The Sailor Knights Saga Chapter 2 Heroes Reborn Just a few points to make: -As before, this fanfic takes place after the episode, "Final Battle," (that was cool!) in the North American (dub) series. Not that it matters, but it also doesn't take into account the special episode they had after "Final Battle," which I never saw. That really doesn't affect the story much though. -Any C&C can be sent to sailor.knight@mailexcite.com. Go ahead and feel free to totally trash my work. It only makes it better, so long as it's constructive. -A quick thanks to the great Takeuchi Naoko for the world of Sailor Moon, my friends Eleanor (who is no longer my girlfriend), Robyn, Myron and Becky (who is now my girlfriend!) for C&C, and to Dic for bringing Sailor Moon to North America. (They might not have done the best job, but at least it's here.) -And now the legal stuff. Sailor Moon and all related characters are property of Takeuchi Naoko, Kodansha, and TOEI Animation in Japan, and Dic in North America. All non-related characters are property of me. I'm not doing this to make money. I'm doing this because I want to. This fanfic can be distributed to anyone, as long as it isn't changed and no one tries to make money off it. And now, the story. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Avaunt! and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; Thou hast no speculation in those eyes Which thou dost glare with. -Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 4 ---------------------------------------------------------------- The Sailor Knights Saga Chapter 2 Heroes Reborn Every being in existence, no matter how powerful, has a fear, a fear so powerful that it drives all of one's being into the elimination of this fear. For Ares, that fear was coming true. "SHE CANNOT BE HERE!" he bellowed, striking out with his hand and destroying a part of the stone wall of his throne room. He had just learned of the arrival of Queen Serenity on Earth. The messenger of this bad news, Demonicus, was fortunate enough to have avoided the blow. "My lord," he protested," the Sailor Scouts do not yet have the Swords! If we strike quickly, we may be able to destroy them!" "I assume you have a plan?" "My lord, over the last one thousand years, I have aquired quite a following, an army devoted to you. These soldiers are spread throughout Tokyo. I believe that, through them, we will be able to find the true identities of the Sailor Scouts and strike when they least expect it." "An excellent plan, Demonicus. But we must ensure their deaths. We must ensure that our power is greater then theirs." Ares rose from his throne and raised his arms. "Powers of Darkness, I command you, bring back my warriors of darkness so that they may destroy my enemies. Rise, Knights of Ares!" Dark bolts of energy blasted from Ares fingers, one of which hit Demonicus. Where each of these bolts hit, a creature of darkness and evil emerged, clad in jet black armor and carrying various hideous weapons. Demonicus was now changed into a huge demon, with great wings, carrying a cat o' nine tails and a blood red sword. "My lord," said Demonicus," I thank you for this great honor you have given me. I promise you, this day is the last day that the Sailor Scouts will ever see!" "It had better be, for you know the punishment you will face if you fail." "Do not worry, my Lord. With this new power, I will not fail." He laughed and dissapeared in a huge blast of flame. * * * "Mother," Serena whispered, breaking the astonished silence in the room, caused by the unexpected entrance of Queen Serenity. She leapt out of her bed and ran straight towards the Queen. "Daughter, no!" yelled the Queen, but it was too late. Serena ran right through her, tripped, and landed in a heap on the floor. Darien rushed to her side. "Serena, are you all right?" he asked. "I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry," she said, "I'm not gonna...WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" She continued to wail until Ami was able to grab a donut from a box nearby and stuff it in Serena's mouth, thereby shutting her up. "I should have explained before," the Queen said, "You see, I'm not strong enough to make a physical projection of my spirit here, only a visual one." Every one, except Ami, just sat there with extremely confused expressions on their faces. "Oh," said Ami, "so you are a conventional ghost, visible but untouchable." "In a matter of speaking, yes, I am. But enough of this talk. Time is of the essence. I have come here to give you this." The Queen raised her hand, and a small crystal appeared. "This device," the Queen continued," will lead you to the MoonSwords, the only weapons which can defeat Ares." "Your Majesty," began Luna, "just who is this Ares?" "The most evil enemy I have ever faced. He was a great warrior who became jealous of my power. His evil corrupted him so much that one day, when he stole the Silver Imperium Crystal, he was transformed into a being of pure evil, and gained much of the power of the Crystal. To combat him, I created the MoonSwords, with which we believed we could defeat Ares. These swords were given to the Scouts of each planet, who then became the Sailor Knights. We fought long and hard to defeat Ares, but in the end we could only trap him in a great crystal. After his entrapment, the Knights decided to scatter the Swords throughout Earth, entrusting them to the Keepers and their decendants, who vowed to keep them safe and never use them, so that such power could never be abused. In any case, we believed that the crystal would hold him forever, but obviously he escaped. Now he must be destroyed, but only if you can find the Swords in time." "You can count on me," said Serena. "You can count on all of us," said Amy, "right, guys?" "Right!" "Thank you," said the Queen, "Now I must go, and you have work to do." "Goodbye," whispered Serena, with tears in her eyes, "Mother." "Goodbye, my daughter. You will always have my love." The image of Queen Serenity began to waver and dissipate. Serena jumped out of her bed, a look of determination on her face. "We've got work to do," she said, the seriousness of her voice suprising everyone, "Let's go." "MOON CRYSTAL POWER!" Sailor Moon now stood in the room, examining the crystal. "It's that way!" she said, and promptly jumped through the window. "Hey, Serena, " said Rei, "You're not going without me!" "MARS STAR POWER!" "MERCURY STAR POWER!" "JUPITER STAR POWER!" "VENUS STAR POWER!" The room was now empty, the only motion being the wind rustling the drapes. * * * *I have seen the Scouts, Lord Demonicus.* *Where?* *Outside of the Tokyo General Hospital.* *Excellent. They will be searching for the Swords. Assemble a team and get the Sword before they do.* *Yes, my lord.* *And keep in mind, failure is _not_ an option.* *Y-Yes, my lord.* Robert Samson, American immigrant, janitor at the Tokyo General Hospital and a general of Demonicus' secret army, reluctantly shut off the psychic link he, and the other generals, had with Lord Demonicus. It was always a let-down, disconnecting from such a great power as Demonicus. He walked towards the main entrance, left the building, and began to follow the Sailor Scouts. * * * "I guess this is a case of "Hide it in plain sight", huh?" said Sailor Jupiter. The Scouts, and Tuxedo Mask on his motorcycle, had just followed Sailor Moon through downtown Tokyo, following the signs given by the crystal. They now stood in front of, according to the crystal, the location of the first MoonSword. It was a sword shop. "I don't believe this," muttered Sailor Mars, sharing the sentiment each one of them felt, that this was just too obvious. "Well, this is where the crystal's led us, so I guess this is the place," said Sailor Moon. "It can't be! Maybe that crystal's not working." "Are you saying that Queen Serenity would give us a broken crystal?!? "No, I'm just saying that _you_ probably broke it yourself!" "You little..." Sailor Moon started to say, ready to start another fight with Sailor Mars, when she heard a loud crashing noise from the shop. A man, wielding a katana blade, crashed through the glass of the door, having just been thrown through it, knocking Sailor Moon to the ground. A group of 5 masked men, all wearing black, smashed out the large display window, jumped through it, and ran away. "Return the MoonSword, you fiends!" yelled the swordsman. "You see, Mars!" Sailor Moon yelled, "I _was_ right! Ha, ha ha ha, ha HA!" "Are you all right?" asked Tuxedo Mask. "Well," she replied, "I could use a hand." She stood up, with Tuxedo Mask's help, and went over to the swordsman. "You must be the Keeper, right?" "Yes, I am the Keeper," he said,"My name is Kaneda Himeno. And you are Sailor Moon, here to claim the MoonSword for the fight against Ares." "Looks like I'm a bit late for that." "Not if we hurry," he replied, "There it still a chance to apprehend these villains." He ran into a nearby alley and reappeared in a moment with a red motorcycle. "Hurry," he said,"we must catch them." "You guys follow us and catch up later, OK?" Sailor Moon said to the rest of the Scouts. "I'm going with you," said Tuxedo Mask, mounting his bike. "Of course!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, hearts in her eyes, "If I get into trouble, I'll need you to save me!" She whirled around as the other Scouts let out a collective groan. "WHAT?!?" "This is serious, Sailor Moon!" exclaimed Sailor Mars, "It's not a time to go googly-eyed over Tuxedo Mask!" "I _was_ being serious! Having Tuxedo Mask with me will help beat whatever bad guy stole the Sword!" "I must agree," said Kaneda, "Another ally will make our fight easier." Sailor Moon shot a satisfied look at Sailor Mars, who was busy muttering unheard obsenities. "Well, in any case," Sailor Mercury said, "make sure to stay in contact with us." "Right," said Sailor Moon, switching on her communicator. She got on Tuxedo Mask's bike and they took off, followed closely by the Keeper. * * * *My lord, we have captured the first Sword.* *Was there any resistance?* *None worth speaking of.* *What do you mean?* *We had a fight with the owner of the store in which we found the Sword, but we won easily.* *Did you kill him?* *We didn't think it was...* *That is the problem. You. Did. Not. THINK!* *My lord, what do you mean?* *That was the Keeper! If you have not killed him, he will surely enlist the aid of the Sailor Scouts!* *Those pitiful girls? In the unlikely event of a fight, we will surely win.* *Make very sure that you do.* As his team rode their bikes through an industrial park, Robert frowned. For all his bravado, he was not looking forward to a fight with the Sailor Scouts. He had heard of their power many times. But he was sure that his team could get to safety in time. "Sir, we're being followed!" shouted one of his soldiers. Robert looked in the rear view mirror and saw two bikes behind him, closing fast. "DAMMIT! Can you get a visual?" "Yes, sir." "Well?" "It's...um..." "Out with it!" "It's Sailor Moon, sir." Robert's face was blank for a moment. That soon changed, as his features twisted in rage. "OPEN FIRE!" * * * "Go faster!" yelled Sailor Moon, "We've got to catch up to them!" "I'm trying," yelled Tuxedo Mask, "but this is about as fast as this thing can go!" "We've got to do something, or we'll never get the Sword back!" "I know but..." Tuxedo Mask was cut short by a sudden burst of light coming from the bikes ahead of him, just barely missing his head. "What was that?!?" yelled Sailor Moon, astonished. "I do not know," yelled the Keeper, "but we must be on guard. It is obviously a weapon of some sort." "You mean they're shooting at us with laser guns!?!" yelled Sailor Moon, just as more beams blasted past them. "Does that answer your question?" "All right then! It's time to fight back!" Sailor Moon raised her hand, and produced the Moon Sceptre. She whirled it around her head, charging it with energy. "MOON SCEPTRE ELIMINATION!!!" The energy blast flew straight towards the bikes, causing them to swerve out of control and crash near an abandoned warehouse. "Now let's go get that Sword!" * * * *My lord!* *What is it now?* *We have been attacked!* *WHAT?* *Sailor Moon followed us. We tried to eliminate her, but she destroyed our motorcycles!* *Well, kill her then!* *But my lord, she will surely destroy us without your presence!* *Do not worry yourself. I will be there. She will not obtain the Sword.* *Thank you, my lord.* Robert stood up from the bikes where he had landed, his gun in his hand. He vowed to himself that he would kill Sailor Moon before she got the Sword. He readied himself for the moment of truth. * * * "You evil people, how dare you steal the MoonSword? You have tried to bring more war to Earth and for that, you won't be forgiven! I am Sailor Moon, and in the name of the Moon, I will punish you!" As Sailor Moon ended her speech, Robert simply looked at her. "Are you quite done now?" he said. Sailor Moon was, naturally, quite taken back by this. "Uh, yeah," she stammered. "Good. Now we can begin." Suddenly, the rest of his team jumped out from hiding. They all raised their guns and opened fire. Sailor Moon quickly jumped out of the way, just as the energy beams hit the ground, which exploded in a brilliant ball of flame. She immediately ran for cover. Kaneda and Tuxedo Mask, on the other hand, were taking a more direct approach. Tuxedo Mask charged at their enemies, throwing roses which knocked their guns away. Kaneda, meanwhile, leaped into the air, his blade glowing unnaturally with energy. "BLADESTORM!" he shouted, and there was a sudden blur of motion. The enemies all fell, and Kaneda was inexplicably standing by Robert, holding him up by his collar. "Now you _will_ return the MoonSword," he snarled. Robert laughed. "It's hidden, and even if I tell you, you'll never get a chance to use it, "he said, "My master will kill you first." He broke out into maniacal laughter. "Don't worry, " said Sailor Moon, who had just come out of hiding, "I'll find it." She began to take out the crystal when a shadow of some sort of bat-like creature passed over head. Sailor Moon looked up and saw what could only be described as a demon. "All shall face the wrath of Demonicus!" shouted Robert, laughing like a madman. Demonicus dropped to the ground and looked at Sailor Moon. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Sailor Moon. I wish I could stay long enough to have the satisfaction of crushing you into the ground, but I have a MoonSword to take. Robert, the MoonSword." Robert looked down at Kaneda. "I suggest you let me down now." "You will have to kill me first before I turn the Sword over to your dark master." he said, his voice low and calm. "So be it," said Demonicus, who pointed his twisted finger at the Keeper and let loose a stream of flame, knocking both Kaneda and Robert into a wall, knocking them both unconscious. "Now I will have the Sword," said Demonicus, walking towards their bodies. "Not while I'm around!" shouted Sailor Moon, leaping in his path. "Do you really believe you can defeat me?" "Yes, I do." She quickly tossed the searching crystal to Tuxedo Mask and readied her MoonScepter. "Take the crystal and find that Sword!" she yelled, "I'll hold off Ugly here!" "Good luck!" he yelled and ran off towards the buildings. She pointed the Scepter at Demonicus, gathering energy for her attack. "MOON SCEPTER ELIMINATION!!!" The blast of energy hit Demonicus right in the chest, making him stagger back a few steps. "That stung, you know," he said, a mocking grin on his face. Sailor Moon stared in horror. "Oh no." "Now it's my turn." He swung his whip, and before she could react, Sailor Moon was wrapped up and lying helpless on the ground. "And now for your well-dressed friend," he said, obviously enjoying the carnage he was creating. "You leave her alone!" said a voice from the rooftops. "What?" Demonicus and Sailor Moon looked up at the rooftops to see Sailor Mars, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus standing there. It was obvious that they were not happy. "Mars, go get Sailor Moon and protect her," shouted Sailor Mercury, "Let's see what this demon can do against water!" "Right!" she said, and leaped down to get Sailor Moon. "SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!!!" she yelled, sending a stream of water at him. Demonicus sent a blast of fire in response, vaporizing the water. Sailor Mars took that opportune moment to pick up Sailor Moon and run for cover. Sailor Jupiter, seeing an opening, leaped from the building, a ball of lightning in her hand. "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!!!" The attack connected with Demonicus, who simply stood there as if nothing had happened. He swung his claw and hit Sailor Jupiter, sending her flying. The battle was not looking good. "You cannot prevent me from getting the MoonSword!" he yelled, enraged. Suddenly, the doors to the warehouse swung open, and Sailor Moon walked out, followed closely by Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mars. "It's too late for that now." She held up a small piece of crystal, fashioned into the shape of a sword and threw it into the air. "MOON KNIGHT POWER!!!" The Sword seemed to hang in midair as it began to glow, sending down a beam of light. As the beam passed over her, Sailor Moon's suit began to change, becoming a suit of white armor, her tiara growing into a helm. The Sword also began to change, growing larger until it became it's true form, the Crystal Blade. Knight Moon grasped the sword from the air, and pointed it at Demonicus. "Your days of evildoing are at an end, Demonicus. You have lost." "You will never defeat me!" he screamed, and ran for Knight Moon, his sword raised to strike, his mind clouded with rage. Knight Moon stood there, holding the sword close to her body, eyes closed, a white glow eminating from the Crystal Blade. "Moon...," she whispered. "What is she doing?" asked Mars, angry at Serena as usual. "Just wait," said Tuxedo Mask, "and trust her." The glow from the Crystal Blade grew brighter as Knight Moon raised it above her head. "Crystal..." The glow continued to increase, getting brighter and brighter, until the Scouts had to shade their eyes to see. Bolts of energy arced from her hands to the Blade and flew around her in a display of extreme power. "Blade..." Demonicus leapt into the air, his sword pointed down, ready to strike Knight Moon down, falling towards her, getting closer and closer, until he was right above her... "ANNIHILATION!!!" The Crystal Blade shone like the sun, momentarily blinding everyone, and let loose a huge blast of energy, engulfing Demonicus and disintegrating him before he even had time to scream. When the dust settled and the light was gone, only Knight Moon stood. "Game over," said Knight Moon, and sheathed her sword, changing back to Sailor Moon. The rest simply looked in awe, their mouths hanging wide open, until Sailor Mars spoke. "Wow." The Scouts, even Sailor Mars, erupted in cheers and congratulations for Sailor Moon, who simply stood there looking self conscious. Tuxedo Mask ran over and gave her a big hug. "You did great," he said. "I did, didn't I," she replied, a hint of astonishment in her voice, "I didn't even klutz out or run away or say something stupid!" "Yeah, you did pretty good there, Serena," said Sailor Mars. "You really think so?" "Yeah! I would have done a better job though." "You are so mean!" "And you're a whiner!" The two girls had just started sticking their tongues out at each other, when Kaneda walked up to Sailor Moon. "Excellent job, Sailor Moon," he said. "Hey, you're all right!" she exclaimed, "You took a pretty nasty blast." "Fortuneately, I had on my protection medallion," he said, taking a shield-shaped golden medallion. "I believe we should check on our opponent," he said, and they all walked over to Robert's still form. The Keeper bent down by him, checking to see if he was all right. Slowly, he opened his eyes. "W-where am I?" he stammered, and got up shakily, trying to regain his balance. He shook his head a few times and looked around. As his gaze passed over the Sailor Scouts, his eyes grew wide. "Oh my God. You-you-you're the Sailor Scouts!" He grabbed Sailor Moon's hand and started shaking it. "Sailor Moon, I am your biggest fan. Could you give me your autograph?" "Wait a minute," Sailor Moon said, "Ten minutes ago you were fighting us, and now you want my autograph?" "What? Me, fight you? No way! You're Sailor Moon! What would make me want to fight the greatest hero Tokyo has ever seen?" "The greatest evil the world has ever seen," said Kaneda. They all fell silent, thinking about the darkness they would all have to face, while Robert just looked confused. "Well, I must leave now," he said, "I wish you luck in your battles." He began to walk away. "Wait!" said Sailor Moon. The Keeper stopped and turned. "Look," she began, "we're not exactly sure what we're doing here and... well... we might need some help. Would you be our trainer or something?" He thought for a moment. "I believe I would be agreeable to that. You are all quite powerful, but against this opponent, you need all the help you can get." "Thanks," Sailor Moon said. Kaneda raised his sword to the sky. "Now we fight!" The rest echoed his battle cry. "NOW WE FIGHT!" THE END Well, after many months, the second chapter in the Sailor Knights Saga. Sorry for the delay, but I had had an extreme case of writer's block for awhile. That's about all I have to say. Chapter 3 will have to wait for the completion of my two other planned fanfics, "Gangrel" and "Enlightener", and Episode 1 of "Sailor Moon: 2097". Still, there's good stuff coming, so stay tuned, same Sailor Knight's time, same Sailor Knight's website! Sayonara! Ryan Oldford E-mail: sailor.knight@mailexcite.com Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Ginza/3134/ "Whoever said, 'The pen is mightier than the sword,' obviously never had to defend themselves with a ballpoint in a dark alley." -InQuest