The Four Lovers: Air On a Cosmic String
VI. The Collection

  I found out one life just ain't enough
  I need another soul to feed on
  I'm the flame, I can't get burnt
  I'm wholly understated
     --creepy song called "busted" by MB20

  I still
  I still believe
  You will return
  I know you will
  My heart against all odds, holds still
     --"I Still Believe", from "Miss Saigon"

 In the next week and a half, two more attacks by the Dark
Trio occurred, each almost following to the letter the
pattern set by the first.  That is, the Senshi with Tux
appeared first, then the Generals, and then finally Crystal
and Sailor Pluto to finish off the beast.  Not that it was
always that easy--they had to contend with different beasts
now, a grizzly bear and a boar, each much different than the
initial dragon.  Also, Katarina appeared with the bear, and
they found that though she and her sister were nearly
matched in power, she had something of brain in her head,
and it took a dagger to her throat to drive her off.
 After that, though, there was nothing.  In part, it was due
to need for the Trio to grab energy and store it, to charge
their darkforce.  Also, the Master wanted to lower the guard
of the others for awhile, to make them wonder if they'd
driven them off for good.
 Essentially, no one in the group held that viewpoint--well,
except for Jupiter and Zoicite, but those were private
thoughts.  The others, though, adopted a loose schedule, so
that just in case they were called upon, they could rush off
and take care of "business" as needed.
 Yet more than just a general state of preparedness echoed
throughout the two groups.  Nathan had called Lita
("finally" was the shared opinion) and set up a dinner date
on the night she was supposed to cook for the three;
realizing this, she offered to make them an early supper.
However, neither wanted that--they wanted to stick around
and meet this man who'd had such a sudden effect on her,
both for their own reasons.  Sheepishly, she agreed, never
knowing that across town, Kevin was asking to accompany Nate
there, since he wanted to get a general idea of how Lita's
apartment related to theirs and Darien's.  He also wanted to
find out where Mina lived as quickly as possible, but that
would have to wait.  Setsuna, to her quiet shock, had
received two more pieces of mail from "W.", each quietly
exuding caring little reminders that someone in Tokyo was
watching her back.
 "It's incredible," she told Serena as they drank their
evening tea.  "I don't remember this man, but he knows so
much about my life and the Moon Kingdom--and you all, too!
But...that would be a complete impossibility! I know all of
my solitude...there was no one!"
 "Perhaps he really is an enemy, Setsuna," Serena offered.
 "That, Princess, is the one thing I do know about him," she
replied quietly, eyes on her teacup.  Her head lifted to
reveal her maroon eyes afire, even as her voice was quietly
saying, "He is no enemy."
 "A secret admirer?" Serena suggested with a half-smile
hidden in her tea cup.
 To her surprise, Setsuna blushed, and looked down again.
"But I am Pluto, the Guardian of the Gate of Time--it isn't
possible that ANY man would chase after me if he knew my
position!"
 "Love does many impossible things," Serena replied.
 Lastly, as the preparations for battle came about on the
side of the Trio, two more things happened: the Senshi and
the Generals suddenly started to bump into each other, and
the Crystal Maiden Knight came between Luna and Artemis.
 The first happened for some very sensible reasons--firstly
because Lita passed by the office on the way to work, and
secondly because the eight had shared interests.  Usually,
though, it was not a pair that met; for instance, Lita might
say hi to Jade and Zach, or Amy and Raye would bump into
Nate and exchange greetings.  Somehow, it came about that
every Senshi knew the face of all except for Kevin, Setsuna,
and Serena.  But they had reasons, too, principally business
ones.  All three carried the heavy paperwork load; also,
Serena and Setsuna, mindful of eyes, rarely left the
apartment (except when under Dark Crystal guise).  Kevin
occasionally did go out, but he spent his time in the other
districts of Tokyo, picking up culture, language, and quite
a few beers.  Not that he was ever really drunk--he just
liked to test his skills by imbibing enough to make getting
home a challenge, thus testing his walking-home-late-at-
night-while-under-the-influence abilities.
 As for Luna and Artemis, the topic came up when they were
walking together near the beach.  Their relationship had
grown over the years into a budding love, a quiet, blooming
tulip.  Usually if Luna wasn't with Darien, she was with
Artemis, scoping out some situation.  That day, though, they
were scoping out some serious R & R when Artemis said:
 "What still puzzles me is that Crystal Maiden Knight."
 Luna had sighed, and said, "I've been thinking about that
as well." She selected a shady, dry spot and snuggled down
into it.  He sat next to her, tails twining.  "Who could she
be?"
 "An enemy?  She is helping the Gens."  Artemis didn't care
for the reports he heard about the men.
 "But with the assistance of Sailor Pluto?  Artemis, we've
gone over this.  The time Senshi would only come down on the
side of good."
 "What if she was bewitched?"
 "Artemis, be serious," she purred.  "The chances of someone
countering her wards are astronomical.  It really couldn't
happen."
 "I know," he sighed.  Then, suddenly, he perked up.  "What
if the Crystal Maiden Knight is a figure from the past?"
 "Hrm?"
 "It seems that if Pluto has brought the Good Generals from
the past, or from some other dimension," for this was the
popular Senshi theory, "perhaps she brought this Knight from
the past as well."
 "Well, it was true that there were Knights on the Moon,"
she said.  "Though my memory of this is very hazy."
 "They weren't well known to most, but I happened to know
them well," Artemis admitted.  "Black Knight, Blue Knight,
Yellow Knight, Green Knight.  They were a sort of vigilante
group, started by nobles when the Moon Kingdom was in its
infancy in the days of the First Queen, Artemis."
 "Who you were named for," Luna teased.
 "Proudly," he replied stiffly.  "Anyways, the membership of
the Knights was passed down through the ages, and could be
held by any person of any planet."
 "Any planet!"
 "Provided they swore an oath of allegiance to the Queen,"
he quickly added.  "She was their patron, you know, and the
one who provided them their access and weapons.  It was a
proud fact that some Kings came from the Knights."
 "Any females?"
 "Usually at least one," he said.  "But I don't recall any
called the Crystal Knight."
 "Perhaps its not the Knights of the Moon, then, but a
reminder of the Moonlight Knight."
 He was shocked.  "Luna, that was Darien's soul, unable to
keep from protecting his love.  You aren't saying
that...that this Crystal Knight could be SERENA's soul?"
 "It was Darien who suggested it," she said, looking away,
tail twitching.
 "It can't be, Luna!  Serena isn't still alive and without
her memory--she's dead," he replied, voice dropping.  "Even
Pluto couldn't bring her--or that part of her--to us."
 She was silent, still looking away.  "What else does Darien
think he knows?" he asked quietly.
 She shot him a menacing look.  "He knows what the Generals
were to the Senshi," she spat back, leaping to her feet.
 "Luna!" Artemis cried, also leaping up.  "He'll tell them!"
 "Why are you so afraid of that, Artemis?  Don't they
deserve happiness?"
 "Those aren't the Generals, Luna, not at least the ones we
knew.  They are merely workers for Pluto, who will leave
soon, and I will not see Venus hurt!"
 He stopped, blinked, and added, "Or any other Senshi!"
 "Artemis, you'll have to let go of Mina someday," Luna said
gently.  "Just as I had to."
 "I'm not like you, Luna, when it comes to that," he replied
as softly.  And with that, he turned and trotted away.

 Hielo kneeled before the Master, and said, "What is your
wish?"
 "I want to see the pictures gathered of the last battles."
 Obediently he rose, and the image formed in the air,
wavering only slightly before fixing.  It was an action
shot, with everyone leaping in to handle the bear.
 "Have you seen this one before?"
 The eldest of the Dark Trio looked to see what his Master
pointed out.  It was the dark garbed figure, the Crystal
Knight, that had appeared in all the fights beforehand.  She
was frozen as her knife slashed the bear's neck, energy
arcing up and around her.
 "It is the Crystal Knight, as called by the Generals," he
replied.  "And a friend as well, if Selene is to be
believed."
 "Don't be so harsh on your sister," he clucked with a
smile.  "She has her uses."
 "Yes, my Master."
 "But more of this Crystal Knight," he called, sipping wine
from a thin goblet, dark eyes flashing.  He was relaxed, and
near to glee, if the suspicions fostered by Selene proved
correct.
 "As Selene has said, she is a great fighter, cooperating
with both the Senshi and the Generals.  In fact, she
addresses them all as comrades, and knows their strengths
well."
 "Intriguing," he whispered.  "So its as if she knew them."
 "Yes, my Master," he replied.  "She is also the one who
finishes the battles," and here he flicked his gaze to the
image, turning it to the dragon battle and her astride the
dragon.  The Master licked his lips, eyes flashing
dangerously, and sat further forward.
 "The crystal knife is her weapon?" he said, half
questioning, half answering.
 "Or a spear, my Master," and the picture flashed to the
boar fight, and the lance of purple light that was impaled
in the creature.  "It's a very versatile weapon."
 "Go back to the dragon, and get a close up of her chest,"
the Master whispered.
 "Looking for a Mistress, Master" Hielo asked slyly, and the
Master grinned--grinned!--the twisted turn to his lips
matching the delight in his eyes.
 "No, Hielo...I believe I've found one," he said.  "Now
change the picture to show energy readings."
 The screen lit with color now, and the Master's grin became
a triumphant smile.  For around the middle of the mental
picture a bright white glow surfaced, a white glow that left
an outline of a familiar shape.
 And his smile widened.  "Gotcha," he whispered.
 "Master?"
 "New orders, Hielo," he called out.  "At our next attack,
we're going to disrupt the equation a little by taking out
one variable."
 "Take her, Master?"
 "No...scare her.  And them.  Grab some Senshi in the
process.  Ruffle her feathers."  His smiled widened, turned
cruel.  "We will make him pay for every ounce of pain he has
caused me!"

 It all came down to the night Nate was to have dinner with
Lita.
 She, of course, was a wreck.  Mina arrived early to help
her, and she was near the point of idiocy.  It took a little
shouting, shaking, and some ice to get her to relax just a
bit.  Over funny stories that flowed constantly from Mina,
they managed to set the table and get cooking.  When Darien
arrived, he greeted both of them warmly, the smells of rich
food in the air adding to his good mood.  Grinning at Lita,
he told her, "You look beautiful! And not a tad nervous."
 Both girls burst into giggles.
 With two more people there, and so she wasn't rude, Lita
whipped up some sandwiches for the two of them.  Due to the
set and not to be touched table, they adjourned to the
couches, which happened to be some of the most comfortable
pieces of furniture in existence.  A soft scheme of pastels
decorated them, and somehow they managed to snatch all
tension from the sitter's body and mind.  Lita's eyes
relaxed from their tense, snapping state to their normal,
bright green, as Mina's turned from tight blue to a loose,
placid, Colorado lake color.  Yet Darien's still remained
their normal, gorgeous periwinkle, never losing the
excitement that danced around the fringes of them.
 For Darien had a secret.  It was partially what he learned
from Luna, and the description he'd gotten from Lita, that
he'd drawn his secret from.  He kept it close to his vest,
even if the excitement shone in his eyes, turning them into
a twin pair of simmering, blue embers.
 You see, he thought he'd found a General.  And not just an
General, but Nephrite, the past lover of Princess Jupiter.
He was here not just to wish Lita well and evaluate this
"Nathan" character, but to see if his suspicions had been
proven correct.  Also, deep inside, he was curious as to who
could've gotten Lita's attention so quickly.  After all,
they'd seen each other...twice?
 He wasn't in for a long wait.  As Lita got up to add the
last few dishes to the table, Mina leaned forward and said,
"I talked to my agent."
 "Finally.  Good news?"
 "Incredibly."  She relaxed back, a happy smile on her face.
"He's offered..."
 RING.
 "Lita, are you expecting anyone else?"
 "No," came the hushed, nervous voice.
 "Then I'll get it," Mina replied, sliding off the couch.
Walking to the door, she threw it open with a flourish and
announced, "Yes?"
 It wasn't Nate in the doorway.  It was Kevin, saying, "May
I introduce Nathan Mar.." he stopped, lips barely finishing,
"ble."  Quickly he added, "Don't faint."
 "Not this time...but didn't I already say that?" she
replied, even if she did look a little pale.
 Lita appeared then, calling out, "Hello?"
 "Pardon me," Nate said from behind, pushing Kevin towards
Mina as he entered the room.  Walking over to her with a
smile on his face, he (stage) whispered, "Sorry about that.
Kevin decided to walk me over, and he's a little...silly."
   Mina and Kevin thought in unison, looking at
Nate.
 "It's all right," she replied with a sweet smile which he
found enchanting.   she wondered,

  Nate thought.
 It was then, after watching their meetings, that Darien
stood up.  Immediately his presence filled the room, and
everyone looked.
 Now, something inside him cheered, and he knew he was
right.  Except he'd only expected one...
 For the first time, the Generals (as themselves) looked up
their Prince (as himself).  It wasn't a tense meeting
exactly, but more of a sudden one, with excitement and
mystery crowding the atmosphere.  As the three men's eyes
met, there was a flash inside them.
 >Endymion.<
 >Nephrite...Kunzite?<
 And then it cleared.
 Immediately the three realized two things: the girls hadn't
experienced what they had, and that they didn't NEED to
realize it, either.
 "Nathan Marble," Nate said quickly, moving a step away from
Lita.
 "Excuse me..." Kev whispered to Mina, stepping out of her
breathing space.  "Kevin Greystone."  His eyes were
thoughtful for a moment, and he asked, "And you?"
 "Darien Chiba," he replied quietly, eyes softly powerful.
And though the girls hadn't been party to their little
"conversation," the way the three looked at each other
kindled a spark in their brain.  Something was up, even if
they didn't know what.
 "Pleased to meet you," Nate said with a half-smile,
stepping forward to shake his hand.  Although momentarily
put off, Darien quickly adjusted, remembering Lita's comment
about them being Americans.  Both found the other's grip
satisfactory.  "I've..." he started, but a pointed look from
Kevin stopped that quickly.  "..uh...I have to apologize for
interrupting the three of you."
 "Actually," Mina spoke up, "We were just leaving."
 "I must be going, too," Kevin said.  "I only escorted Nate
so that I could, um, learn the city better.  It's a mite
confusing."
 "Why don't you both stay?" Lita suddenly suggested.
"There's more than enough food, and I'm sure you'll like
it."
 "Well," the two said in unison, then looked at each other
with stark surprise.  Nate and Lita hid giggles; Darien took
the time to walk to the doorway, standing close to the two
as he grabbed his jacket.
 "Why not, Mina?" he asked.  "I know you've got nothing to
do."  To Kevin, he added, "And the work day is done.  You
seem like the type to want to cram thirty hours into twelve,
but trust me, that'll kill you."  A momentary pang of
sadness graced his eyes.  "You'll need to relax after that--
so stay."
 "I really..." Kevin started, until Nate whispered in quiet
English, "Kevin, it's done.  Crys and Heidi have got it."
 Kevin stopped for a moment before recalling that "Heidi"
was what they called Setsuna, the name being their
corruption of Hades, counterpart to Pluto.  He darted a
glare at Nate, then said, "I'll stay."
 "Great!  Well, I..." Mina started, until Lita pinned her
with a look that conjured images of an angry Sailor Jupiter.
It wasn't pretty, and so, with a swallow and a nervous look,
she consented.  "I should probably stay, too.  Even it up."
She looked at Kevin.  "So we can talk."
 "Told you we would," slipped out of his mouth, and she
offered him a rueful smile at that.
 "Dinner's ready, then," Lita said joyously, Nate not an
inch behind her.  Already, Darien noted, she was comfortable
around him.    As the others
trundled towards the table, and he shrugged into his jacket,
Lita caught his arm.  "You can stay, too."
 "Not tonight, Lita," he said.  "I have a lot to think
about."
 She nodded, and let him go.  "Be careful," she whispered,
and then let the door close between them.
 Darien's walk home through the streets of Tokyo was quiet,
contemplative, and documented down to his every move (that
due to an outside influence who, while tapping mail to
Setsuna, kept track of everyone he could).  Mostly it was
due to the Generals he'd encountered in Lita's apartment.
Part of him was shrieking in surprise and wonder at the
proof laid before his eyes, the memory that had jointly
surface between them; yet that was deep, very deep inside.
It seemed that he'd always known that there was something
more for him, closer to what Serena had...had.  Senshi for
him, it could be called; perhaps it had been an unconscious
surfacing of Endymion's, buried deep within his psyche.  He
KNEW that there was a way to close the circle of protection
around the two of them...and perhaps, lose the loneliness.
 Loneliness.  Really, it was a pretty word, very soft, not
harsh at all to the tongue.  Loneliness.  The word just
FLOWED off his tongue, anyone's tongue, like a black river.
It was the meaning that killed the word, this graceful
word--it was the meaning that eating at his soul.  That and
bitterness, mixed with anger, had been the vile tea he'd
secretly drunk over the years.  Every morning, when he'd
stared at the blue and black in the mirror, it'd flashed
through his head.  "You killed her," his mind whispered,
ever so delicately.  "You killed her."
 He always pushed it away, now with not a stretch at all,
even if it was a thorn that festered in his side.  He
couldn't believe it, anyways, because he could still feel
her.
 It wasn't as if he believed in that feeling anymore.  It
was a pseudo psychic reaction to preserve his sanity.
 he dimly, bitterly recalled, 
 Usually that shut his inner mind up.  However, it suddenly
spat back, 
 That he never considered--but really, how could he ignore a
summons so deep?  He'd shown up when she wasn't in any
mortal danger at all; before he'd known who he was, he'd
been ripped from normal life to go save a girl he barely
knew.  So why not that night?  His only answer was that his
sense had been "broken" that night, and ever since.
 
 He ignored that as he walked into the building, welcoming
the heat.  Life had been chilly lately, as well as the
weather.  He took the stairs, going out at an active clip
even if his thoughts were downright depressing.  A faint
buzzing rang in his head, incidentally the same buzz that
the Crystal Knight caused, though he hadn't made the
connection
yet.  Yet.  A piece of him was close.
 
 The question nearly threw him back down the stairs, and at
the least it halted him in his tracks.  He blinked, grasping
a moment before he could snag his keys and start to unlock
the door.
 
 "No," he growled, surprised to hear his voice but then
again, not.  "No, I don't!"  He threw the door open, walked
in, and stopped.
 Scattered about his apartment were blue flowers, the
forget-me-nots of before, and red, non-rose flowers.  He
couldn't identify them; he was too shocked.
  came a final, staticy thought as he picked up two
of the blossoms.  A vivid image of Sailor Moon appeared in
his mind, uniform dashed with the same colors he held in his
hand.  Looking down again, he felt the trembling start in
his hands, and let out a long, strained sigh.
 "Serena," he whispered, "where are you?"

 Across the way, the man nodded to himself.  
he thought.    His fingers slipped over
the keyboard, and he both physically and mentally cut off
his connection to Darien.  As he opened a view into Lita's
apartment, he began to compose another e-mail.

 Dinner at Lita's didn't start until about quarter to eight.
The attack in the park didn't come until 10:30ish, and Lita
and Mina weren't out of there until 10:40.  What happened
during dinner was unimportant; the boys were too busy eating
and complimenting Lita to start connections.
 However, when Nate and Kevin were seated on opposite
couches over cocoa, and Lita and Mina were close to them,
was when the real stuff began.
 Lita and Nate were completely, overwhelmingly fascinated
with each other.  And it wasn't because he was charming and
she could cook; well, that was part of it.  The rest of it
was a mixture of high fluttin' Destiny and low down, good
old fashioned romance.  The two were chatting like they'd
known each other since fetus stage, Japanese flying between
them with ease.  You'd think Nate had been born in the
country.
 Kevin, while being astonished by the two he watched and
feeling uneasy around Mina, was slowly being whammied by
Lita's couch.  His muscles uncoiled, and the tensing hand
that had gripped him--due to Mina's presence, and the
Prince, and work, and Serena--began to slowly let go.   he thought
quietly.   His
hand slipped up to brush a strand of her hair, accidentally
it seemed, but it brought a slow movement, a swivel, as her
eyes turned to him.
 He didn't look away this time.  Quietly, he whispered, "We
were supposed to talk."
 "Yes, we were," she replied.
 He moved closer, purely to hear her better.  "So what do
you wish to talk about?"
 She paused for a moment, then said, "How you could tell so
much about me from my arms and hands sounds good.  It was
awesome." Her voice was quiet and soothing, eyes a mildly
intoxicating shade of blue, again flecked with fingertips of
silver glitter.  He found himself explaining Holmes and
Bell--he'd always been a fan of Doyle--and was mildly (all
right, majorly) surprised to hear her ask extremely
intelligent questions.
 Meanwhile, on the other side, Lita caught Nate's gaze
shifting away from her.  "What?" she asked, touching him.
It was a tentative move, a sibling to the same ones he'd
been using all night to guide or demonstrate some idea of
his.
 "Those two," he quietly replied.  "They finally started
talking."
 She looked now, and smiled.  "Yes they are," she said.
"And by their own choice, too."
 He grinned--she'd caught on to the forced tone between them
as well.  "I wonder what about," he thought aloud.
 "I don't care," Lita said.  "I just hope they..." and now
she blushed.  Mina may have dated a few times before, but
honestly, she hadn't had the time.
 "I hope so, too," he replied, but not looking at them; no,
his eyes were focused on her.  There was another brown depth
tonight, a crinkling, excited fold of satin that gave her
mixed feelings.  Especially when he stared at her like that.
 "Lita," he started, but cut himself off, seeking the right
words.
 "Yes?" she asked, voice breathy.
 "Will you...can we...uh...do this again sometime?  Just you
and me?"
 She barely hesitated before saying, "I'd love that."
 He rewarded that answer with a megawatt smile that made her
heart run hurdles.
 "You'd love what?"
 Reality intruded painfully with Mina's words, and they
snapped away from each other towards her.  "Hmm?" Lita
asked.
 "What would you 'love'?" Kevin asked now, both eyeing them
suspiciously.
 "Well..."
 "Uh..."
 "Spill it," Mina demanded.
 It was then that the phone rang, and Lita, seeing a way
out, scurried to get it.  A moment later she bellowed,
"Mina! Come here!"
 As she joined her, Nate looked to Kevin, who rested
contentedly against the couch.  "Happy?" he asked.
 "Incredible, Nate.  A model, and smart, and witty."  He
sighed ruefully.  "You'd think I was in some kind of fairy
tale, or some story."
 "It feels like it, doesn't it?" Nate replied.  "This is all
going so wonderful."  A glint came into his eye as he added,
"And to think, you wanted to give this up for paperwork."
 "Temporary insanity,"  Kevin replied.
 "I don't..." Nate started, but suddenly Lita was standing
behind him, green eyes set.
 "We have to kick you out," she said.  "There's an emergency
we have to attend to."
  the men thought, and rose as one.  "We
understand," Nate said smoothly.  "I'll call you, all
right?"
 She nodded, then swept them out the door.  As soon as they
were outside, she reached for her pen...and a General
conversion took place.  As Jupiter and Venus took off from
this balcony, Kunzite and Nephrite floated above.  Kunzite
quickly marked the place, and then turned to follow the
Senshi, as Nephrite returned to fetch the others.  Soon
they'd grouped with Kunzite, Crystal and Setsuna held aloft
by Jade and Neph.  They agreed to the usual battle plan--
help the Senshi as much as possible, weaken the attacker,
and call the last two in to help finish it off.
 It was not, however, going to be a usual battle.

 The darkforce tiger, modeled on Siberian stock with a few
enhancements, snarled loudly as it darted forwards, knocking
into two more helpless people before they could scream.
With a slight scratch, the two stopped crying out, lines of
DF glowing a deep green on their bodies.
 "Good kitty," Selene purred, patting the slick head of the
creature.
 "STOP RIGHT THERE!"
 "Oh good," she said, looking up, hand pouring more DF into
the creature.  "They're here."
 The Senshi stood there for only a moment before they
launched towards the creature, Venus and Jupiter lashing out
on one side, Mars and Mercury on the other.  "MERCURY ICE
STORM BLAST!" she called, the rush of freezing water
sluicing over the tiger and rider, causing Selene's eyes to
spark green fire at her.  However, it was then that "VENUS
LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE" and "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP" smashed
her from the other sides.  Under the duress and distraction
of three Senshi, she didn't notice Mars' quietly yelled
"MARS FIREBALL...CHARGE!"
 The ward sealed itself on the rump of the beast, and from
it and the rider came a loud yell...and a ripple of fire
slashed the flank.  The cat snarled again, and in a flash
turned towards Mars, claws raking the air, barely missing
tearing the front of her fuku apart.  She stumbled
backwards, falling between trees; as the tiger crept
forward, Selene formed a wrinkled circle within her hands.
 "Nothing can take this beast," she called out.  "Not even
your pitiful ward."  With a flourish, she ripped the ward
away and crumpled it between her fingers.  Then, she gripped
the circle, the sphere, and it flared with a CRACK,
unleashing a thunderous blast of power that smashed into the
Senshi on all sides. With a scream they flew backwards,
slamming into bushes and the ground--in Mars case, a tree.
Selene, not content with just bashing the Senshi into
various objects, let loose another blast of energy that
drove them back further.  Smiling, she and the tiger turned,
and leapt away.
 "No....you....don't," Mercury growled, rising to her feet
with determination staining her voice.  Her Senshi body
tingled with pain, but she launched into a run after the
creature, starting to form a cloud of freezing bubbles in
her hand.  Blood abruptly stained her lips as she bit down
to prevent herself from faltering; the energy that screamed
through her veins nearly made her scream.
 "MERCURY ICE BUBBLES..."
 WHAM! The tiger whirled, tail smacking into her and
throwing her back.  She recovered quickly, but the big cat
pounced then, paw swinging back to rake her.  At the second
to the last moment she rolled away, the claws of the cat
delicately knicking her side.  She let out a scream...
 ...that just happened to coincide with "VENUS METEOR
SHOWER!" that sprayed in the face of the beast and Selene.
Both shied away, confused, just as a "THUNDER CRASH" ringed
a "CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND" and splattered around the cat
and its rider.  But Venus was much more concerned about the
prone Mercury, dark stripes running raggedly about her suit.
Her face was pale, and the bloodlessness of it contrasted
sharply with the red fluid that welled up from her lips.
Her breaths were short, shallow and fast, eyes shut.  The
worse part of the slight fuzzing of her fuku, a sign that
she was having a hard time hanging on.  "Mercury," she
whispered, "can you hear me?"
 "Venus," she murmured back.  "I..."
 "Quiet," a new voice whispering, tone smooth.  Venus looked
up, prepared to defend her friend--only to meet Zoicite's
bright eyes.  His hand stroked her hair and her face with a
gentle pressure, a sweetness he could not disguise from
Venus.  "She's hot," he murmured, voice now a touch worried.
"Almost feverish."  He looked up at Venus.  "I've got her."
 "I know," she replied, eyes nearly tearing.  He formed a
light, cold crystal, and with a choked sob-- Venus
thought--took off.
 What they didn't know was that Mercury was in deep trouble.
Not quite life-threatening, but only if you didn't consider
a chance of coma life-threatening.  Unfortunately, Mercury
had been hit in the first battle, struck with a sticky
string of DF.  A little bit wouldn't kill; it was that
little bit plus the chunks that stuck to her skin and seeped
into her blood that could.
 And only a DF user could heal her.
 They weren't looking very ready to at the moment.
 As Venus and Zoicite shared the instant, a battle raged.
Two Senshi and three Generals had the beast surrounded,
powering up and letting loose against the great beast.  At
the same time, though, Selene was powering up and letting
loose at a much faster rate.  Also, though really no one
knew, the tiger (name: Dark Claw) had not been created by
Selene.  It was an amalgam of the DF of Katarina and Hielo,
both more adept at using the DF and therefore able to create
an almost crystalline structure that could absorb more than
usual.  Therefore a mixture of lightning and fire and star
power and energy swirled over the flanks of the beast, power
at Selene's fingertips.  Yet they kept on, darting about,
Selene whirling with them, tiger teeth, paws and tail
whisking the air in an attempt to knock someone--and usually
doing it.
 Until Venus, Nephrite, and Kunzite decided to try and knock
off Selene.
 It was completely innocuous at first.  Mars, Jupiter, and
Jade had been working on one side, trying to strike and
bounce away; Kunzite and Nephrite had been setting up traps,
combing powers and such.  When Venus joined in, she called
to Kunzite, "Why not knock the witch?"
 "Unseat the rider?"
 She nodded, hurling her hearted chain to bounce off the
cat's neck, orange energy flaring along its length.  He
formed another "bomb" to startle the cat, the communicated
the idea to Nephrite.  By the time he and Venus danced
together again, she had gotten word to the other side.
 "They'll distract, we'll attack," she called, flipping away
as a modified burst of Crescent Beam erupted from her
fingertips.
 "Shouldn't we all do it?" he asked, watching the weapon.
It flew like Jupiter's latest attack to ripple over them,
the dazzling burst of light sizzling even Selene.
 "And get pawed?  Kunzite, think," she said, throwing
another burst.  Now Selene angrily formed her attack, having
been too busy with the blitzkrieg-like attack on the other
side to see to this one.
 "READY!" Nephrite shouted.
 "VENUS LOVE CHAIN ENCIRCLE!" she screamed, ring of pink and
orange hearts flashing in the crackle of power and
moonlight.  As the chain flew, both Nephrite and Kunzite
released two different energy "bricks."  Nephrite's was the
usual hard block of force, surrounding the chain and
smacking into her.  Before she could retaliate, Kunzite's
struck, a blunt arrowhead with ends that sped up to swing
past her.  In effect it was a double whammy--a hit and a
then a massive tug on her.
 For the first time, Selene's body separated from the
tiger's.
 And it screamed.
 "They did it, Pluto!" Serena cried from her tree branch.
"They knocked her off."
 "Not quite, Serena," Pluto replied, shifting her staff from
one hand to the other.  "I'm going in."
 "What?"
 "There's no Tux," she said, voice tense.  "They need him.
Without him, they need me."
 "Be careful," she replied.
 "You watch your back," Pluto said, eyes snapping.  Then her
body blurred, and a lavender flash of light joined the
battlefield.
 Along with roses.  Tux had arrived.
 "Took him long enough," she whispered, touching her
crystal.  The power pulsed, swelling and pooling beneath her
fingertips in a dark haze of light.  It comforted her,
warmed her, and bucked up her courage enough to go further
out on the limb.  He hand strayed to help her balance, and
then quickly turned back to call upon her shield.  A barrage
his Selene now, the Generals having called upon their
weapons and starting to draw energy.  In fact, Jade's
metallic cord (he'd switched last battle after his third
rope had been fried) was coiled about Selene's neck as
Venus' chain wrapped around the tiger's.  After a long
fight, they were turning the tide.  They were winning.
 A hand closed over her own.

 The tiger had been secured--as much as possible, at least--
and yowled at its energy cage as it sparked like a firework.
Selene was wrapped in star power and metallic cord, held in
the air by a strand of energy   Beneath her, Mars glared
with fire in her hands, ready to release if necessary.
 Now Kunzite yelled, "CRYSTAL!!"
 The horrifying sound of silence greeted them.  A chill
shrieked through their bodies, even the Senshi, and
especially Tux.  His mosquito nearly screamed inside his
head, a mad hornet determined to drive him insane.
 "Crystal! CRYSTAL!" Jadeite added, edge of his voice ringed
with panic, enough so that Mars gave him a sympathetic look.
  Like Artemis, she could not bring herself to hold
a high opinion of them.
 "Where is she?" Zoicite murmured, finally rejoining the
battle, secure that Amy was safely hidden.
 In reply, as if his question had been a cue, came a deep,
frosty voice.  "Are you looking for this?"
 Selene smiled as Hielo appeared, holding Crystal tightly
against him, hand over her face.
 "PRINCESS!" Zoicite screamed, a crystal span in both hands,
energy arcing between them.  Jadeite's face raged; Kunzite's
eyes blazed; Nephrite stepped forward.  Even Tux, bravely
supporting the Generals, formed a sharply bladed rose.
 "Don't, gentlemen," he smiled.  "Wouldn't want to hurt your
pretty Princess, would you?" He pulled her closer, and all
five men stiffened automatically.
 "Bastard, let her go!" Jade finally shouted.
 "Do you really want me to?" he asked, bemused.
 "Yes, damn you!" Nephrite snarled.
 It was then that Jupiter struck, her kick hitting high on
his head.  He stumbled, and Crystal used the advantage to
step in and throw him.  He recovered quickly, but Pluto
stepped in, her staff clubbing his head as a rose struck his
shoulder.  This brought him down, and Kunzite quickly
trussed him up with a fine energy net.  With no preamble,
Crystal stood, and motioned the men towards the tiger.
 "You four," to Tux, Kunzite, Neph, and Zoi, "pin its feet
and tail.  Jade, with me."
 "Are you all right?" Tux asked.
 She nearly collapsed right there in pain and complete
shock.  "Yes, Tux," she whispered.  "I'll be fine."  Her
eyes and voice hardened.  "Now lets get going--Jade!"
 And with that, the six leapt to their positions, leaving
the Senshi to guard the two DF users.  Not an easy task, but
easier than trying to pin the beast.
 Bounding towards the dying tiger, Crystal had landed on its
back with Jade, he reining in the tail and hindquarters
while she adjusted her dagger and tried to stay away from
the teeth of the beast.  The other four staked out a foot
and pinned it, each using an unique ability to do so.  Neph
even spun a muzzle, though catching the beast's mouth was
nigh impossible.
 Then, Serena plunged the dagger in.
 The shriek that rose from her was combination of her voice
and the Silver Crystal crying out in pain.  You see, the
crystalline structure was not only an effective storage
unit, but an effective exuder as well.  And it decided to
exude right through the knife into Crystal, all at once.
 >TOO MUCH!< the Crystal clanged.  Heat seared across
Serena's body as energy fountained from her, shooting high
into the sky.  The backlash threw everyone standing five
feet away to the ground, and snapped any imprisoning bonds
around Selene and Hielo while also slamming them.  As the
tiger died away, Crystal still hanging on, Tux and Zoicite
staggered up, minds on one task: to help her.  Tux was the
freshest, and, most notably, the fastest.
 So it was his arms Serena fainted into, hand still clutched
around the hilt of her knife.
 The battlefield seemed to freeze as she landed in his arms,
a perfect fit, so snug it was as if she'd been born there.
As he stared down at her, his mask cleared, so his eyes were
the first things she saw when she awoke.
 A breath, long and sharp, as the sight of hidden blue eyes
met the midnight blue orbs that peered at her.  The pairs
locked like puzzle pieces, a smooth, hard to break fit.  A
shock passed between them; and in Darien's head, the buzzing
stopped.
 "She's going to be so embarrassed," Jade whispered weakly.
 "Here," Zoicite said, and he handed her to him, unsure and
unsteady.  She recovered right away, hand reaching out to
press his.  Again their eyes met and locked, not clashing
but fitting together.
 Hielo rose shakily to his feet, hand reaching to help
Selene up.  She took the offer, then arched up to whisper to
him before she disappeared.  He smiled; her work was done.
But he had one more thing to attend to.
 "SENSHI! GENERALS! TUXEDO MASK AND," here he chuckled,
"CRYSTAL KNIGHT!"  He waited a moment as they all turned to
him, and smiled darkly.  "You may have one this battle, but
I get the prize."
 Power flickered in his hand, and Sailor Mercury appeared
within his grasp.  "Ta ta," he said, and the pair vanished.
 There was a beat.  An exchange of glances.  Crystal
breaking away from Tux.  Three men turning to Zoicite.  A
look of astonishment in the green-gray eyes.
 "NO!! NO!" he screamed, and then vanished.

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/shrine/1721