Konnichiwa, minna! *g* Any comments or critz will be accepted and appreciated! goddess_avalon@hotmail.com I do not own Sailor Moon, the creator and all of the companies that dub and all that kind of thing do. Don't sue me, I'm just a wanna-be author *g* Now ONTO THE STORY! *g* ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "That cuts us down to twenty-five, now." Cosmos said, sighing. "Our whole watch system is shot." Setsuna agreed, somewhat reluctantly. "Ami-chan, promise me you'll be extra careful!" Usagi said, walking over to her. "You're the only one of the original scouts left besides me... and you know I wasn't really supposed to be a scout... just the moon princess." Ami nodded, "I won't be taken into a trap. Looks like that's what happened to Minako-chan. She thought she saw Illsus-baka in the door leading out to the balcony, but when she fired her attack, it just reflected back to her." Usagi nodded, "How did you find all this out?" Ami blushed, "I upgraded my computer." She said, softly. Chibi-Usa suddenly yanked on one of Usagi's ponytails. "What do you want, Chibi-Usa-chan?" Usagi asked, not noticing that she was, in fact, still there. "Usagi-mama, if Mamoru-papa was my daddy, and you're my mommy, then why am I still here?" Setsuna snapped to attention suddenly at this. "Chibi-Usa-chan's right! There's only a few things that could have happened." She said, and motioned for the others to listen. "Time in another dimension where Mamoru-kun went when he died could be frozen for some reason, and Mamoru-kun's death just hasn't caught up to the future in this dimension yet. But that happens VERY rarely. Mamoru could still be alive somewhere, although I don't know how, or... there's another." Usagi stared at Setsuna. "Another what?" She asked, somewhat confused. "Another guy for you, Usagi-chan! That's the only logical explanation." Usagi looked around and noticed Seiya playing around with Chibi-Usa. "Chibi-Usa-chan, come here, please." Usagi said, and Chibi-Usa left Seiya to talk to Usagi. "Chibi-Usa-chan, if you feel anything in anybody that just might be the one Setsuna-chan's talking about, let me know." Chibi-Usa nodded, "There has been something..." She said, "But it's been so crowded lately I can't really tell who it's from." Usagi nodded, "Just be aware that's what we're looking for." Chibi-Usa nodded and ran off with Chi into the other room to watch TV, which was showing the latest Sailor V movie. "Just like Usagi-chan." Rei muttered. "Hey!" Usagi exclaimed, "I haven't seen one of those in almost seven years, so be quiet!" Then Usagi and Rei started a shouting match, only to be interrupted by a horrified scream from the other room. "Chibi-Usa-chan!" Usagi exclaimed, and rushed in. Sure enough, Illsus-baka was standing in the middle of the room, levitating Iron Mouse while Chibi-Usa watched horrified from the corner. "Let her go!" Usagi demanded. "Do you have to torture people just to get your way?" Usagi snorted in disgust, "Some enemy we're facing! Serenity Power Engage!" Usagi yelled, and transformed. "I am Sailor Moon! Champion of justice. I will fight for love and justice, and to dust any creeps who try to take over the world! And that means you and the Wiseman, Illsus-baka!" Illsus laughed, "Just wait until you're all alone and see how confident you are, Sailor Twerp." "Serenity Crescent Moon Shock!" Usagi blasted at Illsus, but he disappeared along with Chi's powers right before the blast arrived at the area. "Chi!" Phi exclaimed, and rushed to her side. "I'm ok... but I think he took my powers." She said, and groaned. "Yeah, he did." Chi sighed. "I hate to have this happen! You guys all need me!" Usagi de-transformed. "That may be true, but we can't risk you hurting yourself just to defend us without your powers." Usagi placed a hand on Chi's shoulder. "You'll be known from now on as Christi. Nobody will remember you as Chi, so you'll be safe." Chi started to cry, "I'm so sorry! I couldn't stop him... I couldn't even get close to him! When he drained my powers I felt like I was being squashed by the power radiating from him." Usagi hugged Chi, "It's ok, Chi. Just go on with your life like this never happened. Don't worry about us, we'll take care of Illsus. For everybody." Usagi glanced around, "You can still stay here if you want to, Christi." Hotaru said, Christi nodded eagerly. "Of course! I want to keep watching and do all I can to help. Even if it does put me in danger some more like Usagi-chan said, it's the least I could do." "Well, it's about what, six? Seiya-kun, Usagi-chan, you're still on duty. Phobos, will you be able to handle your shift by yourself?" Setsuna asked. Phobos hesitated, thinking about Minako, "I'll be fine." She said. "Ok, I'll bring you guys breakfast again if you'll wait up there. It's critical we get every bit of information on Illsus we can if we're going to defeat him." Seiya nodded and Usagi followed him up the stairs to the balcony once more. "Can you believe how quickly things are moving?" Seiya asked, as he stared out of the window at Illsus' building. Usagi shook her head, "Hardly... maybe it's just because I'm still stuck in yesterday... when... well you know." Seiya nodded, "You need to let go of him, Usagi-chan. I think Setsuna-chan's right... there is somebody else for you." Usagi spun around and slapped Seiya right across the face. "Hey! What did you do that for?" He demanded, rubbing where she had slapped. Usagi stared at her hand. "I don't know... all I know is that's what I would have done before I even heard of Galaxia..." Seiya nodded, "In otherwords, before you met the starlight's?" Usagi nodded. A few hours later, Deimos was sitting in the balcony room, watching. "Such a bore... nothing ever happens." She yawned and picked up a magazine that was lying on the floor. She was reading it so intently that she didn't even notice when the glass in front of her began to glow, and then the door shattered. "AH!" She screamed, and jumped out of the way. "Ah, so you're not as weak as the others." Illsus said in an evil voice, "You'll still be a cinch to get rid of, though!" He said, and fired. "Mars Flame Sniper!" Rei yelled, but it was too late. "Deimos!" Phobos yelled from the doorway, as she watched her sister disappear. "Illsus-baka, you low-down rotten little twerp!" She exploded, "I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do!" Illsus just laughed and disappeared, his voice lingering. "You can never destroy me. You don't have the powers to! Nothing can destroy the powers of the negamoon!" He growled, and then the voice itself faded. Suddenly, there was a noise in the doorway. "Illsus moves very quickly." Iron Mouse said, softly, then collapsed. "Illsus-baka will pay!" Galaxia yelled from down the stairs, and she flew up the stairs, and disappeared with Iron Mouse, appearing a minute later by herself. "She's where she belongs." Galaxia said, and smiled, "In the stars where she can make sure the rest of us stay all right." Suddenly, Seiya realized something. "Hey! Something's very wrong here... Illsus-baka managed to bypass princess Kakyuu-chan's spell and protection shield!" Yaten agreed, "Yeah! The little brat... we'll show him to mess with us." Usagi held up a hand as she entered. "Remember... you are no longer Starlight's unless it is absolutely necessary for you to become the starlight's. That is only if the three of you are still here and I am not." Yaten started grumbling. "It's what the princess wanted, Yaten-kun." Taiki told him, and Yaten stopped. As Usagi was walking around Hotaru's large house later that day, at least five hours after Iron Mouse had gone, she reflected on what had happened during that five hours. Setsuna had gone over to Illsus' stronghold to investigate, but the invisibility spell Heavy Metal Papillon put on her didn't phase Illsus. He detected her with some kind of energy divergent and drained her immediately. Setsuna disappeared into oblivion. About an hour after that, Haruka was practicing with her sword, when Illsus appeared and challenged her to a duel. Much like Zoicite had tricked Mamoru in the battle over the rainbow crystals almost fifteen years earlier, Illsus caused a crystal spear to rise out of the ground and went right through her back, killing her instantly. Now, it was Ami's shift but Usagi was too exhausted to go up and talk. "I have to rest!" She thought, and laid down on a couch in the living room. Usagi didn't know how long she slept, but the next thing she knew, somebody was trying to wake her up. It was Hotaru. "Usagi-chan, Ami-chan wants to talk to you! She said to hurry!" Usagi leapt off of the couch and dashed up the stairs. Ami was staring at the building through her visor when Usagi entered. "Ami-chan, what did you find?" She asked, and stood next to her. "I don't know. Something very dangerous is being built in there and I have a feeling it's going to be the end if he turns that thing on." Usagi nodded, "But he knows he can't until he gets rid of all of us. And he won't do that without a fight, right Ami-chan? Ami-chan?" Usagi turned and saw that Ami was no longer there. She picked a note up off of the ground. "Surrender or they all go, Sailor Moon. I won't hesitate to kill you as well." She read, and gasped. "I HATE YOU, ILLSUS!" She yelled through the closed window towards the building. She rounded up the remaining scouts for an emergency meeting in the balcony room. "Illsus-baka is one of the most powerful enemies we have ever been up against. No, wait, make that THE most powerful. We've been cut down drastically to nineteen senshi..." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, so he's killed aah, about 11 senshi already? no biggie. YEAH RIGHT! But that was a sweet new attack on Usagi's part, ne? ~*~Goddess Avalon