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Chapter Eight

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Unazuki met her older brother at the entrance to the snack parlor above the arcade. "Oniichan," she said, "Reika's here waiting for you." She paused. "What's with that outfit?"

Motoki smiled at his younger sister. "Please, come over here. I have something very important to discuss with both of you."

Puzzled, Unazuki followed her brother over to the table where his fiancee sat, waiting. Reika stared at Motoki, then giggled. "I like the outfit," she said, "but what are you supposed to be?"

Sitting down, Motoki took Reika's hands. "I have something to talk to you about that's very important."

Hearing the intensity in his voice, Reika frowned. "Motoki...what is it?"

Motoki paused for a moment. "Reika-chan," he began, "how is your work coming along?"

Reika blinked, then sighed. "It's alright, I suppose," she said, "although there just aren't any really interesting finds right now." She involuntarily glanced out the window, where the spire of the Daizuishou glinted in the bright midday sun.

Motoki smiled. "You'd love to get a good look at it, wouldn't you?"

"Anyone would," Reika said.

"Yeah, Oniichan," Unazuki said. "Did you hear? The news said that they found out the Sailor Senshi have something to do with that crystal..."

"I'd like to meet one of the Senshi again," Reika commented, "just to ask where they're really from, where that...thing is from." She paused, and chuckled. "I mean, for all we know, it's from outer space..."

"The moon," Motoki said.

The two ladies blinked at him. "Nani?" Reika asked.

"It's from the moon," Motoki said. "A relic of a civilization that disappeared thousands of years ago."

"How would you know that?" Reika demanded.

Unazuki eyed the clasp of her brother's jacket collar, and her eyes widened. "Oniichan...you were at Mamoru and Usagi's wedding, weren't you? When the shrine became...became..."

Motoki nodded. "Hai. I've been inside there for the past day."

Reika gaped. "You...you were in there?" she asked, pointing out the window.

"Shhh," Motoki said, "keep your voice down. I don't want to attract attention to myself." he paused. "Reika-chan, Unazuki-chan, there's a lot I need to tell you..."

Suddenly, there was a scream from downstairs. "What the—?" Motoki wondered.

The building began to shake, and the center of the floor exploded. A hulking creature resembling a decaying corpse leapt through the floor. A tattoo of an inverted black crescent moon graced its rotted forehead, and it carried a massive pickaxe. "TSURUHASHI!" it rumbled.

The girls began to scream. Motoki cursed. "Hold on," he said to them, grabbing their wrists tightly. Tsuruhashi began to advance on them...

...but they were no longer there. Motoki heaved a sigh of relief as the graceful facets of the Round Hall materialized around them. "I thought Mercury said two kilometers," he mused.

Reika and Unazuki blinked, and glanced around. Their eyes widened, and they gaped at the glassy walls around them. "Oniichan," Unazuki asked, "is this...?"

Motoki smiled. "Welcome to the Crystal Palace," he said. Then he frowned. "There's a lot I need to discuss with the two of you, but right now I need to report to Her Majesty."

"Her Majesty?" Reika asked. Motoki was already in motion, and the two girls nearly failed to register the doorway forming in the wall before him. They raced to follow him through.

The two girls gasped at the majestic beauty of the room they entered. Three Sailor Senshi were present, along with four oddly dressed women, who all glanced at the new arrivals curiously. Neither girl noticed the figures seated upon crystalline thrones in the center of the room until they heard Motoki speak.

Motoki was kneeling before the thrones. "Your Majesties," he said.

"You may rise," Serenity said. "What troubles you?"

"There's a monster," Motoki said. "It's attacking people at the Crown Game Center."

Serenity sighed. "It is, then, as we feared. Another threat has arisen."

"The taint of Black Moon energy is strong, Neo-Queen Serenity-sama," Petz said. "All four of us have felt it."

"Motoki-oniichan," Serenity asked, "did you notice any unusual markings on the monster?"

Motoki nodded. "Hai. It had a tattoo of a black crescent moon on its forehead."

The Ayakashi Sisters cursed. Serenity closed her eyes. "I feel the evil of the creature," she said softly. "Its power...its power is terrifying." The Ginzuishou began to glow, and a portion of the ceiling tilted down. The sigils of Mercury and Venus flashed upon it. After a moment, the images of Ami and Minako appeared on the crystal screen. "Your Majesty," they said in unison.

"I apologize for this," Serenity said. "I know you were looking forward to meeting with your families right now. Nevertheless, there is a crisis."

"What's wrong, Serenity-sama?" Minako asked.

"A powerful monster has appeared in the shopping district," Serenity said. "According to Motoki-oniichan, the creature is somehow related to the Black Moon Family."

The two Senshi gasped. "That's not possible, is it?" Ami wondered.

Serenity sighed. "The Ayakashi Sisters have felt the Black Moon energy from this creature. I would like the two of you to investigate, to test the creature's defenses. I'll summon the others to join you. Be careful. This creature appears to be very powerful."

"On my way," Minako said. "Venus out." Her image disappeared.

"Acknowledged," Ami said, also disappearing from the screen.

Serenity quickly paged Jupiter and Mars, already transformed and ready for action, and apprised them of the situation. They immediately teleported into the combat zone.

As the crystal screen slid back into the ceiling, Serenity recalled the words of her long-departed mother. *Do not lapse in your training, my daughter.* After a moment's consideration, she rose from her throne.

"Uranus, Neptune, Pluto," she said, "The three of you will remain here and see to the safety of Endymion, my subjects, and our guests."

"Your Majesty?" Pluto asked.

"I will join the others in confronting the new enemy."

The three elder Senshi gasped. "Serenity-sama, this isn't your battle," Neptune said. "The Senshi will handle this. You must remain here, where it's safe."

"Though I may be Queen, I am still a Sailor Senshi," Serenity said. "I must not allow myself to forget that I am a warrior as well as a ruler."

"Serenity-sama," Pluto said, "I can't allow you to take the risk of getting hurt—or worse—fighting an unknown enemy."

"You can, and you will," Serenity said. "I'm still a Sailor Senshi. This is my fight too."

"Usako..." Endymion began.

"Mamo-chan," Serenity said, "please...you know why I must do this."

Endymion frowned thoughtfully, nodding. "Be careful, my love," he said. "I should join you—"

"No," Serenity said. "You are needed here." She smiled. "I'll be fine. I'm considerably more powerful now than I was even as Eternal Sailor Moon." Giving everyone a reassuring smile, Serenity spread her wings and rose into the air, disappearing in a flash of silver light.

"Oniichan," Unazuki asked, "who was that? What's going on here?"

Motoki took his sister's and fiancee's hands, and smiled. "Come," he said, "I have a lot to tell you..."

"So what do you think?" Saturn asked.

Shingo eyed the array of electronics set up along the interior wall of the suite's living room. An enormous high-definition plasma television was the centerpiece of a set of crystal shelves containing every manner of entertainment device Shingo could imagine. A stereo sat on a shelf below the television, its large speakers embedded in the walls at each corner of the room. "Sugoi," he said.

Saturn giggled. "Only the best for Sailor Senshi...and their boyfriends," she said, leaning against him. Looking into his eyes, she added, "or is that husbands?"

Shingo blushed. "We gotta talk about that," he said.

Saturn nodded. "Yeah, we do. This is a big deal," she said.

Suddenly, the walls of the suite began strobing violet light. "Wh-what the—?" Shingo asked.

Mimas dropped into the center of the room, spinning rapidly and flashing like an emergency light. "Lady Saturn," it said, "there is a Palace-wide alert."

"An alert?" Saturn asked. "What's going on?"

"The Senshi have been summoned to confront a monster which has appeared in the shopping district," Mimas said. "Yourself, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto are under orders to remain in the Palace to guard the King and the civilian populace."

"Where's Serenity-sama?" Shingo asked.

"Neo-Queen Serenity has joined the Senshi fighting the enemy," Mimas replied.

Saturn's eyes widened. "She...she wouldn't have! Why would...?"

"The personal assistant module to the royal suite has assured me that the queen has a good reason for joining the battle," Mimas said. "Lady Saturn, alert procedures require that all Senshi on Palace duty report to the throne room or other designated posts and await further instructions."

Saturn nodded. "Thanks, Mimas," she said. "We'd better get back down there," she said to Shingo.

He nodded. "Hai." The two teens left the suite and headed for the lift.

Panicked onlookers and fleeing crowds greeted the Senshi as they arrived on the scene. Mars and Jupiter scowled at the screeches coming from within. Ami and Minako appeared, and ducked into an alleyway. The other two Senshi joined them as Ami pulled out her computer.

"What've you got on it, Ami?" Jupiter asked.

Ami blinked at her readings. "This...this can't be right," she said.

"What is it?" Minako asked.

"I'm reading a droid alright...the Black Moon energy signature is very clear...but..."

"But what?"

"It's also registering as a youma," Ami continued. "In addition to the Black Moon energy, it's radiating something that my computer reads as a Dark Kingdom energy signature."

The others blinked. "What...what does this mean?" Mars wondered.

"We can worry about that later," Minako said, summoning a small silver wand with a glowing orange crystal tip. "Venus Silver Power, Make-Up!"

Ami summoned a similar wand, with a blue crystal. "Mercury Silver Power, Make-Up!"

Transformations complete, the four Senshi rushed out into the street. The general public was fleeing in terror as a dozen wasted, decaying corpses staggered out of the arcade, reeking of death. Every time one of them touched a straggler, a disk of white light emerged from the person's chest, only to be eclipsed by a dark, evil shadow. Those affected by this touch quickly rotted and began marching amongst the other zombies.

"This...this is..." Jupiter began.

"They're draining all the life essence from those people," Mercury said, her visor in place. "Turning them into zombies..."

"If we don't stop those zombies, the whole city could be in trouble," Mars said.

Mercury nodded. "I suspect it may be too late for these poor people, anyway."

"It's also too late for you!" screeched a voice, as the front of the game center exploded. A hulking corpse strode out of the wreckage, carrying a massive pickaxe.

"There's our boy," Jupiter said. "This is the one causing all this trouble."

"You there! For transforming innocent people into the walking dead, the Sailor Senshi will never forgive you!" Venus called out. "On behalf of the Queen of the Moon...we'll punish you!"

The monster lurched into motion. "TSURUHASHI!" it roared.

"Time to test our new powers!" Mars shouted. She spread her arms out, drawing a circle in the air around her, before bringing her hands together in front of her navel. "ETHEREAL FLARE!"

The air around Tsuruhashi began to shimmer, and searing yellow flames swirled, converging on the decayed creature. The flames darkened to red, compacting into a tight, hot ball, before exploding outward again. Bits of charred zombie flesh rained onto the pavement. Tsuruhashi roared in pain, staggering.

"Yosh'! STATIC COMPRESSION!" Jupiter called, spinning on one toe. A mass of thick green vines spun away from her body, coiling around Tsuruhashi. Arcs of electricity popped and sizzled as the vines tightened around the monster.

"Good work, Jupiter!" Venus called. The four Senshi began circling the cocooned enemy.

Suddenly, the vines shuddered and exploded, sending up a shower of sparks. "TSURUHASHI!" the monster roared. It spun around, swinging its pick. A line of blackness traced outward from the weapon, striking the Senshi before they could react. The four warriors cried out in pain as they took shallow yet painful cuts across their abdomens. The force of the impact knocked them all off their feet and flung them back a few meters.

"This one's tough," Jupiter grunted as she struggled to her feet.

Laughing evilly, Tsuruhashi raised its pick, preparing to strike at Sailor Mercury. Suddenly, there was a flash of silver, and the monster's weapon was sent flying, embedding itself in the remains of the arcade's front wall.

"You've done enough damage," a soft yet dangerous voice said from above. Tsuruhashi and the four Senshi looked up to see an angry angel descending into the combat zone, her feathery wings spread wide and her elegant dress billowing in the wind. "I don't know where you came from, or what your purpose is, but I'm stopping you here and now."

As the Senshi regained their footing and Serenity descended to the ground, Tsuruhashi laughed evilly. "Legion of the undead! Heed my command! Destroy them!" The zombies reversed course and headed for the battlefield, while Tsuruhashi shambled over to the game center to retrieve its weapon.

"Your Majesty, you shouldn't be here," Venus said. "This is dangerous."

"We can't risk you getting hurt," Jupiter said. "Let us handle it."

"No...I'm still a Senshi, and you need me," Serenity said.

The zombies began closing in, and Tsuruhashi tore its pick out of the wall, raising it into the air. "TSURUHASHI!"

"Please, Serenity," Mars said softly. "Get out of here."

"No," Serenity said. "My place is here with you." The Ginzuishou began to glow brightly on her chest, and a soft wind stirred at her feet.

The zombies closed in. Tsuruhashi's pickaxe began glowing darkly.

"Moon...Royal..."

"Ahahahahahahaha...eh? What—?"

"Make-UP!"

The battlefield exploded in silver light.

"Wh—what is this power...?"

The light faded, and everyone gasped. Serenity hovered in the air, clad in a blindingly white sailor fuku with a silver skirt and collar. Rather than boots, as in previous incarnations, she wore pearly white slippers. The Ginzuishou rested in the center of a golden crescent moon upon her chest, framed by a white bow. The jewels on her odango were shimmering pearls, and her choker was silver with a crystal moon in the center. Her gloves were the same as in her Eternal Sailormoon form, except that the trim had changed from red to silver. Her wings...her real wings, not the stylized fabric wings of her old fuku...spread out behind her, stirring the tails of the silver bow at her back.

"What—?" Tsuruhashi screeched.

"Ai to seigi no," the beautiful angel said, performing her customary hand gestures, "sailor-fuku bishoujo senshi no ouhi...Sailor Serenity! Tsuki ni kawatte, oshioki yo!"

"Sailor Serenity..." the other Senshi breathed, staring at her.

"ATTACK!" Tsuruhashi roared. The zombies rushed the four Senshi at ground level, who were hard pressed to dodge the madly dashing corpses. Tsuruhashi reared back his pickaxe. "Catch!" he yelled, hurling the massive pick at Sailor Serenity.

"Serenity-sama!" Mars cried out. "Look out!"

Gracefully, Sailor Serenity moved to one side, dodging the projectile. Reaching out with one hand, she casually caught the handle as it passed, and spun in midair, flinging the weapon back at its owner. Tsuruhashi's decaying eyes widened as the huge pick slammed into its midsection, knocking it down the street.

Serenity flew in the direction of Tsuruhashi's departure, and hovered above the creature. "For corrupting the lives and souls of innocent, peaceful citizens, your sentence is banishment to Hell," she said softly. Drawing one leg up behind her, she spun gracefully in the air, fully extending her arms and wings. "Crystal Millenium Royal Decree!"

Tsuruhashi screeched as a blinding wave of light poured from Sailor Serenity, spreading to encompass all the zombies cursed by the monster's dark power. The black crescent moon on Tsuruhashi's forehead began to glow white, and exploded.

When the light faded, the street was littered with bodies. Sailor Serenity dropped to the ground and fell to her knees, taking a deep breath. The other Senshi were immediately at her side.

"Serenity!" Mars cried. "Are you alright?"

Serenity smiled. "I'm fine, Rei-chan. I'm just a little exhausted. That took a lot out of me."

"We need to get you back to the Palace," Venus insisted.

Serenity nodded. "Hai, but first...Mercury, are these people—?"

"Most of them are alive," Mercury said, "although the ones touched earliest are all in deep comas. The rest will probably awaken soon." She sighed, scanning the body of a burly sewer worker. "This was Tsuruhashi," she said. "I'm afraid he's dead now."

Serenity swore softly. "That was a human being?"

"You had no way of knowing," Jupiter said, soothing the young queen.

"Even if you had, it wouldn't have mattered," Mercury said. "According to this, he's been dead ever since turning into that creature." She dispelled her visor, and knelt before Serenity. "You've done him a favor," she said. "He can rest in peace now, instead of wandering the earth as the slave of whoever did this to him."

Serenity scowled, anger burning in her clear blue eyes. "This cannot be allowed to happen again," she said. "We've got to find the one responsible and stop them quickly." She stood slowly, and her sailor fuku reverted to the flowing formal wear of Neo-Queen Serenity. "Let's go home."

The Queen and her Senshi teleported back to the Palace just as the first police cars began streaming into the area.

Wraith cursed as the image floating in the air before her vanished in a flare of silver light. "Damn you, Serenity," she spat. "I can see this is not going to be an easy war to win." Closing her eyes, she focused on her overseas operative. *Goro...report.*

*These humans are pathetic,* Goro's telepathic rumble resounded in her mind. *Taking their energy and their souls is proving to be far too simple.*

*You long for a challenge, do you?* Wraith projected.

*Yes. I will soon have enough energy to join you.*

*I want you to remain there for a while, and continue your collection operations.*

*Remain here? Why should I?*

Wraith projected a recap of the recent battle, beginning with Tsuruhashi's arrival on the street, and ending with Sailor Serenity's power wave winning the day. She also projected images of her past lives, her defeats at the hands of the Senshi.

*...I see. Forgive me for saying so, but it was folly to execute such an operation when you knew of these Sailor Senshi.*

*Oh? Explain yourself,* Wraith demanded angrily.

*From your accounts, I see that your past history with these Sailor Senshi involves using brainless minions to achieve your goals. Your minions do nothing to cover their operations, relying on thin disguises. They cause a scene, which attracts the attention of the Sailor Senshi, who show up and destroy the minions, undermining the entire operation and resulting in nothing but waste.*

*Get to the point, Goro,* Wraith seethed.

*In order to succeed,* Goro continued, *in order to gather the power, the strength, and the forces you need to crush the Sailor Senshi, you must conceal your operations. Quick, tactical strikes. No idiotic minions. Surface only long enough to get the job done, then disappear before they can find you. Leave no evidence of your intrusions. Occasional strikes against the Senshi themselves, to test their strengths and weaknesses. Time everything to seem completely random. Only this way can you hope to gain the power needed to crush them for all time.*

Wraith blinked. *I would not have expected such an analysis from one such as yourself, Goro.*

Goro projected a disdainful snort. *My talents are not limited to mindless violence,* he said. *Here, in this place with no Sailor Senshi, it is the most useful tactic, because there is nothing with the power to oppose me. However, I am not fool enough to openly invite the wrath of these Sailor Senshi until I know my power is great enough to defeat them.*

Wraith silently congratulated herself on selecting the perfect youma to be her right hand. *You impress me, Prince Goro,* she said. *A general who speaks his mind and is not afraid to point out the faults of his leader is a general who will surely be victorious in all battles.*

*Within a month's time, I should have all the power I need,* Goro said. *I would be finished sooner, but I've just learned that the local government is prepared to dispatch a militia to confront me. I may be required to lay low for a while.*

*Understood,* Wraith said.

*You may wish to select another general to assist you in the interim,* Goro advised. *A general with a brain, one that is not foolish enough to bring those blasted Senshi down on your head.*

*Report back to me when your energy gathering operations are complete, Prince Goro,* Wraith said, breaking contact. She sighed. It made perfect sense, what Goro had said...it certainly explained her repeated failures in dealing with the Sailor Senshi, both as Metaria and as Death Phantom. Beryl had been competent but foolish, and the Black Moon Family had made the mistake of sending fools into the past to deal with the rabbit. Wraith narrowed her eyes. This time, there would be no foolish mistakes. There would be no missions ending in folly.

Now, she needed to find another general to aid her in Goro's absence...

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