Quests for Truth, Chapter Six, by Sailor GlitterGirl, Rose Aquarius & (help) RavenEye, August, 2001 Rose-chan: Told ya we'd talk more in this one! *pulls black eyepatch over eye* Arrr! This part be good, m'maties! Glitter-chan: *Bonks Rose-chan on head* Sorry about her, we can't help that she's goofy. Rose-chan: So what?! It's part of my charm! Raven: Charm?! Ha! *You* with charm?! Rose-chan: *glares* ANyway, here's Chapter 6 of QFT, as promised. Glitter-chan: We worked *VERY* hard on this! So tell us what you think. Raven: *E-MAIL*! Or we might give you more cliffhangers, or we'll let Glitter-chan do the 'eyes'. You don't want that! Rose-chan: Trust him. It's the reason he's whipped and why I never kill him. Raven: I AM NOT WHIPPED! Rose-chan: *Makes whip cracking noise* Glitter-chan: *shakes head and chuckles* Rose-chan: On with the story! *****@ THE UNIVERSAL GALAXY SAGA @***** ~The Quests For Truth~ Chapter Six Rating: PG E-MAIL: Versia Aurora@aol.com (Goofy Rose-chan) ; SailorGalaxcia@aol.com (Quirky Glitter-chan) ; jcsteward@pc-intouch.com (all knowing Raven-kun) (AN: Rose-chan: if you e-mail me I'll tell you a funny story about why we don't call Raven 'Raven-chan' anymore! ^_^) "My god..." Sailor Moon's eyes widened as the room -now larger than it had appeared before, now that it had more occupants- began filling with hoards of stinking, reeking, evilily putrid Shadow Warriors. Using mental sensors, they could tell that more waited outside the door to replace anyone they defeated in here. Sailor Galaxy realized stonily. She suddenly screamed at herself. They would survive! "Let's go," Laxa snarled, leaping to her feet, silver sword clutching before her, her eyes flashing furiously; she meant business, and the warriors before her knew it. "Guard her!" Eclipse growled to Orion, and, nodding, Orion gathered up his sister in his arms -whom was barely breathing- and retreated to a spot in the room far from the entering army. "Be careful; don't let your rage get the best of you," Raven murmured to his girlfriend, looking down at her pleadingly, love filling his eyes. Laxa looked up at him and smiled, placing her hand over his, which had placed itself almost possesivly on her shoulder. "Don't worry," She said. "I'll be fine; we'll get out of this." "You know I'll worry, anyways, so just be careful." He reinforced his words by leaning down and brushing her lips with hers, gently, pleadingly, before leaping into the battle with a war cry that split the air. *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* Tryran Mars gasped, her head whipped up. Her True Senshi fuku blew in the wind as sweat poured down her face. She glanced sharply towards the still swirling portal. "Jupiter..." She whispered. "What is it, Mars?" Rose asked in concern, elbow length black, red highlighted hair falling over her shoulders. "You okay?" Jupiter stopped her worrisome pacing to look at her friend in mild alarm. "Quick, Jupiter...get in there and find them!" She cried. "They'll need your help!" Mercury glanced up from monitoring her readings of the portal and the city to blink in surprise at the urgency in Mars' face and voice. "I think you'd better do it, Jupiter..." Mercury said slowly. "I'll guide you via our communicators." Jupiter nodded, took one look at a near commatomic Raye, and did a running leap into the portal. *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* "Sun Sphere Flare!" Raven screamed, pulling away from Sailor Galaxy and leaping out before her and a snarling Eclipse, throwing his arms out to the side, then thrusting his arms out front, palms pressed together, fingers spread out. Acting almost like channelers, his fingertips began drawing on a faint golden power. His face scowled as he realized he would only be able to use his weakest attacks; the sun was too far away. Nevertheless, the yellow power sparkled as it ran down his fingers, collecting in the center of his palms. The sphere reaching the appropriate size, Raven curled his fingers around the ball of sun energy, and, with his final cry, threw it with all his might at the Shadow Warriors engaged in battling his best friend and his beloved. The sphere flew from his fingertips, sweeping up first Laxa's opponent in its wake, then Eclipse's enemy as well. It sweeped around the room, tagging any evil bearer it touched. The sphere then settled in the center of the fray, and, with a terrible, raging explosion, the room was filled with light as the Sun Sphere blasted all that it had touched. When the light cleared, the remaining Shadow Warriors stood stunned. Sailor Moon took advantage of their shock to reach into her subspace portal pocket and retrieve her Rainbow Moon Scepter. "Mooooon....Gorgeous.....Meeediiiiitaaaaaaaaaation!" She screamed, spinning among the fluttering butterfly wings that surrounded her, her golden hair swirling in lovely spiral patterns around her as she called upon the most powerful attack of her current scepter. Hoards and entire clouds of sparkling rainbow power that -upon closer inspection- proved to be millions of magical butterflies flew towards the still stunned dark soldiers. With cries of agony, nearly half of the remaining evil force was desimated by the good, pure energy that flooded their veins. Her job done, Sailor Moon wiped her brow, taking a deep breath to try and fill her panting lungs. "We're not done yet, Princess!" Sailor Galaxy, Laxa, cried, her silver-white aura flaring around her as her sword returned to its staff form once more. "Galaxy..." Her face eerily calm, Laxa knelt, both hands wrapped around her staff, the bottom of it just above the ground. "Whirlwind..." The evil soldiers finally regained their senses as a white whirlstorm began to spin around her, picking up dust as it formed a transparent tornado of power. Laxa's eyes -which had closed- snapped open, silver lightning flashing in their depths. Her lips curled into a snarl at the rage at her sister being hurt welled up within her. "BLIND!!!!!!!!!!!" Sailor Galaxy screamed out her final command with all the power she had. Power flared up around her, the silver and white, dust infected light burst upwards, shooting clean as a whistle through the ceiling. The Shadow Warriors cried out, blinded visually by the intense light, the power in the wind dulling their magical senses, the harsh wind making it impossible to move or feel, the dust flying so quickly that it tore at the evil soldier's tough skins. Sailor Moon, Eclipse, and Raven, untouched by Sailor Galaxy's silver tornado's powers, took their opportunity and together attacked, completely wiping out the rest of the enemies that up till then had continued to flood the room. "Rainbow Moon Heart...ACHE!!!!!!!!" Screamed the Moon Princess. "Golden Eclipse Darkness!" Eclipse threw yet two more golden eclipse spheres into the remainging fray. "Sun Sphere Flare!" Raven released yet another Sun Sphere to release its fury among the enemies. Then... The battle was over. "We...did it?" Sailor Moon blinked, surveying the few charred bodies that remained, the rest having been vaporized or blasted to microscopic dust by the other attacks. Suddenly all thoughts of the battle evaporated, and they dashed to where Orion was craddling a moaning Versia. "My Lord... It's a miracle she survived as long as she did!" Raven breathed as he and Eclipse knelt beside her, in her brother's arms. Eclipse didn't respond, and only called upon his power to begin to heal her wounds. He made sure she would not wake for a few hours; her advanced immunity would heal all other injuries he couldn't find. Winded and very weak, he smiled down on the breathing girl. *A true blessing she survived.* The Count thought. Suddenly an earsplitting war cry was heard just behind them, and the room flooded with electric green light. An agonized scream tore the air, and Laxa, Raven, Orion, and Eclipse -Versia in his arms- whirled to see the outline of a final, remaining shadow warrior being blasted from behind. When the light cleared and the warriors were able to look, there, in all her glory, Sailor Jupiter stood before a fried shadow demon that had somehow snuck up behind them. She beamed at them and smiled. "Jupiter!" Sailor Galaxy cried, surprise clearly on her face. "How did you get here?" "You guys can't have ALL the fun, now can you?" Sailor Jupiter laughed. "The portal stayed open after you went in, and a little while ago Mars got a bad feeling, and sent me in." Sailor Moon suddenly shrieked in delight, ran and hugged her friend. "Perfect timing!" The blonde cried. ".....air...." Jupiter gasped. Sailor Moon released her with a nervous, blonde giggle and scratched her head. Everyone laughed, the happy sound being absorbed into the black walls. Suddenly Sailor Moon's face turned serious. "Is the coast clear?" The Moon Princess asked the Lightning Warrior. Jupiter grinned. "Yep, those shadow jerks didn't see what was coming." She cracked her knuckles for effect. "Then let's jet." Sailor Galaxy said and led the group out the door, a still unconscious Versia in Eclipse's arms, wariness on everyone's minds. *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* Setsuna fell from the portal, gasping, and sobbing openly. How could she have been so wrong? What had she done to those people? "You were fullfilling your destiny as guardian of Time." The Guardian of the Book consoled her. "You did what you had to in order to ensure that time and fate and destiny went together in an unseperable weave." "But I forced so many into roles that they never should have been forced to take." "It was for the greater good." "Greater Good my butt!" Setsuna screamed rather un-Setsuna-like. "I KILLED those people! I murdurered their dreams by forcing them to follow MY precious timeline!" She curled up on herself, tears running down her face. "I was heartless..." She whispered. "Then why are you crying now?" The voice was demanding now. "If you truely do have no caring heart, why did you protect and befriend Small Lady? Why did you try to save Hotaru, even when she held the seed of the Mistress of Silence?" Setsuna looked up. "But I was emotionless to so many-" "To save yourself! You had no choice in doing what you did." Setsuna was silent. Then... "In doing my duty, I became a controller. I had to know what was going on, all the time, any time. I had to be able to tell a person what to do, to the point that I forced them into the roles of people that they were not meant to be, to keep my time line, the Time line that I was the guardian of straight and sure." She closed her eyes in emotional agony. "But at the same time I closed off my heart, knowing what I was doing was wrong. Even if I had to do it, I still could have done it with more compassion. But no, compassion was a weakness. It showed that you were not in control." She bowed her head further. "I was a fool." "Do you wish forgiveness?" "...yes..." "Then I know for a fact you have it." The voice was kind, yet truimphant. "Rise, and accept YOUR destiny, Princess of Pluto." Setsuna looked up, and gasped. Before her face, a tiny portal had opened, swirling maroon and hunter green tendrils of magic. Slowly, she reached out, and slipped her hand into the portal, and... Flashes! Memories! Visions! Sights! Sounds! Faces! People! Places! Smells! Powers! Lessons! Friends! Love... Everything from her life as the Princess of the plant of Time, Pluto, flooded her mind, slamming into her brain and wracking her body and conscious mind with pain, yet escasty at the same time. Winds and streams and songs of time surrounded her, blowing her deep green hair around her in swirling spirals as she was lifted into the air, the portal's light seeping into her skin, surrounding her, wrapping tendrils of power around her as he clothes vanished, only her skin containing the massive power of Kitime Pluto... Knowing what to do, Setsuna folded her hands just above her heart, and shoved her fingers deep inside her chest, hissing in pain as still more memories and visions flooded her mind. Her fingers, inside her body, curled around something hard, something just above her heart organ. Gasping in mental and physical agony, she tore her hands back out, gripping the stone tightly. There was a flash of the most intense light, and, her body void of injury or blood, Setsuna raised her Pluto Light Crystal above her head, and called out the sacred words of her anscestors. Ribbons of dark maroon power spiraled down from the crystal and enveloped her, hugging her, welcoming her into her true heritage and power. Setsuna was home. There was a final flash of light, and the newly formed Kitime Pluto stood in the solitary blackness, before leaping into the portal that opened before her. *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* Mars breathed a sigh of relief. She felt destiny slip back into it's proper flow. Weariness overcame her, and she suddenly and abruptly collapsed to the ground, never hearing Rose's shout of alarm as she rushed to catch the warrior of fire. Craddling Raye in her arms, Rose looked worridly at the portal. It had been a long, long time since she had cried when her foster mother went away, but, knowing Versia's weakness to evil, and knowing the danger she would face, knowing that now she was in the hands of the enemy, she was distraught with worry, her teen brow crinkled with concern. *I wonder how we'll get out of all this.* She thought. *We all know that Eclipse isn't this missing Senshi. We are missing a Light Crystal bearer.* Rose sighed in frustration. She hated that she was completely helpless. Even Mini-Moon could do something! And she was ten! And she, Rose, fifteen, raised by one of the most powerful warriors in existence, could do nothing! She glared up at the moon, her anger evident on her delicate face. Why was she so helpless? She, nor anyone else saw the six point star in the center of a spiral flash peach rose pink on her forehead. *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* They seemed to have wandered around for hours when Sailor Galaxy spoke up, asking her half brother, The last comment sounded angry and devestated; he never thought he'd have to go to one of the torcher chambers to find his sister. "Here's a room. It might have an exit." Sailor Jupiter whispered. The others agreed; they had no other way of finding an exit. Sailor Jupiter had long ago lost contact with Mercury. Bracing themselves and forming their tired bodies into fighting stances, Jupiter bashed open the door. Just like all the other rooms, it had black marble walls and floor and contained the putrid smell of death and old blood. Only this room was massive, tall pillars reaching to the domed ceiling, ornate carvings etched into the walls. In the center of the chamber was a large, black pulsing crystal. Versia's body began twitching in Eclipse's arms, her face contorted in agony as her she started to spasm, her palor turning a ghostly white once more. "Kami! What's wrong?!" Raven said. Galaxy stiffened and turned her attention to the pulsing crystal. "Get her out now." She hissed. When the others hesitated, she lost her cool. "NOW! The crystal is killing her! It's bloated with negative energy! *Shadow* negative energy!" Eclipse immediatly took Versia and turned to get out, when suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* Darien growled as he narrowed his eyes through the thick mist that surrounded him like a snug cocoon. Suddenly, before him, a scene opened up, and he gasped. He was standing on a tall rock, looking down at a balcony, with a beautiful maiden, a princess, *his* Princess, Serenity, leaning over the edge to gaze in horror at the battle that was raging across the city. Suddenly, before her, a beam of sickly red light flashed, widened, and formed the volumtrous shape of a hissing woman in a tight purple gown, long, wavy red hair, and a tall, sinister looking staff. "Beryl," Darien hissed in hatred. "Well, if it isn't little miss Moon Princess." The woman snarled to Serenity. "All dressed up and no where to go." She narrowed her eyes and lunged at the gaping Princess with a cry. "Except to the Underworld!" Serenity screamed, shielding her face, but unable to leap away. Suddenly, Beryl screamed in pain and rage as a perfect, ethreal red bloom, a rose, embedded itself in her hand. The rose had a power of its own, and forced her back away from the Princess as if it were the size of a boulder. A prince clad in battle armor leaped down from the statues on the roof, landing in front of the Princess, shielding her as he glared at Beryl. Darien blinked, reeling in shock at seeing himself, a prince from so long ago. He was younger, much more cocky and confident, and -from the way he looked over his shoulder at Serenity- very much in love. Darien continued to watch as Beryl cursed his past self and his princess when he refused her. He watched as Prince Endymion was sucked into a whirlwind that was his doom, and as his precious princess threw herself in after him. He witnessed, and felt again the pain at not being able to save her, even if she herself had been the one to take her life, and willingly. The vision faded, and Darien found himself on the floor, tears running silently down his face. If he had had any doubts before of what his test was, those doubts were gone now. "Prince..." The Voice was soothing. "You know why I have shown you these things. You are a naturally protective soul. Kind, generous, and loving. You are fiercely protective of anyone you love, and you place the blame solely on yourself if you were there when something happens to them. "Prince of Earth, you must-" "Let go." Darien whispered, his eyes closed. "I know..." He said softly. "I know. I've carried the guilt of not being able to save my parents, of not knowing them, for as long as I can remember. I still plague myself with knowledge that I could have saved her, Serena, could have saved us all the pain that was to follow. And yet, I didn't... I couldn't..." "You have to forgive yourself, let yourself live, let yourself get on with life and focus on not letting it happen again." The voice was firm, like a parent. "But can I?" "I don't know, Prince of Earth. Can you? Will you try?" "I will. I will try to forgive myself." Darien's eyes hardened. "I have to! I will not let Beryl live on torturing me through my own doubts!" He rose to his feet, fists clenched at his side, his face a mask of determination. "I will go on!" Golden light, threaded with ocean blue and forest green flared up around him, engulfing his essence. The power concentrated on his forehead, gathering at the door to his brain, then, abruptly, it entered his mind, bringing with it knowledge... Flash! A scene in a garden, his mother chasing him playfully. Flash! Thinking vividly how gross girls were when having to kiss the hand of a visiting princess. Flash! Laying eyes on Serenity for the first time... Memories! Visions! Sights, sounds, smells, people, places, loved ones and faces and words and knowledge. History lessons and languages strange to his tongue. It all came rushing back in a painful, rushing, slamming flood of realization and rememberance. And, suddenly, all at once, the light disappeared. Darien looked down at his hands in wonder. He could feel his power pulsing in his veins. And he smiled. Prince Endymion was back in action. Darien's smile widened as he felt the soft glow within him; his Golden Crystal, its power enhanced by the presence of a second crystal; Terran Light Crystal. Flinging out a tendril of his newfound power, Darien opened a portal, and leaped into it, letting his power and his heart lead him to his beloved. *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* Jupiter groaned. "Not more of them!" "Looks like we're not done yet," Raven said with a frustrated growl as he narrowed his eyes at what lay before them. Another army of dark warriors had appeared, and they looked mad. They swarmed into the room, screaming and snarling. "Oh sh--" Eclipse started but was drowned out by Orion using an attack. "Shadow Jade Blades!" Orion crossed his arms sharply, palms pressed flat against the opposite shoulder. He abruptly flung his hands outwards, his hands flashing a jade green threaded with black as he did so. The light formed sharp, glistening daggers as the magic was flung from his fingertips, embedding themselves into the enemies and exploding the warriors from within. At least, that was what was supposed to happen. A battle errupted. Spells and attacks lit up the darkness, but for some reason, not a warrior was harmed. And, for once, the Light was fading. (AN: Rose-chan: Get it? GET IT?! 'The Light Never Fades'! You know, the first book? Oh nevermind!) A scream cut through it all. Sailor Galaxy's staff was snapped in half by a flying crescent blade of black power. Her magic was near tapped out, wounds and cuts and gashed littered her body; She was fading fast. Versia still had seizures in a corner and Orion was fighting two warriors at once. Things were not good. And as they fought on, only one thought crossed Laxa's mind; *We're going to die.* *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* Amara stumbled out of the portal, her mind reeling from the things, the personal things, the snipits of her life and battles that she had just been shown. Amara stood silent, fists clenched at her side. She would not believe what she had just been shown! She was not wrong in her assessment that to trust was to warrent your own death. She wasn't! How many times had she not trusted someone, and saved lives for it? "But how many times could have have saved even more lives if you *had* trusted?" The Voice, always reading her mind, answered her own thoughts. "Look what happened when you did not trust Michelle in that jungle." "That was an illusion!" "But not an impossible scenario in the real world. You are just lucky that fate decided not to face you with that situation." Amara knew the Voice was right, and her fists tightened, clenched so hard they shook as she stared down at the nonexistent floor hard, her eyes burning holes through the whispy mist that wound about her feet. "Am I really that wrong to not trust?" She asked herself. "Are you asking me, or yourself, Warrior of the Winds?" The Voice was amused. Amara glanced up sharply, looking around angrily for the source of the voice, knowing that she would not find anyone. "I don't know." Amara finally admitted after a moment. "I suppose both. But if I were to do so more often, how would I know when to trust someone?" "When they earn it, prove themselves worthy of your trust and faith." The Voice advised. "When someone never lets you down, always does their best, no matter what. Someone who is always truthful, who only has the best intentions in mind. Someone you know will keep going no matter what. Then, I believe they have earned you trust, don't you?" Amara was silent, as suddenly realization came to her. She knew now, abruptly, that many people had gone far beyond all that. Had done those things and much, much more to earn her trust and love, yet she had fully denied those people both. Even Michelle, her own darling cousin she did not hold as high as she should. "What have I become?" Amara whispered. "Someone who is in desperate need of companions, someone who needs to learn to trust someone enough to let them into their hearts and lives and thoughts." The Voice was grave and serious, yet kind and compassionate. "I don't know how, but it's true..." Amara said quietly. "I want to learn!" She cried, tears in her eyes. Yet she did not notice the droplets of salt water running down her face, things that she had once considered signs of shameful weakness. "Learn what?" Amara swallowed, then answered. "I want to learn to trust, and to love again." Suddenly, a brilliant flare of bright light burst into existence just before Amara. She threw up her hands to shield her face as she took a step back. When she looked back, she found that a trail of sparkling dots were running up from a small puddle at her feet into the sphere of light before her. The dots of light, coming from the puddle... They were her tears. All at once, Amara knew what to do, and she reached out, thrusting her hands into the sphere, and took hold of her destiny with both hands, and held on tight as power flooded her body, wracking her mind with images and scents and sounds and faces. With visions and memories and lessons learned and forgotten long ago. With knowledge from a land that was her birthright, that she had been raised in. She saw things and places no one was meant to see, yet she had been to and touched. The rush of knowledge was overwhelming, and Amara bit her lip against a scream of agony as her brain felt like it was swelling to bursting point within her skull. Then, abruptly, all at once, the rushing rapid of sights and sounds and memories stopped, and everything settled into place in her subconscious. She was Princess Uranus once more. Yet she was Amara Ten'ou as well. Sailor Uranus, along with her true Senshi form, the Warrior of the Winds, Ranys Uranus. Amara opened her eyes -which she just now realized had been closed- and looked down into her hands as they unfolded to reveal a sparkling yellow topaz gem in the shape of a spiraling wind. It was still warm, glowing from within. She smiled, feeling the Symbol of Uranus pulsing on her forehead. With a flick of her mind, the Uranus Light Crystal was strung on a strong cord, and she slipped it over her head before narrowing her eyes at a spot not far away, opening her own transportation portal, and -letting herself trust her own power- was taken back to reality. *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* "What do you mean, I rely too much on myself?" Michelle screamed at the opaque blackness that surrounded her. First she had been dumped into a watery environment, then spat out on stage where she had messed up the easiest of Beethoven's syphonies, and now she was wondering through a cloud of solid darkness. Lovely. Just peachy. "Just what I said." Michelle jumped and whirled, searching the darkness for the owner of the voice. It was the same Voice that had spoke to her on the stage. "You rely too much on yourself, Soldier of the Sea." The Voice sounded almost tired. "You think everything has to be perfect; you don't know how to be wrong. You don't let others help you, support you, comfort you when you fail." "And that's bad?" "YES!" Michelle recoiled at the force of the Voice. "Sh-show me." The aqua haired woman whispered. "Show me why I am so wrong." Suddenly she gasped as her mind was filled with images and visions. Of times and places and events, where she had caused her friends pain through her pride, through not letting them help, for forcing them on and on until they were up to her satisfaction. But even more than that, she saw what she had been doing to herself. Pushing herself forward, reaching new and previous unreachable goals, yes, but at what cost? Michelle fell to her knees clutching and shaking her head back and forth, refusing to believe it. Her confidence was her strength! "Yes, but too much of something, no matter how good it is, can become your weakness, Michelle." The Voice was kind again, understanding. Michelle blinked as she saw the truth in his words. Slowly, hesitantly, she began to understand. And she cursed herself for being so stubbornly blind. How she wished she could go back and change it all! "Do you mean that?" The Voice once again read Michelle's mind. Michelle thought for a moment. She remembered all those times that if she had been a little more lenient, a child would have gone home from her class with not so good a painting, yes, but with a smile on their face. She remembered the times she had let her Princess down with her pride, with not being willing to show her sadness at failing. She remembered being baffled at how Serena could be so casual at not being perfect at school, though her words had always been comforting and supportive, she had still always wondered... Would she go and change that? No. What was done was done. That should never be changed. But did she want to change herself for the better, for her future? Oh, yes! "For my future....yes..." Michelle whispered. And suddenly she was no longer completely Michelle, as her entire being was engulfed in memories and visions of her past. Her soul and mind merged with her Princess self that had been dorment, waiting for the day that Neptia Neptune, the True Sailor Senshi of the Waters of Neptune would awaken. Michelle, Neptia Neptune, Princess Neptune, and Sailor Neptune all watched as memories and realizations unfolded, surrounding Michelle in a new light. And then it was gone. No, not gone, she realized. A new, different, yet familar warm glow had settled deep in her breast, pulsing along with her heartbeat. Michelle held out her hand, and trickles of aquamarine sparkles trickled out of her chest, where her heart was, to run down her arm and collect in her palm like water off a leaf. With a tiny flash, the light solidified, and when Michelle looked again, there lay -unmistakable in all its radiant beauty- was the Neptune Light Crystal. Smiling broadly, with tears in her eyes and hope in her heart, Michelle closed her eyes and let herself fade from that reality, and slip back into her own world, where she was needed and loved. *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mini Moon, Tryran Mars -who had regained consciousness- and Rose all were trying to look at Mercury's palm top at the same time. Though it was an amusing sight, the fear in the air wouldn't even let you grin. "I've found them!" Mercury cried truimphantly. "How are they?" Rose demanded urgently as Sailor Mercury continued typing. "They're all alive, though Sailor Galaxy's power is almost completely tapped out, Versia is barely alive, and Raven has temporarily lost the use of one arm. The rest seem relatively unharmed, though they are all tiring rapidly. They seem to be near a highly concentrated point of negative energy, similar to the..." Mercury's voice dropped to a disbelieving whisper. "...The Black Poison Crystal." (AN: The Dark Crystal, for US Dub watchers.) Sailor Mini Moon gasped, and Rose held her close as she wimpered. The Neo-Moon Princess's experiences with the Black Poison Crystal and its master had not been pleasant. "Not too bad, all things considered," Mars said with a wince even as she spoke the words. "And they'r also surrounded by two hundred Shadow Warriors, not a single one of which has been even dented by their attacks." "Not good." Rose muttered, her dark eyes flashing. "We have to do something!" Mini Moon cried, almost crazy with worry for her future mother. "We can't." Mercury stated flatly, her computer screen beeping urgently. "Why not?!" Rose demanded. Everyone suddenly whirled as the portal flashed, and ten Shadow Warriors popped out, one right after the other. "Because we'll have our hands full with these guys." Mercury stated, putting away her computer and cupping her hands before her as Tryran Mars strung her bow and fitted an arrow in place. Mini-Moon took out her scepter, other fist ready to make anyone who dared come near her into a punching bag. Rose, near insanity with her anger over being able to do nothing, backed up near a fire escape, and waited as a battle ensued, and the forces of good and evil collided in an alleyway in downtown Tokyo. To Be Continued.... Sailor GlitterGirl: YES!!!!!!!!! CHAPTER SIX IS *DONE!!!!* YAHOOOOIEEEEEE!!!! *does happy dance* Who wants to dance with me? *grabs Rose-chan and Raven and continues to dance around in happiness.* *ALL STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY*