Title: Wildfire - Chapter 2
Author: Viper Inferno
E-mail: viperdvman@hotmail.com
Rated: PG-13

Howdy, Sailor Moon Fans. Welcome back to the world of Y2V. Last time we 
left off, Tuxedo Inferno was... well, brainwashed by Queen Beryl. Let's 
see what he does as a bad guy, eh? I'd like to thank my sister for first 
of all getting me into Sailor Moon in the first place, and I'd like to 
thank my friend Jupiter Star Warrior for his support. Here's my usual...

...Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and most of the characters ain't mine. They 
belong to Naoko Takeuchi, and I thank that woman for creating such great 
entertainment. The English dub belongs to DiC Entertainment, and I thank 
them for bringing' it to America. Good news, I hear that DiC's dubbin' 
the third season, yeehah! Anyways, Russell Hino, Hino Kyodai, Tuxedo 
Inferno, and all his other identities are MINE (in a deep, dark, 
growling voice). Titanius is also mine. So, please don't sue me. Well, 
y'all enjoy this fanfic and e-mail me.

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                                  Wildfire
                              By Viper Inferno

                                 Chapter 2

	Negaverse Headquarters, the next day...

	Titanius and Tuxedo Inferno sit in Titanius' chamber, mapping out 
the plans for their next attack. "Now that they're convinced you're one 
of us, let's exploit that, shall we?" Titanius asks.
	"Wait," Tuxedo Inferno says, interrupting Titanius, "We were blood 
enemies before now. Are you sure we need to be together on this mission?"
	"Queen Beryl's orders," Titanius responds, "She hates it when 
people disobey her. Malachite told me this story: Queen Beryl had 
originally... disposed of Jedite, Nephrite, and Zoicyte for disobeying 
her. When she found you, she revived the 3 generals she had banished or 
destroyed to get you back. It was no easy task to get you back."
	"So Queen Beryl revives her generals to liberate me, and then 
destroys them after getting me back into their ranks," says Tuxedo 
Inferno, "Am I really that important?"
	"Why do you think she hired me in addition to reviving those 3," 
Titanius answers, "People like you and me are hard to come by. The only 
difference is that the Negaverse liberated you. They had to pay money to 
get me."
	Tuxedo Inferno thinks about what all Titanius just said, 'What 
could be so important about me? If Titanius was so brutal and so 
competitive in battling me, why does he want to be my friend all of a 
sudden?' "What about the mission?"
	"We're gonna do a little energy gathering on this mission. Since 
you fried half our soldiers, only our better ones are available to 
exploit," says Titanius, grinning.
	"What about those different youmas you guys use?" Tuxedo Inferno 
asks.
	"I had that in mind too," Titanius answers.
	"So how are we gonna drain the people's energy?" Tuxedo Inferno 
asks.
	"I'm gonna pose as a worker at the arcade, hiding devices in the 
machines. You're gonna be in your civilian form and rig the other half 
of the machines. As the people play the games, they'll get an urge to 
play more until their energy drains," Titanius explains.
	"That sounds good to me, but what are the youmas and soldiers 
for?" Tuxedo Inferno asks.
	"In case Sailor Moon shows up and decides to ruin everything," 
Titanius answers, "I'll either use one soldier or one youma, 'cause I 
wanna get a piece of that pesky Sailor Moon myself."
	"When do we start?" Tuxedo Inferno asks as they both get up.
	"Now. I'll head to my chamber and grab an appropriate disguise," 
Titanius says as he leaves. Tuxedo inferno leaves the room after him, 
then turns toward the exit.

	The next day...

	Russell arrives home after his weeklong physics field trip, only 
to see Raye fly down the stairs at near warp velocity. "You missed a lot
of strange happenings," Raye says as she walks up the stairs with 
Russell, "Yuuichiro's been a crazy guy all week. Grandpa's been sick for 
days, which was a big plus when I brought the girls down a few times. 
He's better now, so you can bet he's gonna be hitting on every girl that 
you or I bring over."
	"Sounds like you had a great time," Russell says, "I gotta drop my 
stuff off and head towards the arcade."
	"Can I go?" Raye asks, clasping her hands together at her chest.
	"Nah, Darien will be goin' with me," Russell nicely answers.
	"Now I really wanna go," says Raye at the sound of his name.
	"Absolutely not, I have some... other business to take care of," 
Russell responds, his voice dropping a little.
	"Uh, okay," Raye says with a half concerned, half disgusted look 
on her face. She walks into her room as Russell walks into his. 'Wonder 
what got into him?' she thinks to herself.
	Russell unpacks his bags, including the one with the energy 
draining devices Titanius gave him. He conveniently hides them in his 
pockets and continues unpacking his clothes and school supplies. After 
sorting out his clean clothes and his laundry, he grabs his car keys and 
heads through the living room and out of the temple.

	Crown Game Video Arcade...

	Russell arrives at the arcade, eager to carry out the mission. He 
walks inside and looks for the undercover Titanius. He catches a man out 
of the corner of his eye waving him over. He follows the man into a 
corner ever so carefully. "Is that you, Titanius?" Russell whispers.
	The man smiles, acknowledging. "I already have most of the devices 
set and ready. They're hidden in various parts of the machines, most of 
them on or around the speakers. Anyone playing those games will be 
loosing energy like change in a pocket with holes," says Titanius.
	"I have all the devices right here," says Russell as he pulls one 
out.
	"Here's some quarters for the games, just for cover," Titanius 
says as he drops some quarters in Russell's hand. Russell immediately 
makes a beeline to the Sailor V game. He drops in a quarter and plays 
the game. He hits the speaker, pretending to get it working right, while 
at the same time hiding one of the devices. He gets into the game, 
forgetting all about the device. Titanius gets his attention as he makes 
it to level 8. Russell spends the rest of the day playing all the games 
that Titanius had told him he never touched.
	"All set," Russell says as he plants the last device on a shoot 
'em up game.
	"Good, our work here is complete. Soon, the mission will be 
complete," Titanius says.
	"What about Sailor Moon?" Russell asks.
	"I'll send my youma in if they show up, or blow my cover," 
Titanius answers.
	Russell walks out of the arcade and back to his car, 'I like some 
of those games, yet I had to help rig them to steal people's energy. And 
they're like me, just want to have fun,' Russell thinks to himself as he 
starts the engine and drives off.

	Serena, Mina, and Lita walk down the busy street after a tough day 
at school. Lita's eyes pop out and her mouth hangs open at the sound of 
one of Serena's comments, "You made a WHAT in Math?"
	"I said I made a C-," Serena repeats for Lita's clogged ears to 
hear.
	"That's great. What next, Mina actually gets to keep a boyfriend," 
Lita comments.
	"HEY," Mina yells, head enlarging to three times its normal size, 
"I GET LOTS OF GUYS, WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE SO MEEEEAAAANNNN!" 
	"Hey, chill out Mina," Serena says as they round a corner, "Lita's 
only jealous cause she can't get her own guy."
	Lita's face turns steaming red, "IF YOU WERE ANY OTHER GIRL, I'D 
BEAT YOUR MEATBALL HEAD TO A BLOODY PULP!"
	Suddenly, something catches Mina's eye during the huge argument, 
"Uh, girls. Sorry to break up your little cat fight, but take a look at 
the arcade." Serena and Lita look to see some people walking out of the 
arcade like groups of zombies.
	"I wonder what happened to them," says Mina.
	"I don't know," says Serena, "but I think I've seen something like 
this before."
	"Really, where?" Lita asks.
	"YES," Serena yells, remembering where she's seen people walking 
like zombies, "I've seen it happen in monster movies, and when the 
Negaverse is near."
	"So you think those Nega-Punks might be behind this," says Lita.
	"Let's go check it out," Serena suggests as they run to the arcade 
and through the door. They take a look inside to see people occupying 
almost every video game. They seem to be aware only of the events 
occurring in their games rather than their environment. Two people walk 
by the girls like zombies, as if they had no pep in them whatsoever. 
Lita recognizes one of her classmates at one of the games. She walks 
over to her and calls out her name. The girl just seems to ignore her 
and continues playing. Lita waves her hand between her classmate's face 
and the video screen, but with no response. Lita, perplexed by the 
girl's reaction walks away and continues investigating.
	Meanwhile, Serena looks around, noticing that everybody seems 
unresponsive. "What's wrong with these people?" Serena asks herself, 
"I'm not even into these games that much." Then, a familiar sight 
catches her eyes and sends concern rushing through her veins. "MOLLY," 
she yells with fear as she sees her best friend taking to the game like 
she was its slave. Serena dashes over to her and tries to wake her up. 
She calls out her name a few times before waving her hand in front of 
her face. Molly pushes Serena back without even looking. Serena's face 
burns red with anger as she whacks Molly in the back of the head, 
slamming her face into the screen. Molly falls on the floor unconscious, 
with a slight nosebleed. Serena drops to her knees at Molly's side as 
she snaps out of it. "Uh, oh, what... happened to me," says Molly, dazed.
	"You were so into that game, like nothing else mattered," Serena 
responds.
	"I... feel so... weak," says Molly.
	"Everybody's been like that, walking around like zombies," Serena 
says.
	A man walks up to them, "Would you girls like to try our newest 
game over there."
	Serena nearly answers yes, but then she realizes what's happened 
to Molly and everybody else. "Uh, I'd better not, maybe later."
	"Suit yourselves," the man says as he walks away.
	'He looks awfully familiar,' Serena thinks to herself after 
getting a good look at the man. Lita and Mina soon walk back over to 
where Serena and Molly are sitting. "This is strange," says Mina.
	"And I know who's behind all this," Lita adds.
	She drops Molly off and walks outside the arcade with the other 
girls. "The Negaverse is behind all of this," Serena concludes, "I saw 
a familiar looking face asking Molly and I to try out a new game."
	"That's what I was thinking," Lita says, "Only they could be so 
bold. I say we transform and flush the Nega-Sleaze out." The girls run
outside and pull out their pins to transform.
	"Jupiter Power!"
	"Venus Power!"
	"Moon Prism Power!"
	They walk casually inside the arcade in their sailor suits. "I'll 
go look for that man," Sailor Moon says as she walks around, looking for 
that familiar face. The people seem to be ignoring the fact that 3 of 
the legendary Sailor Scouts are at that very arcade. Sailor Jupiter 
knocks over an unoccupied machine to examine it for anything that could 
be causing these people to act like zombies. After a minute of searching, 
Luna jumps on top of a machine next to where Sailor Jupiter is still 
searching the machine for clues.
	"What do you think you're doing, Sailor Jupiter?" Luna scolds.
	"I'm looking for something in this machine that's affecting all 
the people in... I got it," she says as she finds an odd device attached 
to the cathode ray tube, "I'll take this to Amy later and find out what 
it does. Right now, we gotta find the Nega-Nerd responsible."
	Sailor Moon walks around with Sailor Venus, looking for that guy 
she saw earlier. After a short time, he finds them.
	"Ah, the legendary Sailor Scouts. Welcome to my gaming world," he 
says, with the evilest of grins on his face.
	"You're darn right we're the Sailor Scouts, and you're darn right 
we're legendary," says Sailor Moon, "I am Sailor Moon. I stand for love 
and justice. I will right wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means 
you."
	"So you've figured out my grand scheme," the man says, "I thought 
I would lure you here."
	Lita runs up to the group, "You're no arcade worker."
	The man rips off his clothing, revealing black and red armor and a 
red cape.
	"Titanius," all 3 scouts say in unison.
	"Out you go," he says as he fires a wave of energy, sending all 3 
scouts flying through the windows onto the street.

	Meanwhile, Russell waits at a nearby café for Titanius' signal. 
Suddenly, an odd sense hits him, like something is nearby. "Good," he 
says to himself as he gets up and leaves, "that must be the signal." He 
walks outside and into an alley, where he lifts his obsidian jewel ring 
and transforms into Tuxedo Inferno. With his suit donned and his powers 
activated, he jumps on top of a building and runs in the direction of 
the arcade.
	
	Titanius walks out of the arcade and draws a sword, preparing to 
do battle with the 3 scouts. "Where are the other Sailor Losers?" 
Titanius asks.
	"Who are you calling losers," Sailor Moon says as she jumps up. 
Suddenly, Tuxedo Inferno drops out of the sky right next to Titanius.
	"What, no youma," says Tuxedo Inferno, confused at Titanius 
changing his plans.
	"I'll take these sleazy scouts on myself," Titanius says.
	"YOU," Sailor Jupiter yells as she runs at full speed, tackling 
Tuxedo Inferno and shoving him 6 inches into a building wall.
	"We'll take Titanius," Sailor Moon says as she and Sailor Venus 
turn to Titanius and engage in combat.
	Tuxedo Inferno kicks Sailor Jupiter back and jumps back up on his 
feet. The two stare at each other across the street, with hatred burning 
in both their eyes. Sailor Jupiter thinks back to her suspicion and 
how wrong the other scouts were for trusting this fire boy. Tuxedo 
Inferno thinks of his hallucination of Sailor Jupiter in green and black, 
zapping him with a deadly lightning and laughing at his suffering. With 
those thoughts in mind, they leap at each other like a pair of tigers. 
They pass by each other, with Sailor Jupiter throwing her left fist 
across Tuxedo Inferno's face. They land on opposite sides of the road, 
then turn to strike again. This time, Tuxedo Inferno dodges and chops 
Sailor Jupiter in the throat, causing her to choke and gasp for breath. 
She recovers in seconds and jumps away from him, "In the name of Jupiter, 
I call on the power of thunder to destroy you, Fire Boy. Jupiter, Thunder
Crash!"
	She sends bolts of lightning flying at Tuxedo Inferno. In response, 
he holds his arms out to his sides and slowly raises them, chanting 
"Inferno, Aura!" An aura of fire surrounds his body, superheating the air 
around him and deflecting the lightning blast.
	Sailor Jupiter looks in pure shock as Tuxedo Inferno douses the 
aura and waves his arms in a karate fashion, "Inferno Fire, Beam!" He 
throws his arms in front of him, firing a beam of fire at Sailor Jupiter. 
This catches Sailor Jupiter totally off guard as it hits her square in 
the chest, sending her flying into a billboard posted on a nearby 
building. She slowly slides down to the ground as Tuxedo Inferno walks 
over to her. He grabs her throat and lifts her limp body off the ground. 
"On behalf of the planet Mars, I WILL BURN YOU," says Tuxedo Inferno, 
"Inferno Hands, of Fire!" He engulfs his hand and repeatedly punches 
Sailor Jupiter in the face. He then pulls his hand back and gives her a 
powerful blow, setting her ablaze. "AAAAARRRRRRRGH," she screams in 
bloody horror as she flies down the street. Tuxedo Inferno waves his 
hands to his sides, forming a fireball floating above his head, 
"Inferno, Flame!" He waves his arm, sending the fireball flying. 
"AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH," Sailor Jupiter screams as the flames 
burn all consciousness from her. The flames extinguish and Sailor 
Jupiter falls to the pavement, charbroiled from head to toe and 
unconscious.
	Sailor Venus turns toward the screams at the sight of Sailor 
Jupiter losing her battle to Tuxedo Inferno. "NOOOO," Sailor Venus yells 
as her friend falls in flames to the evil Tuxedo Inferno. She immediately 
dashes at Tuxedo Inferno, leaving Sailor Moon to fend for herself against 
Titanius. She dashes at Tuxedo Inferno with pure rage rushing through her 
veins. Tuxedo Inferno catches her out of the corner of his eye and draws 
his flame sword. As he swings his blade after drawing it, he skewers the 
speedy Sailor Venus, shoving the blade straight through her chest. 
	She looks down at the blade sticking through her chest as blood 
pours out from the wound. She then looks at Tuxedo Inferno as blood 
begins pouring from her mouth. Tuxedo Inferno yanks the sword out of her 
chest and her eyes glaze over as she falls to her knees, then to the 
pavement in a pool of blood.
	Suddenly, a rose flies at Tuxedo Inferno and pierces his left arm, 
penetrating all the way to the bone. He yanks the rose from his arm and 
looks toward the origin of the flying rose dart. Tuxedo Mask stands on 
the open balcony of a building, with his cape waving in the wind. "Sailor 
Moon, believe in yourself and be strong," says Tuxedo Mask, "With faith 
and courage, you can defeat Titanius. I'll take Tuxedo Inferno."
	He grabs his cane and jumps off the balcony, landing right in front 
of Tuxedo Inferno. "How dare you deceive us, and how dare you use your 
powers of fire for evil purposes," Tuxedo Mask says as he and Tuxedo 
Inferno clash weapons.
	As they battle, Tuxedo Inferno lives out a dream he once had. He 
lives out the dream of he and a guy, much like Tuxedo Mask, in a sword-
fighting match. Every moment acted out in that hallucination is acted out
in reality. Tuxedo Inferno gives him a good kick in the ribs, sending 
him into a light post. Tuxedo Mask tosses out a dozen roses, a few 
piercing Tuxedo Inferno. As he removes the roses, Tuxedo Mask takes the 
opportunity and gives him a good whack to the face, sending him flying 
like a football through the uprights. Tuxedo Inferno lands on top of a 
sedan, denting the roof, shattering all the windows, and setting its 
multi-sound alarm off. Tuxedo Inferno recovers and throws his sword in 
the air, "Flame Sword, Dance!" He waves his arm, sending his sword flying 
at Tuxedo Mask. He dodges it the first pass, but then the sword makes a 
sharp break back towards him, slicing right through the shoulder of his 
tuxedo. It then begins dancing around him, wounding him and bringing him 
to his knees. Tuxedo Inferno retrieves his sword waves his sword around 
a bit, "Inferno Fire, Wave!" He waves his sword, sending a stronger wave 
of fire right at Tuxedo Mask, giving him his frequent flyer miles. 
Somehow, Tuxedo Mask struggles to get up from that attack.
	"No," says Tuxedo Inferno as Tuxedo Mask makes it to his feet and 
dashes towards him. Tuxedo Inferno spins and twirls his sword with great 
speed and skill, "Inferno Fire, BEAM!" He points his sword at Tuxedo Mask 
and blasts him with a powerful beam of fire, sending Tuxedo Mask flying 
into a building like he was shot out of a cannon. Tuxedo Mask falls 12 
floors down, hitting the sidewalk with great force. Yet, with great 
determination and endurance, he manages to struggle to his feet after 
such an unmerciful beating.
	"NO!" Tuxedo Inferno yells, "How many times must I thrash you 
around." Tuxedo Mask falls back to his knees, still struggling to stay in 
the fight. Tuxedo Inferno walks up to his stricken adversary with sword 
in hand. "Now, I summon the power of the fire spirits to send you to 
hell." He raises his sword as fire begins collecting, setting the blade 
afire, "Flame Sword..."
	Suddenly, water and bubbles strike his sword, dousing the fire and 
knocking his sword from his hand. "What the heck?!" he yells as he turns 
back to see Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars standing in the middle of the 
street.
	"I'll take Titanius," says Sailor Mars as she bolts away. 
Meanwhile, Sailor Mercury dons her visor and grabs her minicomputer to 
get a good look at her opponent.
	"There's a strong presence of evil dominating him. His energy is 
rather low after such brutal battles. My water attacks should work like 
a charm against him since he's a 'warrior of fire'." She suddenly jumps 
out of the way of one of Tuxedo Inferno's fire attacks. She puts her 
minicomputer away and uses her visor to get a precise lock on her 
opponent. "In the name of Mercury, I call upon the power of water to 
douse your wildfire of darkness. Mercury Bubbles, BLAST!"
	With her target locked on, she sends a volley of bubbles and water 
directly at the chest of Tuxedo Inferno, knocking the already weak Tuxedo
Inferno into a parked truck. He recovers from her attack, with little 
energy left to spare.
	"Persistent, aren't you?" says Sailor Mercury, "I'll make you pay 
for what you did to Sailors Jupiter and Venus." She scans the area with 
her visor, and notices a light post standing right near him. She takes 
into consideration the height of the post versus the angles. She figures 
the perfect angle of which to knock down the post. She pulls out a mini 
laser and cuts the light post, causing it to fall right on top of the 
unsuspecting Tuxedo Inferno. He falls unconscious after losing much of 
his energy.
	She then turns to the other scouts who are still engaged in battle 
with Titanius. "Titanius, only you could have rigged those machines in 
the arcade," Sailor Mercury accuses, "Remember that it was you who 
strategically rigged Crossroads Junior High."
	"Ah, now we have Sailor Mercury, entering the battlefield Stage 
Left, Mua ha hah haaah," Titanius says sarcastically, "With half the 
group down, you don't stand a chance."
	"Oh is that so," says Sailor Mercury as she scans Titanius with 
her visor, "Keep in mind that half your group is down as well. Plus 
you're outnumbered 3 to 1. I'm afraid it is you don't stand a chance." 
She pulls out her minicomputer to quickly study the data on him. She 
whispers to Sailor Mars' ear, then to Sailor Moon's.
	"On behalf of the Moon," says Sailor Moon.
	"...And Mars," Sailor Mars adds.
	"...And Mercury," Sailor Mercury adds.
	"...We will punish you." Sailor Moon finishes.
	They all charge up their attacks, aiming to a pre-selected spot 
suggested by Sailor Mercury and her visor readings.
	"Mercury Bubbles, Blast!"
	"Mars Fire, Ignite!"
	"Moon Tiara, Magic!"
	With the combined attack, they strike Titanius square in the face, 
sending him back into the arcade. A minute later, he emerges from the 
window. She scouts stand ready to attack as Titanius makes it out and 
walks over to the fallen Tuxedo Inferno, now regaining consciousness. 
"I'd love to stay here and finish our little battle, but my mission here 
is accomplished," says Titanius, "Now Tuxedo Inferno and Titanius exeunt 
Stage Left." They teleport away, leaving a couple light posts down and a 
few cars damaged in the aftermath of their battle.
	"Mina," says Sailor Moon, remembering her fallen friend at the 
hands of Tuxedo Inferno's sword, as she runs over to her. She turns 
Sailor Venus on her back and jumps back at the sight of her friend lying 
in a pool of blood, with the front of her sailor suit saturated in it. 
She puts her hands over her mouth, gasping "Mina." Sailor Mercury puts 
her hand on Sailor Venus' neck, checking for a pulse. "No pulse, looks 
like that blade went right through her.
	"No Mina, please don't die," says Sailor Moon, coming to tears.
	"I'll go check on Lita," says Sailor Mars as she runs over to the 
charred Sailor Jupiter. Meanwhile, Sailor Mercury administers CPR, trying 
desperately to revive her friend. "Come on Serena, use that healing power 
you have," says Sailor Mercury, still trying to revive Sailor Venus.
	"We could use Tuxedo Inferno's phoenix right about now," says 
Sailor Moon, with tears still streaming down her cheeks, "but he was the 
one who did this to her." She walks over to Sailor Venus places her hand 
on the open wound. Sailor Mercury places her hand on Sailor Moons, 
showing her great love and care for her best friends. "Moon Healing, 
Activation!"
	With the Silver Crystal in the other hand powering up, a great 
light surrounds Sailor Moon's and Sailor Mercury's hands placed over 
Sailor Venus' wound. The light heals her wound all the way through. 
Sailor Moon drops the crystal and breaks out in tears, burying her face 
in her arms and sobbing over Sailor Venus. Sailor Mercury checks for a 
pulse, "Serena, I got a pulse. You did it. But she's very weak." She then
turns to see her friend still crying over Sailor Venus' body. She wraps 
both arms around her as Sailor Moon returns her embrace, crying into her 
friend's shoulder.
	"I'll take her home and watch over her," says Sailor Mercury, 
almost coming to tears herself, "Her parents are gone for the week, so 
they'll never notice."
	"Thank you Amy," says Sailor Moon, still half-sobbing.
	Sailor Mars walks over to them, carrying Sailor Jupiter's charred 
body. "She's still alive, and she'll survive her burns," Sailor Mars says 
as she sets Sailor Jupiter down, "How's Sailor Venus?"
	"We almost lost her," Sailor Moon answers.
	"The wound to her was serious. Tuxedo Inferno skewered her with his 
sword," Sailor Mercury says, "She's out of commission and needs to rest 
for a while."
	"I can tell by how much blood she lost," Sailor Mars comments, then 
she drops to her knees, "If only we had come sooner."
	"Now, don't start blaming yourself," says Sailor Moon, "They did 
the best they could, whether you were here or not."
	"I'll take Mina home," says Sailor Mercury as she picks up Mina's 
bloodstained body and carries her away.
	Sailor Moon heals Sailor Jupiter's wounds as the battered Tuxedo 
Mask walks up to them. "I see how much you care for each other," he says,
"You put your hearts together and defeated Titanius. Sailor Moon, you 
indeed have a pure heart in the way that you loved and cared for your 
friend. The same was true with Sailor Mercury. I must leave now."
	"Wait, Tuxedo Mask," says Sailor Moon, urging him to stay, but it 
is too late. Tuxedo Mask jumps on top of a building and disappears into 
rooftops.
	Sailor Jupiter wakes up from her ordeal, "Did we get him?"
	"Sailor Venus got skewered after you fell," Sailor Moon responds, 
"but Tuxedo Mask fought well against him before Sailor Mercury finished 
him. He's still out there, but we shouldn't worry about him now."
	"Let's go home," Sailor Mars suggests, "I'll do a fire reading on 
Tuxedo Inferno, see if I can get anything on him now. I'll let you know 
as soon as tonight." With that, the Sailor Scouts head towards home, 
remembering to change back before walking in their front doors.

	Negaverse Headquarters...

	Titanius and Tuxedo Inferno stand in the throne room as Queen 
Beryl moves her hands about her crystal ball. "You did well out there, 
gentlemen," Beryl gladly praises, "You managed to collect some energy 
and at the same time gave those Sailor Brats a run for their money. Good 
job, dismissed."
	"Yes, Your Highness," says Titanius as he gives her a British 
salute. He and Tuxedo Inferno turn and walk towards Titanius' chamber. 
"You did well out there, Tuxedo Inferno," says Titanius as they walk 
about the halls.
	"Yeah, you didn't even carry out your plan very well," Tuxedo 
Inferno, "Where was the youma you planned on sending, or the soldiers?"
	"I wanted those scouts myself. I may not have done as planned, but 
it all worked out," Titanius rebuts.
	Tuxedo Inferno turns to face Titanius and raises his tone, "And 
that's your problem. You change your plans so much that you never get it 
all carried out the way it should."
	"At least you helped out a bit by keeping some of those Sailor 
Scouts and that Tuxedo Mask off my back," says Titanius, trying to reason 
with him.
	"Yeah, I may have defeated half of the legendary Sailor Scouts, but 
face it, I was just your pawn for this mission. Defeating those scouts in 
that mission served no purpose for me," says Tuxedo Inferno.
	"The mission was simply to rig the machines and collect energy," 
Titanius says, finally raising his voice.
	"I could've been thrown out of the arcade, or even arrested for 
tampering with those machines. I didn't pose as a worker like you did," 
Tuxedo Inferno argues, "And about the battle, I didn't see you do much 
except keep the scouts at bay, even when you had the opportunity to 
defeat Sailor Moon after I had taken out Sailor Venus."
	"You're starting to get on my nerves, Tuxedo Inferno," Titanius 
snarls.
	"Then maybe I should start doing things my own way," Tuxedo 
Inferno says, cocking an attitude, "I'll work with you when you learn to 
fully carry out your plans. I'm going home, don't disturb me unless Queen 
Beryl finds something."
	With the last word, Tuxedo Inferno walks towards the teleporter, 
not forgetting to transform back into civilian form after doing so.

	Temple...

	Raye leaves her bedroom, dressed in her usual red and white Shinto 
kimono, and walks toward the worship room. She enters the room with anti-
evil scrolls handy and prepares herself for a reading from the great 
fire. After plenty of preparation, she kneels down to her knees and prays
to the fire, "Oh Great Fire, much evil dwells among us. Show us what you
know of Tuxedo Inferno." She watches the fire to witness a replay of 
Tuxedo Inferno's last battle. She sees him burning Sailor Jupiter and 
skewering Sailor Venus in a brutal battle. She then witnesses his battle 
with Tuxedo Mask, a true battle of good versus evil. She concentrates 
harder on Tuxedo Inferno himself, probing into his very personality as 
she had previously done with Titanius. One particular sight catches her 
eye, and a familiar sight it is. Her eyes spark open at the utter 
shocking revelation, "The Negaverse dwells in him." She quickly hops up 
and runs over to her room to grab her communicator. She then runs back 
to the Great Fire and flips it open, "Lita, you were right. The 
Negaverse dwells in Tuxedo Inferno."
 	"I told you all this was a Nega-Ruse," Lita responds.
	Suddenly, a door slams shut in the distance. "There will be a scout 
meeting at your place later. Russell's home, I gotta check on him." She 
turns off her communicator and walks out of the worship room and toward 
Russell's room.

	Meanwhile, Russell belly flops onto his bed after slamming the 
door with his rather acute strength. Thoughts of the day's battle roam 
through his head. He thinks about how he fried Sailor Jupiter, a scout 
he actually liked before his meeting with Beryl, and how he impaled 
Sailor Venus, shedding her blood about the pavement. 'I admired these 
scouts, and Queen Beryl makes me turn against them, saying to me and 
showing me how they plot against me.' He then thinks of his favorite 
Sailor Scout, the brilliant Sailor Mercury, who had finally defeated 
him after he had dispatched half his opponents. Suddenly, there is a 
knock at the door. He raises his body slightly and turns his head toward
the door.
	"Who the hell is that?" he bluntly asks.
	"It's me Russell," Raye answers through the closed door.
	"What the hell do you want?" he rudely questions.
	"To talk to you, what else," Raye answers, challenging his attitude 
with her own.
	"I don't feel like talking right now," he frankly states, letting 
his face drop back into his pillow. Raye opens his door and walks in, 
sensing something troubling him.
	"I said I didn't feel like talking," Russell sharply repeats as 
Raye takes a seat at the foot of his bed. Raye drops her angry look and 
replaces it with a concerned look. "Russell, something's bothering you," 
she says, "I can tell."
	"Nothing's bothering me," Russell says in a futile attempt to hide 
his feelings from his sister.
	"Don't give me that Russell. I've never seen you act this way in 
the months that you've lived here," says Raye, trying to figure out 
what's with Russell.
	"Let's just say I saw the news on how an ally became an enemy," 
Russell roughly explains.
	"Come on Russell, that can't be what's bugging you," Raye says.
	"I don't feel like talking about it," Russell says.
	"But Russell...," Raye says, trying to get something out of 
Russell.
	Russell jumps up with near anger in his face and yells at her, "I 
said I don't feel like talking about it."
	Raye pulls back a little in response. She notices something 
different about his obsidian jewel ring. "What did you do to your ring?"
	Russell and Raye take a look at it. Raye notices a gold crescent 
moon with a skull on it. "I just painted it on there," Russell says, 
coming up with an excuse.
	"That's a family relic," Raye says, "And you deface it with a 
Gothic symbol."
	"It'll come off," Russell says, lying.
	"You treasure that ring more than your championship rings, more 
than even your trophies," Raye explains.
	"So," Russell responds.
	Raye grabs a hold of his hand with both of hers, "So, I know how 
much you like that ring, how much you cared for it since Father passed it
down to you."
	Russell jerks his hand back and turns away from his sister. Raye 
gets up and walks to his door, then stops and looks back at him, "Fine, I 
see why you have trouble finding a girlfriend." She leaves, nearly 
slamming the door behind her.
	'Good, she's gone,' Russell thinks to himself as he goes back to 
thinking of the battle. 'Sailor Mercury was my favorite scout. Yet I did 
battle with her, and she beat me. I know I could've taken her, but 
something about her kept me from clashing with her with all my might.'
He then concentrates further, back to the time after Beryl had 
"liberated" him, 'But why did the Negaverse go through such lengths to 
get me back. Am I really that important? And Titanius, his story doesn't 
concur with my past engagements with him. If he fought me with so much 
hatred, why did he say he liberated me?' Russell lies back down on his 
bed and turns on the television. He turns to a channel to see lifeguards 
dressed in red swimsuits diving into the ocean to save a drowning woman. 
"Ah, Baywatch. Maybe this'll clear my mind," Russell says to himself as 
he kicks back and enjoys the show.
	After the show, Russell decides to watch the news. 

	"The ambassador from China is holding a city-wide ball at the 
Chinese Embassy, where over 2000 guests are expected to attend to witness 
the unveiling of a fire crystal discovered in Tibet last year..."

	"I've gotta go to that ball," Russell says, "Queen Beryl may need 
that fire crystal. I must tell Queen Beryl." Russell grabs his car keys 
and opens his door.
	In the living room, Raye jumps up at the sound of Russell's door 
opening and closing. She turns to see Russell with his car keys walking 
towards the front door. "Where are you going?"
	Russell thinks of an excuse for a moment, lets not tell her about 
his job with this Queen Beryl, "To see Daniel."
	Raye looks at him, doubtful, "Alright, see you later." She thinks 
of his reaction to her when he came home, 'Something isn't right with 
him. I can tell.' She then walks over to her room to change and prepare 
for the scout meeting at Lita's.

	Negaverse Headquarters...

	Russell arrives at the Headquarters, as Tuxedo Inferno, in almost 
no time. He walks into the throne room, where Queen Beryl waves her hands 
around her crystal ball. "Please, come in Tuxedo Inferno," she says, 
waving him in. Tuxedo Inferno walks in, very confident about what he had 
heard on the news. "What news do you bring, my faithful warrior of fire?" 
she asks.
	"The ambassador from China is holding a city-wide ball at the 
Chinese Embassy, with over 2000 expected to attend," Tuxedo Inferno 
explains.
	"Over 2000 people attending, eh? That'll provide enough energy to 
not only replenish what we used to liberate you, but it might be enough 
to do more," she says, thinking about finally freeing the Negaverse.
	"That's not all, my liege. The ambassador is also unveiling the 
fire crystal that they had discovered last year," Tuxedo Inferno adds to 
his original speech, not even paying any attention to Beryl's babbling.
	"Excellent! That brings me one step closer to freeing the Negaverse 
from their prison," Beryl says with an evil grin on her face.
	"I request to attend this ball and retrieve the fire crystal, Your 
Highness," says Tuxedo Inferno, kneeling to Queen Beryl.
	"Your request is granted, Tuxedo Inferno," Beryl replies as she 
gives the orders, "Your mission is to attend the ambassador's ball. Use 
any disguise you deem necessary to attend. You will need some help."
	Tuxedo Inferno jumps in near fear, "Please, Your Highness, don't 
send Titanius to assist me."
	"Oh no," Beryl proudly responds, "I don't need Titanius for this 
mission. I need you for this one, Tuxedo Mask. You're better at 
infiltrating than he is, plus fire's your specialty. Isn't it? I have a 
fire youma prepared just for you. Use any plans you see fit, this is 
your mission, my warrior of fire."
	"I shall not fail you, my liege," Tuxedo Inferno says, bowing to 
Queen Beryl. He turns and heads out of the throne room and out of the 
headquarters.

	Lita's apartment...

	Amy sits at the kitchen table with her minicomputer, studying what 
she had gathered during the last battle. Soon, there is a knocking at 
the door. Lita opens the door to so see who it is. She sees Raye and 
gladly lets her in. "Waaaaaiiiiiit," Serena's voice yells as she runs 
toward the door as it begins to close. Lita opens the door to take a 
peek outside, only to see Serena dashing inside, causing a draft and 
dragging loose sheets of paper behind her. After panting, Serena throws 
her usual peace sign, "Yes, I made it."
	"How does she ever do it?" Amy asks.
	"Must be all that food she eats," Raye replies.
	"Oh lay off me Pyro, will 'ya," Serena snaps, anticipating another 
argument.
	"No time for that now, Meatball Head. Let's get down to business," 
Raye says as she sits down on the loveseat. She looks around to find 
something missing, "Where's Luna?"
	"Oh, I told her about you getting a fire reading on Tuxedo 
Inferno," Serena immediately replies, "She still knows very little if 
anything about Tuxedo Inferno, or even who he is." She turns to Amy, with
thoughts of Mina still roaming through her head, "Amy, how's Mina 
doing?"
	"She's doing better now, but she needs a lot of rest," Amy replies, 
"If the Negaverse were to attack now, we'd be at a disadvantage."
	"And how are you, Lita?" Serena asks.
	"I'm feeling a little better, I can't believe he beat me," Lita 
responds. She then turns to Raye, "You said the Negaverse dwells in him."
	"Yes I did. I don't know why I didn't get that in my past fire 
readings, but now it's crystal clear as day. He's definitely of the 
Negaverse. The Great Fire did say that 'the Negaverse dwells in him'," 
Raye explains.
	"What do you mean by 'the Negaverse dwells in him'?" Serena asks.
	"I really have no clue. Again, what really bothers me is how I got 
this just now, and not in my past fire readings," Raye says, completely 
perplexed.
	"I knew it all along," Lita states, "I knew he was no good when I 
first laid eyes on him. He's totally evil inside and out and he showed it 
in how he fought me and Mina."
	Amy rejoins the group after finishing her studies on the data she 
had gathered, "I don't fully agree with Lita."
	"What do you mean by that?" Lita challenges.
	"He's almost totally different now. A powerful force of negative 
energy dominates him. He may have turned against us, but I've studied 
the way he fought us. He doesn't seem to enjoy what he's doing. It's 
like he's fighting two different battles at the once: One with us, and 
one within himself," Amy explains.
	"And you detected all that with your computer?" Raye asks, "I 
wonder why my ESP didn't detect that."
	"He appeared to enjoy it to me," Lita contradicts.
	"Speaking of different, going off the subject, Russell's different 
at home," says Raye.
	"How is he different," Serena asks.
	"He seems to have this chip on his shoulder the size of China. He 
jumped at me when I asked what was wrong. Plus, he defaced his obsidian 
jewel ring. I know how much he cares for that ring, it's a family relic. 
I just hope he's alright," Raye explains.
	"Maybe he just had a bad week during his Physics field trip," Amy 
says, trying to cheer her friend up, "I'm sure he'll be fine."
	Suddenly, a news story pops up inside Lita's head, "I remember 
seeing on the news about the ball at the Chinese Embassy. They're 
unveiling the fire crystal that they discovered over a year ago."
	"A fire crystal, that must be another crystal sent here with the 
Silver Crystal," says Serena.
	"And you can count on the Negaverse showing up there," Lita adds, 
"If it's on the news, chances are the Negaverse will witness it."
	" My mom and I are going there," says Amy.
	"And I'm going there with her as her guest," Raye adds.
	"Then I'll use my disguise pen and attend since my parents aren't 
going. I'll just say I was here with Lita."
	"Then it's settled," says Lita, ending the conversation, "I'll stay 
at the café a block away. Give me a beep when you need me."
	"Meeting adjourned," says Raye. The girls all get up and walk 
towards the door. Lita opens the door to let them out, "Be careful, the 
Negaverse has grown ruthless." The 3 girls walk down the hall as Lita 
waves goodbye.

	The next day...

	Amy runs down stairs, being extra careful not to trip over her 
white satin dress, in response to the front door knocking. She opens the 
door to see Raye in a lavender sleeveless dress with a slit halfway up 
her left thigh. "That ice blue vest looks great with that dress," Raye 
says, admiring Amy's long-sleeved white dress, complemented by an ice 
blue satin vest.
	"You look great too, we're like royalty," Amy says as lets Raye in, 
"Mom, Raye's here."
	Raye walks in and take a seat on the couch in Amy's living room. 
"I'm ready, how about you?" Raye asks.
	"I'm ready too, Mom will be down in a moment," Amy replies.

	Chinese Embassy...

	Serena stands outside the gate, with Luna standing beside her. "Now 
remember Serena, this is Sailor Scout business," says Luna.
	"Oh Luna, you're always nagging. I'm allowed to have some fun," 
Serena responds.
	 "Oh Alright Serena, but do be watchful," Luna warns, "The Negaverse 
may have some interest in the fire crystal. Have some fun and keep your 
eyes peeled."
	"No problem Luna," Serena says as she pulls out her disguise pen, 
"Disguise Power, make me a wealthy guest worthy of the ambassador's 
company." With that, she disguises herself as a refined wealthy young 
lady, wearing a pink dress with satin tulips lining the v-collar and 
waist. "Do be careful, Sailor Moon," Luna says as Serena disappears into 
the crowd of guests.

	Moments later, Raye, Amy, and her mother arrive at the embassy. 
They walk through the gate with a handful of other guests. "I hope 
Serena makes it here," says Raye with a hint of concern.
	"Relax, Raye. She'll make it," Amy reassures, "Just remember, we 
might not recognize her at first sight."
	They enter the embassy and make their way towards the cavernous 
ballroom. Much of the ballroom is decorated with red drapes, red 
carpets, red and gold decorated banners, a Chinese dragon hanging from 
the ceiling, and much fine china. Chinese cultural music plays in the 
background, giving the guests the mood. Hundreds of guests socialize 
amongst each other while the ambassador and his company socialize with 
a few wealthy guests.
	"Let's look around, find Serena," says Raye.
	"Alright," Amy responds, then turns to her mother, "Mother, we're 
going to look around for a while before the dancing begins."
	"Alright, sweetie, you girls have a good time," her mother responds 
as her daughter and her friend join the rather large crowd of people.
	Amy and Raye split up and begin walking around, hoping Serena will 
recognize them. Raye walks around, accidentally bumping into a well-
dressed young man. "Oh, excuse me, ma'am," he says, giving her a slight 
bow.
	"It's alright," Raye replies as she continues walking about. "Hiya 
Pyro," a voice calls to her. Raye looks around and sees a well-dressed 
woman with the obvious meatballs waving at her. "Some disguise, Meatball 
Head," Raye sarcastically responds, "You could've at least disguised 
those meatballs." She gets a better look at Serena, "Yet, you look like 
a duchess."
	"Thanks, any signs of the Negaverse yet?" Serena asks.
	"Not so much as a peep," Raye replies, "Plus, we just got here."
	"You and Amy keep your eyes peeled," Serena says as a familiar 
figure in the distance disappears into the crowd. "Follow me, I think I 
just saw something," she says as she and Raye walk in the direction of 
that familiar figure.
	"What did he look like?" Raye asks as they still continue to scan 
the embassy.
	"I don't know. He looked like he was in a tuxedo," Serena replies.
	"You Meatball Head, every man here is wearing a tuxedo," Raye says 
with authority.
	"Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe I'm to paranoid or something," 
Serena replies.
	"The music and dancing will start any minute now. Let's go find 
Amy," Raye says as they walk out of the crowd, hoping Amy will find them.

	Soon, the music and dancing begin. Raye and Serena wait for Amy, 
hoping she's not stealing all the fun. They watch as most of the crowd 
dances their hearts away on the dance floor. "Excuse, miss." They look 
over near the crowd to see a brown-haired man dressed in black tuxedo.
	"Yes," the girls say in unison. The man walks over to Serena, "May 
I have this dance."
	"Yes," Serena answers modestly. The young gentleman takes Serena 
by the hand out to the dance floor. Disappointed, Raye lowers her 
eyebrows and throws her hands on her hips, "Humph, I see how you are, 
Meatball Head, always getting the guys."
	"May I have zis dance, mademoiselle.," a man with a heavy French 
accent says to Raye, offering her to dance.
	'And then again, maybe not,' Raye thinks to herself as she turns 
to a man about her height, "Of course." Raye walks out to the dance 
floor with the gentleman and begins dancing to the waltz.
	Meanwhile, Serena looks around as she dances with her dance 
partner. She spots Amy in the distance, dancing with a gentleman of her 
own. 'Well, at least Amy know knows how to have a good time,' Serena 
thinks to herself. After the dance she notices the same familiar figure 
again. Getting a better look at him, he's hearing a black tuxedo with a 
red lined cape, black top hat, and white mask. "At least Tuxedo Mask is 
here. I hope he recovered from his battle with Tuxedo Inferno," she says 
to herself. She looks to the other side of the ballroom to see a 
exceptionally familiar face. She jumps back and is half tempted to pull 
out her communicator at the sight of a maroon tuxedo, a purple-lined 
cape, and white mask. No top hat, but his hair is pulled slick-back. 
"Tuxedo Inferno's here," she says as she runs off to look for Raye.

	Tuxedo Inferno searches around for another dance partner, waiting 
for the right time to carry out his mission. He heads towards the snack 
table and notices a rather familiar person, with short blue hair. 'Oh 
no, Amy's here. I didn't know she was coming. I don't want her to have 
to suffer when I carry out my mission," he thinks to himself, 'I gotta 
get her out of here.'
	He walks over next to her, "Excuse miss."
	She turns and almost jumps at the ceiling, screaming, at the sight 
of the of enemy, 3 feet in front of her. 'Oh, I forgot. He doesn't know 
I'm Sailor Mercury,' she thinks to herself, breathing heavily and 
relieving herself.
	"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Tuxedo Inferno says, 
"May I have this dance."
	Amy thinks for a moment, should she dance with him, her enemy, and 
a member of the Negaverse. The fact that he doesn't know who she is 
outweighs the other possibilities, "Yes. I would be honored to dance with 
you."
	He takes her by the hand and walks her out to the dance floor like 
a true gentleman. They dance to a beautiful classical piece, as Tuxedo 
Inferno does his best to move Amy towards the edge of the dance floor.
	'He must be waiting to make his move,' Amy says, not even noticing 
that throughout the dance, she's moving closer and closer to the edge of 
the dance floor. Her communicator beeps, but she ignores it, thinking if 
she pulled it out, Tuxedo Inferno might figure out who she is and exploit 
on it while she's in her civilian form.
	"Your pager's going off, miss," says Tuxedo Inferno, knowing she 
won't look at it in the middle of their dance. After their dance, Tuxedo 
Inferno places his fingers over his ear, pretending to have a hidden 
earpiece. He then turns to Amy, "You dance well, miss. I am Mang Zhou, an 
attaché at this embassy. I've just been informed of a spy lurking about 
here, checking all the guests. I suggest you find a safe place," Tuxedo 
Inferno says, trying to convince Amy to leave.
	"Thank you sir," Amy says as Tuxedo Inferno walks away. She pulls 
her communicator out, "Yes."
	"Amy, Tuxedo Inferno's here," Serena says over the communicator.
	"I know, I just danced with him. He said he was the attaché. I knew 
he was lying because the attaché's over there with the ambassador," Amy 
explains.
	"They're about to unveil the crystal any moment now," Raye says, 
jumping into the conversation.
	"He asked me to find a safe place, saying a spy was up to something. 
He's about ready to make his move. Stay alert," Amy says, replacing her 
communicator. She walks outside the main crowd and waits for Serena and 
Raye.

	Minutes later, the gong sounds, calling the entire ballroom to 
attention. A woman walks down the red carpeted stairs with a covered box 
in hand, with 8 armed guards escorting her. They make it to the podium, 
where the ambassador awaits to unveil the contents of that box. Tuxedo 
Inferno watches on from a distance, awaiting the revealing of the fire 
crystal. He pulls out a small, lantern-like container as the ambassador 
grabs a hold of the red cloth concealing the fire crystal. The ambassador 
yanks the cloth away, showing off the fire crystal the Chinese had 
discovered a year ago. The entire crowd, including Serena, Raye, and Amy 
glance at it in pure awe. "Do you see Tuxedo Inferno anywhere," Amy asks, 
remembering that he lurks about. 
	"I don't see him anywhere," Raye replies.
	Tuxedo Inferno pulls out his maroon top hat and dons it. He then 
winds up for the release of his fire youma. "It's time to turn up the 
heat," Tuxedo Inferno says as he throws the lantern in a nearby room. The 
lantern shatters, releasing the youma in the adjacent room. It runs amuck, 
setting the room ablaze and filling it with smoke. "FIRE," a man shouts, 
causing all the guests to panic.
	"Let's smoke this place up, shall we?" Tuxedo Inferno says to 
himself as he commands his youma to create a smokescreen. In seconds, 
much of the ballroom fills with smoke. Serena, Raye, and Amy cough and 
gag. "Raye, go *cough* check on the crystal," Serena says, continuing to 
cough in the smoke. Raye covers her face and runs deeper into the 
smokescreen. After navigating through the dense smoke, not being able to 
see 2 feet in front of her, and running into hordes of people, Raye makes 
it to the podium where the fire crystal was displayed. She takes a close 
look to see that it is missing. She drops to the ground under the smoke 
and pulls out her communicator, "Serena, Amy, the fire crystal's gone. 
Let's transform and find Tuxedo Inferno."
	"Right," Serena replies. She and Amy hide in a nearby room, not 
filled with smoke or in flames, and pull out their pins.
	"Mercury, Power!"
	"Moon Prism Power!"
	They transform into Sailors Moon and Mercury and run back inside 
the smoke-filled ballroom. "I'll take care of this smoke," Sailor 
Mercury says, "Mercury Bubbles, Blast!" She fills the room with a fine 
mist, dispersing the smoke and clearing the room. Sailor Mars emerges 
from the mist.
	"Good work, Sailor Mercury, but Tuxedo Inferno has the fire 
crystal," she says.
	"I'll go and find him," Sailor Moon says as she dashes off in 
search for the pyromaniacal thief. Sailors Mars and Mercury notice that 
smoke still fills the room. They look around to see smoke billowing from 
an adjacent room. "That's right, the fire," Sailor Mars comments.
	"I'll douse the fire," Sailor Mercury says as she runs towards the 
adjacent room, "Call Lita."

	Meanwhile, Tuxedo Inferno runs down an empty hallway. He pulls the 
fire crystal from his pocket and admires its beauty. He nears a corner, 
where he believes he can make a quick escape to get this crystal to Queen 
Beryl. "Hold it right there you pyro-thief." He stops and looks back to 
see Sailor Moon with an angry expression on her face, "Sailor Moon, 
again?" 
	"That's right, Nega-Punk. I stand for love and justice. I will 
right wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means you," says Sailor 
Moon, pointing at the crystal, "That crystal belongs to the People's 
Republic of China. Hand it over, fire boy."
	"I'm sorry, Sailor Moon. I'm afraid I can't do that," Tuxedo 
Inferno says as he pulls out another lantern and shatters it right in 
front of him, releasing the same fire youma, again. He waves his arm at 
Sailor Moon, "Attack her, my fiery companion."
	"Man, that's hot," Sailor Moon says as the youma inches near her.
	"Don't bully my friend around like that," a voice yells over. 
Tuxedo Inferno turns around to see Sailor Jupiter blocking his escape 
route. "So you've come back, huh?" Tuxedo Inferno says with delight, 
"I'll just burn you again like I did yesterday."
	"Don't count on it," Sailor Jupiter responds, "Jupiter Thunder, 
Crash!" She sends bolts of lightning at him, sending Tuxedo Inferno 
flying across the hall and into the next room, right by Sailors Mars and 
Mercury.
	"You're here," says Sailor Moon as she tangles with the youma, 
"Help me extinguish this fire youma."
	Sailor Mercury dons her visor and pulls out her minicomputer to 
study the youma. "Its temperature is over 5000 degrees. Physical attacks 
are useless against it unless you want to burn yourself. Lightning won't 
even harm it much since it disperses it. Water attacks are will weaken 
it," Sailor Mercury explains, repeating what her visor and computer are 
giving her. She replaces her computer and charges up for an attack, using 
her visor to target a weak point. 	"Mercury Bubbles, Blast!" 
	She sends a volley of bubbles at the flaming youma, striking it 
dead in the face. The youma winces as its flaming body cools down, 
allowing the other scouts to strike. Sailor Jupiter immediately jumps in, 
ready to strike down this youma, "With its temperature down, lightning 
may have a better effect. Jupiter Thunder, Crash!" She sends devastating 
bolts of lightning surging through the youma, further weakening it. 
Sailor Moon grabs her wand and aims it right at the youma's face, "On 
behalf of the Moon, I will extinguish your fiery terror." She fires a 
beam of light at the youma. The light pierces straight through the face 
of the youma, disintegrating it into a pile of ashes.
	"That's one fire beast down," Sailor Moon says, with her usual 
pose.
	"Where's Tuxedo Inferno," Sailor Mars asks.
	"Sailor Scouts, in here," a man's voice calls out. The scouts 
group together and run in the direction of the ballroom, where the man's 
voice originated. They enter the ballroom to see Tuxedo Mask and Tuxedo 
Inferno clashing swords. Neither swordsman seems to be overtaking the 
other.
	"Let's help him," says Sailor Mercury. The scouts spread out and 
surround the battling tuxedoed men. Tuxedo Inferno knocks Tuxedo Mask 
back with authority, sending him crashing into the piano. It is then that 
the scouts make their move against him.
	"That's it, Inferno Aura!" Tuxedo Inferno says, surrounding his 
body in an aura of fire. The scouts stop short of him, feeling the 
intense heat of the aura. "Face it, Tuxedo Inferno. You're beat," says 
Sailor Mars, "There's five of us, and only one of you."
	"Ah," Tuxedo replies as he whips out the fire crystal, "But I have 
this and you don't. You won't get your hands on this." Suddenly, the room 
engulfs in flames, as a dark laugh echoes throughout the ballroom. The 
flames collect to form a ghost-like monster.
	"What is that?" Sailor Moon nearly shrieks.
	Amy whips out her minicomputer and studies the monster, "It's like 
nothing I've ever seen. That's no monster, it's a phantom."
	"A fire spirit," Sailor Mars repeats, "I know of these. Some are 
good, yet some are utterly evil."
	"I've used the crystal to summon the powers of the fire spirits," 
Tuxedo Inferno says, "Welcome to the burning zone, Mua ha ha hah haaaah!"
	"Oh, yeah. Your fire spirit is no match for us," Sailor Jupiter 
yells.
	"Don't take me lightly," the fire spirit says in a deep, demon-like 
voice. It then sends a blast of fire rushing at Sailor Jupiter, striking 
her in the chest and sending her out the glass door.
	"Be careful scouts, the energy this spirit possesses is off the 
charts," Sailor Mercury warns, "And its sense of evil is greater than 
that of Tuxedo Inferno himself, even that of Titanius."
	The spirit sends another blast of fire, this time hitting Sailor 
Mercury and smashing her into the wall.
	"There's no way to beat this thing," Sailor Moon says.
	"Not exactly," Sailor Mars contradicts, "Tuxedo Inferno used the 
crystal to summon the spirit. All we need to do is take the crystal from 
him and send this spirit back."
	"I'll take Tuxedo Inferno," says Tuxedo Mask after recovering. He 
runs over strike Tuxedo Inferno.
	"From Hell's heart, I stab at thee," Tuxedo Inferno and the fire 
spirit say in unison. The spirit sends a powerful blast of fire at Tuxedo 
Mask, singeing his tuxedo and upping his tab on his frequent flyer miles.
	"That's it," Sailor Moon says, fed up with Tuxedo Inferno's evil 
doings, "Your evil is no match for the powers of love and justice." She 
removes her tiara and winds up for the throw, "Moon Tiara, Magic!" She 
throws her tiara at Tuxedo Inferno, knocking the fire crystal from his 
hand. It flies through the air after such a dead on hit.
	"I've got it," Sailor Mars says as she dashes for the flying 
crystal. Realizing she might not make it, she dives for the falling 
crystal in a desperate to catch it. She lands on the floor with great 
force, knocking the wind from her lungs. The crystal lands in her 
outreached hands. She recovers moments later and faces the fire spirit.
	"What!" the fire spirit yells as it sees Sailor Mars brandishing 
the fire crystal and a handful of anti-evil scrolls. "Time to send you 
back to where you belong. Evil, be gone," she yells as she throws her 
scrolls at the spirit, immobilizing it. She then summons the power of 
the fire crystal, as any Shinto who talks to a Great Fire would do. With 
that power, she fires a beam at the spirit, causing it to yell in pain 
as it disappears without even a puff of smoke.
	She and Sailor Moon turn back to Tuxedo Inferno, who looks at them 
in awe, realizing he's finished. 'Queen Beryl's not gonna like this,' 
Tuxedo Inferno thinks to himself. "You win this one, but next time it 
won't be the crystal I'll be after," Tuxedo Inferno says as he engulfs 
a wall in flames. He backs up into the wall of fire and disappears into 
it. The flames then disappear, along with Tuxedo Inferno.
	Sailor Mercury emerges from the hole in the wall as Sailor Jupiter 
crawls through the glass door. Sailor Moon immediately runs to them, 
"You girls all right?"
	"I'll live," Sailor Jupiter replies, placing her hand on her 
injured hip.
	"I've felt better," Sailor Mercury answers, dusting off her Sailor 
suit. Tuxedo Mask approaches the group, "My work here is done, the fire 
department will be here any moment." Tuxedo Mask walks to the broken 
glass door and turns back to the 4 scouts, "Be ever watchful, Sailor 
Scouts. Tuxedo Inferno is a tough one, especially when he's working with 
Titanius." He disappears into the night as fire fighters, the ambassador, 
and his company walk into the slightly damaged ballroom.
	"What happened here, Sailor Moon," the ambassador asks Sailor Moon.
	She about tells the ambassador's company the truth, but then she 
thinks of the panic that would be stirred up if she told them of the 
battle. Sailor Mars hands her the fire crystal. "Someone tried to steal 
this so they could use it for their own purposes, it's safe now," she 
says as she hands it to the emperor. The 4 scouts turn around and walk 
own the broken glass door and disappear into the night. "The legendary 
Sailor Scouts in person," the ambassador says in amazement, "I am honored 
to have been in their presence. May their fight for love and justice make 
this world a better place."

	Lita's apartment...

	The scouts, in their civilian form, arrive back at Lita's apartment 
immediately after their battle with Tuxedo Inferno. Luna awaits them on 
the coffee table. "Alright, Sailor Scouts. This will be a short meeting 
to summarize this battle," Luna says as the they take their seats on the 
couches.
	"Tuxedo Inferno was more ruthless in this battle than he was during 
the last one," says Serena.
	"He not only used a fire youma to scare the guests away and fight 
us, he summoned a fire spirit to try and finish us off," Raye adds.
	"Did you see the look on his face when the fire spirit emerged?" 
Amy asks, "He was just as shocked at the sight of it as we were. I don't 
think he intended to summon it. I think he intended to enhance his own 
powers with the fire crystal."
	"Either way, he's still a dangerous foe," says Lita.
	"What's even odder is that when after he danced with me, he asked 
me to find someplace safe, right before he struck," Amy states.
	"You danced with him?!" Lita says in shock.
	"He didn't know I was Sailor Mercury, and he still doesn't know. I 
did study him a little as we danced. He seemed to enjoy dancing and just 
having a good time more than he enjoyed fighting us," Amy explains.
	"Where are you getting at?" Lita asks.
	"I mean that he seems to be somebody's pawn, doing their evil work," 
Amy interprets.
	"Of course he's somebody's pawn," says Raye, "He's Queen Beryl's 
pawn, along with everyone else from the Negaverse, including Titanius."
	"I don't think he expected us to be there so quick," says Serena.
	"I agree," says Raye, "I'm sure he would've expected us outside the 
embassy rather than inside."
	"Speaking of the embassy, we have to back to my house to let Mom 
know we're okay," Amy says.
	"Well, you girls seem to have figured everything out on your own," 
says Luna, "Be ever watchful, Scouts. Tuxedo Inferno looks to be a 
dangerous one, and so is Titanius."
	Raye and Amy walk over to the door, only to be stopped by Serena. 
"You are going to Dreamland tomorrow, are you?" she asks.
	"Of course, Meatball Head," Raye sarcastically responds, "Unlike 
you, I never forget a date."
	"Oh, get over yourself, Pyro," Serena argues back, sticking her 
tongue at Raye as she and Amy leave.

	Temple...

	Russell arrives home an hour later after changing back to his 
civilian form, not even bothering to confront Queen Beryl with his 
failure. He thinks back to the embassy ball. 'I hope Amy made it out all 
right,' he thinks to himself, 'I enjoy dancing, socializing, and having a 
good time, yet Queen Beryl makes me steal people's energy and crystals. 
This can't be who I am.'
	He then thinks about Amy, 'I might be here love and care for others 
and not harm them.'
	Then he thinks of the battle, "But, how did I summon that fire 
spirit? I never knew I had this kind of power. It wasn't 'til Queen Beryl 
'liberated' me that I discovered I had this kind of power. I have to get 
that crystal, and those Sailor Scouts for keeping me from getting that 
crystal.'
	With those thoughts in mind, Russell falls asleep on his bed. The 
day and this confusion going on in his head have sucked away most of his 
energy.
	
------------------------------end of chapter 2------------------------- 

Well, not bad, huh? Now y'all really get to see Russell / Tuxedo Inferno 
as a villain, but he doesn't seem to enjoy it as much as he enjoyed 
helping the Sailor Scouts. Y'all just have to wait and see where all this 
confusion takes Tuxedo Inferno. With finals out of the way, I can get 
started on both Chapter 3 of "Wildfire" and Part 2 of "The Past and 
Present As One" with Jupiter Star Warrior. Well, I'ma get started on 
Chapter 3 so y'all can see what other plot twists come into play. Y'all 
e-mail me with comments, a'ight.

Have fun Sailor Moon fans,
Viper Inferno