Standard disclaimers apply. Most of these characters belong to
Naoko Takeuchi, and I'm just borrowing them for a while.


HEARTS OF DARKNESS
PART VII: ASSAULT REPELLED
by Judson Chan


	"Are we there yet?" Usagi whined.
	"No, Usako." Mamoru answered patiently. The four girls, along
with Mamoru, were in a bus heading south, following the readings on
Ami's computer. The sky was overcast, threatening to rain at any
moment.
	Five minutes later, Usagi looked around. "Are we there yet?"
she asked. Behind her, Rei snapped.
	"THAT'S IT!" she almost screamed. "I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!
STOP ACTING LIKE A CHILD, USAGI!" Usagi watched as smoke seemed to come
out of Rei's head, then burst out laughing. Rei's face turned redder.
	"Stop it, you two," Ami pleaded. "Everyone's staring at us."
	Rei sat back down, sulking. Usagi buried her face in Mamoru's
shoulder, unable to stop laughing. The others just sighed, and hoped
that they would get where they were going before someone got hurt.


	"Shino, what are you doing?" Makoto asked, as Shinozaki stood
facing Genkyou. "*I'm* the one he wants."
	"His challenge was a claim on the position of sensei's
successor," he replied. "As first disciple of this school, I will be
his first opponent."
	Makoto was about to protest, but Senkaku shook his head
warningly. She gritted her teeth and moved back to stand with him.
"Why didn't you stop him, sensei?" she asked under her breath.
	"He knows what he is doing," Senkaku answered calmly, "and you
know it too."
	Makoto nodded. "He's testing senpai for me. But I don't want
him getting hurt!"
	"It's too late for that. Just pay attention." A pause. "And be
glad you aren't wearing a skirt."
	Genkyou and Shinozaki had already bowed, and now they were
circling each other. Occasionally, one would lash out with a sudden
slash or thrust, gauging the other's reactions. From the side, Makoto
watched them as well, drawing her own conclusions.
	Shinozaki handled his bokken with the certainty of much
practice. With a sensei like Senkaku, she expected as much from him.
His strikes were methodical and sure, wasting no energy. His eyes were
locked onto his opponents, steady and intense.
	Genkyou, on the other hand, surprised Makoto a lot. Although
they were both using the same style, Genkyou's stance was more
aggressive. His attacks had a lot more power behind them, and yet he
still kept up a good defense. After the first few blows, he had given
up on testing Shinozaki and gotten serious, quickly. His strikes
became faster, more furious, forcing the other man to take the
defensive as they lunged and parried around the clearing.
	Genkyou gave a quick thrust, then swept his arm across and hit
Shinozaki on the side. The blow wasn't very strong, but it was
unbalancing. Genkyou took advantage of the situation and landed a
solid blow to his midsection, then spun around to slash at the back of
his knee. Shinozaki went down on one knee, and Genkyou raised his
weapon for an overhand strike. Makoto ran in and blocked it.
	"That's enough, senpai!" she yelled. "You've won the round
already!"
	Genkyou smirked and backed off. Makoto helped Shinozaki to his
feet, then turned to face her opponent.
	"Ready to lose, Makoto?" he asked haughtily.
	"Not likely," she replied. They bowed to each other and raised
their bokkens.
	Having observed the previous fight, Makoto got down to
business immediately. She slashed across his waist; as he jumped
back, she followed the motion with a kick. He blocked her foot with the
flat of his bokken, and she pushed herself away before he could
counterattack. Landing in a crouch, she spun and slid his two-handed
slash along her weapon, forcing him past her. They both turned
around quickly, and their weapons locked.
	"Not too bad, little girl," Genkyou said from between clenched
teeth. Makoto ignored him and pushed him off. They fenced and parried
for a while, neither of them showing signs of fatigue. Shinozaki and
Senkaku watched intently.
	Genkyou roared and charged forward, his bokken held low.
Makoto sidestepped his upward slash, then quickly tumbled over the
follow-up sweep aimed at her legs. She did not expect another follow-up
strike, though, and was hit on the side of her left arm. Grimacing,
she rolled away from Genkyou and got back on her feet.
	"Had enough yet, Makoto?" he taunted.
	"Not until you give this up," she shouted back, and charged. He
raised his bokken and did the same. A second before they met, she sped
up and reversed her weapon. The sudden change of speed caught Genkyou
off guard, and his slash hit the empty air behind Makoto. She, on the
other hand, now had a different striking range and sliced her bokken
along his side, cutting through his shirt and leaving an angry red
welt.
	"Why you little. . ." Genkyou snarled, obviously furious. He
reached inside his shirt and drew a dagger.
	"What do you think you're doing?" Senkaku demanded.
	"I *will* win!" Genkyou yelled.
	"Then you should have practiced more," Makoto said. "I thought
you were more honourable than this, senpai."
	"Honour?" He snorted, his eyes a bit wild. "Since when has
honour done me any good? No matter what we did, that old fool always
liked you better, even though we were the elders. Shino might be too
lovestruck to care, but I won't forgive you!" He lunged, holding his
bokken in one hand and the dagger in the other. Makoto braced herself,
but before they knew it Genkyou was lying flat on his back, unarmed.
Senkaku stood over him, holding Shinozaki's bokken.
	"That is *enough*, Genkyou," he said coldly. "You have broken
the warrior's code of honour by using such underhanded methods. You
are disqualified from your claim, and expelled from my dojo. I don't
want to see your face again."
	"Sensei. . ."
	Senkaku turned to face Makoto. "Don't you start taking any of
the blame, Mako," he ordered. "It is his own responsibility to deal
with his feelings. If anyone is to blame, it would be him."
	Makoto tried to say something, but her sensei motioned for her
to keep her mouth shut. He was about to go back inside when a bolt of
rainbow light hit him on the back, sending him to the ground with a
startled grunt.
	"Sensei!!" Shinozaki and Makoto both screamed. Shinozaki ran
over to check on him, while Makoto looked around, searching for the
source of the blast. There was a shimmer of light under one of the
trees, and a purple-haired woman wearing a dark kingdom uniform
appeared.
	"Who the hell are you?" Makoto yelled, raising her bokken.
	"Wouldn't you like to know?" the woman replied. She walked over
to Genkyou and looked down in mock pity. "And he was so promising, too.
Such a shame the old man interfered before he could kill you."
	"You made him do this!?"
	"Why, yes." The woman grinned and raised her arm. A casing of
light appeared around Shinozaki and Senkaku, trapping them.
	"Let them go!" Makoto shouted. "They have nothing to do with
this!"
	"Oh, but on the contrary, my dear, they have much to do with
this. I'll enjoy killing them in front of you." She raised her hand
again, and Makoto was encased in shimmering light as well. Smiling, she
picked up Genkyou's dagger. . .and dropped it as a red rose hit her
wrist. "What?"
	"Your evil plan will never succeed as long as we are
together!" The Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Kamen landed in the clearing.
Sailor Moon struck her pose. "We will never let a friend fight alone!
For love, justice and friendship, I am the pretty sailor-suited
soldier Sailor Moon! In the name of the Moon, I'LL PUNISH YOU!"
	"FIRE SOUL!" Mars yelled. The stream of fire scorched the
ground where the woman had stood before she teleported away. The Scouts
looked around, but couldn't see anyone. Suddenly, a larger barrier of
light formed around them, trapping them as well. The woman reappeared
next to Genkyou. "This is almost too easy," she gloated.
	"You're Amethyst, aren't you?" Venus asked, stalling for time
as Mercury worked on her computer.
	"Very perceptive of you," Amethyst said, picking up the dagger
again. She knelt next to Genkyou again, her eyes still on Makoto.
"Now my dear, I would like to demonstrate what I will be doing to you.
I think this man here would be perfect as an example." Shackles of
light bound Genkyou's limbs to the ground. Amethyst smiled, and stabbed
the dagger through his left wrist. He screamed in agony.
	"Stop that!" Sailor Moon yelled. "Doesn't he work for you?"
	"So?" Amethyst walked around to Genkyou's other side and sliced
his other wrist, careful not to cut a major blood vessel. He screamed
again. Amethyst looked at Makoto. "Enjoying the show, dear?"
	Makoto at her eyes closed against the tears threatening to come
out. Her fists were clenched and her knuckles slightly bruised from
punching the barrier. "Why are you doing this?" she asked.
	"To hurt you, of course. Don't worry, your friends are next."
She knelt next to Genkyou's right foot. "Besides, he's your enemy,
isn't he? He even tried to kill you."
	"You monsters won't ever understand! He's a person too, and I
respected him. He doesn't deserve this! No one does!"
	"Respect? For this wretch?" Amethyst snickered, drawing the
dagger along Genkyou's leg towards his ankle. "All he cares about is
being the best. Given a chance, he would even kill the old man over
there. What is there to respect?" She plunged the blade into his ankle,
severing the Achilles' tendon. Genkyou fainted.
	"Mako!" Mercury yelled, looking up from her computer. "You've
got to save him! None of this is his fault. He's carrying a Heart of
Darkness!"
	"What?" Makoto stared at Genkyou's silent, bleeding form, and
Amethyst standing over him with a smirk. In her mind, she replayed the
memories of the three of them together. After her parents died in the
plane crash, Senkaku-sensei had taken her in. She became fast friends
with Shino and Genkyou, and they would often sneak out together to
have fun. Genkyou would protest that it was wrong, but he always came
along anyways. Even after he started tensing up every time their sensei
complimented Makoto, he had still been nice to her. And she could have
sworn she had seen tears in his eyes as well, on the day they broke up.
	"So this is all *your* doing?" she asked in quiet rage.
	Amethyst smirked. "Looks like I've been found out. Still, what
are *you* going to do about it?"
	Makoto ignored her. She pulled out her wand and transformed
into Sailor Jupiter. Behind her, Shinozaki gasped.
	"SUPREME THUNDER!"
	The lightning bolt hit the barrier from above, but it resisted.
Jupiter glared at the smiling general, then started to concentrate.
The air around her started to crackle with static as she drew on the
strength of her own spirit to create her attack.
	"I won't *ever* let you get away with this, Amethyst! He had
his entire future in front of him, and you took it all away! You
destroyed his honour, and in the name of Jupiter, I *WILL* PUNISH
YOU!!" She could feel every atom in her body being charged with
electricity, making her tingle all over. With a single thought, she
willed all of this power to gather in her hands.
	"SUPREME THUNDER. . .DRAGON!"
	Her attack emerged and coiled into a vast lightning dragon. It
pushed out against the barrier, shattering it into a thousand shards of
light. Roaring fiercely, it surged towards Amethyst. The female
general raised a shield in defense, but the force of Jupiter's wrath
broke through easily. She screamed as the lightning hit her, and
quickly retreated.
	The casings around the others faded, and Sailor Moon rushed
towards Genkyou. With a thought, she detached the Silver Crystal and
held it over the unconscious man.
	"MOON HEALING ESCALATION!" She called out her old attack, and
smiled hopefully when it responded. The chain around Genkyou's neck
glowed and dissolved as the positive energy overwhelmed the Heart of
Darkness. His wounds closed as well, stopping the bleeding. Sailor
Moon sat down, feeling drained.
	"Senkaku-sensei will be alright," Mercury announced, coming up
behind Jupiter. "He's very healthy for his age."
	"Of course," Jupiter replied absently. "How about senpai?"
	Mercury knelt next to him and ran a program on her computer.
She frowned and repeated it, and her expression became somber. She
turned to Jupiter.
	"I'm sorry," she said, "but his injuries were too deep. He's
in no danger now, but he won't be able to use his hands and foot for a
while. . ."
	"No. . .this can't be," Jupiter said disbelievingly. Her
transformation faded, and she sank to the ground, weeping. "I'm. . .
sorry, senpai. I'm sorry. . ." Shinozaki came over and held her, his
own eyes misting over. Above them, the rain started pouring, washing
away the blood, leaving only painful regrets behind. . .


	Amethyst stumbled into the throne room and limped forward
painfully to kneel before Adamantite. The shadowy figure on the throne
did not stir, but his eyes burned brightly. Amethyst risked a look up,
and immediately lowered her eyes.
	"Please, my lord," she begged, "allow me another chance!"
	"But my dear," Adamantite said in a mocking tone, "you *do*
know what happens to failures, don't you?"
	Amethyst's eyes widened, and she whirled around, throwing up
her shield. The blast of power that hit her in the back took her by
complete surprise. She fell down on her hands and knees, gasping.
	"Selenite isn't here right now, my dear," the dark lord told
her, "so I'll be taking care of this. You should be happy, general; my
way is much less messy."
	Before she could scream, the general was engulfed in hellish
black flames and reduced to nothing. Adamantite's cruel laughter rang
out in the dark hall, the only testament to her demise.


The next morning. . .


	"I'm sorry everyone," Rei apologized, "but it's the best I can
do." She watched as Usagi, Ami, and Minako started eating.
	"Not bad," Minako said.
	"Not *nearly* as good as Mako's," Usagi pronounced her
judgement.
	"*Thanks*, Usagi," Rei said acidly.
	"Where is Mako, anyway?" Usagi asked, for once ignoring the
opportunity to fight with Rei.
	"She spent the night at the hospital," Ami told her. "She
wanted to be sure Genkyou's alright. Shino's with her."
	"Poor Mako," Minako said. "I hope she'll feel better soon."
	The others nodded their assent, and went back to eating. They
didn't talk anymore, though, as each was fervently praying for their
friend to be alright.


	"Mako. . ."
	Makoto stirred and shifted her position a bit. Dozing on and
off on a chair all night made her entire body one big cramp.
	"Mako."
	"Hmm?" Her eyes opened slightly, crusty with sleep. Shinozaki
was in front of her, shaking her by the shoulder.
	"Genkyou's awake," he told her. She nodded and went into the
washroom to freshen up. A minute later she was sitting at her senpai's
bedside. Genkyou looked a bit pale, and his wrists and wounded ankle
were wrapped in bandages.
	"How're you feeling?" Makoto asked him.
	"It doesn't hurt anymore, at least." He looked up at her face.
"How about you, you look terrible."
	"I didn't get much sleep last night."
	"For me? I'm flattered."
	"Don't push your luck," she grumbled. "I can put you in worse
shape than you're in now."
	"I'd believe her, if I were you," Shinozaki warned.
	"I do." His smile faded, and he sighed. "In the end, this is
all really my fault. . ."
	"Senpai. . ." Makoto started to say.
	"No, Makoto. Senkaku-sensei was right. I let my own emotions
run out of control, and got you all in danger. I wonder why the Sailor
Scouts even bothered to save me. . ."
	"They know you're a good person, senpai," Makoto said. Behind
her, Shinozaki nodded in agreement.
	"You forgive me, then?" Genkyou asked.
	Makoto nodded. "For everything," she said softly. "We'll always
be friends."
	"I'm glad."
	"So what are you going to do once you get out of here?"
Shinozaki asked him. He looked up thoughtfully at the ceiling.
	"Don't worry about me," he assured them. "I'm a lot tougher
than you think. One day, I'll be able to use a sword again, and I'll
beat you, Makoto." He smiled mischieviously. "Don't you dare run off
before then!"
	Makoto smiled and nodded. I'm so glad you're alright now, she
thought. And I won't give up, either. Funny, after all this, I still
end up looking up to you. She stood up. "I've got to go find my
friends now. I'll be back to visit as often as I can!" she promised.
Shinozaki followed her outside into the hall and closed the door.
	"Be careful, alright?" he said.
	"Don't worry, Shino, I'll be fine," she replied. "When I come
back, we'll have a good, long talk. . ." And with that, she left to
join her friends, ready to face destiny once more.


	"Are you still up for this, everyone?" Artemis asked. They
were gathered in front of the Hikawa Temple. Rei's grandpa had gone to
visit some old friends for the weekend, so they didn't have to worry
about him. Mako had just arrived to join them, and one look at her
face told everyone that she was back to her old self again. The girls
nodded and raised their hands.
	"MERCURY POWER, MAKE UP!"
	"MARS POWER, MAKE UP!"
	"JUPITER POWER, MAKE UP!"
	"VENUS POWER, MAKE UP!"
	Usagi took off her brooch.
	"MOON CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!"
	Mamoru picked a rose out of subspace and passed it over his
body, summoning his disguise. The Sailor Scouts gathered around him and
linked hands, forming a circle. Ryo and the guardians stood to the
side, watching.
	"Is everyone ready?" Luna asked.
	The Scouts and Tuxedo Kamen all nodded, and then the Scouts
started to concentrate on their individual planets. "SAILOR TELEPORT!"
Beams of light rose from each of the girls into the sky. A sudden
wind caused their hair to fly upwards, and the light brightened
slightly. In a few seconds, they were all gone, leaving only a ring of
blasted tiles behind.
	"Good luck, guys. . ." Ryo whispered, and he and the cats went
back into the temple to wait.


	A biting gale howled across the dark, barren arctic plains. It
swept up the snow in blinding flurries, arranging and rearranging the
landscape, like a child experimenting with different sand castles.
Although in general, the arctic was merely a cold place, this
particular area has been perpetually wracked by storms for nearly two
months now. It was almost as if an evil presence was seeking to conceal
itself from prying eyes.
	As the clouds overhead watched in silence, several forms
emerged amidst the chaotic elements. Tuxedo Kamen immediately flipped
his cape over Sailor Moon, who was shivering from the intense cold.
The other Scouts huddled together for warmth, and to keep the snow off
of Mercury's computer.
	"There's an enormous buildup of negative energy over there,"
she said, pointing towards a snow dune. They started walking in the
indicated direction. Cresting the dune, they beheld a huge palace of
glimmering crystal. The air around it was abnormally calm, like in the
eye of a tornado. Jagged spires rose from the polished structure, and a
faint purple glow emanated from within the crystal blocks. The whole
scene was one of eerie beauty.
	"How ironic," Venus muttered.
	"So, are we going to just blast in through the front doors?"
Jupiter asked.
	"I'm working on it," Mercury replied. Then, suddenly, she dove
and pushed Venus to the ground, even as a bolt of red lightning
streaked over them.
	The Scouts and Tuxedo Kamen gathered in a circle facing
outwards as the enemy began to appear. A large group of chimeras rose
up from the snow, growling menacingly. Several youmas appeared in their
own eccentric ways, completely surrounding them.
	"An ambush!" Tuxedo Kamen shouted.
	"No, you think?" Mars replied sarcastically.
	"They must have sensed us when we teleported here," Mercury
said.
	"Can we break through to the palace?" Jupiter asked.
	"There's too many of them!" Venus answered.
	One chimera raised its muzzle and howled, and at once all hell
broke loose. The chimeras charged, roaring and snarling, while the
youmas gathered energy and fired. Flames, lightning, light, roses, and
a small tiara flew all over the battlefield, while here and there
chimeras stopped, frozen in their tracks.
	The first wave fell easily before the combined might of the
six warriors, but the enemy outnumbered them greatly. Slowly, the
Scouts and Tuxedo Kamen grew tired, while the number of monsters never
seemed to dwindle.
	As the battle raged on the ground, patches of shadow swirled
and converged above them, forming a portal. Selenite stepped out of it
calmly onto thin air, watching as Sailor Moon took out a large portion
of chimeras with her Moon Scepter. The respite was brief, though, and
now Sailor Moon was even closer to exhaustion.
	One of the youmas, a creature composed almost entirely of ice,
was hit by Mars' fire. It seemed to melt, but Selenite saw that it was
actually unharmed, only now it was made of water. Barely visible in
this transparent form, it dove between Jupiter and Mercury just as
Jupiter was launching her attack. Some of the lightning passed through
the youma to Mercury, causing her to cry out in pain even as the
youma was destroyed. Jupiter turned to see what was wrong, and was hit
in the stomach by a chimera before Venus blasted it. She doubled over,
unable to catch her breath, and could not prevent the bolt of dark the
energy from hitting Mercury. She fell back on the ground, unconscious.
	With one Scout down and another disabled, the tide of the
battle turned noticeably. Mars moved to stand over Mercury, shielding
her with her own body and closing the circle again. A barrage of spines
hit Tuxedo Kamen, and a few passed through his cape to imbed themselves
in his chest. He grunted and sagged a bit, but kept on throwing roses.
	Seeing her beloved hurt, Sailor Moon automatically called out
his name. Selenite seized the brief moment of distraction and swooped
down, grabbing Venus by the arm and pulling her into the air. He took
the struggling Scout beyond the ring of chimeras and dropped her to the
ground. She landed safely and glared at him.
	"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, bracing herself
for a fight. She carefully observed the man before her. He was
handsome, in a cold kind of way, with short black hair streaked by a
single lock of silver. He wore the dark kingdom uniform and held no
weapons, although she was sure he wasn't helpless. His eyes were
black and cold; staring into them, Venus could almost feel the power
he held, and there was something else as well. She briefly wondered
about that before he spoke.
	"I merely wished to duel with the leader of the Sailor Scouts,"
Selenite replied, sounding almost pleasant.
	"Umm. . .yeah, I'm their leader! Let the others go, I'm the
only one you want!"
	Selenite smiled. "Sorry, but I have my orders. All of you are
to be captured." He slashed with his hand, sending a wave of blackness
flying forward. Venus rolled aside and countered with a Crescent Beam,
but he disappeared before the attack hit. Warned by her well-honed
instincts, Venus sprang forward even before she felt the presence
behind her. She spun and saw Selenite pulling a spear-like weapon out
of the snow. It had a five foot long metal haft and a broad blade with
two small hooks coming out of the sides. Connecting the blade and haft
was a metal ring covered in strange markings.
	"I'm impressed, Sailor Venus," he said, smiling grimly and
pointing his weapon at her. "You truly are a worthy opponent, to be
able to dodge that."
	"True warriors don't stab others in the back," Venus taunted.
"CRESCENT BEAM!"
	Selenite casually deflected the beam with his partisan. "Wrong,
Venus," he said. "A true warrior will fight with all he has, and
expect his opponent to do the same." He charged, leveling the sharp
blade at her heart. She jumped over him and spun around, extending her
arm. "CRESCENT BEAM SHOWER!"
	Selenite turned and held out his hand. A bolt of shadow
appeared in his palm, which he hurled at her like a javelin. The dark
energy connected with her beams and caused a huge detonation. Venus
raised her arms in front of her face as she was hurled backwards into
a snow dune. Before she could get up, Selenite had his weapon at her
throat. She glared at him defiantly, refusing to show fear.
	"Fine, finish me," she said between ground teeth.
	"And you would die so willingly?" he asked, an odd note in his
voice.
	"Of course not!" she replied angrily. "Unlike you monsters, we
value our lives and our friendship. But I will *not* beg for my life
from the likes of you!" Her gaze was unwavering as she met his cold,
black eyes. Still, she couldn't help blinking when he withdrew his
partisan.
	"I have respect for you, Sailor Venus," he said, sounding
sincere. "Were it not for our present circumstances, I would have been
glad to call you friend. You are indeed a true warrior." Venus was
stunned, but only for a moment. She started to get up, and her eyes
briefly locked with Selenite's. Instantly, the full force of his will
poured into her mind and crushed all of her defenses, and she fainted.
He sighed, then picked her up and disappeared into a portal.


	Meanwhile, the fight continued on the hill overlooking the
crystal palace. Jupiter had finally gone down, and Mars had several
cuts across her arms and legs. Surprisingly, only Sailor Moon was
relatively unscathed, although she was near exhaustion.
	A trio of chimeras charged Sailor Mars. She hurled a blazing
inferno in their path, but they didn't slow down despite the pain. Two
of them fell limply by the time they reached her, but the third was
unhurt and started grappling with Mars. Unable to use her fire, more
and more chimeras came close to her, and soon she was swarmed under by
sheer numbers.
	Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen stood back to back, the only ones
left standing. For some reason, the enemy had stopped attacking, and
Sailor Moon was glad for the chance to rest. She tried desperately not
to break down now; the sight of her friends lying there, not knowing
whether they were dead or alive, threatened to drown her with fear.
	A brief instant of darkness passed, and Selenite stood before
her. He waved his hand, and the fallen Scouts were enveloped in shadows
and disappeared. Sailor Moon could only stare in shock.
	"What did you do to them, Negacreep!?" she demanded.
	"Do not worry, Sailor Moon. They are safe for the time being,
and so is Sailor Venus." He waved his hand again, and the chimeras and
youmas all vanished as well. "Now, we shall finish this."
	Tuxedo Kamen raised his cane and stepped in front of Sailor
Moon, ignoring his injuries. "You'll have to get through me, first!"
he challenged.
	"Very well." Selenite raised both arms, and ribbons of darkness
flew and twisted towards them, forming a shaft of pure shadow. "Since
you wish it so, I *will* go *through* you. Your being there makes
absolutely no difference."
	Tuxedo Kamen watched intently as the dark energy continued to
gather. He could feel the strength of it, and knew Selenite wasn't
bluffing. He desperately focused his mind, trying to summon enough of
his powers to withstand the assault. Finding a warm, golden glow
within himself, he drew on the power of his and Usagi's love to protect
them. A golden rose appeared in his hand.
	"I will protect her!" he declared, raising his arm. "Twice
already we have been separated, but never again will I let that happen!
I will not let her die, and I will not die here! We will stay together,
no matter what you throw at us!"
	The rose began to shine with a light rivaling the pure darkness
in Selenite's hands. As Selenite released his attack, Tuxedo Kamen
threw the rose in its path.
	"SHINING ROSE BOMBER!"
	The golden rose impacted with the black spear, and the attacks
nullified each other in a blast of pure power. Tuxedo Kamen raised his
cape to shield Sailor Moon.
	"You did it, my love," Sailor Moon congratulated him quietly.
"You got your powerup too."
	He nodded, then they looked around for any sign of Selenite.
Tuxedo Kamen saw him first and fell soundlessly from the mental
onslaught.
	"Tuxedo Kamen!" Sailor Moon cried, kneeling next to him.
	"He's not hurt, Sailor Moon," Selenite said. "Only
unconscious."
	"Why are you toying with us like this?" she shouted, her eyes
tearing up. "Why must you be so cruel?"
	Selenite looked at her with an emotionless expression, not
answering. She got up and summoned her scepter, but still he did
nothing. She hesitated, wondering what was going on. Then, she too fell
before the power of his will, and all three of them disappeared in
waves of darkness.


To be continued. . .


AUTHOR'S NOTES: Two big fight scenes. . .so, are they any good? I
really would love to hear from you, even if you thought it sucked. My
address is at h_chan@sympatico.ca.
		This series is nearing its end. Will the Sailor Scouts
prevail over evil? Well, probably, but how? Find out in the next part!
Seeya!