Chapter Eight

Into Shadows

Mikko’s eyes fluttered open and she was surprised to find herself still in the park. Usagi knelt next to her, her large blue eyes shimmering with tears. The sun was still high in the sky, and the people who visited the park were still going about their business, oblivious to the battle that had just been fought.

“Are you okay?” Usagi asked.

Mikko nodded, ignoring the searing pain in her torso where Aura’s bolts had struck her. Her wrist stung where the crystal sword had knocked her rapier from her hand, and her shoulder hurt where Aura had pinned her to the tree. Forcing herself to smile, she sat up and looked over Usagi.

“Are you okay? You should have run from Aura.”

Usagi sat back on her heels. Mikko noticed the rapier still lay next to her. “I’m fine. I was worried about you. You were gone for a while.”

Mikko smiled genuinely. “Princess, you should think about yourself more often; but I suppose I was the one who taught you about protecting your friends.”

Usagi blinked in surprise. “I suppose you did.”

Scrambling to her feet, Usagi gently helped Mikko stand. As the older girl stretched her sore body, Usagi picked up the rapier and handed it to Mikko.

“You keep it,” the turquoise eyed girl replied.

Her eyes brimming with tears, Usagi nodded and clutched the rapier’s hilt with both hands.

Mikko smiled and turned to walk away, wincing as she moved. She hoped Usagi could not see the pain she was in and she waved to the blond girl to join her.

“I’ll walk you home, Usagi-chan. I’m glad we had a chance to talk, even if it was interrupted.”

Usagi moved quickly to her side and the two of them left the park the same way they had come in.

*****

Aura sulked in her room, replaying the battle in her mind. The twit of a senshi had beaten her, while Janus watched. Staring at her lap, Aura thought back to the fun she and Janus used to have. They had destroyed cities together, slain hundreds of people, tormented and tortured senshi before absorbing their powers and killing their bodies. The three of them had been an unstoppable force – her, Janus, and Shade. They had had such fun, until Janus had gone to Earth and met an unbeatable senshi called Sailor Minos.

Aura cupped her chin in both her hands, resting her elbows on her knees. Somehow Janus had been changed. Her sister had been taken from her and transformed into a true senshi. Aura felt almost physically sick as she thought of the good Janus would be forced to do.

“It’s that Sailor Moon’s fault,” Aura thought aloud. “I bet she’s the one who turned Janus against me.”

She remembered the look in Janus’ eyes when she appeared – confusion and hatred, but also worry for the other girl’s safety. It was a look Aura had never seen before.

“Aura, come here,” the Boss’ voice summoned.

Rising to her feet, Aura vanished from her room and reappeared in front of the mammoth bulk of the Boss. She made a mock curtsey and winked playfully at him.

“What’s up, chief?” she asked.

“Shade has already left for Earth,” the Boss told her. “He’s pursuing his next target while you’re sitting in your room.”

Aura remained silent, her hatred bubbling up inside of her.

“I want you to go to Earth and capture Janus,” the Boss ordered. “She can be turned to our side again, I’m sure of it. Bring her to me. Alive.”

Aura rolled her eyes. “Sure. Alive. Whatever.”

I can destroy Sailor Moon, to avenge Janus, Aura thought to herself. If the new Janus gets in the way, I’ll kill her too.

*****

Usagi walked quickly down the busy streets of the shopping district, ‘ooo-ing’ and ‘ahh-ing’ over everything in the windows. Minako was only a few steps behind her, pointing to displays and dreaming about how her life would be different if only she had that jacket. Rei walked more serenely down the street, pretending for the most part that she didn’t know Usagi or Minako.

“Will you two act more maturely?” Rei demanded.

Usagi stopped laughing and looked up at her dark haired friend. “What do you mean, Rei-chan?”

Rei sighed. “Never mind.”

“Hey! Isn’t that Mikko’s shop?” Minako said suddenly, pointing down the street. “We must have wandered father than we thought.”

Usagi fell silent. The building remained locked and dark, in spite of Mikko living in the apartment. In her mind’s eye, Usagi could picture Calliste standing outside the door, waving at them. Glancing across the street, she could almost hear Sailor Stellanova in her last desperate battle for her life. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Rei standing there, smiling.

“Maybe we should head back,” Rei suggested.

Usagi smiled gratefully and the two girls turned around to find the busy street behind them totally deserted. Minako gasped in surprise as a few pieces of paper blew across the empty street. Turning her head, Usagi realized they were completely alone.

Suddenly, there was a streak of movement and Usagi felt something crash into her, knocking her backwards. She saw Rei reach out with one hand, just missing her as she fell. Minako called out, but Usagi did not hear what was said. She landed on the ground with a thud and felt the wind get knocked out of her. Looking up, she saw the mad eyes of Aura staring down at her.

“Hello, princess,” Aura whispered. “Mind if I give you a kiss?”

Usagi struggled under the girl’s grip and found she could not move. Aura lowered her head, preparing to absorb Usagi’s essence, when a fiery arrow pushed her aside. Glancing up, she saw Sailor Mars standing nearby, another arrow already ready.

“Brats,” Aura hissed.

With a negligent flick of her hand, Aura caught Sailor Mars and threw her carelessly aside. Mars cried out in alarm as she soared through the air, landing hard against a building and falling several stories to the ground.

“Sailor Mars!” Usagi gasped from where she was still pinned.

“Now, where were we?” Aura asked.

“Venus Love Me Chain!”

Aura gagged as the chain wrapped around her throat and yanked her backwards. Usagi managed to scramble away as Sailor Venus reeled in her catch. Aura continued to make choking sounds, but her eyes narrowed. Spinning around quickly, she caught Venus in her own chain. Gasping for air, Venus pointed a finger at Aura.

“Venus … Crescent… Beam!” she managed.

The beam burned Aura’s arm, causing her to release the chain. Taking deep breaths, Venus barely had time to recover as Aura flew at her, screaming in anger. She caused dozens of small crystal darts to appear in the air and shot them at the orange senshi. Venus somehow managed to evade them all.

“Venus…” Usagi gasped, holding her brooch. “Moon Eternal, Make-Up!”

Aura began to laugh as she saw Sailor Moon approach. Moving quickly, she tossed Sailor Moon back using the same trick she had used on Sailor Mars. Sailor Moon put her hand in front of her face to block the attack, but found herself sliding steadily backwards. Blinking against the wind, she could barely make out what was happening to Sailor Venus.

The two had begun to fight again, Venus using her “Love and Beauty Shock” attack to try and slow Aura down. The other girl looked as if she was having a good time, jumping around to avoid attacks and tossing crystal darts almost carelessly. Sailor Moon pressed against the attack she was caught in until suddenly she heard a scream, and the force pushing her back stopped. Aura’s attack abruptly ceased and Sailor Moon fell to her knees. When she raised her head, she saw Venus lying motionless on the ground, a crystal dart protruding from her torso. Aura was kneeling over her, kissing her almost tenderly.

“Venus!” Sailor Moon yelled.

A white light escaped from Venus’ body and was sucked eagerly into Aura’s mouth. The girl sat up, her eyes closed and a smile on her face, as if she had just tasted her favourite dish. Tears formed in Sailor Moon’s eyes and the rapier Janus had given her materialized in her hand.

“You destroyed an innocent life,” Sailor Moon accused, rising to her feet and holding her rapier at the ready. “I cannot forgive you for that.”

“And you killed my sister,” Aura replied. “That is why you will die.”

Sailor Moon lunged forward, tears streaming from her eyes as she cried out in anger. The body of Venus lay on the ground, eyes closed and a peaceful expression on her face. The crystal shard was the only unnatural thing about the scene.

Aura created her own sword to defend herself against Sailor Moon’s enraged blows. The two dueled for quite some time. Aura had calmness and experience on her side, but Sailor Moon was fueled by blind rage and power. Images of Minako appeared before her eyes, the laughter and the sadness, the times they had fought together.

Finally, Sailor Moon saw an opening and thrust will all her strength. Her rapier cut through Aura’s shoulder, and the girl gasped in pain. Surprised by her power, Sailor Moon let go of her weapon and Aura fell to the ground with the rapier still embedded in her arm.

“Sailor Moon!”

Breathing hard and blinking sweat from her eyes, Sailor Moon looked up to see Sailor Janus standing nearby, an injured Sailor Mars next to her. Sinking to the ground, Sailor Moon barely noticed Janus as she ran towards her and knelt next to her. Aura was breathing hard as well, but had not tried to retreat.

“Venus…” Janus sighed, looking over at the body.

Holding out her hand, a small clay pot appeared on her palm. She walked over to where Venus lay and rested a hand on her crystal dart. With one movement, she pulled it free of the body and tossed it aside.

“Last Hope!” Janus called, holding out the pot.

Her eyes widened with intense pain and she doubled over, clutching her stomach. The clay jar fell to the ground but did not break. Straightening, Janus picked up the jar again.

“Last – “

The pain returned, more forceful than before. Janus found it difficult to breath and her hand were clenched in fists. Sailor Moon moved to kneel next to her and put a steadying hand on her back.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Aura began to laugh. “You’re weak, sister. The powers you took are rebelling inside you. They’ll tear you apart!”

Janus stared at her hands in disbelief. Her powers? Her hands were shaking and an image of Sailor Pandora, the soft spoken Yasu, appeared in her mind. She had not pictured her murdered comrades in years. She held her hand together to keep them from moving.

“Please,” she begged. “Please, Yasu-chan. Lend me your powers once more to save this girl, this senshi.”

Trembling, she picked up the clay pot again. Aura was still laughing.

“Last Hope!”

A ray of light more bright and powerful than Janus had ever summoned before shot from the clay jar. It split in two – half going into Aura and the other into Venus. Aura screamed and struggled as her newly gained powers were taken from her and returned to their owner. Janus sat motionlessly, holding the pot with her eyes closed, until the light faded and she toppled over.

“Janus!” Sailor Moon gasped.

The body of Venus began to move. Colour returned to her cheeks and she took a deep breath. Sailor Moon began to cry and she threw herself on Venus to hug her as the girl regained consciousness. Sailor Mars made her way to join the group, checking on Janus as Sailor Moon embraced Venus.

“You’re alive!” Sailor Moon cried. “I’m so happy!”

“But Aura is gone,” Sailor Mars reported.

“She’ll be back,” Janus assured them. “I’m sure we can count on that.”

*****

Makoto finished sweeping her living room and stood up straight, letting out a deep breath and brushing the hair from her eyes. Her entire apartment was spotless, but it had taken her all day to do. She had even told her friends she couldn’t go shopping with them because of the mess. She briefly wondered what the others were up to right now, but pushed the thought away as she put away her cleaning supplies and sat down on the couch, tired but satisfied.

There was a knock at her door. Thinking it might be her friends, coming to see if she was done, Makoto leapt to her feet with newfound energy and hurried to greet her visitor. She swung the door open wide, but the smile melted from her face as soon as she realized who was standing there.

The young man smiled at her as he stood in the doorway, one arm resting on the doorframe and the other hanging at his side. He was so close to the door when it was opened that Mako found herself taking a step backwards. He used the opportunity to push himself into the apartment, glancing around as he entered.

“Nice place,” he commented. “Beautifully kept.”

“What do you want, Shade?” Mako asked. “How did you find me?”

Shade waved a gloved finger at her and shook his head. “Don’t be so nosey. I have my resources. I know all of you so well, Sailor Jupiter.”

Mako’s hands tensed into fists. Shade sat down on a chair and laughed.

“Relax, my dear. There’s no reason for us to fight. Simply surrender your powers and I’ll be on my way.”

“Like I would surrender to you,” Mako spat.

Shade rose to his feet. “I assure you, you’re quite alone. My dear Aura has your friends…occupied at the moment. It’s only you and I.”

Mako smiled grimly. “One-on-one. A fair fight.”

Shade shook his head. “Who said anything about fighting fair?”

He snapped his fingers and a muscular man appeared with greenish-blue skin and spiked hair. The man cracked his knuckles and advanced, chuckling to himself. Shade sat down again, resting his head lightly in one hand, to watch the fight.

“Jupiter Crystal Power, Make-Up!”

In a flash, Sailor Jupiter was standing before the monster, ready to fight. The man charged at her, and she dodged his clumsy attack, leaping to one side. Instead of hitting her, the fighter smashed a cabinet full of fragile knickknacks. Jupiter winced as her ornaments shattered. Shade laughed lightly.

“Jupiter Oak Evolution!” she called.

The attack struck the monster, and it growled in frustration. Jupiter increased the power of her attack, bombarding the fighter with oak leaves which it frantically tried to swat away. Finally, it gave a final roar and disappeared, leaving a pile of dark ash on the ground.

Breathing hard, Jupiter whirled around to face Shade, who had risen to his feet. He clapping his gloved hands together and bowed his head towards Jupiter.

“Bravo,” he said, “and defeated it so quickly too. Very well done. I’m impressed by the strength of your powers.”

“I fought your monster,” Jupiter said. “Shouldn’t you be running home to mommy now?”

Shade laughed. “Oh no, my dear. That pathetic excuse for a youma was only a distraction to weaken you. Now that you’re run down, it’s my turn.”

Shade removed one of his gloves, revealing a large black spot on his palm. He held out his arm, palm forward, and a beam of dark energy shot out of his hand. Jupiter quickly moved out of the way, but the beam followed her around her apartment. Ducking into the kitchen, she grabbed a silver platter and held it like a shield. As the beam approached, she stood and held up the platter, reflected the beam back at Shade. He ducked, but his concentration was interrupted and the attack ceased. Jupiter launched herself into the air, aiming a kick at Shade’s face. He caught her foot and twisted her around in mid-air. She fell to the ground, breaking a table in the process.

“Nice try,” Shade commented, aiming at her again.

Jupiter pulled one of her rose earrings from her ear and threw it at him. It caught him on the cheek, forcing his head back and slicing through his skin. He touched his face gently and saw the blood on his fingers.

“How dare you!” Shade snapped.

He flew forwards with such speed that Jupiter had no time to move, pinning her to the ground by her throat. His gloved hand constricted tighter around her neck, cutting off her air, as he moved his other hand closer to her face. The black spot began to expand and Jupiter stared at it in horror.

“You little twit,” Shade snarled. “You senshi think you are the greatest because of your powers. Well, let’s see how well you stand up to my powers!”

Jupiter tried to squirm away from him, but his grip was too strong. Spots formed in her vision as he moved his palm closer. She glared at him, and the small antennae rose from her tiara.

“Supreme…Thunder!” she gasped.

Shade released her as he was struck by her electrical charge. He stumbled backwards, blue-white lightning moving up and down his arm as he was electrocuted. Jupiter coughed and sat up, taking deep breaths as she watched the effect of her attack. As it died down, Shade gave her a look of intense hatred and disappeared.

Sailor Jupiter rose shakily to her feet. Her eyes swept across her apartment, taking in the damage. It had taken her all day to clean it, and after a few minutes, it was a disaster area again.

With a sigh, Jupiter returned to her broom closet and pulled out her cleaning supplies.

*****

Mikko sat next to the bed where Minako lay sleeping, recovering from Aura’s near fatal attack. She could hear the others talking around her, but she paid them no attention. Minako’s screams echoed through her mind as Aura pierced her body with the crystal darts. Tears sprang unbidden in her eyes as the cries of all the senshi he murdered joined Minako’s terrified scream. A part of her deep down recalled with joy the sensation of making their powers her own, and she felt sick and angry at herself. She felt the stolen powers stirring within her, and she thought of what Aura had said. What would happen to her if the powers left? It was only because she had killed Sailor Pandora that Minako was still alive. Her body still hurt from when the senshi essences with her had rebelled. Did they really hate her so much?

Someone cleared their throat behind her and Mikko turned, wiping the tears from her eyes as she moved. The younger senshi were all sitting around Rei’s room, looking at her expectantly. Mako had joined them; Usagi had called her as soon as they arrived at Rei’s shrine. The tall brown haired girl had hurried over and quickly explained what had happened to her that afternoon. Now, after the stories had been told and Minako had been put in Rei’s bed to rest, they were all wondering what Mikko had to say to them. Rei and Mako seemed surprised and a little shocked to see tears in Mikko’s eyes, and Usagi wore a sympathetic expression. Mikko took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, banishing the demons from her mind.

“This can’t continue,” Mikko said abruptly. “We have to end it.”

“How?” Mako asked.

Mikko’s eyes drifted back to Minako. “Leave that to me. I can trick Aura into bringing me to the Boss.”

“And from there?” Rei pressed.

Mikko bit her lip and averted her gaze from Rei’s face. Usagi’s eyes widened and she leaned forward in her chair, placing one hand on Mikko’s knee.

“You can’t!” Usagi gasped. “Mikko-san, you just can’t!”

“I have to, princess,” Mikko replied. Tears were brimming in her eyes as she forced a smile. “It’s my duty to protect all of you.”

Mako blinked in confusion. “What are you saying?”
Mikko turned to face her. “I owe it to the senshi who once taught you, and to you as well, to save your lives. I will face the Boss, and destroy him and his entire base using the powers I’ve … collected.”

“But you’ll die,” Rei objected.

Mikko nodded. “It’s my duty and my penance.”

“No! I won’t allow it!” Usagi exclaimed.

Her friends looked at her in surprise. She was standing up straight, her hands clenched at her sides and her lower lip trembling. They had rarely seen her so agitated.

“Usagi-chan,” Mikko began.

The blond girl shook her head. “No more dying. Haruka-san, Michiru-san, Étoile-chan, Ami-chan, Calliste-san… they’re all gone. I can’t stand losing another friend. I won’t let you die!”

Mikko smiled gently and nodded, touched by the girl’s concern. “Okay, Usagi. We’ll go together, but if I tell you to run, I need you to promise that you will.”

“Run?” Usagi repeated, a little deflated now that Mikko had agreed so easily.

“Trust me,” Mikko said. “I won’t throw my life away, but the people we’re facing want your powers. I won’t let them get to you, even if it means putting myself in danger. There won’t be time to argue later, so please promise me you’ll listen.”

Usagi’s expression softened and she sat down again. “Okay. I promise.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Mako asked.

Mikko sighed. “I know where the Boss is. He’s on an asteroid orbiting the Earth. We’ll have to get there somehow.”

“Sailor teleport?” Usagi suggested.

“Without Ami-chan?” Rei pointed out. “We need more power.”

“We have Mikko-san,” Makoto said. “We’ll have enough.”

Mikko stood. “We’ll meet tomorrow morning at my apartment. One of the reasons I persuaded Calliste to buy that store was because the lot across the street is directly below the asteroid. At the time, it was very convenient for me to move back and forth between Earth and the base.”

Rei’s eyes widened, and Mako whistled impressively. Mikko moved to the door, taking one final glance at Minako’s sleeping form.

“Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Mikko said with a smile and a wink.

As she left the shrine, her happy expression faded into concern. She would have four girls to protect and three opponents to defeat. She inhaled the cool night air deeply, wishing her companions were with her, and regretting the circumstances that led to their reunion. She wished she could apologize to them, bring them back with no hard feelings, but she knew they would hate her. Tears fell from her eyes. She had murdered them, stolen their spirits, and forced their powers to kill others. She had made them go against their very nature. She had perverted them, and herself.

Looking up, Mikko realized she had walked all the way home, consumed by her thoughts. She walked up the steps to her second floor apartment, put her key in the door and pushed it open. She gasped as a form rose from the couch to greet her. For a split second, Mikko was sure it was Calliste, and that her friend had been waiting up for her as she used to do. Mikko flicked the lights on and saw Aura standing in the middle of the room.

“Hello, dear sister,” Aura said warmly. “Pleasant night, isn’t it?”

*****

Usagi was awake at sunrise, even before Luna. She was dressing when the cat yawned and opened her eyes. Luna blinked in surprise, glancing from the empty bed to the moving girl, and back again.

“If only you were this enthusiastic about school,” Luna said.

“I’m worried Mikko might leave without us,” Usagi replied from the depths of her shirt. “Rei-chan said she might try something.”

Luna stretched and sat back down on the bed, her golden eyes watching Usagi closely. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? Minako is still recovering from her attack.”

“We’ll be fine. Mikko knows our enemies, and we have to stop this before someone else dies.”

Luna was quiet as Usagi finished getting ready. As the blond girl was leaving the room, the cat called out to her, causing her to pause with one hand on her doorknob.

“I’m proud of you, Usagi-chan. You’ve grown so much,” Luna said.

Usagi returned to the bed in two quick steps and picked up the cat, hugging her tightly. “Thank you, Luna.”

*****

Usagi met Makoto and Minako about a block away from her house. The two girls smiled and waved as Usagi approached, although Minako’s movements were slow and obviously pained. Usagi ran the last few steps to join her friends, greeting them both warmly. Part of her wished Minako had agreed to stay out of this fight, but she knew her friend would never stay away.

“Are we ready for this?” Usagi asked, echoing Luna’s doubts.

“Absolutely,” Minako replied with a wink.

“Those two have it coming,” Mako added, “and I want to see this Boss who’s causing so much trouble!”

Usagi nodded and felt instantly relieved. “Great. Let’s get going!”

They caught the first bus of the day going downtown, picking up Rei on the way. The girls were silent for most of the trip, lost in their own thoughts about the impending battle. They were so consumed by their contemplations that they nearly missed their stop. Piling out of the bus a block away from Mikko’s store, they began to walk quickly down the street.

The area was all but deserted, none of the stores lining the street were open for business yet. The eerie quietness of the normally boisterous downtown set everyone’s nerves on edge. Suddenly, Rei stopped moving, her eyes wide with fear and her face pale. The other girls turned to look back at her in confusion and growing alarm.

“Rei-chan?” Usagi asked worriedly.

“I can sense them,” Rei whispered. “They’ve grown stronger. They know we’re near, but I don’t think they can find us.”

“We’d better move faster,” Minako said.

“I hope Mikko is okay,” Usagi sighed

The four girls took off at a run to Mikko’s apartment. They arrived breathless to find the store still dark, but the side door leading to the upstairs apartment was slightly ajar. Usagi scrambled up the stairs, ignoring Rei’s warnings to slow down and be careful. Usagi burst into the apartment and cried out in horror. She heard her friends coming up behind her but barely registered their astonished gasps since she could not take her eyes off the scene.

Mikko’s apartment was all but destroyed. The furniture was in pieces and scattered around the room. There were charred marks on the walls and ceiling, holes in the floor and walls, and broken glass and dishes on the ground. Clearly there had been a fight here.

“Mikko?” Usagi called into the hollowed out room. “Mikko?”

“I don’t think she’s here,” Mako said.

“I wonder what happened,” Rei murmured. “Mikko must have fought someone here last night.”

“Do you think she was taken?” Usagi asked in a quiet voice.

Her friends fell quiet, their eyes taking in the wreckage. Rei put her hand on Usagi’s shoulder as the blond girl’s eyes filled with tears. Mako dropped the piece of shattered wood she was holding and turned to face her friends.

“We’re not getting anything done standing around here,” she decided. “Let’s go.”

“Where?” Usagi asked.

“To the asteroid. It’s where their base is, so I bet that’s where Mikko is.”

Minako opened her mouth to say something, but closed it without making a sound. The gesture was noticed, however. Luna’s words echoed in Usagi’s head.

Are you sure you’re ready for this? Minako is still recovering from her attack.

But Mako had been attacked too, although her powers had not been stolen. She had not died, but she had enough of a reason to seek revenge. Usagi’s eyes strayed to a small figure strewn in the corner. Shrugging off Rei’s hand, she moved to pick it up. It was a small doll, carved of wood and painted to look exactly like Sailor Minos. It was burned in various places, and one of the arms had broken off, but Usagi knew who had carved it and why.

“We have to go,” Usagi agreed. “For Mikko.”

*****

Sailor Moon and her senshi walked across the road from the dark store to the abandoned lot. The streets were still deserted, in spite of the growing lateness of the morning. Normally by now a few stores were starting to open, and a few people were wandering the streets. It was almost as if the people of Tokyo were aware of the impending battle and had decided to stay indoors where it was safe. Sailor Moon swallowed the rising fear in her throat and concentrated on moving her feet forward.

The others were quiet too, as absorbed in their thoughts as they had been on the bus only a few short hours ago. The situation had changed drastically, almost too much for them to handle. The four girls were about to leap into the unknown, not for the first time, without the outer senshi, Tuxedo Kamen, or even Sailor Mercury as back up. They were completely alone.

“Look!” Sailor Venus exclaimed, pointing to the lot.

Two figures materialized in the centre of the dirt filled lot. One was standing, the other on its knees on the ground. The senshi ran forward, hoping for the best but expecting the worst. They found Aura standing with one hand on her hip and the other holding a long crystal sword pointed at the other figure’s bowed head.

“Aura!” Sailor Moon snarled.

The kneeling figure raised her head.

“Sailor Janus!” Mars whispered.

Janus looked severely beaten, with bleeding cuts and bruises all over her skin. Her hair was cut in places and her fuku was torn. The blade at her throat dug into her flesh, causing a trickle of blood to meander its way down her collar bone. She had chains on her wrists and ankles.

“Sailor Moon…” Janus croaked.

The sword bit deeper and she fell silent. Her large turquoise eyes stared at the senshi, but their message was too obscured by pain to be clear. Sailor Moon took a step forward, and Aura grabbed Janus by the hair, pulling her head back far enough that a single thrust would severe her head.

“Watch it, brat,” Aura said. “My dear sister is overdue for a hair cut.”

“Let her go,” Jupiter demanded.

Aura laughed. “Why do the good guys always say that? This bait is still useful until the fish are in the net.”

“What do you want?” Sailor Moon asked, tears in her eyes.

“You know what I want,” Aura replied. “Surrender your powers, and her death will be painless.”

“Run, Sailor Moon!” Janus gasped. “Remember your promise!”

Sailor Moon hesitated. She glanced from Janus to the crazed Aura, and then to her friends. They all nodded in response to her unspoken question, and Sailor Moon smiled gratefully at them.

“Forgive me, Sailor Janus,” Sailor Moon said.

She held out her hand and the Crystal Rapier, the gift that had been given to her by Janus, materialized in her grip. She held it at the ready, challenging Aura to a duel. Aura laughed.

“A rematch? But this time, you’ll have no help,” Aura accepted.

She snapped her fingers and a yellow bubble of energy appeared around Janus, sealing her inside. Similar force fields trapped the other senshi, so that only Aura and Sailor Moon were able to move freely.

“Sailor Moon!” Mars cried, pounding on the field in vain.

“En garde!” Aura exclaimed, brandishing her sword.

Sailor Moon took a deep breath to calm the butterflies in her stomach, and advanced. The battle was furious, sparks illuminating the air as the two swords clashed together. The trapped senshi watched in breathless anticipation as their leader dueled with one of the best. Janus watched each move Sailor Moon made with growing pride. She was brought back to happier times on the Moon.

“This is stupid,” Princess Serenity sighed. “I’ll never get this.”

“Patience, Highness,” Mikko said with a grin. “Patience and practice and you’ll soon be as skilled as I am.”

Serenity made a face, staring at the rapier in her hand. “If you say so, but I don’t know when a princess will ever need to use a sword. I’ll have the Crystal when I’m Queen.”

Mikko laughed. “Challenge your mother to a duel one day, Highness. You’ll be surprised.”

Sailor Moon had the advantage, forcing Aura backwards. The blades move like a blur, when suddenly one of the swords was released. Time slowed as the weapon soared through the air, landing with a clatter beside Sailor Jupiter’s cage. Nothing move as the sword trembled to a halt and all eyes turned from the abandoned sword to the duelists. Sailor Moon had Aura against the wall, with the blade of her Crystal Rapier at her throat. Both girls were breathing heavily, and bleeding from numerous minor scratches inflicted during the battle.

“Surrender,” Sailor Moon said.

Aura’s eyes were wide with surprise as she stared at the weapon by her throat. Smiling, she raised her eyes to look at Sailor Moon.

“You’re not the killing type,” Aura said.

Sailor Moon’s eyes narrowed, but she sighed. “You’re right. I’m not that type.”

She took a few steps back, but kept her rapier pointed at Aura. The other girl relaxed slightly and began to hum to herself, smiling the whole time. She was acting like a child who, after being caught doing something bad, was waiting to be released with a warning.

“But I can’t let you continue what you’ve been doing,” Sailor Moon continued. “You must be stopped.”

Aura stopped humming and blinked. “What?”

Holding her rapier so the blade was in front of her face, Sailor Moon placed one of her hands on the blade and closed her eyes. The crescent moon on her forehead gleamed, and the blade glowed in response.

“Crystal Rapier Purification!” Sailor Moon cried, slashing down with the sword causing a wall of light to speed towards Aura.

The girl gasped as the light headed straight for her. She shut her eyes against the brightness and braced herself for the pain that was sure to come. When nothing happened, she opened one of her eyes and found herself in a world of pure light. Relaxing her body and opening her other eye, she looked around the entirely white landscape.

“Hello?” she called.

Be at peace, a soothing voice told her.

Aura was utterly confused. “Who’s there?”

A figure appeared out of the whiteness. It was a woman, dressed in a plain dress and wearing a white apron. She crouched down and held out her arms.

“Mother?” Aura whispered. “But you’re dead! I killed you!”
“Darling,” the woman called. “Come here.”

Aura felt herself running towards the figure, who seemed to be growing larger as she moved. She threw herself into her mother’s arms and sighed as she felt the arms wrapping around her.

“I will love you, no matter what you’ve done,” her mother said.

“Mommy,” Aura whispered. “I missed you.”

The two remained motionless, a woman and her young daughter, reunited in death as they could never have been in life.