Chapter 7 The small asteroid stretched about a quarter mile across, making it even smaller than the American state of Rhode Island. Small piles of rocks adorned the otherwise barren surface. A portal formed and light flashed through the dark space, leaving behind the Senshi, Mamoru, and Elios when it faded away. They took in the new territory. "It looks like the asteroid we fought Fiore on a couple years ago," Rei remarked. "Except, there's no Earth near," Ami added. Hotaru pointed to a swirling black mass somewhat in the distance. "There's the black hole," she said. "Right, Setsuna-mama?" Setsuna nodded. "We're going to have to figure out how to get from this asteroid through the barrier into the kingdom. If we overshoot it, we go straight into the black hole. If we don't make it far enough, we could all be separated and hurled through time and space." Ami pulled out her mini-computer. "There's got to be a way to go inside." Usagi nodded to her. "Ami-chan, why don't you study it some?" The young woman smiled. "I was just going to suggest that. Let me tell you what I found out about black holes. Setsuna-san can fill in what I don't know." The Senshi and Mamoru gathered around Ami as she started talking. Elios hung back from the group slightly. He turned and stared at the black hole, his eyes filled with longing. He closed his eyes and started to concentrate. ***** The incessant beeping of the computer roused Kuro from his sleep. He threw back the thin blanket which covered him and rolled onto his feet. A leather thong held back his long, unruly black hair, but sleep caused several locks to escape from the tie and hang in his face. Kuro walked into the small computer room. He ran a hand through his hair, causing the thong to work free from his hair and fall to the ground. Wearing nothing but a pair of worn black leather pants, the muscles of his trim, washboard chest straining as he stretched, he looked no more than a mature young man in his early 20s. A hand passed over his eyes wiped the remaining sleep from them, along any innocent look the priest of the Nightmare world could possibly contain. He approached the console and braced his hands against the sides of it. He hung his head wearily. The recent attacks on Elysion and the taking of the Sailor Senshi had been rough. He had spent years preparing for the moment when he could take control over Elysion from his sanctuary on Pandora. Now, with the interference of the Senshi, the task was much harder than he planned. Kuro ran back through his recent attacks. He had barely been able to capture the ones called Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus along with some white cat with a crescent moon on its forehead. Each fight, which either involved him teleporting to Earth or using mental powers to lure his captives to Pandora drained more and more of his energy. His eyes narrowed in concentration. He was not about to give up. If anything, those damn Senshi would be coming to Pandora. Then he could let the reserves loose. "Would you stop that infernal racket?" Kuro raised his hand suddenly and slammed it over several buttons on the console, causing the computer?s alarm to shut off. He sighed, raised his head, and backed away from the console. "I hope there?s good news," he said in a calmer voice. "There is a detection of about nine foreign beings just beyond the outer perimeter of the kingdom," the computer?s mechanical voice answered. "Damn it! I said I wanted good news!" Kuro turned on his heel and started to walk out of the room, potential plans racing through his mind. Damn Senshi, he muttered under his breath. He stopped in his tracks and closed his eyes, cursing silently. Telepathically linked to Elios from birth, when Pandora was cast out to the edge of the universe, distance had prevented communication between the brothers. When he had been on Earth, Kuro had managed to use his diminished telepathic skills to keep up a temporary mental block. Now, Elios was close enough to reestablish contact. He had to be with the Senshi! Kuro closed his eyes and tried to throw the mental block back up. Kuro walked back into his bedroom and wearily sank onto the bed, too tired to try and fight his brother?s excessive yakking. Kuro laid down on the thin mattress. On the other side of the link, Elios winced slightly. He gazed at the Senshi, still conferring with Ami over how to enter the kingdom. He walked several yards away from them, not wanting any of them to pick up on what he was doing. Meanwhile, Ami kept discussing possible methods of entering Pandora. As the girls talked, Mamoru shook his head slightly as a slight static sound started humming between his ears. It grew louder and louder, like a radio when it was not tuned into a station. He frowned and shook his head slightly, thinking it was something due to the proximity of being the near the black hole. The static?s roar grew louder, and eventually drowned out the Senshi?s voices. Then, he heard a pair of voices at the back of his mind. Mamoru figured he was able to hear the girls again, but as the voices grew clearer, he realized they were of two men. He narrowed his eyes and concentrated on them. Kuro quickly sat up. It made sense. When he had tried to overtake Elysion twice through Elios?s dreams, he had seen the person known as Tuxedo Kamen there. Suddenly, he shouted an expletive aloud to the empty room. Elios?s laughter filled his mind, The voices grew crystal clear in Mamoru?s mind. He stepped away from the girls to try and focus on the conversation. Ami stopped talking and the girls looked at him. "Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked, her voice cutting through the static. Mamoru suddenly looked up to see the girls staring at him. He glanced around and noticed a grouping of rocks piled slightly higher than his head. They were not far from where they stood. "I need to excuse myself," he explained, giving them an embarrassed half-smile. The girls turned back to work without question, and he walked behind the rock pile. He glanced back at the girls for a moment, but figured they would not be watching what they thought he was doing. He sank down onto his haunches, closed his eyes, and focused once again on the voices. They grew clear much quicker this time, and Mamoru knew from what he had heard in the previous conversation that one of them was Elios. Kuro roared at Elios. Elios answered sarcastically. Kuro sighed and closed his eyes. His lips curved into a smile. Kuro's voice died away as he picked up on a third presence in the mental link. Anger swirled within the stone-gray depths of his eyes. Elios whirled around and saw that Mamoru was not with the Senshi. He took off running toward the group. "Mamoru-san!" he yelled, not realizing that he had addressed Mamoru by his 20th century name for the first time. "Mamoru-san! Close off the link quickly before he does something to you!" The girls looked up startled from Ami's computer. "Elios?" Rei questioned. Mamoru yelled back. His eyes widened with shock as he realized he had yelled the statement mentally instead of verbally. Elios swore under his breath. In his bedchamber, Kuro smiled once more. Mamoru's eyes narrowed. Elios ran behind the rock pile and crouched down. The Senshi gathered around him. "Mamoru-san, break the mental link," he instructed. "Do it now! He has you trapped! Throw up a mental block, do anything! Just break it off!" Kuro closed his eyes and started chanting. Mamoru tried speaking again, but his vocal cords failed him. He grabbed his throat and tried to talk. A sharp, stabbing pain shot through his throat and he fell onto his knees. Elios caught him before he could fall over completely. Mamoru tried to talk once more, what felt like hot knives kept stabbing at his throat. Usagi crouched down along side them, grabbed Mamoru's shoulders, and gazed deep into his eyes. "Come on, Mamo-chan, I know you can do this!" Mamoru gazed at Usagi with determination, his hand slowly unclenching at his throat and moved to caress her cheek. His hand slid down into hers and both of them closed their eyes, forging a link to each other. "No!" Kuro shot off the bed and raced into the computer room. He quickly manipulated some controls and a picture of Usagi and Mamoru flashed up on the screen. A pulsating silver light formed at Usagi's chest and spread down through her hand to Mamoru's. Kuro stepped away from the controls, feeling the effects of the paralyzing spell he had cast on Mamoru wear off. "No, I will not let you win this one, Sailor Moon," he growled, then chanted a different spell. Out of the air, a dark spirit materialized and shot a laser at Usagi and Mamoru's joined hands. The blast hit their wrists, sending the two flying back from each other. The Senshi caught Usagi while Elios managed to catch Mamoru. "Mars Flame Sniper!" Rei yelled, sending a flaming arrow toward the spirit. It went straight through it. She backed up a step and narrowed her violet eyes. "Fire doesn't hurt it." "Maybe ice can," Ami said. "Shabon Spray Freezing!" she yelled, calling upon an old attack. The spray surrounded the spirit and failed to immobilize it. Instead, it changed until it took on a human form...that of Princess Serenity. "Huh?" the Senshi cried. "No way," Usagi whispered. "What is he up to?" The spirit moved toward Mamoru. the spirit's voice echoed through his head. Mamoru rose to his feet, mesmerized by the spirit. Mamoru unconsciously walked toward the spirit. "Mamo-chan!" Usagi screamed. She jumped to her feet and ran toward Mamoru. About two feet away from him, she suddenly crashed into an invisible wall. It threw her back several feet. The Senshi cried out and ran to her. She slowly got to her feet and studied the crackling forcefield surrounding Mamoru and the spirit. "Mamo-chan! That's not me!" Usagi cried. "Please listen to me!" Ami tapped her earrings and her visor flashed over her eyes. "Your voice can't penetrate the field surrounding them." Usagi shook her head. "There's got to be a way!" Elios approached the group. Without saying a word, he approached Mamoru and the spirit. Right before the forcefield, he stopped and bowed his head in prayer. After a moment, he began the rhythmic chant of a spell. The spirit held her arms out to Mamoru. Eyes out of focus, Mamoru lost awareness of his surroundings until all he could see was his princess. He approached and swept her into his arms. He lips brushed her neck, then her cheek, kissing a path to her lips. Kuro's voice suddenly rang once again in his mind. Mamoru cried, then noticed the sprit swirling around him. He pushed at it, but it still tightened around him. He raised his hand and tried to produce a rose, but failed. Kuro's voice turned high and feminine. Kuro stood before the computer, bowed his head, and chanted another prayer. Before the Senshi, Mamoru started to disappear. "Mamo-chan!" Usagi cried once more. The forcefield flickered from around Mamoru, then disappeared. Elios crumpled to his knees. Chibi-Usa ran to his side and knelt beside him. The priest lifted his head. "Move now! Break the mental link he has with Kuro!" The spirit suddenly reformed not into Serenity, but into Usagi. She smiled at Mamoru. "Mamo-chan," the spirit addressed him. "Come on. Let's spend the day alone with each other!" She held out her hand to him. "Look!" Rei cried out. Above the spirit, a portal opened. A hand reached out toward Mamoru's. Mamoru did not hesitate. He placed his hand in Usagi's. Then his world went black.