/^\ __________________/ \__________________ / \ / \ / ____ _ __ ____ \ / /___ / \/ / /__ \ / ____/ ailor / / oon /____ ternity \ \ / \ A series by Lucas Bates / \ Edited by Dawn Wintour / \ Based on the show by Naoko Takeuchi / \__________________ __________________/ \ / \ / /--------------------------\ / EPISODE 7: \ < > \ Losses / \--------------------------/ Eternity Quest idea provided by Dawn Wintour. -**- Tea. One of the fine things in life, something to savour. Something to take the time to enjoy. Kaiou Michiru was doing exactly that. Well, that and nearly yelling at Haruka for running off on her own the day before. "But, Michiru, how do I know for sure that I would have been allowed to go? What if one of the others had volunteered before me?" Haruka had on her most innocent look, trying to get out of the Wrath of Michiru. "I felt the need to do something, instead of sitting around and waiting. At least now that feeling has been put to rest." "With the way you've been complaining about wanting to get a piece of the action, no one would have stood in your way. You had me worried sick about you at the meeting because you weren't there. I also hadn't heard about this stunt of yours from Mako-chan or Minako-chan by then." Michiru took in a deep breath to try to calm herself then took another sip of tea. A waitress in the cafe walked up and asked if they would like anything else. Haruka told her no, and she wandered off to another table. Michiru gazed at her tea. "Do the ends not justify the means in this case?" "No," Michiru said quickly. "It needed to be done?" "How do you figure?" "Ummm... I did it for you?" "Try again." "Then I'm out of arguments. I admit defeat, you're right. I shouldn't have gone off on my own. I'm sorry." "Do you mean that?" "Of course I do. You know me." She raised her head and looked at Haruka with a smile on her face. "See? Admitting you're wrong isn't that hard. Besides," she added with a small smile, "you're going to have to realize sooner or later that I'm always right." Haruka laughed. A short while later, the pair left the cafe and got in Haruka's car. Haruka drove towards a small park with lots of trees. They got out of the car and went into the bushes. "Promise me you'll be careful," Haruka said softly. Michiru gave her a sly smile. "Of course. I always am." "I should have objected at the meeting." "But you didn't. Consider this revenge, but you get a chance to wish me luck, unlike me." Haruka embraced her. "Don't be long." Michiru returned the embrace. "Is an Eternity too much?" Haruka looked at Michiru with an expression that told her she didn't like that particular remark. "Just kidding. You be careful too. If our counterparts happen to find out I've left, they might send my mirror self to confuse you. Remember the code. Chances are I'll return as Sailor Neptune but you can't be too careful, can you?" Haruka stepped back. "You better be going." "True. See you later." Michiru took off the ring she was wearing. She held it high in the air and yelled, "Eternity Quest!" The ring glowed briefly and covered her in silver sparkles. When the storm of silver subsided, Michiru was gone. "Good luck..." Haruka said quietly and looked at the night sky. -**- Michiru looked around. It was almost as if she hadn't even left, since she was still in the same park. At least, what looked like it. This was all part of her Quest, she gathered. Haruka was still there too. "It's a beautiful night," she said quietly. "I've got an idea. There's a psychic fair in town this weekend. Why don't we go check it out?" Michiru was puzzled. `Did I even leave for my Quest?' she thought. She couldn't tell. At least she still had her ring. For now, it was best to play along with whatever happened. "Sure, sounds like fun." Michiru walked over and linked her arm with Haruka's. -**- The psychic fair was very crowded and obviously very popular. There were at least a hundred booths there, and activities were very assorted. Michiru saw psychics, tarot readers, astrologers, and other people with different future-seeing tricks. "You think this all a big hoax?" Haruka asked. "Maybe, maybe not. Let's try it for ourselves, and make our own decision." "Who am I to argue with you?" "I told you I'm always right." -**- Ah, cringing. When performed properly, it could invoke a sense of regret in the person who was doing the verbal bashing. Unfortunately for Sailor Saturn, Queen Serenity had to be in the right mood for her to feel regret for her often unsuccessful underlings. This was not one of those days. Saturn tried the cringing approach when the Queen started her shrieking. When it turned out that it didn't seem to have any effect on the tongue lashing Saturn was getting, she dropped the slight cringe in favor of the proud at-attention stance. Maybe it would give her the right impression, that Saturn was truly the best senshi to lead her forces in the other dimension. Or then again, Saturn thought to herself, Hell will freeze over. Anything was worth a shot, though. Once again the Queen had been pacing, something she did unconsciously whenever she was mad about anything. Saturn wondered how much longer it would be before she wore a depression on the dais where her throne sat. "Blast them! Blast them all to HELL!" Her pace quickened slightly. "Damn. Damn, damn, DAMN!" While her Highness paced back and forth cursing everything from the senshi to her own bad luck, Saturn simply stood at attention holding the Silence Glaive at her side. Serenity stopped pacing and whirled around to look at her commander. Hotaru braced herself. "And you!" Serenity had fire in her eyes. Her words were coated with venom. "Why haven't we stopped them? I thought you had all these excellent plans that were guaranteed to succeed! And why did they fail? INCOMPETENCE! Sheer, mindless, incompetence!" She took a moment to breathe. Saturn noticed that when the Queen was being brutal in speeches such as these she tended to forget to breathe. "What's the excuse, Saturn? What silly explanation do you plan to give me?" Saturn never blanched, nor showed weakness. When Serenity was in this mood, that was what kept heads on their bodies and not on the floor, so to speak. "I make no excuses, my Queen. I take full responsibility for the failures we have suffered, as I am in command." "That's commendable then. I don't like people who whine and give me excuses. I have no use for those people." She stopped pacing and sat down on her throne. "Now, as I understand it, we were winning both fights. Then came Mercury and Uranus with their respective stones. Is it your opinion that we would have defeated them had they not shown up?" "Yes, my Queen." "Then we need to revise our tactics some. We need to waylay Mars, Mercury, and Uranus..." Serenity trailed off as she thought about possible plans. "Sending Wraiths against them seems useless as they can fend them off easily." A servant approached the dais. "Your Majesty!" he said. "Sailor Mercury informs us that she has detected the transport of another senshi in search of another Eternity Stone!" "Shit," Serenity muttered. "Which one?" "Sailor Neptune, my Queen." `So, one of the Outer Senshi,' Serenity thought. Their powers are strong, stronger than the Inners. This might have its advantages. Now would be a good time to try another attack. Then something occurred to her. "How is Sailor Mercury proceeding with her engineering of the new Wraiths?" Saturn replied, "Quite well, my Queen. She has completed several prototypes and is ready to test them." "Then there's no time like the present," Serenity said with a dark, evil smile spreading across her face. -**- "You know, Usagi-chan," Rei began, "maybe we should change our password. It's not an easy thing to remember. Maybe for Ami-chan, but for those of us who don't play chess it can get very confusing." The Sailor Senshi, minus Neptune, were gathered for another meeting at a small park. They had found a secluded place to meet. At Usagi and Minako's insistence, however, it became a picnic. "I agree," Makoto said in between bites of a sandwich. "I keep mixing up the numbers." Luna looked up from the bowl of tuna she had. "Then it has to be something that our counterparts won't be able to guess at." Usagi thought about it, scouring her brain for something they could use as a password to identify them as members of this dimension. "I got it! How about... 'Moonlight is the message of love'?" "Where'd you get that?" Setsuna asked. "I don't know. Some book somewhere." "Recent?" inquired Luna. "I think so. It wasn't even a very good book." "Ami-chan," Luna went on, "what are the chances the other dimension would have this book?" "Slim, I think." She paused. "This is assuming that our counterparts have been in control in their dimension for longer than 4 months or so. That's the last time I saw Usagi-chan carrying a novel around." "Hey!" Usagi protested. "I'll have you know I'm reading a book right now." "Something that *isn't* one of those idol magazines?" Rei said with a grin. "Ummm..." Before Rei and Usagi could start fighting, Artemis spoke up. "Then maybe it is a good password for us to use." Usagi laughed triumphantly until Rei chucked an apple in her direction. "Would you explain that please, Ami-chan?" Minako asked. "Well, if our counterparts have been in power, controlling their Earth, then I'm pretty sure that the author wouldn't have written that book. We can tell by their behaviour that they aren't really benevolent." Ami replied. "So how do you know they control their Earth?" Rei jumped in. "When I met my other self, she asked me why we didn't control our dimension since we had the power. She made it seem as if they were ruling in their dimension." "How is Mamoru-san, Usagi-chan?" Makoto asked, changing the subject. She thought it would help them forget the situation at least for a little while. "He's all right. The doctor said his leg was broken pretty badly and he'd need to stay in a cast for a few weeks, maybe even as much as two months." "So he won't be able to help us then, will he?" Minako said. "Ah well. I think we can do fine without him." The picnic went on for another hour or so before Usagi and Minako finished up most of the leftover food for themselves and the group broke up to go home for the day. -**- The psychic fair was a lot of fun for both Haruka and Michiru. They'd had their palms read, done tarot readings, and had biographs made for them. Of course, neither of them really took the predictions all that seriously, they were doing it all just for fun anyway. After they had wandered around a little while, Haruka mentioned that she needed to go to the bathroom, and then offered to get both of them something to drink on her way back. Michiru thought it was a good idea, because she found it a little dry in there. After Haruka left, Michiru wandered over to a tent where a stereotypical seer had her booth. Much of her body was covered in a robe, and she had a scarf of sorts over her lower face. She carried herself with a calm composure, something that Michiru found a little unnerving for some reason. The psychic noticed her and beckoned her in. "Come, let me view your future." Michiru didn't want to, but proceeded towards the chair across the table from her anyways. A crystal ball sat in the middle of the table. The woman's eyes slowly moved up to meet Michiru's. "Yes, you most definitely have an interesting future." Her eyes narrowed. "Would you like to hear about it?" "It's quite all right, thank you. I-" "Were just waiting for your friend, I know. But your future holds the key to the fate of your friend. This is terribly important, Kaiou Michiru." "But, you see-" Again, the seer cut her off. "Yes, I do see. As I said, this is important." The woman's words were spoken slowly and carefully, as if to imply a sense of urgency. "No charge. This is something that must be known to prevent disaster." Michiru paled slightly. "How can Haruka's fate mean disaster?" "You misunderstand me slightly, I think. I mean to say that in order to avoid the destruction of our planet as we know it, your friend must die." Haruka... die? Michiru had never thought of such an occasion, one where she would lose her. They had prepared for death, but it was their own, not the other's. How could she get along without Haruka? "Haruka has to die? What for?" "Tomorrow, something will happen. I know your secret, and your friend's too. Tomorrow, perhaps sometime in the afternoon, your services will be needed. At some point during the conflict, Haruka will die. How she dies is not important, but by the end, she will die. You, now, will have an opportunity to save her at each opportunity your enemy has to kill her. Do not make such an attempt. The continuation of Ten'ou Haruka's existence will have dire results on our world. If she continues to live, the world will be destroyed." "How? *How* will the world be destroyed?" "I cannot see that, much like I cannot know how Haruka will die. All I know is that it will happen should she live. Heed my words." "No! I refuse to stand by and do nothing while I let her die! I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try to save her!" Michiru's eyes were welling up with tears as she spoke. "Haruka is my closest, dearest, friend. More than a friend! My world isn't complete without her, whether the world is dead or not!" She blinked the tears away. "She would try to save me if I was in danger. I have to do the same for her." "But your life is not the one that will make the world collapse." Already Michiru was having problems trying to decide what to do. What would Haruka want her to do? No, can't use that perspective. Haruka would sacrifice herself. But it all came down to global armageddon and a happy life for however long the world lasted, or a miserable existence for the rest of her life while the world flourished. She wanted, *needed* to be with Haruka. She was too special. And who was to say that the seer could be wrong and they could prevent armageddon without killing Haruka? But still, she needed a third alternative. "Heed my words, Kaiou Michiru," the psychic repeated. "The fate of the world now ultimately depends on you. What will you do?" Michiru stood and strode away from the table, angry and confused. Haruka, holding two drinks, returned. "Here, Michiru," Haruka said as she held one of the drinks to her. When she didn't accept the offer, Haruka repeated it. She still didn't notice the drink. "Michiru!" Michiru jumped slightly, and turned around the rest of the way and blushed slightly. "Sorry, Haruka," she murmured. "What's the matter? You look troubled. Are you mad at me?" "No, no, I was just... Thinking. I'm all right." Michiru sipped at her cola half-heartedly while thinking about her situation some more. She still had no idea what to do. How could one play with fate? Could one tamper with time like that? Could she save Haruka and the world at the same time? Could she abandon everything being a Sailor Senshi stood for just for Haruka? Michiru look up at Haruka's face and wondered if Haruka knew what her destiny held in store for her tomorrow. If it was Haruka's last night to live, then Michiru was going to make the most of it. -**- The sun rose slowly yet steadily, casting its bright light gradually over Tokyo. This was it, Michiru thought. By the end of the day her closest companion would be gone unless she saved her. She stared out the window into the streets. As she turned to go make herself a cup of tea, there was an explosion. Michiru whirled back around and stuck her head out the window to see where the explosion had come from and see what caused it. She saw where it had come from: Tokyo Tower. There was a large rend in one side of the Tower, smoke billowing out from it. "Haruka!" she screamed. Haruka joined her at the window after running out from the bedroom. "Shit!" "We've got to go," Michiru said. Haruka nodded her assent and went to go get dressed. Michiru already was and waited for Haruka. The two rushed outside to Haruka's car and it sped off to the Tower carrying them. Haruka did a rush job parking the car, leaving a few marks on the pavement in the process. The area was clear of people; the few people who had been here when the explosion occurred had run off. What surprised them the most was that no emergency vehicles were around. They should have arrived before them. As they ran away from the parking lot, several bolts of energy struck the ground around them, causing small explosions themselves. Haruka and Michiru looked upwards to find the source. They saw a glowing apparition hovering maybe twenty feet above them, one finger pointing down at them accusingly. "Leave, mortalsss!" it hissed in a quiet yet imposing voice. Michiru looked around once more to see if anyone else was watching. Then she motioned to Haruka. "Let's go!" "Right!" "Neptune Eternity Power, Make Up!" Michiru made a circle in the air above her head as well, jumped into the air, and dove back down as the greenish colored circle made with her wand slammed into the ground. It caused a big splash of water to fly up. Michiru dove into the water then almost immediately jumped back out, sporting her sailor uniform. The ground returned to normal and Michiru struck a pose. "Uranus Eternity Power, Make Up!" Haruka pointed the wand in the air, made a circle, and leapt into the air through the yellow circle. As she rose, the circle slammed against the ground, causing earth to fly up. Haruka turned downwards, and dove into the swirling maelstrom. She leapt up again, wearing her uniform, as the earth reformed beneath her. "Wherever trouble is, so am I to clean up the mess! Here I am, Sailor Uranus!" "So am I, to deliver victory to the people. Here I am, Sailor Neptune!" "Ssssailor ssssenssshi?" the ghost said in a near-whisper. "Excsssellent! You puny mortalssss will be dessstroyed, and the world will be mine to conquer for my masssster without interferenssse!" "Who are you?" Uranus demanded. "I am Anatia, humble sssservant to the powerful Tremere!" "We've never heard of you. Let me guess, some two-bit villain?" Neptune yelled with a small smile on her face. The apparition glared at her. At least that's the impression Michiru got, since she couldn't see inside the hood of Anatia's robe. All she could see was a faint red glow. "Hardly! Massster Tremere isss a god!" "Obviously not of this planet," Haruka muttered. "And you plan on doing what...?" Michiru asked. "To dessstroy your world and give your sssoulsss to him!" Anatia laughed, a chilling sound that sent shivers down Michiru's back. -**- Haruka's car sped down the road. It veered off into a parking garage for a mall, and parked on a level with very few cars in it. Haruka, Rei, and Ami had gone to the mall to pick up a new violin case Michiru had ordered. Rei and Ami offered to come along since Rei was going to get a gift for her grandfather's birthday and wanted Ami's opinion on a couple of the candidates; one of which had come in on order and was already in. Rei got the call for it that morning. The trio got out of Haruka's car. As they started walking towards the entrance to the mall, they heard a thud and some laughter. "Well, well, well! Aren't you even going to say hello to me?" The voice was eerily familiar. As each of them turned around, they saw the intruder step out of the shadows, walking down the hood of Haruka's car. The figure was wearing everyday clothes, ripped jeans and a blue sweater. When her face came into the light, everyone saw the short blue hair. "I must have a commanding presence. You're absolutely speechless!" The mirror Sailor Mercury laughed again. "Ami, dear, so nice to finally meet you. Although I must say, it *will* be the last time. Such a pity. And we're so beautiful, too!" "What do you want, Mercury?" Haruka demanded angrily, clenching a fist. "Want? My dear Haruka, it's not what *I* want, it's what my Queen wants. And my Queen wants your deaths and your Eternity Stones!" "You set us up, didn't you?" Ami asked her counterpart, staring at her. "You called Rei this morning pretending to be the store calling for her parcel." "But of course, my darling counterpart. Although it wasn't me. Sailor Pluto made the call for me. It's about time you figured it out, though. I was beginning to wonder if you were anywhere near as intelligent as I am." "You have a very high opinion of yourself," Rei muttered through gritted teeth. Mercury flipped her hair back, but being short, it didn't do much. She frowned, then replied, "Of course, why should I deny it?" "Obviously you've never heard of modesty," Haruka said. "Tell me, is there such a thing in your universe?" "My, aren't we witty," Mercury said dryly. "Now, I hate to put an end to this merry verbal sparring match of ours, but I *do* have a job to do. Now, I'll give you two options. The first, obviously, is that you hand over your Stones and surrender to me right now. Although for some reason I doubt any of you will go for that, even though it is the cleaner option." She jumped over the windshield and seats, and landed on the trunk in a feat of acrobatics. She then sat down on the trunk, her legs dangling over the edge. "The second option is that we fight. Now, there are two things I think you should know before you choose. The first is that I have about 5 people hiding around this parking garage all under my control. They're possessed by Wraiths, and have some special powers. The second thing is that I have two of your friends tied up over there." The mirror Mercury gestured to two bound and gagged figures about 20 metres distant. The mirror senshi snapped a finger and the two were bathed in light. It was Makoto and Minako. "Now, you see, I have an advantage here. I can kill your friends at will. Or maim them, depending on my mood. The choice is up to you." Haruka motioned for Rei and Ami to step back. The three of them huddled while Ami's counterpart yelled, "you have two minutes!" "What do we do?" Rei whispered. "We have to fight," Haruka answered. "There's no other way." "But what about Makoto and Minako?" "We don't know if either of them are real. I'll know a little better once we transform." Ami mentioned. "All right then," conceded Rei. The trio broke up and resumed their previous positions. The mirror Ami looked at them with faint amusement. "So, have you come to a decision yet? Oh, one last thing before you tell me. Don't try looking for help. You can't communicate with any of your friends. There's a jamming field all around this garage. Will that change your decision?" Haruka shook her head. "No, it's still the same. All right, you two, transform!" "Mercury Eternity Power, Make Up!" "Mars Eternity Power, Make Up!" "Uranus Eternity Power, Make Up!" The three Sailor Senshi stood in their enhanced uniforms and took a fighting stance. The mirror Ami clapped her hands and squealed with joy. "Oh, good! I was hoping you'd pick that! It means I get to test my new Wraiths!" She laughed again, and jumped down off the car. "But first, I need the proper attire!" She took out a black wand. It had a handle and on the top was a six-pointed blue star with the symbol of Mercury etched in black. She held it up in the air. "Mercury Imperial Power, Make Up!" The symbol on her wand started spinning, spewing out strands of energy in the color of blue and black. The strands whizzed around her at incredible speed, settling around her. Then, starting at her feet, a ring formed around her and slowly moved up, congealing the energy into her sailor uniform, a blue and black affair. The similarities between her uniform and the senshis' normal uniforms were startling. "Are we ready to play now?" she asked dangerously. Haruka's eyes narrowed. "Whenever you're ready," she said with a small smile. "Hmmpf." Mirror-Mercury held out her hand and produced a small silver flute. She raised it up to her lips and played a short tune. Then in a raised voice, she yelled "Mercury Winter Sonata!" She immediately continued to play the flute, an ironically beautiful tune compared to the horrendous inferno which was unleashed on them. It was like being stuck in a storm with all sorts of other weather phenomena unleashed on them at the same time. With the changing of each note, another type of weather was thrown into the mix. Hail, freezing rain, snow, driving winds, the works. "Screw this!" Mars yelled while covering her face. She lifted her hands in the air. "Mars Blazing Hail!" A black cloud formed in between her two hands and spewed out small balls of fire. One sped towards the mirror Sailor Mercury and she dove out of the way to avoid being hit, disrupting the song in the process. The wretched blizzard stopped. "You interrupted my song!" mirror-Mercury exclaimed. "Now you'll pay for that!" She played 3 notes in sequence on the flute and lowered it. All around the garage, people rose from hiding places and walked towards Mars, Mercury and Uranus in a zombie-like fashion. "Now, these are the people I told you about. Using my incomparable intelligence, I developed a new breed of Wraiths. This kind can inhabit people and not just inanimate objects. It makes things more fun this way, doesn't it?" She giggled. "Looks like the question for the three of you is whether or not you'll do them bodily harm by attacking them!" Her giggling broke out into full-blown maniacal laughter, showing that she was getting great amounts of pleasure out of the whole ordeal. "Ami!" Rei hissed. "Check to see if that's really Makoto and Minako over there!" Ami nodded quickly, and she touched her right earring. Her visor shimmered into existence over her eyes. Ami also took out her computer and pressed a few keys. The results came up quickly and she snapped it shut. "Uranus!" she yelled, "attack the light above them!" "I can't!" Haruka yelled back. "Those people are in the way!" "Then I'll move them for you!" Ami raised her hands above her head, crossing her forearms. "Mercury..." Ami's counterpart started forward. "What are you DOING?" "...Glacial Force!" She rotated her arms towards her back, a small wisp of snow trailing her hands. Her arms continued forward and Ami moved them quickly upwards, sending the wisps flying in front of her, growing with each passing second until it was a full-blown avalanche flying to the two people blocking Haruka's aim. The attack bowled the two people over, and they fell to the ground unconscious. "Thanks," Haruka said. Sailor Uranus took out her talisman. "Space Sword Disruption!" Haruka swung the now-glowing sword in the air in front of her, and a ripple in space crawled towards the source of light coming from above Makoto and Minako. It hit the light with a powerful crunch and the light erupted in a shower of sparks. The light, Makoto and Minako all wavered slightly then vanished. The Mirror Mercury stood gaping at them. "You destroyed my illusion too!" Her face hardened into a scowl. "The nerve!" She raised her flute once again and played a short melody. The two people who Ami had sent to the ground rose again, and all five continued their steady march. "Mercury!" Mars called. "What's the deal on these people?" Ami took a step back while she looked at the readings from her computer. "When the Wraiths possessed these people, they must have given them extra strength and more power." She shook her head. "These people won't be harmed at all if we attack them. All damage dealt will just affect the Wraiths!" "Now *that's* more like it!" Uranus said as she pounded her fist in her palm. "Seismic Spikes!" The yellow diamond that formed between her hands shot bolts of energy at the ground. Small sharp-pointed chunks of rock arose from the ground, broke off, and hurled themselves at one of the people nearby. "Nooo!" Mirror-Mercury cried. "You've destroyed it all! My plan! My beautiful, ingenious, plan! Blown all to hell!" She suddenly laughed again. "But no matter! I still have the dampening field up, so you can't get help! Arise, my Wraiths, take them all out!" One of the approaching people, a young woman, blasted Mars with a greenish bolt of energy. Mars retaliated by releasing her Flaming Mist attack, and waited until it had surrounded two people before igniting it. Another person splashed Uranus with what she thought was water, but soon discovered it was acid. Uranus whipped around and cut through the air with the Space Sword, releasing the ripple. It knocked her attacker against a pillar. Uranus' small victory was short-lived, however, because she collapsed to the ground screaming. She dropped the Space Sword in the process, and lay writhing in pain from the acid burns. Mercury launched a few Frosty Whirlwinds at the remaining people. It blew them aside, but not for long. "URANUS!" Mercury screamed when she saw what had happened to her cohort. "Damn!" Rei swore, also seeing what had happened. Both of them tried to run to her aid, but the Wraiths prevented them from it. One of the Wraiths broke off from attacking Mars and ran over to the fallen Sailor Uranus. Being far from gentle, the possessed person yanked the ring off Uranus' finger. Uranus' uniform shimmered slightly and returned to the style it had been before the influence of the Eternity Stone. The Wraith then ran over to the mirror Mercury. She squealed in delight at having accomplished her mission. "Yes! We have one of the Stones! Oooooh! Queen Serenity will be *so* pleased with me!" She bounced up and down, laughing insanely. "We can't keep this up for much longer!" Mars yelled. "They're outnumbering us, and we can't even slow them down!" Mirror-Mercury laughed some more. "You see how futile it is? Surrender now, and I'll spare your lives." -**- Neptune and Uranus' fight with Anatia was not going well. The underling of Tremere had plenty of tricks up his sleeves and he was using each of them without showing signs of running out. Michiru was paying close attention to Haruka, making sure she wasn't going to do something she shouldn't, like charge Anatia. Twice already she had managed to prevent Anatia from dealing fatal blows to Haruka. Anatia's advantage came from the fact that he was airborne. From there, he could loose attacks on them almost constantly, being able to see them. Haruka and Michiru had to look and aim up to attack, and that slowed them down. Occasionally he came down some and blasted them with some unknown magic, but they never were able to retaliate before he rose back up again. "Uranus! Use the Space Sword!" Michiru cried. For the third time this fight, Haruka produced the Space Sword, creating a ripple in space. This time though, it hit Anatia right in the chest. The apparition howled in fury and pain. "Got him!" Uranus declared triumphantly. She turned around and began to return to where Michiru was. Perhaps it was the fact that she was so happy they had actually managed to dent Anatia. Or maybe it was her subconscious denying what was happening at that very moment. Or perhaps it was even Michiru either not seeing it or knowing it had to be done. Whatever the reason, Michiru did not do a single thing when Anatia created a long crystalline spike and hurled it at Haruka's unguarded back. A phrase ran around Michiru's head, Michiru really not knowing where it came from. *I'm sorry, Haruka...* Sailor Uranus' face twisted into an expression of shock as she suddenly halted her approach to Michiru and collapsed, the long spike protruding from her back. "HARUKA!" Michiru cried, rushing to her companion's side. Michiru lifted her up, cradling her carefully in her arms, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Haruka, please don't..." Haruka's eyes fluttered slightly. Her mouthed moved. "Mi...chir...u..." Her breath rattled in her lungs one last time. And she was gone. "No...!" Michiru shook her head, still crying. "NO!!" She gently lifted Haruka's head and lay her on her side on the ground. As she stood, she saw Haruka's sailor uniform waver and disappear, the clothes she was wearing earlier reforming. *Haruka, please forgive me...* Michiru almost immediately became aware of Anatia's wicked laughter. She turned slowly, her face set in grim determination. Michiru started walking to where Haruka had attacked. Anatia stopped laughing when he saw Michiru's approach. "Foolisssssh Ssssailorsssss! You cannot harm me ssssso easssssily! I will prevail, and the earth will belong to Tremane!" "You...!" Michiru's voice was laced with fury. "You killed her! You killed her, you bastard! I won't ever, EVER forgive you for it!" Anatia slowly moved back from her, seeing the hatred in her eyes. "A planet with the sea of sand is my guardian deity... The soldier of embrace, Sailor Neptune! And now you're mine, Anatia!" Michiru's hands flew up abruptly, and she was holding something in them, the Deep Aqua Mirror. "A puny mirror cannot defeat me, you pesssst!" "We'll see just how wrong you are!" she screamed. Michiru aimed the mirror at Anatia. "Neptune, guardian of the sea, I call upon your powers to reveal to me the true face of my enemy!" The mirror's surface sparkled and a bright light abruptly streamed from it, exposing Anatia to it. Slowly the robe he was wearing dissolved, and Neptune saw just exactly what she was fighting. Anatia's face was like an insect's, with large compound eyes glowing red and an oddly contorted mouth. The rest of his body carried the theme, often to a stomach-turning degree. "Fool! Ssssshowing my true form cannot help you! Now, face the wrath of Tremane!" Anatia held his deformed hands out, facing Neptune. A spark of energy crackled across them then leapt out at Michiru. The Mirror, still aimed at Anatia, blocked the bolts he was shooting and reflected them off in all directions. Michiru struggled to keep the Mirror aimed properly and keep it in the path of Anatia's attack. "Sssssurrender, girl, and Tremane might forgive you! It'sss the only way to ssssave your pitiful life! Nothing can ssstop usss! Tremane isss all- powerful!" "Maybe so," Michiru yelled back, "but you aren't!" She managed to keep the mirror in place. Michiru then thought back to Haruka, how she could have saved her... And then Michiru finally realized what she could do, guaranteeing that Anatia would be stopped and that she would be with Haruka forever. *Haruka, please wait for me, I'm coming to join you soon...* "Anatia!" she screamed. "Prepare to join your god!" "What?" he demanded. Slowly, the Mirror stopped reflecting the bolts Anatia was shooting, but absorbed them, one by one until all the bolts were being absorbed with very little reflecting back. The Mirror seemed to carry an aquamarine aura with it, growing brighter and brighter with each passing second. Michiru sensed the enormous amounts of energy contained within, and knew it couldn't hold much more. Anatia, seeing his attacks being absorbed, became furious. "How dare you!" he screeched. "Now, face the true power of Tremane!" The bolts suddenly became faster and brighter. The Mirror shuddered every time one hit it. Michiru knew she had to move, and quick. The sky grew dark overhead, and Anatia somehow seemed to grow. He continued his barrage unrelentlessly. "Now, Anatia!" Michiru yelled. "Take a look around here, because it's going to be your last!" The Mirror's aura grew even brighter, and Sailor Neptune acquired an aura of her own as she added her own energy to the Mirror. "Deep Aqua..." Anatia panicked, attacking even harder. "SPARKLING BOLT!" All the pent-up energy contained within the Mirror discharged suddenly, producing a glistening bolt of energy. Anatia's futile attempts to block it failed, and the bolt continued right through each one. Finally it struck Anatia himself, and he howled in pain. The Mirror continued its attack, the energy rushing out of it. Finally the stream bored right through Anatia, spreading his blood all over the ground. He tried to scream but blood was the only thing coming out of his mouth. Anatia managed to shriek once more and began to vanish. As that was happening, Michiru saw the violent death he was having. She was suddenly happy, for she had made him pay. Her happiness was short-lived though, because the Mirror shattered as Anatia vanished. The small shards spread all over the place. Michiru's vision suddenly began to dim, and she realized what was happening, embracing it eagerly. If her energy hadn't been so intertwined with the Mirror, it might not have happened to her. As Sailor Neptune collapsed, one thought ran through her head. *Haruka, I'm coming now...* -**- A bright light. A blinding white light. Michiru shut her eyes, trying to shut it out, but it wouldn't go away. "Sailor Neptune, wake up," came a voice. "Open your eyes." All of a sudden, it came to Michiru. Her eyes snapped open. She saw a figure standing in front of her, but she couldn't make out what it was. Michiru blinked her eyes a few times to try to focus. Finally, her eyesight returned. The figure standing in front of her was wearing long flowing robes. She couldn't really see the woman's face because of the light, but she could see her eyes, a piercing blue color. "I'm not dead, am I?" Michiru asked quietly. "No, you're not. You're quite alive, although you did die in your Quest. Since you had completed your objective, that didn't matter." "It seemed so real... The pain I felt, the anguish over Haruka's death." She paused. "What about my mirror?" "It wouldn't be a true test of character if it was obviously fake, would it? You performed very well. You saved the planet by letting Haruka die, yet joined her in the afterlife by sacrificing yourself and defeating an enemy at the same time." The woman tilted her head. "And you devised your attack before acquiring the Stone. Most impressive. As for your talisman, it's fine, it had never been broken. Now, prepare yourself to receive the power of the Eternity Crystal." The woman held out her hand and revealed an aquamarine-colored stone. Michiru held her talisman ring out, and the woman placed the Stone on the ring. "Sailor Neptune, receive the power of the Water Stone. Now, your friend requires your help. Save her life again." The Stone made contact with the ring, and Michiru was engulfed in a silver light. As it went away, her uniform changed. Her skirt now had three shades, and the button on her ribbon had turned back to its original color and had the symbol of Neptune engraved in gold. The woman disappeared. Michiru now needed to go back and help Haruka again, this time for real. "Water Stone, take me to Sailor Uranus!" -**- Mars ducked an attack launched by one of Mirror-Mercury's enslaved people. "We need to get out of here!" she screamed. "Tell me something I *don't* know!" Mercury screamed in reply. The Mirror Mercury sighed. "When will you learn that you have nowhere to go? Just surrender and be done with it!" She was wearing the ring on her right hand, and was unconsciously fiddling with it. Something charred the ground in front of her, and she whirled around to find the source. Everyone else stopped and looked around as well. They saw a lone figure standing on a ledge of the parking garage that was looking out over the street below. "A planet with the sea of sand is my guardian deity... I am the soldier of embrace, Sailor Neptune, newly-equipped with the power of my Eternity Stone!" She suddenly saw Haruka lying on the ground, writhing and groaning in pain. Michiru gaped. "Damn!" Mirror-Mercury screamed. "Damn, damn, DAMN! You're not supposed to be here! These three should have been isolated here! Aaaagh!" She stomped her foot in rage. "Wraiths! Get all of them!" she shrieked. One of them turned to take on Neptune, attacking her with a purplish energy. Sailor Neptune recovered from the shock of seeing Haruka hurt and held her talisman in front of her and yelled "Absorb!" The attack vanished when it hit the Mirror. "Deep Aqua Sparkling Bolt!" The energy absorbed was discharged, and knocked the attacker over. "No way!" Mirror-Mercury yelled. "What did you do to Uranus?" Michiru demanded, fire blazing in her eyes as she rushed to Haruka's side and knelt there. "It was a beautiful maneuver on the behalf of that gracious woman over there," Mirror-Mercury replied, pointing to the brunette who had blasted Haruka with acid. Michiru stared daggers at the alternate Mercury then shifted the deadly gaze at the possessed person whom had been fingered as the culprit. Mars and Mercury broke away from the Wraiths that they were fighting to run to Michiru. Both had an idea of what would happen next. But before they had a chance to stop her, Michiru whipped the Mirror to face the woman and yelled, "Deep Aqua Sparkling Bolt!" It was one action that had occurred too quickly to prevent. The attack struck the woman with so much force that she was thrown against a concrete wall. She collapsed and a cloud of black smoke flowed out of her. The Wraith possessing her was destroyed. "You're next," Neptune said in such a quiet voice that it frightened Ami's counterpart. "Give the Stone to me," Neptune said, starting to walk towards Mirror- Mercury. "Give it to me! Give it to me NOW, or else I splatter you on that wall behind you!" She was practically shouting. Mars and Mercury knew better than to try to stop her. She was far too mad. Mirror-Mercury started to back away from the approaching Neptune. Before Michiru could follow through on her promise, someone called from behind them. "Stop right there!" Neptune halted her advance, even though she knew she wasn't the one being spoken to. "Uh-oh..." Ami's counterpart muttered. "I won't forgive you for trapping my friends here! I am the soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon! I will punish you in the name of the Moon!" Mirror-Mercury laughed diabolically. It's too late, I've already accomplished my mission! I have Sailor Uranus' Eternity Stone! I'll be back for the others, I promise you that! Ta-ta!" She then vanished. "Uranus!" Usagi screamed, joining Michiru at her side. "What happened?" "One of the Wraiths attacked Uranus with acid, and she's been badly burned," Mercury answered. "No....!" Usagi shook her head in disbelief. Michiru returned to Haruka's side and knelt beside her, Usagi following. She was trying to pick Haruka up, or at least move her slightly, but there were too many burns. Michiru knew better than to touch an acid burn. Her hands hovered over Haruka, hesitating. "What were you doing here?" Mars asked Usagi. "Well, I, uhh... I was in the mall with Naru, and as I passed by this exit-" she gestured towards the doors she had come out of, "I saw you and I transformed." "It's a good thing you did. We were having lots of problems." One of the possessed people suddenly realized that they should be fighting and turned towards Sailor Mars. He produced a sawblade and threw it at her. Rei ducked, then yelled. "Sailor Moon, attack!" "Right!" Sailor Moon lifted the Grail above her head. "Crisis Make Up!" When she was done, she took out her wand. "Crisis Moon..." The wand began to spin. "Energy Dispel!" She launched the wand, spinning and glowing with an assortment of colors, at the four possessed people. It spun around each one of them and returned to Sailor Moon's hand. The people were enclosed in a column of light that faded quickly. They fell to the ground, free of the Wraiths' influence. -**- "You're just jealous!" Mirror-Mercury screamed. "I *know* I can do better than you can!" Venus yelled back. "I can get more than one Stone!" Ami stared at Minako. "I'd like to see you do better, you no-talent half-wit!" "Then maybe I will, egghead!" -**- Ami, Rei, and Usagi all stood a few meters away from Michiru. She was still fretting over Haruka. She was crying, too, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Oh, Haruka... I wish I'd been here... I could have done something to help you," she whispered. Rei had run to a phone and called an ambulance. It would be joining them very soon. The ambulance arrived, and the attendents performed some on-the-spot treatment to stabilize Haruka. Then they loaded her on the ambulance, Michiru joining her. The sirens on the vehicle started to shriek, and the trio of girls watched it go, looks of concern on their faces. They didn't know how she'd be. Michiru watched Haruka closely. A thought came to her during the ride. She stroked one unscathed cheek. *I'll never leave you, Haruka. I swear.* -**- To be continued in Episode 8...