Mars condensed into existence outside the Tsukino household. Inside, she could hear voices- worried ones, no doubt talking about her. Of course, they were either too dumb or too blind to be worried about Mercury- but she would take care of that. In the meantime, it would be best to let them stew. After al€TXDan Kingsbury Dan Kingsbury--------------79FE2E751581 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline; filename="Darkfa~4.doc" by Ursula Owen/Tsukino Ureshii no Uma/Sailor Ursa (flames et al. go to Urs @ apops@ix.netcom.com) Doo tsuzukimasu ka? Muun to Juupita wa kaiten no chooryuu ni mukau. ***AUTHOR’S NOTE!*** As you may well have noticed, things are going from bad to worse with our friends the sailor senshi. Well, it’s not letting up now! If you don’t like hearing about this sort of thing, don’t read anymore, especially if you’re a Lita/Makoto/Sailor Jupiter fan, ‘cuz you are _not_ going to like this episode. Disclaimers: As always, this story is mine (and ain’t no one gonna argue with _that_), but all characters are property of Naoko Takeuchi et al. *GLOSSARY* -Chan: honorific Haha: familiar word for mother (no, Sailor Moon is not laughing at the most inappropriate times!) Hai: Yes Iie/Iiya: No Jiisan: Grandfather/old man (polite) Kome: Uncooked rice Kurii: Curry Masaka: Certainly not (rough equivalent of “No way!” or just plain “No!”) Miruku: Milk Moshimoshi: Hello (phone greeting only) Musume: Daughter Nani: What? Nori: Seaweed Ocha: Tea Ojoosan: Daughter (polite) Okaasan: Mother (polite) Onna-no-kotachi: Young ladies, girls Outré: French- means 'too much' -Sama: honorific Suupaa: Supermarket (in 'A Curried Favor,' this is what the large katakana above the door say.) Warui: evil Yuujin-san: honored friend *** Cold and alone, I wait. The marble halls of this palace have grown chill with silence, since the beginning of the war on Earth, and no party or parade can dispel the fog of fear and forlornness clouding my mind, or fill the void that looms closer with every moment I’m away from him. I sigh as I remember the one name that brings light to this dark place; Endymion. Like magic, his image appears before my eyes, and I can almost hear the soft rhythm of his breath. It is so convincing an illusion that I reach out, tempted to forget my legacy and everything it implies and plunge into his arms. If only it were possible. I look to the east and see the Earth rising, a shining blue orb in the abyss. But it’s not just blue- through the wispy clouds I can see green, and brown- so many colors when compared to the gray and white of the Moon. The seas, though, are almost as deep a blue as his eyes, and I try to let that blue fill me up, that and the memory of his real eyes, shining with joy or sorrow (I can never _quite_ tell which). “Oh, Endymion,” I whisper, wishing the words to him a thousand times over. “Why haven’t you visited me- don’t you care? Have you forgotten just as I prayed you wouldn’t?” There is no reply. *** I shivered as I heard the door slam shut behind Minako, and looked up to see Luna and Artemis gazing at me intently while Makoto stood in the window, watching our friend walk away. I wished that someone, anyone would speak, to break the silence that Minna’s abandonment had cast over us. Still there was silence, and I realized that, in my concern for her, I might have doomed all of the Sailor Senshi to darkness. “So what is this- secret that you’ve found out about Sailor Moon?” Endymion said, trying to conceal his aversion as Shadow Sailor Mars appeared. “Have you ever wondered why she continues to tolerate your presence, never fighting you? Why she is always so eager to trust you?” Mars sidled up to him, her expression sardonic. “No- the girl is obviously an idiot. The Empyrean Crystal must have addled her brains.” “Seriously, Prince Endymion. Sailor Moon has never faced you in a fight, not once, and neither have any of the other Sailor Senshi.” Endymion looked at her sharply, but her face was hidden from him. So she no longer includes herself in that group... he thought to himself. “Before Queen Beryl returned my memories, she said that Tuxedo Kamen was a friend of the Sailor Scouts, that he fought along their side.” He wished she’d just spit it out- he had no patience for Mars’ mind games. “But Sailor Moon in particular- why she always seems so crushed when you show up and don’t join the Senshi in fighting- when you always know about the youma and try to steal the Empyrean Crystal again? Haven’t you ever wondered?” He gritted his teeth. “Yes, Mars, of course. Now are you going to tell me why or continue to play psychologist for a few more hours?” Mars grinned. How she loved annoying Beryl’s lackeys! “Of course I’ll tell you, Endymion! After all, if you can use this information- and only you can- then we’ll all be going back home a lot quicker.” “We?” Endymion perked an eyebrow. “I meant- the sailor senshi and I.” “Of course.” He tucked that little slip of the tongue away for later scrutiny. “So what’s the big secret?” “Well-” “Out with it, Mars! I’ve got no time for your superiority complex!” “She believes she’s in love with you.” In the following silence, Endymion gaped at Mars. “She what?” “And in a sense she may be. Before I turned, she spoke to me of a hole, a void in her life that she believed only you will fill.” “So she’s insane and suicidal as well as terminally stupid.” “When I was watching the senshi today, I took a peek into her mind and saw that what she had said was true. There truly is a ‘hole in her heart’, which remains empty- and seems to be attuned to your- aura, if you will.” At any other time, Endymion would have laughed at the use of such words, but now he only stared, trying to process the information that had been pressed upon him. “And you know this how?” he managed to gasp. “Let’s just say that 10 years of priestess training don’t go for nothing.” Too much, he thought, and carefully gathered his shattered expectations. “So Sailor Moon has a crush. So what?” “You can use this to your advantage! The girl believes that you will rememb- realize that she loves you, someday, and love her in return. A little kissing, a few tender words, and she might believe...” Mars shrugged and left the sentence hanging. Endymion considered the idea for a moment. “I’ll think about it.” Mars smiled and disappeared. “And then there were two,” Luna muttered, her eyes dark and beginning to water as she sat outside and watched the sun set. It might be setting on the Sailor Senshi, for all she knew, and what could she do? In the end, a cat could only do so much, even a special, speaking guardian cat like herself. And where would she go when all the Senshi were gone? Maybe, maybe she could start over- find other senshi, maybe- no. There were no other senshi, at least not now, and if all of the Sailor Senshi turned, she might as well just go off someplace quiet and cover her crescent moon back up, become a normal cat again. No matter that she would be unable to speak, unable to remember- she’d rather not remember the defeat of Sailor Moon. “Luna-chan,” Artemis whispered softly, settling down next to her, “we can get them back. We only know that Rei has been turned for good, and I bet that a good dose of moon healing will bring her back. We just can’t give up hope, that’s all.” “Oh, Artemis, can’t you see? It was the healing that turned her in the first place! She was normal- herself- until Usagi healed her!” “I don’t understand- how could it have been like that? The crystal has never done anything like that before.” “I don’t know! Maybe- maybe there’s something remaining of the evil that Queen Serenity trapped in the crystal. She didn’t defeat it, only trapped it, and it could still be there. But why- why our senshi? I don’t understand why it would have happened like this, now. Why our senshi?” Luna began to cry and Artemis put a paw around her shoulders. Slowly, like a soul coming home, she leaned against him, shaking with sobs that had been held back for too long. He wanted to whisper words of support, encouragement, hope, but knew that there were none. “Usagi-chan?” I looked up to see my mother’s concerned face peeking around the door frame. “Hai?” I don’t know whether she saw the strain on my face- who can tell what a parent is thinking?- but she clucked her tongue softly and began to pick up the clothes I had left scattered around my room. “What is it, okaasan?” After a few more moments, she tossed the armful of clothing she had collected into my hamper and stood up. “Well, musume, I was thinking we could go get you some new clothes, though-” and she gave me a disapproving look, “-you seem to have trouble enough dealing with the ones you have.” I disentangled myself from my comforter and half-crawled, half-stumbled out of bed. “Okay, mom.” _A distraction would be very welcome right now, God knows,_ I thought, and followed her downstairs. He slid through the crowd like a hot knife through butter- all black clothing and black shades concealing a deeper darkness. No one dared to stop him or get in his way, with his height. He was free to pursue the girl as she and some older, blue-haired woman -possibly her mother?- went shopping. He knew that Mars was laughing at him for pursuing Sailor Moon like this instead of just coming upon her in bed one night, but he had to ascertain the girl’s loyalties first. Would she truly believe that he had ‘returned’ to her? Or would she scream for help? There could be no risks taken, and so he would keep silent and shadow her, and perhaps make contact. He would take no chances. “How about this one, Usagi?” My mother held up a long white dress with scalloped sleeves and an embroidered bodice. “You’ve been drawing little doodles of one almost exactly like it for weeks now...” I looked up from my intense scrutiny of the floor and stared. That dress... “I don’t know, Mom,” I said at last, averting my eyes. “I don’t think it’s my size.” “Oh, come on, musume,” she urged me. “You’ll look just like a princess!” I gave a small, strangled noise. “Haha...” It came out as a groan, and I turned away to hide the tears welling in my eyes. “I don’t want to.” “For me, ojoosan? Please?” She pressed the dress into my hands and led me over to one of the dressing rooms. “It’ll only take a moment.” I went inside and shut the door, starting to shake as the world spun around me. Why? Why did everything have to remind me of him? Resignedly, I began pulling on the dress. Endymion felt her, alone and nearby, for some reason, even though she had entered the department store half an hour ago and not come out since. Now's my chance, he thought, and flashed out of existence behind a nearby potted plant. One of the mall’s maintenance personnel stared, thought about telling one of his superiors, then remembered the mall’s strict drug use policy and decided that the man’s disappearance would remain ‘their little secret.’ When at last I had the warui thing on, I braced myself and looked in the mirror. But I wasn’t in it. Instead, _he_ was there, his arms outstretched, his face just as I remembered it- and his eyes, just as I had dreamed them... “End- Endymion?” I reached out to him, but felt cold glass between us. “Princess...” he whispered, and my breath caught in my throat. “It’s- it’s you, isn’t it?” His voice was faint and hollow, as if coming from a great distance, and I wondered if maybe I was going insane. “How- how can this be?” “Princess, I’ve spent too long in darkness. There’s hope for me- but only with you.” Joy flooded through me- he’d come back, just as I’d known he would! Just as I’d prayed, he’d remembered. As if reading my mind, he whispered, “You’re just as I remember you- just as beautiful, just as perfect...” I blushed. There was silence, for a moment, and I saw him reaching out a hand, just as I had dreamed it. “Usagi-chan?” My mother’s loud voice shattered the moment. “Usagi- you’re taking an awful long time in there, dear. What’s wrong?” My prince disappeared, and instead there was only me, standing in the mirror looking like a princess with her heart broken. I began tugging the dress off. “I’ll be out in a moment, haha!” I called, and got quickly back into my street clothes. When I came out, she asked, “Why aren’t you wearing the dress?” “It didn’t fit,” I mumbled, and dragged her out of the store. Endymion laughed. So Mars’ story had been true- once he made real contact with Sailor Moon, she would be his forever. Not an unpleasant prospect, actually. And _she_ had been the girl from the hot springs! Finally, all the discontinuities were coming together. But why had she looked so familiar in that dress? And why had he said those words- words of tenderness, words of love? He had intended to stay silent and watch her, not speak... Perhaps he had seen the moon princess before, and perhaps-... He searched back through his recovered memories, but could find nothing. _Damn!_ With every new answer came new questions. Ami picked up the phone. She had a feeling- an intuition, albeit, but she would be a fool not to follow it up. If there was one thing she never wanted to be again, it was a fool. She dialed the number for Aino Minako’s house. “Moshimoshi, Aino residence, Minako speaking, how may I help you?” “Um- Mina-chan?” “Konnichi wa, Ami-chan. Are you-” “Yes. And you?” “Yes.” “Have you gotten any- offers? From the Dark Kingdom?” She heard Minako gasp. “Yes! You too?” “Mm-hm.” “And are you going to-” “I’m not sure. I might go, just to check it out, but I think that there’s something going on, something that Beryl might not want us to know.” “Definitely. I mean, she can’t really just want us for this one thing. What if she plans on- somehow retaining us, for further use? I don’t trust her.” “Neither do I.” There was a long pause. Then, “Mina-chan?” “Yes?” “Do you- remember the change?” “Yes. It was very unclear in my mind, though. All of a sudden, that big hole I had blown in me just filled right up- but with something different. It scared the hell out of me, but of course I didn’t talk about it. It’s like I can’t talk about it anymore. Outré weird, don’t you think?” “To say the least! I can remember mine quite vividly- I was burnt all over, and then, just like magic or a really fine mist settling over me, the burning feeling was gone- replaced by something else- something that felt very heavy and dark. It didn’t hurt anymore, but I felt really odd- like there was something driving me to get away from them, and find the people I belonged with.” “Do you think that those people are in the Dark Kingdom, Ami-chan?” “I don’t know. I think that maybe those people are working for the Dark Kingdom, but they don’t give allegiance to it. I think that we’re looking for others like us, who're been turned. You know, those people that got turned into youma aren’t the same as us. They didn’t know- they were sort of pushed to the back of their minds, while we’re still here, still ourselves, just- different.” “Right.” Another pause. “Ami-chan, this is going to sound like a weird question, but- what do you want? Now that you’re changed?” “I-” Ami paused for a long moment, then gasped. “I-” Again she stopped. “You mean- you too?” “Yes.” There were some things too terrible to be spoken. “So you think this is where we’ll find her?” Minako asked, her eyes wide as they walked up to the temple. Ami nodded. They continued up the steps, then in through the courtyard. “Hey, girls!” The two girls jumped as Rei’s grampa suddenly landed in front of them. “How are you doing? Want to work for me? I mean, now that Rei’s not working for me anymore, I could use a few nice-looking- I mean, capable young ladies like yourselves to help out!” Minako glanced at Ami, then laughed. “Sorry, jiisan, but we’re not interested. We’re just here to speak to Rei.” Rei’s grampa gave them a disappointed glance before saying, “Okay, fine. She’s in the shrine. But you might not want to disturb her- she’s been in a rotten mood, lately! She won’t even speak to me!” They gave each other significant glances, then began to go inside. Gramps followed them with his eyes, shouting, “But if you ever need a job- come right back!” “Mars!” Queen Beryl called as she scanned the crowd of courtiers. “Mars, come forward!” Shadow Sailor Mars appeared in a puff of smoke before the throne. “Yes, Queen Beryl?” she said, making a perfunctory bow. “Have you made any progress with the other sailor senshi? Have any more of them been turned fully?” “No, liege.” Queen Beryl frowned. Would the girl admit her uselessness so quickly? “Then what have you been doing for all this time, might I ask?” “Certainly.” Mars smiled brightly at Queen Beryl, and she gritted her teeth. “I’ve been fostering fear and panic.” One of the youma courtiers chuckled. “What good will that do us? I want the senshi turned, not scared!” “Well, Beryl-sama, if the remaining senshi won’t fight me, then it makes my job that much easier, doesn’t it?” “Did you plan on completing _my_ plan any time soon?” “Certainly, Queen Beryl, and I was about to have Mercury and Venus join me when you called me.” “Then get them over to our side, and quickly! We have no time to spare on this venture! I am planning a campaign against Earth very soon, and I do not need these delays!” “Yes, Queen.” “You may-” Queen Beryl stopped as she realized that Mars had already melted into the shadows. “Now, onna-no-kotachi,” Luna said firmly as Mako and I sat, despondent, on the floor of her living room, “We’ve got to stay together at all times. We can’t let them catch us separated, because then we’ll certainly be doomed. What that means, girls, is that you two remain in the same place, on alert. Probably already as senshi. Sailor Moon, you should have your moon stick on standby. We can’t take any chances. We mustn’t let them get any more of us.” We both nodded. “Rei?” Ami called as they stepped into the incense-perfumed darkness of the shrine. At first, they couldn’t see anything, but gradually, as their eyes adjusted to the blackness, they made out the silhouette of Rei, standing next to a brazier full of glowing coals. “Konnichi wa, yuujin-san,” she said. “So you finally decided to show up.” “Well, we didn’t really have anywhere else to go.” “Still, you came through.” Rei turned away from them. “Huh?” Minako inquired intelligently. “So are you going to help me to fight Sailor Moon and Jupiter? I can do it alone, of course, but it’d be nice to have you guys at my side.” “Well-” Minako glanced at Ami and sighed. “Do we have a choice?” “No.” Mars smiled. “I guess you don’t.” “So, Jupiter- do you think that maybe you guys had princes too, in the Silver Millennium?” In the depressing silence, I could think of nothing else to say. Mako looked slightly startled that I had spoken. “I don’t know- I mean, we weren’t princesses, so we probably didn’t rate them. Maybe we got nobles or something.” She gave a dolorous sigh and settled her head in her hands. “I think you rate a prince. After all, you guys were, like, so huge back then. You were like- generals or something. Plus, you’d get one for sure. I mean. you are way pretty.” “I don’t know.” She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. “I mean, sometimes I wonder if it’s really that important, having a guy, I mean.” She paused, then laughed. “Then, of course, Motoki walks by and I think ‘The hell it isn’t important!’” We both laughed. “But- I mean, Motoki’s the boy next door- he’s always polite to me, treats me like I’m not just some stupid kid. I never could understand why you were stuck on Tuxedo Kamen, when he treated you like dirt a lot of the time, and we never knew which side he was on. Now, of course, I kind of understand- but not quite.” She rolled over again, and turned to face me. “Why do you keep on after him? I mean, he’s totally evil and stuff.” I sighed. “Hai, I s'pose so, but- there are times when he shows up- like at the ice skating rink, or the hot springs, and he’ll say something like ‘Nice to see you again, Sailor Moon,’ and for an instant I’ll think- He’s come back. I won him back.” Mako crushed me in a huge bear hug. “I know,” she said, “I know exactly.” It was nice to know, and I did know, that she understood. At last she got up. “I’m going to go make something to eat,” she stated firmly. “In times like this, one needs food.” She walked assertively into the kitchen, ignoring the glare Luna gave her as she went. “Now is when we get her.” Mars laughed as Minako and Ami gave her confused looks. “Surely you didn’t think that you would get through this without hurting her, did you?” she asked, her mouth twisted in a cruel smile. “Well,” Mina said, her eyes lowered, “we had kind of hoped...” “Hoping is not what you’re being hired for,” Mars asserted. “Now- I’ll trap Sailor Moon, while you get Jupiter. Make it long, and painful. That’s part of the plan.” “Funny,” Mina said hostilely, “I don’t remember anyone mentioning that as part of the plan. I only remember ‘Wound her and get out.’” “This is part of _my_ plan, Venus,” the shadow sailor replied. “We have to drive Sailor Moon into Endymion's arms. Where she’ll stay. Sailor Moon has no willpower without her friends- when Endymion takes her in, she won’t be able to leave him. She’ll be in the Dark Kingdom’s power forever.” “And when she’s there?” Ami insisted. “I thought this whole thing was so that we could live in peace, not sell out Usagi.” Mars gave a low, harsh laugh. “You’ve already sold out yourself, Mercury,” she said. “It’s only a matter of time, now.” Mina and Ami were too horrified to respond. “Let’s see- I’ve got nori- (plenty of nori)- and kome, miruku, curii- what can I possibly make? I’ve got no veggies- Luna!” Mako slammed the door to the fridge in frustration. “Nani, Jupiter?” “Can’t I go get some food from the suupaa? There’s nothing to make!” “Iie, Jupiter, we have to stick together!” “I’ll get some super glue, too!” “Iiya!” Makoto collapsed in a chair with a discontented sigh. “What’s a girl supposed to do around here, if not cook?” “Keep on her guard!" "You know, Luna, this is a real piece of brilliance. What happens if someone walks by and happens to see Sailor Jupiter pacing in the kitchen?" "That's why we keep the curtains closed, Mako-chan!" "Luna!" I called from the other room, my face beginning to bead with sweat. "_Nani_, Sailor Moon?" "Can I _please_ go to the bathroom?" I heard Luna give out a small, kitten meow. "Yes, Sailor Moon. Just don't take too long." I jetted for the facilities while Jupiter continued to gripe about our supply situation. "So go!" Mars cried all of a sudden, her voice crackling with anger. Ami and Minako complied, their eyes hard and determined. "Fighting evil by moonlight... Mm hm hm hm hm hm hm hm hm-hmm..." I scrubbed at my hands with the soap and tried to remove a marker stain from earlier that day. How was I supposed to be Sailor Moon, I reasoned, with my hands all different colors? Wait a minute- I stopped, thought about it for a moment, and cracked up. Moon prism power, make up?!?! I was rolling on the floor, my sides practically splitting with laughter, when suddenly I heard a loud *click*. I tried the door- it was locked. "Mako?" I yelled, my mood suddenly crashing. "Mako-chan, this isn't funny!" There was no reply. "I suppose I could call the suupaa and ask them to deliver,” Mako continued, to herself. “Then again, the delivery boy might be kinda surprised to have Sailor Jupiter answer the door.” She stopped, then grinned. “Then _again_, he _might_ be kinda _cute_!” She grabbed the phone book and began paging through it. “Juuban Suupaa, Juuban Suupaa....” “4325-8671,” said a voice from behind her. “Oh, arigatoo, Luna!” Mako dropped the book and stretched over the counter trying to reach the phone. Someone behind her laughed. “Nani?” she asked in irritation as the phone continued to evade her. “Nothing,” came the voice, tinged with amusement. “I was just trying to imagine what you’d look like with a Venus Crescent Beam through your chest.” “Mina-chan?” Makoto spun around to see both Minako and Ami standing before her, shaking with silent laughter. “What- what are you doing here?” She stood, her mouth wide open for a moment, then asked the next question that came to mind. “Would you like some ocha?” They began to chuckle again. Makoto felt her face slowly turn red. “Well?” she asked impatiently. “What’re you laughing at? Answer me!” “No, Mako, we don’t want any of your ocha,” Ami gasped at last. “Then what are you here for? Hmm? Are you still on our side?” Impatience gripped her, and she began to get the boiling feeling she did whenever some one was making fun of her. “No, Mako, sorry to dissappoint you, but we’re only here to show off.” Minako said the words with a kind of breezy arrogance that made Mako’s eyes narrow and her hands clench into fists. “Well, no matter what you’re here for, you’re not going to get me, or Sailor Moon! It’s not going to happen, so you can just leave now before I get mad!” “Oh, and what’re you going to do?” Ami taunted her. “Face it, Jupiter- we’re much more powerful than you now, and there’s nothing that you _can_ do against us!” “Hai? Well, Ami-_chan_, you’ve got another thing coming, because no matter how powerful you may think you are, I can always beat you to a pulp!” Jupiter paused, and her head dropped as she thought for a moment. When at last she raised it, her eyes were full of tears. “Guys,” she said, “what are we doing talking like this? We’re the Sailor Senshi! We fight for love and justice, not against eachother!” She held out a hand to each of them. “Come on- no matter what the Dark Kingdom has done to you, they can’t have brainwashed you free of friendship!” Minako and Ami stared at her for a moment- then each slowly extended a hand. “Oh, guys!” Mako’s voice cracked. “I knew that you wouldn’t betray us-” She stopped short as each of them withdrew their hands. Left in hers were their transformation pens. “Masaka!” “You see, Jupiter,” Ami shrugged as both she and Minako lifted their hands skyward, “we remember friendship. We just have better things to do with our time.” Mako gave a choked sob as her two former friends cried “Mercury Shadow Power, Make Up!” “Venus Shadow Power, Make Up!” Ami was enveloped in a cloud of ice crystals as Minako cast a handful of fine, orange dust around herself. The two senshi began to spin, their mediums surrounding them, as Mako watched, her eyes wide. When, at last, the twin clouds dissipated, Mercury and Venus stood before her, only- changed. Mercury wore a dark blue bodysuit, with black bow, skirt, and trim, and her torque was navy blue with a black jewel in the center. Venus’s bodysuit was a dark, dark orange, with blue and black accessories, and an orange torque. But it wasn’t just the clothes- there was something outright evil about the way they moved- something that made it clear they took pleasure in their business of destruction. “Ami-chan, Minako-chan, don’t- don’t do anything rash, please- we can still be friends...” “That’s Shadow Sailor Mercury to you, Jupiter,” Ami said, her eyes narrowed, “and we can’t be friends again until you’ve joined us.” “Joined you!” The concept woke Mako from her shock, and her face hardened. “Never! I’ll never join you!” Ami and Minako laughed. “You wish!” Minako scoffed, and, raising her hand to the sky again, shouted, “VENUS....” A globe of colored ether gathered around her hand, swirling with internal turmoil. “PASSION...” The globe grew larger, enclosing her, and her clothes began to whip around as she held the center of the energy between her hands, taking aim. “GLARE!” The core of swirling light shot straight at Jupiter, searing through her body like a speeding bullet. She felt a wave of undescribable heat pass over her, and fell to the floor. “Jupiter!” I cried as I saw her fall. “Hold on!” What more could I say? The images were there, before my eyes, and I saw as Venus unleashed her new weapon again and again on Jupiter’s prone body. I screamed for Luna, and clawed at the door, but I couldn’t help her! My moon stick was still on the living room floor. “Jupiter!” I shouted at last, tired of it all. “Please, just join them! I don’t care! I’ll make it! Just don’t let them hurt you anymore!” She didn’t hear me. Jupiter lay, for a brief moment of respite, on the cool kitchen floor, and breathed. Venus had given her a few seconds, perhaps thinking her beaten, but she had to take advantage of them- if only she could pull herself off the floor... Slowly, she staggered to her feet, her eyes beginning to glaze over with pain. Still, she pulled herself up, and at last leant against the countertop, her legs shaking beneath her. “Venus,” she said, her voice weak and cracking, “I know that you aren’t on my side, anymore, so you probably don’t understand why I’m doing this, but I have to do it anyway.” She stepped back, and crossed her arms, trying to summon her supreme thunder. “I’m sorry, Mako-chan,” said Ami as she stepped in front of her, “but I can’t allow you to do that.” She raised one hand to the sky, just as Venus had, and called, her voice low and dark, “GLACIAL...” Again, the cloud of ice crystals surrounded her, this time condensing on her body as larger and larger ones began to form around her. “FLOW...” The crystals began to form mounds that, for some reason, looked strangely like half-melted Jell-o. “OVERPOWER!” The ices shattered, enveloping Jupiter, and stabbing into every inch of uncovered skin. She writhed in agony, but remained standing. “JUPITER!” I winced- I could tell, somehow, that she was barely alive. “JUPITER! PLEASE! GIVE UP!” Still there was no answer. I knew that someone was feeding me the images of Jupiter’s torments, and in that moment I hated them more than anything. “Let me go!” I cried, half-choking. “Let me go, whoever you are, and I’ll give you whatever you want! Just let me go- let me help her!” Mars smiled. _And there’s our cue,_ she sent to the other two Shadow Senshi. Just as Jupiter began to crumble beneath the combined onslaught, Ami and Minako both disappeared in a cloud of blue and orange smoke. She tumbled to the floor, to weak to do anything any longer, and prayed that she’d black out soon. I heard another *click* as the lock to the bathroom mysteriously unlocked. _No time to wonder why or how,_ I thought, and bashed the door open with my left shoulder. I began to run into the ki