was trapped inside a glass box. She pounded vainly on the walls but they wouldn't budge.
"You should have listened to your friend," Granite scolded. “With you two, the Sun girl will have no choice but to transform.”
“Why do you want her so badly?” Sailor Moon asked from inside her prison.
“Because locked within that girl is the Negaverse’s greatest weapon against you!” Granite replied. “Nega-Away!”
He laughed wickedly and vanished, taking Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask with him. Sailor Mercury was left alone to deal with the monster.
"Looks like it's me and you, kid," the monster said.
"Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" Sailor Mercury cried.
Before the monster could dodge, she was frozen solid. Sailor Mercury kicked the statue in the stomach and the whole thing crumbled into millions of ice cubes.
*****
Granite reappeared before Sunny's cage in the Negaverse.
"Now, you'll have to transform, Sunchild," he said.
"And how will you make me?" Sunny retorted.
Granite smiled and raised his hand. The darkness that had surrounded Sunny's cage melted away and she could see two figures lying unconscious on the floor.
"Sailor Moon!" she cried, recognizing the girl.
"That's right, and unless you transform and surrender yourself to the Negaverse, your friends will perish," Granite threatened.
Sunny stared at the two forms and then glared at Granite.
"Never. Those two are probably just your illusions," Sunny said.
Granite shrugged and returned to his seat at the small table. "Very well, when they awaken, you shall see."
He gestured nonchalantly to the unconscious people and they vanished. A cage materialized adjacent to Sunny’s and the two people reappeared in it. Sunny watched them carefully as they stirred and awoke.
"Oh my head," the girl said as she tried to sit up.
Sunny studied her closely and, as far as she could tell, it was Sailor Moon. The man, however, she had never seen before in her life. He remained lying on the ground and Sailor Moon first check him before looking at her surroundings.
"Sunny!" she exclaimed.
"Sailor Moon! It is you!" Sunny answered, moving to where her friend stood.
They faced each other between bars and smiled. It was the first time Sunny smiled since her abduction.
"Who's that?" Sunny asked, pointing at the man who was struggling to sit up.
Sailor Moon ran over to help him, and held him as he cleared his head.
"This is Tuxedo Mask" she said by way of introduction.
The man stood, nodded to Sunny and began searching for a way out. Sunny thought about everything Serena had told her about this man. She smiled in remembrance.
"We've got to get out of here," he said.
“No kidding,” Granite laughed from his chair. He sipped his wine. “You should talk to your friend.”
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask turned their eyes to Sunny. Sunny lowered her eyes. " I can free you."
Tuxedo Mask moved closer to her. She kept her gaze down, looking at her feet. Sailor Moon also came over to her friend and reached between the bars to gently touch Sunny’s shoulder. Sailor Moon immediately noticed that Sunny was much thinner than before and was covered in dirt. Sunny fingered her ring nervously.
"By becoming Sailor Sun, I will be able to free you, but Granite has been trying to get me to transform since he kidnapped me," she explained. “I’m afraid of what I’ll become if I try.”
“Granite did say something about you becoming the Negaverse’s greatest weapon,” Tuxedo Mask reminded them.
"Then we can't put you in any more danger," Sailor Moon decided. “There has to be another way out.”
Tuxedo Mask nodded his agreement. For hours the three of them tried to escape as Granite watched on. Finally, he rolled his eyes and stood.
"Nega-Choke!" he cried, pointing at Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.
The two of them fell to their knees, struggling to breathe. Their hands rose to their throats in desperation.
"You won't transform unless your friends are in serious trouble,” Granite said angrily. He gestured to the suffocating duo. “Well Sunchild, the choice is now yours."
Sunny watched, horrified at what was happening to her friends. Sailor Moon lay on her back, gasping for air and Tuxedo Mask clutched at his throat.
"I have no choice," she whispered. "Granite, you have won this round."
Sunny raised her hand with the sun ring on and clenched her fist. "Sun Stone Power!" she shouted.
In a blinding flash, Sunny was gone and Sailor Sun stood in her place. She bowed her head slightly and put her fingers in a triangle at her forehead.
" Solar Ray Charge!" she said, aiming at the bars that blocked her path.
They melted away and Sailor Sun rushed to where her friends lay. She raised her ringed hand once more.
"Solar Recharge Radiation!" she called as a pale yellow light floated down from her broach.
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask sat up groggily, inhaling deeply.
“Sunny . . ,” Sailor Moon gasped.
"Keep your part of the bargain," Sailor Sun demanded, rising to her feet.
Granite shrugged. "As you wish," he said.
He pointed for the final time at Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.
"Nega-Return!" he commanded.
The two prisoners vanished.
"Now you are mine to control," Granite said.
Sailor Sun was about to surrender when her broach acted on its own. It shot an orange light down to the floor and the ground suddenly began to shake. The table was crushed under a large piece of falling rock, and Granite was roughly thrown into a wall. When he raised his head again, Sailor Sun was gone. He cursed and thought about what he would tell his Master.
*****
"No! Take me back! Sunny!" Sailor Moon cried.
Tuxedo Mask held Sailor Moon where they both knelt on the floor. They were once again in the arcade. Sailor Mercury had long since gone and all that remained of the monster was a puddle of water on the floor.
"Take it easy, she did it for us," Tuxedo Mask said, holding her close.
Tears poured down Sailor Moon's cheeks as she transformed back into Serena. Darien released her, but kept a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"She sacrificed her freedom, for us," Serena whispered.
She stood and embraced Darien tightly. They held each other for a long time before there came a flash of light from one of the back rooms.
"It could be the Negaverse, coming back for us," Darien said, pushing Serena protectively behind him.
He slowly headed toward the light, followed closely by Serena, and peeked into the room. There, lying on the floor, was Andrew and beside him was Sailor Sun.
"Andrew!” Darien exclaimed. “Sailor Sun!”
He rushed over to where his two friends lay. Andrew groaned in his sleep and Darien left him, satisfied that he was not injured and would recover on his own. He turned to Sailor Sun, who lay face down on the floor, unmoving.
Serena joined him and gently they turned their friend over. She was unconscious and her hand was burned right through her glove. Serena touched the jewel on her tiara and she changed back into Sunny.
"We'd better bring her somewhere safe," Darien suggested. “Someplace the Negaverse won’t be able to find us.”
Serena nodded. “What about Andrew?”
“He’s weak, but he should wake up in a few minutes on his own. I don’t think we should be here when he does,” Darien said.
He picked Sunny up easily and they walked to the door. It was dark outside and Serena realized that they had spent the entire day in that cage in the Negaverse. She looked at Sunny and realized that Sunny had been gone for over a week! They kept walking and soon they arrived at Raye's Temple on Cherry Hill. Serena headed over to Raye's widow and knocked. Raye woke up and looked outside, her face full of anger.
"What do you want, Serena? It's the middle of the . . ," she stopped when she saw Darien holding Sunny.
"Don't just stand there doofus, bring her in here," Raye ordered, disappearing back into her house. Seconds later, the door opened and Serena and Darien went inside.
*****
Darien lay Sunny down on Raye’s bed as the fiery girl searched the temple for healing herbs. Sunny’s face was contorted in pain and she moved her head slightly, giving a faint moan. Her right hand was burned badly and Raye quickly put on a soothing salve and bandaged it. She sat back with a sigh and turned to her guests.
“Now, why don’t you tell me what happened,” she suggested.
A few hours later, Sunny woke up. Darien was sipping tea and Serena had fallen into an exhausted slumber in a nearby chair. Raye knelt by Sunny, watching the girl for signs of healing.
“Raye?” Sunny mumbled, her eyes slowly opening. “Where am I?”
“You’re in my room,” Raye said quietly. Serena woke up at the slight noise and made her way, with Darien, to where Sunny lay.
“Are you okay?” Serena asked.
“Serena?” Sunny said in a confused tone. “What are you doing in Raye’s room?” She turned to see Darien. “Who are you?”
“Do you remember anything that happened today?” Serena asked.
Sunny shook her head slightly. “I remember fighting in the park, and Granite taking me to the Negaverse, and being in a dark cage, but that’s all. Did you rescue me?”
“You rescued us,” Darien told her. “We were taken as well, to force you to transform into Sailor Sun, and you did. Then Granite sent us back and you appeared shortly after.”
Sunny squinted her eyes and smiled. “You must be Darien. I remember Serena talking about you.”
Darien seemed to blush, but said nothing.
“You better go home,” Raye told Serena and Darien. “Sunny can stay here for a while, until she gets her strength back.”
Serena nodded and smiled. She turned to say good bye to Sunny, but the girl had already fallen asleep again.
*****
“Granite, you are becoming a disappointment to me,” Rutile, Ruler of the Negaverse said from his throne.
Granite bowed. “Yes, my Master. The girl was in my power, but something happened that sent her back to her world before I could stop her.”
Rutile narrowed his eyes. “I should dispose of you . . .”
Granite flinched.
“But I won’t,” Rutile finished. “Bring this Sailor Sun to me. I will personally convince her to join our forces. She is too important to me to let her get away so easily.”
Granite bowed and left the throne room. Prince Rutile sat back in his throne and began to laugh.
CHAPTER FIVE
SAILOR V’S BIG BREAK

"Oh look, a new Sailor V movie!" Serena cried, pointing at a poster that hung in a nearby window.
"Sailor V? Is that the same as Sailor Venus?" Sunny whispered to Lita.
The taller girl shrugged. "We don't know. Mina doesn’t really talk about her life before she joined the Scouts."
The three of them kept walking towards the arcade. Andrew had been taking it easy for the past few days after waking up in the arcade feeling weak. He claimed he had no memory of that day, but the doctors had assured him he would make a full recovery. Today was his first day back and the girls had decided to check up on him, and maybe get a few free tokens.
"Hey guys!" a voice called from behind them.
They turned to see Mina running to catch up with them. Artemis was at her heels. Sunny smiled as the blond haired girl and the white cat stopped in front of them, panting from the run.
"You going to the arcade too?" Serena asked. “Andrew’s back today.”
Mina shook her head. "No, I have an appointment."
"An appointment where?” Sunny asked. “You’re not sick, are you?”
Mina smiled brightly at Sunny and shook her head.
"I’m not sick. Do you want to come with us?" she answered. “I promise it’ll be fun.”
Sunny turned to Lita and Serena. "Is it okay with you guys? I can meet Andrew some other time and I don't really like video games anyway," Sunny said.
"Sure, just tell us all about it later," Lita said.
Sunny smiled and ran off with Mina and Artemis. Serena watched them go and turned to Lita.
"Come on, we're wasting time!" she cried. “I just know I can beat the high score this time.”
“Not while I’m around,” Lita replied.
Laughing, the two of them ran down the street.
*****
Sunny and Mina stopped at the bus stop to catch their breath and wait for the bus to take them to Mina’s mysterious appointment. Sunny sat down on a nearby bench and looked at another Sailor V poster on the wall.
"Mina," she called.
Mina came over and sat beside her friend. Artemis jumped on Sunny's lap and sat down.
"Yeah?" Mina asked.
"Are you really Sailor V? The one from the posters?" Sunny asked.
Artemis looked up sharply and Mina stared at the poster in front of her. Finally, she nodded.
"Yes, I was Sailor V the movie star before coming here," she answered.
"But why didn't you stay?" Sunny said. “Even I’ve heard of Sailor V back home. You were a major movie star.”
"Sailor V was just a cover so I could practice my powers and search for the other scouts. I never wanted to be a star but it just happened. Now, that I found the scouts, I don’t need my Sailor V cover anymore," Mina said.
"Mina wasn't even really acting. It was mostly stunt doubles and cartoons drawn in. She just supplied the voice and did some life action scenes," Artemis added.
Mina glared at her guardian. "Sure, give away all my secrets," she said.
But Sunny wasn’t really listening. Instead, she was looking back at the poster.
"But if you're not acting anymore, than why is there a new Sailor V movie coming out?"
"That's where we're going. To the studio to do a final film. In this one, Sailor V dies and I'll be free of acting forever," Mina said with a smile.
The bus pulled up and Mina stood.
"This is our bus. Come on," she grabbed Sunny's hand and pulled her to the waiting doors.
*****
"All right team. Let's break," the director ordered. “There’s nothing more we can do until our star arrives.”
The crew of the Sailor V movie gratefully stopped working and headed towards the coffee machine. The director moved to join them but was stopped by a tall figure.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be here," the director yelled.
"Yes I am, I'm your new actor. I'm supposed to be co-staring in the Sailor V movie," the man said.
The director peered deeply into the stranger's eyes and was completely hypnotized.
"Now I remember. You're Grant, right?" he said in a dead voice.
"That's right. Now, you should let me look at your props. I need to see them before I act," Grant said.
The director lead the way into the storage room.
*****
"Here we are," Mina said.
They stood in front of a gated opening. Behind the gates were several large buildings. People bustled around, some walking, others driving on small carts. Everyone looked busy. A mean looking security guard was checking passes as stars entered and left the compound. Sunny looked at him in alarm.
"How are we going to get in?" Sunny whispered.
"Show time Mina," Artemis said.
Mina sighed and held up her power stick.
"Venus Power, Make-Up!" she cried.
Mina transformed but, instead of her usual Sailor Venus costume, she wore something else. The shoes, gloves and leotard were the same but she wore a navy blue skirt with orange trim and an orange choker with a crescent moon on it. She had no bow on the back of her skirt and the bow on the front was navy with an orange centre. She also wore a huge orange mask that stuck out on the sides.
"Well, how do I look?" she asked, turning full circle for Sunny.
"Great, except for the mask. That's ridiculous," Sunny replied.
"I know," Mina made a face. "It was Artemis' idea."
"It makes her look mysterious," Artemis objected.
Sunny picked the white cat up and hugged him. Artemis tried to stay grumpy, but a purr escaped his throat and he smiled at her.
"Let's go," Mina said and she walked towards the guard.
Sunny followed, still holding Artemis.
"Do you have a pass?" the guard asked without looking to see who it was. He was sitting in the doorway of a small booth, reading a newspaper.
"I don't need a pass," Mina retorted.
The guard looked up and stumbled to his feet.
"Sailor V! Nice to see you ma'am. Go right in," the guard stammered.
Mina stalked right by without thanking him.
"That wasn't nice," Sunny scolded quietly.
"I know," Mina laughed, "but it was fun!"
Sunny giggled and followed her friend into the closest studio building.
*****
"Sailor V! Nice to see you again," the director greeted them as they walked onto the set.
"Hello, Harvey! I got the copy of your script and I read it over. I especially liked the last scene, though I thought that Sailor V could die of something a little more dramatic than a knife in the back," Mina said.
Harvey nodded thoughtfully. "I'll talk to the writers," he said. "Now, who's this young lady? A friend of yours?"
"This is Sunny. She's here to be an extra," Mina said.
“And I see you’ve brought your pet as well,” Harvey said, barely hiding the anger in his voice. “I hope this time he’ll think twice before sampling our lunch table.”
Sunny looked down and saw Artemis trying to hide himself in her arms. As the director spoke, Artemis lifted his head and meowed.
"Pleased to meet you,” Harvey said, turning to Sunny. She shook his hand in greeting. “Can you control that cat? He seems to like you.”
Sunny nodded. "Sure, no problem. I’ll keep him out of trouble.”
"Great! Sailor V, you've got one hour for make-up and script revision before we start," with that, Harvey walked away.
"Sampling the lunch table?" Sunny said quietly to Artemis as the followed Mina deeper into the studio
The cat almost blushed. “Mina didn’t let me eat before we came last time and I was hungry. How was I supposed to know the director would be eating lunch at the same time?”
Sunny sighed and rolled her eyes. “You’ll behave this time, won’t you?”
Artemis averted his eyes. “Sure, don’t worry.”
Sunny put the cat down on the ground and they hurried off to find Mina. She was in a dressing room with a large star on the door, reviewing her script as someone did her hair. When Sunny knocked shyly on the door, Mina motioned for the hairstylist to leave. Sunny noticed Mina never once removed the mask she wore.
"What do you think?" Mina asked.
Sunny looked around the dressing room. “It’s awesome,” she replied. “I can’t believe I know someone famous!”
"It’s not like you can tell everyone, you know,” Mina said somewhat severely. “I don’t want everyone to know this secret.”
"Five minutes, Miss V," an attendant said from the doorway.
Mina stood and adjusted her costume.
"Does anyone here know who you really are?" Sunny asked.
"No, and let's keep it that way," Mina said as she left.
*****
"Okay people, let's start with the death scene," the director shouted.
Sunny stood behind the director’s chair with Artemis seated at her feet, and watched the actors come onto the set. One man stood out from the others. He was tall with black hair and blue eyes. Sunny gasped when she saw his face. It was Granite!
"Grant, in this scene, you take Sailor V into your arms. She struggles but soon accepts that you are stronger than she is. That's when you try to kiss her. Sailor V then slaps you across the face and you fall back. Then you summon your warriors and Sailor V destroys them all. When her back in turned, take the rubber knife and throw it at her. It'll bounce off and Sailor V will fall to the ground. We'll add in the blood and knife later. Ready everyone? Quiet on the set!" the director shouted.
Sunny watched helplessly as her friend acted through the scene. A small meow at her feet made her remember she had one ally here. Quietly, she and Artemis ducked behind an unused set and she told the cat everything.
"Are you sure?" Artemis asked when she was done.
Sunny nodded and swallowed hard. “Is Mina powerless in her Sailor V form?”
"Not completely, but this may catch her off guard. You better be ready to transform," he said.
Again Sunny nodded. She and the cat left their hideout behind the set and continued to watch the progressing scene.
"Evil monster! I'll fight you for all eternity," Sailor V said.
Granite laughed wickedly and raised his arms. Three monsters rose up from the ground.
"Where did they come from?" Harvey said.
The propsman shrugged.
"Well, Sailor V," Granite spat out the words, "looks like eternity won't be that long."
The three monsters attacked all at once. They were all female wearing leotards. One had green skin and the other two were blue. They leapt in front of the grinning Granite and surrounded the girl on all sides. Sailor V took a fighting stance, but was unsure about what to do. She knew people were watching and, although her identity was unknown by them, she hesitated using her powers.
"This isn't in the script! Grant, what are you doing?" Harvey yelled.
"You wanted Sailor V to die in this scene, well, I'm helping her get into her role," Granite said.
Sailor V screamed as the monsters drew closer. The green one shot a long, sticky rope from the palm of her hand. It wrapped around Sailor V and began to glow a brighter green.
"Sunny, are you ready?" Artemis asked.
Sunny nodded and held up her hand.
"Sun Stone Power!" she yelled.
In a flash, Sailor Sun stood in the place where Sunny had been. The sixth scout jumped from the shadows to stand between Granite and Sailor V.
"I am Sailor Sun, guardian of the eternal Star! Daughter of Queen Aurora who was the first Sailor Sun. In her name, I command you to stop, or be destroyed," Sailor Sun said.
"Not more speeches," Artemis moaned from where he hid.
"Ah, Sailor Sun, so we meet again," Granite said. “I would like to extend an invitation to you from my Master.”
"Tell him no thanks," she replied through clenched teeth. “I’ve already experienced you’re Master’s hospitality.”
Granite inclined his head in a kind of bow. "Then I shall leave this duel to another day. Destroy her!" he ordered as he vanished.
The yellow scout suddenly found herself facing the three monsters on her own. Sailor Sun bowed her head slightly and held up her hands in a triangle. Her jewel on her tiara shone through the center of the triangle and Sailor Sun stared at her first target.
" Solar Ray Charge!" she called as five beams of pure light-energy shot at the ropes holding Sailor V.
They broke and the girl was free. Sailor V groaned softly and fell to the ground, drained of energy. The monsters then turned to face Sailor Sun.
"I could use some help," she called over her shoulder.
Sailor V didn't answer. She was unconscious on the floor. Artemis stood over her, hissing at the monsters.
"All right, now what?" Sailor Sun said to herself.
The monsters advanced slowly. Sailor Sun sighed. “I hate being new on the job.”
"Solar Flare Sprout!" she said, holding out both hands, wrists touching and fingers outspread.
A large tongue of flame leapt from her hands and fried the closest monster. It shrieked in pain and terror and disappeared. The remaining two monsters stared at their opponent with renewed hatred.
“Solar Sun Spot,” Sailor Sun cried.
Suddenly, there were three Sailor Suns. The monsters looked at them in confusion. With a roar of anger, they both struck separate images at the same time. As they shot out ropes, the ropes ignited into flame and burned all the way back to them. They screamed as the flames leapt higher. When the flames died down, all that remained was Sailor Sun.
"That was fantastic! Did we get it on tape?" Harvey cried.
He looked over and saw his camera on fire.
"Oh no! That would have been a perfect scene for a movie! Maybe she can do it again," Harvey looked back to where Sailor Sun had been. The set was empty and charred.
"She's gone!" he stammered. “And she took my star with her!”
*****
Sailor Sun and Artemis had leapt through an open skylight and were now running along the rooftops of the studio. It was dark out, and the shadows concealed them from the guards who were searching the compound for the missing Sailor V. Sailor Sun was carrying her unconscious friend and, as she jumped from the last studio roof to that of a neighboring building, they finally stopped.
"Wow! I never realized movies can be so realistic!" Sailor Sun joked.
Artemis was checking over Sailor V. Mina hadn’t woken up or moved since the monsters had attacked.
"She's very weak. Can you help?" he said with a worried voice.
Sailor Sun nodded and held up her ring.
"Solar Recharge Radiation!" she called.
A fine yellow light fell on Sailor V and she stirred.
"What happened?" she asked groggily.
Artemis purred happily as Sailor Sun helped Sailor V to her feet. Sailor V then picked up her cat and hugged him tightly.
"You promised if I came with you it would be fun,” Sailor Sun said, “and you delivered. For that, I’ll buy you a milkshake, if you’re up to it. I can explain everything then.”
“You call that fun?” Artemis said in a shocked voice.
Sailor V looked at her friend and smiled.
"Sure Sunny, let's go,” she laughed. “While you’re buying me that milkshake, I’ll buy you one to say thanks for saving me.”
Together, the two of them leapt off the rooftop and headed towards the mall.
CHAPTER SIX
HORSE PLAY

It was a beautiful, bright, sunny day and all the children of Tokyo were stuck in school. Serena sighed and gazed out the widow as Ms. Haruna droned on about the plot of the book the class was reading.
“Serena? Are you listening?” Ms. Haruna yelled.
Molly leaned forward and punched her friend in the arm, hard.
“Ow! What did you do that for?” Serena wailed.
“Serena, did you hear one word I said?” Ms. Haruna demanded.
Serena looked at her teacher's face and immediately started to cry.
“I'm sorry Ms. H! I never have time to do my homework! I don't even get home until really late, anyway! Please forgive me this time, I can try harder!” Serena cried.
The angry expression on Ms. Haruna's face melted away and was replaced by one of sheer confusion. Before she could answer, the bell for lunch rang and the class disappeared, Serena included.
“Hey Serena, do you want to go to the movies with me?” Molly asked.
“Sorry Moll. I’d love to, but I really need to talk to Amy,” Serena said as she ran off.
Molly watched her friend go and shook her head slowly.
“That girl,” she muttered.” It's a good thing I'm such a good friend.
*****
“Amy! Lita! Sunny! Wait up!” Serena puffed as she ran.
The three girls were walking home from school, when the heard Serena’s cry. They stopped and watched as their friend ran towards them.
“Hey Serena, what's up?” Lita said.
“You don’t have detention today?” Amy asked in surprise.
Sunny laughed, and Serena walked right up to her until they were only inches apart. Sunny was much taller than her friend and Serena came up to her shoulders. Serena looked up into Sunny's face.
“You're in danger,” she said.
Sunny looked confused and nervous. She fingered her broach. “What makes you say that?”
“What did the Sun tell you about, that day you had a vision?” Serena asked.
“Well . . ,” Sunny stammered.
“Visions are personal,” Amy scolded. “You shouldn’t pry like that, Serena.”
Serena ignored her. “What did it say?”
“I – I can’t tell you,” Sunny answered. “All I know is every time I become Sailor Sun, I put all of us that much closer to destruction.”
Serena nodded and sat down on the grass. Her long pigtails were blowing in the wind behind her as she thought.
“Will you please tell us what's going on?” Lita said.
“Yes, Serena,” Amy added. “What’s on your mind?”
“The Negaverse isn't just collecting energy this time,” Serena said.
“We already know that,” Sunny said.
“They're after Sailor Sun, for some reason,” she continued.
“We knew that, too,” Lita said. “The question now is why.”
“My guess is that Sunny's vision was a warning,” Serena concluded. “As her guardian star, the Sun was trying to caution her against something – something the Negaverse wants their hands on.”
Lita smiled at Serena and put a hand on her shoulder. “I'm proud of you Serena, you finally used your brain for something besides boys.”
“We'd better keep a close watch on Sunny until we know what they're after,” Amy suggested.
The other two nodded in agreement. Sunny seemed almost embarrassed by the attention, but could think of nothing to dissuade her friends.
*****
That afternoon, the scouts met at Raye's Temple. For once, Serena was on time, but surprisingly, Sunny was late. When she finally arrived, she was dressed in long pants, despite the warm weather. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and she carried a helmet and stick in one hand. On her feet were tall black boots.
“Hi guys,” she greeted her friends. “I just came to tell you I have to miss tonight’s meeting.”
“Why?” Raye asked.
“And what's with the outfit?” Serena added.
“I'm on my way to my horseback riding lesson,” Sunny answered.
“I’ve never ridden a horse before,” Serena said wistfully. “It sound romantic!”
“Do you want to come?” Sunny asked.
“Come?” Serena gasped. “Do you mean it?”
Sunny smiled. “Sure. Meet me at the stable at the very end of Fifth street in one hour. Wear long pants and boots with heels. There are helmets at the stable so you can borrow one. Does anyone else want to come?”
Raye stepped forward. “Count me in.”
Lita came beside her. “Me too, I love horses.”
“I'll come as well, how about you Amy?” Mina said.
“I don't think so, I have too much work to do,” Amy replied.
“Amy, you need some fun in your life,” Serena said.
“Besides, this is good exercise,” Sunny added.
Amy closed her books and stood up with a smile.
“All right, I'll be there,” she said.
Sunny smiled and ran down the stairs.
“I'll tell my instructor you guys are coming. Don't be late!” she called over her shoulder.
*****
In exactly one hour, Mina, Lita, Amy, Raye and Serena were at the stables. They all wore long pants and boots with heels. Lita had a helmet like Sunny's, in her hand.
“Where did you get that?” Serena asked.
“I used to ride, until about a year ago. I hope I still remember how,” Lita answered.
Sunny came out to meet them. The end of Fifth street was a dirt road leading into the country. The stable was in a quiet, friendly place with huge meadows and a peaceful forest. She smiled as she saw her friends gathered outside.
“Come in, guys,” she invited.
The barn was warm and smelled of hay. The nickering of horses could be heard and their boots clicked on the concrete floors. As they headed toward the arena in the back, Sunny told them about the horses.
“Lita, since you know how to ride, you can pair up with Tornado. He's the gray in the back. Amy, you can ride Aqua she's the carmel one next to Tornado. Mina, you get Star, she's next to Aqua. Raye, the golden colored mare is Firebeam and she's yours for today. Serena, Bunny's the pony for you,” Sunny said.
Her friends accepted the helmets being offered to them and went into the arena to meet their mounts. Sunny's horse was a large dapple gray.
“This is Phoenix, my horse,” she introduced.
“She's not your horse yet, Sunny,” a soft voice from the doorway called.
The girls all turned and saw a tall woman standing behind them. She had short blonde hair and large, blue eyes. She wore blue jeans that were tucked into brown cowboy boots, and a helmet on her head.
“This is Cassie, my instructor. I'm renting-to-own Phoenix from her,” Sunny said.
“Pleased to meet you,” Amy said from on top her horse.
Mina, Lita, Raye, Amy and Sunny were on their horses already while Cassie tried to get Serena on the small pony.
“Come on Serena, up you get!” Cassie said, grabbing Serena’s leg to heave her over.
Serena leapt up and landed hard on the poor pony's back. Sunny heard Bunny gasp for air. The pony looked back at her rider, almost with an expression of anger.
“Well, giddy-up!” Serena said, shaking the reins.
Cassie laughed lightly and Serena stopped, looking confused.
“That's not how it's done!” Cassie said. “Here, let me show you.”
After a long lesson, they were ready to ride. Cassie led them into the furthest meadow away from the barn. As they rode, Sunny noticed the animals weren't behaving like they usually did, Phoenix in particular.
“There's something wrong,” she whispered to Lita, who rode beside her.
Lita nodded. The two of them were close behind Cassie, followed by Mina, Amy, Raye, and Serena.
“I feel it too. We should be on guard,” Lita whispered back.
They continued to walk and soon Sunny began to relax. The meadows melted by and the barn soon faded out of sight behind them. The horses nickered quietly as Cassie ducked under a low branch and lead them into a pasture Sunny had never been to before. Suddenly, Cassie called for a halt and dismounted. The scouts did the same.
“What's wrong?” Sunny asked.
“Follow me,” Cassie motioned and they went into the forest surrounding the mysterious pasture, leaving the horses behind.
A few paces into the forest, she stopped. Cassie kept her back turned to the scouts and Sunny’s eyes widened in alarm.
“What's going on?” Raye demanded.
Cassie didn't turn around. Instead, she laughed wickedly. The grass around her died, the trees seemed to peel away, and the sky turned dark. Cassie turned to face them. Her face was contorted and she held her arms up in the air. Then, the form of Cassie was gone and a hideous half-woman, half-horse creature appeared in her place. It screamed something at them and reared onto its hind legs.
“It's a centaur!” Sunny said. “Oh, Cassie!”
“That's right, Sunchild,” Granite said from behind her.
Sunny turned to find her friends far away from her, trying to run to her aid. Serena was in the lead and she seemed to be calling to Sunny as they ran.
“What do you want?” Sunny demanded.
“Moon Crystal Power!” Serena yelled.
“Mercury Star Power!” Amy cried.
“Mars Star Power!” yelled Raye.
“Jupiter Star Power!” Lita shouted.
“Venus Star Power!” Mina cried.
As one, the scouts leaped into the air, vanishing momentarily in the trees. Soon, Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts were standing between Granite and Sunny.
“Sun Stone Power!” Sunny shouted, transforming.
The six Sailor Scouts faced Granite. He laughed and waved his hand.
“Get them,” Granite ordered.
The centaur roared and charged. The scouts jumped out of the way as the monster hit a tree, cracking it in two.
“Mars Fire – “ Sailor Mars began.
“Wait!” Sailor Sun cried. “It’s still Cassie!”
“Jupiter Thunderclap Zap!” Sailor Jupiter yelled.
The centaur was struck by the electrical disk and screamed in pain. From a tree, Granite watched the battle with an evil smile.
“Sailor Moon!” Sailor Mercury cried. “Now, she’s weak!”
“Right,” Sailor Moon agreed. “Moon Healing Activation!”
The centaur screamed again as its form melted away in a shower of light. The horrible form of the monster disappeared, leaving the unconscious Cassie behind.
Granite jumped down from his tree and rolled his eyes in boredom at the Scouts.
“I tire of this game. Nega-Home!” he called.
The forest wavered and vanished until the scouts were taken someplace far away from their world.
*****
“Where are we?” Sailor Mars asked.
Her comment echoed around the dark room. Slowly, the shadows receded and the scouts were able to see their surroundings. Sailor Moon looked around and gasped in recognition.
“This was Queen Beryl's throne room, before we destroyed her,” Sailor Moon cried.
“Correct, and now it is mine,” a voice said calmly from the darkness.
The light spread further and they saw a man sitting on Queen Beryl's old throne. The scouts stood to face him.
“Who are you?” Sailor Jupiter demanded.
The man stood and threw back his gold-lined black cape, revealing a pale purple uniform. He was taller than Granite with long orange hair and green eyes. On his head, he wore a gold crown that was covered in jewels.
“I am Prince Rutile, Ruler of the Negaverse,” he said with a slight smile.
“That makes you our enemy!” Jupiter shouted. She charged toward him, the lightning rod on her tiara rising.
“Jupiter Thunder Dragon!” she commanded, launching the dragon at the dark prince.
He smiled and with a wave, the dragon vanished.
“Don't be foolish, Sailor Jupiter, it's not you I'm after,” he said.
Sailor Moon stepped forward, her hand clenched protectively over her broach. “You want the crystal, right?”
Rutile laughed. “No, that was my sister's foolish plan. I have a much bigger fish to fry.”
“Well, spit it out! What do you want?” Sailor Mars asked.
“I want the girl you call Sailor Sun,” he told them, pointing one long finger at the girl.
Sailor Sun gasped and the other scouts stepped in front of her.
“You'll have to get through us first,” Sailor Venus shouted.
“Yeah, so go ahead and try,” Mercury added.
Prince Rutile shrugged. “I have no quarrel with you, Scouts, but if you chose to die, so be it.” He held out his hand, fingers outstretched. “Begone!”
Five bolts of dark energy shot out of his fingers at the scouts. They tried to dodge, and only Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Mars were successful. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter were struck and they fell down, unconscious. Sailor Sun rushed to their sides, checking to see if they were alive.
“Let's triple this guy,” Sailor Moon suggested.
“Right,” Sailors Venus and Mars agreed.
“Moon Tiara . . ,” Sailor Moon began.
“Venus Crescent Beam . . “
“Mars Fire . . “
The three of them stood poised and ready for a split second before launching their attack.
“Magic!”
“Smash!”
“Ignite!”
Sailor Moon's tiara burned brightly with Mars' fire and Venus' beam. It spun towards the prince and he caught it in one hand.
“Nice trick girls,” he said mockingly. “Now, Begone!”
This time the dark energy bolts struck the girls and sent them flying. They hit the wall far behind them and lay still.
“No!” Sailor Sun cried in alarm. She ran to where all her friends lay and held her ring above her head.
“Solar Recharge Radiation!” Sailor Sun commanded.
As the pale yellow light touched the other scouts, they slowly sat up. Sailor Moon rose to her feet with the scouts behind her, ready to face the Prince of the Negaverse again.
“Now it's your turn, Sunchild. Welcome to the Negaverse!” Rutile said.
He pointed at Sailor Sun and a rope shot from his finger, holding her fast.
“Dark Guardian of the Negaverse, be born again!” Rutile commanded.
She was instantly surrounded in a gray light. She screamed once and clenched her eyes closed in pain. The cords that had once held her melted away and she became surrounded in a black glow.
“Sailor Sun!” Sailor Moon cried.
“Now, emerge and submit to me!” Rutile ordered.
From Sunny's broach, a dark shadow rose. Sailor Sun stood before it in a kind of daze. With an almost malicious sounding cry, the shadow engulfed the girl until she was lost from view.
“Sailor Sun!” the scouts yelled together.
The shadow melted into the girl, and the gray light faded away. Sailor Sun collapsed to her knees. For a brief moment, the chamber was silent. Sailor Sun raised her head and cried out again. A brilliant light came from the gem on her tiara and hit every thing in the room. Prince Rutile hissed in anger and threw up his cloak to protect himself. Granite was lifted up and thrown roughly into a wall. The Sailor Scouts were also lifted up, and thrown beside Granite.
“The power is free again! The guardian is mine to command! Behold, the Dark Scout of the Negaverse!” Rutile shouted as the light died down.
Weakly, the scouts stood and looked at their friend as she rose to her feet.
Sunny's hair had turned red orange and her eyes were filled with evil. Her costume was as dark yellow as night and the sun jewel on her tiara was a dull, unpolished gray, as was the sun on her dark yellow choker. Her yellow sandals turned into knee high dark yellow boots and her face was pale and white.
“Now, destroy the Sailor Scouts!” Rutile ordered.
The Dark Scout turned to the Prince with an evil smile and bowed to him. She turned once more and advanced on the five Sailor Scouts.
“Sunny! It's me, Sailor Moon. Remember?” Sailor Moon pleaded.
“You are my enemy, Sailor Moon,” the Dark Scout said in Sunny's voice. “As my enemy, you will die.”
“Mercury Bubble Blast!” Sailor Mercury filled the room with fog.
The Scouts gathered together as the Dark Scout sought them out in the thick mist.
“Try to heal her,” Sailor Jupiter muttered. “Sailor Sun may still be in there.”
“Right,” Sailor Moon replied.
The fog faded and the Dark Scout found herself standing before the five determined scouts. Sailor Moon raised her broach high in the air.
“Moon Crystal Healing Activation!” she cried.
The Dark Scout yelled angrily as the moon light struck her. The evil in Sunny's face faded slightly as Sailor Moon's crystal did it's work. As the light disappeared, the Dark Scout fell to her knees. The Sailor Scouts hurried to her.
“Do you remember?” Sailor Venus asked gently.
“I . . I remember. . . ,” Sunny stammered. “I think . . . I’m so confused . . .”
“Can you fight what the Negaverse is doing to you?” Sailor Mercury asked.
“Never!” the Dark Scout cried lashing out at the Scouts.
They scrambled backwards out of her reach.
“Sunny! Remember! Fight it!” Sailor Mars yelled.
The Dark Scout cried out again and some kindness was restored to her features. She raised her head to look at her friends.
“I can send you home, but if I can't fight this, you must destroy me,” Sunny said. She pointed at the wall and a dark portal opened.
“No!” Sailor Moon cried. “Sunny –“
“Go now!” Sunny yelled. “I can’t hold it off for long.”
The scouts took one last look at their friend and fled into the portal. Sailor Moon lingered, hating to see her friend suffer, but soon followed as the portal shrank.
*****
They reappeared in their human forms outside Raye's Temple.
“We've got to go back,” Serena said, gripping her broach. “We can teleport to the Negaverse and – “
“Not yet, Sunny's much stronger now,” Raye reminded her gently, putting a hand on Serena’s arm.
“Yes, and we've got to tell Sunny's grandmother something,” Amy said.
“Like what? Sorry, Sunny won't be home because she's been possessed by the Negaverse?” Lita said angrily.
“She said she remembered, so that means the crystal worked. Maybe if we use it again, she'll return to normal,” Mina suggested.
Just then, Luna and Artemis came out of the Temple.
“There you girls are. Did you enjoy your ride?” Luna asked.
Briefly, Amy filled the two cats in on everything that had just happened. Serena sat down on the ground, seeming very depressed.
“Oh dear,” Luna said when Amy had finished her story.
“Why does the Negaverse want Sailor Junior Sun? I know she's powerful, but that doesn't compare to the Imperial Silver Crystal,” Artemis said.
“She changed into a scout, dressed all in black. Prince Rutile called her the Dark Scout of the Negaverse,” Lita reminded them.
“We've got to get her back,” Serena declared.
Luna nodded. “But if we can't, than we must treat her as a general of the Negaverse.”
“What exactly does that mean?” Serena asked.
“If we can't stop her, or help her,” Luna began, “than we must destroy her.”
“We can't Luna, I won't,” Serena wailed.
Luna looked at her friend and hung her head.
“I don't like it either, Serena, but if we must, we must,” Luna said.
*****
Prince Rutile of the Negaverse walked over to his newest warrior. The Dark Scout of the Negaverse knelt on the floor where the Sailor Scouts had been, staring at the wall where they had escaped.
“Fool! Why did you help them?” he snarled.
The Dark Scout looked at her new master.
“I remember, and I will fight you with every once of strength I have,” Sunny replied.
Prince Rutile smiled evilly at her.
“You are the Dark Scout and you will be mine,” he promised.
Sunny glared at him from where she knelt, still weakened from the battle.
“Granite! Come forward!” Rutile commanded.
Granite's form didn't move. Albite and Halite knelt by his body and Halite check for a pulse.
“He's no . . ,” Albite began.
“ . . longer living, Master,” Halite finished.
Rutile turned to face them. He waved his hand and Granite's body vanished.
“Very well, you two will take my newest warrior and completely turn her over to the Negaforce,” he commanded.
“As our Master wishes,” the two replied.
The roughly took Sunny and yanked her to her feet. She followed them and clutched her hand.
What ever I become, she thought, Serena will have to destroy me.
CHAPTER SEVEN
PRINCESS PROBLEM

The bell at Crossroads Junior High school rang loud and clear for the last time that year. A deep rumble from within the school exploded as the students ran out of the building.
“No more school until September!” Serena said happily as she ran towards her friends.
Lita turned and smiled as Serena sped towards her, pig tails flying. She and Amy had been waiting for Serena outside the school so they could walk home together.
“Let's hit the arcade!” Serena suggested.
“Sorry Serena, I'm going shopping with Mina and Raye,” Lita said.
Serena turned to Amy with a huge grin and grabbed her friend by the arm.
“How about a movie, Amy?” Serena asked. “You can pick.”
“I can't. I have to go to the library to get started on my extra credit essays,” she said.
“Why don't you come with us to the mall?” Lita suggested.
Serena shook her head.
“I'll just call Jenny and see . . ,” Serena stopped short.
Amy put her arm around her friend's shoulder.
“But I can't do that because, she's gone,” Serena said softly.
“Maybe I do have time for a movie, how about it?” Amy said gently. “I’ll buy you some popcorn.”
Serena shook her head and wiped away her tears.
“No thanks, I'm not in the mood anymore,” she said as she walked away.
Lita and Amy watched sadly as Serena slowly walked towards her house, leaving the comfort of her friends behind her.
*****
“Hey Serena, do you want to come over for a while?” Amy asked on her communicator. “My mother is away for a while and we could have a sleep over.”
Serena shook her head. “No thanks, Amy. I think I'll study or something.”
Luna watched her silently before jumping onto Serena's lap and looking into the communicator.
“Get the other scouts. Serena will be there,” Luna said.
Amy smiled and flashed off.
“What did you say that for?” Serena demanded.
“Because you've spent enough time moping about. Sunny is gone and you've got to face it. I'll probably never say this again, but go out and be with your friends,” Luna said.
“Will you come too?” Serena asked.
“If you want me to,” Luna answered.
Serena stood from where she had been sitting on her bed.
“Okay, let's go,” she said.
*****
Mina, Artemis, Lita, and Raye were already at Amy's apartment when Serena and Luna arrived.
“We can go to the park and play ball, okay?” Amy said.
The others agreed enthusiastically, but Serena just shrugged. Soon they were in the fresh air, all their worries forgotten. From a nearby bench, Luna and Artemis watched.
“This is good for Serena,” Luna said.
“Yeah, she hasn't been this depressed since Darien went to the Negaverse,” Artemis agreed.
“Heads up, Serena!” Amy called as she tossed the ball.
Serena leapt up and whacked it to Lita.
“No so hard!” Lita laughed as the ball was passed to Raye.
Mina reached up to hit the ball Raye passed to her and missed. The ball continued on its path and it seemed to quicken it’s pace as it smacked Serena right in the head. She fell over backwards and didn't move.
“Serena!” Luna cried as she and Artemis rushed over.
Two dark shadows in the bushes laughed wickedly and vanished. The scouts crowded around their fallen friend. Lita propped up Serena’s head and gently shook her.
“Hey, wake up!” she called quietly.
Amy rushed over to a nearby water fountain and soaked her handkerchief with cold water. She sprinkled the water on Serena's face. The unconscious girl moaned.
“She's waking up!” Mina exclaimed.
“She’s all right,” Raye said with relief.
Serena blinked and opened her eyes. She looked around at her friends.
“Oh, my friends! What has happened?” she asked.
The scouts exchanged a four way glance.
“Is it just me, or does she sound different?” Mina said.
“Different? It is not me who sounds different,” Serena objected.
“Yeah, now that you mention it, the normal Serena would be wailing at the top of her lungs,” Raye agreed.
Lita helped her friend into a sitting position.
“What is your name?” she asked.
“What a foolish question! I am Princess Serena of the Moon Kingdom. You are Princess Jupiter and a member of my court,” Serena answered.
“Oh dear,” Luna muttered.
*****
“Mission . . ,” Albite began
“Accomplished,” Halite finished.
Prince Rutile sat on his throne and smiled. “Perfect.”
The Dark Scout of the Negaverse stood beside him and started blankly ahead. Rutile laughed to himself, recalling the brief struggle he had had with the girl Sunny as her mind was slowly taken over by the dark force.
“Dark Scout! Come forward for your orders,” Rutile commanded.
The person who once was Sunny obeyed and bowed before him.
“Yes, my Master?” she said.
“You will capture the Princess and destroy the Sailor Scouts. When she is in her Princess form, Sailor Moon no longer exists. Bring her to me,” Rutile ordered.
“It shall be as you command, Master,” the Dark Scout promised.
*****
Back in Amy's apartment, no one could figure out what had happened to Serena. The princess was seated on the floor, watching Mina play a Sailor V video game. She was dressed in one of Amy’s dresses and was watching the television with great interest.
“Does this bring back any memories, Princess?” she asked.
“What an amazing device! When did the Moon Kingdom acquire such technology?” Serena said.
Mina sighed and shut the game off.
“I have an idea,” Serena said with a grin. “Let us go skating before Mother finds us away from our duties.”
“She thinks she's on the Moon,” Mina said.
“Are we not?” Serena asked, blinking in confusion.
Amy was sitting at her desk, thinking.
“Princess,” she began, “do you know who Sailor Moon is?”
“Sailor Moon? I do not,” she answered.
“Do you know who the Sailor Scouts are?”
“Of course! They are the protectors of my kingdom. Princess Mercury, surely you remember! You are a part of that team!”
“Princess Serena, what is the last thing you remember before waking up here?” Luna asked.
“I was speaking with my mother about becoming Queen someday. Where is my mother, Luna? Is she here?” Serena said.
On her desk, Amy's computer began to flash.
“We've got a monster attack in the park,” she reported.
“Let's go,” Mina said, running out the door.
*****
The monster in the park was hideous. It had four faces on its head and each one reflected a different mood. At the moment, the angry face was destroying a park bench. It was very tall and wore a leotard that changed color with the faces.
“Mercury Star Power!” Amy yelled.
“Mars Star Power!” Raye cried.
“Venus Star Power!” Mina shouted.
“Jupiter Star Power!” yelled Lita.
They transformed and soon the Sailor Scouts were ready to fight. Serena stood with Luna and Artemis, watching. The Scouts bravely stepped into the open and called to the creature.
“Hey, four face!” Sailor Mars yelled.
The monster turned to look at her.
“We are the Sailor Scouts and in the name of Mars . .”
“On behalf of Mercury,” Sailor Mercury added.
“For Venus!” Sailor Venus declared.
“And for Jupiter!” Sailor Jupiter said.
“We will right wrongs and triumph over evil and that means you!” the said together.
Luna turned to Serena, hoping for a response. There was none. The Princess only stood with her hands clasped together, watching her protectors battle.
“I call upon the power of Mars! Fireballs Charge!” Sailor Mars said, throwing a anti-evil sign to the monster.
The angry face shot two beams from its eyes. One hit the sign and destroyed it and the other hit Sailor Mars and flew her into a tree.
“Princess Mars!” Serena called.
“Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!” Sailor Mercury cried.
The face switched to happy.
“Oh boy! Snowball fight!” it cried.
A shield formed and the ice bubbles were shot back at Sailor Mercury. She froze solid.
“Princess Mercury!” Serena cried.
“I'll handle this!” Venus declared.
“Venus Crescent Beam Smash!” she yelled.
The monster's face switched again; it had droopy eyes and it’s mouth was in the shape of a yawn. The face yawned and jumped aside as the beam sped past.
“Aren't you tired?” it asked, shooting pink dust out of it’s mouth. Sailor Venus struggled against its magic.
“No . . I . . ,” she said before she collapsed into a deep sleep.
“Princess Venus! Oh no!” Serena said.
“Did your mother teach you to use the Imperial Silver Crystal?” Luna asked.
Princess Serena nodded and tears filled her eyes.
“Can you use it?” Luna insisted.
Again, Serena nodded.
“Good. Here's the Crescent Wand. Take the Crystal from your locket and place it into the wand,” Luna instructed.
Wordlessly, Serena did as she was told.
“My turn, fuzz brain,” Sailor Jupiter said.
She stepped in front of the creature. The face turned to sad.
“Oh, don't hurt me!” it said. “You’ll make me cry.”
“Guardian Jupiter, bring storm clouds, bolts of lightning, wind and fire! Jupiter Thunder Dragon!” she yelled.
The Thunder Dragon shot to the monster. It held a tissue in its hand and held it up. The Dragon hit it and was absorbed.
“Get ready,” Luna said to Serena.
“Have a tissue to wipe away your tears!” the monster cried.
A long rope of tissue shot out of the monster's hand and tied around Jupiter's throat. The monster pulled and Jupiter fell to the ground, gasping for air.
“Now!” Luna ordered.
Princess Serena stepped forwards, holding her wand. The sad face remained as it looked at it’s new adversary.
“Princess,” Jupiter gasped.
The monster’s face turned to happy and it began to laugh. It held up it’s hand to shoot the princess, when she raised her wand up to it.
“Cosmic Moon Power!” Serena cried.
The monster was surrounded in a bright light and was destroyed with a scream. The rope around Jupiter’s throat slackened and she fell to the ground, breathing deeply.
“You did it!” Luna said happily, running to where the Princess stood.
Serena sank to the ground. “I feel weak,” she whispered.
“The battle's not won yet,” a new voice said menacingly.
From the darkness of the Negaverse, the Dark Scout stepped forwards. She stopped in front of the weakened girl and smiled evilly down at her.
“Sunny?” Luna said in disbelief.
The Dark Scout laughed and turned her gaze to the cat.
“That weak fool is no more. Now, Princess, you'll come with me,” she held out her hand.
Princess Serena struggled to her feet, and held forth her wand again.
“Cosmic Moon . .” she began.
Luna and Artemis couldn't stop her. Serena didn’t remember Sunny at all, and saw only an enemy before her.
“Power!”
Again, the bright light surrounded the Dark Scout. She laughed as the light faded. Princess Serena fell to her knees again.
“It didn't hurt her!” Luna gasped.
“Foolish Princess,” she said, “I am more powerful than your pathetic crystal! I command the powers of the Sun!”
The Dark Scout held her hands out and a small yellow ball formed between them.
“Ultimate Heat Source!” she yelled.
A giant ball of fire attacked the injured Sailor Scouts. They screamed as the fire burned them. The heat was enough to melt Sailor Mercury from her icy prison and she landed on her feet.
“Mercury Bubble Blast!” she ordered.
The flames were beat down by the fog. The other scouts struggled to their feet and, as the fog cleared, Sailor Mercury stepped out to meet the Dark Scout.
“Sunny! Snap out of it! It's us, your friends,” Mercury called.
“You are weakened by your loyalty to one who no longer exists,” the Dark Scout said.
“Sunny, please, listen,” Venus added.
“Silence!” the Dark Scout commanded, holding her hand to Venus, palm facing the scout. Sailor Venus was blown backwards by an unseen force.
“Sailor Venus!” the other scouts cried.
They placed themselves firmly between the Dark Scout and Princess Serena. The Dark Scout only smiled wickedly and continued her advance.
“Try to heal her,” Luna whispered urgently to Serena.
“I do not know how,” she replied.
“Point the crystal at the Dark Scout and say 'Moon Healing Activation',” Luna said.
Serena stepped out in front of the scouts and pointed the crystal at her former friend.
“Moon Healing Activation!” she called.
The Dark Scout screamed and fell to her knees. As the light of the crystal slowly faded, a hint of light return to Sunny's eyes.
“You . . must destroy . . me!” she gasped.
“I cannot,” Serena replied.
“Use your wand, while I am weak. Hurry!” Sunny whispered.
“I cannot,” Serena repeated.
“You must! If you want to survive, use your crystal,” Sunny nearly shouted. “I have the power to destroy the Earth! Kill me before I kill you.”
Tears filled Serena's eyes.
“Sunny,” she whispered, “don't make me do this to you. You know I can't.”
“Do it, for me! If I survive, the Negaverse won't have any control over me. If they do get me, take my broach. I'm powerless without it,” Jenny insisted.
Serena turned to her friends for support.
“You have to, Serena,” Mercury said.
“It’s for our own good,” Mars added. “Sunny’s as well.”
“Very well,” Serena said quietly. “Cosmic Moon Power!” she said, pointing it at Sunny.
The Dark Scout screamed and collapsed onto the ground. Her body twitched as the energy of the Silver Imperial Crystal coursed through her.
“Thank you,” she muttered before fading into unconsciousness.
Two figures appeared out of shadow behind them. The regarded the fallen Dark Scout with an almost concerned look.
“You have destroyed out finest warrior and your dearest friend. We will take her back for a proper disposal,” they said together.
The Scouts placed themselves between the unconscious Dark Scout and the twin Negaverse generals. Their eyes grew grim with determination as they prepared themselves to fight again.
“No you won't,” Sailor Mars said.
“You'll have to get through us first,” Sailor Venus added.
“Yeah and that won't be easy!” Sailor Jupiter said.
Halite and Albite bowed as one, and took a step backwards.
“Until next time, guard her well,” they said and vanished.
*****
They placed Sunny on Amy's bed. She had transformed back into her human form, but the signs of the Dark Scout still showed on her pale face.
“Should we call the hospital?” Serena asked.
Serena was back to normal now. Luna suspected that seeing Sunny brought her to her senses. They all crowded around the fallen sixth scout and worried about her health.
“What would we say for reason she's hurt? Sailor Moon blasted her with a crystal because she was part of the Negaverse?” Raye said.
“Hey, I wasn't Sailor Moon at the time,” Serena argued.
“Right. This sounds much better. A wacko that thought she was the Princess of the Moon blasted her,” Raye said.
“Enough!” Amy cried. “This isn’t the time for you two to start bickering!”
Serena and Raye were immediately quieted by Amy’s uncharacteristically harsh tone. The room was silent for a few minutes.
“Why don't I heal her with my crystal? Sort of like what she does with her ring,” Serena said.
“It wouldn't work. Your crystal heals people who are monsters. Sunny's broach only heals the scouts,” Luna said.
From the bed came a weak groan. Mina checked her pulse again and it was stronger.
“I think she just needs to recover on her own,” Mina said.
“Good idea. Now, who wants to play ball while we wait?” Serena asked.
CHAPTER EIGHT
SAILOR SCOUTS TO THE RESCUE

“Halite! Albite! Report to me at once!” Rutile ordered.
From the depths of the Negaverse, the twin generals emerged. Prince Rutile sat back, looking displeased. The twins showed no emotion on either of their identical faces. They bowed formally and began their report.
“We've been studying Queen Beryl's . . ,” Halite started
“Failed attempts to capture the Sailor Scouts,” Albite finished.
Prince Rutile looked at them expectantly, tapping on hand impatiently on the arm of his throne. He raised one eyebrow expectantly.
“Only one monster has ever attacked at once. If we reuse some monsters that almost succeeded . . ,” Albite continued.
“Then the pesky Scouts will surely be defeated!” Halite concluded.
Prince Rutile of the Negaverse thought their plan through. The twins waited patiently for their ruler to decide.
“You are aware that this will require enormous amounts of energy,” Rutile said slowly. “Energy that we cannot spare.”
“Yes, my Master,” they said together. “It will be worth it if are successful.”
“Very well, you may proceed. Just remember to recapture the Dark Scout. Her power has not yet reached its fullest and it is uncontrolled in her mortal form,” Rutile instructed.
The twin generals bowed once before departing. The Prince sat back and smiled.
“The Dark Scout must be returned to me,” he muttered. “Only then can my Master be free, and the world be ours.”
*****
School had been out for a few weeks now and Serena spent each day with her friends. Sunny had woken up a few days after her rescue, but had become withdrawn. She rarely spoke, but stayed close to Amy, who had nursed her back to health. The other scouts didn’t know what to do to get the old Sunny back, so they behaved as normally as possible, hoping the girl would snap out of it.
Serena walked over to Amy’s apartment, eager to see both Amy and Sunny. Since Amy’s mother had gone away for a while, Sunny had moved it to keep Amy company. She knocked at the door and waited patiently in the hall.
“Serena!” Amy exclaimed as she opened the door. “What are you doing here?”
“Hi Amy!” Serena greeted her. “I just thought I’d see if you and Sunny wanted to go to the mall.”
Amy looked over her shoulder. Serena craned her neck to see around Amy, but it was dark in the apartment and she couldn’t see anything.
“I don’t know,” Amy replied. “Sunny’s still not herself.”
“Maybe this will help her,” Serena suggested. “She liked to shop before.”
The door opened a little further and Sunny stood there. Her skin was still pale and her eyes seemed darker, like she was the Dark Scout again. She looked at Serena without blinking.
“I don’t want to go to the mall,” she said in a quiet, tired voice.
“How about a sleepover tonight?” Serena asked.
Sunny said nothing, and turned to go back into the apartment. Serena took this for a yes.
“Great! I’ll get everyone and we’ll be over at eight,” she decided.
Amy opened her mouth to protest, but Serena had already taken off down the hall. With a sigh, Amy closed the door and turned to Sunny. The girl was seated on the floor, holding her head in one hand.
“Again?” Amy asked gently.
Sunny nodded. “It’s so compelling,” she muttered through clenched teeth. “I can barely stand it anymore.”
“Don’t give up,” Amy told her, sitting down next to her. “I’ve almost got it figured out. I’m sure of it.”
Sunny smiled weakly at her friend and took a deep breath. Satisfied that she had repressed the dark force, Sunny stood and went to get something to eat.
*****
“We're here! The door was open so we let ourselves in,” Lita said happily as she and the other scouts came into the room.
“Hi guys!” Amy answered.
Mina, Lita, Serena and Raye were loaded down with chips, soda pop, games, movies and three steaming pizzas. Luna and Artemis were on the ground at their feet. Amy sat alone in the sitting area of her apartment with Sunny no where to be found.
“How is she?” Luna asked.
Amy ran a weary hand through her hair.
“She’s fighting it,” Amy said with a sigh. “She said it gets harder every time. I don’t know if she’s strong enough.”
“We're here now, and we can stay as long as you like to help you both through this,” Serena comforted.
Amy smiled appreciatively. Sunny appeared in the doorway, wearing a yellow sweat shirt and black pants. The other scouts were shocked at her sickly appearance.
“Thank you,” Sunny said. “I feel stronger knowing you’re all with me.”
“No problem,” Mina told her.
“We’re always here for you,” Raye added.
Jenny came and sat down between Amy and Lita. Luna and Artemis came over to sit by the girl and they all remained still for a moment.
“So, lets eat! I'm totally starved!” Serena exclaimed, helping herself to four pieces of pizza and breaking the silence.
The six friends laughed and talked together like old times. The worries of the Negaverse and the Dark Scout were forgotten and they had a few hours of being normal.
Amy put on one of the movies the others had brought and they watched it together. Luna noticed that Amy stayed protectively close to Sunny. That night passed without incident, and the scouts remained at Amy's house for two days. On the morning of the third day, Serena was bored.
“Let's do something, guys!” she suggested.
“I don’t know if we should,” Amy said. “Sunny’s still not very strong.”
“I feel much better,” Sunny said. “Maybe fresh air will do me good.”
“Come on, Amy. It’s only for a few hours,” Serena pleaded.
Amy looked at Sunny. She hadn’t suffered from a ‘calling’ as they referred to it, since the others had arrived. The other girls were already putting on their shoes to leave.
“So, are you coming Amy?” Raye asked.
Amy smiled and stood.
“Sure, but only for a while,” she agreed. “The fresh air might do Sunny some good.”
They laughed and headed out the door, leaving Luna and Artemis behind.
*****
“Perfect. They are finally leaving. Now's our chance . . ,” Halite said.
“To make it into Negaverse history!” Albite finished.
The two of them began their own watch over Sunny, the Dark Scout of the Negaverse, as she and her friends walked down the street.
*****
“Wow! That movie was awesome!” Serena said.
“Yeah, but did you have to eat all my popcorn?” Raye asked.
“I didn't eat all of it,” Serena protested.
“Yes you did, and you ate mine as well,” Mina added.
“Well, excuse me for being hungry!” Serena yelled.
“It's our turn to sit next to her, you know,” Lita whispered to Amy.
“I know, but I'm not going to buy anything to eat,” Amy smiled.
“I heard that!” Serena said.
The six of them were walking down Main Street from the movie theatre. They had just finished watching 'Aliens From Mars' and Raye was angry at the title.
“There are no aliens on Mars!” she argued.
“How do you know?” Serena asked.
“Because, I'm the Princess of Mars and I think I'd know if I had any subjects waiting for me to return,” Raye said softly but angrily.
“Well, at least I'm the Princess of a real planet,” Serena said.
“Actually Serena, the Moon isn't a planet. It's just a big piece of rock that got stuck in the Earth's gravitational pull millions of years ago,” Amy corrected.
“Who's side are you on, anyway?” Serena asked.
“Don’t worry,” Sunny told Serena. “I don’t have a real planet either.”
They walked on in silence when suddenly Mina spotted something in the distance.
“Hey!” she cried.
“What?” the others asked.
“There's a monster attacking the downtown drug store!” Mina told them.
Sunny paled and fingered her broach nervously. Amy looked at her in concern.
“Maybe Prince Rutile has a cold,” Lita joked.
“I doubt it,” Raye said. “Come on!”
The six young girls raced down the street, Sunny trailing slightly behind the others.
*****
The monster was one they had already fought. It was a giant half human, half plant with a mean looking flower for one hand. It had two people tied down with vines and was draining their energy as the girls appeared at the scene.
“That's a cardian!” Amy said. “What’s it doing here?”
“A what?” Sunny asked.
“Vampire! Your energy is mine!” the monster shouted as it saw the six girls. It finished draining its two victims and lunged at the girls.
“Ready guys? Moon Crystal Power!” Serena said.
“Mercury Star Power!” Amy cried.
“Venus Star Power!” Mina yelled.
“Mars Star Power!” Raye shouted.
“Jupiter Star Power!” Lita called.
In a few seconds, the Sailor Scouts led by Sailor Moon were ready to fight. Sunny stepped back and hid in a dark alley, not trusting herself to transform. She stepped back out of the monster’s sight and felt a pair of hands grab her from behind. She gasped in surprise as a hand clamped over her mouth and felt herself disappearing. Halite stepped out of the shadows and signaled to the creature. It nodded and returned its attention to the Sailor Scouts.
“Okay you creepy monster! I've beaten you once and I can do it again! I'm Sailor Moon and in the name of the Moon I fight for love and justice!” Sailor Moon cried.
“Vampire! I've been waiting for you,” the monster said.
The cardian aimed her flower at them and the petals opened. A dark mist shot out and covered the scouts. As they looked about in alarm, they felt a familiar distortion as they moved from their universe to the Negaverse.
*****
Sailor Moon found herself alone when the darkness cleared. Carefully, she stood and looked around. She wasn’t in a room because she saw no walls or ceiling, but she knew she was in the Negaverse. The only light anywhere was in a small circle around where she shoot. Realizing she was alone, she shouted into the surrounding darkness.
“Come and fight me, Nega trash!”
Nothing happened. A voice that she didn't recognize answered her with out showing itself.
“Sailor Moon, nice of you to join me,” it said.
Sailor Moon tried to pinpoint where the sound was coming from but couldn't.
“Who are you?” she called.
“Not so fast, Moon child. That will be revealed to you in time,” the voice replied. “Besides, I believe we’ve met once before.”
“Where am I?” Sailor Moon asked, knowing the answer before it was given.
“You are in the Negaverse, my domain,” it answered.
“Where are my friends?”
“They are safe, for the moment. Soon, they will each face a monster. If they win, they live. If they lose, they die. Each of them will fight in turn. If they've won, I will keep them safe until you win. If you lose, they will all die. Those are the rules.”
“Let me see them,” Sailor Moon insisted.
“Very well, but they cannot hear you or see you,” the voice reminded her.
In the blackness came four clear circles. They were large and in each of them was a scout. Sailor Mercury was on Sailor Moon's left, then came Jupiter, Mars and Venus. Sailor Moon noticed that each of their rooms was identical to the one in which she was being held. She also noticed that Sunny was no where to be seen. She hoped the girl had escaped safely.
“Let Round One begin!” the voice ordered.
In Sailor Mercury's area, a monster appeared. It was the monster Titanus that they had fought on Jadeite's mock cruise. The monster roared once and Sailor Mercury's lips moved, but Sailor Moon couldn't hear what she said.
“You can do it!” Sailor Moon whispered.
From somewhere high, the voice laughed evilly.
*****
Sailor Mercury watched as the monster circled. She hadn't any idea where she was or the rules of the game in which she was involved. She remembered the monster she was facing and knew that her bubbles would be useless against it. It controlled water as much as she did.
“Let's get this over with,” she yelled.
The monster nodded and the scene changed. Sailor Mercury was standing on a wooden raft in the middle of a lake somewhere. The monster was no where to be seen.
*****
“That's not fair!” Sailor Moon objected as she watched Mercury’s scene change.
“My game, my rules,” the voice said. “And not everything is fair.”
Clenching her fists, Sailor Moon turned back to the fight.
*****
Suddenly, from the water came a huge wave. Sailor Mercury fell onto the raft and held on as it swept over her. The raft overturned and she was in the water.
“Mercury Bubble Blast!” she cried, concentrating on what she wanted to do.
Instead of the usual mist, a huge bubble appeared beneath her. It lifted her out of the water and into the sky.
From her own cell, Sailor Moon cheered.
The monster them came, floating on the water. It raised it's arms and two columns of water rose up.
“Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!” Sailor Mercury yelled.
Before the monster could use the pillars she had created, they froze solid and so did the lake where she was floating. Mercury's bubble popped and she fell down, onto the ice. The monster couldn't move.
“You're not so dangerous when there's no water around, are you?” Sailor Mercury asked.
The monster tried to swipe at the girl with her hand but Mercury jumped back.
“Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!” she called again.
The monster froze and the scene vanished. Sailor Mercury was once again in the small dark room and more confused than before.

“We won!” Sailor Moon cried, jumping up and down.
“One for the scouts,” the voice admitted.
Sailor Moon looked at the next bubble, with Sailor Jupiter ready to fight.
*****
Sailor Jupiter was ready for the monster. It was the photo monster Sailor Moon had fought. Jupiter wasn’t familiar with this monster because it had been defeated before she had become a scout. This monster could capture you in her film with a single shot.
“All right photo-head, let's rumble!” Jupiter said.
The scene changed again. Now they were in a photo studio. There were models screaming in terror at the monster that had appeared before them. The photo monster smiled at Jupiter and took the model's pictures. They vanished.
“What the . . ?” Jupiter said.
“You're turn,” the monster cried as it charged.
Jupiter leapt high and the monster crashed into the wall.
“Jupiter Thunder Crash!” she cried.
A bolt of lightning hit the monster. It shrugged the attack off and faced Jupiter again.
“You'll need to do better than that!” it screamed.
Jupiter tried to remember how Serena had said this monster had been destroyed. She could recall Serena bragging about the defeat, but the details wouldn’t stick in her brain. Her gaze turned to a small mirror that one of the models had been using.
Jupiter dived for the mirror and was hit by a flying photo. The picture dug deep into her leg and she winced with pain. With the mirror safely in her hand, she lay on the floor and waited.
“Now you're mine!” the monster yelled.
“That’s what you think, bulb-brain,” Jupiter countered with a triumphant smile.
It tried to take her picture but she held out the mirror. The beam bounced back and hit the monster. It shriek once and vanished. The scene changed and Jupiter was once again alone in the dark. Her leg was bleeding and a cloth appeared beside her. She put it on her leg and the bleeding stopped.
*****
“Two for the scouts,” the voice reported.
Sailor Moon watched as Jupiter held the cloth to her leg.
“Why did you help her?” she asked.
“I told you they would live until you lost,” the voice answered.
“We can’t have her bleed to death before that. Round Three, begin!”
*****
Sailor Mars sensed the monster before it arrived. It was the monster they had faced when Serena had gone on vacation. This sea creature was really a woman who had been consumed with jealousy and had transformed into a monster. Sailor Mars knew that wasn't the original monster, but one that the Negaverse had created to fool her. Sailor Mars wasn't fooled and faced her adversary with grim determination.
“You're not so tough! I can take you easily,” Sailor Mars said.
“I know this, so there's an extra treat for you,” a strange voice called.
Beside the sea creature came another monster. Sailor Mars had seen this one before as well. It was the Dream Princess from the amusement park. The scene changed and they were in the castle at the park.
“Now, face us both!” they cried.
“No problem!” Sailor Mars said confidently.
She pulled out an anti evil sign and held it in front of her.
“I call upon the powers of Mars! Fire balls charge!” she called.
The sign stuck to the mechanical Princesses forehead. Sailor Mars smiled, remembering how easy it had been to defeat the Princess the first time.
“Help me, I can't move. Help me,” it said in a mechanical voice.
“Mars Fire Ignite!” she called.
The false Dream Princess was reduced to ashes. While this was going on, the sea creature had snuck behind Sailor Mars and now grabbed her.
“You're mine!” it said.
Sailor Mars could feel her energy being drained away and she became positive that this wasn't the same creature they had set free. She knew the original monster hadn't drained energy, but was only consumed by jealousy. Sailor Mars kicked the monster and it released her with a painful grunt.
“Mars Firebird Strike!” she cried.
The fire bird destroyed the monster and she was taken back to her cell, slightly drained, but other wise unharmed.
*****
“Three for the scouts,” the voice said.
“We can't be defeated! Queen Beryl thought she could and we proved her wrong. What's with you bad guys? Can't you see that we'll always win?” Sailor Moon said.
“We can always try,” the voice replied, sounding hurt. “Round Four, begin!”
“You can do it, Venus,” Moon whispered.
*****
Sailor Venus knew the monster she saw, having fought it before. It was the horrible vulture that had tried to drain kindergarten children of their energy. She also knew that she could destroy him. When the scene changed, however, her confidence faltered.
They were in the same tunnel where they had fought before. There were children in an overturned bus that were screaming for help. Sailor Venus had to beat the monster before she could free the children.
“Sailor Venus! Help us!” a familiar young voice said.
Sailor Venus looked and saw Carrie, the girl she had met before. The girl looked at the heroine with large, tear-filled eyes. Venus could hear the frightened whimpers of the other children on board.
“I'll save you!” she promised. “I’ll save you all.”
The vulture lunged at her and Venus jumped away in time.
“Venus Crescent Beam Smash!” Venus cried.
The monster leapt clear as the beam sped past. Venus growled in frustration.
“Sailor Venus! The bus is on fire!” Carrie screamed. “Help us!”
Venus looked and saw flames flicking out from near where the gas tank was. The frightened cried intensified and she turned to stare the monster in the eye. It grinned back at her, refusing to attack.
“I don't have time for you!” Venus yelled. “Venus Meteor Shower!”
Again, the monster dodged.
Strangely, Sailor Venus felt a new power within her.
“Venus Love Chain Encircle!” she screamed.
The chain struck the monster in the chest. It roared once and disappeared. Sailor Venus ran to the bus to get the children before it was too late. The bus was just out of reach when the scene wavered and vanished. She found herself again in the dark cell.
“No!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
*****
From Sailor Moon's prison, she could hear Sailor Venus's desperate cry. Her heart almost broke at her friend’s mournful cry.
“Your turn, Sailor Moon!” the voice said.
The blackness faded and Sailor Moon could see her friends. They were each in glass cages.
“Sailor Moon!” they all cried.
“Who is my challenge?” Sailor Moon asked. “I’ve beaten your Nega-creatures easily before.”
The owner of the mysterious voice chuckled and stepped forward out of the shadows. Sailor Moon’s eyes widened and she heard the other scouts gasp in shock.
“You'll face me,” she said.
It was Sunny, the Dark Scout of the Negaverse. She grinned evilly and took a fighting stance.
“Sunny!” Mercury cried, a tear streaming down her cheek.
“Not again!” Jupiter groaned.
“I know how to help you,” Sailor Moon said to her foe. “Let me heal you.”
“I don't need help, but you will,” the Dark Scout yelled. “Dark Flame Attack!”
Sailor Moon jumped out of the way as the flame hit Sailor Mars's cage and vanished. The Dark Scout lunged at Sailor Moon, knocking her flat on her back. The Dark Scout stood over her, the smile never leaving her face. Sailor Moon rose to her feet and held up her crystal.
“Moon Crystal Healing Activation!” she yelled.
The Dark Scout smiled and didn't move. The light of the crystal floated around her and she began to laugh.
“You can't heal me!” she said. “I’ve realized the true strength of the Negaverse. I can never go back to the weak fool I was before.”
The scene changed and they were in the park where they had first met Sunny. The scouts were still in their cages and the Dark Scout was ready. It was night time, but Sailor Moon could see the sun slowly rising. The Dark Scout attacked again and the battle was renewed. They fought until the sun was high in the sky.
“Look!” Sailor Moon cried. “The Sun calls to you, Sunny. Listen to it. Become Sailor Junior Sun once more.”
The Dark Scout smirk vanished and she held her head in her hands as they sun's light hit her.
“No!” she screamed and fell to her knees.
The darkness of her costume melted into a pool around her. As the Sun rose higher in the sky, the darkness seemed to cry out shrilly and it scattered into the receding shadows of the park. All that was left was Sunny, kneeling on the grass. She raised her head weakly to look at Sailor Moon and smiled.
“I'm back,” she said softly.
The glass cages vanished and the scouts were freed. They ran to where Sailor Moon knelt beside Sunny.
“Are you back for good? Are you Sailor Junior Sun?” Mars asked.
“She will never be yours,” a new voice called.
They turned and saw Prince Rutile. He floated in the sky above them, looking down arrogantly.
“When the sky is dark and the moon bright, she will belong to me!” he announced and disappeared, leaving only his echoing laughter.
*****
Amy opened her door and they entered her apartment. Raye and Lita were supporting Sunny between them and the girl collapsed gratefully on the couch. Luna and Artemis came up to them.
“What happened?” Artemis asked.
Mina began explaining, with the others adding details in. Sunny sat alone on the couch. Her head was down as Prince Rutile’s words echoed in her mind.
When the sky is dark and the moon bright, she will belong to me!
“Sunny?” Serena asked.
Sunny looked up and smiled. Serena sat next to her friend and they listened to the other scouts tell the stories of their battles. Sunny took a deep breath.
“Will I ever be Sailor Junior Sun again?” she asked.
Serena smiled. “Of course you will,” she said. “We’ll set you free once and for all.”
CHAPTER NINE
RAYE'S TRUTH


At the local swimming pool, Raye and Serena splashed in the water. Sunny sat in the sun, wearing a dark purple bathing suit and sunglasses. Raye dove underwater and yanked on Serena's long, blonde pigtails. With a startled cry, Serena fell over backwards and sank in the water. The sudden call made Sunny sit up and look for her friends. Her eyes skimmed the still surface of the pool until the water broke and Raye came up, laughing. Sunny smiled as Serena came up behind Raye, sputtering and yelling at her friend.
“Raye, you brat! You could have killed me!” she hollered.
“Take it easy, Serena, it was just a joke,” Sunny said softly.
Ever since the scouts had gotten Sunny back, she seemed changed. She was a lot weaker and often felt tired. Her sense of humor was the same and Sunny usually made light of her problems. She tried not to complain and refused all help her friends offered. Luna had said many times that Sunny was simply trying to deal with the struggle that was going on inside her. She knew she was no longer Sailor Junior Sun and that with every night came disaster.
When the sky is dark and the moon bright, she will belong to me! Prince Rutile had told them.
“I will not take it easy! She's trying to murder me!” Serena wailed.
“Oh, be quiet!” Raye snapped, splashing water at Serena.
Sunny shook her head and sighed. She took off her sunglasses and glanced up at the overhead sun.
“I think I need to cool down,” she said as she stood.
Raye and Serena stopped their fight and watched as their friend slowly walked to the stairs leading into the pool.
“Sunny, are you sure . . ?” Raye began.
“You're all right?” Sunny ended angrily, her eyes flashing.
Raye lowered her eyes and drew circles in the water in front of her. Serena stood behind her, looking equally ashamed.
“I'm not an invalid,” Sunny flared.
She sat down on the second step and allowed the water to rise to her neck.
“Aaah, this is better,” she sighed.
Serena watched her friend carefully. She didn't even notice until too late when Raye lifted her out of the water. Raye ignored Serena's surprised cry and threw her into the deep end of the pool. Serena came sputtering to the surface.
“Gotcha!” Raye said calmly as Sunny laughed.
*****
That afternoon, the five Sailor Scouts, Luna, Artemis and Sunny were at Raye's Temple. Serena was still upset about the incident that morning. The others had laughed when Sunny told them about it, imitating both Serena and Raye outrageously.
“I'm glad you guys think it's funny,” Serena pouted.
Mina put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
“Oh Serena, it's not that! It's just the way Sunny tells it,” she said.
Serena turned her back to the group, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
“Now, down to business,” Luna said at last, jumping up on the table to break any further arguments.
Serena turned back around to face Luna. The scouts gave the two cats their full attention.
“Sunny,” Artemis began, “do you know who we are when you're the Dark Scout?”
Sunny shook her head. “I don't think so. I seem to forget everything when I'm . . . not me.”
Luna breathed a sigh of relief.
“Your identities are safe, girls,” she announced.
“Our next problem is how to keep Sunny . . . normal when night falls,” Artemis said.
Sunny shook her head. “I don't think there is a way. You guys shouldn’t worry so much about me.”
“Sure there is a way, and we're going to find it,” Mina encouraged. “And we have to worry because you’re our friend.”
“Yes, all I need to do is get some readings of the Dark Scout on my computer, compare them to your own and then some simple math. It shouldn't take very long,” Amy said.
“Good. We'll meet at Sunny's grandparent’s house one hour before sundown. Okay?” Luna asked.
The five scouts and Sunny nodded.
“Oh, Meatball Head,” Raye said, “try not to be too late. You might miss the fun.”
*****
Lita, Raye, and Sunny spent the rest of the day together. They went shopping and then, at Sunny’s insistence, they headed to the nearby zoo. They walked around together, laughing and enjoying the beautiful day. Finally, Sunny lead her friends to a dark cage filled with upside down, sleeping bats.
“See these? These are the world's most misunderstood creatures,” Sunny said, pointing to the cage.
“What kind of bats are they?” Raye asked, moving closer.
“Vampire,” Sunny answered casually.
Raye immediately jumped away and stood behind Lita. Lita laughed and Sunny shook her head.
“Don't worry, they don't drink human blood and they certainly don't drain you empty. They've just got a bad reputation,” Sunny said, trying to relieve Raye’s anxiety.
Raye stepped closer to the cage.
“Hello girls,” a voice behind them said. Raye jumped at the sudden noise and turned quickly. Behind them was an elderly man with short, white hair and kind, brown eyes.
“Hello Mr. Reson,” Sunny said cheerfully.
Raye went to stand beside Lita. Hanging from Mr. Reson's gloved hand was a large bat. Its eyes were closed and it appeared to be sleeping. Raye half hid behind her friend.
“Is that a vampire bat?” Raye asked nervously.
Mr. Reson laughed and took a mango from his pocket. The animal on his hand instantly came awake and reached out with its wings to bring the fruit to its mouth.
“No, this is Susan. She's a fruit bat, from the rain forest,” he said.
Sunny stroked the bat's head fondly. Mr. Reson handed the mango to Lita, who held it while Susan ate. Raye stood a safe distance away, eyeing the bat suspiciously.
“She doesn't bite or suck blood. It's like petting a cat. Come here,” Lita said.
Raye shook her head and help up her hands.
“No thanks. We gotta go guys. It's getting late,” she said, emphasizing the last few words.
Sunny looked up sharply, catching Raye’s meaning. She petted Susan a final time and waved good bye to Mr. Reson. With Raye leading, the trio made their way to Sunny's house.
*****
“Oh no! I'm gonna be majorly late!” Serena wailed as she ran down the street.
Behind her, the sun was already beginning to set. Luna ran at her heels.
“It's a good thing Sunny doesn't live very far away,” the cat panted.
Soon the two of them were at the front door. They rang the bell and waited patiently to be admitted. Sunny's grandmother answered the door. She was dressed in her coat and held a cooking bowl in her hand. She looked in surprise as Serena, and let her in.
“Well, I better be going. I'm late making dinner,” Sunny's grandmother said after calling to Sunny.
“This late?” Serena asked.
Sunny's grandmother didn't answer. She waved and walked into the kitchen. Serena and Luna ran up the stairs to Sunny's room.
“They're here!” Lita announced from the door.
“You girls better transform so you can handle the Dark Scout if you have to,” Artemis advised.
“Good idea,” Amy agreed. She was seated at Sunny’s desk. Lita stood by the door, with Mina and Sunny sitting on Sunny’s bed. The former Sailor Junior Sun looked very nervous and frightened.
Serena held up her locket. “Moon Crystal Power!”
“Venus Star Power!” Mina cried.
“Mars Star Power!” Raye shouted.
“Mercury Star Power!” Amy yelled.
“Jupiter Star Power!” Lita ordered.
“Scout Power!” the five of them said together.
Soon, the five Sailor Scouts were standing in front of Sunny. Sailor Mercury took out her computer and set it up to take some fast readings. Sailor Jupiter looked out the window as the last traces of the sun sank beneath the horizon. Sunny doubled over in pain as she was surrounded in an intense, dark light. Her hair turned black and her eyes grew dark and wicked. Her outfit was as black as ebony except for the white leotard, and the sun jewels on her tiara and choker were a dull, unpolished silver. On her feet were knee high black boots. She raised her head to glare at the scouts.
“So, you've come to attack me when I'm weak? Well, I won't let you,” she snarled. She waved her hand and a dark portal appeared.
Sailor Moon stepped forwards. “Let me heal you,” she said almost pleadingly.
“Hah! Your puny crystal is no match for me! You'll never defeat me or the Negaverse!” the Dark Scout yelled as she vanished though the portal.
The scouts stood in the now empty room in shock. Mercury sat at Sunny’s desk, typing furiously at her computer.
“Well, did you get the readings?” Luna asked as she and Artemis crawled out from under the bed.
Sailor Mercury nodded without looking up from her screen. After a moment, she sighed and sat back. She looked up at her friends with sad eyes.
“I'm afraid the math isn't so simple. It will take me quite a while to figure these readings out before I can solve them,” she said.
“Artemis, go with the other scouts to track down Sunny. I'll go with Mercury to her house and we'll work on these readings. Good luck girls,” Luna said.
“Right,” the scouts agreed at once.
Artemis jumped onto Venus’ shoulder and Luna to Mercury’s. The five scouts leapt from Sunny’s bedroom window and ran off into the moonlight.
*****
At the zoo, Mr. Reson was cleaning up Susan's cage. He put the bat in and securely closed the door. Humming quietly, he turned to leave. Before he could take a single step, however, a dark figure was in front of him.
“Who are you?” he stammered, stumbling backwards.
“Congratulations, Mr. Reson. You and your bat have just been drafted by the Negaverse!” the Dark Scout declared with a slight smile.
The Dark Scout stretched out her hand, her palm facing her targets and the elderly zookeeper fell to his knees, screaming in pain and terror. Susan shrieked in her cage, and the Dark Scout stood back and waited. Mr. Reson and Susan were soon transformed into two monsters for the Negaverse. The zookeeper became a tall, muscular man with blue skin and a single lock of black hair. His fingernails became long and sharp. The bat became gigantic, with long fangs protruding from her mouth. She broke free of her cage and flew to her keeper’s shoulder, shrieking evilly.
“Excellent. Now, come with me,” the Dark Scout said as she disappeared.
“Yes Master,” the monster rasped and vanished as well.
*****
They reappeared by the lion's cage at the zoo. The Dark Scout looked around and nodded. “The ideal place for a trap,” she murmured to herself. She turned to her servant.
“Attract the attention of the Sailor Scouts,” the Dark Scout ordered.
The monster bowed and the Dark Scout vanished back into the Negaverse. Her creature immediately began destroying everything it could lay its hands on. The monster that once was Mr. Reson snarled and bellowed at the top of his lungs. Susan screamed as well and the sound was heard all through Tokyo. In minutes, the Scouts were there.
“Hold it right there. You think you can wreck our zoo? Well, guess again. I'm Sailor Moon and I stand for love and justice. In the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!” Sailor Moon announced.
“Don't you think that speech is a little old?” Sailor Mars asked.
“Butt out Mars, no one asked you,” Sailor Moon replied.
High in the trees, the Dark Scout appeared. She looked down and pointed to the scouts.
“Bat! Take that one away!” she commanded.
The giant bat launched itself from its master’s shoulder and swooped down to grab Sailor Mars. They flew high in the air towards a dark portal and were suddenly gone. The Dark Scout laughed and left the other monster to finish them off.
“Sailor Mars!” Sailor Moon cried, but she was too late to do anything for her friend.
With grim determination, she and the remaining scouts turned to face the demon.
*****
Sailor Mars floated in a dark place for what seemed like hours. The bat and the Dark Scout were no where to be found. She was tense and ready to battle, her dark eyes darting to every corner of her timeless prison. Soon, Mars relaxed and let her mind wander. It went directly to her most painful memory - her parents.
She remembered that summer all too well. Her parents had flown her from their home in Sapporo to visit her grandfather in Tokyo. She was to learn how to maintain the Temple that had been in their family for generations. She had been ten at the time and she was supposed to have gone home the following summer after a year of study at the Cherry Hill Temple.
A tear rolled down Sailor Mars' cheek as she remembered the horrible phone call that had broken her heart. Her old neighbour had called from Sapporo two weeks before she was supposed to leave. There had been a robbery at her parent's store the night before. The man had entered and threatened to shoot if he didn't get what he wanted. Her father had given him all his money and her mother had parted with all her jewels. Even her little brother had given up his toy train so the man wouldn't shoot. He did anyway. Three times in the chest for her father. Once in the arm and once in the head for her mother and Tomas, her four year old brother, had been shot in the chest five time.
Sailor Mars threw her head back and screamed into the dark.
“Why are you doing this to me? What do you want?”
There was no answer. She remembered going back to Sapporo anyway – her grandfather had told her she must. She remembered the police photos of her dead family; and the blood. Most of all, she remembered the blood.
Sailor Mars curled her body into a fetal position and sobbed. Memories of happy times with her family came back, but they were all shrouded in the red tinge of blood. It felt like hours had passed before the bat returned. It picked her up and brought her away from the terrible shadowy prison of her past. Before she left, Sailor Mars turned and saw a single face in the dark. The pale face of the Dark Scout, smiling cruelly.
*****
The Sailor Scouts were a sorry sight as Sailor Mars returned. The bat dropped her roughly to the ground and she rolled near to where Sailor Jupiter was crouching behind a rock. Sailor Venus lay unconscious a few feet away and Sailor Moon was up in a tree. The bat returned to its master’s shoulder. The blue monster laughed and opened its mouth.
“Look out!” Jupiter called.
Mars looked up as the blue monster’s tongue shot out of its mouth and tried to wrap itself around the scout. Sailor Jupiter grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way as the creature’s tongue struck a tree and disintegrated it.
“Thanks,” Mars said somberly.
“Where were you?” Jupiter demanded, eyeing the monster.
Mars wiped a tear away and concentrated on the fight. She noticed that the monster bat was eating fruit from a nearby apple tree.
“That guy looks familiar,” Mars observed.
“Yeah. It looks like Sunny's friend Mr. Reson,” Jupiter agreed.
Sailor Mars stood up and shouted to her friend in the tree. The monster saw her move and prepared to attack her again.
“Sailor Moon! These guys aren't from the Negaverse! They're mortal! Heal them!” she yelled.
Sailor Moon jumped down from the tree and opened her locket. The blue man lunged toward Sailor Mars, who stood her ground.
“Moon Crystal Healing Activation!” Sailor Moon cried.
The two monsters were enveloped in a pale light and shrunk back to their normal size. Mr. Reson fell forward and Sailor Mars caught him. She lowered him gently to the ground, where he lay unconscious beside his bat, Susan.
“No! I cannot be defeated!” the Dark Scout moaned from her perch in the trees. Sailor Moon turned to face her, the crystal still glowing. The Dark Scout glared at her enemies and disappeared into the Negaverse.
*****
“I did that to you? Gee, I'm sorry, Raye” Sunny said the next day.
Raye had just finished telling them about her parents.
“It's okay. I should have got it off my chest earlier,” Raye said, wiping away a tear.
The other scouts sat around in silence, each with concerned expressions on their faces.
“Good news guys, I think I've got the answer!” Amy said from her desk.
“No, you forgot about the negative space continuum!” Luna corrected.
Amy sighed. “Nevermind,” she said and turned back to her work.
Raye turned her head and saw Serena sitting beside her.
“I'm sorry I called you a brat, Raye. I had no idea you had that much sorrow inside you,” Serena said sincerely.
Raye laughed. “Thank you, Serena. You know, I'm really lucky.”
“That you were here instead of there?” Serena asked.
Raye shook her head. “Nope, that I have so many good friends.”
CHAPTER TEN
BIRTHDAY BASH

“Hey, what day is it today?” Mina asked.
“Isn’t it near the end of June? The 25th or 26th?” Sunny replied.
“No, it’s the 24th,” Lita corrected.
“So what?” Raye demanded.
The four of them were sitting at the bus stop, waiting for the number 7 to go downtown. Amy, Luna, and Artemis were at Serena’s house, trying to help her study. Serena’s mother had decided to enroll her daughter in summer school to bring up her math, science and English marks. Amy had agreed to sacrifice every Saturday for three weeks to help Serena pass.
“What do you mean ‘so what’? Have you any idea what day it is on the 30th?” Mina asked.
“Friday?” Sunny offered.
Mina shook her head. “No, I mean yes, but that’s not important.”
Raye, Lita and Sunny were completely confused. They stared at their friend with wide eyes. Mina waited for them to realize their ignorance.
“Spit it out all ready, what day is it on the 30th?” Raye blurted finally, breaking the silence.
“It’s Serena’s birthday!” Mina said.
“Serena’s birthday?” Lita repeated.
“Are you sure?” Raye asked.
Mina nodded sagely. The bus pulled up and the four friends stood to board. They settled into seats near the back.
“Cool! We need to plan a major bash!” Sunny cried as the bus lurched forward.
Mina smiled. “My thoughts exactly.”
*****
“Oooh, math’s too hard! And science makes no sense and English is way too complicated!” Serena wailed.
Amy covered her ears with her hands as Serena’s cries rose. Beside her, Luna buried her head under a pillow and Artemis came awake with a start.
“Take is easy! Let’s go over this English again. Pay attention. What is a noun Serena?” Amy asked.
Serena sniffed. “I don’t know! I give up! When in my life will I need to know what a noun is?”
Amy sighed and closed her book.
“Besides, I’m never going somewhere where they speak English,” Serena huffed, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.
“Maybe we need a break,” Luna suggested. Artemis rose to his feet and stretched.
“Yeah, we’ve been doing this for almost three hours and my ears are starting to hurt,” Artemis agreed.
Luna looked at him sternly. “Did we interrupt your cat nap?” she asked coldly.
Artemis cringed and shrunk away.
“Who ever invented summer school should be locked up!” Serena declared.
Amy perked up. “Good Serena, now what’s the noun in that sentence?”
Serena threw a pillow at her friend. “Stop talking like a teacher, you’re starting to scare me!”
*****
The number 7 bus pulled away from the stop four hours later. Raye, Mina, Lita and Sunny were left standing where they had begun, only now they were loaded down with bags filled with things for Serena’s party.
“Okay, we’ve got streamers?” Mina said.
“Check, and they’re pink,” Sunny said.
“How about balloons?”
“Right here, blue and pink,” Raye said.
“Okay . . gifts?”
“Check for me, check for you, check for Mina, check for Sunny, check for Amy, and check,” Lita said, rummaging through the bags.
“Who’s that last check from?” Sunny asked.
Lita held up a pair of pink barrettes.
“Luna and Artemis, of course,” she answered.
“And the food?”
“It’s on reserve at the bakery. I got pastries, a cake, and some pink candies,” Lita answered. “I’ll make the main course myself.”
“Boy, this is gonna be the pinkest party in the world,” Raye muttered.
“As long as Serena likes it,” Sunny said. She paused for a second as a thought occurred to her. “We don’t have to wear pink, do we?”
The others laughed and they headed for Raye’s temple to plan the celebration.
“We can have it here. Grandpa doesn’t mind,” Raye said as they sat in her room.
“Great. We only have a week. Who’ll make invitations?” Mina asked.
“I will,” Sunny volunteered.
“Perfect. We’ll invite the scouts, of course, Molly and Melvin, those girls Serena hangs out with at school,” Lita began.
“I think their names are Cathy, Sally, and Linda,” Sunny said.
Lita nodded. “Don’t forget Darien, Andrew, Luna, and Artemis.”
“That’s thirteen invitations. I can have them ready by Monday,” Sunny said.
“Monday?” Mina asked, her eyes focused on a clipboard of preparations. “You can do them over night and . . “
Mina lowered her clipboard as Sunny’s face tightened. “Sorry,” Mina said.
“It’s okay,” Sunny assured her. “It’ll just take some getting used to.”
“Don’t worry, we’re all working on a solution to your problem,” Raye said with a smile. “And we’ll have it solved before we’re ‘used to’ it.”
Sunny smiled uneasily, picked up her bag.
“I’ve got to go. I’ll phone Amy and clue her in,” she called over her shoulder. “Bye!”
“Do you think I upset her?” Mina asked.
Lita watched Sunny disappear down the steps. “She’s strong. I don’t think she’s mad at you.”
“I guess we’ll see tonight,” Raye added softly.
*****
“That’s a terrific idea. I’ll keep Serena busy until next Saturday,” Amy said over the phone that evening.
“Perfect.” Sunny looked out her window and noticed the sun was beginning to set. “I’d better go, it’s getting late.”
“No problem, I’ll warn the others,” Amy replied. “We’ll be on guard.”
They said good bye and hung up. Sunny sat down on her bed and waited for the inevitable to happen while, at the same time, wondering how she was going to decorate the invitations.
*****
The next morning, Sunny woke up somewhere other than her house. She was in a small alley and had a thin blanket draped over her. She sat up carefully and looked around. A few feet away sat a small old man wearing old, dirty clothes and a ratty hat. He smiled as she stirred and came over to her.
“So, you’re finally awake,” he said, crouching next to her.
“What happened?” Sunny asked.
She rose to her feet and the man took back his blanket and stood with her.
He looked up at her and smiled a toothless grin. “I found ya.”
“Where did you find me?”
“Right here. You was cold and I thought you was dead but here ya are, as fresh as a daisy,” he said, folding up his blanket.
“Thank you,” Sunny said.
The man smiled and pushed her towards the street.
“You go on now, I bet there’s a family waiting for you somewhere,” he said.
Sunny looked back at the homeless man. She pulled her wallet out of her pocket and handed him some money.
“Here, take this,” she offered.
The man backed away, holding up his hands.
“Sorry miss, I can’t take money from youngun’s,” he said. Then, with a wink, he added. “Besides, if I wanted money, I would’ve taken it from you when you was asleep.”
Sunny smiled, thanked him again and left the alley to find out where in Tokyo she was.
*****
She blinked in the sunlight and looked around. To her right was the Crown Arcade where Serena had said her friend Andrew worked. She decided to check if anyone was there.
“Hi,” Andrew called as she walked in.
The young man was standing behind the counter, selling tokens to the midmorning summer crowd. Sunny smiled at him and walked up to the counter, looking around as she did for signs of her friends.
“You’re Andrew, right?” Sunny asked.
He nodded.
“Have you seen Serena or Lita around?”
“Hey!” Andrew said suddenly. “You must be Sunny! Serena’s told me about you. Nice to meet you.”
He held out his hand in greeting and Sunny shook it. Andrew smiled warmly at her.
“I haven’t seen Serena in days, and Lita hasn’t been here yet. She usually doesn’t come in until the afternoon. I can tell them you were here, when I see them,” he offered.
Sunny nodded gratefully. “Thanks. I’ll go look for them somewhere else. Nice meeting you!”
Sunny turned and left the arcade. She wandered further downtown, hoping to catch the bus to Raye’s temple, but her thoughts lingered on Andrew.
Wow! He’s cute and nice. No wonder Lita and Serena both had major crushes on him! Sunny thought as she walked down the street.
Up ahead, the number 3 bus heading for the Cherry Hill Temple honked its horn, signaling its departure.
“Hey! Wait for me!” she yelled as she ran to catch it.
*****
Raye’s boyfriend, Chad was outside sweeping the stairs of the Temple. He was tall with long, brown hair that covered his blue eyes. Sunny liked him as a friend, even though she couldn’t see what Raye saw in him as a boyfriend.
“Hey, hi Sunny!” he called as Jenny ran up the stairs.
“Hi Chad, is Raye around?” Sunny asked, slowing to catch her breath.
Chad stopped his work and rested his weight on the broom. He smiled at Sunny.
“She’s, like, inside. You know, Serena’s birthday is on Friday and Raye’s planning a party, or something.”
Sunny forced herself to smile at him.
“I know. I made invitations. They’ll be ready tomorrow.”
“Cool. Am I, uh, invited?” he asked.
Sunny started to walk into the Temple.
“Of course you are. See you tomorrow!”
He’s so stunned. What does Raye see in him? Sunny wondered.
*****
Inside Raye’s room was a total disaster area. There were bags and wrappers every where. Pink ribbons and blue balloons hung from the ceiling, with the leftovers shoved into overflowing corners. Raye was sitting on the floor, looking over a list. Sunny knocked politely on the door. Raye looked up and smiled.
“Come on in,” Raye said.
Sunny came in and sat beside her friend. She looked over Raye’s shoulder at the list.
“So, what horrible things did I do last night?” Sunny asked.
“Nothing much. You just terrorized an old folks home. I have no idea why. The elderly don’t have much energy to spare,” Raye answered.
“Sorry,” Sunny apologized, lowering her eyes in shame.
Raye put down her list and looked at Sunny with gentle, forgiving eyes.
“Don’t worry. You can’t control yourself when you’re like that. Now that’s you’re here, you can help me with Serena’s party. Mina and Lita are at the movies and Amy is with Serena, somewhere,” Raye said.
The two of them worked for the rest of the day. At about noon, Lita and Mina came over with take-out burgers for them. At six, Raye’s grandfather called them for supper. Sunny looked at her watch.
“I’d better go, I haven’t been home all day,” she said.
“Why? Didn’t you end up at home last night?” Mina asked.
Sunny shook her head. “No, I woke up outside the arcade. I finally met Andrew.”
“Do you like him?” Lita asked with a smile.
Sunny returned the grin. “I can see what you and Serena see in him, if that’s what you mean.”
Mina and Raye laughed as Lita blushed. Sunny rose to her feet and headed for the door.
“It’s almost sunset, so I’d better get home,” Sunny said.
“Okay, we’ll see you tonight and tell you about it tomorrow,” Lita said.
Sunny left to catch the bus to her grandparent’s house.
*****
Finally it was Friday. The guests had arrived, the house was decorated and the presents were wrapped. They were all waiting for Serena to show up with Amy.
“I can’t wait to see the look on her face!” Mina said.
Raye sipped her juice and smiled.
“Yeah, she’s gonna go through the roof,” Lita agreed.
Sunny glanced nervously out the window at the blue sky.
“Are you sure the party’s gonna end before sunset?” she asked.
Raye put her hand on Sunny’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”
They waited for a few hours, eating and talking to the guests before the birthday girl arrived.
“She’s coming up the stairs!” Andrew called from the doorway.
All the guests except the scouts and Sunny hid. Luna and Artemis pretended to be sleeping on Raye’s bed. The door opened and Amy came in followed by Serena.
“Hi guys! Guess what today is?” Serena asked.
“Friday?” Jenny answered.
That was the guests’ cue. They all jumped out of their hiding places and yelled “SURPRISE!”
Serena blinked and looked around the room. All her dearest friends were smiling at her.
“Thank you,” she said to the scouts in front of her.
The party continued for hours. As the guests danced, Sunny noticed in alarm that the sun was almost gone. She felt the now familiar pain in her stomach as her ring began to glow.
“Oh no! We didn’t pay any attention to the time!” Amy cried softly to the other scouts as she watched Jenny fall to the ground.
In a flash, Darien was by Sunny’s side. He picked her up and brought her safely outside. Hiding her behind the large wish tree, he watched as Sunny transformed into the Dark Scout and quickly vanished into the Negaverse.
“Poor girl,” he said, shaking his head.
*****
Serena and Amy found Darien minutes later. He was still standing outside, staring at the place where Sunny had been moments before.
“The sun went down, is Sunny . . ?” she whispered.
They both nodded sadly. Serena bowed her head and a single tear slid down her cheek.
“Are we ready for cake?” Raye called cheerfully from inside. Serena smiled bravely to Amy and Darien and the trio went inside.
The guests sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Serena as Lita, Mina and Raye brought in a giant pink cake. It was covered in pink candles.
*****
Outside, the Dark Scout watched. She was sheltered by the wish tree, but could see the party clearly. She felt no guilt at her next thought.
“How cute, a pink cake. Let’s break up this celebration, shall we?”
From the shadows behind her, a monster bowed and vanished. The Dark Scout laughed wickedly and continued to observe the party.
*****
There was a polite knock on the door. Raye moved over to answer it. The party was still in full swing, and hardly anyone had noticed the disappearance of Sunny. Serena had cheered up quite a bit and was opening gifts from her friends.
“Can I help you?” Raye asked the young woman standing outside.
The woman was about Raye’s height with short black hair and dark eyes. She wore wire framed glasses, a loose fitting blouse, and blue jeans. In her hand, she carried a large case.
“I’m the guitarist you hired for the party,” she said with a slight smile.
Raye blinked in surprise. “I didn’t hire anybody. Sorry, you must have the wrong address.”
Raye began to close the door, but the woman blocked it with one foot. Raye gasped and took a step back, allowing room for the woman to enter. She headed for the center of the room and opened the black case she held. Inside was an orange acoustic guitar, which she strummed to tune. Raye watched in shock as the woman clapped her hands loudly to get everyone’s attention.
“Attention everybody!” she called.
The noise of the party stopped and all eyes turned to the entertainer. The woman smiled and struck a chord on her guitar. Serena squealed with joy as the girl began to sing. The music was strangely haunting, yet no one seemed to be able to tear themselves away from it. One by one, the guests’ eyes grew heavy and they dropped to the floor as the eerie singing continued.
“What’s going on?” Serena asked, looking around at her unconscious friends in confusion.
Mina and Amy were standing by the hallway door when they felt hands on their shoulders. They turned to see Lita, who quickly pulled them into the hall and closed the door behind them. The muted music continued.
“We’d better do something before that monster gets all their energy,” Amy said, suppressing a yawn.
“Yeah. Even if she wasn’t a monster, I’d fight her just to shut her up!” Lita agreed. “This is terrible!”
“Let’s go then!” Mina said.
She winked at her friends and checked to make sure the coast was clear. Then, she held up her star shaped power stick. Lita and Amy followed suit.
“Venus Star Power!” Mina cried.
“Mercury Star Power!” Amy yelled.
“Jupiter Star Power!” Lita shouted.
*****
The woman with the guitar laughed at her victims and slowly transformed into a creature with a guitar-like body and orange skin. The party-goers lay at her feet, moaning and struggling. She played her music until the last of them stopped moving. She could feel the energy in the air and it almost made her cold heart warm. She chuckled and kicked at one of the unconscious party-goers.
“Now, to collect the energy for the Negaverse!” the guitarist said.
She raised her hand and spread out her fingers. The energy from the people in the room cumulated into a single sphere on the monster’s outstretched palm.
“Good work,” a sinister voice praised.
From the shadows stepped the Dark Scout. She held out her hand and the energy ball passed from monster to Master. She nodded appreciatively at the energy taken, and returned the ball to her minion
“Stop that!” someone yelled. “Please, stop it!”
The Dark Scout raised her head and looked around the room to where Serena, Raye, and Darien knelt on the floor. They were weak and tried to rise as she approached them. Serena raised her head and stared at the newest Negaverse General with tear-filled eyes.
“Happy birthday,” the Dark Scout told her. “Unfortunately, the Negaverse will be getting the gift this year!”
The Dark Scout raised her hand and a black sword materialized. She raised it over the birthday girl’s head.
“Venus Crescent Beam Smash!” Sailor Venus called.
The beam cut the Dark Scout’s hands, making her drop the sword. It vanished before the black blade could touch the ground.
“Warrior Octaca, get them!” the Dark Scout ordered.
The monster from the Negaverse charged at the three sailor scouts while the Dark Scout returned to Serena. The ball of stolen energy hung unguarded where Octaca had left it.
“Please, stop,” Serena called weakly.
“Why should I?” the Dark Scout asked, summoning the sword once again.
Darien glared at the Dark Scout and stayed protectively close to Serena. Raye simply stared in outraged shock. Behind them, the battle continued.
“Jupiter Thunder Crash!”” Sailor Jupiter cried.
Octaca dodged the lightning bolt and began her own attack on the scouts, hurtling musical notes at them. They dodged easily, and resumed the offensive.
“Because, I’m your friend, Sunny,” Serena answered.
“I have no friends and I don’t know who Sunny is,” the Dark Scout yelled.
The sword rose again, high over Serena’s head. Realized arguing was futile, Serena closed her eyes to wait for the inevitable. A tear fell down her cheek as the sword rushed to her neck.
“Serena!” the scouts called as one.
Seconds before the sword reached Serena, a rose flew as if from nowhere and knocked the sword from the Dark Scout’s grip. It vanished again and the Dark Scout turned with an angry hiss to face her newest enemy. Tuxedo Mask stood in the doorway leading out of the room. Serena gasped as he ran to where the Dark Scout stood and grabbed her by the wrist.
“Listen, I don’t want to hurt you, but if I have to destroy you, I will,” he said.
The Dark Scout wrestled free.
“Thank you for the energy. Prince Rutile appreciates it. Now, Octaca will finish you off. I must be going.” She turned back to the shadows, facing Tuxedo Mask as she vanished. “I will meet you again, Tuxedo Mask, and our next meeting will not end pleasantly.”
Sailors Jupiter, Venus and Mercury were still battling the monster. Tuxedo Mask helped Serena and Raye to their feet.
“A little help,” Venus called.
Serena held up her locket. “Moon Crystal Power!”
Raye raised her power stick to transform, but Tuxedo Mask stopped her. “I think Sailor Moon can handle this one.”
Raye nodded, not at all happy that she could not join the battle. Sailor Moon took out her scepter and narrowed her eyes at the monster.
“Moon Scepter Elimination!” she called.
Warrior Octaca disappeared with a scream.
“Great party, guys,” Sailor Moon said with a tired grin. “Same plan for next year?”
*****
That night, Serena was in bed before Luna or her mother had to yell at her to sleep. She still felt somewhat weak from the fight that evening, but Luna had assured her it was nothing a good night sleep couldn’t fix.
I hope Sunny’s okay, Serena thought as she lay in bed, looking out her window at the stars.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Luna asked from where she lay at the foot of the bed.
“I’m fine, but I’m worried about Sunny,” Serena said. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”
Luna yawned. “I’m sure you’ll get a phone call tomorrow from Sunny apologizing for this. Just get some rest, okay?”
Please come home safely, Serena thought.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DARKNESS, BEGONE

The sun was high and bright over Tokyo. Serena and Sunny walked together down the street towards the mall. Luna rode in Sunny's back pack and argued with Serena until they reached the entrance. It appeared to Sunny that Serena had done something ditzy again, and Luna was scolding her for it – again. Sunny wisely chose to remain out of the argument.
"You've got to accept your responsibilities, Serena," Luna said.
"I do accept responsibilities. Just because I forgot to put my locket on one day does not mean I'm irresponsible!" Serena argued.
"What would you have done if someone needed Sailor Moon?" Luna asked.
"The Scouts could have handled it until I ran home and got my locket," Serena answered.
Sunny rolled her eyes and walked a little faster. She agreed with Luna, but was still anxious to stop her two friends from bickering. Besides, Serena’s voice was scaling several octaves and the sound was starting to grate on Sunny’s nerves.
"Serena, as your guardian, I shouldn't have to make sure you dress properly each morning. You're old enough to know that yourself!" Luna yelled.
“You don’t have to dress me!” Serena wailed. “I only forgot once!”
Sunny almost ran into the mall. As she reached the door, Luna ducked into the back pack and stayed quiet. Pets weren’t allowed in the stores, not to mention a talking cat.
"Thanks Sunny, I was getting tired of her nagging," Serena said.
"No problem," Sunny said quietly.
An angry murmur came from deep inside Sunny’s pack.
The two of them shopped for hours. Serena had gotten some money for her birthday and was eager to spend it before it burned a hole in her pocket. Sunny had graciously offered to go with her and it wasn’t long before they were heading to a nearby restaurant for lunch, Serena’s cash flow nearly exhausted.
"Look, there's Lita and Raye!" Serena called.
The two girls sitting at the table looked up and waved. Serena and Sunny headed over to join them.
"Hi guys!" Lita said.
Serena and Sunny sat down beside their friends. Serena slid into the seat next to Lita while Sunny sat with Raye. They ordered drinks and, when the waitress had vanished, Luna popped out of the back pack.
"Finally! That's the last time I travel like that! It was even worse than when Serena stuffed me in that tiny camera case!" Luna said.
“You’re the one who insisted on coming!” Serena reminded her.
The others laughed and settled into quietness. Raye sipped her soda when suddenly, she looked up at Sunny.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Amy's looking for you. She thinks she's figured out a way to keep you normal at night," she said.
Sunny stared at Raye for a second, stood and ran to the door. Raye, Serena, Lita, and Luna looked out the window and saw Sunny running down the street towards Amy’s house.
"Well, you're welcome and everything," Raye huffed, returning to her soda.
"Don't feel bad, Raye. Sunny hasn't said three things to me all afternoon," Serena said.
Lita looked out the window to where Sunny had been running. She couldn’t even imagine how excited and nervous the girl would be, finding a cure to the dark spirit that haunted her.
"I hope everything's all right," Lita muttered to herself.
*****
Sunny ran as fast as she could. She didn't even look where she was going and she accidentally ran into someone. They collided, throwing them both back a few paces.
"Hey, watch it!" he said.
Sunny looked up and saw Andrew. He recognized her immediately and smiled.
“Hi, Sunny,” he greeted her cheerfully.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry," Sunny said quickly as she brushed past him and kept running.
I wonder what's wrong with her? Andrew thought.
He watched Sunny disappear down the street.
*****
There was a knock on Amy's door. Amy raised her head and stared down the corridor, wondering who it could be. She put down her book and went to answer it. Outside, Sunny was standing, out of breath.
“Sunny!” Amy said in surprise.
Sunny grinned at her friend, gasping for breath after the long run from the restaurant. Amy let her into the apartment and Sunny gratefully collapsed on Amy’s couch.
"Raye said you found a cure," Sunny said after a few moments.
Amy nodded. " I think so, but I need to test my theory first.”
Sunny sat up, eager to start. She paused as a thought occurred to her. "Shouldn't the others be here?"
Amy picked up her friend's coat from where she had dropped it, and hung it in the closet. "Artemis is here. He's been helping me - sort of like a guinea pig."
The white cat came from the other room. He headed over to where Sunny sat and jumped onto the couch beside her
"I'm always the guinea pig. Why don't you get someone else to experiment on?" he complained to Amy.
Sunny scooped up the cat unto her lap and stroked him gently.
"I appreciate your sacrifice," she said to him.
Artemis started purring. “Well, it really wasn’t that hard . . .”
"I took the readings I got when you transformed and changed them so that if the energy from the silver crystal hits you at the exact right moment, the transformation should stop and you'd be free" Amy explained. “I’m pretty sure I have the formula correct.”
"But after I change, I always get sucked into the Negaverse" Sunny said.
"Yes, but if there is no Dark Scout energy in you, than the Negaverse couldn't hold onto you. The only problem is that if this works, there is little chance that you could ever become Sailor Junior Sun again" Amy said regretfully. “The healing power of the silver crystal could possibly strip you of both sides of your power, not just the dark one.”
Sunny sat back. Artemis looked at her as she weighed the consequences of Amy’s experiment. She let out a long breath as she realized the only choice she had.
"As long as I'm not the Dark Scout anymore, you could change me into an elephant and I wouldn't mind," Sunny answered. “I can’t live with myself anymore if I keep hurting others.”
Amy sat next to her and put a comforting arm on her shoulder.
"Sleep over at my house tonight,” Amy said. “I'll call every one else and we'll settle this once and for all."
Sunny brushed away a stray tear and nodded.
*****
Deep in another dimension, Prince Rutile sat on his throne. His two generals Halite and Albite stood ready to receive his orders.
"You two realize that if the Dark Scout breaks free from your control, you will be severely punished," he said in a calm voice.
"Yes, Master," they said.
"And, if you two are gone, I will have to get a new general," Rutile clapped his hand and another form appeared behind the twins. Both Halite and Albite turned to see her, but she was shrouded in shadow. She was tall and wore the gray uniform of a Negaverse general, only more fitted to her natural curves.
"You summoned me, Master?" the woman said. Her voice was cold and devoid of emotion.
"Yes, Azurite. You will become the new general if the twins fail me. Watch them and learn from their mistakes. You are all dismissed," Rutile said.
"Yes, Master," the three of them said.
They vanished, leaving Rutile alone in his throne room. His eyes narrowed in anger and he smashed his fist down on the arm of his throne.
"The guardian shall not escape me again!" he screamed. “The Negaforce will be released!”
*****
The sun slowly began to sink into the horizon. Sunny watched it go from the window it Amy's bedroom. She turned to look at her friends. They all stood before her, their eyes full of support and hope. Sailor Moon was at the forefront, one hand wrapped around her locket.
"Are you guys ready?" Sunny asked, licking her lips nervously.
"Ready for anything," Sailor Jupiter answered.
Sailor Moon gripped her locket tighter and nodded. She managed a weak smile at Sunny.
"Remember, we may have to follow her into the Negaverse if this doesn't work," Sailor Mercury reminded them. “She could be transformed but trapped.”
"Don't worry, we can do this," Sailor Venus replied.
The sun sank from view and Sunny doubled over in pain. The shadows of the room all seemed to rush out of their corners to consume her.
"Here we go," Sailor Mars muttered, assuming a fighting stance.
Sunny's hair turned red orange and her costume began to appear. Her face paled and her tiara dulled. Her face was still contorted in pain as the goodness was taken from her.
"Now Sailor Moon!" Mercury exclaimed.
"Crystal Moon Transformation!" Sailor Moon cried, holding the locket up high over her head.
The Dark Scout screamed as the light hit her. Slowly, the black drained away and was replaced by yellow. Sailor Moon summoned all her energy to keep the light of the silver crystal flowing toward her friend. She knew she couldn’t let Sunny down.
"The vortex to the Negaverse is opening!" Sailor Mercury yelled. “Get ready!”
Before they could stop her, the Dark Scout jumped through. Sailor Jupiter followed immediately. Ignoring the sudden wave of weakness that washed over her, Sailor Moon followed.
"Hurry!" Luna yelled.
The other scouts leapt in as the portal closed. The darkness vanished and the shadows returned to their original place. Sunny’s room was deserted and quiet, save for the two cats who sat on her bed.
"They're gone," Artemis said, breaking the eerie silence.
"I hope they can do this. Rutile is more powerful than Beryl was," Luna said.
“They’ll be fine,” Artemis assured her. “We’ve trained them well.”
*****
Sailor Moon moaned and sat up. Around her lay the other scouts and Sunny. Sunny was wearing a yellow skirt with yellow boots. The bow on the front of her leotard was yellow and the other was orange. Her hair was orange and the jewel on her tiara glowed dimly. Around the faintly lit room, the other scouts lay sprawled in a rough semi circle. One by one, they began to stir.
"Is she back?" Sailor Mars asked, looking at Sunny.
"I can't tell," Sailor Moon answered.
Around them, the other scouts were sitting up. Only Sunny remained motionless. Sailor Moon and her friends slowly rose to their feet. Sailor Moon still felt weakened from using the silver crystal, but knew her strength would return before long.
"Where are we?" Sailor Venus wondered, looking around the chamber.
"This isn't the throne room," Jupiter agreed.
Mercury pushed her earring, bringing up her VR visor and began to scan the area.
"We're definitely in the Negaverse, but I'm not sure where," she said. “I can’t find the throne room anywhere from this location.”
Between the scouts and Sunny, three figures appeared. The first two were easily recognizable by their uniforms, but the third somehow remained covered by shadow.
"Welcome to . . ," the first form began.
"Our domain, scouts," the other finished.
The last person remained silent and in the background. The still form of Sunny didn’t move behind them.
"You! I thought that we'd destroyed you with Granite," Mars said.
Halite laughed. "We control your friend," he said.
Albite stepped forwards. "Her destiny is with us," he said.
“Forget about her,” the said in unison.
Sailor Jupiter clenched her fists. She stepped toward the twin generals, nearly bursting with rage.
“Jupiter Thunder Crash!” she called.
One of the twins held open his hand to absorb her power and shot it back at her while the other laughed. Jupiter jumped clear at the last second, and the ball of lightning disappeared harmlessly into the stone wall. Jupiter then realized her powers could do nothing to them. She faced them again, feeling her anger transform within her.
"I feel a strange new energy," she muttered.
Sailor Mercury turned off her visor and looked at her friend.
Jupiter bowed her head and crossed her arms in front of her. From her tiara rose a small lightning rod.
"Mighty Jupiter, I call upon you for help. Lend me your powers so Sunny can be free once more!" she began.
The lightning rod started to collect energy.
"Jupiter Lightning Spark!" Sailor Jupiter yelled.
Two bolts of electricity raced towards the two generals. They shrieked in pain as it struck them. They didn’t fall immediately, but were suspended in shock as the electricity coursed through their bodies.
"Awesome new power, huh?" Jupiter asked her friends with a wink. The scouts grinned at her in return.
The twins lay paralyzed on the ground for a moment. The scouts watched as Halite struggled to his feet. Nearby, Albite didn't move.
"Albite! Brother, can you hear me?" Halite begged, kneeling next to him.
Albite didn't move. Halite lowered his head and wiped tears from his eyes. Then, he turned to Sailor Jupiter, his eyes burning with fury.
"You've killed my brother and destroyed a part of me. I feel empty and alone because of you!" he screamed.
Jupiter held her ground. Venus stepped beside her, ready to help if needed.
"Negaforce, give me the strength to avenge my twin!" Halite yelled.
In each of his hands, a black spear materialized.
"For my brother," he yelled, throwing the first one at Venus.
It struck Jupiter in the leg as she pushed her friend out of the spear’s deadly path. She gave a small grunt of pain as she lay on the ground, unable to move. Sailor Venus faced the enraged general, watching for any attacks as she pulled her friend to safety.
"For my revenge!" Halite said, preparing to throw the second.
Sailor Mercury stepped between the general and the two scouts. Halite paused for a moment and stared. Soon, he began to laugh. Mercury held her ground, glaring at him.
"Puny Sailor Mercury? What can you do? Fog me to death?!" Halite asked.
Mercury raised her hand palm upward and spun once. When she faced Halite again, she held something in her hand. The general couldn’t see what it was, but her threw the spear in anger.
"Mercury Wind Banishment!" she cried as the object in her hand turned into a fierce wind.
The spear was destroyed as it hurled toward its mark. Halite tried to form another, but the wind destroyed that one as well. Behind him, Sunny stirred and woke up. Groggily, she sat up and watched the fight for her freedom. Sailor Venus ran to her side and knelt by her, ignoring the shadowed general, who merely watched. Sunny looked up at her friend, her eyes a mask of confusion.
"Are you all right?" Venus asked.
"I think so, but am I good or evil?" Sunny asked.
In front of them, Sailor Mercury’s wind was destroying everything Halite could conjure up. The general’s frustration was growing by the second.
Venus smiled warmly. "Right now, I think you're mixed up. Try transforming into Sailor Junior Sun."
Sailor Venus helped Sunny to her feet, and stepped back as the girl held her ring high.
"Sun Stone . . " she began.
The third form suddenly took interest in what was going on and yelled, “No!”
"Power!" Sunny finished.
The chamber exploded in radiant yellow light. Halite and the scouts broke off their attacks to shield their eyes from the glare. Soon, the Dark Scout was no more and only Sailor Junior Sun remained. She stood triumphantly beside Sailor Venus, and the two scouts headed to where the other four fought.
“Sailor Junior Sun!” Sailor Moon exclaimed.
"I'm back and ready to fight. I've got this weird feeling inside me and if I don't get it out, I think I'll explode!" Sailor Junior Sun said.
"Funny, so do I," Sailor Moon said.
"Maybe you two should combine your powers. Sailor Mercury looks like she needs help," Venus suggested.
Mercury’s winds were dying down and Halite’s attacks were getting much closer to their mark before being destroyed. The newest Sailor Scout and her leader ran to Mercury's side.
"Hey!" Sailor Junior Sun said.
Halite looked at the two girls.
"We may have killed your brother, but it won't be long until you join him!" Sailor Moon said.
"I am Sailor Junior Sun, and I fight for good and justice!" Sailor Sun said.
"I am Sailor Moon and on behalf of the galaxy, we will destroy you!"
Halite laughed and prepared to lunge at them.
Sailor Moon put one finger on her tiara, just above her jewel.
Sailor Junior Sun did the same, only below her jewel.
"Moonbeam . ." Sailor Moon began.
"Sunbeam . . " Sailor Sun joined.
"Attack!" the two shouted together.
The jewels on their tiaras each shot out a single, thin beam that joined into one. That beam raced out until it struck Halite. He cried out once before falling beside his brother. The two of them disappeared back into the Negaverse. The scouts crowded around Sailor Junior Sun.
"Great to have you back," Sailor Mars said.
"Yeah, let's hope this time it lasts," Sailor Jupiter added from where she sat on the ground. Sailor Venus helped her to her feet, supporting her as she stood.
"You're not out of the woods yet," a new voice said.
The six scouts turned to the remaining form. It advanced out of the shadows until they could clearly make out who it was. She was tall with short, blonde hair and brown eyes. She wore the usual general's outfit with a yellow stripe and white gloves.
"I am your new enemy. My name is Azurite," she said by way of introduction.
"Hmm. Jedite, Nephlyte, Zoisite, Malachite, Granite, Halite, Albite, and now Azurite. Does anyone else see a pattern?" Sailor Mars asked.
"I guess it's a Negaverse law that all generals have to have a stupid name that ends in 'ite'," Sailor Jupiter said.
"My name is not stupid!" Azurite flared.
"So, what was it you wanted?" Sailor Moon asked, her voice betraying her impatience.
"You will have to defeat me before leaving the Negaverse and even if you do, you will have to find your own way out. The caves that form the Negaverse are endless and you'll be wandering for an eternity if you choose the wrong one," Azurite said smugly.
"I'll deal with her," Sailor Mars said, stepping in front of the other scouts.
She held her hands together, palm touching palm. Sailor Mars then raised her hands over her head, but her eyes never left Azurite.
"Mars Comet Blaze!" she yelled.
From high above, a comet smashed into the place where Azurite had been standing.
"Where did she go?" Sailor Mars asked. “That should’ve got her for sure!”
“I want to know where that comet came from in the first place,” Sailor Junior Sun said. “We’re in a cave.”
Sailor Mars shrugged.
"You win for now, but will you ever get home?" Azurite's voice rang through the cave.
Sailor Mercury brought up her VR visor and began scanning. She tapped a few keys on her mini computer and bit her lip in thought.
"Well, Mercury, will we ever get home?" Sailor Moon asked.
Sailor Mercury sighed. "I can't find another portal home. Unless we
split up and search for one, we'll never make it."
"If one of us finds one, how will she get the others back?" Venus asked.
"Your power sticks and Sailor Moon's locket can open a portal for a few seconds. Just hold them up and say 'Portal Open'. Before that, say your planet's name. Remember that this will last for approximately fifteen seconds. If you see one, jump in immediately. This can only work once," Sailor Mercury said.
Sailor Junior Sun looked over Mercury’s shoulder. “You’re computer told you all that?”
Mercury blushed. “Actually, I’m just guessing on the ‘Portal Open’ part. In theory, it should work.”
“In theory,” Sailor Junior Sun stressed.
“Hey, my theory saved you, didn’t it?” Mercury said.
Before Sailor Junior Sun could open her mouth to retort, Sailor Mars took charge of the situation.
"There are three routes leading out of here. I think Sailor Moon and Sailor Junior Sun should go together, since they have that new power," Sailor Mars said.
"I'll go with Mercury and you go with Jupiter," Venus said.
"Good luck and we'll see you later." Sailor Junior Sun said.
With that the scouts split up to find a way home from the Negaverse.
Azurite watched them leave and laughed to herself.
"If one of you survive, we'll meet again," she said.
*****
Sailor Moon led the way through the dreary tunnels as she and Sailor Junior Sun searched for their only escape. They spoke little as they walked, both scouts focused on their ultimate goal. Sailor Junior Sun looked around nervously as her friend continued forward. Her eyes widened in alarm as she realized Sailor Moon was not watching where she was going.
"Watch out!" Sailor Junior Sun cried suddenly.
Sailor Moon backed up a few steps. "What's wrong?"
"There's a trap right where you were about to step," her friend answered.
Sailor Junior Sun picked up a rock and threw it where Sailor Moon’s foot would have landed. A huge energy field shot up from the ground, cutting off their path and incinerating the stone. Sailor Moon stared in shock.
"Come on, I think there's another path this way," Sailor Junior Sun said, taking the lead.
How does she know all this? Is she tricking me by pretending to be Sailor Junior Sun? Sailor Moon thought.
Doubt still clouded her mind as she followed the sixth scout down a long, dark corridor.
*****
Sailor Mercury surveyed the surrounding tunnels in hopes of finding a way out. Sailor Venus sat patiently on a nearby rock. Mercury sensed her friend's uneasiness and turned off her visor. She turned to her friend, who seemed distracted and almost sad about something. Mercury walked over and put a friendly hand on her shoulder.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
Sailor Venus sighed. "Call me crazy, but I'm sort of upset that everyone got a new power except for me."
Mercury smiled and squeezed Venus’ shoulder encouragingly.
"Don't worry, you'll get your power soon enough. I'll bet it's trying to find its way out right now," Sailor Mercury said. “Give it time.”
Venus smiled. "Thanks. You're a good friend. Now, let's get out of here and go home!"
She sprung to her feet and Mercury turned her visor on. As she continued to scan the area, Mercury wondered if that was all that was on Venus’ mind.
*****
"Are you sure you're okay?" Sailor Mars asked.
Sailor Jupiter winced as she took another step forward. The cut on her leg where Halite's spear has struck was bleeding again. She grimaced in pain, but forced an uneasy smile.
"I'm fine. Let's just concentrate on getting out of here," Jupiter said.
Sailor Mars stopped and shook her head. "No, you're not fine. Sit down."
Jupiter did as she was told. Sailor Mars crouched and looked at her friend's leg. She ripped a piece off her skirt and wrapped it around the cut. Jupiter winced and inhaled sharply, but she found the pain decreased.
"There. Does that help?" Mars asked, looking up at her friend.
Jupiter forced a smile. "Yeah, thanks."
Sailor Mars straightened and held out her hand. Jupiter
took it and pulled herself to her feet. She put a bit of pressure on her foot and found that, although she could stand, moving could be quite a bit more difficult. Sailor Mars watched her friend’s progress with an encouraging smile.
"Good, you’re on your feet again. Do you need help walking?" Mars asked.
Jupiter nodded and, leaning against her friend for support, they slowly made their way down a tunnel. As they vanished into the Negaverse gloom, Azurite appeared where they had once rested. She stared at the tunnel where they had disappeared and chuckled to herself.
"Those two will be easy pickings, but the only way to get the Dark Scout back is for her to destroy Sailor Moon herself!" she said with a sly grin. “And I believe I know how to do that.”
Still laughing, Azurite vanished.
*****
Sailor Mercury circled slowly around the room. Sailor Venus watched as her friend punched a few numbers through her computer. The orange sailor scout was on her guard, waiting for an attack to come.
"There's a portal in the next cave. If we hurry, I can open it," Mercury said, switching off her visor.
“Finally!” Sailor Venus said with a smile.
Sailor Mercury returned the grin with her own tired smile and the two scouts headed for the cavern entrance.
"Hold it right there, Sailor Failures!" a voice in the darkness cried.
Sailor Mercury and Sailor Venus turned and saw a monster behind them. She was tall with spiked hair and spikes growing from her arms. Her face was beautiful, but cruel. She laughed once and leapt into the air. When she landed, she was standing between the cavern entrance and the scouts.
"I am Spika, and you're not getting by me without a fight!" she shrieked. “Mistress Azurite commands it!”
Sailor Venus stepped forwards and pointed a finger at her enemy. Sailor Mercury was a set behind her, looking equally determined.
"You want to fight? You got a fight! I am Sailor Venus and believe me, you're asking for trouble!"
Spika snarled and threw a spike at Sailor Mercury. She dove out of the way, and the spike embedded itself in the stone floor where she had been standing. The creature laughed and formed another spike in her hand.
"That does it!" Sailor Venus said.
She crossed her arms before her in the form of a V. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Between her fingers, a chain of energy materialized. Slowly, Sailor Venus raised her hands above her head, so her wrists were still touching, keeping the V formed and the chain intact. Spika looked at her curiously.
"Venus Enchantment Attach!" Sailor Venus cried, suddenly separating her wrists and flinging the energy chain at her enemy. It struck the monster and wrapped itself around her. The monster was frozen where it stood.
"I . . I can't move!" it stuttered.
"I'll take it from here, Venus," Mercury said.
Sailor Mercury winked at her friend and clasped her hands together in front of her. She began to separate them, stretching something long and white between her palms.
"Mercury Arctic Entwine!" she yelled.
The white substance became a fierce snowstorm and engulfed Spika until nothing remained of her but an ice statue, perfectly formed. Mercury smashed the statue with a swift kick and took Venus's hand.
"Come on, the portal is closing in a few seconds," Mercury cried.
The two scouts ran out of view, leaving only a pool of melted ice to mark their passage.
*****
Sailor Moon followed her friend into another cave. There, they saw a portal. It was not very large and it seemed to be shimmering between black and pale blue. Sailor Sun immediately began to run towards it.
"Hurry, Sailor Moon! It might close!" she yelled over her shoulder.
Sailor Moon followed for a few steps, then hesitated. "Are you sure that's the right portal?"
Sailor Junior Sun stopped a few feet away from her goal. She turned to stare at her friend.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"It's just that . . . how do I know that you're really Sailor Junior Sun?" Sailor Moon blurted, then blushed, ashamed of her question.
Sailor Junior Sun stared for a moment, then laughed. "How do you know? Serena, it's me, Sunny. The Dark Scout doesn't know who you really are. I do. Trust me."
Sailor Moon didn't move. "I can't trust you,” she said quietly.
Behind them, the portal flickered. Sailor Junior Sun stepped closer to her friend and looked into her eyes. Sailor Moon squirmed, uncomfortable at being so close to someone who might harm her.
"Sailor Moon, look deep into your heart. You know that I'm really Sailor Junior Sun, and your friend Sunny. Please, I want to go home, but I don't want to leave you here" Sailor Junior Sun said.
Sailor Moon blinked and took a deep breath. "I believe you, Sunny. Let’s go home.”
Together, they leapt into the portal.
*****
"There it is!" Sailor Venus called. “Hurry, or it’ll close!”
Sailor Venus turned once to make sure her friend was coming, then stepped through the portal. Close behind her, Sailor Mercury followed.
*****
"Look, a portal!" Sailor Mars exclaimed.
Sailor Jupiter raised her head and looked into the distance. The portal ahead was beginning to close. She took a few hesitant steps, but felt her bad leg protest and she sank to her knees.
"We'll never make it, leave me here and go," Jupiter said.
Sailor Mars didn't answer. Instead, she lifted her friend onto her back and ran. Jupiter suppressed a gasp of surprise and looked up to where the portal was shrinking in size. Before it closed, the two travelers hoped through.
*****
They found themselves in a ruined place that seemed strangely familiar. The sky was a pale gray and shattered columns lay haphazardly scattered around. Mars blinked in shock as she fought down a sudden emotion of homesickness and stared at the desolate place.
"Hey, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter!" Venus's voice cried out.
Sailor Mars gently lowered Jupiter to the ground, and she leaned against a broken column. Sailor Jupiter closed her eyes and stretched out her leg with a groan of pain. The blood has soaked right through the bandage Mars had used and was once again trickling down her leg. Sailors Venus and Mercury walked to them.
"How did you guys get here?" Mars asked.
Mercury crouched beside Jupiter. The taller girl hardly noticed as Mercury removed the bandage to inspect the wound.
"We went through a portal," Venus answered. “I thought it was supposed to bring us home.”
Mars shrugged and looked down at the other two scouts.
“How is she?” Mars asked.
"She's hurt pretty badly. There must have been some strong Nega energy in that spear. If we don't get it out, I’m afraid of what might happen," Mercury said.
She turned to see Jupiter’s reaction to the news, but the injured scout had fallen unconscious.
"Did someone call for help?" Sailor Junior Sun called.
The last two members of the team joined them. Sailor Junior Sun looked at Jupiter's leg as Mercury explained her diagnosis. Sailor Junior Sun frowned in thought, then smiled and snapped her fingers.
"I don’t know about the cut, but I bet I can get the Nega energy out,” she said.
The other scouts stepped back as Sailor Junior Sun raised her ring above her head.
"Solar Recharge Radiation!" she cried.
The pale yellow light descended from the ring and landed gently on Sailor Jupiter's leg. The cut healed before their eyes, leaving only a small, purple scar. Jupiter moaned and opened her eyes.
"Feel better now?" Sailor Junior Sun asked.
Jupiter nodded. "Yeah, just a little tired. What are you doing here?”
“This is where we ended up,” Sailor Junior Sun replied.
"Rest here while we find out where we are," Mars added.
"I know where we are," Sailor Moon said softly. “It’s all so familiar to me.”
"You're on the Moon, Princess," a soft voice behind them answered.
They turned around and saw the image of a beautiful young woman. She had pale purple hair like Serena's with a small crown perched on her head. Her eyes were violet and kind, and there was a yellow crescent moon on her forehead. She smiled gently to the Sailor Scouts.
"Queen Serenity!" they all cried.
"Yes, and now that you have found the last scout, I believe it's time to reveal my darkest secret. I haven't told anyone this, not even Luna or Artemis. Princess Sunnny, this is about you," Queen Serenity said.
Sailor Junior Sun stepped closer to the figure of the Moon Queen. She blinked nervously, but raised her chin bravely to look at the queen. Serenity frowned and put her chin in her hand thoughtfully.
"This is not right, it should be more formal," Serenity decided.
She waved her arm and the scene was suddenly changed. They stood before the Queen of the Moon Kingdom in formal dresses. On their foreheads were the signs of their respective planets. Queen Serenity stood above them on a slight pedestal and Serena went to join her.
Sunny came forward wearing a pale yellow gown. "Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Princess Sunny, you were the first scout discovered. Before the planets accepted the others, the sun chose you. I kept this knowledge from you to protect you," Queen Serenity began.
“Before the Negaverse invaded our kingdom, a mighty force was unleashed upon the Moon. I caught it and contained in within the sun so that it's power would never be used for evil. I knew that when the sun accepted Sunny as its guardian, the power would become hers to bear, so I hid all of this from her and her parents so the force would always be contained. I was afraid that the force would possess Sunny the way it had possessed others of my kingdom. I apologize for lying to you.”
"That's why the Negaverse is after me!" Sunny exclaimed.
Queen Serenity smiled. "You were always a bright one, Princess Sunny."
"How can we control this force?" Amy asked.
"Still curious as ever, Princess Mercury. I'm glad you haven't lost your charm," Serenity said.
Amy curtsied politely.
"The force has chosen Sunny as it's carrier and as a result, she is the only one who can use it. The Negaverse will try to persuade her to use the force for evil. If that happens, the Negaforce will be released and the Earth destroyed. You must keep Princess Sunny safe at all costs," Serenity said.
"We will protect her with our lives, Your Majesty," Lita said.
"As energetic as always Princess Jupiter, and you Princess Mars, do you still burn down people's houses with your fire?" Serenity teased.
Raye blushed. "I remember that from my memories of my life on the Moon.”
"Finally Princess Venus. Are you still as helpful as you were?" Serenity asked.
Mina curtsied to the queen and smiled. "I like to think so.”
Queen Serenity turned to her only daughter. Tears were brimming in her eyes.
"Queen Serenity, why are you crying?" Princess Serena asked.
"I will never see you grow up, my darling girl. I will never see you again after this meeting. When Rutile is gone, the Negaverse will be destroyed and you will never need me again. I will miss you," Queen Serenity said.
Tears were forming in Princess Serena's eyes as well. "I will miss you as well, Mother, but know that you will always be in my heart as well.”
A portal appeared behind them. They turned to look at it. It was larger than the other portals they had seen and shimmered in a pale pink and yellow light. The scouts were in awe of its beauty.
"This will take you back into the caves of the Negaverse. Your work there is not yet complete. When you have achieved what you have been sent for, you will return home. Farewell Sailor Scouts, and don't let the Negaverse regain control of Princess Sunny. Good luck!" Serenity said.
Each of the scouts curtsied and walked though the portal. Queen Serenity embraced her daughter and Serena stepped through after her friends.
*****
They appeared together back in the caves. The beautiful portal that had brought them to the Moon wavered and vanished. The scouts watched it disappear and turned to each other.
"What else do we have to do here?" Sailor Mars asked.
Sailor Jupiter was standing again, her leg completely healed. She smiled and winked at Sailor Junior Sun, who smiled back.
"Whatever needs to be done will be done," Jupiter vowed.
All the scouts put their hands on top of one another.
"Scouts Honour!"
CHAPTER TWELVE
HOMEWARD BOUND


Deep within the caves of the Negaverse, six intruders made their way slowly to their destination. With the knowledge given to them by Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, the six warrior girls were ready for anything. They walked together, the newest of their team in the lead, as they searched for a way home. The Queen had said there was something that needed to be done before they could leave and for that fate was the reason they searched. Hours had past since the meeting and now, tired and hungry, they continued bravely forwards.
"Please, let's stop. We can all take nice long naps in this little cave here. We're all tired and we deserve it," Sailor Moon wailed.
"If we stop, Azurite will catch us and we'll either be killed or pawns of the Negaverse. Do you want that to happen?" Sailor Junior Sun snapped.
Sailor Moon retreated behind Sailor Jupiter.
"Calm down, we're all scared," Sailor Mars said wearily.
Sailor Junior Sun didn't answer. She gestured and began to walk again. With a sigh, the other scouts followed.
*****
"Those pesky scouts are getting closer. We have to revive the Dark Scout to release the Negaforce. When it is free, the earth will be ours!" Azurite cried.
She picked up a pebble from the ground and touched it. It began to grow. Slowly, it took the form of a Negaverse warrior. She was tall and muscular, made completely out of stone. She turned to her mistress and bowed.
"Pebbla, finish off the scouts, but let Sailor Moon and the Dark Scout come to me," Azurite ordered.
The newly formed monster bowed and disappeared.
*****
"Stop, Sailor Junior Sun! We can't go on anymore," Sailor Venus cried.
Sailor Junior Sun turned to look at her friends. They were all drooping with exhaustion and their clothes were tattered and dirty. Their eyes stared at the sixth scout pleadingly.
"We need to keep moving. I'm just as tired as you are, but they'll get us if we stop," Sailor Junior Sun explained.
"If you were as tired as us, you wouldn't be standing right now," Sailor Jupiter mumbled.
Sailor Mercury punched a few things into her data computer.
"According to this, we've been in here for two earth days. Right now, it's midnight in Tokyo. I can't find any portals out of here. As much as I hate to say it, Sunny's right. We've got to keep moving," she said with a weary sigh.
"Leaving so soon? Please stay and be my guests," a scratchy voice said.
Pebbla suddenly appeared behind them. She extended her massive arms to both sides and hit the walls of the cavern. The scouts watched in helpless horror as the monster caused their own escape route to cave in. Fighting off their exhaustion, the six scouts assumed a fighting stance. Pebbla smiled down at them evilly.
"You all look so sleepy,” she said sympathetically. Why don’t you rest a while?”
Pebbla began to move her hands rhythmically in front of her enemies’ faces. The scouts wearily sank to the floor as the hypnosis reached them. Sailor Junior Sun watched in horror as her friends drifted off. Pebbla held a hand out to her.
"It's your hour, Dark Scout. Rejoin us and my mistress assures you that all shall be forgiven," she called.
Sailor Junior Sun blinked and took a hesitant step forward. From where she lay on the ground, Sailor Moon shrugged off the hypnosis and watched her friend.
"Fight it Sunny!" she called.
Sailor Junior Sun stopped and shook her head, clearing the fog Pebbla had placed on her mind.
"Your hypnosis won't work on me!" Sailor Junior Sun yelled.
She knelt next to Sailor Moon and helped the girl to her feet. Pebbla gasped in shock as she suddenly faced two adversaries. Sailor Moon put her finger above her tiara jewel. Sailor Junior Sun placed her finger below her tiara jewel.
"Moonbeam . . ," Sailor Moon began.
Sailor Junior Sun didn't move. Slowly, her arm fell to her side. Pebbla smiled at her and gestured once again with an inviting arm.
"That's right. Gaze deeper into my eyes and you will be reborn!" Pebbla soothed.
"Guess I'll have to do this the old fashion way," Sailor Moon said.
She took off her tiara and looked the monster in the eye.
"Moon Tiara Magic!" she cried, throwing the tiara.
The monster shrieked in pain and crumbled into dust. Sailor Junior Sun fell to the ground and lay unmoving. The other scouts were still locked in the hypnotic sleep as Sailor Moon sank to the ground.
"Good. Let's have that break now," she said, closing her eyes.
*****
"Pebbla has failed! Prince Rutile won't like this one bit. I'd better get the Dark Scout before I report back," Azurite said through clenched teeth.
She whipped her arm out until it was straight and shot a ball of dark energy at the stone wall. As the innocent wall crumbled, something fell to the ground. Azurite noticed this and bent down to investigate. It was a small root that had been trying to grow in the caves. Azurite picked it up and infused it with her power. Slowly, it grew and was transformed into another monster.
"Vinos, go and bring me Sailor Junior Sun!" Azurite commanded. “Dispose of the other scouts.”
The monster bowed and vanished. Azurite laughed. “This one cannot fail.”
*****
Sailor Mercury was the first to wake up. She looked around, realization slowly dawning on her as she remembered where they were. Her friends were all nearby, sound asleep. Mercury sat up and pulled out her computer, checking the current time in Tokyo. As she calculated, Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter stirred and awoke.
"What happened?" Sailor Mars asked, coming to a sitting position.
"I'm not sure, but we've been asleep all day!" Mercury answered, putting her computer away.
Sailor Moon yawned and sat up. Beside her, Sailor Venus did the same. Sailor Moon stretched and winced.
“I hurt all over! It’s not comfortable sleeping on stone. I wish I was back in my own bed,” Sailor Moon wailed.
"Me too," Sailor Venus agreed. “But at least we’re not tired anymore.”
The scouts rose to their feet and noticed that Sailor Junior Sun was still unconscious. Sailor Moon nudged Sailor Junior Sun with her foot, and was rewarded with a small moan. She woke up and looked at the faces around her.
"What's going on? Who are you?" she asked.
"Don't you remember us, Sailor Junior Sun?" Venus asked.
"Sailor Junior Sun?" she repeated.
"Oh boy, it looks like we have a problem," Sailor Jupiter said.
"I guess the hypnosis that monster used on us affected Sailor Junior Sun's memory," Sailor Mercury concluded.
The other scouts groaned.
“At least she doesn’t think she’s a snooty Princess,” Mars said.
“Hey!” Sailor Moon objected.
She knelt in front of Sailor Junior Sun and put her hands on her friend's shoulders. Staring deeply into Sailor Sun’s eyes, Sailor Moon shook her
"Jenny, snap out of it! It's us, your friends!" she cried.
“Hey! Quit it!” Sailor Junior Sun said. “Are you insane or something?”
A buzzing noise sounded from another tunnel. The scouts froze as the sound reached their ears. Quickly, Sailor Mercury brought up her VR visor and began scanning.
"There's another portal in the next tunnel. It might lead home" she called.
"Great, let's get out of this dump!" Sailor Mars exclaimed.
“What about Queen Serenity?” Sailor Moon asked. “We’re supposed to stay until we complete whatever it is we’re supposed to complete.”
Mars pointed to where Sailor Junior Sun sat on the ground. “With Sailor Junior Sun in this condition, there isn’t much we can do. It will be too easy for the Negaverse to get her like this. We’re better of regrouping and coming back.”
Sailor Moon nodded reluctantly, looking at Sailor Junior Sun. “Maybe you’re right.”
"Hold on, I'm getting another energy force from an opposite direction. It's almost the same as the other one. It might a monster," Mercury interrupted. “The energy signals are too far away to be certain.”
"So, which one's the portal?" Sailor Moon asked.
"I'm not sure. We have to pick one and go to it."
Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter had been explaining things to Sailor Sun. Venus stood up and looked at Sailor Mercury.
"What if three of us go to one source and the other three head to the second one?" Venus suggested.
"Works for me as long as we get out of here," Jupiter agreed.
The others agreed as well. Soon, Sailors Mars, Mercury and Jupiter were heading to the first energy reading while Sailors Moon, Venus and Junior Sun went to the second.
*****
Sailor Mars was the first to see it. The portal shone blue and seemed to be calling them in. Sailor Mercury did a quick scan to make sure it was real.
"Geronimo!" Sailor Jupiter yelled as she dove in.
Sailor Mars followed but Sailor Mercury paused.
"That means the others got the monster" she thought.
The portal began to shrink as Sailor Mercury passed through.
*****
The remaining scouts headed in the direction Mercury had
told them. Soon, they saw a blinding light from a cavern up ahead. Sailor Moon took the lead and they entered the cave. There was no monster, but another shining portal.
"I guess Mercury's computer made a mistake," Sailor Moon thought out loud.
"Should we go through?" Venus asked, looking doubtfully a the portal.
As the two were talking, Sailor Junior Sun had approached the gleaming portal cautiously.
"Guys, I hear something from the other side" she called.
Sailors Moon and Venus stopped talking and the cavern faded into silence. They all listened and heard, faintly, Sailor Mars' voice.
"This must be the right tunnel. I'll bet Sailor Mars opened it for us!" Sailor Moon cried.
"I hope you're right" Sailor Venus answered as she jumped through.
Sailor Moon and Sailor Junior Sun followed close behind.
*****
The portal roughly dropped Sailor Venus in another cave of the Negaverse. She was surprised to see Sailors Mercury, Mars and Jupiter already there. Venus rose to her feet and tried to walk out through the unblocked cavern door. A powerful force field electrocuted her as she tried to pass through, pushing her back into the cavern.
"We tried that already," Sailor Mars informed her, nursing a burned arm.
"What about the computer?" Venus asked.
"No weaknesses or exits. We're trapped," Mercury reported.
Sailor Jupiter slammed her fist into a wall. The crack of her fist against the stone echoed for several seconds as the caged scouts tried to think of a way out.
"There's one thing we haven't tried!" Jupiter declared.
Jupiter stood facing the force field and held her arms against her chest.
"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" she yelled.
The lightning bolt hit the field and vanished. Sailor Jupiter blinked in surprise and sat down next to Mercury. She sighed and put her head in her hands. Mercury patted her on the back comfortingly.
"Look, there's Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mars cried suddenly, pointing through the force field
They all looked and on the other side of the force field was Sailor Moon and Sailor Junior Sun, their backs turned to their friends.
*****
"Where are we?" Sailor Junior Sun asked, her voice echoing through the enormous cave.
Sailor Moon looked around the room where they stood. It was very familiar to her. She saw the huge throne looming before her and recognition suddenly dawned.
"This is Prince Rutile’s throne room," she said.
"Who?"
"Whatever you do, don't listen to him and resist anything he tries against you," Sailor Moon warned.
Sailor Junior Sun nodded fiercely and together they waited.
*****
"SAILOR MOON!" Sailor Jupiter yelled.
"Will you stop? They can't hear us and you're giving me a headache!" Sailor Mars cried.
"That's right and soon your fearless leader will be no more," Azurite's voice sounded through their prison.
“That’s what you think,” Jupiter yelled.
The four scouts sat down helplessly and watched their friends go against the Prince of the Negaverse.
*****
"Welcome, Sailor Moon," Prince Rutile said as he materialized on the throne. He seemed completely unconcerned that his two greatest enemies were standing unrestrained before him.
Sailor Moon clenched her fists and glared at him.
"What do you want, Nega slime?" she demanded.
Prince Rutile stood and walked towards them.
"You know what I want, Moon brat. Your friend belongs to me and I want her back!" he snarled.
"You'll have to destroy me first!" Sailor Moon said.
"I plan on doing just that. Mighty Negaforce! Give me your power!" Prince Rutile screamed.
He swelled into an enormous size. As he grew, Sailor Moon fitted her crystal into the crescent moon wand.
"Now, face the full force of the Negaverse!" Rutile bellowed.
Sailor Moon pointed her wand at him.
"Cosmic Moon Power!" she yelled.
Prince Rutile laughed as her most powerful weapon bounced harmlessly off of him. The trapped scouts gasped as Sailor Moon stood unprotected before her greatest enemy. Behind her friend, Sailor Junior Sun watched and remembered.
"This is for my friends," she whispered to herself.
Sailor Junior Sun held up her broach. Sailor Moon's energy was spent as her weapon failed. Sailor Moon fell to her knees and looked up at her gigantic foe.
"Universal Solar Eclipse!" Sailor Junior Sun called in a powerful voice.
The ceiling of the Negaverse seemed to crack as the full power of the Sun and of the force trapped within it flowed to her broach. From there, it shot at the inflated form of the Ruler of the Negaverse and he screamed in pain. Slowly, he shrunk down to his normal size, the power of the Negaverse gone. Sailor Junior Sun lowered her hand and help Sailor Moon to her feet.
*****
"Did you see that?" Sailor Venus cried.
Sailor Jupiter jumped for joy and let out a cry.
"Way to go Sunny! That'll show that nasty prince!" Mars yelled.
Sailor Mercury analyzed the blast with her computer and VR visor.
"That must have been the force locked in the Sun! But look, it didn't destroy him," Mercury said.
They watched closely as the battle continued.
*****
Prince Rutile slowly came to his feet. The blast had drained him but he still had enough energy to carry out his plan. As Sailor Junior Sun was helping her friend to her feet, he used the distraction to his advantage.
"Nega Transform!" he shouted, releasing the last of his power.
Sailor Sun was hit from behind and instantly surrounded in a gray light. She gasped and fought the energy taking over her senses. The shadow leapt from her broach and tried to engulf her. She screamed as it enveloped her in shadow.
"Sailor Junior Sun!" Sailor Moon cried.
*****
From their prison, the scouts stared in disbelief. They watched the shadow recede and the Dark Scout rise to her feet. Sailor Jupiter lowered her head in anger and clenched her fists tightly at her sides.
"They got her again,” Venus said softly.
*****
Prince Rutile struggled to his throne as the Dark Scout of the Negaverse stood over the fallen Sailor Moon. Rutile smiled as he watched his warrior pick her ex-friend up.
"Dark Scout, the crystal!" he ordered.
The Dark Scout threw down Sailor Moon and picked up her fallen wand. She took the Imperial Silver Crystal from it's place.
"Now, use your power!" Rutile commanded.
Using her new energy as the Dark Scout, the girl who had been Sunny shattered the crystal back into the Seven Rainbow Crystals.
"At last, they are mine! The Negaverse has the Shadow Warriors back! Now, nothing can stop me from ruling the universe!" Rutile laughed.
Sailor Moon lay on the ground, staring at the shattered crystal in her friend’s hand. A tear slid down her cheek.
*****
"That's it, we've got to do something!" Sailor Jupiter said.
"The blast from the Sun weakened the field. A good hit should destroy it" Sailor Mercury said.
"I'll do it," Mars volunteered, stepping in front of the field.
"Mars Comet Blaze!" she cried as comets bombarded their cage.
Soon, the four scouts were standing between their old friend and their leader. Rutile laughed at their foolishness.
"Red Crystal, release your captive!" he commanded.
The red Rainbow crystal opened and out came the first Shadow Warrior. It growled at the scouts and began to move towards them.
"Jupiter Lightning Spark!" Sailor Jupiter called.
The lightning bolt barely hurt the advancing shadow.
"Mars Lava Explosion!" Sailor Mars yelled.
The red Shadow Warrior leapt over the river of lava that blocked its path.
"Mercury Arctic Entwine!" Sailor Mercury screamed.
It shrugged off the freezing snow and wind and kept coming.
"It's no use. Take Sailor Moon and get out of here. I'll keep them busy and join you later!" Sailor Venus yelled.
Behind the scouts, a portal opened. Sailor Jupiter picked up Sailor Moon and cradled her in her arms.
"We can't leave you!" Sailor Mars objected.
"Do it, or earth is doomed!" Sailor Venus insisted. “We have to live to fight another day.”
Reluctantly, the four scouts went through the portal home.
Sailor Venus turned back to the Shadow. Behind it, she could see Prince Rutile cackling madly and the Dark Scout beside him like a statue.
"Venus Enchantment Attach!" Sailor Venus yelled.
The Shadow stopped dead in its tracks. Venus felt a new force within her as she watched the Shadow slowly fight its way free of her enchantment. A tendril of dread passed through the scout.
If I use my new power, this cave will collapse and I'll go with it, she thought.
The enchantment wore off and the Shadow prepared to attack. Sailor Venus steeled her nerves and faced her final adversary. Behind the Shadow, Prince Rutile watched with renewed interest. Sailor Venus went down on one knee, her eyes never leaving the Shadow.
"Venus Heartache Collapse!" Sailor Venus said and punched the ground with all her force.
The ground cracked and the cave began to quake. The ceiling shook and collapsed. With the last of her energy, Venus sent a thought and the newly formed crystal to her friends.
*****
The four sailor scouts arrived safely in Amy's apartment. They waited for hours for Sailor Venus to return. Serena, now fully awake, sat on Amy’s couch with Amy on her right and Raye on her left. Lita paced in the hallway. Finally, they saw Mina’s image. She was waving to them from a beautiful place and smiling happily.
It's been great. I'll see you guys around, she said.
The red Rainbow crystal materialized at Serena's feet. She fell to her knees and wept.
"Mina, no!" she cried.
The others cried as well for their lost friend. Luna and Artemis bowed their heads as tears rolled off their whiskers.
"We'll never forget you, Sailor Venus; Mina," Artemis sobbed as Venus' powerstick appeared at his feet.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ADVENTURE MOUNTAIN

Deep within the destroyed caves of the Negaverse, Prince Rutile sat on his cracked throne. Beside him stood his newest warrior, the Dark Scout and before them lay the unmoving body of their enemy. Azurite appeared between Sailor Venus and the throne and bowed deeply. Prince Rutile raised his finger as a gesture that she was allowed to speak.
"My Master, with one scout down, the other four should come easily. They are saddened by losing two of their friends in one day. My monster Vinos is ready to lure them out and destroy them!" Azurite suggested.
Rutile looked past his general at the form that lay behind her. Sailor Venus' eyes were closed and her face and clothing torn. Her arms lay at her side.
"What do you suggest we do with the body?" Rutile asked calmly.
Azurite was taken aback at the comment. She blinked in shock, but said nothing.
"She was a worthy opponent and a fierce warrior. She should be lain to rest with the bodies of our previous enemies. I will attend to it, if you wish," Azurite said finally.
Prince Rutile shook his head. "You take care of the scouts while they're alive. My new warrior will deal with them when they're dead."
Azurite bowed and vanished. The Dark Scout walked to where Venus lay, placed a hand on her ex-friend's chest, and they disappeared as well.
*****
The Dark Scout and Sailor Venus reappeared in a cave far from the throne room. In this room lay thousands of bodies. Each had been, in life, a great warrior that the Negaverse had destroyed. It was like a trophy room to the rulers of the Negaverse.
The Dark Scout walked past the enemies Queen Beryl had destroyed and saw the faces of Jedite, Nephlyte and Zoisite. She knew them as great generals who had displeased the Queen, not as enemies of the planet Earth. Nephlyte was a traitor and the Dark Scout spat at his corpse as she walked by. The last bed held the body of Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. She had sacrificed herself and her kingdom to trap the Negaforce through the power of her crystal. When Queen Beryl had escaped to conquer Earth, she had returned to the Moon to claim the Queen's body as her prize. The first trophy in Rutile's section was the body of Sailor Venus. Four other beds lay by her side, each hoping to contain a sailor scout.
The Dark Scout lay Sailor Venus on the cold, stone bed and looked at the empty beds beside her. She smiled as she thought of single handedly filling them for her Master. With that thought in her mind, she vanished, leaving Sailor Venus alone with the ghosts of the past.
*****
The first day of school was more difficult than usual to take. Serena felt utterly depressed, as did the rest of the scouts. Mina's death had hit them all hard and Serena couldn't concentrated. She walked into class ten minutes late. She sat down at her desk without even trying to hid the fact she was late. Her teacher, Ms. Haruna, pounced on her tardiness in a second.
"Serena! You're late! On the first day of school!" she yelled.
Serena sighed and lay her head on her arms.
"I'm sorry," she said.
Ms. Haruna was shocked. She hesitated a moment, then tried again.
"What's your excuse?" she asked.
"I don't have an excuse. I was late and I'm sorry."
"Serena, what's wrong?" Ms. Haruna asked gently.
The entire class was silent as they waited for Serena's response. Ms. Haruna took Serena's arm and led her out of the room.
"The rest of you, read chapters three to ten and you'd better be done when I get back in," she ordered.
Outside the room, Ms. Haruna spoke quietly to Serena. The girl sank to the ground and put her head in her hands. Her teacher knelt next to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I know you're always late, but I think this time its more than that. What's wrong?" she asked.
Serena began to cry. Ms. Haruna patted her back soothingly, still completely clueless about why her student was so sad.
"One of my . . close . . friends . . died . . yesterday!" Serena wailed.
Ms. Haruna was at a loss for words. All she could do was comfort the girl as best she could until someone behind her spoke.
"Please Ms. Haruna, let me handle this," the voice behind her said.
Ms. Haruna looked up and saw Amy standing there. The blue haired girl seemed also sad, and her cheeks were streaked with tears.
"She was my friend as well," Amy explained.
Ms. Haruna nodded and returned to her class.
"Take all the time you need," she said.
Amy sat next to Serena. They were motionless for a few seconds, then Serena threw herself into her friend’s arms.
"Oh, Amy!" Serena cried.
Together, they sat in the hall and cried for their lost companion.
*****
That afternoon, Amy, Raye, Lita, and Serena sat together at Raye's Temple. Luna and Artemis watched them worriedly.
"They're really taking this hard," Luna commented.
Artemis nodded. Suddenly he jumped onto Amy's lap.
"I've got a great idea girls, why don't you take a vacation?" he suggested.
Serena looked up. She wiped her red eyes and sniffed. "Where to?"
"I read about this place called Adventure Mountain. It's a huge amusement park, the biggest in Japan," Lita said. “It’s not far from here either.”
"Good idea. Ms. Haruna suggested to take a few days off to get over this," Amy agreed.
From behind some bushes, Vinos listened.
*****
The next day they went to Adventure Mountain. A smile spread over Serena's face as she saw the Ferris wheel, the roller coasters, and especially, the cotton candy. They went on rides, posed for pictures, watched shows and had a wonderful time. Serena began to smile again, and Lita, Raye, and Amy found their grief slipping away. For the whole day, Vinos watched. Finally, as a group of people were gathering for a performance, she attacked.
A terrified scream alerted the vacationing scouts to the monster’s presence. They had just gotten off of a roller coaster when Amy noticed the fleeing crowd.
"Transform! There's a monster attacking those people over there!" Amy said.
The scouts hid behind a gaming booth. Serena held up her hand. Since her crystal had been destroyed, Luna had given her a new locket to use until the Imperial Crystal was reformed.
"Moon Crisis Transform!" she called.
"Mercury Star Power!" Amy yelled.
"Jupiter Star Power!" Lita cried.
"Mars Star Power!" Raye shouted.
Vinos had cornered several people and was preparing to leach out their life energy when it heard Sailor Moon cry out. The monster forgot its victims and turned toward the approaching scouts. The cornered people gratefully ran away.
“Think you can ruin our vacation? Think again!” Sailor Moon said. “I stand for . . .”
Vinos roared and charged. The scouts leapt clear and Vinos turned to try again.
“Hey! I didn’t finish my speech!” Sailor Moon wailed.
“No time for that now,” Mars said.
She faced the rapidly approaching monster.
"Mars Comet Blaze!" she cried, sending the comets towards the monster. Vinos easily dodged the hail of stone.
"My turn. Vinos!" it shrieked, lashing out at Sailor Mars with its vines.
Sailor Mars jumped clear. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury stepped up to take a shot at the enemy.
"Jupiter Tornado Wind!" Sailor Jupiter yelled.
Hundreds of small tornadoes formed and joined into one big one. It went after the escaping monster and caught Vinos in it's whirlwind. The creature was spun around and around until the tornado dropped it to the ground. Vinos sat still, its head still spinning from the ride.
"Mercury Arctic Entwine!" Sailor Mercury said.
Vinos froze solid from the neck down. It’s head moaned in dizziness and cold.
"I'll finish the job," Sailor Moon said.
She took of her tiara and it turned into a discus.
"Moon Tiara Magic!" she shouted.
The frozen monster shattered. Azurite appeared, hovering over the remains of her minion.
"Well done, but can you defeat another Shadow Warrior without your precious Sailor Venus?" she asked mockingly.
The scouts stood ready for battle. Azurite drew out the second Rainbow crystal. Around them, a crowd of people had gathered.
"Orange Crystal! Release your captive!" Azurite commanded.
The crystal vanished and another shadow grew tall and powerful. It roared as it stretched and faced the scouts.
"Mama! That shadow monster's gonna eat Sailor Moon!" a small boy in the crowd cried.
Sailor Moon turned to face him and winked.
"Don't worry, for love and justice, the Sailor Scouts will punish that evil creature. Just stay back so you don't get hurt," she said.
The boy hid behind his mother. "Get'em" he said with a fierce smile.
The Shadow Warrior began to form something in its hands. Mercury brought up her VR visor and gasped. Quickly, she placed herself between the other scouts and the monster and called upon her winds to keep the shadow’s weapon away from them.
"Mercury Wind Banishment!" she cried.
The object in the monsters hands puffed into nothingness and he tried to form another. That one failed as well.
"What was he doing?" Sailor Mars asked.
"If one of those balls had hit us, we would have been instantly killed," Mercury replied grimly.
"The Negaverse is really sick of us, isn't it? Before they just tried to stop us from stopping them. Now, they're getting serious," Sailor Jupiter commented.
“I can’t hold it for long, guys,” Mercury reminded them.
"Let's do this the old fashion way," Sailor Moon suggested.
She took off her tiara. Mercury relaxed her winds and the shadow began to form its dark energy again. It slowly advanced.
"Moon Tiara . . ," she began.
"Mercury Bubbles . . ," Sailor Mercury added.
"Mars Fire . . ," Sailor Mars continued.
"Jupiter Thunder . . ," Sailor Jupiter said.
There was a pause before they finished. The shadow kept moving closer.
"Magic!"
"Blast!"
"Ignite!"
"Crash!"
A flaming discus surrounded by freezing bubbles and electricity sped towards the shadow. It struck true and the warrior screamed in pain. He tried vainly to form some means of defense, but the scout’s combined attack had weakened it.
"That didn't completely do it," Sailor Mars said.
“But it’s slowed down,” Mercury added.
"Jupiter Lightning Spark!" Sailor Jupiter shouted.
"Mars Lava Explosion!" Sailor Mars cried.
The Shadow Warrior gave a final cry of pain before disappearing. All that remained was the orange Rainbow Crystal.
"Two down, five to go," Sailor Moon said as she picked it up.
Around them, the crowd began to cheer. The Sailor Scouts waved, jumped onto the roof of a nearby building and ran out of sight.
*****
Azurite watched the Shadow Warrior be destroyed and the scouts retrieve the second crystal. She cursed them silently as they ran off. They had two of the crystals and if they got any more, they would have the Imperial Silver Crystal in no time. She vanished into the Negaverse to give her report. Perhaps Prince Rutile will be lenient with her. Perhaps not.
*****
For the rest of the day, all Serena, Raye, Amy and Lita heard about was how the Sailor Scouts had saved the park. People would come up to them and ask if they saw it. They would always reply that they did and a lengthy conversation would begin about the fight and the persons favorite scout. By the end of the day, the four were in good spirits again.
"We all know who the best is. Sailor Mars with fifteen people," Raye said.
"Not so fast, I got seventeen," Lita argued.
"How many people did we talk to?" Serena asked.
"I'd estimate approximately ninety people," Amy answered. “The part was quite crowded today.”
"Only twelve people liked Sailor Moon," Serena pouted.
"Then who's the least favorite?" Raye asked.
They all looked at Amy.
"I beat all of you. Twenty two people liked Sailor Mercury and twenty people wondered where Sailor Venus was," Amy said.
Amy's remark dampened their mood somewhat until Serena saw an ice cream booth. Soon, all four were happily eating ice cream, until Serena tripped and hers fell into a pond. Amy parted with the remains of hers to stop Serena from wailing.
*****
Luna and Artemis were waiting at Raye's Temple when they returned.
"Well, how did the vacation go?" Artemis asked.
"Pretty uneventful," Amy said.
"Yeah. We rode the roller coaster, ate cotton candy, fought a monster from the Negaverse, went on the Ferris wheel, defeated another Shadow Warrior, bought ice cream and came home. That's about it," Lita said.
"You call that uneventful?" Artemis demanded.
"Did you get the second crystal?" Luna asked.
Serena took it out of her pocket. "Right here".
"Good. Come on Serena, lets go home. It's late and you've got school tomorrow," Luna said. “We should meet back here again tomorrow afternoon.”
They waved goodbye and Serena, Luna, and Lita departed. Amy stayed and talked with Raye for a while. Soon, she got ready to leave as well.
"Uh, Amy?" Artemis asked.
"Yes, what is it?" Amy said.
"Um, since I'm sort of homeless, I was wondering . . ," he stammered.
Amy laughed and picked him up.
"Of course you can stay with me. It will be nice to have some company since my mother's away," she answered.
Artemis closed his eyes and purred gratefully.
*****
Azurite stood before Prince Rutile and the Dark Scout, awaiting her punishment. The Master of the Negaverse tapped his chin in thought.
"Azurite, you have served me well in the past. Your punishment will be less severe this time. Never let this happen again! I want the Sailor Scouts dead!" he screamed.
"Yes, my Master," Azurite mumbled.
Rutile snapped his fingers and the Dark Scout stepped forward. Her hands glowed with energy and Azurite took a fearful step back.
"Go ahead, and make it painful," Rutile commanded with a smile.
Azurite's screams echoed through the caverns. Deep in another cavern, a faint beating could be heard.
*****
Serena didn't go home that night. Instead, she found herself wandering alone. Luna had left with Lita for the night and the sorrow and anger penned up inside her was too much.
"Hey, Meatball Head," a friendly voice said behind her.
She turned and threw her arms around Darien. He held her close as she cried and patted her softly.
"Now, what's this about?" he asked.
Serena looked up at him and he smiled at her. Gently, he wiped her tears from her cheeks.
"Oh, Darien, I'm so glad you found me," Serena sobbed.
Darien hugged her again. "That's kind of my job. To keep you safe and happy. I don't seem to be doing well in the happy department, so why don't you tell me what's wrong?"
Serena told him everything and together, they walked to Serena's house. Her mother was waiting outside and Darien explained her daughter’s lateness and tears as best he could. She thanked him and brought Serena inside. Darien waited until the door was closed before turning and heading slowly back to his apartment.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JUPITER'S GREAT SACRIFICE


Azurite lay on her bed deep in the Negaverse. Pain swept through her battered body from the previous day's punishment. She felt tired and lost, afraid and angry. She clenched her fists and raised an opened hand. The third Rainbow Crystal appeared within it and she watched it sparkle in the dim light. Through the yellow glass, she could make out the dark, sleeping form of the Shadow Warrior. A slow smile crept over her face. This one was the fiercest of them all. Surely it will kill one of them. She laughed at their fate and at the reward that would come to her when they were all finally gone.
*****
Deep in the maze of caverns, a pulsing sound echoed. It was weak at first, but it grew stronger with each passing day. It knew that it would be a long time before it would be strong once more. It could also sense that another would be joining it – a kindred spirit whose beat would echo in harmony with its own sound. A pulse of hope in a place otherwise filled with hopelessness.
*****
Lita was hard at work in her kitchen. She stirred her soup for a moment and quickly added diced carrots to the mixture. She paused only for a second to wipe the water from her face before checking the pie she had in the oven. Raye stood by the table, neatly fixing the plates. Amy added fresh flowers as a center piece and the two stood back to admire their work. Lita took her pie from the oven and tasted the soup. Serena was beside her, making sandwiches. She had a pile of ripped bread to her right, and a fresh loaf Lita had just baked to her left. Between, the messy counter showed a small pile of completed sandwiches.
"How's that?" Serena asked, wiping some food from her cheek.
Lita looked critically at the other's work. She made a face at the mess, but when she raised her eyes and saw Serena’s proud expression, she knew she had to lie.
"They’re perfect, Serena. They can go on the table," Lita approved.
Soon, the four of them were eating the delicious meal. Lita wiped her hands on her apron and smiled at her friends.
"So, what do you think?" she asked.
"Delicious!" Amy exclaimed.
"Wonderful!" Raye added.
"Can I have more soup?" Serena asked through a mouthful of sandwich.
Serena raised her head and noticed the empty plates of her friends. “Hey, why aren’t you eating the sandwiches I made?”
Amy smiled. “We’re saving room, Serena.”
“Besides, you’ve eaten most of them yourself,” Raye added.
Lita carefully poured more soup into Serena’s bowl. "Don't fill yourself up, there's still pie for desert!" she warned.
“Great! I love your pie!” Serena said brightly.
The sun was setting as Lita brought out the pie. Amy and Raye each took a small piece and Serena helped herself to the rest.
"Serena! Don't be such a pig! Lita might want some, you know," Raye scolded.
Lita shook her head. "Let Serena eat it. I can easily make another. I'm glad she likes it so much," she said.
Serena stuck her tongue out at Raye and shoveled more pie into her mouth.
*****
Outside the window of Lita's kitchen, Azurite watched them. She knew who they were and what they could become. Rutile knew she knew as well. That was why she had not yet been destroyed. As long as Azurite kept the Sailor Scout's identities to herself, Rutile would keep her around. In her hand, she played with the third crystal.
"I should save this for when they're weaker," she told herself.
Smiling, she disappeared into the night.
*****
The next afternoon, Lita was walking home from school alone. She hummed softly to herself and swung her bag at her side. She heard someone running behind her, and turned to greet them. It was Luna who stopped next to Lita.
"Hi, Luna," she greeted the cat.
"Hello, Lita. Where's Serena?" Luna asked.
"Detention," Lita answered with a smile. “She was late again.”
Luna sighed. "I guess I'll go wait for her," she said.
"Amy's sitting outside doing homework. You can talk with her, if you like," Lita told her.
Luna nodded, thanked Lita, and ran off in the direction Lita had come from. When she was out of sight, Lita continued to head home. She rounded a corner and saw Azurite standing there, waiting for her. Lita dropped her school bag to one side and assumed a fighter’s stance.
"Come, come, Sailor Jupiter. You can't be that eager to destroy me," Azurite said with a laugh.
"You killed my good friend, and for that, I'm going to kill you!" Lita vowed.
"I didn't kill your friend. The Shadow Warrior did, and don't worry, you'll join her soon," Azurite promised.
Lita yelled in rage and charged at the general. Azurite vanished and reappeared behind the school girl. Lita stumbled to a halt, turned, and faced her enemy again.
"Please, Lita,” Azurite said almost pleadingly. “Let's go to a more fitting area."
A portal opened behind Lita. Azurite held up her hand toward Lita and the girl flew backwards into the dark circle. Azurite calmly walked up to it and stepped inside. It closed behind them, leaving the street deserted save for Lita’s abandoned school bag.
*****
Lita found herself once again in the caves of the Negaverse. She rose to her feet and looked around. Azurite was no where to be seen. Lita held up her powerstick.
"Jupiter Star Power!" she yelled, transforming into Sailor Jupiter.
Azurite emerged in front of her, laughing softly. Jupiter reassumed her fighter’s stance and glared at the general. Azurite made no move, but continued laughing.
"Laugh at this, jerk!" Jupiter shouted. An antennae rose from her tiara and electricity began to gather around her.
"Jupiter Lightning Spark!" she cried.
Azurite dissolved and reemerged in a different spot. Jupiter tried again and failed. Each time it seemed her attack was about to hit, Azurite would disappear and the electricity would strike the stone walls of the cavern.
"Please, this is a peaceful gesture. I want to talk to you," Azurite said.
"I have nothing to say to a lying, cheating, dirty, slimy Nega scum like you!" Sailor Jupiter yelled.
"I am not dirty!" Azurite protested.
She waved her hand and they were moved to a different cavern. In it were many bodies laying on stone beds. Azurite was no where to be seen and Jupiter relaxed slightly. She walked among the many rows, reading the names of the Negaverse rulers who had killed them, or ordered them killed.
She came to Queen Beryl's section and shed a tear for Nephlyte, who Molly had loved. She paused before Queen Serenity as well, and said a prayer for her soul. At last, she came to Sailor Venus. Her friend appeared to be asleep, but Jupiter wept just the same. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she lay her friend's hands on her stomach and arranged her hair nicely, so it framed her face. Lita straightened out Mina's clothes and stepped back. Azurite came between them.
"She is here in a place of honor among our enemies," Azurite whispered softly.
With another wave of her hand, Lita was back on the street where she had been taken from, her heart heavy and her eyes full of tears.
*****
Azurite smiled evilly as Lita walked slowly down the street. Her plan had worked. Sailor Jupiter had become weaker, seeing her best friend's body. Now, Sailor Moon would be next and the Dark Scout would destroy her once and for all.
*****
Serena called her friend later that night.
"Lita, are you all right?" she asked.
"Yeah, I guess. A funny thing happened to me on the way home, that's all," Lita answered gloomily.
Serena waited for a few seconds.
"Well," she said finally, "what happened?"
"Azurite came and took me to see Mina."
There was a shocked silence on the other line. At Serena's house, Luna was being told what Lita just said.
"Ask her if she's hurt," Luna said.
"No, nothing happened. I'm just depressed," Lita answered after Serena repeated the question.
"Do you want me to come over?" Serena asked gently.
"No, I'm gonna make myself a cake to cheer me up," Lita replied.
"A cake! Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Serena said.
Lita laughed for the first time that evening. She could picture Serena’s face lighting up at the mention of food. Almost instantaneously, the face of Serena was replaced by the image of Sailor Venus, lying cold and alone in the Negaverse.
"I'll save you a piece and bring it to school tomorrow," Lita promised. Her voice choked and she could feel the tears forming again.
"Great. I'll try to get to school in time for lunch," Serena said.
They both said good bye and hung up. Luna looked at Serena questioningly.
"What do you mean, you'll try to get to school in time for lunch?" Luna demanded.
*****
At school the next day, Lita was eating under her usual tree when Serena and Amy came over. They ate together in silence until Serena coughed politely.
"Uh, Lita?" she said.
Lita handed her the piece of cake.
"Thanks, but that's not what I was going to ask," Serena said.
"Sorry, Serena. I'm just very tired today," Lita apologized.
"What for?" Amy asked.
Lita turned to her friends. "I had a bad dream, that's all," she said.
"We're studying dreams in my psychology class, maybe I can tell you what it means," Amy said.
Serena swallowed a mouthful of cake. "What psychology class? There's no class like that here," she said.
Amy blushed slightly. "I know. I'm taking it at the university," she confessed.
"University? As in, after high school?" Serena gasped.
Amy nodded, her face reddening. Lita rolled her eyes and began.
"Well, it started by reliving when Mina died. I saw her tell us to leave and then watched her be destroyed. She brought down the ceiling of the cavern to crush the monster. Then, the rest of us were back in the Negaverse, fighting again. Amy was lying on the floor and Raye was crouched beside her. I stepped forward and then . . ," Lita said.
"Yes, then what?" Amy asked.
"It ended."
Amy thought about what her friend had just said. Serena ate her lunch and most of Lita's until Amy spoke again.
"I believe that your dream was trying to warn you about the third Shadow Warrior. Perhaps you're going to beat the monster yourself," she said. “Or join Sailor Venus,” she added more quietly.
From behind them, someone popped up out of the bushes. Serena cried out in alarm until she realized who it was.
"Hi dee hi everybody! Did I hear someone talking about monsters?" Melvin asked.
"Go away, Melvin, this doesn't concern you," Serena snapped.
"Really? Then I guess you don't want to hear what I know about the missing Sailor Venus," Melvin said, coming out of the bushes and joining the girls uninvited.
"What do you know about her?" Lita asked.
"Well, my sources tell me she quit the Sailor Scouts and moved somewhere else, and do you know what's funny? This new girl Mina at the other school disappeared around the same time! Do you think Sailor Venus kidnapped her?" Melvin said.
Serena, Amy, and Lita exchanged a three way glance.
"Just who are your sources, Melvin?" Amy questioned.
"They're very good. Two of them claim to know the Sailor Scouts real identities!" Melvin bragged.
Serena began to laugh and soon Lita joined her. Amy smiled and looked at the confused boy in front of her.
"Thank you Melvin. Now, we'd appreciate some privacy," Amy said nicely.
Melvin got up and left without saying another word. He was muttering to himself as he walked away in obvious confusion.
*****
As soon as he had gone, Azurite took his place. She appeared from around the tree and waited for them to acknowledge her. The girls got up and stood boldly in front of her, defying them without saying a word. Azurite threw the yellow crystal up into the air and caught it. The sunlight played off of it until the general’s hand was firmly around it again.
"You scouts are tricky to find, but now that I've got you, I can get rid of you! Come with me to my home!" Azurite said.
A portal appeared a step behind them and Azurite lured them in. From behind some bushes, Melvin watched. The sparkling of the crystal had attracted his attention, so he had returned to his hiding place to see what was going on. He couldn't hear what was happening, but saw as Azurite and the girls vanished.
*****
In a short time they were in the Negaverse caves. Azurite was no where to be seen but there was another Shadow Warrior waiting for them. It was larger than the previous two and seemed to be made entirely of muscle. It waited patiently for the battle to begin.
"Moon Crisis Transform!" Serena called.
"Jupiter Star Power!" Lita yelled.
"Mercury Star Power!" Amy cried.
They stood together, staring at the newest enemy. Suddenly, from behind them, a voice spoke.
"It sure took you guys long enough to get here."
They turned and saw Sailor Mars, ready for action. She walked to where they stood and together, they faced the oncoming threat.
"Mars Comet Blaze!" Sailor Mars said.
The comets hit their mark, but the creature didn't slow or show any signs of weakness.
"Let's double team this one, Mercury" Jupiter suggested.
Sailor Mercury nodded and crossed her arms. The floor seemed to be getting wet around her as she waited. Suddenly, it rose up like a spiral.
"Mercury Water Splash!" she cried.
The yellow Shadow monster was soaked with water. The spiral continued to hit it as it cried out in surprise.
"Jupiter Lightning Spark!" Sailor Jupiter added.
A single spark of electricity hit the water and flowed to its victim. The Shadow screamed as it was electrocuted. The two scouts held it for as long as their energy allowed.
"Try your moonbeam attack, Sailor Moon," Mars suggested.
"I don't think it'll work without Sunny," she protested.
"Try anyway. That monster doesn't need that much more to turn back into another crystal," Mars urged.
Sailor Moon placed one finger above the jewel on her tiara. She faced the Shadow.
"Moonbeam Attack!" she summoned.
A single, thin beam came and hit the creature. Along with the water and electricity, the shadow gave up and was defeated. Sailor Moon picked up the third crystal.
"Don't celebrate yet," Azurite advised them.
She hovered in mid-air with the fourth crystal in her hand. Without any warning, she dropped it to the floor.
"Green Crystal! Release your captive!" she commanded.
The crystal shattered and out came another Shadow Warrior. It roared and charged the scouts. They jumped clear and were scattered to different parts of the cave. Sailor Jupiter exhaled sharply and passed a hand over her brow.
"Great. I'm too tired to fight this," she said.
The fight didn't go too well for the scouts from that point on. Sailor Mercury was picked up and flung like a rag doll where she hit the rock wall and lay still. Sailor Mars had many cuts and scrapes on her before being hit by a blast of dark energy. She rolled and crouched beside her fallen friend.
This is just like my dream, Jupiter thought.
She felt a new power inside her. Hesitantly, she looked around at her friends. The Shadow was headed for Sailor Moon, who was holding her tiara in one hand. Jupiter’s eyebrows knit in determination and she held up her powerstick.
"Jupiter Portal Open!" she cried.
A portal appeared near Mercury and Mars. Sailor Moon ducked under the Shadow’s clumsy punch and ran to her friends. Jupiter stood at the portal entrance and ushered her friends through.
"What about you?" Sailor Moon asked.
"I know what I have to do. It's been fun, you guys, and I have no regrets. If I get out of this alive, you'll know. Now go!" she said, pushing all three through.
As the portal closed behind her, she turned back to the monster. Azurite watched from above, curiousity getting the better of her. Sailor Jupiter took a fighter’s stance and the antennae rose from her tiara. Azurite’s eyes widened in surprise as she realized the scout was drawing her own life power as well as the power from the room. Sailor Jupiter held both hands above her head as a massive ball appeared and she hurled it at the Shadow with all her might.
"Jupiter Energy Charge!" she yelled.
She fell to the ground as her energy sped to the monster. The fourth Shadow Warrior yelled in pain and was destroyed. The green crystal appeared in its place, only to vanish a second later. Beside the fallen sailor scout, a green powerstick fell from a limp hand and disappeared as well.
*****
Serena, Amy and Raye once again found themselves in Amy's apartment where they waited nervously for their friend. Serena paced while the others watched from where they sat on the bed. They knew what could happen, but Lita was stronger than them all. If anyone could return, it would be her.
"She's coming, I know it! We're the good guys, we can't loose!" Serena said, her hands clenched into tight fists and her eyes watering.
Suddenly, they saw a picture of Lita, smiling down at them from a cheerful place.
So long! Give one to Prince Rutile for me! Lita said to them.
At Serena's feet appeared the green crystal and Jupiter's powerstick. Tears rolled down her cheeks at the sight of them, and she fell to her knees and cried. Serena held the powerstick tightly in her hand.
"I vow to you right now, Lita, that your death and Mina's will be avenged. Prince Rutile will never rule Earth as long as Sailor Moon is here to stop him!" she cried.
"As long as Sailor Mercury is here, they won't go unpunished!" Amy joined.
"Together, we'll protect the innocent!" Raye vowed.
"Scouts Honor!" they said, holding their powersticks high.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TWO DOWN, THREE TO GO


The Dark Scout of the Negaverse appeared in the “trophy” room with the body of Sailor Jupiter. She lay the defeated scout beside her companion and looked at them both with a smug grin. They had been mighty warriors in life, and not been easy to kill. The Dark Scout recalled that Queen Beryl had gone through four generals while trying to kill the Sailor Scouts before being killed herself when she had thought success inevitable. Already, Prince Rutile had lost three of the best generals the Negaverse had every know, and soon Azurite would join them in destruction.
The Dark Scout gazed down at Sailor Jupiter. The scout remained fierce, even in death; her face was contorted in anger and frustration. Her companion, on the other hand, was peacefully at rest, and the Dark Scout turned her head to see the other three empty beds. The next self-sacrificing scout would leave Sailor Moon with only one ally. Tuxedo Mask would be unable to follow them into the Negaverse without help, and the Shadows were their strongest here. The Negaverse had all the advantages it needed to succeed, and Sailor Moon had only herself to rely on. The Dark Scout laughed and disappeared.
In the silence of the cave, the pulsing was intensified.
*****
The original three sailor scouts spent Friday afternoon at the mall. They shopped to cheer themselves up after Lita's passing, and to take their minds off the enemy they faced. Serena bought two small boxes - one orange, one green - to keep the powersticks of her fallen friends in. Raye bought a blue one as well and Amy bought a red one. They hid their purchases from Serena as best they could, but their perceptive friend quickly spotted them.
"Why did you buy those?" Serena asked curiously when they were out of the store.
Raye and Amy looked at each other sheepishly. Serena looked at them expectantly, anticipating their answers.
"Mine is . . for pencils," Amy stammered.
"Yeah, so is mine," Raye added.
Serena looked her friends in the eye and lowered her head. She stayed like that for several seconds. Amy and Raye exchanged confused looks. When Serena lifted her head, her eyes were wet with tears.
"Those are for you powersticks, aren't they?" she asked quietly.
"Of course not, Meatball Head! You think we expect to die?" Raye said.
Serena looked at Amy. Serena’s eyes were glistening with tears and Amy knew she couldn’t lie. She steeled herself against whatever Serena might do, and told her the truth.
"Lita and Mina were fierce fighters who gave up their own lives for the good of the universe. If I'm faced in the same situation, I'd gladly sacrifice myself like they did," Amy said.
Serena and Raye looked ashamed of themselves. Raye stepped next to Amy and nodded fiercely.
"You're right. I don't want to go, but if I have to, I will," Raye said.
"Me too," Serena admitted. “But please, don’t sacrifice yourselves for my sake. Please.”
Amy and Raye smiled gently. “It’s our duty to protect you, princess,” Amy said, placing a hand on Serena’s shoulder.
“We have to do what we feel is needed,” Raye added. “Our lives are not as important as yours, in the long run.”
Tears were streaming down Serena’s cheeks, but she nodded bravely. She tightened her grip on the two boxes she had just bought, and hugged them closer to her chest.
"Good. Let's stop talking about this and go to that book store. I need to pick up a new physics book," Amy said, leading the way.
*****
They arrived at Serena's house later that night. Serena's kid brother, Sammy, was playing a Sailor V video game. Serena and her friends watched for a while. Sammy was intensely staring at the TV screen, while Sailor V was suddenly surrounded by monsters. Try as Sammy might, he could not save his character and the game ended.
"Oh no! Sailor V is dead!" Sammy cried.
Tears filled Serena's eyes as she stared at the flashing “Game Over” on the TV.
"So is Sailor J," she whispered. “Who will be next?”
Amy took Serena’s arm gently and led her to her room. Raye followed close behind, holding the packages the three of them had bought. Sammy watched them go.
"What'd I say?" he wondered.
*****
Prince Rutile sat on his throne, absently tapping his fingernails on the chair’s arm. He stared ahead blankly, lost in thought. The Dark Scout stood motionlessly at his side. A few moments later, he looked up and pointed to one of his servants. It stepped forward and bowed.
"What is our energy reserve like?" he demanded.
"There is little left, my Master" it replied without straightening from the bow.
Prince Rutile waved his hand and the servant stepped back again, lost in the crowd that surrounded the throne at all times. Rutile summoned Azurite and she appeared before him.
"Our energy is low. When you summon the Shadows, it uses vast amounts of energy. Energy we need to fully control the Dark Scout," Rutile said. “Without her full power, we cannot hope to free the Negaforce. You must replenish the energy reserve.”
"Yes, my Master,” Azurite said. “I have a plan. Humans spend energy on a sensation called laughter. I will create a place where humans will go to laugh and then, I'll get their energy.”
"A good plan,” Rutile conceded. “Proceed, and take the Dark Scout with you."
The Dark Scout stepped forward and stood beside Azurite. The general could hardly control her despise for the Prince’s new favourite, but had no choice but to obey.
"As you wish, my Master," Azurite said with distaste.
Both she and the Dark Scout bowed once, and vanished.
*****
"Look at this, guys!" Raye said the next day.
Serena and Amy leaned over the table to see the newspaper she was reading. There was a huge advertisement for a movie theater that had just opened. Luna hopped onto the table to look as well.
“Listen to this. ‘All Day Laugh-A-Thon Today to Celebrate the Grand Opening of the Theatre. Admission Free for the first 100 people’,” Raye read.
“Free admission?” Serena gasped.
"It could be a Negaverse trap," Luna reminded them.
"Oh, Luna! You think everything is a trap," Serena said.
"Need I remind you about the skating rink? The skiing competition? The cruise? The amusement part? The . . ," Luna said.
"Okay, I get the idea. If it is a trap, we need to stop it," Serena interrupted. “Either way, free admission!”
"Shall we go to the two o'clock show?" Amy said, picking up the paper and looking the ad over.
Raye and Serena nodded. Luna hung her head and sighed.
*****
They arrived before the show and began to snoop around. Serena led the way and at once noticed that the theatre did not have a concession stand. Amy took out her computer and scanned for strange readings, but Raye sensed evil the moment she stepped through the door.
"Luna was right," Amy said, confirming Raye’s intuition with readings from her computer.
"I hate it when she's right," Serena pouted. “Do we at least get to see the show?”
Amy nodded. “Yes, but we have to keep our eyes and ears open for Negaverse activity.”
“Yeah, Serena,” Raye added. “Don’t laugh so hard you can’t hear yourself think.”
They headed out of the lobby and into the theatre itself. It resembled an ordinary theatre, except above the screen hung an enormous black chandelier. Amy pulled out her computer again as the theatre began to fill with unsuspecting victims. Before Amy could figure out what the chandelier was, the show began.
The three scouts paid little attention to the screen, but focused instead on what was going on around them. Raye had an anti-evil charm held ready as she scanned the crowd. Serena looked nervous, but kept one hand protectively on her broach, wishing it still possessed the Silver Crystal.
“Guys, look! Everyone who's laughing is getting weaker!" Raye remarked.
Serena watched the people around her laugh until the literally collapsed. The scouts ducked out of sight behind their seats and waited patiently for whatever would happen next.
On the stage, a monster stood with the energy they had collected. She was dressed like an usher from the thirties and was channeling the stolen energy into the massive chandelier.
"We've got to stop them!" Raye shrieked.
She grabbed Serena’s hand and, with Amy close behind, they crawled unnoticed down the aisle. The lobby was deserted, and Serena held up her broach.
"Moon Crisis Transform!" Serena cried.
"Mercury Star Power!" Amy yelled.
"Mars Star Power!" Raye shouted.
The Sailor Scouts headed back into the theatre, determined to defeat the Negaverse once again.
*****
Azurite appeared beside her monster. She glance approvingly at the growing chandelier and waved her hand at it in a dismissing gesture. The chandelier shrunk in size as the energy it held was sent to the Negaverse. Azurite turned to walk away.
"Hold it right there, Nega trash!" a familiar voice said.
Azurite looked up and saw the three remaining Sailor Scouts. They stood in the doorway with their hands on their hips and an expression of disapproval on their faces. Azurite smiled despite herself. As if their approval meant anything to her.
"You think you can steal these good people's energy? I don't think so! I fight for love and justice! I'm Sailor Moon and on behalf of the Moon . . ," Sailor Moon began.
"For Mercury . . ," Sailor Mercury added.
"And in the name of Mars . . ," Sailor Mars joined.
"We will punish you!" they said together.
"Get them,” Azurite ordered the monster.
Azurite continued the energy transfer herself as the usher-monster leapt forward to strike at the scouts. They jumped clear as the creature landed.
"Mars Firebird Strike!" Sailor Mars summoned.
The firebird flew down and destroyed the monster. The scouts stared at the empty space where it had been, baffled as to its sudden demise. Sailor Moon bit her lip nervously.
"That was too easy," Sailor Mercury commented.
"Yeah, I have a feeling we're about to take a trip to the Negaverse again," Sailor Mars agreed.
From the stage, Azurite laughed and disappeared, taking the remainder of the energy with her.
Sailor Moon stepped between her two friends, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"That means one of us will die," Sailor Moon said softly.
The three scouts stood in a triangle facing each other. Sailor Moon put her hand in the centre as she spoke.
"Let's vow that whoever is chosen to sacrifice themselves will only do so if necessary, and the others will leave without question," Sailor Moon suggested.
"I promise," Sailor Mercury said, placing her hand atop Sailor Moon’s.
"I promise as well," Sailor Mars added, joining her hand to the pile.
They smiled encouragingly at each other and Sailor Moon used her free hand to wipe away her tears. The portal opened behind them and they voluntarily stepped through.
*****
Azurite was waiting for them. She allowed them a moment to re-orientate themselves as she almost carelessly tossed the Blue Rainbow crystal in the air and caught it again. Azurite held up the crystal between two fingers for the scouts to see, before releasing it from her grasp. It fell soundlessly to the floor.
"Blue Crystal! Release your captive!" Azurite commanded.
The crystal cracked and a thick, black substance oozed out. As it grew into a Shadow Warrior, Azurite smiled at the scouts.
"Have fun! I'll be back when you're done," she said and disappeared.
The Shadow Warrior didn't waste anytime. With a malicious grin on his otherwise expressionless face, he shot three balls of dark energy. Sailor Mars knocked Sailor Moon out of the way, but Sailor Mercury was struck in the arm. The energy ball expanded, encompassing her entire right arm.
"I can't use my powers!" she cried.
"We'll defeat him for you!" Sailor Mars said.
"Mars Comet Blaze!" she called.
As the comets bombarded the enemy, Sailor Moon tried to heal Sailor Mercury. She was growing weaker as the energy ball drew out her power. The Shadow, on the other hand, seemed to be increasing in strength. Nothing Sailor Mars did seemed to affect it.
"Sailor Mercury can't hold on much longer!" Sailor Moon warned. “The Shadow is using her powers against us.”
"Go then, I'll defeat this evil!" Sailor Mars cried, turning her back to Sailor Moon and staring the Shadow in the eye.
"But . . ," Sailor Moon began.
"Remember the vow! Leave!" Mars yelled over her shoulder.
"Mars Portal Open!" she ordered.
The portal shone red and Amy’s apartment could dimly been seen on the other side. Sailor Moon pushed Sailor Mercury through, but paused to look at Mars once more. The fire scout was tense with determination as she faced her final enemy. Sailor Moon allowed a tear to slid down her cheek.
"Farewell, my friend," she said.
"Good bye, Serena," Sailor Mars said gently. “I’ll miss you more than you’ll know.”
Sailor Moon took a last, lingering look before stepping into the portal. It vanished behind her, sealing Mars to her fate.
"Mars Firebird Strike!" she tried.
The firebird didn't even make a scratch. Azurite reappeared, laughing and hovering over the battle ground.
"Give up, Sailor brat. Your friends have abandoned you and you can't possibly survive," she laughed. “But the Negaverse has use for your talents and energy.”
Mars glared up at the floating general, hatred in her eyes.
"You're right. I can't survive, but I can win," Sailor Mars said. “As long as one of us lives, the Negaverse doesn’t stand a chance.”
She felt a new power inside of her. Without knowing how, she was aware that this power would destroy the monster, as well as herself. She sent a thought to her friends, like Mina and Lita had done before her and took a deep, final breath.
"Mars Firebomb Spread!" she commanded.
The entire place was engulfed in flames. Azurite cried out in alarm and vanished. When the fire died down, Azurite returned. The monster was burned to ashes but Sailor Mars lay peacefully on her back, untouched by the flames. The crystal was gone, as well as Sailor Mars’ powerstick. Azurite cursed silently at the lost of the fifth crystal and touched Sailor Mars' body. The third dead scout disappeared to her final resting place, and Azurite vanished to Prince Rutile's throne room to make her report.
*****
Again, the last two scouts waited patiently for news of their friend. Serena didn't cry as the crystal appeared at her feet along with the powerstick of Mars. She didn't shed a tear as they listened to Raye's last thought.
Don't be sad, Serena. I'll be with you in spirit, she said.
"I'll avenge you," Serena swore.
She turned to leave, without crying or saying goodbye to Amy. She didn't weep for her friend, that time had past with Lita. Now, she felt a growing need to punch something as she headed home.
Holding her friend's powerstick in her clenched fist, she ran into her room. She carefully placed it with the orange and green sticks before she lay on her bed and fell into an exhausted slumber.
As she slept, she was plagued with dreams of shadows and fire, with three continuous pulses throbbing through her brain.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
FAREWELL, MY FRIENDS


At Crossroads Junior High School, Serena ate lunch alone in the shade of an old oak tree. Amy had gone to the library to study, leaving her friend alone to think about recent events and future happenings. As Serena ate slowly, she remembered the fun times she had had with her companions – laughing and playing, even fighting with Raye. She thought of that final look of terror in her enemy’s eyes as she destroyed Queen Beryl and saved the world. She remembered how scared she had been and how they had helped her through.
“My friends, what am I going to do without you?” she whispered.
"Hey Serena! I'm so glad you're okay!" Melvin interrupted her thoughts.
Serena broke out of her reverie and looked up. Melvin was standing at the edge of the small grassy area, smiling at her and waving his hand in the air to catch her attention. When he saw her look up, he ran towards her.
"Melvin, what do you want?" Serena demanded irritably.
Melvin sat beside her, uninvited, and began to tell her the days gossip. He ignored Serena’s obvious remarks to make him leave and kept talking. Finally, he arrived at something Serena found interesting.
"I saw you and Amy and Lita talking to this strange lady the other day, then you all disappeared, poof! Into thin air! I'm just happy your safe. By the way, did you hear the latest gossip? Rumor has it that Lita was sent to military school and Amy's heading back to Brighton Academy. There's also been a report that another girl from the private school vanished," Melvin babbled.
"Let me get this straight. You thought you saw Lita, Amy and I vanish into this air? I think you need your eyesight checked, or maybe you've been spending too much time on the computer and it's fried your brains," Serena said bluntly. She was in no mood to talk to Melvin or anyone right now.
"Oh Serena, even though your beautiful, you've go no sense. Computer's can't fry your brains!" Melvin said.
Serena continued to eat when she realized Melvin had said something about Amy.
"Did you say Amy's going back to Brighton?" she asked.
Melvin nodded. "That's what I heard," he said.
"Who did you hear this from?" Serena questioned.
Before Melvin could answer, Serena lifted her head and saw Amy coming to join them. She quickly shoved Melvin away. The boy stumbled to his feet, brushed off his clothes, and walked away.
" I'll find out the truth from her," Serena thought.
Amy sat down and looked in the direction Melvin had gone. She smiled brightly at Serena and opened her lunch.
"Was that Melvin just leaving?" she wondered.
Serena laughed. "Yeah, he's such a total dweebster! He's spreading rumors around that you’re going back to Brighton Academy, isn't that silly?"
Amy bowed her head and didn't reply. She began to remove the contents of her lunch and spread them on the ground before her. Serena blinked and felt a wave of fear spread through her.
"Amy? I said, isn't that silly?" Serena repeated.
"He wasn't lying," Amy said, her head still bowed.
"What do you mean?" Serena asked in a quiet, sad voice.
Amy looked up at her friend, tears forming in her eyes. Serena felt her own tears forming as she guessed what Amy would say next.
"I'm going to be the next, Serena. All the Sailor Scouts have gone because we've been protecting you. When the next Shadow Warrior comes, it'll be my time to leave," Amy said sadly.
Serena’s eyes began to water and she threw herself into Amy’s arms. Amy looked shocked at first, then hugged her friend back as Serena wept in her shoulder.
"Amy, you can't be serious, I mean, you don't have to protect me," she sobbed. “I don’t want you to protect me if you’re going to leave me.”
"Yes, I do have to protect you, Serena,” Amy said gently. “You're the Moon Princess, and I'm sworn to defend you, as I have done for over a thousand years. You have to defeat Prince Rutile yourself and win back Sailor Junior Sun. The Scouts have taken care of the Seven Shadows, that was our part. The rest is up to you.”
The bell rang and Amy gently pried herself free of Serena’s embrace. They both stood and headed back into the school. As the walked down the hall, Amy leaned closer to her friend.
"I suspect the attack will come tonight. Be ready for it," Amy whispered.
Too overcome with grief, Serena could only nod. The two girls separated to head to their individual classes, and as Amy disappeared down the hall, Serena caught a last glimpse of her shining blue hair and cheerful smile. She knew she would never again see that image in the crowded halls again.
*****
The Dark Scout of the Negaverse was once again in the cavern of the dead warriors. She looked at the three brave Sailor Scouts before her and felt a small sadness within her. She grimaced in distaste at the emotion. She didn't understand why she could grieve for her enemies, and the sensation was unpleasant. Suddenly, she was aware of another presence and turned to find Azurite standing behind her. The elder general’s face was cold and expressionless.
"Why are you here?" Azurite demanded.
"I could ask you the same question," the Dark Scout answered in a dead voice.
"Could it be that your past memories are returning?" Azurite wondered stepping closer.
"I have no past memories, only the Negaverse," was the reply.
Deep within the Dark Scout, she felt something begin to cry. Again, she surpressed the emotion, allowing the darkness to extinguish the brief spark of light.
"Then, you have no problem killing Sailor Moon?" Azurite asked.
"It shall be done when the time comes," the Dark Scout replied. “The Master has not yet commanded it.”
The Dark Scout inclined her head to Azurite and disappeared. The general walked closer to the fallen warriors and smiled. She touched the cold face of Sailor Mars almost tenderly.
"You'll be grateful you're dead when we rule the universe," she told them.
The bodies remained motionless and Azurite vanished. The cavern returned to its accustomed silence, with three faint pulses beating as one, as the only sound.
*****
Amy and Serena spent after school at the arcade, trying to cheer themselves up. Amy's computer course had been canceled and they used the time as if it were their last. Andrew watched them spend all their money on games, food, and cheap stuffed animals that they later gave away. He was surprised at how calm and gentle Serena was being, not raising her voice and speaking to Amy as if she were about the leave. He was touched by her generosity and offered her a few free tokens. She accepted one and gave it to someone who was out of money. Then, she left. Amy stayed for a few minutes to talk to Andrew.
"What's with Serena? She's acting like she only has a few hours to live," he wondered.
"She's going through tough times," Amy answered quietly.
"What about you, Amy? The only time you ever come here is when you and your friend Raye want Serena," he said.
"I thought, since this might be my last time here, that . . ," she began, her eyes downcast. She hoped Andrew didn’t catch the meaning of her words.
"Wait a second! This might be your last time here? Are you moving?" Andrew asked.
Amy lowered her head. A tear slid down her cheek.
"I don't mean to pry . . ," Andrew started, shocked that he had caused her to cry.
"Hey Andrew, are you coming or not?" Darien called from the door. The other boy didn’t even notice Amy standing there.
"Well, I have to go. Good bye Amy, and remember to visit if you're ever back this way," Andrew called, leaving his work apron on the counter and heading out the door.
He turned once to wave to her as the glass doors slid closed between them. The smile never once left his face.
"Good bye to you as well," Amy whispered.
*****
Azurite found them later that evening, walking home from the movie theater. She didn't show herself, but opened a portal in front of them. Serena and Amy stopped and gazed into the deep, black nothingness. They hesitated and Serena looked at her friend uncertainly. Amy’s face was grim with determination, but her eyes revealed an inner sadness.
"Come on, let's finish this fight," Azurite's voice rang out, filled with impatience.
Melvin stuck his head out from around the corner and saw Serena and Amy standing in front of the portal. He gasped, but remained hidden, waiting to see what his friends would do.
"We'd better get this over with," Amy said.
Serena nodded. "Just remember, self sacrifice is a last resort, okay?"
Amy smiled gently at her and nodded in agreement. They held hands and stepped calmly through the portal. Melvin couldn’t believe his eyes and he suddenly realized he was the only one there who could protect the girls.
"Serena, no! Wait!" Melvin cried as he jumped in after them.
The portal blinked once and closed, sealing the two girls and the unwanted visitor to their fates.
*****
They landed in the all too familiar caves of the Negaverse. The
tall, stone walls loomed around them, their tops hidden from view. Amy took out her power stick, then realized that they were not alone. She turned and saw Melvin behind them, unconscious. Amy turned her gaze to Serena, who had also seen the boy.
"We should transform before he wakes up and sees us," Amy advised.
Serena nodded and held up her hand.
"Moon Crisis Transform!" she cried.
"Mercury Star Power!" Amy yelled.
The two remaining Sailor Scouts stood ready for anything. Mercury switched on her VR visor to scan the caves while Sailor Moon watched the dark walls for movement. Behind them, Melvin moaned and sat up.
"Wow, where am I?" he asked.
Sailor Moon turned around to look at him.
"You're in the caves of the Negaverse. Stick close to me and stay out of the fighting. We’ll get you out of here," she said.
Melvin shook his head. “I have to find my friends, Serena and Amy. They came in here and I have to make sure they’re safe.”
Sailor Mercury turned as well. She smiled at the boy for his concern.
"Do what she says Melvin. Your friends are fine and are already on their way home. Keep close to Sailor Moon. I’m afraid I won't be around long enough to see you home," she said.
Melvin blinked in confusion, wondering what the blue Sailor Scout meant by that last comment. Before he could ask, Azurite appeared, holding the last two crystals. She laughed evilly at the two girls.
"Azurite, promise that you'll let the boy go. He's completely innocent," Sailor Moon ordered.
Azurite let one of the crystals go and it hovered in mid-air. She made it spin, toying with it as if it were a rubber ball. She considered Sailor Moon’s request.
"I'm a woman of my word, and you have my word that he'll be returned to his world, unharmed," she said finally. “I make no such promise to you, however.”
"Quick, head for cover behind those rocks," Mercury whispered urgently.
Melvin stood and ran to their safety. Secure in the knowledge that Melvin was safe, the two scouts faced Azurite, their faces grim. The Negaverse general smiling a chilling smile and her brown eyes flashed with power.
"Indigo Crystal! Release your captive!" Azurite commanded.
The crystal shattered and the shadow within it grew. When it reached its full size, it leapt high in the air and landed between the two scouts.
"Mercury Supreme Arctic Blast!" Sailor Mercury called.
The monster was hit with the worst snow storm known to the planet Earth; but they weren’t on Earth anymore. The Shadow was weakened, but not destroyed.
"Moonbeam Attack!" Sailor Moon said, facing her enemy.
The beam didn't harm the creature at all. Sailor Moon bit her lip in frustration, wondering what she could do to save her last ally.
*****
The Dark Scout appeared behind Azurite and watched the battle carefully. She saw the boy hiding behind some rocks and her eyes narrowed. Almost negligently, she formed a energy ball in her hand and was about to toss it when Azurite stopped her.
"The boy goes home unharmed. I gave my word," she said.
The Dark Scout shrugged and returned to watching the ongoing battle. She felt her heart growing heavy as her enemies were beaten. Their destruction almost pained her.
*****
Sailor Moon wiped the blood from a cut on her cheek. The arm she had landed on when the creature had thrown her felt limp and lifeless. Sailor Mercury crouched on the ground, her hair singed in some places and her lip bleeding. The Shadow, seemingly unharmed from all the attacks they’d thrown at it, prepared to lunge.
"I have no choice," Sailor Moon heard Mercury whisper.
She pointed at her friend. Sailor Moon saw Mercury’s face smile sadly, her blue eyes full of determination and regret. Sailor Moon straightened and returned the look to her friend.
"Mercury Wind Banishment!" Sailor Mercury called.
A wind swept down and surrounded Sailor Moon. The Shadow lunged at Sailor Moon, but was brushed aside by the gale. Sailor Moon stood in front of the rocks that protected Melvin, shielding the boy as well. From behind the sheltering winds, Sailor Moon saw her friend take a final look
"Let this be my final gift to you, Princess," Sailor Mercury said.
Sailor Moon and Melvin watched, their eyes glued on the brave girl. She stood in front of the monster and formed a blue bubble in her hands. She spun around and faced the creature. It stopped and looked at her in confusion.
"Mercury Snowcrystal Detonation!" she yelled, throwing the bubble into the air. It smashed to the ground.
The entire cavern was frozen solid in a matter of seconds, including the Shadow Warrior and Sailor Mercury. Azurite and the Dark Scout had disappeared the moment Sailor Mercury had unleashed her deadly attack, and the winds that had protected Sailor Moon and Melvin slowly faded away.
The ice sculpture of the Shadow crumbled, and Sailor Moon left the rock outcropping to retrieve the Indigo Rainbow Crystal. She turned to the statue that used to be alive. Sailor Mercury's features were perfectly etched in the design and Sailor Moon wept. Melvin came up beside her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"The Negaverse has them all, now," Sailor Moon cried, falling to her knees.
Melvin felt himself disappear and, before he could say a word, he was back on the streets of Tokyo.
*****
Azurite's voice floated down from the ceiling.
"I gave my word he'd be back safely, and he is," she said.
Sailor Moon looked up and tried to find where the voice was coming from. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she struggled to her feet. It was snowing lightly in the cavern, perpetual winter as a result of Mercury’s attack.
"Where are you, snake?" Sailor Moon yelled.
"Now, now,” the voice chided. “I'm in the throne room with your friend, Jenny. Come and get me, if you can.”
Sailor Moon looked back at her frozen companion.
Believe in yourself, Serena. I know you can do it, Amy's voice said.
At the statue's feet was Mercury's powerstick.
Sailor Moon picked it up and started down one of the many possible corridors that would lead her to the throne room, Sunny and Prince Rutile.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE FINAL CHALLENGE

The weather in Tokyo was stormy. As Serena, the last of the Sailor Scouts, watched the rain fall, she thought about how well it reflected her mood. She sat by her window, a group photo of all her friends on her lap, and remembered them. It seemed like years since the last time they had been all together, when it had only been a few days. To have her four closest friends die for her protection was too much for her to bear. She sighed, clutching the picture to her chest, and a tear slid down her cheek.
From the bed, Luna and Artemis watched her worriedly. They knew she needed time for the wound to heal, but the Negaverse was growing stronger by the day and Sailor Moon was desperately needed. The two cats exchanged a glance, and Luna jumped to the window sill. She made her way to where Serena stared blankly at the rain and sat beside her.
"Serena, how about some video games? I'll even let you win this time," Luna suggested.
Serena's gaze didn't turn.
"Okay, how about we let you dress us up and we'll play a game. I know you love trying to put a hat on me," Luna said.
Serena sighed but didn't move. Artemis joined the other cat on the sill.
"How about some of those fresh baked cookies your mom made for you? You haven't eaten in days," Artemis said.
Serena turned her head to look at the cats. She gave them a
sad smile and looked back up at the dark clouds.
"I wonder if they can see me," she said, the first words she had
spoken since Amy’s death. Luna and Artemis exchanged relieved looks.
Luna nodded. "I'm sure they can, and if you starve yourself, they'll be very disappointed in you."
Artemis jumped off the window sill and pushed the dinner tray Serena's mom had left on the bed closer. Serena picked up the fork and ate a small piece of potato.
"I don't want them to think I can't do it on my own," she said.
*****
The Dark Scout entered the frozen cave. She saw the statue of the last Sailor Scout and forced herself to smile. She knew her enemies had been destroyed and she should be happy that only the wimpy Sailor Moon stood in their way, but a part of her was crumbling. The ring on her finger glowed dimly at the feeling and she sighed. It seemed that their victory would break her heart. She ignored the feeling anyway. No person in the Negaverse listened to their heart, so why should she start now? Laughing softly, she left the frozen scout to her eternity.
*****
Serena stayed in her room for the remainder of the week. Despite Luna and Artemis' best attempts, she was still depressed and saddened over the loss of her friends. One week after her last visit to the Negaverse, there was a polite knock on her bedroom door. Serena raised her head and the door slowly opened. Molly and Melvin stuck their heads through the cracked door and came in. Like Serena had done so long ago when Molly had been in despair over Nephlyte, they had come to cheer their friend up.
"Are you okay, Serena?" Molly asked.
Serena shook her head slowly. She remained on her bed, near the window while Melvin sat on the floor and Molly took Serena’s desk chair. Molly reached over and put a comforting hand on Serena’s shoulder.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Molly said.
Serena shook her head again. Molly took back her hand and looked at Melvin. The boy shrugged.
"All right, if that's what you want. I'll tell you what you missed
in school this week."
Molly and Melvin stayed for quite some time, talking to Serena who patiently listened.
"You want to go for a soda?" Serena asked suddenly.
Molly and Melvin were taken aback.
"Sure, Serena, if you feel up to it," Molly answered.
"Can I come too?" Melvin asked.
Molly was about to make an angry reply about Melvin being a dweeb when Serena smiled at him.
"Of course you can come. You've really been a good friend to me, Melvin, and I'm sorry I never thanked you," Serena said.
Melvin looked at her suspiciously.
"Are you buttering me up so I'll pay?" he asked.
Serena went to the door.
"No, I'm serious. Let's go!" she cried.
Luna and Artemis ran after them, thrilled that Serena was finally going out.
*****
In the soda shop, they saw Andrew, Chad, Greg and Darien. They were all in a booth, eating burgers when Serena slipped beside Darien and hugged his arm. Molly and Melvin, satisfied that Serena was enjoying herself, sat in another booth and shared a prune shake.
"Hey Meatball Head! Glad you decided to come back to me," Darien exclaimed.
Serena smiled and hugged him tighter.
"I'm so glad your still with me," she said brightly.
Darien's happy expression sobered a bit.
"I heard about them. I'm sorry," he said.
Greg, Amy's boyfriend, had seen the fates of the Sailor Scouts with his visions of the future. When he saw Amy's death, he decided not to reveal his vision to the scouts when he returned to Tokyo.
"Did . . did Amy go already?" he whispered.
Serena nodded and Greg wept. Chad polished off his burger and smiled at Serena.
"Hey, did Raye tell you when she'll be back?" he asked innocently.
Darien, Serena and Greg looked at him. He slurped his soda noisily.
"What did I say?" he said.
Andrew looked at each of them in turn.
"I missed something. All I know is Amy told me she'd never be coming back to the arcade again. Was she in some kind of accident?" he wondered.
Serena, Darien and Greg decided against telling the others what had happened. Serena’s eyes filled with tears again and she buried her face into Darien’s shoulder. Andrew immediately felt guilty for bringing it up.
"Don't worry about it," Greg told him. “Amy’s gone away to school and Serena’s taking it hard.”
Andrew nodded in understanding.
"Muffin, could I see you privately for a moment?" Serena whispered to Darien.
They stood and moved to another table. The others watched them leave wordlessly. Serena and Darien found themselves in a quiet back corner of the restaurant and Serena leaned over the table to speak privately to Darien.
"I'm going to go against the Negaverse again," she began. “I can’t let their deaths be in vain.”
Darien listened patiently as she told him everything that had happened.
"Sounds like you’re in trouble," Darien agreed.
"I wanted to know if you'd be there," Serena said.
Darien took her hands in his.
"You know that if you need me, nothing can stop me from getting there. I'll be with you, if I can," he promised.
Tears of happiness and remorse filled Serena's eyes as she embraced her only love.
*****
Luna joined Serena as she walked home. Molly and Melvin were still at the soda shop, sharing another prune milkshake.
"I heard what you said to Darien," Luna said.
"Will he be there?" Serena asked.
"I don't know, but I have a strange feeling that you're not going to be the one that defeats Prince Rutile," the cat said.
"All the others are dead. I'm the only one left," Serena argued.
"Remember, Sailor Junior Sun isn't dead, she's just lost. You've got to help her back," Luna reminded. “Perhaps she is the only one who can bring this to its conclusion.”
Serena said nothing but kept walking, determination and anger filling the part of her heart that would forever mourn for her friends.
*****
The portal appeared in Serena's bedroom that evening, her one way ticket to Prince Rutile. Artemis and Luna waited until she had transformed before giving her a few final tips. Finally, Sailor Moon and the six Rainbow Crystals left Earth and were taken to the caves of the Negaverse. Luna and Artemis watched the portal close behind her.
“Do you think Tuxedo Mask will come?” Artemis asked when Sailor Moon was gone.
Luna sighed. “I hope so. Serena’s strong, but I hate to think of her going up against the Negaforce alone.”
*****
Sailor Moon appeared in an empty cave. Ahead of her was Azurite and the Dark Scout. The last crystal was in Azurite’s hand. Sailor Moon took a fighting stance, her eyes narrowing in hatred for the two forms before her.
"Well, well, well. Little Sailor Moon, all alone. Pity I have to destroy you too" Azurite said, tossing the crystal up and down in one hand.
The Dark Scout stood expressionlessly behind her. Azurite let the last crystal go.
"Violet Crystal! Release your captive!" she cried.
As the last Shadow Warrior formed, Azurite vanished. The Dark Scout, however, remained behind her dead eyes watching the battle as it unfolded. Sailor Moon allowed the creature to come close before running towards it and delivering a massive kick to the monster's head. It had no effect on the Shadow, but Sailor Moon received an electric shock and was thrown to the ground. She decided to try a differed approach.
"Moonbeam Attack!" she cried, shooting the warrior.
The small, thin beam did little damage. The Shadow shrugged the attack off and shot out a ball of dark energy. It struck Sailor Moon in the stomach as she tried to dodge out of the way. Sailor Moon fought to regain her breath as the Shadow prepared for another attack. It pounded Sailor Moon until she lay on the floor. Sailor Moon thought she saw out of the corner of her eye the Dark Scout take a hesitant step forward to help her.
“Jenny,” Sailor Moon whispered weakly.
The Shadow didn't allow her time to recover before it tried to deliver its final blow. It’s arms came up, holding a massive ball of dark energy between them, but as it began to release the ball an invisible force pushed it far from the injured scout. Sailor Moon raised herself to her feet and was shocked to see the Dark Scout standing between her and the Shadow, holding the creature at bay with a shield of dark energy. Sailor Moon stepped clear of the shield to face the Shadow again.
"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon yelled.
The tiara bounced harmlessly off the monster’s chest. Sailor Moon felt a new power inside her and made a circle with her crescent moon wand.
"Full Moon Encompass!" she shouted.
The power of the moon struck the Shadow and reduced it to ashes. In the remains came the final Rainbow Crystal. As the Dark Scout watched, Sailor Moon allowed the other six crystals to meet the last of their kind. They joined together as one and the Imperial Silver Crystal was made whole again. Sailor Moon held out her locket and the Crystal settled inside it, making it whole as well. The Dark Scout retreated to the shadows where Azurite was waiting.
"The crystal! She's got it again! Why didn't you stop her?" Azurite demanded.
The Dark Scout turned to her former companion.
"I aided Sailor Moon because I felt that what I was doing was unnecessary," she said.
Azurite flushed with anger and vanished. Sailor Moon used the Dark Scouts distraction to use the newly reformed crystal.
"Crystal Moon Transformation!" she cried.
A soft, pink light fell over the Dark Scout, who cried out in pain and anger. When it faded, the Dark Scout was gone and Sailor Junior Sun was in her place. Sailor Moon ran forward to help her friend to her feet.
"I'm back, this time for good," Sailor Junior Sun declared.
"Let's kick some Nega scum!" Sailor Moon suggested.
Together, they ran down the nearest hallway towards Prince Rutile's throne room.
*****
Tuxedo Mask was ready when the portal to the Negaverse opened. He leapt through without a thought of the danger and found himself in a frozen cave. In the center was Sailor Mercury, frozen for all time in her own ice. He said a silent prayer for her and disappeared down one of the tunnels, determined to find the one he was sworn to protect.
*****
The two Sailor Scouts raced through the caves. Sailor Junior Sun was in the lead and she led her friend into one particularly large cavern. It was the so-called trophy room of the rulers of the Negaverse. They quietly made their way past the warriors who were now long dead. When they reached Queen Beryl's section, Sailor Moon stopped at Queen Serenity and wept. Then, she looked next to her mother and saw three familiar faces, each in repose. Sailor Venus, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars. Suddenly, a figure beside the last body began to move. Sailor Junior Sun and Sailor Moon crouched, ready to fight when the figure moved into the dim light of the cave. Tuxedo Mask smiled at the girls.
“Darien!” Sailor Moon exclaimed.
Sailor Junior Sun sighed. “I thought you were a monster!”
Sailor Moon ran into Tuxedo Mask's arms. The held each other silently as Sailor Junior Sun watched. She lay a hand on Sailor Venus's arm. It was warm.
"Sailor Moon!" she cried.
The other two came over. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask each lay a hand on Venus’ arm. Realization struck the trio like a heavy blow. The scouts weren't dead, just unconscious!
"Heal them, Sailor Moon. Wake them up" Tuxedo Mask urged.
Sailor Moon fitted the Imperial Silver Crystal into her crescent moon wand and turned to face her three sleeping friends.
"Crystal Moon Transformation!" she cried, pointing at each scout in turn.
None of them moved. Sailor Moon slowly lowered her wand, tears filling her eyes. There was a sound from the other side of the cavern. Sailor Junior Sun twirled around and saw a form moving between the fallen warriors.
"We must go! Something is here!" Tuxedo Mask cried.
"This way! It will lead us to a tunnel to the throne room!" Sailor Junior Sun called, taking the lead once more.
Tuxedo Mask grabbed Sailor Moon's wrist and pulled her in the direction of the exit. The last thing she saw was Azurite appearing beside the fallen scouts.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
FANTASTIC FIGHT

Sailor Moon and her two companions ran blindly through the tunnels. Tears blocked her vision as Tuxedo Mask dragged her behind Sailor Junior Sun. Finally they stopped running and hid in a small alcove. There, Sailor Moon sat on the ground and wept. Tuxedo Mask crouched beside her and kissed her softly on the cheek. She threw her arms around him and sobbed quietly. Sailor Junior Sun kept watch at the entrance.
"She's going to kill them, this time for sure," Sailor Moon gasped.
"Not if we can destroy the Negaverse first!" Sailor Junior Sun said from the doorway.
Tuxedo Mask helped his beloved to her feet.
“How can we destroy the Negaverse?” Sailor Moon asked through her tears.
Sailor Junior Sun turned to face her. “As the Dark Scout, I was supposed to release the full power of the Negaforce on the Earth when I had reached my potential. Fortunately, you healed me before I became that strong. The portal for the Negaforce is located in a small room behind Rutile’s throne. If we destroy the throne, we should be able to destroy the portal, sealing the Negaforce forever.”
Sailor Moon sniffed. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she said. “Not with the others lying at the mercy of Azurite.”
"You must be strong, Princess," Tuxedo Mask said. “For them, and for the rest of the world as well.”
Sailor Moon looked up at him and nodded bravely. The trio rose and went out of the alcove. With Sailor Junior Sun once more leading the way, they headed deeper into the Negaverse.
*****
Azurite hovered over the sleeping scouts menacingly. They seemed dead as they lay unmoving on the cold, stone beds. Azurite smiled to herself. They were only unconscious. They had fooled her, even in death. She went to the first scout they had captured. She lay still as Azurite formed a ball of dark energy in her hand.
"This time," she muttered, "I'll kill you for real!"
The ball hovered in the air above Sailor Venus' face for an instant before beginning its descent.
"Mars Fire Ignite!" a cry came from further down the aisle.
The ball was destroyed by the trail of fire as Azurite looked up sharply. She saw Sailor Mars standing before her, a determined look in her eye.
"Leave her alone," Mars warned.
Azurite laughed to herself. The sailor scout was too weak to do any real damage to her. Another sphere of dark energy was made and Azurite stepped away from Sailor Venus and turned instead to Sailor Jupiter.
"Mars Fire Ignite!" she called again.
Azurite dodged the fire and released the ball.
"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"
A beam of light demolished that ball as well. Azurite found herself between two scouts, each prepared to kill her. With an angry hiss, Azurite saw her chances of survival disappear.
"I'll be back!" she promised and vanished.
On the last table, Sailor Jupiter woke and sat up.
"Wow, I've never felt more rested than I do now!" she exclaimed, stretching. “That was the best night’s sleep I’d ever had.”
"I had the strangest dream," Sailor Mars said, sitting on the stone bed she had once slept on.
"So did I, and you all were in it," Sailor Venus agreed.
"I dreamt that Queen Serenity was with us and we were on the Moon again. She told us of our lives in the Moon Kingdom," Sailor Jupiter reminisced with a fond smile.
"So did I," Sailors Mars and Venus said at the same time.
They looked at each other for a while. Jupiter stood up and the three exchanged glances. The cavern of fallen heroes was silent.
"Were we dead?" Jupiter whispered.
Sailor Venus nodded. "I know I was," she answered.
"Me, too," Mars added.
They noticed that the fourth stone bed was empty.
"Where's Sailor Mercury?" Venus asked.
“Do you think she survived?” Mars wondered aloud.
“We’d better find her, and Sailor Moon,” Jupiter decided. “Who knows what happened while we were . . . gone.”
The three revived scouts dashed for the same exit Sailor Moon had used a few hours earlier. They headed down a different tunnel and into the frozen cavern.
The temperature remained cold in only that cavern, thanks to Mercury's spell. It was snowing gently when the three scouts entered. At first, they saw nothing but snow, but as they walked further into the wintry room, a statue of ice was seen. The scouts gasped collectively as they realized what the statue was. Sailor Jupiter shivered as she tapped the statue on the head.
"She's frozen solid. I doubt she's still alive in there" Jupiter said.
Sailor Venus rubbed some warmth into her arms.
"Well," she said, "there’s only one way to know for sure. Let’s melt her out!"
Sailor Mars nodded and pointed to the statue of her friend.
"Mars Lava Explosion!" she cried.
The heat of the molten lava slowly melted the ice. Sailor Mercury became visible as the water dripped onto the ground. Finally, when all but her legs were free, she toppled forwards and inhaled sharply. Sailor Venus dashed forward to catch her friend as she fell. Jupiter broke the ice that held Mercury’s feet and the blue sailor scout was free.
"She's alive!" Sailor Venus said, holding Mercury. “But very cold.”
Sailors Mars and Jupiter breathed a sigh of relief. Sailor Jupiter carried Mercury out of the winter wasteland, back to the warmth of the Negaverse caverns. There, they found a small cavern and waited for Mercury to regain consciousness.
*****
Sailor Moon and her companions entered the frozen cave a while after the other scouts had passed through. She turned angrily to Sailor Junior Sun, who stood shivering beside her.
"I thought you said this path led to the throne room!" she cried.
"It did, until someone insisted we take a wrong turn!" she retorted.
Tuxedo Mask stepped between the two girls.
"Easy, we're supposed to be fighting the Negaverse, not each other," he reminded them.
Sailor Junior Sun held out her hand, palm facing upwards.
"Solar Flame Sprout" she called.
A fire was lit in the palm of her hand, casting some friendly light on the barren cave. The trio kept walking in silence.
"Mercury!" Sailor Moon cried suddenly.
Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Junior Sun looked at each other in confusion.
"What about her?" Tuxedo Mask asked.
Sailor Moon pointed ahead. "She's gone!"
The other two looked to where their friend was pointing. Sure enough, the statue of Sailor Mercury had vanished. In its place was a puddle of water that was slowly turning to ice. Sailor Moon knelt by the water and scooped some into her hand.
"They've melted her! She's gone forever, now," Sailor Moon cried. “She might have been alive, like the others. She might had survived.”
Tuxedo Mask looked at her helplessly. Sailor Moon raised her
head, her sadness suddenly replaced by anger and a lust for vengeance.
"They'll pay for this!" Sailor Moon vowed, rising to her feet.
She turned and headed back in the direction she had come. In the snow ahead of her, three tracks of footprints could be faintly seen, only partially hidden by the falling snow.
*****
Sailor Mercury woke up to find her friends looking down at her. She was beside a warm fire, thanks to Sailor Mars, and she sat up slowly.
"I'm alive again?" she asked.
The others nodded.
"We all are," Sailor Venus said.
Mercury looked around. "Where's Sailor Moon?"
"We don't know, but we're looking for her," Sailor Mars replied.
A form suddenly appeared, blocking their only exit.
"You seem to have run out of time," Azurite said. “You four have been a nuisance for long enough.”
The four scouts were on their feet in a moment, ready to fight. Azurite laughed at them.
"This will be our final battle, scouts. After you're gone for good, Sailor Moon will fall as well and the universe will belong to Prince Rutile!" Azurite cried.
"You should take some medication for those delusions," Sailor Mars yelled. “We’re not so easily beaten.”
She held her hands in front of her face. "Mars Fire Ignite!" she called.
Azurite easily dodged the flame. "Is that all you can do?" she demanded.
"No, that was a distraction," Mars answered calmly.
"From what?" Azurite asked.
"Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Jupiter called.
The rocks above Azurite's head collapsed and landed heavily on her. She dropped to her knees and wiped blood from her forehead.
"You'll pay for this!" she vowed.
“Like we’ve never heard that before,” Mars said.
"Quick, while's she's weak," Venus called.
Each scout held up their powersticks.
"Jupiter Power!" Sailor Jupiter called.
"Mercury Power!" Sailor Mercury's stick touched Jupiter's.
"Mars Power!" Sailor Mars added hers.
"Venus Power!" Sailor Venus cried.
Around the touching powersticks, a giant ball of power was formed. Azurite stumbled to her feet, pushing the rocks aside.
"United Planet Power!" all the scouts called together.
The energy ball was released and it crashed down on Azurite. She cried out once in pain and lay still. Seconds later, her body disappeared back into the Negaverse.
The scouts were exhausted by the effort, but quickly ran out to find their missing leader.
*****
Sailor Moon stepped into the throne room of Prince Rutile. She remembered her meeting here with Queen Beryl and the battle she had been forced to fight against Prince Darien. Now she turned to Tuxedo Mask, calmed by his presence and the fact that he was now on her side forever. The throne was empty as she approached it. There wasn't a sound in the entire chamber.
"Be on guard," Sailor Junior Sun warned.
"Wise decision," a deep voice agreed.
Prince Rutile of the Negaverse materialized on the throne. His eyes shone confidently at his yet to be won victory.
"Prince Darien, be welcome once more to the Negaverse," Rutile said.
"Save it, Nega scum," Tuxedo Mask replied. “I will never feel welcome here.”
"My precious Dark Scout, so nice of you to return her to me," Rutile beckoned for Sailor Junior Sun to come to him. “She is almost at her full power and then, your world will fall, Sailor Moon.”
Sailor Junior Sun felt herself move forward as she struggled against the hold he had on her. Tuxedo Mask stepped between the two of them, blocking Rutile from her view. The pull he had left her and Sailor Junior Sun took several steps back.
"Sailor Moon, you've decided to face me. Alone, I presume?" Rutile said.
Sailor Moon nodded. "You're moon dust, buddy," she said, holding up her wand.
Prince Rutile laughed. "With that toy? You possess a greater power which can be used."
Sailor Moon held out her wand and pointed the crystal at the man standing before her. Sailor Junior Sun and Tuxedo Mask watched as their Moon Princess unleashed her full power.
"Cosmic Moon Power!" she called. Her sailor uniform was stripped away, leaving her standing in her beautiful princess gown. The crescent on her forehead glowed.
Rutile swept away the beam with his hand. Princess Serena felt the power leave her and she looked at the wand in her hands.
"My wand . . my power," she stammered, falling to her knees.
"You're too weak to stop me!" Rutile laughed. “Come to me, Dark Scout, and fulfill your destiny!”
*****
Back in Tokyo, Serena's parents looked out into the storm that was brewing. Luna and Artemis sat in Serena's bedroom and also watched the approaching storm.
"Just like when Beryl almost killed our scouts," Artemis commented.
Luna shot him a dirty look.
"What did I say?" he asked.
*****
Tuxedo Mask was at Princess Serena’s side in a second. He gently helped her to her feet, took her hands and made her hold up the wand once more.
"Try again Princess, and use my power to help you," he said.
"And mine," a voice called from behind.
They turned to see the four Sailor Scouts. Venus stepped forwards.
"We defeated Beryl together, we can do it to him," she said, placing her hand over Tuxedo Mask's.
"Yes, united we will win," Mercury agreed, adding her hand as well.
"Let's do it!" Sailor Jupiter said, putting her hand on Mercury's.
"Let's beat this evil, once and for all," Mars added her energy as well.
Surrounded by her friends, the Princess of the Moon stared defiantly at the evil Prince of the Negaverse. The crescent on her forehead glimmered as raised her crescent wand.
"Mercury Power!"
"Mars Power!"
"Jupiter Power!"
"Venus Power!"
Rutile smiled at the combined effort.
"Cosmic Moon Powers Unite!" Princess Serena called.
Prince Rutile held up her hand to absorb the blow. The scouts and Tuxedo Mask kept it up for as long as they could until, one by one, they dropped to their knees. Only Tuxedo Mask and Princess Serena were standing when their energy was finally spent.
"I don't understand," Mars said.
"That got Beryl," Jupiter agreed.
"He must be a lot stronger than she was," Mercury concluded.
Prince Rutile laughed at them. Serena glared up at him.
"We will defeat you," she promised.
“How?” Rutile laughed. “Your most powerful weapon has failed. Your scouts are weakened and helpless. I am the only one still standing!”
As the evil Ruler of the Negaverse laughed, Sailor Sun stepped calmly between him and the Princess.
"Ah, have you decided to join the wining team?" Rutile asked, holding out his hand to Sailor Junior Sun.
She didn't even bother to answer him. Sailor Junior Sun raised her ringed finger high above her head, her eyes never leaving the wicked Prince’s face. Rutile stopped laughing and Tuxedo Mask took Serena off to the side. The scouts, the Moon Princess, and Tuxedo Mask watched in awed curiousity as Sailor Junior Sun faced their most powerful enemy yet.
"Universal Solar Eclipse!" Sailor Junior Sun cried.
The light that came from the small ring was almost blinding as the force of the sun bore down on the Ruler of the Negaverse. He was struck, but didn't seem to be hurt too badly. The light kept him at bay. Suddenly, the light grew darker as the shadow that changed Sailor Junior Sun to the Dark Scout leapt from the ring. She didn't show any fear this time, but pointed with her other arm to where Rutile stood. Grinning a white smiled, the force Queen Serenity had locked within the sun attacked the Prince. He screamed and when the light died away, he was gone with the shadow. The scouts rose to their feet and stared at Sailor Junior Sun. The sixth scout was bathed in a golden light, her hair flowing behind her. Sailor Junior Sun lifted her ring once more.
"Solar Portal Open!" she yelled.
As the portal opened, the scouts and Tuxedo Mask went through leaving the Negaverse, hopefully, forever.
*****
Serena woke up and found herself lying in her bed. She wore her pajamas and Luna sat by her feet.
"Good morning," the cat said as she woke.
"I remember," Serena whispered.
"Remember what?" Luna asked.
"Everything. Prince Rutile, the scouts, Sailor Junior Sun . . ," Serena broke off.
She jumped from her bed and got dressed hurriedly. Luna watched from where she sat.
"I've never seen you so eager to get to school," the cat said.
Serena ran out the door and down the street, without saying goodbye to her parents.
She saw Amy and Lita walking to school and caught up. Lita looked surprised when she saw her friend and glanced at her watch.
"Serena, you're going to be on time today!" she exclaimed.
Serena ignored the remark and asked her friends if they remembered. They said they did and arrived at school before the first bell. When Ms. Haruna saw Serena on time, she sent her to the school nurse for a check up. Patiently, Serena waited until lunch to see Sunny.
Sunny sat by herself, under a tree, and ate. Serena, Amy and Lita came up to her and sat down. Sunny looked at them.
"Do I know you?" she asked.
The three scouts exchanged at glance.
"My name's Sunny Winslow and I moved here from North America a few months ago. My Japanese is still a little rusty, but that's okay because I'm going home the day after tomorrow," she said.
Serena introduced herself and her friends and they ate lunch in silence for a while.
"Have you ever heard of Sailor Moon?" Sunny asked suddenly.
Serena nodded. Sunny blushed.
"I wish she were real so I could meet her. I don't think I'd ever be able to fight like she does. I'm too timid," Sunny said. “She’s very popular in North America.”
She packed up her lunch things and stood.
"Well, I'm going to the library to work. It was nice meeting you. I wish I had met you earlier so I could tell my friends at home that I had friends here. Oh well, goodbye!" Sunny raised her right hand to wave.
When she was gone, Amy turned to her friends.
"Did you guys notice that?" she asked.
"Yeah, Sunny doesn't remember anything," Serena moaned.
Amy shook her head. "Not that, Sunny's sun broach, the one she used to use to transform, was gone."
*****
Deep in the Negaverse, a dark force fed off the residual evil energy of the man it had consumed. The evil Prince had been a real treat after so many centuries sealed up in the sun. Now, it was free and ready to return to the world of men. It only had to find the right host, the one it had inhabited before. The dark shadow slid away from the remains of its meal and into the shadows of the Negaverse to plan and wait.

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