He was here again. Fog as thick as mud surrounded him, clouding his vision to the point where he couldn’t see the ground beneath him. It was almost as if he were floating on a cloud, yet he could feel the firmness of the ground under him. The impenetrable white haze that seemingly stretched out endlessly, except ahead of him. That was where the same palace that he had visited before stood.
This time though, he felt more cognizant, as if he were more in control of himself in this visit than the last. There were things he wanted to know, and there was only one person he knew of that could give him that knowledge. But, as before, and with most things, that knowledge came with a price that had to be paid in advance….
“Please,” the ethereal figure entreated from the balcony of the palace before him. “Please find the Silver Crystal….”
“Tell me…. What is the Silver Crystal?” Tuxedo Kamen asked. “Who are you?”
“You must find the Silver Crystal,” she implored. “When you do, you’ll know everything.”
Mamoru sat up abruptly, once again waking in a cold sweat, his breathing ragged and labored. The wind began to blow through his open window, stirring the curtains and causing them to wave gently in the breeze.
“I’ve got to get some air,” he muttered to himself and got out of bed. He strode over to the balcony outside his window and leaned on the railing around his balcony, while staring up into the moonlit sky and out over the city.
“It’s the same dream again,” he said as he turned around and leaned back against the balcony wall. “Who is that princess? Am I Tuxedo Kamen?” He turned back to gaze out over the city again. “The Silver Crystal…. Will the mystery solve itself when I find it?”
“For now, we have one of the Rainbow Crystals,” Beryl stated. “Zoisite, what will your next plan be?”
“The Dark Crystal has detected another Rainbow Crystal,” Zoisite said, bowing with the Star Crystal in hand. She straightened, then thrust the crystal spinning in front of her. The crystal spun in place for a second, then stopped with one point sticking straight into the air. “Dark Crystal, show me the second of the Rainbow Crystal carriers!” Several small streaks of light shot up from the bottom end of the dark crystal and gathered at the top into a glowing sphere of light. The bright sphere of light then exploded into a swirling black funnel, upon which the image of a priest appeared. “The next Rainbow Crystal is within this man.”
Naru sat on the floor of her room next to her window, staring down at the mended pajama shirt in her hands and the bandage she had made from it. This time the window was wide open with the curtains spread apart. A breeze blew into her room, blowing across her orange skirt and yellow sleeveless blouse, while playing with her short red hair and the green bow that always tied it back. The conversation she had with Ryoku yesterday was still fresh in her mind, especially the part near the end….
“Does the pain ever go away?” she asked, concerned.
“Sometimes,” he answered. “But, not for very long. There are people always telling me to forget the past and move on with my life, but I can’t. She was my first true love, and she’s never going to come back to me. There is absolutely nothing more painful than a broken heart, Naru-chan. I can’t promise you that the pain will go away, but I can promise you that the pain will lessen, eventually. Your friends will always be there for you… and that includes me.”
“You’re the only person I know, who can truly understand what I’m going through,” she said turning to gaze out the window. “Everyone else tries to help, saying that in time the pain will go away, when I know it won’t.”
“Hopefully, one day you’ll find someone who’ll help you fill the void in your heart,” he said quietly.
Naru looked down at the bandage lying next to her. What if I find that person, and I start to forget about Nephrite-sama? I don’t want to forget about him.… Could that be why Ryoku-san has sworn off finding another girlfriend?
She folded the pajama top and put it with the other part of her pajamas. While she was doing so, she heard the doorbell ring and her mother answering it.
“Hello, Usagi-chan. Hello, Umino-kun,” Naru’s mother greeted. “How are you two?”
“We’re fine, thanks,” Usagi answered. “We’re here to see Naru-chan.”
“Oh. You, too?” she asked.
“Um… yeah,” Usagi replied. “Can we come in?”
“Of course,” she said, moving aside so that they could come in. “She’s in her room.”
“Thanks,” both Usagi and Umino said and went to Naru’s room.
“Hi, Usagi-chan. Umino-kun,” Naru greeted, solemnly turning from the window to regard her two friends.
“Hi,” they replied cheerfully.
“Sorry to drop by like this without any warning, but I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Usagi said, taking a seat on the floor next to Naru’s bed while Umino sat on the floor across from the two girls.
“Oh,” Naru answered, turning back to the window. “I’m all right, I guess.”
“I thought you were away because of a cold,” Umino said, giving her a considering look. “What’s wrong? You look like someone just died….” He was promptly silenced as a pillow smacked him square in the face.
“Dummy…,” Usagi muttered to herself.
“What was that for?” he demanded, tossing the pillow back on Naru’s bed.
“Don’t you have anything else to say?”
“Oh, sorry,” he said sheepishly as he turned to Naru. “How about we go out and have a chocolate parfait?”
This time, Usagi pounded him in the head. “You…,” she growled angrily, then composed herself. “By the way, Naru-chan, from what your mom said, it sounded like you had a visitor before us. Anyone we know?”
“Ryoku-san,” Naru replied.
“Ryo-kun came to visit you?” Usagi asked. “Yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“What did you guys talk about?”
Naru’s head gaze dropped slightly. “Nothing much….”
“Oh…. Anyway, Naru-chan, you should’ve been at gym class today,” she began in a gossipy voice. “Umino got tangled up in the volleyball net. It was hilarious!”
“That was only because someone with odangos and long blonde pigtails tripped me into the net!” he retorted defensively.
“Oh, right…,” she admitted reluctantly. “Well, got any gossip?”
“Gossip?” he said, thinking back for any piece of interesting info. His expression brightened after remembering a good piece that he had learned not too long ago. “Oh! I heard that that millionaire, Sanjoin Masato-san, disappeared….” Again, he was promptly silenced, but this time, Usagi smashed his face into Naru’s carpet.
“I knew it was a bad idea to bring you along,” she growled, grinding his nose into the carpet fibers.
Naru sighed softly to herself as she continued to stare out her window. They’re trying so hard to cheer me up, even though Umino’s doing such a horrible job at it.… They’re such good friends.
“Let’s go somewhere,” Naru suggested, still staring out the window.
“You wanna go outside?” Usagi asked, momentarily pausing her smashing of Umino’s face.
“Yeah, it’s about time, don’t you think,” she replied pensively. “It’s such a beautiful day. It’d be a shame to waste it.” She turned from the window and grinned cheerfully at her friends. “Let’s go.”
“What do you suppose this is all about, Ryo-chan?” Makoto asked as they walked up the street leading to the temple. “It sounded like she was worried about something.”
“Well, Luna has never been one to exaggerate,” he replied. “Whatever she has to share with us, it must be important.”
The two siblings turned to climb the stairway up to the temple. At the top, Ami, Rei and Luna were waiting for them. Rei was holding a broom in her hands and was sweeping around the front of the temple. She wore her usual white and red robes, while Ami was still in her school uniform. Both Makoto and Ryoku were still in their white and light brown school uniforms.
“Where’s Usagi-chan?” Ryoku asked as he and Makoto went to sit on the steps near where Rei was sweeping.
“Luna said that we should hold this meeting without her today,” Ami answered, standing to one side.
“Oh? How come?”
“I can’t say yet,” Luna explained as she walked over from standing next to Ami and sat in front of the four of them.
“Okay, so what’s this meeting all about anyway?” Makoto asked.
“Did you find out anything more about what the Dark Kingdom is after?” Ami inquired.
“Yes,” Luna answered. “When I checked in with Central Control yesterday, I was told that they’re now after the Rainbow Crystals.”
“I thought they were after energy,” Rei pointed out.
“Maybe these crystals give them more energy?” Makoto suggested.
“So, they’ve abandoned their search for the Silver Crystal?” Ryoku asked.
“Not exactly,” Luna said, “But if they get their hands on all of the Rainbow Crystals, it will be a disaster!”
“How come?” Ami asked.
“Well, it’s a long story that goes back over a thousand years,” Luna said. “Back when the Moon Kingdom and the Dark Kingdom were at war.
“The Dark Kingdom had sent their most terrifying warriors, the seven Shadow Warriors, against the Moon Kingdom. The battle was fierce, ending when the Shadow Warriors were sealed inside the Silver Crystal. The Rainbow Crystals are the seven fragments of the Silver Crystal with a Shadow Warrior locked into each fragment. The crystals vanished into seven different carriers and were reborn here on Earth with no memory of their former existence.
“The Silver Crystal has enormous power!” she explained. “If used properly, it has the power to destroy an entire planet!”
“Not exactly what I’d call ‘proper’ use,” Ryoku remarked dryly.
Ami put her hand to her mouth in shock. “It’s that powerful?”
“That’s why the Dark Kingdom wants the Rainbow Crystals so badly,” Luna continued. “As humans, those Rainbow Crystal carriers have led peaceful lives, but Zoisite is trying to remove the crystals from them. If they have the seven Rainbow Crystals, they’ll have the Siler Crystal.”
“So that crystal that I saw Zoisite holding was the Red Rainbow Crystal,” Ryoku said contemplatively, holding his chin with his left thumb and index finger. “Also, when the crystal was removed, Joe turned into a youma.”
“Maybe that was one of the Shadow Warriors?” Makoto asked. “Although it didn’t look much like a shadow to me.”
“Well, Luna did say they were reborn,” Ami added.
“So, not only do they get a Rainbow Crystal, but they get a Shadow Warrior, too?” Rei asked indignantly. “Talk about killing two birds with one stone.”
“Well, I’m not worried,” Makoto stated confidently. “We can handle them. Sailor Moon, Sailor Knight and I took care of the first one easily. Right, Ryo-chan?” she said, playfully elbowing her brother in the ribs.
“Right, Mako-chan,” he replied with a half-grin. The two Kino siblings then gave each other a high-five out of sibling camaraderie. Rei rolled her eyes in exasperation while Ami gave a small silent laugh with her hand in front of her mouth.
“But Luna, how do we find the people with the Rainbow Crystals?” Ami asked.
“The Crescent Moon Wand that I gave to Usagi-chan will react to them,” Luna explained. The others gasped in surprise.
“I thought that the Crescent Moon Wand was for turning the Shadow Warriors back into humans,” Makoto mentioned.
“It is, but the wand also has a homing device for tracking down the Rainbow Crystals.”
“That’s good,” Ryoku replied. “I don’t think I’d like the idea of letting the Dark Kingdom find the carriers for us. They’d get first crack at the crystals every time that way.”
“I’m against letting her have it,” Rei argued. “If she has it, she’d probably end up using it as a hammer.”
Luna flinched slightly. “That’s going a little too far….”
Rei set aside her broom and started for the temple. “Well, I’m done sweeping out here. Come on, let’s go inside and finish the meeting.”
“Sounds all right by me,” Ryoku said as he and his sister got to their feet and joined the others as they entered the temple.
“I have faith in Usagi-chan!” Luna said as the others gathered around her and sat on the wooden floor. “Sure, she has no sense of duty and is very unreliable….”
Ryoku frowned as he gave Luna a considering glance. “Who’s side are you on?”
“Let me finish,” Luna replied tersely. “That’s why I want her to have the role of leader. To give her confidence.”
“Give her confidence?”
“If she has an important duty, she might gain a sense of responsibility,” she continued.
“Could be worth a try,” he said with a shrug.
“Not a chance,” Rei stated.
“Please have faith in her,” she implored. “Please recognize Usagi-chan as your leader.”
“I’m still against it,” Rei insisted.
“I think that Usagi-chan…,” Ami began but cut off when Rei pinched her ankle. “Ouch!” she yelped, rubbing her ankle.
“Ami-chan, are you all right?” Luna asked.
She nodded slightly. “I think we should wait a while,” she decided. Rei grinned smugly while Ryoku frowned at her choice of persuasion.
“I see…,” Luna said quietly. “So nobody trusts her.”
“I do,” Ryoku stated, getting to his feet and folding his arms. “I trust her. Usagi-chan needs the responsibility or she will never take her role as Sailor Moon seriously. Furthermore, the wand is the symbol of our leader. As long as she has it, I will recognize her as leader.”
“Well… in my case, I don’t know about her yet,” Makoto added, getting to her feet as well.
“That’s right! If you get to know her better, you’ll agree with me, Mako-chan!” Luna said, grateful that at least Makoto and Ryoku were willing to give Usagi a chance. “Let’s call Usagi-chan. She should be here for this.”
Makoto pulled out her communicator and turned it on. “Usagi-chan?”
“Hey, Mako-chan!” Usagi responded as her face appeared on the small round screen.
“Usagi-chan, were holding an important meeting right now. Can you come over?”
“Sorry, can’t right now. I’m really busy. Naru-chan, Umino and I are going to Yokohama Chinatown to eat some delicious Chinese food. Wanna come?”
Makoto, Ryoku and Luna all sweatdropped. “That’s okay, Usagi-chan,” Ryoku replied in a deadpan tone. “Maybe later.”
“Okay then. Bye!” Usagi then shut off the communicator at her end.
“Just when we needed her to be serious,” Makoto muttered.
“Hah! I told you so!” Rei remarked with her arms folded.
“Is this supposed to be a test of faith, Luna?” Ryoku remarked.
“Shut up, Ryo-kun.”
On their way to Yokohama’s Chinatown, Naru decided to stop at the nearby graveyard and just stare out over the mass of headstones. Usagi and Umino just followed her in silence.
“Excuse me, but what’s wrong with you two?” Umino asked after a while. “You’ve been silent for a long time. Chinatown is just over there.”
“All those graves and yet, Nephrite-sama doesn’t have one,” Naru whispered softly to herself. “Usagi-chan, I miss him so much….”
“It’s okay, Naru-chan,” Usagi said consolingly, as Naru’s eyes began to tear up and she started to cry. “Hey, don’t cry….”
“Hey, I’m getting hungry,” Umino mentioned abruptly. “I hear there’s this great place that serves Beijing duck. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve heard it’s great!”
“Fine,” Usagi snapped irritably, turning to him, “go get yourself some duck.” She turned back around to comfort Naru some more, but she wasn’t there. “Huh? Where’s Naru-chan?”
While she was crying, she had spotted a priest strolling through the graveyard. Stifling her tears, she quickly headed over to speak to him.
“Excuse me, Father,” she said deliberately. “I need to talk. Someone very close to me died. He suffered so much, but I couldn’t help him.”
“Go on,” the priest urged gently.
“This is the only thing of his I have left,” she continued sorrowfully, clutching the bandage she made for Nephrite in her hand. “I feel like I have nothing left without him.”
“That can’t be true,” he told her. “As long as there are people who care about you and who love you, you will never be truly alone. There’s always love around you, even if you haven’t noticed it yet. If you turn around, you’ll find love just behind you.”
“If I turn around…?” she asked. He pointed toward the place where she had recently left Usagi and Umino. “I understand,” she replied with a slight smile.
“Fancy meeting you here,” a voice said from behind. Naru and the priest both turned to see Zoisite standing behind them; her hands on her hips and a smug expression across her face.
“Who…. Do I know you?” Naru inquired, giving Zoisite a quizzical glance.
“I’m surprised you don’t remember me,” she said with an evil smirk on her face. “After all, you were supposed to have been taken care of, just like that traitor, Nephrite.”
Traitor? The word brought back the painful memory of the night of Nephrite’s death. She was holding him in her arms as his strength left him as fast as his blood left the many cuts adorning his body. And above them, the woman how had ordered both his death and her own….
“You!” she exclaimed angrily. “You’re the one who had Nephrite-sama killed and tried to have me killed as well!”
“Ah, now the girl remembers,” Zoisite taunted smugly. “It seems appropriate that I should meet you in a graveyard, don’t you think?”
I don’t want to know what she means by that.…
Both Usagi and Umino were searching for Naru, but they had no luck so far. They had split up in order to cover more ground; Usagi remaining near the graveyard, while Umino looked further down the street.
“Where could she be?” she mused to herself as she paused to scan her surroundings. A sudden beeping noise accompanied with a bright, pulsating light coming from her purse caught her notice. “What’s this?”
“Usagi-chan, the Crescent Moon Wand is reacting!” Luna exclaimed from behind her.
“Luna, what are you talking about? What are you doing here?” Usagi asked, turning to her guardian cat in surprise.
“Never mind that now,” Luna told her. “Just take the wand out of your bag.”
“All right,” she replied and started digging through her purse. A few seconds later, she brought it out. The wand was still beeping and flashing steadily.
“The wand is telling you the location of one of the seven Rainbow Crystals.”
“The Seven Rainbow Crystals?”
“I’ll fill you in on that later. At the source of the reading, there’s a chance that a youma may appear! You’d better call the others right away!”
“Got it, Luna,” Usagi said, as she brought out her communicator. “Everyone, come in. I’m at the graveyard with Luna. She says there’s something called a Rainbow Crystal around here and we need to find it before the Dark Kingdom does.”
“The graveyard?” Makoto answered. “All right, we’re on our way!”
“Okay, we’d better hurry,” Ryoku added as Makoto switched off her communicator. “We can’t let the Dark Kingdom get any more Rainbow Crystals.”
“We’re not going,” Rei declared suddenly.
Both Makoto and Ryoku stopped abruptly on their way out. “Excuse me?” Ryoku asked quietly without turning while Makoto stared at Rei and Ami in confusion. “You’re not what?”
“Now, Rei-chan, I really think that we should go…,” Ami began until Rei pinched her in the ankle again and she yelped in pain. “Never mind….”
“Come on, you two! We’ve gotta go help Usagi-chan!” Makoto shouted.
“If she’s the leader, then she can take care of things herself,” Rei countered.
“I don’t believe this!” Makoto exclaimed in frustration. “I thought we’re supposed to be a team! How can you…?”
Ryoku silenced Makoto by placing a hand on her shoulder. “We need to go, Mako-chan. We can’t waste time trying to convince them to come with us.”
“But…,” she began but he just shook his head.
“After this is over,” he continued, giving Ami and Rei a stern glare, “I’m going to have a little talk with the both of you. A long talk.” Rei turned her gaze away from him in a show of indifference while Ami was trying not to look at anything but the floor. Hmm.… Maybe I’ll just talk with Rei-chan. Ami-chan doesn’t seem too happy about this whole thing. It’s only Rei-chan that’s being stubborn. He turned to his sister and nodded his head towards the door. Within moments, they were on their way.
“I can’t believe this!” Makoto complained as they ran for the graveyard. “Rei-chan and Ami-chan won’t come! Sailor Scouts can’t go on strike!”
“I know, but we didn’t have time to discuss the matter,” Ryoku replied as he ran along side her. “Besides, we have to worry about getting to Usagi-chan and getting the Rainbow Crystal before the Dark Kingdom does.”
Usagi ran through the graveyard, holding the Crescent Moon Wand out in front of her like a divining rod. As she began to home in on the crystal, the beeping grew louder and the flash increased in intensity.
“The signal is growing stronger,” Luna noted. “We must be very close. Hurry!”
“Who are you?” the priest asked serenely.
“Wouldn’t you want to know more about yourself than about me?” Zoisite insinuated.
“I’m just an ordinary priest,” he replied offhandedly.
“Are you?” she retorted knowingly, holding up the Dark Crystal. “The Dark Crystal will show us the truth.”
“That crystal!” Naru exclaimed. “You stole that from Nephrite-sama!” Immediately, she lunged at her, trying to wrest the crystal from her grasp. “That doesn’t belong to you! Don’t use it for evil!”
As Naru and Zoisite struggled for control of the Dark Crystal with the priest watching in confusion, Usagi and Luna arrived, unnoticed by the others.
“Oh no! Naru-chan!” Usagi exclaimed in apprehension.
“Usagi-chan, wait for Mako-chan and Ryo-kun!” Luna warned.
“Naru-chan’s in trouble, Luna!” she argued. “I can’t wait! Moon prism power, make up!” Within moments, Usagi transformed into Sailor Moon.
Zoisite finally managed to free herself from Naru’s grasp and shoved her to the ground away from her.
“Stop that!” the priest demanded. “Don’t hurt her!”
“You should worry about yourself,” Zoisite retorted, holding up the Dark Crystal again.
“Hold it right there!” someone ordered from behind. Everyone turned to see a sailor-suited figure standing atop one of the nearby headstones with her arms folded sternly.
“Sailor Moon!” Naru exclaimed in relief.
“I will not allow you to bring harm to anyone in this sacred resting place for the dead! On behalf of the Moon, I’ll punish you!”
“There you are,” Zoisite said in a dismissive tone. “But you’re too late. I will have the Rainbow Crystal.” She flung her Dark Crystal spinning in front of her. As crystal slowly stopped its spinning, it began to emit pulses of energy at the priest. The pulses of energy began to envelope him and penetrate through him. Suddenly, he felt a surge of power as the energy from the Dark Crystal found the Rainbow Crystal within him. He began to scream as the power of the Orange Rainbow Crystal began to overload his senses.
“The Orange Rainbow Crystal!” Luna exclaimed as the crystal came into view.
“I see it!” Zoisite declared arrogantly. “Come to me, Rainbow Crystal.”
A blanket of dense smoke then began to surround the priest. Out of the smoke, the Orange Rainbow Crystal suddenly flew away.
“Father!” Naru shouted from where she was lying on the ground.
“The Rainbow Crystal’s flying away!” Sailor Moon exclaimed as she watched the crystal fly through the air.
Zoisite leaped into the air after the crystal, but it was flying too fast for her to follow. “Where is the Rainbow Crystal?” she shouted angrily, searching for the crystal midair.
Sailor Moon was about to go search for the crystal, when she noticed that the smoke was clearing from the priest. In his place was a youma. The winged, green-skinned creature was bare-chested with a pair of blue boxing shorts and a large round bell for a belt buckle. A pair of boxing gloves was present on both hands and a sweatband tied back his short yellow hair.
“Father?” Naru called out in disbelief.
“Father?” the Shadow Warrior responded. “I’m not a priest. I’m the Demon Boxer, champion of the Dark Kingdom!”
“Uh-oh,” Sailor Moon muttered worriedly. I wish the others were here.…
“I hear it,” the Demon Boxed stated. “The crowd calling my name. I am the champion!!!”
“Demon Boxer, knock out Sailor Moon,” Zoisite ordered from midair.
“Wait a minute!” Sailor Moon retorted. “I’m not a boxer!”
“Fight for the championship!” he shouted fiercely.
“Umm…. Any chance I could get a time out or something?” she asked, as the bell on his belt sounded and he began to charge. “I’m telling you I’m not a boxer!”
“Rabbit punch!” he shouted as he threw a punch. The glove from his right hand shot off his fist and rocketed at her. She quickly dodged the glove, which exploded upon impact with the headstone behind her.
“Sailor Moon!” Luna exclaimed as she dived to the ground.
“Was that supposed to be a joke on my name?” she muttered anxiously. “I hope Ryo-kun and Mako-chan get here soon.”
“Stop, Father!” Naru yelled, getting to her feet as another glove appeared on his bare, bandaged hand, in place of the last glove. “Please, return to your old self!”
“Quit muttering nonsense!” he retorted, firing another glove, this time at Naru.
“Oh no! Naru-chan, watch out!” Sailor Moon warned. Naru screamed in fright as she froze in place. Before the glove could hit, Umino – who had come to the graveyard in search of both Naru and Usagi – dove at her and tackled her to the ground. As the glove exploded against another headstone above the two of them, he tried to protect her as best as he could from the flying fragments of stone that came from the explosion. “Umino?” Sailor Moon said in disbelief.
While Sailor Moon was distracted, the Demon Boxer fired another glove at her. It headed straight for her, unnoticed.
“Sailor Moon, look out!” Luna shouted. Sailor Moon turned to see the glove flying at her. She was still lying on the ground and the glove was too close for her to dodge.
“Ahh!” she cried and shut her eyes. The glove hit and exploded, yet she didn’t feel a thing. Strange.… I feel like I’m… flying? She slowly opened her eyes to discover that she was flying though the air, or rather she was being carried though the air. And the person carrying her was none other than….
“Tuxedo Kamen-sama, you saved me,” she exclaimed in relief as he landed on yet another headstone.
“A true gentleman boxer would never attack ladies,” Tuxedo Kamen stated, still holding Sailor Moon in his arms.
“All right, then,” Zoisite growled, pointing at him angrily, “Demon Boxer, take care of cape-boy as well!” The Demon Boxer complied by shooting another glove at the both of them. Tuxedo Kamen leaped out of the way as another headstone was destroyed. He landed with his back protecting her from any flying stone pieces and gently set her on the ground. He then turned to face the charging creature and leaped into the air, bringing out his cane in mid-leap. The creature then fired several gloves at him in succession, which he deflected by spinning his cane.
While Tuxedo Kamen battled against the Shadow Warrior, Sailor Moon noticed that he had dropped something after he left her there. “What’s this?” she wondered, picking up the object. The shape resembled a star and it appeared to be some sort of locket.
As she looked up from the locket, she saw her two friends finally arriving on the scene. “Mako-chan! Ryo-kun!” she called out in relief.
“Quickly you two, transform!” Luna shouted.
“Right, Luna!” Makoto said, as they both pulled out their transformation items.
“Jupiter power, make up!”
“Knight swords power!”
“Now, will you fight me?” the Demon Boxer said, as he noticed Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Knight standing before him. He momentarily ignored Tuxedo Kamen and began to charge the two Scouts.
“Ready?” Knight asked, turning to her after giving the creature an indifferent glance.
“Ready,” Jupiter replied, preparing her attack.
“Earth thrust!”
“Supreme thunder!”
The two attacks combined into a giant, lightning-charged spike of stone. The spike struck the creature’s glove, embedding itself into it, while the lightning bolt gave him a huge electrical shock. The force of the attack shattered his glove and momentarily stunned him.
“Now, Sailor Moon!” Jupiter shouted.
“Right,” she replied as she brought out the Crescent Moon Wand. “Moon healing escalation!” She rotated the wand in a large circle in front of her, ending above her head. As she held the wand above her head, a white glow emanated from the wand and covered the Shadow Warrior, returning him to his normal form. He then collapsed into unconsciousness.
Meanwhile, Zoisite was still looking for the Rainbow Crystal when she spotted Tuxedo Kamen, holding the object of her search. “That’s…!” she growled.
“I will have the Rainbow Crystals,” Tuxedo Kamen replied, pocketing the Orange Rainbow Crystal. “Farewell.” With that, he leaped away and out of sight.
She growled threateningly. “I will get it back from him someday.” Now that there was nothing of interest left, she vanished in a flourish of cherry blossom petals.
“Sailor Moon,” Luna said, running up to her, “get the Orange Rainbow Crystal back!”
“Yeah,” Sailor Moon murmured quietly. She gazed thoughtfully at the object in her hand. “There’s something… familiar about this locket. Almost as if I’ve seen it before….”
“Is everyone all right?” Ryoku asked. He and Makoto had quickly changed back after the fight was over and were now just running up to them.
“I guess so,” Sailor Moon answered.
“Sorry we’re late,” Makoto said. “Something kept us from coming sooner.”
Ryoku glanced over to where Naru and Umino were helping the priest to his feet. “You’d better change back before they start to wonder where you are.”
“Oh, right,” she agreed and rushed off to find a place to change back in private.
Tuxedo Kamen stood alone in a secluded part of the harbor. It was growing dark and there was usually no one around at this time. As he gazed out over the water, he pulled out the Orange Rainbow Crystal and held it in front of him. There was something about the way it shined as he looked at it….
Suddenly, the crystal began to glow brilliantly. Its light washed over him, bathing him in its radiance. Slowly, the light faded, and along with it, Tuxedo Kamen’s outfit. In his place, Mamoru appeared, dressed in a light blue shirt and gray slacks and holding the Orange Rainbow Crystal.
“I see,” Mamoru mused to himself as he gazed contemplatively at the crystal in his hand. “Now I know who I am. I am Tuxedo Kamen.”
But… who is the one who keeps telling me to find the Silver Crystal? If I only knew where to start looking.…
“There,” Naru said, as she tied Nephrite’s bandage on his arm. The three were sitting on a bench near the harbor, watching the sun sink slowly beyond the horizon.
“Thank you,” he replied gratefully as he flexed his arm to test the tightness of the knot.
“Naru-chan,” Usagi asked deliberately, “isn’t that….”
“It’s okay,” she explained. “Umino got hurt saving me. I’m sure he would’ve wanted me to use it to help him.” She smiled at him, causing him to blush and laugh nervously.
“I’m sorry to have worriedly everyone,” she continued apologetically. “You know, it’s times like these when you find out who your closest friends are, as well as those who care about you.” She gave Usagi a small grin, then gazed out over the water.
“Oh, how sweet…,” Usagi commented cheerily. She brought out the locket that she had recently found and opened the top. When the top was opened, a soft melodious tune began to sound from it. Inside, was a picture of a small crescent moon on its side that slowly rotated around the center of the locket. She stared at the crescent moon as she listened to the music play.
A short distance away, Luna watched them with Makoto and Ryoku. She was lying in Makoto’s arms, wondering what to make of their current situation. “I’m sorry,” she said despondently. “I wanted to show you the good side of Usagi-chan, but look at her….”
“I’ll give her a point for dedication to her friend,” Makoto said, glancing over at her friend.
“True loyalty is a good trait for a leader to have,” Ryoku added. “Someone willing to do whatever it takes to help someone in need. When the others see that, they’ll realize that she truly is the best person to be our leader.”
“Thank you, both,” Luna said as they continued to watch over their leader and their friend.
“Oh, what a beautiful melody!” Naru exclaimed, looking at the locket in Usagi’s hands. “Where did you get that?”
“Oh… somewhere,” Usagi replied, leaning back as she slowly closed her eyes and lost herself in the sweet melody of the locket.
To Chapter 25: Mercury’s Mental Match