I Don't Have A Title Yet

Seven

1

She had listened to Ares plead his case without interruption and now the Martian King sat tense beside Usagi awaiting her answer.

After going over the matter and weighting the repercussion of each position, Usagi settled on her decision. She turned to Ares, her face expressionless as she crushed all his hope. “I cannot allow you to remain on Terra, Ares.”

Ares stared at her blankly. He must have not heard correctly because he asked her to repeat herself.

“Lugh,” she said softly, using the King’s true name. Usa laid her hand over his tightly clinched fist, there was compassion in her tone but there was no regret. “Although I do sympathize with you and your people in concern for your sister, I cannot allow you to stay on Terra.” He started to protest but she continued with that same now mocking voice. “It is my edict that protects this world from the other planets that wishes to invade Terra. Your being here jeopardize Terra’s safety—“

“No more than your misguided loyalty to your lover has endangered the life of not just my sister but also the lives of monarch and person in this universe.” He said hotly.

Usa drew in a sharp breath, “How dare you?” she hissed.

“How dare I?” Ares cried, “How dare I? You have no right to question my motives when they are far more pure than your unveiled selfishness, Serenity. How dare I indeed,” he sneered. “I care more for my sister and her fellow warriors than you could, your Majesty.”

“Were I my mother, you would be dead now.” Usa warned him.

Ares was beyond caring. “Yet you are not that worthy Queen.” He hissed. “She would never endanger the lives of her people for a personal fling.”

She slapped him. Her small hand left a dark red imprint on his pale face. Slowly, Ares brought his dark gaze back to her. The fire that he had kept under control was a roaring inferno in his ruby eyes. His mask of humanity fell away and the God of War loomed over the small girl in his full divine glory.

Usa was not intimated. She looked beyond the brilliant radiance to the man “You are more of an arrogant fool than I ever though! You think you can challenge me and that I will meekly stand by and allow you to have you way?”

“I will not go.” He told her.

“I am sorry, Lugh,” she bit off harshly. “But my will remains the same.”

“You cannot ask this of me, Serenity.” He cried. Disgusted with the sudden turn of their conversation, Ares turned away from her, his graze settled on small budding cherry blossom tree. “Nothing is as it should be. Beryl is dead, her pet demon was destroyed and you all have your memories and the your Kingdom has been restored, why won’t you go home, Serenity?”

“Do you believe my leaving Terra will make Frejya forget your betrayal?”

“Do you honestly believe by staying here you can protect your petty princeling and his pitiful little world?” He countered.

Usa’s eyes narrowed ominously. “You do not want to challenge me.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder, his eyes searching, before he made his confession. “I know Frejya will never forgive me, but I have never cared one wit for the woman nor do I want her forgiveness. Not more than will support your decree when it fails to keep my sister safe. It is beyond even my strength to live through my sister death again.”

“Your sister died on while you were on Mars, sulking as I recall, because Neti-Erra chose her loyalty to Venus over her youthful romance with you.”

He grinned, it was a cruel. “So you were not completely blinded by your lust for Hyperion’s bastard as we all believed. You actually knew what was happening in your court.”

“Insult Endymion again, Ares, and Brighid will be on your throne by day’s end.” She warned.

He was warned yet he was still angry. He had been forced to live when all those he loved and cherished had passed into the afterlife. Ares had been forced to endure his twin’s death as a living witness. He had felt every torn bleeding wound that poured the life out of Brighid and when she ultimately lost her battle against thanatos. Unlike his sister, Ares awoke two days after walking in the land of dead with his twin, and just hours after clinging desperately to Brighid before death’s guardians managed to pry her from his arms. Those mercilessly Furies had dragged him back to the land of the living and barred him Persephone’s gates when he tried to storm Titan Castle. It had been after Ereshkigal had come to their dimension did Ares find some solace for his distraught heart as did the remaining survivors of that dark day.

Queen Serenity, in her final moments, had summoned a forbidden spell. The magic demanded the ultimate sacrifice to which their great Queen readily paid so that her daughter and those others who died that awful day would live again. The heirs of the Silver Alliance would live. This news gave Ares broken spirit peace. It made him hope and a reason to believe. Happily, Ares fought his way back to sanity and then began to make his plans for reuniting with his twin. He put his oracles to work, he watched the signs himself, and when he felt Brighid’s soul come near the Great Void, he was on Terra. Ares searched out her ancestors and protected them while as he waited for the day Shigekane Hino met Lin Far Yow. He officiated at their wedding and he was there when his sister took her first breath her terran body. He held her in his arms, still wet and warm covered the fluids of her birth. The precious bundle in his arms had opened her eyes and her first sight of in this new world was of him. It was all that was needed for their souls reconnect. And for the God of War, it was the first time he felt could breathe in eons.

“You have no idea of what it was like for me to live this long without my sister.” He said his voice was thick with emotion. “I while do love Neti-Erra and worship her with my soul, it is for Brighid—the other half of my soul—that I make my appeal to you. You know that we are Gemini twins, bound to one another through mind, body, and soul. My sister is my dearest friend, my other half, and the love of my life. I died with her that day on Silver Millennium and I lived every day, every century, every millennium with the memory of her screaming my name, digging her nails into my arms as the Furies tore us apart.” He raged, “I will not leave this place until my sister does!”

His pain, rage, and fear hit her at fully; it forced her back and into the arms of her Senshi who had suddenly appeared behind her. Usagi pulled out of her Senshi’s arms and looked back to where Ares stood only to find the space empty.

She sat up, the wind pushed her weightless hair over her shoulders as she stared at empty space with a superstitious eye. Had the conversation only had been a wild daydream? Was the King of Mars really on Terra searching for his sister?

She could hear Umino talking rather loudly in his squeaky, adolescent voice to Molly. There were no cultured overtones or elegance in his speech. It was unbelievable to think that the urbane, articulate King of Mars would hijack a terran just to be near his sister. It was madness, to think—

“Your Majesty,” Venus said formally, “the others are waiting for you at your parents’ home.”

“I will not leave, Serenity,” she felt the gentle brush against her mind, “Not without Brighid.”

“Lugh.” She reached out to him but the connection was broken.

o.O.o

Deep within the heart of a fortress made of dark crystal, the cries of a tortured soul echoed through the cavernous vaulted halls of the castle’s prisons.

A man in a dark blue uniform and with hair of the same color watched as his assistants removed the restraints that secured his victim to the color metal table. Slowly, he moved to stand near the table, the prisoner, a girl with long, black glared up at him in defiance. A smirk graced Sapphire’s pale lips as he reached out and brushed a lock of matted hair from her face.

The girl jumped at the tender touch. She hated it when he touched her, Sapphire knew this, but he felt compelled to touch her. Her soft translucent skin was incredibly soft and very warm, like a fire on a cool night. And despite the abuse she had endured since her capture, the girl’s downy complexion had remained clear, there wasn't a mark to be seen anywhere on her lithe body. She was a puzzle and luckily for her, he enjoyed puzzles.

“Rei,” he spoke in soft, soothing tones. He watched her violet eyes narrow. Her pretty bow shaped mouth thinned to a thin line as his hand cupped her cheek. “You are the Senshi of Mars.” He whispered.

She did not answer him. She never did. Sapphire often wondered what her voice sound like when she was not screaming in agony.

“When did you receive your powers?” His eyes fell to her lips. Rei did not give him the satisfaction of shrinking from his advances. But she did not hide her disgust when his breath wafted over lips. Reluctantly Sapphire drew his eyes away from that temptation. “Why were you on Terra?”

The hand on her face began to move lower. Rei still stared forward, willing herself out of this moment and away from him. She could not scream, she would not move, she is nothing more than the flame.

Suddenly Sapphire pulled his hand from her and jerked away to confront whomever had entered his chamber.

Rei moved her head slightly to get a look at the person. It was another man, the one with dark red hair and terrible fashion sense. He had brought her to this hell, carrying her in his arms as if she were some precious burden. She would recognize his awful uniform and spiky red hair anywhere. Green cargo pants and red vest did not a villain make.
Sapphire glared at the interruption, Rubius smirked.

“You’re still playing doctor with your little bitch?” Rubius drawled as he strolled over to the metal table. “Hello, Beautiful,” he raised a hand as if to touch her, but it was violently slapped away as Sapphire moved between Rubius and the table.

“Don’t touch her.” He snarled at the other man.

For a moment Rubius stared at the young man then he look down at the naked girl on the table. Without a word, Rubius stepped around the irate youth, picked up a blanket and draped it over the girl’s body.

Rei didn’t have the strength to cover herself properly much less sit up. Rubius reached out, gently pulled the young warrior up into a sitting position, and cautiously wrapped the coarse blanket around her torso. Rei sagged helplessly against his chest through this. Rubius had been quiet effacement in getting her covered. Not once did his hands stray to any forbidden part of her body and for that she was grateful.

Once she was descent, Rubius swung Rei up in his arms and gave her to one of Sapphire’s minions. “Make sure she and the rest of the prisoners are given fresh water and are fed. Prince Diamond does not want his guests mistreated, so find Sailor Mars some clothes. Also, bathe her. This woman stinks.” He looked at Sapphire as he said that. “Even dogs are treated better than this.”

After drones rushed off to as he commanded Rubius direction his attention to his Prince’s brother. Sapphire was not himself, that was obvious to everyone in the castle, but his behaviour towards the Martian Warrior was more than a little peculiar. It was enough to make the Prince worry about him and it took a lot to gain Diamond’s attention these days. Rubius let out a tired sigh as he rubbed his face.

He had captured three more Senshi and there were four more in the past, excluding the Queen, he would have to capture before the Dark Moon made their final assault on Terra and Silver Millennium.

“The Prince wants you to begin interrogating Sailors Jupiter and Mercury soon.”

“I’ve finished with Mars.” Sapphire said stubbornly.

Rubius hated to look at Sapphire because he knew what he would see. There was it was, that same sick obsession that had consumed his brother had now effected Sapphire. The only cure for it rested in death. “We should kill the Sailor Senshi right away.”

Sapphire looked at in shock. “I though you cared for the Senshi.”

Rubius shook his head, “They are prisoners, very dangerous prisoners. We should but an end to them while we have the opportunity.”

“What rubbish.” Sapphire said dismissively, “With the Poison Dark Crystal and my brother’s All Seeing Eye, we will do the once unimaginable. We will conquer Terra and destroy the Silver Alliance.”

He could remember a time when Sapphire would have sided with him on this matter. There was a time when Sapphire would have argued for reason and logic, but now it seemed that he was only concern with taking advantage of the Senshi of Mars. How would the Wise Man silence his most vocal opponent?

He left Sapphire soon after to make his report to Prince Diamond. Rubius could not stand to see what had the once brilliant scientist had become. Sapphire had done nothing to warrant such a hex being placed upon, but the Wise Man would not allow anyone to stand in his way, not Prince Diamond or his brother.

A sentry saluted Rubius and opened one of the large elegantly carved oaken door as the general swept past. Rubius stopped at the entrance and bowed to the white haired man seated on a marble and diamond throne.

The man seemed distracted, lost in a haze that left a dream-like expression on his handsome face. In his right hand he hand a glass of wine, a potent drink from the vineyards of Saturn. Rubius certain the drink had been laced by a powerful narcotic. Prince Diamond had been of late seeking more reckless adventures which were foolish in the eyes of his generals with their conquest almost secure.

Slowly, Diamond raised the glass to his lips. Before his throne a woman with bright green hair was making her report. Emerald noticed Rubius in the entryway; she inclined her head briefly before continuing.

Rubius and took a seat in a chair near the back of the room. He saw something move in the shadows behind Diamond’s throne, he tensed slightly as the Wise Man came into the light. The cloaked man stood at the right of Diamond’s throne. He laid one bony hand on the Prince’s shoulder before whispering something into his ear.

Rubius was too far to hear what was being said, but he did see Emerald’s shoulders tensed and her small hands ball into fists. Emerald wisely held her tongue. Prince Diamond took it as a personal affront if anyone verbally attacked or criticized his advisor. It was just another reason to revile the magician.

“Lord Rubius, how goes the war on your front?” Prince Diamond called out breaking Rubius’ thoughts.

Rubius left his seat and approached the dais. Emerald moved beck, her presence was no longer required but as the commander of the Dark Moon forces in their present she wanted to keep abreast of the situation in the Twenty-first Century, which was where Rubius was fighting.

Rubius bowed to his Prince. “Your Highness, we have successfully captured the Senshi of Jupiter, Uranus, and Mercury. However we lost Lady Prisma.”

“Yet you failed to bring Sailor Moon to me.” Diamond said pointedly. His obsidian eyes slid over Rubius’ in barely disguised contempt.

Rubius quickly lowered his head, “Forgive me, my Lord, but the Queen was not present during the battle. She is guarded by King Endymion’s Generals and they have kept her hidden from my skilled spies.” He risked a glance at his Lord’s face and quickly averted his gaze. “Not even this latest attack on her guardians have been enough to drawn her out.”

The sound of rustling cloth over stone made Rubius raise his head. “Your failure to capture the Queen of the White Moon in her vulnerable point has put our mission at risk.” Wise Man told him.

Rubius bristled at the insult. He was sure that hack was laughing at him beneath that damned hood of his. Through clenched teeth Rubius told the magician, “King Endymion is also the King of Sol. He will not let the Queen go so easily. He is as much determined in the past as he is today to protect the Queen. Pray, Wise Man, if you have any suggestions on how my men and I could by pass the Priest of Elysium and the Celestials Guardians of Sol and also neutralize the Four Kings of Terra and the High King and his Golden Crystal, I gladly await your counsel.”

There was a tense moment as the two glared at each other. Rubius knew he was on dangerous ground but he knew he was right. The intelligence the Wise Man had given Prince Diamond and his generals had been false when it came to the Terran King. Endymion was no weak-willed follower or quiet, meek husband of the most powerful monarch in the universe who faded into the background. Endymion stood as an equal with his Queen. The Dark Moon learned too late that the Terran King also matched his wife in power. His Golden Crystal was something to be reckoned with and he had used it to repel their forces for almost a year. It wasn’t until Emerald has ordered to fill Terra with the Poison Black Crystals did the tide of the war changed in favor of the Black Moon.

Endymion, like all the other rulers in the Star System, was an ecopaths. And it was his bond to Terra which brought down her King. Emerald spies on the ground reported that the King had been moved, probably to Elysium, in effort to protect him from the crystals corruption. The Golden Crystal was now in the hands of Kunzite; Emerald believed that she had a chance to finally capture Atlantis.

Prince Diamond of course wanted Emerald to concentrate on Endymion’s summer palace, Crystal Tokyo. It was where Queen Serenity lay in a coma.

“It’s a suicide mission,” Emerald was saying.

They had retired to Rubius private chambers to discuss battle strategies and troop organization.

Rubius offered her a glass of cognac, the real stuff, straight from Lord Nephrite’s Palace in the Mu. Ah, the spoils of war. Rubius dropped down in a plush forest green chair and propped his feet up the matching ottoman.

“What can you do?” He asked. “By concentrating on the Crystal Palace you’ll exposed and Kunzite will not hesitate to decimate your rear.”

“Its madness,” she cried in exasperation.

“Speaking of insanity, have you seen Sapphire lately?”

Emerald shuddered as a look of revulsion crossed her elegant features. “He has contracted the same sickness as the Prince.”

“It was the only way the Wise Man could stop him from asking too many questions.”

She agreed with him. Sapphire could have stopped his brother from make such a foolish mistake. He had been the voice of reason throughout this war. He was the one who proposed how to neutralize the Queen and he had come up with the idea of flooding Terra with the Poison Crystals. But soon after that victory that eliminated King Endymion, Sapphire was stuck by a strange illness.

Emerald shook her head to banish the melancholy thoughts. In two days she would return to Terra and lead her forces in an attack of Crystal Tokyo. If the Gods were with her, she would take the palace and the Queen. And maybe, just maybe, they could finally have peace. She finished her drink and took her leave of her friend. But before she could leave Rubius asked if she would check on their prisoners. Although he was no fan of the Senshi, Rubius would not condone abuse.

Rubius sat there for a moment. He finished off his drink and though of having another, but he really did not feel like getting up. He was tired, sick to soul, with little recourse for anything.

Behind him, his bedroom door opened and closed quietly. Rubius did not move as a pair of small, longer fingered hands settled lightly on his shoulders. Long, chestnut colored hair brushed the sides of his face and pooled in his lap as the woman knelt behind him and enfolded her arms about his shoulders.

“I thought you were asleep,” he tipped his head back to brush a light kiss over the woman’s petal soft cheek.

“I could not,” she said softly. Large almond shaped eyes stared at the wall across from them. “I see my sisters in my dreams. Their deaths were horrific. I ache for them.”

There was nothing he could say, he had sent each girl to her death and he had the gall to climb into bed each night beside their sister and hold her as she cried.

Avery must have sensed his inner turmoil because she tightened her hold about his shoulders and buried her face in his neck.

“I have our orders,” he whispered. “We leave for the past tomorrow, our objectives are Sailors Venus, Saturn, Pluto, and Neptune.”

The room was silent as the lovers allowed the impact of this mission wash over them. Rubius resented what he was being commanded to do. He was sending the woman he loved to her death. He closed his eyes as brought her hands to his lips.

“I am sorry,” he said quietly.

“I will survive,” she lied with tears standing in her eyes. “I’ll come back to you. I promise.”

2

Usa spotted Umino just before he entered the school gates.

It was still hard to believe that strange, awkward, studious youth that she known since primary school was in truth the King of Mars. It just didn’t make any sense to her. But it was not her place to ban traveler from Terra, especially when they offered to help as Darien had been swift to point that out when she informed him of her edict. To say he took it well would have been the misquote of the year. To say he was furious just didn’t cover the range of emotions the young King expressed when he learned of her high-handed approach of protecting his world without telling him.

And to make things worst, Darien made her call the Martian bastard last night so they could meet “officially”. Apparently Darien and Ares seemed to think alike. Mars and Terra now had a truce and Darien had an ally who could and would aid Terra if any of the other planets decided to invade.

Did Usa forget to mention that she absolutely hated Ares? That slimily, greasy little toad had the audacity to rub in her face that she did not have any formal treaties with Darien, nor did his sister, the Queen of fricking Venus, which why arrogant little pricks like the Ambassador from Uranus felt that he could and did snub, insult, and derided the Terran King.

Thankfully, Mina had gone home to work on their plans for going to the future otherwise, she would have eviscerated the Martian rat. That reminded her, she was yet to tell her Senshi that Ares (she would never call him Lugh again) was here.

This was starting to become too much for her, Usa admitted wearily. The demands of her kingdom and the other eight planets required more attention than she was capable of providing. She was needed on Silver Millennium even more than she was needed on Terra. Maybe Darien’s treaty with Ares would allow her to visit her kingdom.

Once this ordeal with the Dark Moon was over with she give it more though, but right now she and Ares were going to have a very long and overdue talk.

With purposeful strides, Usagi went forward to meet her prey. Umino had come to a stop near the gates when he felt her presence. Feeling the need to gloat, the Martian ruler decided to allow Usa to reach him before entering the schoolyard. The broad smile on his pale face faded as look of horror covered his face. Usa realized that he was gaping at something behind her.

Time seemed to slow down then, Usa turned on her heel. Her large eyes doubled in size as her mouth fell open in shock.

“Usagi, get down!” She heard Molly shout of alarm before she was tackled to the ground.

Steel covered arms held her protectively against an armored chest. The smell of burning asphalt and scorched earth permeated the air along with the burned flesh. Usagi tried to pull free of her savior’s tight embrace, but the person holding her would not let her move.

“You okay?” A very familiar, Spanish-accented voice asked worriedly.

She couldn’t see a damned thing because of the way Jadeite was holding her and she hit by a wave of nausea as he took to the air a little to fast for her taste.

“Put me down, Menace,” she growled. “You’re making sick.”

Just for that, Jadeite took another free falling dip then jetted back into the air. He was rewarded for his actions with a couple hits on his armored forearms and a few choice obscenities.

“Just calm down, Usagi,” Jadeite said, his tone was all business now. “Kunzite ordered me to get you to our house.”

“Why? What’s happening?” She demanded. A cold fear gripped her heart when her Senshi failed to respond to her call.

In the distance a powerful explosion tore through downtown Juuban. Jadeite was forced to land as the shockwaves rippled through the air. He brought them down in an alley. Carefully, he set Usa on her feet. She hurried to the mouth of the alley to see what was happening only to be shoved back by a tide of people trying to fleeing the battle being in the heart of downtown Juuban.

There was another explosion, this was closer than the last. Usa cried out as the force of the impact threw her back into the alley.

“¡Mierda,” Jadeite swore as he raced forward. He glanced back as Usa and said, “Looks like we have to fight, Babe.”

o.O.o

Venus skillfully dodged Avery’s attack but was unable to counter. Avery had the Venusian warrior successfully pinned down on the freeway. Venus was alone, separated from the other Senshi who were fighting off drones in various parts of the city which left her free to personally deal with their Captain. Avery lunched another attack at Venus only to watch it miss her again.

Venus darted through the rows of now abandoned cars, not really running from the fight, she was looking for something that she use beat that crazy bitch in the head with. Damn it, that witch had totaled her car when she bombed the freeway. That meant that Venus had lost more than her car, she had lost her two papers, her laptop, her purse that had everything in it, as well as her work from Venus and Silver Millennium. All that hell that she went through and the more that she would have to suffer through in replacing every last bit of it. Oh, hell no, that bitch had to die.

Venus spotted a tire iron hanging out of trunk of an abandoned Lexus. She grabbed it up and just in time too. Avery hovered in the air a few feet above her, amber energy crackling about her fist.

A wolfish grin appeared Venus’ face as she raised the iron. Naw, she didn’t need a sword for this bitch.

o.O.o

It was a worm hole. It was stupid little disturbance in Time and Space that the enemy had somehow mastered and was now using to kidnap her sister Senshi. Pluto didn’t know what offended her more; the fact the enemy had taken her sisters by using the idiotic thing or that morons actually thought they could capture her by using her own element against her.

The idiots had a better of chance of Mercury developing hypothermia if they though they could take her prisoner with a blasted riff in the time stream. But oh, damnit, Trista was so angry. It infuriated just her so much that she wanted spit.

“Pluto!” Nephrite hollered over the wind created by that offending bit of annoyance. “What the hell are you doing?” He let out a yelp as he dodged a street sign that was being sucked into the vortex.

The same sign was coming towards her back, but stopped and disintegrated when it reached the outer fringes of the barrier that surrounded her. None of the chaos that affected Nephrite disturbed the Guardian of Time and the Underworld as she glared menacingly at that gaping black hole.

“I’ve had enough of this crap,” she hissed. Plum coloured eyes narrowed as the Senshi of Pluto raised her crystal key staff. “You people have pissed me off,” she roared. “Chronos Typhoon!”

Her attack struck home and destroyed the thing. But before it was destroyed, Pluto heard a voice inside the screaming in pain as her attack hit. She frowned. Whomever had been in there had to have been the summoner and the trace energy left in the Time Stream did not feel Terran.

Who or what was working with the Dark Moon?

And what did it want with Terra?


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Saturn sat on the hood a black Navigator, her back to windscreen, with one leg bent at the knee and the other dangling off the side of the car. Her glaive was beside her well in reach incase the things went awry in Venus’ fight with the Dark Moon chick.

She had stopped the enemy in her little of the woods with a quick Death Reborn Revolution. Her attack had brought the enemy up short and had taken out the destructive little wormhole that tried to appear. However, during the course of Venus’ physical assault on the Dark Moon warrior Saturn realized that she had been rather hasty in getting rid of the freaks in her neighborhood. Obviously she had gone about the situation all wrong. She had but aside her Talisman in favor of something more rustic, like a bat.

Yeah, she always wanted to beat something to death with a wooden or aluminum bat. Yes, the was something satisfying about inflicting pain on other with methods that were not just wreaking havoc physically, but left mental scars as well. The people watching Venus pounding the Dark Moon girl in the head with a common, everyday tire iron would always remember seeing that. It was going stand out in their memories and cause them to shiver a bit in fear as they retell the story for years to come.

Oh well, next time she would find a bat or better yet she was put on in her subspace pocket and woe for anyone who dared to cross her path when she was swing that deadly instrument of suffering.

Thinking of her subspace pocket reminded Saturn of the breakfast bar she has shoved in there when she got the call that morning. She had just retrieved the treat when Kunzite dropped down beside the car.

The leader of the Generals took a moment to regard the lounging warrior before inquiring about her commander.

Saturn took a moment to open her snack and take a bite before pointing skyward.

He ignored her antics and directed his eyes to the sky, searching for Venus, this missing Saturn’s lovely hand gestured directed at his head. Kunzite instantly spotted the two women in yellow battling it out it in the sky. Both were oblivious to crowds they had attracted in both the air and on the ground seeing that they were lost in defeating each other. Kunzite was puzzled as to why the pilots were taking such insane risks by flying so close to the pair until he saw the reason.

He had to double take to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him he cried, “Is that tire iron?”

“I told you that Venus was insane.” She snorted. She began to chock when a crumb went down the wrong way.

Distractedly, Kunzite slapped her back a couple times before she coughing fit passed. “She a fucking lunatic,” he hissed, his eyes did not leave the bizarre sight until he could watch no longer. “She’s beating that woman in the head with tire iron.” He said disgustedly. “Why didn’t she just get a bat with nails or extension cord?”

Now it Saturn’s turn to look at him strangely, “An extension cord?” One finely shaped raven brow rose slightly. “What the hell would she do with an extension cord? What’s wrong with you, sick-o?”

Before he could reply, a body fell into Saturn’s Navigator. Kunzite went for his sword, but he knocked off his feet sent sliding a good two hundred feet on his back with Saturn pressed tight against him. He started to demand what the hell was she doing when the car exploded. He cried out as the engine block came hurtling their way. Saturn forced him back to ground, purposely shoving her knee into his neck as she half turned with her glaive raised and extended forward. The engine and fire crashed harmlessly against Saturn’s hastily erected black shield.

Kunzite looked up to see a roguishly grinning Saturn sitting up on his waist. She winked at him and said, “You promise not to tell Sam about this and I won’t tell anyone that you scream like a little bitch.”

Kunzite flushed embarrassed as he shoved her off. “Fuck off, Hotaru.”

Unperturbed by his sullen disposition, Saturn stood up, laughing. “Oh, come off it, Dave, you know it turned you on.”

“About as much seeing Frankie in a Speedo.” He growled.

“Now that was uncalled,” she pouted. “I look much better than the Menace.”

“Do I want to know this?”

She shrugged. “Whatever.”

Kunzite sighed, “Look, the leys are all messed up right now, do you think you could find Endymion for me?”

“I’m insulted. Of course I can find your precious little Prince, but I don’t want to.” With that she turned her back on him. “But since I am such a kind and generous person…Hmm, he’s with Sailor Moon and the Menace. Pluto has just informed me that she, Nephrite, and Zoicite are with them and they are escorting them to a secure location.”

Kunzite grabbed a lock of her hair and gave it a playful tug. She glanced at him over her shoulder and he smiled. “Gurache, Hota-chan, you are a truly the spirit of compassion and generosity.”

“I know,” she gently pulled her hair from his gauntlet covered hand. “I need to catch up with the others. You can stay here and help clean up this mess. Venus will know where we are.”

“Are you saying I won’t?” His left brow rose at the challenge.

“I saying keep an eye on Venus she still might have that tire iron.” She winked at him. “Catch you later, Davy-boy.” She called as she walked through a portal that appeared out of no where, leaving him to wonder about her mental state yet again.

The Senshi were an odd bunch, Kunzite decided. Thankfully they hadn’t lost another; the emotional strain it was causing the girls was starting to spread to his men. It was going to be soon, Kunzite was sure of that. Hotaru had spoken to the Fates after Usagi and Darien had given the Fates permission to read Serena’s life. Once they knew where and when the little girl had come from Trista was going to do a little recon before they all moved out to face the Dark Moon and rescue the girls.

For now, however, he needed to catch up with the others before he headed out for his classes (if they hadn’t been cancelled.) Kunzite turned around, ready to call out to Venus when he came up short for the second time that morning.

Venus stood the wreckage of the SUV with the bloody tire iron in one hand and the severed head of Dark Moon warrior in the other. Blood was splattered the front of fuku, covering legs and in her hair. There was a jagged tear in her left glove that revealed a bleeding bite mark on her forearm. All in all, Venus looked like she savage warrior, not the angelic beauty that graced the covers of countless magazines. She was tired; her posture screamed that she ready to collapse that was at odds with the elated look in her bright golden eyes.

She dropped the tire iron and slung the head at his chest. Kunzite caught it before it slipped to the ground, he glanced at her questioningly. A wicked grin spread her lips as she shared her good news. “I know where my Senshi are.” She said

He never expected that. “How?” As far as he knew the Fates had not finished reading Serena’s life.

She nodded at the severed head, “Avery told me everything right before I ripped her head off.”

Kunzite had noticed the pulled skin and the jagged rips and tears in the flesh along with the remnants of a spinal cord and esophagus that were still attached to the head. She was worst than his sister’s cat. Thankfully Chuck Joy only brought home dead vermin and birds, not severed heads and limbs.

He did not let his disgust show as he inquired lightly, “So where are we off to, V-babe?”

“Thirty-first century, baby.” She winked at him.