Dark on the Outside - Chapter 12 by Ari --------------------------------------------------------------------- DARK ON THE OUTSIDE (insert disclaimers here) When a man's heart is full of deciet, it burns up. Dies. And a dark shadow falls over his soul. From the ashes of a once great man has ri- sen a curse; a wrong that must be righted. We look to the skies for a vindicator...someone to strike fear into the black hearts of the same men who created him. The battle between good and evil has begun. A- gainst an army of shadows comes a dark warrior. The prevailer of good, with a voice of silence, and a mission of justice. =====CHAPTER 12: THE DARK WARRIOR===== THE NEGAVERSE Ifrit cautiously made his way up a spiraling staircase after hearing a strange shout and something being broken. As he made his way to the top and turned to go into another big room, his head was nearly taken off by a large sofa thrown by Hollywood Hogan. Only, he didn't see the crystal chess set that Eric Biscoff flung aimlessly. ...Or the plush bar stool courtesy of Kefka. "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!? THIS...THIS...!!!" Hogan stammered. He had been watching that meeting when his former servant turned to the light side. "I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!!!" "MASTER HOLLWOOD, SIR," Ifirt said. "DESTROYING FURNITURE WILL NOT RETURN DARKHEART TO THE NEGAVERSE." Hogan froze in place. "Yeah, but it sure helps," he said. Af- ter that, he put his size 20 boot through a coffee table, destroying it completely. "BUT SIR, I KNOW HOW WE CAN GET BACK AT THEM!" "How?" Hogan and Bishoff asked. "DARKHEART INADVERTENTLY REVEALED THE TRUE IDENTITES OF THE SAILOR SCOUTS! WE CAN COME AFTER THEM WHENEVER WE WANT!" "You're right, Ifrit," Kefka said, rubbing his chin. "Let's take them out now!" To Eric: "Who do you got for the job?" "I've got two great soldiers for ya, sir," Bischoff said. "If- rit, take Curt Henning and Rick Rude to the Cherry Hill Temple. Termi- nate any opposition without prejudice!" "YES SIR," Ifrit said. MEANWHILE, AT THE ANDERSON HOUSE Owen's hand was still joined with the hands of the others as he suddenly snapped his head around with a shock and a "Huh?" "What's wrong?" Serena asked. "It's the nWo," Owen said. "They're on the attack again; I can sense it." "What're you talking about?" Luna asked. "I've only begun to separate myself from the Negaverse; killing Queen Beryl was the first step. With each battle I enter against Hogan and Kefka, I step further away from the darkness and into the light. I still, therefore, have the ability to sense when any gate linking the universe and the Negaverse comes into existance." "And where did this one occur?" Owen closed his eyes, put his hands on his temples, and concen- trated. His mind's eye swept over the city, until he found Ifrit and nWo members Curt Hennig and Rick Rude. He could see them.... "They're at the temple!" "What?!" Raye shouted. "Oh my gods!" "Hold on, there's more," Owen continued. "They're looking for something...or someone." His eyes snapped open. "They found Chad and your grandfather. They duct-taped them to a chair!" "I'll kill them, I'll kill them, I'LL KILL THEM!!!" Raye pre- pared to storm out of the room, but the others stopped her just before she did something drastic. "Raye, wait!" Needless to say, Raye was pissed. "They've invaded my home, went after my loved ones, and YOU'RE HERE TELLING ME TO WAIT?!?!" "But I have a plan," Owen said. "Here's what we'll do; I'll go down there and sneak into the back and flush them out. Then, I'll give you a buzz, and you can move in from the opposite direction. It's a classic pincer attack! It can't fail!" "What do you mean give us a buzz?" Serena asked. "I'll call you on your communicators," Owen said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pager. Originally designed for com- municating with his fellow Achievers back home, he modified it so he could talk to the Sailor Scouts. He flicked his wrist, and the pager opened up in the middle like a wallet. On one half was a digital screen; on the other there were buttons that could call the others, the buttons shaped like each symbol for the planets, an emergency, allcall, and privacy. "I just hope you're right," she said. "Be ready for me, people," he said as he moved closer to the window. Owen then took a deep breath as he started his transformation. "MOON DARKNESS POWER!!!" The others watched in awe as a purple light- ning bolt struck his outstretched hand, turning his fingernails black. Then, his blue armor over the purple sleeveless shirt, black pants and brown boots formed, followed by his black cape with the orange inter- ior. His swords were holstered behind his armor, but inside his cape. And then, Owen Teei had fully transformed into Darkheart. "This feels so much better now," Owen commented. "Good luck, Darkheart," Serena said just before he jumped out the window. "Thanks," he said. "By the way, if you ever wanna contact ME, hit the little black button on your communicators. As he left, every- one looked at their communicators and saw a long, thin black button go- ing down the right side of all of them. CHERRY HILL TEMPLE MINUTES LATER "Hey, you let us go, freaks-mmmmph!" Chad's words went ignored as Rick Rude placed one last piece of duct tape over his mouth. Curt Hennig then slapped him right across the face. "Shut your mouth, punk!" Hennig said. "You two just sit there and chill for a while, okay? Otherwise, you're gonna be sorry." He then spit his gum out and batted it away with his open palm before it fell below his chest. "What're we gonna do with them?" Rick Rude asked. "Let's just wait for other orders, now," Hennig said. "Until then, let's see what they got to eat around here." Rude and Hennig then set off to look for the kitchen for a little snack. As phase I of the plan was being set into action, Darkheart raced down the streets of the city, up and over cars, threw intersect- ions, and on several rooftops, he was just outside the temple grounds. He saw the temple itself and ducked behind a tree. He could hear Hen- nig's and Rude's voices. "Man," Darkheart said to himself as he leaned against a tree. "This is gonna be pretty tough. Can I do it alone?" He leaned his head back and sighed. Then, he heard a loud crack at his feet. He looked down and saw a red rose looking back at him. "Huh?" Darkheart looked up at a familiar man wearing a tuxedo. "Tuxedo Mask? Ha-HAA! Damn, am I glad to see you!" "Don't think you're fooling me," Tuxedo Mask said, "trying to suck up to Sailor Moon?" "No, wait-!" Before Darkheart could explain his situation, he nearly had his head taken off several times by Tuxedo Mask's cane. He was just able to duck out of the way. Before he knew it next, he had to deal with his flying roses. Especially when he found himself out- lined against a wall with the roses. Then, having enough, Darkheart hit him with a greco-roman take- down. When he hit, his mask fell off. Darkheart just held him there for a while. "Will you just calm down, Darien?!" Darkheart shouted. "I'm not with them anymore!" "You still haven't...what did you call me?" Tuxedo Mask asked. It took him a moment, but he figured out who he was fighting. It was Darkheart, a.k.a. Owen. "Owen?" "Yep, it's me, chief," Darkheart said. He got off him and helped him up to his feet. "I'm defecting to the winning team, now. Now can you help me out here? The nWo is pent up in the temple; the o- thers and I devised a plan to flush them out and destroy them." "Alright man," Tuxedo Mask said, as the two high-fived. "But come with me; we can sneak in through the back. He followed Tuxedo Mask as he led him around the back of the temple. "Have you been here often?" Darkheart asked. "Yeah. I used to date Raye, before I met Serena." "Really?" "Uh-huh." "Um, this may not be any of my business, but, how far did you get with her?" "HMMM...WHAT IS THIS STUFF?" Ifrit said, rummaging throug the fridge. "This is human food," Hennig said. "A little strange, isn't it? Don't worry, you'll get used to it." "This place don't even have a PlayStation, for crying out loud, Curt," Rick said. "You know, I don't think our hosts are being very hospitable. I say we make them pay for it!" "Sounds like a plan, what do you think, Ifrit?" Hennig said. "YES! KILL 'EM! KILL 'EM ALL!!!" Just then, the three spun their heads around and watched as the back door was kicked in. When the door broke off the hinges, Darkheart and Tuxedo Mask walked into the room. "You wanna run that one by us again?" Tuxedo Mask shouted. The faces of Rude, Hennig, and Ifrit became white with fear. "Hello boys," Darkheart said with an ear-to-ear smile. "Remem- ber ME?" The nWo needed no more encouragement to get out of there. "RUN!!!" Darkheart and Tuxedo Mask followed them until they were at the edge of the temple steps. They watched the three run off. "They're getting away!" said Tuxedo Mask. "Now for phase II," Darkheart said. He grabbed his pager off of his belt, flicked it open, and hit the crescent moon-shaped button. "Serena, come in!" Serena's face appeared on the screen. "I hear you Owen!" "Hennig, Rude, and Ifrit are headed your way! Go, now!" "Got it!" Serena said. She put her communicator away. "Okay, you heard him; let's go help him! MOON CRYSTAL POWER!!!" "MARS POWER!!!" "MERCURY POWER!!!" "VENUS POWER!!!" "JUPITER POWER!!!" Thinking they've lost the other two, Ifrit, Rude, and Hennig slowed down to a gentle walk. They scanned the area for any signs of a threat. Nothing. "Oh, good," Curt Hennig puffed. "We lost them." "Are you sure about that?" they heard a voice called out. They spun their heads around and saw the Sailor Scouts blocking the only es- cape route. They looked on in shock as they introduced themselves. "I'm Sailor Venus!" "I'm Sailor Jupiter!" "Sailor Mars!" "Sailor Mercury!" "And I am Sailor Moon!" "We are the champions of justice!" This is when Hennig, Rude, and Ifrit decided to run. Only, they took two steps and found some- thing sticking in each of their throats. They looked down and saw that Tuxedo Mask's cane was about an inch from Ifrit's adam's apple, while Rick Rude and Curt Hennig were almost impaled on Darkheart's katanas. "Better watch that next step," Darkheart said. "It's a mother- fucker!" The three backed away, and they soon found themselves com- pletely surrounded by the Sailor Scouts on their left, and Tuxedo Mask and Darkheart on the right. "Attention bad guys around the world," Sailor Moon started. "If you find yourselves in THIS positon, you know you've done something wrong!" "THIS IS BAD," Ifrit said. "THIS IS VERY VERY BAD." "Don't despair, friends," Darkheart said. "You can change just like me. Repent, and ye shalt be saved." He held his swords in an "X" fashion. "Now, my sons, come into the light!" Darkheart reflected some sunlight off where the two swords crossed in such as fashion that they formed a super-bright ray of sunlight. He made the light pass o- ver their eyes, blinding them instantly. The others laughed hystericly as the bad guys stumbled around aimlessly. "Aaaaaah!" Hennig shouted. "My eyes! I can't see!" "Ohh, you're DEAD, traitor!" Rude shouted over the hysterics. In his wandering, he and Curt Hennig collided back-to-back. Instinct- ively, he administered his signature finishing move, the Rude Awaken- ing. Rude applied it so hard and so fast, that his modified neck- breaker move broke Curt Hennig's neck into several pieces, killing him instantly. The Sailor Scouts stopped laughing only long enough to wit- ness Hennig's body decompose into an nWo logo, and then turn into a pi- le of sand. "Well, at least he's good for something," Sailor Mercury said. "But now," Sailor Moon said, "I think they've outlived their purpose. Whaddya say?" "Sounds like a plan," Tuxedo Mask retorted. He made a fist and four roses appeared between his clenched fingers. "How bout we get me- dieval on this guy's ass, boss?" He looked on as Darkheart reached in- to his armor and pulled out four of his black, red and blue knives. "I hear ya, my man!" Darkheart shouted. The two took turns showering Ifrit with roses and knives. Occasionally, when Rude stum- bled in the way, he also took his fair share of projectiles attacks. Darkheart then lifted Ifrit above his head, and threw him down the street. "We'll take care of meathead, you guys take care of Rude!" he shouted as he and Tuxedo Mask walked over to him. It was then that Rick Rude regained his sight. "You're gonna be sorry, Sailor losers!" He quickly spun around Sailor Jupiter and attempted to use the Rude Awakening on her. But Sailor Moon was a step ahead, and rammed her moon scepter into his stomach, causing him to double over. "No, YOU'RE gonna be the one who's sorry!" Before he could e- ven stand up straight, he found himself at the mercy of the Moon Scept- er. "Stand by for the ride of your life! Moon Scepter...ELIMINATION!" Rick Rude perished in similar fashion. Meanwhile, Tuxedo Mask and Darkheart were having a grand ole time beating up Ifrit. "So how does it feel knowing you're fighting for the real win- ners?" Tuxedo Mask said as one of his roses hit Ifrit right between the eyes. "Hoohoohoooo," Darkheart said. "I love it!" He flicked one of his daggers right into Ifrit's back. "It's fun watching the bad guys get their" another dagger right in his chest "just desserts!" "Darkheart! Tuxedo Mask!" they heard Sailor Mars shout. "Fin- ish him off quick! We're headed over to the temple to save grandpa!" By then, though, the fight was almost over anyway. As Ifrit mounted one more pitiful attack, Tuxedo Mask and Darkheart showered him with a dozen roses and knives each before joining the Scouts. They didn't e- ven bother to watch him fall over dead and revert to a Magicite crys- tal. CROWN CAFE LATER THAT NIGHT "Wooo!" Owen chimed as he took a sip of his Sprite. "That was fun!" The gang had went to the cafe for a light snack that night. "So you've finally joined the winning team, huh Owen?" Mina said coming back to the booth. "Sorry, but you're gonna have to move this thing." She grabbed Owen's acoustic guitar by its neck. "Hey, be careful with that thing!" Owen took the guitar from Mina and held it in his arms like it was porcelin. "This is my first guitar. It was a gift." He absently strummed a few chords. "How long have you been playing?" Serena asked. He played a few more chords. "About a thousand years or so," he said with a smile. This brought laughter around the small table. "But seriously though, I started playing on THIS world since about 6. I guess I understand why it came so naturally to me." He prepared to play a song. "Any requests?" "You know 'Fly Away'?" Raye asked. "Coming right up!" He then started to play. I wish that I could fly, into the sky, so very high. Just like a dragonfly. I'd fly above the trees, over the seas, into the breeze, To anywhere I please. Oh, I want to get away, I wanna fly away, yeah, yeah, yeah. I want to get away, I wanna fly away, yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's go and see the stars, the Milky Way, or even Mars. Well, it could just be ours. Let's play into the sun, let your spirit fly, we'll be at one. Just for a little fun. Oh, oh, oh yeah! I want to get away, I wanna fly away, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah! I want to get away, I wanna fly away, yeah, yeah, yeah. I gotta get away. Girl, I gotta get away. Oh, oh, oh yeah! I want to get away, I wanna fly away, yeah, yeah, yeah. I want to get away, I wanna fly away, yeah, yeah, yeah. Girl, I gotta get away! I want to get away, I want to get away. I want to get away, I want to get away, yeah! I want to get away, I wanna fly away, yeah, yeah, yeah. Girl, I gotta get away! I want to get away, I want to get away. I want to get away, I want to get away, yeah! I want to get away, I wanna fly away, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!!! =====TO BE CONTINUED=====