CHAPTER 5

“Ah...” Karen gasped as she slumped on the wall of her apartment building. She had never before been in such pain as she was now. It was all a blur. One moment she had been weighed down, with Sailor Venus limp at her feet, the coming attack, well... coming. Then suddenly, all was bright. A raven-haired woman looked down upon her, then all was black. It was then that she woke up, wearing her plaid jumper, the pen of Sailor V lying by her head. And the pain, oh the pain.

Karen looked up at building. She could see a living room window, lit brightly, her parents probably wondering where she had gone. It was so dark, it had to be very late. She didn't know how to explain what had become of her, but she didn't care. She took a deep breath and pushed herself from the wall. She gasped and fell back to it. Her tears renewed, she continued to the door with her shoulder pushed against the wall. “Mother...” she cried softly. “Father...” She dropped to one knee. “Mothe- Fa...” She shook as she slowly fell. She'd made it so far... she's woken up only a block away, but it seemed so far away...

“Karen?” Karen looked up into the blurry night as a figure rushed toward her. “Karen! What happened?!”

“Te- Te...” She couldn't say it and was left to fall into darkness again.

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“New V must have moved you,” Artemis said as Ami applied alcohol to the cut on Minako's forehead. “Before the light, you where in one spot on your back, but after the light, you were moved, lying on your side.”

“She took the entire brunt of the attack,” Minako whispered. “She saved me, at the expense of her own life.”

“We don't know that,” Michiru said, trying to reassure Minako. “Sailor Tritonus survived New V's attack, perhaps New V survived Sailor Magellanus' attack.” Minako shuddered. The name, the voice, everything about that senshi who claimed to be the guardian of the planet Venus... It made Minako so uneasy, almost sick to her stomach.

“Please don't say that name,” Minako groaned. She buried her head into Ami's shoulder.

“So if we have these three,” Makoto said, diverting from the topic of Magellanus, “Do you suppose there are more? Perhaps a guardian to each planet?”

“There was once a guardian to each planet,” Luna sighed. “I couldn't believe it at first when Tritonus first appeared to New V, but now I have no doubt. These are the very same senshi who guarded the planets, the hearts of your starseeds, during the Silver Millennium. You couldn't protect your own planets because you each had obligations elsewhere, so these senshi were brought about to protect your planets.”

“But if we had the starseeds of our planets,” Rei began, “Where do their starseeds come from?”

“Celestial bodies elsewhere in what was once the Angeline Empire,” Luna replied. This received looks of confusion, so she continued. “Our kingdom was once a part of a greater empire, one of many empires. We were a part of the Angeline Empire, but after many wars, we left the empire.”

“The guardians were loyal to us then,” Artemis said. “I do not understand why they would be like this now. I did not even think they had been reborn on Earth like all of you had, but it would seem I had been wrong.”

“Or perhaps there is something we cannot remember,” Haruka said. “Maybe they work for an enemy we have not met yet. Perhaps that enemy brought them about.”

“No, they couldn't have been reborn,” Artemis said, correcting himself. “They would have had to be reincarnated.”

“Uh, what is the difference?” Makoto asked.

“Artemis, that is foolish,” Luna said. “The queen had been weak, she barely had enough power to send Serenity, Endymion, and the senshi to Earth to be reborn and us to sleep. She couldn't have had the power to reincarnate the entire team of guardians as well!”

“But what is the difference?” Hotaru asked.

“All of you were reborn,” Setsuna then explained. “Because you were all native to this system, the queen was capable of sending your starseeds and spirits to Earth to be reborn. It is why you all carry the same appearance as you did in the past. Reincarnation, however, is different. These guardians did not come from our system, but from outside. I do not know the exact reasoning behind it, but they could not simply be reborn. Therefore, they would have to be reincarnated in the queen desired them to come to Earth as well. It would mean placing their starseeds within Earth's incarnation cycle, but not their spirits, and they would have come about in the spirit of a person entirely different from them, in appearance and such.”

“That... is really confusing,” Makoto said, shaking her head. “Maybe I shouldn't have asked.”

“It is foolish anyway,” Luna said, standing up. “There must be an enemy behind the actions of the guardian senshi, and that enemy must be stopped, for their sake and everyone else's sake!”

“For New V's, too,” Minako added quietly. “Are we going to continue with the plan for the dance?”

“Yes,” Usagi answered, much to everyone's surprise. She hadn't been happy or goofy about it like she should have been, but rather serious and somber. “The guardian senshi first attacked the school, and Sailor New V is from there. That school has at least one answer, and we are going to find it!”

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“This is very upsetting,” Sailor Magellanus complained. “Sailor Venus got away! Alive! All because of that stupid fake senshi!”

“Now now, Magellanus,” comforted a sweet voiced senshi with long, red hair swept to her left side. “All in good time. Venus will be destroyed, just like all the others, then our real revenge will begin.”

“And I'm sure you'll make it delicious, yes Marineros?” Magellanus said, a dark twinkle in her eye.

“I'll certainly try,” Marineros said, taking her companion's shoulder. “Of course, they need perfecting...” She glanced to the side, where a pink-haired senshi sat with her knees drawn to her chest, staring at her hand as it bled. She had a look of ecstasy on her face as she watched the gleaming blood flow. She rolled her head to look at Marineros, a twinkle appearing in her intact left eye. “Are you volunteering, Charonus?”

“Oh, I most certainly am,” Charonus said in a droning voice.

“Ugh, they disgust me,” Mirandas said as she turned and marched down the hall. Tritonus followed quietly, loyally, and above all still-like, as though she were a statue on wheels. “Torture and blood, is that their idea of power?”

“Power, power, power,” chanted a nasally voice. “Is that all you ever think about?”

“Shut it, Ionus,” Mirandas said irritably, passing by the petite senshi without missing a beat. The small senshi stepped out and followed Mirandas.

“You could learn a thing or two from them,” the gray-purple-haired Ionus said as she followed. “They know how to relax, though... I wouldn't recommend relaxing as they do.” Ionus shuddered.

“I cannot relax,” Mirandas said as she stormed into the small room where they tried to hold meetings. “I want them all dead!”

“Marineros, Magellanus, and Charonus?” Ionus asked.

“NO!” Mirandas screamed. “The senshi of the Silver Moon! Those spoiled, pompous, arrogant bitches! I want to see them all dead, their heads on lances!”

“Now now, is there need for such primitive, foul language?” Ionus asked.

“Shut the hell up!” Mirandas shouted, grabbing Ionus by the hair. She instantly paid for this when a booming soundwave struck her side, throwing her into a tapestry that fell and covered her.

“Hands off,” said a gruff voice.

“Dearest Titanus, how do you hide so well?” Tritonus asked. A tall senshi with ragged-cut hair stepped into the sparse light. She looked at Tritonus with a surprised look.

“Have you been here all along?” she asked. Tritonus gave a shallow nod. “Well next time, keep your whore's hands off of Ionus.” She turned and walked away, Ionus following smugly behind. Mirandas briskly fought with the tapestry. She then tore it off, enraged as she looked around.

“They are gone,” Tritonus said. Mirandas growled as she stood.

“If it weren't for that damned seal, I'd have run her through with a lance by now,” she said. “The sooner I have my revenge, the better.”

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“Karen... Karen? Karen!” She gasped softly and opened her eyes. Everything was dark and blurry, except for a pair of blue eyes behind silver-framed glasses. “Oh thank goodness, you're finally awake!”

“Tenka?” Karen blinked, everything coming into focus now. It was... a bedroom she was in, but it wasn't hers. “Where am I?”

Tenka let out a sigh. “My room,” she said. “Oh Karen, I was so worried! I was just sitting in my living room when this sailor senshi showed up on my balcony and said you needed help. I went downstairs and you were just about passed out on the street!”

“Your...” Karen was confused. “You mean, I wasn't in front of my building?” Tenka shook her head, her blond hair shaking in messy waves.

“No, mine,” she said. “The senshi helped me get you up here. I insisted you needed to go to the hospital, but she said you couldn't go, that there would be no way to explain what happened and that for that very reason, I couldn't call your parents either!” Tenka took in a deep breath and sighed, then looked at Karen. “Karen, what happened to you?” Karen closed her eyes.

“I... can't remember,” she said. It was still a blur. “I remember... a raven-haired senshi...”

“Long hair, all tied up in braids and loops, right?” Tenka finished. Karen opened her eyes and looked at her. “She wore an outfit that was different from the normal senshi. It was brown, red, and purple, with black-”

“-Pearls around her neck and shoulders,” Karen finished. Tenka nodded. Karen sat up quickly, much to Tenka's dismay. Karen didn't care, though. She hadn't seen more than the strange senshi's hair, but she had a bad feeling about her. The colors, the black beads... the same as the evil senshi that had attacked the good senshi.

She looked over at Tenka and smiled. “It is all right,” she said reassuringly. “I'm sure this senshi just... saved me, like the other senshi do. I was just taking a walk, so I must have been attacked by a... a monster or something. I'm sure it will be all right. In fact, I feel better already, and ready to take on the dance head-on!” She raised a clenched fist for effect, but Tenka didn't seem convinced. She smiled nonetheless, though, and nodded, but then frowned.

“Are you sure you'll be all right?” she asked. “Do you think you'll be able to go to school tomorrow? What will you say to you parents about where you've been?” Karen shrugged.

“I'm not worried about school, dad's at work, and I can just tell mom I stayed the night with you to get homework done. She'll scold me for not giving more warning, but she'll get over it.”

-------

The gates of Sougyokyuu Gakuen were wide open, welcoming any and all students to it grand recreation center. The tables were to the sides, the computers and game tables were out of sight, and the lights were low as the latest music was played through the speakers all around the room. It was very full, with a good boy-to-girl ratio that kept the girls busy. Usagi and Makoto were all over, having a hard time focusing on their mission. Rei was a little more cautious about whom she associated with, while Michiru and Haruka kept to themselves. Minako was nowhere to be seen just yet, clearly being as fashionably late as Setsuna and Hotaru had planned to be. Ami kept herself resigned to the sides, where she was quickly to strike up a conversation with a student “planted” to offer information on joining the academy. After that topic had expired, however, the student wandered off and Ami was left alone again. She felt awkward being alone. She sighed after several minutes and continued to walk along the perimeter of the dance area.

Across the dance floor from Ami was Karen, in a strapless blue dress that Tenka had objected to from the moment Karen had picked it up in the store. It hadn't stopped Karen from buying it, but a large bruise on Karen's shoulder over her heart had nearly done Tenka's job for her. It was the only physical reminder of Karen's lucky night, and nearly prevented Karen from wearing the dress. She eventually decided to wear it, but made sure to wear a jacket over it so her mother would neither see the bruise nor the lack of straps.

“Are you sure you'll be all right?” Tenka asked again. Karen sighed.

“I'll be fine,” she said. “Now, are you going to talk to the 'prospects' or not?” Karen referred to the prospective new students Tenka was supposed to be talking to. The only problem was Tenka's... lack of confidence.

“Ugh, not really,” Tenka said. “I don't know why I signed up for this!”

“Because you're a genius and you're the perfect spokesperson for the school,” Karen said. She spied a cute boy wearing a pin that noted him as not being of their school. “Now, go!” She gave Tenka shove, practically throwing her friend at the cute boy. Tenka stopped herself before falling, but had already caught the boy's attention. She looked back at Karen, who winked before disappearing into the crowd. Tenka sighed and put on a smile, trying to hide the cartwheels in her stomach.

Karen carefully squeezed herself through the crowd, getting herself to a small opening. She sighed and gently touched the bruise. She winced and groaned. “What was that for?” Karen turned around to see Amber Dallas, her long blond hair braided and draped over her bare shoulder.

“Oh, hello Amber,” Karen said. “What was what?”

“That,” Amber said, putting her hands on her hips. “That wince, that pain. You go and hurt yourself?” She raised an eyebrow at Karen, who shook her head hurriedly.

“No, no, why do you ask?” she asked.

“Well... I couldn't help but notice Tenka hanging onto you like a- Well, she's always like that.” Amber laughed, but her usual snobby demeanor quickly disappeared. “Okay, when you came in I saw that big ugly bruise.” She pointed at Karen, and undoubtedly where the bruise was. “You've been a little off your game, too. I noticed you turned down three dances. THREE!”

“I could say you're a little off tonight, too,” Karen quickly retorted. “Where's your escorts? They aren't hanging onto you like... what were you going to say about Tenka again?” Amber sighed disgustedly.

“They're gone,” she said. “I got tired of them hanging around all of the time.” Amber then crossed her arms and gave Karen a strange, almost knowing look. “Are you sure you're okay?” Karen turned her head, her eyes never leaving Amber's. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was definitely up.

The contact broke when someone suddenly bumped into Amber, pushing her into Karen. Amber put her hands out instinctively, but this put one right on the bruise. Karen gave a short cry out, prompting Amber to immediately jump back.

“Oh, sorry about that!” called a bubbly voice. Karen and Amber both looked as a spinning blond quickly disappeared into the crowd. Karen recognized her as the girl who ran over her at the temple, where the birds had been...

Karen shook her head, then noticed Amber staring at her. “I am so sorry,” Amber said, and to Karen's surprise she sounded... sincere.

“We apologize as well,” said an elegant voice. “Our friend can be clumsy at the best of times.” Karen looked over her shoulder and immediately jumped back in surprise. It was the two women from the previous night, the ones who had transformed into senshi!

“We have a few of those around here, too” Amber said. “Are you prospective students?”

“Actually, yes,” the elegant one said. “Well, mostly me, but I don't usually go anywhere without Haruka.” She took a hold of the arm of a tall blond-haired boy with blue eyes.

“Well, let me be the first to welcome you to our school...” Amber waved a hand, signaling the woman to continue.

“Oh, Michiru,” she said. “Michiru Kaiou.”

“Ahhh!” The girls all gasped at the sudden blood-curdling screams that shattered the atmosphere of the dance. Almost instantly the music stopped, and following that the room began to clear. Karen waded against the current until coming to the now-empty dance floor, where at the edge was Tenka and another girl, both in the clutches of senshi dressed like Mirandas and Tritonus.

“Tenka!” Karen shouted.

“Ami!” Karen turned to see Michiru and Haruka right behind her and... Amber? Karen turned to look back at Tenka, but didn't make it all the way around before... “Darkness Escalation!” She felt herself get lifted up by what felt like thousands of small fingers. She was thrown backward into the air with great force. She landed on the floor and skidded under a table. She shook her head and lifted the table skirt.

Tenka was in the hands of an evil senshi in black and red with pink hair and an eyepatch. The other girl, whom Karen recognized as the blue-haired girl from the dress store, was in the clutches of a woman with long red hair that was swept to the side. Karen dropped the skirt and pulled her pen from the small dress pocket, a feature that had to be there when she picked it out. She looked at it, her hand beginning to shake. She gripped it more tightly and closed her eyes.

“I am a senshi, I swore to protect Sougyokyuu Gakuen and everyone in it.” She opened her eyes. “Especially my best friend! New V Power, Transform!”

“Haruka, did you hear that?” Michiru asked. She and Haruka were crouched behind one of the large decorative plants.

“Yeah, I did,” Haruka said, peering around. “New V.” She then looked at Ami, who was pulling at the hands of the senshi who hand her, gripping so hard she was drawing blood. Haruka lifted her pen, followed by Michiru. “Uranus Planet Power, make-up!”

“Neptune Planet Power, make-up!”

“You hear that, Marineros?” Charonus asked, twisting the arm of the squirming blond in her arms. “Sailor Senshi are about.”

“Well of course,” Marineros said. “I have one in my grasp, the others won't be far behind. In fact I...”

“Marineros, Charonus!” A gasping Sailor Magellanus suddenly appeared in front of them. She had blood running all down her front from a bleeding nose and lip.

“What happened?!” Charonus yelled.

“Venus wasn't alone,” Magellanus said. “She had Saturn, and Pluto too! They're coming!”

“Pluto, eh?” Charonus said, licking her lips.

“Not now,” Marineros said, turning and reducing her grip on Ami to one hand as Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune stepped up. They were followed by Moon, Jupiter, and Mars. “We have company.”

“Put her down!” Moon shouted, stepping up to the front of the group. “Put her down now!”

“Oh, I can't do that,” Marineros said as Magellanus stepped to her right side next to Mercury. Charonus stepped to her left, a firm grip still on Tenka. “See, I have plans for her. I've been practicing my very best torture techniques just for her, and I don't plan on them going to waste.” Charonus giggled, giving Tenka's arm another twist. The poor girl let out a yelp.

“Let her go!” All heads turned as Sailor New V stepped into sight, her fish mirror aimed right at Charonus. “Let her go, bitch!”

“Ooo, sounds like you've had a few too many goes with Mirandas,” Charonus said. “Picking up her language, eh?”

“I won't say it again,” New V said. “Let. Her. Go. Now.” Charonus smiled and flung Tenka forward.

“Go ahead, she won't be nearly as fun to play with as Pluto will be.”

As though cued, a chorus of voices filled the room, and everything that could happen did happen in a span of half a minute.

Pluto, Saturn, and Venus made their presences known as Venus and Pluto combined their attacks onto Saturn's Glaive, which added power to the attack before shooting it tightly at Marineros' back. She dropped Ami in surprise, instantly prompting Uranus and Neptune to combine their attacks at Marineros while Jupiter and Mars attacked Magellanus and New V attacked Charonus. The three evil senshi flew backward together. Pluto and Venus had to duck as Marineros flew overhead. They hit the wall as New V ran at Tenka, but was interrupted by a cyclone from Sailor Mirandas. She lifted into the air, twirling and hitting the ceiling as Tritonus' water wrapped around the senshi, anchoring them to the floor. New V hit the floor still spinning, coming to a stop as Sailor Titanus grabbed the back of Tenka's neck and lifted her up. New V panted and tried to make everything stop spinning.

“What an unfortunate turn of fate,” Mirandas said. Tritonus was at her side, still as ever, while Ionus stood near Titanus. New V opened her eyes and looked up at Tenka, who whimpered in the tall senshi's grasp. “Sailor New V, you survived. How... unfortunate for you. You would have been better off dying earlier, because now girl, your friend perhaps, gets to suffer and die before you. Do it Titans.”

“I'd rather not waste my strength,” Titanus said. “I won't take much to break Saturn in half, but I want to use all I have in destroying her.” Titanus looked at Tenka. “Marineros likes to torture, I'll let her have the pleasure.”

“No!” New V shouted. She jumped up onto one knee, but went no further as the familiar cold weights wrapped around her arms and legs.

“I agree,” Mirandas said. “I'd rather she die now, in front of this fake senshi.” Mirandas approached Titanus as New V objected.

“I am NOT a fake senshi!” she shouted. “I am going to do some real damage to you because I am a real senshi!”

“I heartily agree!” Mirandas stopped in her tracks, freezing as solidly as the other guardian senshi.

“It can't be,” Titanus whispered. Ionus shook her head.

“It's impossible...”

“Nothing is impossible, Ionus,” said the voice again. “After all, if maniacs like all of you could become senshi, then nothing is impossible.”

Mirandas spun around almost feverishly. Everyone else looked around in confusion as well. Who was speaking? The guardians didn't want to believe it was who they thought it was, and besides them only Tenka knew the voice.

“PhobosDeimosian, help!” she cried. Titanus shook Tenka violently in response.

“What did you say?!” she shouted

“Corrosive Ashen Veil!” The senshi gasped as the room was suddenly enveloped in gray ash. They couldn't see through it and they dared not breath, but the ash lasted so long that they had no choice. It was then that they found it was safe, and they also found the ash dissolving the watery bindings. They soon heard choking and coughing through the ash, and then there was silence. The ash faded away, until all was clear again. The evil guardian senshi were gone, except for one that hadn't been there before. To the surprise of the senshi, this one was helping Tenka and New V onto their feet. Tenka was gripping the senshi's arm, sobbing and shaking her head. “Shh, shh,” the senshi said, brushing her long raven-colored hair away from the crying teen. “It is all right now. You are safe now.”

“Who- Who are you?” New V asked, standing up warily. This senshi looked just like the evil senshi, but hadn't she just saves them? The senshi smiled.

“I am Sailor PhobosDeimosion, guardian of the planet Mars and the only loyal guardian left.”