After school the next day, everyone met at Chibiusa’s school and started to walk home together. Luna and Artemis had opted to come along with them; Artemis riding on Minako’s left shoulder and Luna riding on Ami’s. As they walked down one street, Usagi suddenly stretched lazily and yawned, earning a small grimace from Luna.
“Well, being a junior high student and part of a force for love and justice is very tiring,” she said as she put her hands behind her head as she continued to walk.
“What are you talking about?” Luna retorted. “With all that mindless chitchat, we didn’t get much of a meeting out of it!”
“Yeah…,” Artemis agreed, nodding his head. Ami and Minako were the only two who seemed to be chagrinned at that fact, since both Rei and Makoto were paying attention to Chibiusa, and Ryoku was glancing at his surroundings, apparently searching for something.
“Thanks for the lunch, Mako-chan!” Chibiusa said gratefully as she displayed the empty lunch sack.
“No problem,” Makoto replied with a smile. “Although, you might want to give some thanks to Ryo-chan, too. He made your dessert.”
“Thanks for the dessert, Ryo-oniichan!” she shouted toward him, waving her lunch bag at him.
“Eh?” he replied, blinking as his attention broke away from what he was doing. “Oh. Sure thing, kiddo. I’m glad you liked it.”
“Something wrong, Ryo-chan?” Makoto asked, tilting her head inquisitively at him.
“Hmm? No… not really…,” he replied uncertainly. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Oh….”
“You’re so lucky, Chibiusa-chan!” Rei told her, changing the subject. “Mako-chan’s lunches are always extra delicious and Ryo-kun makes great desserts!”
“Yeah!” the young girl agreed cheerily.
As they continued walking, Makoto and Chibiusa paused as she noted that both Rei and Ryoku had halted at the same time and had the same serious expression on their faces. “What’s wrong, you two?” Makoto asked concernedly. When they heard Makoto’s question, the other three stopped as well and turned around.
Rei was staring at something slightly beyond the building ahead of her on her left side, while Ryoku was turned around staring behind them. “I think I’ve figured out why I’ve been feeling a little edgy,” Ryoku said in a calm, steady voice without turning around. “Listen. It’s way too quiet for this time of day. I haven’t seen another person since setting foot on this one street.” He then turned around and looked at them with a wary expression on his face. “This doesn’t feel right. Rei-chan?” he said as he glanced toward the girl standing next to him.
She nodded as she closed her eyes and frowned. “I sense… a strange aura,” she replied, then pointed. “That way.” Without another word, everyone started running in the direction that Rei pointed.
“Wait!” Chibiusa shouted as she tried to keep up with the others. As she strained to catch up, she ended up putting a foot wrong and tripped, falling face-first onto the pavement; her Luna Sphere and lunch bag fell just a few feet in front of her. Chibiusa pushed herself off the pavement and frowned hurtfully. “You’re all heartless!” she whimpered as the others continued to run, leaving her behind.
Ryoku was the first person to reach the intersection Rei had pointed toward. As soon as he took a good look at what had happened there, he instantly drew his Star Sword from behind his back with the blade out and stood in a ready fighting stance. As the others reached him, they all gasped at what they saw.
The entire street was littered with motionless, lifeless bodies. Dozens upon dozens of people lay collapsed on the street scattered everywhere with no signs of a struggle or of people fleeing. It was almost as if whatever hit, struck everyone at once, quickly and suddenly.
“So…,” Ryoku murmured as they all walked down the street, looking for any sign of movement, “here’s where everyone went.”
“What happened here?” Makoto asked apprehensively.
Minako walked over to one comatose man and knelt down in front of him. “Their energy has been drained…,” Artemis observed. Minako gasped as she turned her head to stare at him.
“Energy?” Usagi exclaimed.
“Whoever it was, they might still be here,” Ryoku said warningly as he raised his sword in a defensive position.
“Everyone, watch your backs!” Luna warned. Everyone quickly glanced around, watching for any sign of an incoming attack.
“How did all of this…?” Minako began, then trailed off as she glanced around her. As she glanced around her, she failed to notice that some plant vines had suddenly wrapped around the body of the man in front of her. In one swift movement, the man suddenly thrust his hand out and grabbed her by her leg, causing her to scream in fright. Instantly, everyone turned toward her in time to witness the man stand up and lift Minako up by her leg, simultaneously throwing Artemis off her shoulder and causing her to drop her bookbag. As the man stood straight up, he lifted Minako higher into the air, causing both her hair and her skirt to fall downward, and exposing her panties to full view. Ryoku’s eyes widened in surprise, then quickly squeezed shut as he turned his head and blushed slightly.
“You…,” she growled fiercely as she started moving her other leg into position. “You… PERVERT!!!” she shouted angrily as she kicked the man in the head, causing him to drop her. She flipped in midair, allowing her to land perfectly into the kneeling position she hand started out in.
“You all right, Minako-chan?” Ryoku asked as he walked up to her.
“Yeah,” she agreed, then noted the very slight redness that was still present in his face. “You saw, didn’t you?”
“Uh…. Well…. I…. Um…,” he stammered in chagrin as he rubbed the back of his head. “I didn’t mean to. Sorry.”
Minako laughed slightly as she grinned at him. “Apology accepted, but try not to let it happen again, okay?” she said with a playful wink.
“Okay…,” he agreed while scratching the back of his head uncertainly.
“Ryo-kun! Minako-chan!” Makoto shouted. “Look out! There’s more coming!”
“What?” Ryoku said as he glanced around him. More people with vines wrapped around them were slowly starting to stand up, as well as the man that Minako had kicked.
“We’re surrounded!” Minako gasped worriedly.
“What’s going on?” Ami murmured in bewilderment. “The plants…?” She gasped as she spotted numerous plant pods scurrying out from the planters lining the street. Each pod rolled over to a motionless person and sprouted vines that quickly wrapped around the person. Once the vines had wrapped around the person, that person slowly stood up and started to advance on them.
“What?” she gasped after witnessing another possession. “Plants controlling humans?!?”
“Damn!” Ryoku growled as he put away his sword. “I can’t use my Star Sword against people!” He and Minako slowly started to back away, but were rapidly being over taken by the zombified people. Before they could overcome him, he started to kick and throw the people coming after him. At the same time, the other zombified people began to advance on Minako as well.
“Hey! Wait a sec!” she gasped as she tried to slip away from the grasp of all the hands reaching out to grab at her.
Luna quickly jumped off of Ami’s shoulder as one of the zombified people rushed at Ami and started to struggle with her. Luna tried to scratch at the person’s legs, but it seemed to have little effect.
Usagi worried whirled her gaze back and forth, trying to keep all the zombified people advancing on her in her sight at once.
Makoto was following her brother’s lead and was busy tossing off anyone who tried to jump her. “Damn it!” she growled as more people started to close in on her.
Rei dodged one attack after another, then took off running. She dodged one zombified person after another until she reached the end of the mob of attackers. When she was clear, she quickly leaped into the air while jumping off the head of one person, then spun around so that she was facing the whole mob of zombified attackers. “Evil spirits…,” she yelled as she whipped out a handful of ofuda and prepared to throw them, “…begone!” She then threw all of them at once, making a shower of anti-evil wards. Although a lot of them missed and struck the ground, every single zombified person received a ward slapped onto their forehead. As Rei hit the ground, the ofuda took effect and caused the vines that controlled them to burn away. With a combined moan, every one of the possessed people collapsed back to the ground.
Everyone glanced around them, checking to make sure that the attack was over. “We’re saved…,” Usagi exhaled in relief as she pushed an unconscious person off of her and sat up.
“Everyone okay?” Ryoku asked. “No one hurt?”
“We’re all fine,” Makoto replied confidently. “That was easy.”
“It’s not over yet!” Ami shouted as she ran a few scans with her minicomputer. “The energy source that was controlling those plants isn’t gone yet!” A map of the city appeared on her computer, then scaled down to the section of the city they were currently in. The image closed in onto a section of the street that they were on, then locked onto the image of a nearby tree. A small red dot lying at the base of the tree signified the energy source. On the top left corner of her screen, a picture of a strange, pink flower appeared, showing her the source of the attack. She quickly looked up toward the indicated direction and instantly spotted the flower. “Over there!”
As one, the others followed Ami’s gaze until they spotted the flower as well. “That’s it?” Ryoku asked, his right eyebrow raised in skeptical disbelief as he pointed toward the flower. “That flower was causing all of this?” As soon as the last word left his mouth, the plant suddenly uprooted itself and stood on six green crab-like legs. “Okay…,” he said, lowering his arm and nodding to himself. “Now that makes more sense… I think,” he said partly to himself as he rubbed the back of his head in chagrin.
The others gasped in shock at seeing the flower jump out of the ground. Usagi was so surprised, she jumped back to her feet and started to back away from the plant.
“Ah!” Chibiusa yelled in shock when she finally caught up with the others, and saw the mass of unconscious people. “What is this?!?”
Usagi whirled around to look behind her. “Chibiusa!” she exclaimed when she saw the pink-haired young girl.
At the same time, the flower also seemed to take notice of the new arrival and started scurrying over toward her. “Damn!” Rei growled at she saw what the plant was after and started to chase after it. It was too fast, though, and it seemed as though she wouldn’t catch it in time. “Chibiusa-chan!” she shouted in warning.
Chibiusa whirled around in time to see the flower rushing up to her, but it was moving to fast for her to get away. She began to scream as the flower leaped up and snapped at her with jagged teeth that burst out from the middle of the blossom. Just moments before it could sink its teeth into her, Usagi made a running leap at her and managed to tackle her out of the way just before the flower could reach her. The momentum of her leap carried her through the air and crashing through the window of a nearby café. She hit the floor hard and rolled for a few feet before coming to a stop just beyond the mess of broken glass, with Chibiusa still in her protective embrace.
Outside, the others stared at the hole in the window that Usagi had made after saving Chibiusa. “Usagi-chan!” Rei shouted, trying to find out if she was still all right. No answer came back from inside the café.
“Heads up! It’s coming this way!” Ryoku warned as the flower started heading for them. As it scurried toward them, the closed flower bud began to unfold, revealing the top half of a blue-haired, blue-skinned, female humanoid creature. She began to laugh as she slowly increased her size so that she was now slightly taller than they were.
Rei wasted no time in readying more ofuda. “Evil spirit…,” be began as she leaped toward the oncoming creature, “...begone!” In midair, she flung another shower of anti-evil wards at the flower creature, but she managed to dodge every single one of them without breaking her stride.
“Look out!!!” Ryoku shouted as it was about to overrun both Rei and Ami. He tried to leap at them and shove them out of the way, but only ended up getting caught along with them as the flower creature tackle all three of them and slammed them against the aluminum gate of a closed store. The force of the impact was so hard that there were huge dents in the metal where each of the three hit. She continued to hold Ami and Rei by their necks and shove them against Ryoku, who was pinned behind the two girls. As he tried to push himself free, the flower creature’s arms slowly changed into a mass of plant vines, which then wrapped around both Ami and Rei. When Ryoku managed to free himself and try to leap away, a third cluster of vines caught him in midair and slammed him into the metal gate a second time and held him there above the ground. Her red eyes began to flash as she scurried backward while lengthening her vine arms so that she could continue to maintain the pressure on her three captives until she could drain them of their energy. She continued to laugh as another, larger flower bud erupted from her back and blossomed. The huge blossom began to drain her three captives of their energy as they tried to resist.
“No use…,” Rei muttered in frustration. “Our energy’s being drained away….”
“So, that’s what was taking the energy from all these people!” Minako reasoned as she and Makoto witnessed the others’ energy draining into the center of the flower behind the creature’s back.
“Both of you, transform!” Luna shouted urgently.
“Venus star power, make up!” Minako shouted as she brought out her transformation wand.
“Jupiter star power, make up!” Makoto shouted as she also brought out her transformation wand.
“Venus love-me chain!” Sailor Venus shouted as she flung her chain directly at the clusters of vines holding the others, causing them to snap apart. The flower creature was flung backward by the force of her vines snapping back into her and was knocked off of most of her legs. The huge blossom behind her back folded back in and disappeared into her back again as she tried to recover.
“Sparkling wide pressure!” Jupiter shouted as she flung her attack at the dazed creature. The ball of lightning struck the creature and shoved her further backward, away from the others.
“Are you three all right?” Artemis shouted as he, Luna, and the two Sailor Scouts ran over to the others. Jupiter helped Ami sit up, while Venus assisted Rei, and the two cats looked over Ryoku, who was just starting to push himself off the ground.
As they went to help their friends, the flower creature recovered enough from her dazed state to break the hold that Sailor Jupiter’s attack had on her. Everyone looked up to see a smoldering flower creature stare back at them and laugh mockingly as it retracted its vines back into her arm sockets.
“Okay, I’ve had just about enough of her,” Ryoku growled as he stood up and brought out his transformation wand and pointed it at the flower creature, making the blade of the Star Sword appear from within his transformation wand for emphasis. “Let’s take her down.”
“Mars star power, make up!” Rei shouted as she got to her feet and brought out her transformation wand.
“Mercury star power, make up!” Ami shouted as she also got to her feet and brought out her transformation wand.
“Knight star sword power!” Ryoku shouted as he raised the Star Sword over his head and transformed along with the others.
“Fire soul!” Sailor Mars shouted as she fired her attack at the flower creature. The creature countered by leaping up into the air and jumping onto the wall of a nearby building, sticking to it like a spider.
“Supreme thunder!” Sailor Jupiter shouted as she aimed her attack high. The creature leaped away again before the lightning could strike, leaving the lightning bolts to reflect off of the building’s windows. As she leaped down off the building, she aimed her fall so that she could try to crush Sailor Mercury upon landing. Before she could hit, Sailor Knight managed to tackle Mercury out of the way, leaving the flower creature to slam into the street, cracking the asphalt below her.
“Earth thrust!” he shouted as he rolled to his feet and fired his attack. Once again, the flower creature jumped out of the way and landed hard enough to crack asphalt and shake the ground beneath it.
As the ground shook outside, a small shard of glass from the broken window of the café that Usagi broke through fell from its housing. Inside, Usagi hardly stirred from her restful slumber, much to Chibiusa’s annoyance. When she grew tired of waiting, she grabbed a napkin from a nearby dispenser, rolled it up, then proceeded to tickle Usagi under the nose with it. The only result she got from that was a loud sneeze as Usagi tiredly rolled over and went back to sleep as Chibiusa grimaced in vexation.
Chibiusa ripped the napkin in half and rolled both sides up, then stuck each one into one of Usagi’s nostrils. After finishing that task, she then covered Usagi’s mouth with both of her hands, cutting off her air supply. All she had to do was wait until Usagi woke up, gasping for air.
She waited….
…and waited….
…and waited….
…and waited….
Finally, after a long drawn out wait, Usagi finally shot straight up, gasping for air. The suddenness of her movement startled Chibiusa, causing her to leap back in surprise as Usagi caught her breath. “Looks like you finally woke up,” she said as she crawled back over to her.
“Are you trying to kill me?” Usagi shot back as she blew both of the napkin pieces out of her nose, one at a time, hitting Chibiusa in the head with each one.
Chibiusa merely grimaced as she wiped her face with another napkin. “Is this what I get for waking you up?” she asked flatly.
Usagi scowled at Chibiusa until she remembered what was happening. “Where is everyone?” she asked urgently.
“They transformed and are now fighting,” Chibiusa informed her as she stood up and looked out the broken window toward the street.
“All right!” Usagi said as she stood up and walked toward the broken window. “Moon crystal…!”
“Usagi!” Chibiusa shouted, interrupting her in mid-transformation phrase.
Usagi whirled back toward her and glared. “What do you want?” she shouted at her.
“Thank you for saving me,” she told her with a small smile. “Good luck!” she added with a wink and a quick thumbs-up.
Usagi stared at her in surprise for a moment, then smiled back. “Leave it to me,” she replied with a nod. “Moon crystal power, make up!” With a quick wave of her hand over the Silver Crystal and a short transformation later, Usagi became Sailor Moon.
Back outside, the flower creature was back on the offensive as she snapped one of her vine arms at Sailor Mars like whips. “Burning mandala!” Mars countered as she fired rings of fire, slicing off huge chunks of the vines.
Jupiter followed the attack as she fired her Sparkling Wide Pressure while running past her, but the flower creature managed to evade the attack.
“Avalanche barrage!” Sailor Knight shouted as he fired a barrage of small stone spikes at her, but also missed as the flower creature managed to scurry away again.
“It’s so quick!” Jupiter growled as she came to a stop.
When the flower creature stopped running, she flung out one of her vine arms again at both Venus and Mercury. Both Sailor Scouts were caught off guard and were caught in a tangle of vines. Sailor Knight leaped at the bundle of vines and slashed through them with his Star Sword, but only ended up getting caught along with them as she flung her other vine arm at them, catching all three with the same arm. When she recovered her other arm, she flung that one at Jupiter and Mars, catching them as well.
“Oh no!” Artemis shouted in apprehension.
“It’s going to drain their energy!” Luna exclaimed worriedly.
Suddenly, a disc of light flew through the air, slicing through the vines holding Jupiter and Mars. It then curved in midair and sliced through the vines holding Venus, Knight and Mercury. The disc then flew back to its owner, where it stopped just above her raised hand. The disc stopped spinning and reverted back into a tiara, which Sailor Moon then placed back on her forehead.
“A flower’s life is a short one,” she shouted as she stepped out onto the street. “Maidens, your life may also be short, so find true love!”
“I hardly think that this is a good time to be waxing poetic,” Knight grumbled as he flung off the vines that were still draped around his neck. “Not to mention the fact that I’m not a maiden.”
“Are you finished?” Sailor Moon asked.
Sailor Knight sweatdropped as he sighed to himself. “Why do I even bother…?” he muttered as he waved his hand in vexation. “Please, continue.”
“I won’t allow something to do evil while disguised as a beautiful flower!” she declared as she flung her arm outward in emphasis. “I’m the Sailor Warrior fighting for love and justice, Sailor Moon! On behalf of the Moon, I’ll punish you!”
“Sailor Moon!” Luna shouted in relief with Artemis’ expression of relief mirroring her own.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!” Sailor Moon said as she glanced over toward the cats.
The flower creature’s eyes narrowed in irritation as she flung one of her vine arms at her. As Sailor Moon leaped away, the vine struck the street where she was standing only moments ago.
Sailor Mercury saw the attack as an opportunity to get in one attack of her own. “Shine aqua illusion!” she shouted as she flung her attack at the distracted creature. Her shot split into four streams, which completely encircled the creature. As she glanced back at Mercury, her attack suddenly engulfed the creature in a huge burst of freezing cold water, which instantly encased her in a huge chunk of ice.
“Sailor Moon!” Mercury shouted urgently. “Now’s your chance!” Her urgency was punctuated by the sound of cracking ice as the flower creature managed to break two of her vines free.
Sailor Moon complied by bringing out her scepter and raising it above her head while preparing for her attack. As she waved the scepter in front of her to gather energy for the attack, the flower creature suddenly broke the top half of her body free. However, her legs were still encased in ice.
“Moon princess halation!” Sailor Moon shouted as she fired her attack at the flower creature. As the attack slammed into the flower creature and destroyed her, a huge cloud of violet smoke erupted from the remains of the creature.
“We did it!” Jupiter said in satisfaction as the cloud of violet smoke blew past them.
When the smoke cleared, the figure of a young man could be seen walking toward the scene of the battle. “I failed…,” he muttered in disappointment as he advanced. The others gasped as they spotted the man, and noticed the crushed remains of the flower that started the whole mess. “I didn’t think that beings like you were on this planet…,” the man continued as he stopped just in front of the crushed flower.
“And you are?” Sailor Moon asked.
The man’s eyes widened in surprise as he recognized Sailor Moon. “You…. You’re that girl from yesterday,” he murmured in recognition. “Oh, well…,” he said as he grinned darkly. “Our experiment was a success.”
“Our?” Artemis repeated questioningly.
“Our?” Knight also repeated. “You and who else?” he demanded.
In reply, the man began to change into his true form. Knight’s eyes widened as he noticed something familiar about the man’s new form. Those pointed ears, the green skin, the long dual colored hair.… He looks like he’s from the same alien race as Ail and Ann! I thought that those two were the only ones of their kind left.… His thoughts were cut short as his gaze settled onto something that seemed a bit out of the ordinary. On the left side of his chest, a flower was sticking out. It suddenly opened up, revealing the top half of another female humanoid creature.
“That is…,” Artemis gasped in recognition.
“…a Kisenian flower!” Luna finished.
“I like the energy of this planet’s inhabitants…,” the Kisenian flower said as it glanced around.
“Yeah,” the man nodded as he glanced down toward the flower. “I think this planet will make my flowers bloom beautifully.”
“Who in the world are you?” Sailor Moon asked.
“The Intergalactic Botanist?” Knight suggested facetiously.
The Kisenian flower ignored both of them as she glanced back up at the man, then back at the Sailor Scouts. “But first, we have to get rid of those who’re in the way.”
“I think so, too,” the man agreed as he raised his arm toward the Scouts. As he flung his arm to the right, he blasted Mercury, Knight and Venus through the glass window of a clothing store. As he flung his other arm out to the left, he blasted Mars into the metal gate of another closed shop, denting the metal with the force of the impact. Jupiter glanced concernedly at Mars for a moment, then whirled around to face the man.
“You…!” she yelled fiercely as she rushed at the man and tried to strike him, but failed as he easily dodged each blow. As the man jumped backward, he raised his hand to deliver another blow, but was stopped as Knight leaped out from inside the clothing store and swiped at him with his blade. When Jupiter saw that his attacks were also having no effect, she began a second attack, coordinating each strike with her brother for maximum effectiveness. Even with their combined attacks, the man dodged each attack easily. Once again, the man jumped backward and raised his hand to deliver the final blow. As he moved his hand to where he could strike either Scout in the stomach, he fired his attack, sending both Scouts flying into a nearby phone booth and crashing right through to the wall behind them.
“Jupiter! Knight!” Sailor Moon shouted concernedly as she whirled around to see if they were all right. Both Senshi were lying next to each other, unconscious.
“I have to make absolutely sure I take care of you…,” the man said as he laughed, then flicked his left hand open, causing his fingernails to extend like claws, “…since you have deceived Mamoru-kun.” Sailor Moon swallowed nervously as she readied herself for the attack. “Die!” he yelled as he rushed forward and drew back his arm to deliver the final blow.
Before he could strike, a rose flew through the air and struck the ground in front of the man, causing him to halt suddenly and glance in the direction the rose flew from. In the second story display window of a men’s clothing store, he spotted a group of male mannequins wearing tuxedos and eyemasks. As he stared, one of them suddenly started to walk forward. That was when he realized that the man wasn’t standing inside the window display, but was standing on the lamppost just in front of it, which made it seem as if he was standing within the group of mannequins.
“Beautiful flowers turn ugly when grown with a filthy soul,” Tuxedo Kamen said as he stared down at the man. “That’s as far as you go, Fiore.”
“Tuxedo Kamen-sama!” Sailor Moon shouted in relief.
Fiore stared uncertainly at Tuxedo Kamen for a moment, then glanced down at the rose stuck into the ground. “You are…,” he murmured in recognition. He then turned back to Tuxedo Kamen and smiled as he retracted his fingernails. “Mamoru-kun! So, you didn’t forget our friendship after all!”
Tuxedo Kamen leaped down from the lamppost and stared emotionlessly at him. “Fiore, why are you doing this?” he asked.
Fiore flinched back as if surprised at the question. “Why?” he shot back. “Why are you seeking comfort from your loneliness with this girl? She’s going to deceive you and you’ll end up all alone!”
Sailor Moon looked back from Tuxedo Kamen to Fiore with an uncertain expression on her face. Obviously, there was something between them, but she wished she knew what it was.
“Please, Fiore,” Tuxedo Kamen implored as he approached him. “If you believe in our friendship, then believe in her and the people on this planet.”
“I understand,” Fiore said after a moment of silence.
“Fiore…,” Tuxedo Kamen said appreciatively with a grin and a nod.
A small laugh emerged from the Kisenian flower as she lifted her head with red, flashing eyes. Fiore’s eyes also began to flash red as the Kisenian’s control began to influence his thinking. Tuxedo Kamen jerked back in surprise as Fiore suddenly leaped over his head toward Sailor Moon.
“What?!?”
“This girl is deceiving you!” he shouted as he formed a sword in his left hand in midair and swung it down at her as he came down. Sailor Moon was so startled by his actions that she froze in place and stared up at him as he came down toward her.
“Sailor Moon, run!” Luna yelled.
Just before Fiore’s sword could strike her down, something knocked her down, away from the attack. She looked up to see that Tuxedo Kamen had pushed her out of the way and blocked Fiore’s attack with his cane, saving her. He was now holding back Fiore as he was still determined to get at her.
“Stop!” Tuxedo Kamen pleaded as he struggled with the enraged alien. “Stop!!!”
“I can’t!” Fiore growled fiercely as he fought to push him back. “That girl is fooling you!”
“No!” Tuxedo Kamen shouted forcefully as he pushed Fiore back again. “I am not being fooled!”
Fiore grinned madly as he redoubled his efforts to get past Tuxedo Kamen. “I’ll open your eyes for you!” he shouted as he shoved him down to the ground. Tuxedo Kamen managed to disarm Fiore as he fell, but he had already leaped away from them and was preparing another attack aimed at Sailor Moon. She whirled around just in time to realize that he was about to attack her, but it was already too late for her to avoid the attack.
“STOP!!!” Tuxedo Kamen screamed in concern for Sailor Moon, but his cry fell on deaf ears as Fiore flung out his arm and extended his razor sharp fingernails in an attempt to skewer her.
Sailor Moon gasped in absolute terror as Fiore’s dagger-like fingernails punctured flesh and drew blood. Her eyes widened in fear and dread as she watched her beloved Tuxedo Kamen fling himself in front of the attack and take it into himself, just to save her life. Tears formed in her eyes as she heard him gasp in pain, while his hat and eyemask slid from his head onto the ground below.
“Damn!” Fiore gasped in shock as he realized that he had unintentionally harmed his friend, and quickly withdrew his fingernails back into his hand.
“Tuxedo Kamen-sama!” Sailor Moon screamed as he weakly fell back into her arms. He was holding his right hand over the wound while trying to keep himself up with his left hand. “Hang on!” she said encouragingly as she shook him to keep him conscious. As his breathing became ragged, she began to cry as she fiercely hugged him. “Mamo-chan….”
“Mamoru-kun…,” Fiore said half to himself in wide-eyed shock as he stared at him and Sailor Moon. “You think so highly of this girl?” He scowled angrily at Sailor Moon as his eyes began to flash red again. Sailor Moon gasped and stared down at Tuxedo Kamen as his body began to shimmer with a translucent violet light, then disappeared from within her arms. Tuxedo Kamen then reappeared above Fiore and fell into his waiting arms.
“Mamo-chan!” Sailor Moon screamed as she jumped to her feet.
“Sailor Moon!” Luna shouted as Sailor Moon ran straight for Fiore, but was too late as he lifted off into the air, floating backward as he ascended higher and higher.
“Mamo-chan!!!” she screamed as loud as she could as she leaped at Fiore with all her strength. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough; Fiore slowly vanished from sight from within a flurry of flower petals, taking Tuxedo Kamen with him.
“This can’t be…,” she whispered in despair as she fell to her knees in anguish. “Why…?” she sobbed quietly as she stared up at the spot in the sky where she last saw him. “Mamoru-chan….”
It was slowly coming back to him. The car’s brakes losing control… the slippery road… crashing through the highway’s guardrails… and the long, terrifying fall.…
He could remember overhearing the doctor at the foot of his bed. “…unfortunately, it was too late for the couple. However, their son, Mamoru-san, has miraculously survived.…”
“Father.… Mother…,” he cried as he learned of the fate of his parents. “Am I all alone?” He wiped the tears from his eyes, only to be replaced by more as they flowed from his eyes.
“It’s all right,” he heard a voice say as a young boy suddenly faded into view in front of him. As soon as he knew that they were alone, he shed his human disguise and revealed his true green-skinned, green-haired form. “I’m here for you,” he said as he smiled at him.
Mamoru opened his eyes to see Fiore smiling at him through some sort of glass. His expression reminded him of the memory that had just fully resurfaced from the depths of his mind. He noticed that he was floating in some sort of clear, breathable liquid, which seemed to explain the occasional cluster of bubbles that periodically rose from the bottom of his surroundings. He was still in his Tuxedo Kamen garb, minus the eyemask and hat, but after what had happened to him, he was satisfied with just being alive. He could still feel his wound at his side, but it didn’t hurt as much as before. The liquid he was floating in must have some healing properties to it.
“Fiore…,” he said, wincing as a sharp pain pricked at his side.
“Stay in there for a while,” Fiore ordered. “Your wounds will heal soon.”
“Fiore…,” Mamoru murmured again as he closed his eyes. “I remember you now.” He glanced back up at him, his expression containing the slightest bit of disbelief. “You really existed. You weren’t just an illusion I saw when I was a child….”
“An illusion…,” Fiore repeated somberly as he turned away. “To me, that time we spent together seems almost like it happened yesterday.
“I had wandered throughout space, all alone,” he began quietly. “I never knew when, or even where I was born. Just as I got tired of it all, I ended up on your planet, Earth. I descended down to the surface, where I came to rest. It was raining, but I didn’t care. But as I opened my eyes again, that’s when I first saw you before I passed into unconsciousness. When I woke again, I saw you staring at me, watching. I knew, the moment I looked into your eyes, that you called for me. I was no longer alone.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay. My body couldn’t live for a long time on Earth. I remember, the day I was to leave, that you gave me a flower. I never knew I would be so happy to receive flowers. I promised you that I’d bring back lots of flowers on my return.
“After that, I wandered from planet to planet, searching. After a long time of searching, I finally found a flower worthy of giving to you. The Kisenian flower.
“As I picked the Kisenian flower, I realized something. All those Earthlings who left poor Mamoru-kun all alone….
“All of them must die.”
“Fiore… I don’t wish for such a thing!” Mamoru told him. “Why do you…?” He paused as he noticed the smoky apparition hovering around Fiore. His eyes took on a lifeless gaze as they began to flicker with a harsh, red light.
“Mamoru-kun…,” he said in a soft, cold voice, “you won’t make me live alone… right?”
“Fiore…,” Mamoru whispered as his eyes widened in apprehension and concern.
“I am the only one that will give you flowers….”
Darkness had already fallen by the time all of the Sailor Scouts had recovered from their previous battle. They gathered around a small plaza nearby, underneath a group of converging highway bridges. There was a large pipe and wall structure built in some sort of architectural art form or another. Sailor Moon had settled herself inside the pipe early on and just sat there, quiet and miserable. Mars and Chibiusa wordlessly sat next to her, just to keep her company while the others concentrated on the threat at hand.
“So, what exactly is a Kisenian flower, anyway?” Jupiter asked.
“It’s an evil flower…,” Artemis said solemnly. “It tries to drain the energy from multiple planets. It is perhaps one of the most dangerous organisms in this universe.”
“That bad?” Knight asked. He was sitting between the two cats and Mercury, and was occasionally glancing back worriedly at Sailor Moon.
Luna nodded wordlessly. “This is the first time Artemis or I have ever seen one in real life,” she explained. “We were told about the Kisenian plant long ago, during the Moon Kingdom.
“The Kisenian plant cannot do anything by itself,” she continued.
“That’s why it needs a body to serve as its hands and feet,” Artemis said, picking up the narrative.
“Kisenians are known for attaching themselves to those with weak hearts,” Luna added.
“Those with weak hearts, huh?” Jupiter repeated.
“Once attached, the person will change their weakness in hatred, which develops into an evil power,” Artemis continued. “The power will continue to grow until….” He trailed off ominously, his silence making his point clearer than words could. “There are countless planets that were completely decimated in this galaxy alone by a Kisenian flower.
“And that guy that took Mamoru-san away?” Jupiter asked.
“He’s probably possessed by a Kisenian,” Artemis reasoned.
“Knight, can you hand me the dish, please?” Mercury asked, as she held her hand out to him. Knight silently nodded as he handed her a pietre dish with the flower from the previous battle. “I analyzed the energy of the creature we fought earlier,” she announced as she held out the dish. “I found that the asteroid approaching Earth releases the same kind of energy as that creature.”
Venus and Jupiter gasped in shock. “Then, that asteroid is…,” Jupiter began.
“Yes,” Knight replied grimly. “The Kisenian’s base.”
“I’m sure Mamoru-san must’ve been taken there, as well,” Luna added.
Jupiter eagerly pounded one fist into her other hand. “Then, we have no time to waste,” she stated.
“Let’s teleport onto that asteroid!” Venus added urgently as she stared up into the sky in the general direction of the asteroid. “The only way to save the Earth is to defeat the Kisenian!”
“Then, let us go,” Knight agreed as he stood up while the others nodded their agreement.
“No!” Sailor Moon shouted, causing the others to stare back at her in disbelief.
“No?” Knight asked, frowning in concern. “Something wrong?”
“You can’t…,” she began quietly. “I don’t want to put you guys in anymore danger… or….” She began to trail away as tears slowly began to form in her distraught eyes. “…you all may… like Mamo-chan….” She put a hand to her head as she sadly stared down at the ground beneath her. “It’s all my fault…,” she said, her voice quivering with dispair as she started to cry. “Mamo-chan ended up like he did because he shielded me….”
Mars gave her a sympathetic look as she turned toward her. “Usagi-chan….”
“Hey!” Chibiusa shouted suddenly as she picked up her Luna Sphere and held it toward Sailor Moon. “Get it together, Sailor Moon!” she exclaimed as she tossed the ball into the air. The sphere exploded in a puff of smoke in midair, and changed into the same toy gun that she had pulled on Usagi when she had first arrived. She deftly snatched the gun from the air and pointed it directly at Sailor Moon. “If you’re like that, then you won’t be able to rescue Mamo-chan!” she exclaimed as she pulled the trigger. Just like the last time, a toy plunger arrow shot out of the gun and stuck to Sailor Moon’s head directly on top of the red crystal in her tiara. Sailor Moon’s eyes widened in surprise when the arrow struck her, but she grimaced in chagrin when the ball at the end of the arrow popped open, dropping a little bit of confetti and unrolling a strip of paper with “Go for it!” written on it. She then glared at Knight after hearing him try to stifle a small chuckle.
“Heroes of justice don’t cry!” Chibiusa continued after lowering her toy gun.
“Chibiusa…,” Sailor Moon said as she looked at the little girl in surprise.
“Just like she said,” Jupiter began as she smiled down at her.
“A tough enemy is after Earth,” Venus continued, also smiling.
“There’s no time to be depressed,” Mercury added as well, also smiling.
“Instead, concentrate on how you will turn this dire situation around,” Knight added, half-grinning his encouragement.
Sailor Moon looked up toward her friends as she pulled off the toy arrow from her forehead. “You can do this,” Mars said, smiling as she placed a hand on Sailor Moon’s shoulder. “For Mamoru-san’s sake, as well.”
“Yeah,” Sailor Moon agreed as she smiled back.
“Okay, then,” Knight said as he turned and walked out toward the open. “Shall we go?”
“Yeah,” Sailor Moon agreed as she and Mars crawled out of the huge pipe and headed for where he was now standing, followed by Mercury, Jupiter and Venus. Chibiusa stood next to the large pipe with Luna and Artemis standing next to her.
Just as they had done before, the six Sailor Scouts took their positions. Sailor Knight stood in the center with his Star Sword held in both hands, the blade held even with his chest. The other five took their places standing around him, holding hands in a five-point circle. They all closed their eyes and concentrated, slowly calling upon their planet’s powers. Above them, the dark clouds began to quickly part, revealing the night sky, the stars and the Moon above.
“Sailor…!” Artemis shouted when he sensed that they were all ready.
“…teleport!” Luna finished right after him.
Immediately, a wind picked up from out of nowhere, blowing around the Sailor Scouts as a sign of the tremendous amount of power that they were currently channeling. Their uniforms and their hair slowly ruffled in the wind as small pieces of dirt and debris were blow around them. As their powers built to their peaks, columns of colored light – yellow for Sailor Moon, red for Sailor Mars, green for Sailor Jupiter, orange for Sailor Venus, blue for Sailor Mercury and silver for Sailor Knight – cascaded upward into the night sky. The concrete around them began to crack from the pressure being built from the Sailor Teleport, forming a small ring of broken pavement around them. As the teleport went thought its final stage and Sailor Knight thrust his Star Sword into the sky above his head, the concrete began to rise into the air as well, levitating until the Sailor Scouts had teleported away, then quietly clinking down onto the ground once more.
Chibiusa, Luna and Artemis all stared down at the broken concrete where the Sailor Scouts once stood for a few moments more, then glanced upward toward where the asteroid was approximately at.
Usagi.… Good luck…, Chibiusa thought with devout hope.