Chapter Seven: The Fiery Miko, Mars Burns through the Darkness

*Thump!*

*Thump!-Thump!-Thump!*

*Thump!-Thump!*

*Thump!*

The sounds of fists striking fabric filled the air of the karate dojo that Naruto was currently occupying. Sweat dripped from his skin as he continued his martial arts training. For the last hour, he has not stopped practicing his strikes, determined to sharpen his skills and increase his endurance.

*Thump!-Thump!*

Jab. Cross.

*Thump!-Thump!-Thump!*

Jab. Cross. Hook.

*Thump!*

Elbow Strike.

*Thump!*

Knee Strike.

*Thump!-Thump!*

Double Roundhouse Kick.

*Thump!*

Spinning Side Kick.

More and more strikes were unleashed upon the hanging bag suspended from the ceiling. Each blow focused on a target area; either the top part where the head of a human would be, the middle where the chest was, or the sides where the floating ribs or kidneys were located. Every attack designed to inflict great damage to an opponent if it were one. Still, despite how hard he trained and how much force he put into his attacks, he felt that it was still lacking. He felt like he needed more strength, more power.

When Naruto and Usagi had returned home after their last youma encounter, worried parents, whom upon seeing Narutos' condition became very concerned, greeted them. When the boy gave them his excuse for his many injuries, they were not too pleased with him. He considered being grounded for three days as a light punishment. Still, the encounter with a youma who had the power to control time had changed the perspective of his own strength. He had been completely outmatched by the youma and was unable to protect his sister and friend. It was only by sheer luck that they had pulled a victory out of that one, but if the youma had decided to attack the girls rather than him, it would have been an absolute disaster. Naruto had taken it rather personally. He believed that if he were stronger he would have been able to stand up to the youma better and would not have been injured as he had. He also believed that he could have kept the girls from being caught in the youma's traps. So after his punishment ended, he got himself back into his Karate, trained to no end, often going immediately from school to the dojo, and wouldn't stop until after nightfall. His excuse to his parents was that he wanted to get back into his sport, and while his parents believed him, Luna and the girls were not quite convinced. Still they let him be. So, here he was, another evening of training and he was giving it all he had. Punch after punch, kick after kick, and still he felt that he was lacking. Finally, after an hour and a half of continues repetitive exercise, he stopped and leaned against the large bag and allowed himself to catch his breathe.

'Still not enough.' Naruto thought as he clinched and unclenched his fist repeatedly. He was so tired and focused on his thoughts that he failed to notice someone had entered the training hall.

"Practicing late again, Naruto?"

The boy turned in surprise to see his sensei walking up to him. Master Akisame Sho was a sixty-two year old man that stood at five foot eight in height and possessed a build that was combination of lean and athletic. He possessed long grey hair that flowed down to his mid back and a bushy mustache. His tan and wrinkly skin showed both his age and wisdom. His most distinctive characteristic however were his eyes as they appeared closed all of the time. Naruto had always wondered how his sensei was able to see like that.

Naruto bowed in respect for his teacher as the old man came to a stop in front of him. "Good evening, Sho-Sensei. I am sorry if I interrupted anything you were doing, but I wanted to work out again tonight."

The wizened sensei nodded in understanding as he gazed at his best student. The old man was very proud of the progress Naruto had made ever since he came into the dojo with his parents seven years ago. When he first laid eyes on the boy, he could tell that he had a lot of potential hidden behind those blue eyes of his. It did not take long before the boy was enrolled into his program and he took to it like a fish to water. At first, his skills were rather rough and his movements were brash and impatient, but as the initial days, weeks, and months passed the boy began to refine his technique and come into his own as a martial artist.

"It is quite alright, Naruto. I was not interrupted from anything important, and I am always willing to spend time with my students, especially ones who have a passion for the arts as you do. However, lately it seems that your passion has increased rather greatly as of late. Not that I am unhappy to see you back again after being absent for so long, but would you be so kind as to tell me your reason for this great zeal?"

Naruto stiffened a little at the question, his eyes portraying his emotions briefly before he turned away from his teacher, though not quick enough that the old sensei didn't notice the signs.

"I just wanted to get back into my studies again. You know, pick up where I left off before the semester started again."

The old man stroked his beard in thought. There was something more to the boys drive then what he was telling him. Well, if Naruto did not want to tell him through words, there was always the other route.

"Well, Naruto, if you are so eager to resume the arts, would you care to engage your old sensei in a light spar so that I can reacquaint myself with your skill?"

Hesitating slightly, but nodding to the request, Naruto and old Sho moved to the sparring circle in the center of the dojo. Taking up opposite positions on the mat, the two bowed in respect before they entered into their fighting stances.

"Are you ready, Naruto?"

"Hai!"

"Then, HAJIME!"

At the signal to begin, Naruto shot forward with a straight punch towards his sensei's face, which the old man easily deflected. Sho countered with a punch as well which Naruto avoided by leaning his head to the right. Taking a step back to gain some distance, the blonde tried to execute a roundhouse kick to the side of Sho's head. The master ducked under the leg and performed a leg sweep, which hit the boys foot. Naruto was sent falling to the floor on his back while the wise old man stood back up and waited for his pupil's next move. Naruto only took a second to regain his bearings before he rolled his body onto his shoulders and kicked upward with his feet; allowing him to jump off his back and onto his feet in one motion. Following his kick up, Naruto resumed his fighting stance and charged back towards his sensei. During the run, the boy jumped into the air and stuck his leg out in a flying kick. The master easily evaded the attack and allowed Naruto to sail past him. Landing on the ground, Naruto barely had time to dodge as a fist went sailing past his head. Spinning around, he tried to execute a spinning back fist in hopes of catching his sensei off guard. His efforts were in vain, however, when his master caught the fist, grabbed his extended arm and with a move practiced countless times over the years, threw Naruto across the mat where the blonde landed harshly on his back, the air in his lungs forced out from the impact.

Naruto breathed heavily in an effort to restore his lungs to proper working order while Sho casually walked over to his downed student. The boy's eyes cracked open to find his sensei leaning over him while offering a hand to the youth. Naruto let out a sigh before grabbing the offered hand and allowed himself to be pulled onto his feet. Naruto patted his gi down and straightened it up before bowing to his sensei. The old man returned the bow and then spoke.

"You did rather well, Naruto. Your skills have not diminished in the least since you had left for a time. However, I could feel that something is disturbing you as we sparred. Your movements were much more forced and your attacks were more ridged then what I had taught you. There is something on your mind, something that makes you believe that you need gain strength."

Naruto let out a frustrated sigh. He should have known that his sensei would figure something out, he always did have a knack for reading people, especially when he spared with someone. After a moment, he decided to tell him what was wrong.

"You're right, Sensei. Something is bothering me, and it had to do the people who are close to me."

"Do tell."

"You know that I took up the martial arts in order to improve myself, right. Well, that isn't the only reason. I learned how to fight in order to protect what is precious to me. Mom, Dad, Shingo, Usagi-neechan, Naru-chan, and Ami-chan. Every one of them is irreplaceable to me. What if I'm not strong enough to protect them?"

The old man stroked his beard in thought, contemplating the question. He knew what kind of person Naruto was. The boy is a protector, one who goes out of his way to make sure others stayed out of harm's way. He knew that the moment he looked into the boy's eyes. It was one of the reasons he considered him one of his best students, after all.

"So, you are afraid that you will not be able to protect them, is that right?"

"Yes, Sensei."

"Your desire is a noble one, Naruto, but I must tell you that it is unwise to try to take too much responsibility for the welfare of others. Your friends and family have their own strength, do they not?"

Naruto thought the question over. It was true that both Usagi and Ami could hold their own in a fight since they were both sailor senshi, but he was supposed to be the strength of the group, the one to make sure everyone came home safe. Sho saw his conflicted expression and decided to give the boy some advice.

"Naruto, a single wall cannot support a home. It takes several walls working together to support and protect the ones who dwell within. You must rely on the strength of others as well as your own."

Naruto took his sensei's advice and thought it over. After a few moments in thought, he turned to face his teacher, bowed, and then left for the day. Sho watched his student leave the room, hoping that he was able to help the boy's troubled mind.

- Negaverse - Dark Kingdom -

Once more, Queen Beryl's court was in session, and once again, the topic of discussion was the progress on gathering enough energy to unleash the power of the Dark Kingdom on the earth…or rather, it was a discussion on the lack of energy.

"I am extremely unhappy, Jadeite." Queen Beryl spoke as she looked into her crystal ball. "Our energy reserves are not growing fast enough. If I am to revive Queen Metalia, I must have both the Silver Crystal and large quantities of energy in my possession." The queen then looked up to her subordinate. "Now tell me, is the new plan in motion yet?"

Jadeite, who was bowing to his queen, rose up from his bow and spoke in a confident tone. "Yes my queen, the plan is already in motion, and we are gathering the energy as we speak."

"Excellent, that is just what I wanted to hear. There is only one more thing we need to take care of, those blasted sailor senshi and their accursed shadow. I want you to get rid of them once and for all, see to it personally."

"As you command, my queen."

"Good, that is all."

- Streets of Juuban – The next day -

Once more, it was a nice sunny day out on the streets of Tokyo's Juuban prefecture, and the people were going about their daily lives. Unfortunately, the tranquility would be broken by the sound of sirens as several police vehicles sped down the streets towards a certain destination. Along the way, the cruisers would pass by a certain group. The group consisted of one boy, one girls and one cat, who upon hearing the sirens, turned to watch the police vehicles pass by. Naruto, Usagi and Luna watched as the police continued down the street before disappearing around the corner.

"Wow, there sure are a lot of cop cars." Usagi commented since it was rare to see that many police vehicles go by.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "They sure have been busy lately, I wonder what's up?"

"Hmm, no idea. Oh, look, there's Ami. Hey, Ami!"

Sure enough, the bluennete was standing there a few meters away while reading a small book. The girl looked up from her reading when she heard her name being called and smiled at the group now moving towards her.

"Oh, Usagi, Naruto, Luna, hello."

When the group arrived at Ami's location, Luna jumped into Ami's arms while Usagi was quick to try to get her friend to join them in an evening of fun.

"Hey, now that we're all together, you want to hit up the arcade?"

"Oh no, I can't I have way too much homework to do." Ami replied while Luna gave Usagi a knowing glance.

"Don't you have some of that too, Usagi?"

Said blonde laughed sheepishly as she sweatdropped. "Ah, nothing that can't wait, I'm sure."

Naruto shook his head in exasperation. "Didn't I talk to you about the whole procrastination thing?"

Before Usagi could respond, the whole group turned as they heard a new set of sirens approaching and watched as even more police cruisers speed by.

"I wonder where they're all going." Usagi asked as she watched the vehicles disappear.

"Maybe there was a big accident." Naruto suggested just as a couple of familiar faces approached the four.

"Hey you guys." Naru called out as she and Chika walked up. Naruto, Usagi and Ami exchanged greetings with the new arrivals when Chika spoke up.

"Hey, you guys won't believe what happened."

"Hmm? What's up" Naruto responded as the others gave the raven-haired girl their attention.

"All those cops are headed towards the Hikawa Shrine on top of Sendai Hill. Supposedly, a bus disappeared near there."

The girls were all shocked at the news while Naruto frowned. They all remained silent, though, allowing the girl to continue.

"It picked up a bunch of passengers and then, 'Poof!' vanished into thin air, and the news said that this isn't the first time that this had happened. The police are trying to keep it quiet, they're afraid that people are going to freak out."

Naruto snorted a little. "Well, they're not doing a very good job of it if the media is reporting on it."

Ami put a finger to her chin as she remembered her time actually visiting the sight. "The Hikawa Shrine on Sendai Hill is actually quite nice."

"Really, I've never been." Naru spoke while Usagi looked at her friends with a bit of a scared expression.

"Well, I'm not about to go there if people are disappearing, thank you."

Naruto remained silent as he listened to his friends. This new bit of news was very disturbing to him. The bizarre disappearance of several busloads of people in the middle of the day could only point to one thing. The Dark Kingdom was operating again, and it looked like they were taking it to a whole new level. Instead of simply harvesting energy from people like they had in the past, they were now abducting people to harvest from them in a hidden location. It would seem that they intended to harvest energy from their victim's repeatedly, giving them a more reliable source of power. Time was of the essence and they needed to act to save the people and the only lead they had was the shrine. He needed to find an opportunity to scout the place, and it would seem that the opportunity just presented itself.

"You know, I heard that you can buy these good luck charms really cheap there, and they can give you good luck in anything, you name it." Naru spoke up when she remember a fact about the shrine.

Chika nodded as she put in her two cents in. "They could even help you get a boyfriend."

"A boyfriend?" The girls spoke out before several of them made discreet glances towards a certain blonde boy in their presence. Usagi, meanwhile, was just wanting to get one to help her find her special someone.

"Well, if that's the case, then let's go!"

The girls all agreed and Naruto nodded his head. This was the chance he needed to get a look around the temple while at the same time keep an eye on the girls to make sure they stayed out of trouble. If the shrine was involved with the Dark Kingdom in some way, then he wanted to make sure that the girls remained safe. Before the group could actually get underway, Ami spoke up to Usagi.

"Um, could you get one for me, Usagi?"

"Huh, you're not coming with us, Ami?"

"Sorry, but I have too much homework and I need to get home."

Usagi looked a little disappointed but gave her friend a nod. "Well, alright, but why would you want a good luck charm? You got a secret crush on someone?" The blonde finished her question with a teasing smirk.

Ami suddenly blushed and recoiled from the question. "M-Me? A crush?" The bluenette's eyes quickly flickered over to Naruto before she waved off the accusation. "Uh, oh no. I-it's just that I, uh, need it or some extra credit essays I wrote, that's all." She explained, hoping that her friend would buy the excuse. Fortunately, Usagi seemed to accept it.

"Urgh, extra credit? You really are a bookworm, Ami. Well, all right. I'll get you one."

Afterwards, everyone bid the bluennete goodbye and headed towards the temple. Ami waved at them until they disappeared out of sight before she let out a sigh. She did want to go to the shrine and get a charm, but she didn't want to do it while Naruto was there. She would die of embarrassment if he knew she was getting one to help her get his affections since, despite what she had said, she did have a crush on the blonde, and why wouldn't she? The boy had been her first ever friend and had brought so much happiness to her life. He was kind, considerate, charming and not too bad to look at either. It wasn't hard to imagine the two of them together. They would study together, take walks in the park, have nice dinners, and then they would stare at each other lovingly under the full moon where he would lean down and kiss her passionately while his hands roamed over her form and then he would take her to his room where he would slowly undress her and…

Ami suddenly shook her head as her face became beat red and a single thought ran through her brain.

'I have got to stop reading so many of mom's love novels.'

- Sendai Hill Temple -

On a large hill that was made specifically for the site sat Juuban's very own Shinto Shrine, commonly referred to as the Sendai Hill Temple. The grounds were arranged in the usual layout for a temple. For a person going to see the site or pray to the god enshrined there, they would first walk through the Torii, or the Shinto gate, which was considered the boundary of sacred ground. Afterwards, they would climb a set of stone steps until they reached the actual temple grounds. They would then walk down the Sandō, or the approach to the shrine. While walking down the path, they would find the Chōzuya, a small pavilion that housed a chōzubachi, which was a water basin that people used to cleanse their hands and mouth in preparation to prey at the shrine. From there, they would continue down the Sandō while passing between the Tōrō, a set of decorative stone lanterns that lined both sides of the path. Once they make it to the center of the temple grounds, they would find several buildings and structures surrounding them. One such building would be the Kagura-den, a covered stage dedicated to the Noh, or the sacred Kagura dance. Another building would be the Shamusho, the administrative office of the temple that would also serve as the house that the priest or priestess's family would inhabit. Nearby one would find an Ema, a covered board that held plaques where papers bearing prayers and wishes would be displayed. They would also find several Sessha, miniature shrines that housed the lesser deities that the temple worshiped. At the end of the Sandō, the visitors would find the Haiden, or the hall of worship where most of the temples services are carried out. Just behind the Haiden is the Honden, the actual shrine that housed the body of Kami, which is actually an object that has direct ties to the deity rather than a place where the deity actually resides. Only the priests are allowed to enter the Honden, which is protected by a fence called the Tamagaki. Overall, the temple grounds were rather large and heavily wooded compared to city that surrounded it, no doubt to preserve the sanctity of the site, and the place really looked to be dedicated to worship.

Unfortunately, someone had decided to us this sacred place to commit his foul deeds.

"I'm going to wear mine all the time."

"Me too."

"I hope our charms work."

Several young junior high school girls laughed and posed with their new charms as they talked in front of the Haiden, excited over the good luck they hoped the items would bring. Meanwhile, a certain curly haired blonde man wearing a white robe and grey hakama swept the ground as he listened to the girls before he turned his head and gave the girls a hidden but sinister grin.

'Oh, they'll work, alright. Zap the energy right out of those vapid, giggling girls.'

While this was going on, inside the Haiden itself, a young girl sat in seiza in front of a fire while waiving a ōnusa back and forth in front of her. The girl was around the age of fourteen and possessed long black hair that traveled all the way down to her waist and a pair of dark eyes. However, if one were to look close enough, one could see both her hair and eyes had a purple tint too them. The girl wore the traditional clothes of a priestess, which consisted of a white robe and red hakama. Beside her on either side were a pair of black crows that sat diligently at her side. She continued to wave her wand until she brought it up in both hands and then lowered it. She then placed it down in front of her before she clapped her hands together in prayer.

"Cleansing flame, provide me with your guidance."

The girl closed her eyes as she focused on her senses and after a moment, she opened them again.

'I sense a dark force growing stronger; it's threatening to cover the city. I'm worried about the temple, and grandpa."

- Streets of Juuban -

Naruto, Usagi, Naru, and Chika were walking down the street towards the entrance to the Cheery Hill Temple while Luna rode in Naru's arms. As they made their way down the sidewalk, Naruto spotted a familiar person ahead of them.

"Hey, isn't that Inspector Zenigata?"

Usagi looked up and saw the person Naruto was referring too. Just ahead of them, past the Torii gates, was a tall man wearing a brown hat and trench coat talking to a group of people as he wrote things down on a notepad. The man had short black hair with sideburns that came down to his jaw. This man was Zenigata Koichi, a police inspector in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. He also had connection to INTERPOL and was the primary officer assigned to the case of locating the town of Naruto's origin.

When Naruto had first appeared in Juuban over nine years ago, Inspector Zenigata was handed the case of locating Konoha after the police received the official health report contributed by doctor Mizuno from Child Welfare in hopes of finding the ones responsible for the child's abuse. After reading the report, Zenigata made it his personal mission to locate the people who had done such a thing to a child and bring them to justice. Sadly, despite extensive investigation that even included using contacts in INTERPOL, the inspector could find no evidence that this town of Konoha existed. The final report concluded that the child had experienced trauma to the brain that had effected his memories, resulting in Naruto confusing the name of the town and with no other evidence that was able to give the police a direction, the case was closed and placed into the unsolved cases vault. However, even with the case officially closed, Inspector Zenigata still kept in contact with the Tsukino family in order to make sure that Naruto adapted well to his new life. As such, he became a friend of the family, often speaking to them when he had the chance while he wasn't in the middle of work. The man even kept a picture of himself with Naruto and Usagi when they were both six years old, with Naruto wearing a police hat and flashing a grin and a peace sigh to the camera. The man said he had gotten to know them so well that they were like his unofficial niece and nephew since he didn't have a family of his own. Thanks to this, he was very easy to spot for the Tsukino siblings, as was the case when Usagi recognized the man.

"Oh, yeah, it is 'Uncle' Zenigata. What's he doing here?"

"Looks like he is asking people questions, maybe it's in relation to the disappearances." Naru spoke up, observing the inspector at work.

Naruto had a thought. If Zenigata really was investigating the disappearances, then he may know something that could help him, and since he knew the man, he would be less likely to dismiss the blonde without some information. He decided it was worth a shot so he spoke up to his group.

"Hey guys, I'm going to go talk to him. You guys go on ahead and go up to the temple."

This surprised the girls as Chika spoke. "Are you sure, Naruto?"

"Yeah, I'll catch up quickly so you guys go on ahead." Naruto answered as he walked towards the inspector. The girls watched him go and decided to do what Naruto had said and walked up the stone steps towards the temple. Meanwhile, Zenigata had just finished asking questions to another group of people in hopes of getting a lead on the case of people literally disappearing by the busloads. He had been handed the case when it had come to light after police received several phone calls about missing people. He and his squad went straight to work in investigating and started questioning families and witnesses who had last scene the missing people. When the statements all pointed to the Sendai Hill Temple, he and his squad went to the temple to ask about the incident and search the grounds for evidence. However, they came up empty handed since the family that ran the temple insisted that they knew nothing of the disappearances and no evidence was ever found. He noted that the young girl, despite being rather annoyed with the police presence on the temple grounds, was much easier to talk to then her eccentric grandfather who ran the temple. So without solid evidence the police left and continued its investigation when they received some troubling news. Another bus of people disappeared around the same area. The witness statements once more pointed to Sendai Hill but once more, they came up empty handed. So, with no other direction to go, he and his officers had no choice but to continue question people in the area in hopes of finding a lead. As Zenigata dismissed the bystanders, he let out a tired sigh.

'Yet another dead end. Man, this case is becoming as bad as Naruto's was.'

Just as he was about to wander off in search of more people to question, a familiar voice spoke up behind him.

"Oi, Inspector Zenigata."

The man turned around to find the very boy he was thinking about.

'Well, speak of the devil.' "Well, hello there, Naruto. I haven't seen you in some time. You look well."

"You look good yourself, Inspector." Naruto replied as he stopped before the man.

"Well, you know me, my boy. I like keep myself in shape for whatever the life of a policeman throws at me. How's Usagi doing?"

"She's doing well enough, can be a bit of a handful at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way." Naruto chuckled along with the inspector.

"So, what can I do for you? Or are you just stopping to say hello?"

Naruto put on a semiserious expression. "I have heard that there are rumors of buses disappearing around here, thought you might know something about it."

The inspector let out a sigh. "Well, I ought to know, I'm the one investigating the case. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to come up with anything to even point us in the right direction."

Naruto nodded his head in understanding; he knew why the inspector was having trouble better than the man could ever know. "Could you tell me anything about it? I'd like to try to keep Usagi-neechan and my friends safe."

The inspector held his chin in thought, trying to decide just how much to divulge without compromising the case. Still, the boy was close to him and he wanted him and his sister to remain safe so he figured he could tell him a little bit.

"Well, all I can say is that so far we have two missing buses of people who have visited this temple. We went up there to look but we haven't found anything to link it to the disappearances. My advice is just not to get on to any buses in this area since you don't have to ride on to get to your school."

Naruto nodded before smiling. "Thanks for the advice, inspector. I'm going to go catch up with my friends and leave you alone to work. Good luck with your case."

With that, Naruto turned and headed up the stone steps towards the temple, leaving Zenigata to continue his investigation.

- Sendai Hill Temple -

While Naruto was talking to the inspector, Usagi and her friends were walking down the Sandō towards the shrine when they passed by a group of girls who were heading out with some new charms. As they made it over to the Shamusho, they peaked at the charms that were on display, trying to decide which ones to get. However, their browsing was interrupted when a short, old and bald priest came walking up to them.

"Ah ha, back already to get more charms, huh? You'll miss your bus if you delay any longer so you girls had better get going."

The girls were confused with this man. First, they had never been up to this temple before and he was also telling them to leave when they had just gotten there. Before anything else could be said, a voice called out from behind the man.

"Grandpa, why in the name of Kami do you never wear your glasses?"

The old man turned to the young girl who walked up behind him, her arms crossed while she wore a stern expression.

"Because, I don't need them Rei, I can see perfectly without them."

The girl, now named Rei, bent down and glared even harder at her grandfather.

"Those aren't even the same girls, Grandpa, and you say you don't need glasses."

The old man just laughed in good humor while the Usagi and the girls blushed at the sight of the beautiful miko. She seemed to possess the aura of radiance, which captivated them, even when she was scowling. If one would have to define the miko, they would more than likely call her a Yamato nadeshiko, which is the term used to describe the ideal Japanese woman.

"Wow, she's really something." Usagi commented as she stared at the miko in adoration.

Meanwhile, the girls who bought the charms earlier were walking down the stone steps as they talked and laughed about this and that. They were unaware that they were being watched as the man who was sweeping the grounds hid in the shadows of the tree, smirking as he gazed at his newest victims.

'Time to activate those charms.'

The man raised his hands and blasted a shot of energy right at the girls. They were taken by surprise as the wave of dark energy passed over them. The bogus charms reacted to the energy as they activated and started zapping the girls of their energy. The dark power did not go unnoticed though as Rei's sixth sense kicked in as she felt the negative energy wash over the temple.

"I feel a strange force here, an evil force!"

The statement caused everyone to gasp as the girl turned towards the entrance to the temple.

"I won't have evil forces near our temple, it must be banished!"

The girl started to run towards the stone steps. Usagi and her group stood there for a moment trying to figure out what was going on before they too started heading after the girl with her grandfather right behind them.

Rei wasn't the only one to feel the negative energy as Naruto also detected the surge and after a moment to gain his bearings started running up the steps. He made it to the middle of the steps where the ground flattened out for fifteen feet before it started going up again when he encountered the group of girls who were headed down, only he noticed that they appeared to be drained of their energy as they trudged past him. The boy stopped for a moment to watch the girls as he thought about the situation.

'Those girls look like they've had the juice sucked out of them. This has got to be the work of the Dark Kingdom.'

Before he could do anything else, he suddenly heard a voice cry out above him.

"Evil spirit be gone!"

"Huh?"

*SLAP!*

The next thing he knew he had a piece of paper stuck to his forehead. The boy stood there for a moment before his entire body locked up, his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell over into unconsciousness. Rei looked down at the blonde boy she had stuck with one of her paper seals in surprise just as the girls she left at the Haiden and her grandpa came upon the scene.

"Naruto-nii!"

Usagi cried out as she ran down to check on her brother while the other girls followed her and stood around the unconscious blonde. Rei continued to stare down before she let out a nervous chuckle.

"Oops."

- Inside the Shamusho – Ten minutes later -

Naruto was still unconscious as he laid in a futon while Usagi, Naru, Chika, and Rei sat beside him while Luna sat on top of the blonde. After Rei's little accident, the girls carried the boy back to the home annex of the Shamusho and he was carefully laid down in the common room where Rei tended to him. The girls waited patiently for Naruto to awaken while Rei apologized for her rashness. The miko had called for some extra medical supplies and a short time later, they were delivered by a certain blonde man.

"Miss Rei, here are the bandages you requested."

The group of schoolgirls gasped and blushed as they gazed at the man who had just opened the door and placed a tray of bandages on the floor. His smooth voice and his handsome features had the young girls felling a little warm while Rei answered.

"Thanks. Just leave them at the door."

"I'll be outside if you need me."

The man closed the sliding door while Naru spoke to the young priestess.

"Who's that hunk-a-saurus?"

"That was Jed, our new caretaker. We hired him less than a week ago. You see my grandfather used to do everything around here, but he hasn't been able to as much as he used to. *sigh* I wish I was already done with school so I can help out more."

The girls looked at the miko feeling a little sorry for the trouble she seems to have to go through. However, before they could speak to the girl anymore, a groan from beneath them caught their attention. Naruto began to slowly shake his head back and forth as he started to regain consciousness. Rei leaned over to cheek on the boy as he slowly opened his eyes and allowed his vision to clear. What greeted him was something he would swear was otherworldly. A girl with shining black hair, purplish eyes, and a lovely face that was just too flawless to be real. In his still hazy mind, the boy could only speak one word that came to it.

"…Angel…"

The effect was immediate as Rei recoiled with a noticeable blush staining her cheeks. She knew that she was quite attractive and had many people, both boys and girls, compliment her on her looks, but never before had someone called her an angel before, and not so sincerely. It made her feel a little warm inside. While the girl was fighting down her blush, Naruto sat up and rubbed his head as he tried to clear the cobwebs.

"What hit me?"

"Naruto-nii."

Naruto turned to find his sister and two friends sitting on his right looking at him with relief. His sister leaned in to make sure he was all right.

"How are you feeling, Naruto-nii?"

"I'm all right, if you can exclude hallucinating angels and stuff."

"Ah."

Naruto turned to the source of the sound and saw the very angel sitting on his right.

"Whoa, she's real!"

Rei blushed a little more but regained her composure then bowed to the boy.

"I wish to apologize for hurting you earlier. I mistook you for an evil spirit."

Naruto just laughed a little as he scratched the back of his head. "It's alright, no harm done. You just knocked me for a loop back there." He then pointed his thumb to himself. "I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Tsukino Naruto, and this is my sister, Usagi, and my two friends from school, Naru and Chika."

The girls to a slight bow as they were introduced while Rei did the same. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Hino Rei and I am a priestess here at the Hikawa Shrine."

"Nice to meet you Rei, so tell me, what exactly did you hit me with earlier?"

The miko reached into her robes and pulled out a slip of paper. "This is a seal that I used on you. It's typically used in exorcism, but I really didn't think it would be so effective on people."

Naruto looked at the paper she was holding in her hand and became curious about it. It looked so similar to one of is seal tags. "Can I see that?"

The girl handed the seal over to Naruto who looked at it more carefully. He saw a lot of kanji on the paper that he didn't recognize; figuring it had something to do with exorcism, but what really caught his eye was that he recognized a seal matrix in the center of the paper. While he didn't know enough to tell what the matrix did exactly, but he knew enough that this was more than likely the cause of him blacking out. Unfortunately, he couldn't just ask the girl about the seal since it would raise too many questions, but that wouldn't stop him from complementing the girl.

"This looks like a really nicely done seal, Rei. Did you make this yourself?"

This time, it was Rei's turn to feel a little embarrassed as she scratched the back of her head and smiled. "Yeah, I make them whenever I have some spare time. I've actually been fascinated with seals since I was little."

"Interesting, so do you have any other talents?" Naruto asked as he filed that bit of information in the back of his mind for a later date.

"Well, I am pretty good a divinations."

Naru gasped at the idea. "So you can see the future and stuff? Do you do fortune telling?"

"Ah, that's not really my thing."

Meanwhile, Luna had been staring intently at the miko for some time now while the gang conversed.

'I'm getting a strong feeling about this girl.'

"Where is she?!"

Before anymore could be said, the door to the room was swiftly thrown open by a rather plump looking middle aged lady who marched into the room with a stern expression.

"Where is my daughter?"

"What?" Rei asked as the woman glared at the miko.

"My daughter said she was coming up here to buy some good luck charms, and she hasn't come home. She was supposed to take the bus, and now I hear the bus disappeared. I want to know where my daughter is."

Everyone stared at the woman as she ranted while Rei responded to the woman's rant.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about your daughter. We get tons of people here every day and we can't be responsible for them."

"Why you impertinent little…"

Before any more arguing could begin, Naruto decided to step in as he sat up and approached the irate woman. "Ma'am, please, you need to calm down."

"What was that?"

"Look, I know you're worried about your daughter. Believe me, I would be worried too if someone in my family suddenly vanished, but going around pointing fingers at people isn't going to get her back."

The woman stopped talking, though she still held her stern look as Naruto continued to try to placate her.

"I may not have an answer for where your daughter is but I can at least point you in the right direction. If you would go down to the police precinct, you can ask for an Inspector Zenigata, he is the one heading up the investigation. He should be able to give you some answers."

The woman thought it over for a moment before she sighed. "Alright, I'll go talk to him, but if I don't get results soon, I'll be coming back."

"I understand. I would like nothing more than to see you reunited with your daughter. Just know that there are people out there who are doing everything they can to find your daughter and the other missing people. That, you have my word on."

The woman seemed to take the young man's words to heart as she let out a sigh and nodded her thanks to him. "Thank you, young man." And with that, she turned and left the room and the building. After the woman vanished, Rei let out a tired sigh and gave Naruto an appreciative smile.

"Thank you, Naruto. It's been so difficult to handle things ever since the disappearances began. We've been having to deal with the police and families of the missing people almost constantly. I appreciate you calming that woman down."

Naruto gave her a smile. "It's not a problem, I can tell that this has been stressful for you, and I do mean what I said about people looking for those who are missing. If anyone else comes looking for answers, just direct them to the precinct to find Inspector Zenigata."

"I will."

Naruto nodded as he turned to his group. "Well, it's getting late. I say we head for home, everyone."

The girls all nodded and stood to take their leave with Luna in tow. As everyone vacated, Rei shut the door behind them and sighed once again. This was just another stressful day for her.

- Streets of Juuban – A few minutes later -

After the group exited the temple grounds and walked down the stone steps, Naruto and Usagi parted ways with Naru and Chika as the two girls headed for home. Usagi started walking home when Naruto stopped her and motioned for them to find a quiet spot. Once they were away from prying eyes and ears Naruto spoke.

"Something is definitely going on here. Just before Rei nailed my with that seal of hers, I felt a massive jolt of negative energy as I was climbing up the steps, and then I ran into a bunch of girls who looked like they were drained. I got a hunch that our old friends in the Dark Kingdom are up to no good again."

Luna nodded while she sat in Usagi's arms. "I think your right, Naruto. But there is something I noticed about Rei. She also seemed to have sensed the energy as well, which was why she went running and attacked you."

"She was able to sense the dark power as well?"

"That's right, not only that, but I also felt something about her when we were all sitting in that room with her. I'm not sure what it means yet, though."

"You think she might be a youma?" Usagi asked as she listened to her feline guardian.

Naruto shook his head. "I don't think so. Being that close, I would have felt something off about her. It could be that she has a high spiritual awareness or it could be something else."

"I could try to get a little closer to her to again to see if I can maybe lock something down." Luna suggested as she jumped down from Usagi's arms.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Sounds good, better be safe than sorry. Get to it, Luna."

The cat bowed before running back towards the temple. Meanwhile, Usagi asked his brother a question.

"Well, while Luna is checking out Rei, what are we going to do?"

"Well, the temple seems to be only one part of the mystery; the other part is the buses disappearing. Now, there are two bus stops nearby, one is two blocks to the north while another is only a block to the west. We're going to split up and check those stops. I'll take the one to the north while you go find Ami and check the one to the west of here. If I know her, she will be looking for more books at the bookstore nearby. If you guys see anything, do not attempt to intervene. I don't want either of you getting caught in whatever they got cooked up, understand?"

Usagi nodded and the two siblings parted ways, intent on carrying out their part of the plan.

- Sendai Hill Temple -

While Naruto and Usagi made their way to their objectives, Luna moved through the temple grounds in search of the miko she needed to see.

'Now where could that girl have gotten to?' The feline asked herself as she moved around the Haiden. That was when her sensitive ears picked up the sound of a broom being swept around the corner. She peeked around the corner and low and behold, there was the girl she was searching for sweeping the stone tiles behind the Haiden.

'Ah, there she is.'

The cat then started to sneak in closer to the girl so she could properly use her senses when all of a sudden she was assaulted by a loud sound.

"CAW!"

"Mreow?"

The poor cat was taken by complete surprise when two large crows flew in and started to attack her. Luna could only try to protect herself under the two front assault while the crows pecked and scratched at her. Fortunately, someone immediately noticed the noise and turned to find the source.

"Phobos. Deimos. Stop that." Rei called as she ran and shooed the two birds away. Luna was lying on the ground with swirls in her eyes as she tried to recover from the assault. Rei knelt down and picked the cat up to check on her.

"Are you alright, kitty?"

Luna shook her head to get rid of the dizziness. 'That was very unpleasant.'

Rei sat down at the edge of the Haiden's porch and started to gently pet the cat. "Sorry about that, Phobos and Deimos can be a bit overzealous in protecting me. Wait a minute, aren't you the cat that those girls brought in with them? What are you doing here?" She asked as she continued her petting, which made Luna start to purr.

'She's got good hands.' Luna thought as she enjoyed the gentle ministrations, but then snapped back to reality as she remembered why she was here. 'Stop that, Luna. You're here for a reason now focus.' Luna then closed her eyes and focused on the miko, trying to get an exact read on her aura. What she found a short time later shocked her.

'By the moon, this aura! It feels just like….I need to tell the others about this.'

With that, Luna quickly but casually leapt off the miko's lap and disappeared back around the corner, leaving a rather confused Rei to watch her leave.

- Streets of Juuban -

Usagi and Ami arrived at the bus stop that they were told to watch. Naruto had been spot on when he said that Ami was browsing for more books and after Usagi explained everything, the two immediately headed to the location to begin their investigation. As their eyes scanned the street, they noticed that a large group of junior high school girls had gathered at the stop. Ami looked closely at the girls and she quickly noticed that they all had something in common.

"Usagi, look. Those girls all have charms from the temple."

The blonde looked and saw that her friend was right, and then she noticed something else that was very peculiar about the girls.

"Wow, they all look out of it."

The girls kept watch as more students appeared with the same charms and half-lidded eyes. Finally, after five more minutes, Ami noticed a large bus moving towards the stop.

"Look, it's the bus and it has the same number from the one that disappeared."

As the bus approached the stop, Usagi and Ami moved in to get a better look. When the bus came to a halt, the door opened and the students started to board. Usagi and Ami looked inside and got a good look at the driver. The driver was female who wore the standard uniform that the city bus drivers were issued complete with a hat that created a shadow, which concealed her eyes. The only noticeable thing about her was her short brown hair and the rather stern expression on her face. The two girls took a step back as they felt something off about the woman. Ami thought about boarding the bus to try and find out where it went but then she remembered Naruto's orders and held back. The glare that the driver sent them helped reinforce her decision. Finally, after the last student boarded and sat down, the bus doors closed and the vehicle moved forward.

"Maybe we should try to follow it and see where it goes." Ami suggested as she watched the bus move further down the street.

"I don't think we can move fast enough." Usagi replied as she kept her eyes on the bus.

Just then, the very air around them began to distort and they watched in shock as the bus started to levitate right off the ground. As the vehicle moved through the air, the distortion started to intensify in an area where the bus was headed towards until what appeared to be a black hole opened up. The bus continued forward and passed right into the black hole. The girls could only watch wide-eyed as the bus completely vanished into the darkness and the hole closed up behind it. Once the hole disappeared, the air returned to normal and the people walking around seemed none the wiser about what had just happened.

"D-Did you see that?" Ami asked as she stared at the spot where the bus vanished. "The bus just disappeared into that black hole."

"Oh, this is bad. We need to tell Naruto-nii about this." Usagi said as the two girls hastily ran to find the blonde and tell him about what they had witnessed.

- Dimensional Sub-space -

The bus drifted aimlessly within the bizarre realm that it had entered moments ago. The space itself looked appeared to be a large void occupied only by several large spherical masses that looked like planetoids. Within the bus, the occupants were blissfully unaware of their abduction since everyone was rendered unconscious when the bus lifted off the ground. The only one who was still awake looked back from her place in the driver's seat and started to cackle.

"A full load. Jadeites plan is a real masterpiece. Queen Beryl should be pleased when we arrive with all these humans full of wasted love energy."

As the driver grinned evilly, her eyes lit up. The interior of the bus was then enveloped in a bright light as the disguised youma proceeded to harvest the energy stored in the fake charms.

- Tsukino Household – Naruto's Room – Thirty Minutes Later -

Naruto sat in his desk chair with his hands clasped together as he thought over the information that the girls had given him. His sister and friend had ran up to him earlier while he was scouting the northern bus stop and informed him of what they had seen. The boy was deeply disturbed by the fact that the buses full of people were being whisked away into some other space that the Dark Kingdom controlled. For one, they couldn't just go and find the buses since they were no longer in their world and even if they did find them, it would be very difficult to get them back to earth since they didn't know how to create the black hole that they youma were using to access the space. He couldn't help but feel like they were in a situation similar to the fight they had with the time manipulating youma, and it scared him.

"What are we going to do, Naruto-nii?"

Naruto looked up see Usagi sitting on his bed with Ami and Luna right beside her. When it became apparent that there was nothing more they could do at the time, the group decided to find a place to plan their next step, so the gang headed over to the Tsukino's home where they found Luna waiting for them. After they gathered in his room, they went over everything they knew with a fine toothcomb to figure out what they needed to do. From what they could figure out, the enemy was using the temple to spread tainted charms to the populace who would then fall under the charms power. They would then be compelled to board the bus, which would take them into a separate space that the enemy had control over. As it stood, both the charms and the buses needed to be taken out of commission, and then they could concentrate on finding a way into the space and liberate the hostages. With that in mind, Naruto laid out his plan.

"The way I see it, we have two objectives. One, we need to stop the distribution of those charms since that is what is controlling the people and we need to disable the bus that takes them away. Two, we need to find a way into the space to free those who have already been taken."

"How do you suggest we go about it?" Ami asked as she thought over the plan.

"Tomorrow after school, we will split up. I will go to the temple, find the charms and neutralize them so that they can't be used anymore. I'll also see if I can find out any clues about the space their using, if there is any there. Meanwhile, I want you two to go back to the bus stop and keep an eye in the place. If you see that bus show up before I can get to you guys, I want you to try and stall or disable it. We need to stop any more people from being taken."

The girls nodded in agreement since they wanted to do what they could. It was then that Luna came forward with certain information.

"If you are going back to the temple, I found something that I think you should know about. I was able to get close to Rei again and I discovered something about her."

"What did you find?" Naruto asked while Usagi and Ami listened.

"I strongly believe that Rei is actually one of us. I think she is Sailor Mars."

"What? For real?" Naruto asked, completely surprised by this revelation.

"Yes, her aura matches that of Mars so I am fairly certain that she is the reincarnation of the sailor senshi."

"If you knew that she was a senshi, then why didn't you talk to her?" Usagi asked.

"At the time, I believed that it wasn't a very wise decision to try to make contact with her. As I said, I'm fairly certain but not one-hundred percent. We won't truly know until her mark appears."

Naruto mused over the information until he spoke to Luna. "Do you have her transformation pen?"

Luna nodded. "Of course."

"I'd like to have it. If she is one of us then she needs to have the pen in her possession."

Luna blinked in surprise. "You'd give her the transformation pen now? But, Naruto, what if she really isn't Mars?"

"I'd rather her have it in the event that she is a senshi then leave her at the mercy of the enemy. If she isn't then I can always retrieve it later, but its better that she has it and not need it, than need it and not have it."

- Sendai Hill Temple – The Next Day -

It was another day in the life of a miko for Hino Rei. That morning she woke up, got dressed for school, ate breakfast, prayed at the shrine, went to school, got back, dressed in her shrine clothes, and went about her duties as a priestess. The act was very mundane but since her dream was to take over the shrine one day, she took to it with heart. At the moment, she was feeding Phobos and Deimos since she was taking a little break from her duties. It was a rather peaceful moment considering that the shrine was under intense scrutiny from both city police and the public. It just wasn't fair. The temple had nothing to do with the disappearances, why couldn't people see that.

"Rei."

The girl looked up to find the same blonde boy that she accidently attacked the day before walking up to her.

"Oh, hello Naruto. What can I do for you?"

The girl stood up from her crouched positon and turned to the boy who had a serious look on his face.

"I need to talk to you. Is there somewhere we can speak in private?"

The miko looked at Naruto a little wary but nodded. She led the boy behind the Kagura-den where she stopped and looked at Naruto with a stern expression.

"Alright, what's so important that you need to talk to me alone?"

"Another bus disappeared yesterday, Rei, and when I say disappeared I mean it. The whole thing vanished into thin air."

"Are…Are you serious?" Rei asked in disbelief. How could a whole bus vanish?

"I'm serious Rei, and I'm afraid that isn't the worst of it. Every one of the people who got on that bus had something in common. Each person had one of the charms that your temple is selling."

Rei looked at Naruto in shock, but it quickly turned to anger when she thought about what he might have been implying.

"Are you saying that it's our fault? I told you before that we have nothing to do with the disappearances."

Naruto brought his hands up in a placating gesture. "And I believe you, Rei. I know you not responsible for what is happening, but that still doesn't mean that someone is using your temple as a means to kidnap people. I want to help you clear your names, Rei, and a great place to start is by telling me where you guys get those charms from."

Rei calmed down as she listened to the blonde and then thought it over. They didn't start selling charms until Jed showed up about a week ago. When her grandfather hired him to work, she thought he was just another guy wanting to either get close to her or try to find an easy and laid back job. But when he started to sell so many good luck charms, she decided to give the man a shot and see if he could do some good for the temple. But then the disappearances started things started to go downhill for the shrine. Now that she thought about it, though, she never did like the look in his eyes. They just felt so cold to her.

Maybe Naruto was on to something.

"Well, Jed is the one who supplies and sells the charms."

"Who's Jed?" Naruto asked, his interest picking up when he heard the name.

"Our new caretaker. My grandpa hired him about a week ago. He usually stays in a small cabin we have in the back corner of the temple for people who want to work here."

Naruto hummed in thought. It sounded like he needed to go check out that cabin, but first he had something he needed to give the girl.

"Thanks for the info, Rei. I got to go, but before I do, I want you to have something."

Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a red pen. The pen looked a lot like Ami's transformation pen; the only difference was the color and symbol on it. The symbol looked like a heart laid on its side with an arrow attached to the hearts lower point. He handed to pen to Rei who marveled at its design.

"Wow, it's beautiful, but why are you giving me this?"

Naruto smiled. "Think of it as your own good luck charm, Rei. I have a feeling you may need it." With a wink, he turned around and walked off, leaving Rei to ponder on the boys words before she shock it off, and placed the pen into her robes. Now wasn't the time for this, Naruto had given her much to think on and she needed answers, and there was one place she knew she could get them.

- Caretakers Cabin – Minutes Later -

It didn't take long for Naruto to find the cabin that Rei mention. The structure was a small wooden house that looked like it could comfortably hold a person or two. Naruto approached the front door with caution and looked through a nearby window to see if anyone was home. Seeing that the building was unoccupied, he reached for the doorknob and gave it a twist.

Unfortunately, the door was locked.

Fortunately, that has never stopped him before.

With a flick of the wrist, the boy produced one of his white kunai that he had conveniently hidden up his sleeve and with a quick stab, the sharp blade penetrated the lock on the door and with a twist broke the internal mechanisms keeping the door locked. Now that he had access, he quietly slipped into the cabin. The first thing he noticed was that the cabin was barren of anything that indicated anyone even lived there. All he found was four walls, a desk and a chair. This of course threw up a red flag since this Jed guy was supposed to be using this cabin. As he looked about, he noticed a door on the opposite side of the cabin from the front door. Wanting to see what was in it he walked over and opened the door. Inside he found a smaller room that looked like it was used for storage. Unlike the first room, this one actually had items inside it as he discovered at least twenty large boxes stacked up in the room. Naruto walked up to one of the boxes and opened. It looked like he struck pay dirt, as the box was full of good luck charms. The boy passed his hand over the charms and extended his senses through it. He knew that he was in the right place when he felt the dormant dark energy infused in the charms.

"Looks like I found them." Naruto spoke to himself, unaware that someone had heard him.

"Yes, and it will be the last thing you'll ever see."

Naruto spun around when he heard the voice and saw there standing in the front doorway was a blonde haired man that he immediately recognized.

'Jadeite!'

The dark general smirked as the front door slammed shut. Naruto started to run to the door when an intense pressure suddenly filled the room. Naruto dropped to his knees as the pressure intensified and his body felt like it was slowly being crushed.

"You picked the wrong time to be nosey, boy. Have fun with the last moments of your life as your body is slowly turned to paste."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he tried desperately to fight the pressure being exerted on his body. Meanwhile, Jadeite chuckled as he walked away from the cabin, confident that the boy he found snooping around wouldn't last too long in that death trap. After all, the boy was only human.

- Inside the Haiden – At the Same Time -

Rei was kneeling down in front of the sacred fire as she meditated. Her little chat with Naruto had given her much to think on. When she first heard about the disappearances, she was concerned just like everyone else for the safety of the people who vanished. Then people started to accuse the shrine of being involved. Of course, she vehemently denied the accusations since she knew fully well that neither she nor her grandfather could possibly be capable of doing something like making an entire bus vanish. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the police from continuously coming back and asking questions, or from people spreading nasty rumors about the temple, which made their normal patrons avoid them. It was a very frustrating situation for her. Then Naruto showed up with information regarding the disappearances. She didn't want to believe that her temple had any involvement but with all the victims wearing one of the charms that they sold, it was hard to refute. She thought back to when Jed first pitched the idea about the charms and her grandfather agreed. She didn't think much on it at first since it did bring in extra income to the temple, but now…she needed answers.

"Sacred flame, grant me your guidance. Show me the origin of the dark force that profanes this temple and uses it to commit evil deeds."

Rei chanted and weaved her hands into a series of signs as she focused on creating a vision. Suddenly, the fire flared up in front of her and an image began to form. The image was that of a man, but not just any man. It was Jed!

Rei gasped as she stood up. Naruto had been right. The charms the man was selling were linked to the disappearances. Oh, she was going to find this man and make sure he paid for his crimes.

- Streets of Juuban - Bus Stop – At the Same Time -

Usagi and Luna waited patiently behind a wall as they watched another group of school girls line up at the bus stop. When classes were dismissed for the day, Naruto immediately set out to the temple while Usagi and Ami started to make their way to the bus stop. However, before they could leave, one of the teachers stopped the girls and asked Ami to stay behind to help her with something. Ami reluctantly agreed and told Usagi that she would meet up with her at the stop shortly. Usagi left the school where she meet up with Luna who was waiting outside and the two made it to the bus stop. Usagi was a little nervous about the whole thing since this was the very first time that she had to act by herself, rather than having her brother there with her.

"Why did Ami have to stay behind? I really wish Naruto-nii were here."

Luna looked up to her charge and spoke.

"Usagi, you're going to have to learn how to do things on your own sometime. You can't expect your brother to be there to help you all the time."

"I know, but, I just feel better when he's near."

Luna sighed but said nothing. She knew that the boy was a pillar of strength for his sister and could always give her a confidence boost just by being near her, but there were going to be times when she would have to act on her own, she can't hold on to his hand forever.

Before anymore could be said, they spotted the bus approaching the stop. Luna realized that they were out of time so she turned to Usagi. "Usagi, the bus is here. We can't wait any longer. We have to move now."

Usagi started to panic a little. "But, but what am I supposed to do? I can't just go in there."

"You must, Usagi. If you don't then who will? It's up to you to keep these girls from disappearing."

"But how?" Usagi asked as the bus rolled up and the door opened, allowing the girls to start boarding.

"Think, Usagi. What would your brother do?"

Usagi thought about it. What would Naruto-nii do in this situation? She was suddenly struck with a thought.

"He would confront the driver as a person of authority."

Luna smiled. "Now you're getting it. Do your thing."

"Right." Usagi spoke as she pulled out the transformation pen. "Disguise Power! Transform me into a Police Officer."

The pen worked its magic and in no time at all Usagi had the appearance of a woman with short blonde hair wearing a small brimmed hat, a dark blue vest over a light blue shirt, dark blue skirt that stretched down to her knees, black shoes and a pair of white gloves. She also wore a badge and a white braided cord hanging from her shoulder. With her disguise in place, the girl and cat bolted towards the bus just as the last passenger boarded.

"Hold it right there." Usagi called out as she stepped on board. "This bus is under suspicion of being involved in the multiple disappearances. I hereby order that you turn off the ignition and step off the bus." Usagi spoke in a tone of authority to the driver. Unfortunately, her orders were completely ignored as the doors closed behind her and the bus started rolling forward and up. Usagi and Luna fell back as the bus tilted up and towards a black hole that appeared ahead of them. The two could only watch as the whole swallowed them up.

Ami ran as fast as she could to get to the bus stop. After she was finally able to get away from the school, she wasted no time in trying to meet up with her friend. However, it appeared that she was already too late as she arrived just in time to watch the bus vanish into a black hole. As the hole closed up behind the bus, Ami let out a cry as tears formed in her eyes.

"Oh no. Their already gone."

Ami dropped to her knees as she cried, cursing her luck and her inability to help her friends.

- Sendai Hill Temple – Caretakers Cabin –

Naruto grunted as he continued to fight for his life. The pressure on his body was intense and he could feel his bones creaking from the strain. He lifted up his head and looked around in hopes of finding what was generating the pressure. He gazed around until he noticed something in the upper corner of the room. It looked like some type of green organic mass that had grown in the corner and had several roots creeping along the surface of the wall and ceiling. The thing that really got his attention was that there was a red light pulsing in the center. That had to be what was creating the force that was crushing him. He quickly brought out his kunai and with a precise throw, he hit the mass dead center. The mass spewed out a black smoke as the pulse died. A moment later, the force disappeared and he was able to breathe easier.

"Now I know what a paper cup feels like." Naruto commented as he stood up. "All right, Jadeite, you want to play rough? I can give certainly dish it out. Lunar Power, Transformation!"

A quick burst of light and Luna Knight took to the stage. The blonde smiled under his mask. "Alright, time to deal with these charms." The masked senshi spoke as he pulled out several explosive notes.

- The Kagura-den -

'Jed' was busy cleaning the stage as a part of his disguise as a caretaker. The dark general was very pleased with the operation so far. They have collected a large quantity of energy from those foolish girls and being able to keep them to make even more energy was a stroke of genius. Everything was moving along perfectly.

"Jed!"

The man turned around just as Rei threw open the door and glared at the man with contempt. 'Jed' addressed the miko with his ever calm and innocent demeanor. "Oh, Miss Rei, what can I do for you?"

"The game is up, Jed. I know you're the one who has been making the buses disappear."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't try to deny it. Everything that has happened started when you showed up. Admit it, you're guilty!"

'Jed' started to laugh and his innocent smile was replaced be a sinister one. "So what if I am? A little girl like you is no match for me." The man said as his dark aura started to flow out of him. Rei gasped in alarm as she watched the dark energy surround him. Phobos and Deimos appeared as they too sensed the power as they flew in beside the girl.

'This force, it's the same one I felt yesterday.' Rei thought as she reached into her robes and pulled out several seals. "I will not allow evil spirits to taint our temple. Be gone!" Rei shouted as she threw the seals at the man. 'Jed' simply raised his hand and with a burst off his energy burned the seals away. Rei took a step back as she saw her seals turn to ash while 'Jed' laughed.

"You're out of your league, girl. You don't have the power to defeat me."

"She may not, but I sure as hell do."

Everyone turned to the source of the voice just in time for a white robed figure to appear in the doorway. Rei looked on in confusion while 'Jed' sneered at the newcomer.

"YOU!"

"Yes, me." The masked man said as he stepped forward.

"Who are you?" Rei asked as the man stopped once he was inside the building. The man turned and gave the girl an eye smile.

"Lunar Knight, at your service my dear priestess."

Rei was taken aback. She had heard the rumors of the Shadow Senshi and his friends, the Sailor Senshi, but she never thought she would actually see one of them. Lunar Knight then turned his attention to the blonde glaring hatefully at him.

"Your little scheme is over, Jadeite. We're shutting you down."

Jadeite growled as his eyes bored into the senshi with all the hate he could muster. The senshi dare to interfere again. "You truly are an annoyance, Lunar Knight."

The masked senshi chuckled a little. "If you think I'm annoying now, just you wait. I got a little present for you." He brought his right hand up into a Hitsuji. "Katsu!"

*Ka-Boom!*

Rei and Jadeite flinched when they heard the explosion outside. Rei turned to Lunar Knight with a surprised expression. "What did you just do?"

"I just destroyed this guy's supply of phony charms. He won't be able to influence any more people. If you're wondering though, I removed all the boxes of charms from the cabin before I planted the explosives. I also rescued the guy who was trapped in there."

If Jadeite had been angry with Lunar Knight before, he was absolutely livid at this point. His plans had literally gone up in smoke. He clinched his fist to the point where green blood started to drip from them as he growled out his displeasure. Lunar Knight turned back to the man and narrowed his eyes.

"Now it's time to deal with you, Jadeite."

"Wrong, Lunar Knight. This time, I deal with you!"

Jadeite threw his arm out and right there behind him appeared a black hole. The vortex started to suck in the air around it and it wasn't long until both Lunar Knight and Rei could feel the pull.

"Wha-What the hell is that?" Rei asked as she was starting to get pulled into the black hole. Lunar Knight dashed forward and grabbed hold of the girl, but he realized that they were both being pulled in. Acting quickly, he pulled out a kunai and dove to the floor, stabbing the kunai in to anchor himself. He held onto both Rei and the kunai as he felt their bodies being lifted towards the vortex. The two crows weren't as fortunate as they were both sucked in.

"Don't let go, Rei." Lunar Knight said as he strained to keep his hold.

"I'm trying." Rei responded as she held on with both her arms wrapped around his neck. Suddenly, a light started to shine from Rei's forehead. Lunar Knight turned his head to look and saw a very familiar symbol appear on the girl.

'That's Mar's symbol. She is one of us!' Lunar Knight thought as he watched the light fade. His attention was soon drawn to a sinister laugh as he watched Jadeite casually walk in front of them. The dark general took great joy in looking down at the struggling senshi as he knelt down and looped a finger through the loop on the kunai's handle. The masked senshi glared in defiance, as he watched Jadeite's smirk grow before the general gave a hard tug and dislodged the kunai. With nothing to stop them, both Rei and Lunar Knight were helpless as they were pulled into the black hole. Jadeite started to laugh as he watched the two vanish into the darkness.

- Dimensional Sub-Space -

The bus transporting the newest batch of energy-drained victims finally came to a stop and the doors opened allowing both Usagi and Luna to fall from the vehicle. What they landed on appeared to be a world made up of nothing but white sand. Usagi winced as she landed harshly on her backside.

"That really didn't go how I wanted it." The girl commented as the bus driver jumped out and landed in front of her. The driver's body suddenly started to shimmer until her appearance changed completely. Her skin turned a dark brown and became wrinkly while her chest, torso, legs and forearms became incased in a black resin-like armor. Her hair was long and red while her eyes turned yellow and her teeth turned jagged. The youma, Kigaan, cackled as she looked down upon the frightened girl.

"Looks like you caught the wrong bus. Well, sorry honey, but it looks like this is your last stop." The youma spoke as she raised her arm and the white sand around her came alive as it swirled up from the ground and wrapped around her arm to create a solid blade. Kigaan laughed evilly as she approached the woman and cat, ready to end their lives.

"Oh no." Usagi spoke as she started to crawl backwards.

"Oh dear." Luna said as she silently prayed for a miracle.

Fortunately, she was about to get her wish. For high up in the air another black hole opened up with two crows flying out of it. A few seconds later, two figures fell from the hole and continued to freefall towards the sandy surface below. Lunar Knight's eyes darted around in an effort to get his bearings and find out where they while Rei continued to hold onto the masked senshi with her life. It was then that Lunar Knight noticed the ground and saw that they were in a real pickle.

'Shit! If we hit the ground like this, were done for!'

That was when he noticed a floating bus down below him and he suddenly got an idea.

"It's our only chance." He said as he reached into his pouch and pulled out the spear-tipped chain. He wrapped several loops of the chain's end around his hand before he threw the spear tip at the bus as they were starting to pass it. The blade embedded itself into the roof the bus as the two fell pass. The chain went taut and the two were pulled from the freefall as they swung down. As they were swinging, Lunar Knight noticed that someone, or rather something was in his path. Seeing the situation before him, he raised both of his legs and gave a shout.

"HEADS UP!"

"Huh?!"

*Wham!*

Kigaan turned around suddenly when she heard the shout and came face-to-foot with a swinging Lunar Knight. The impact so great that it launched the youma a good fifty feet away as she came crashing down onto the sand. Lunar Knight and Rei reached the apex of the swing and came back down before landing on the ground.

"Lunar Knight! Usagi cried out in relief as she watched him set Rei down on the ground and yanked on the chain, causing the spear to dislodge and fall into his hand.

"Thank goodness." Luna said as she ran up to them while Usagi got to her feet. Lunar Knight nodded to the two as he then looked to the miko.

"Are you alright?"

Rei looked up to the senshi as she let go of him and nodded her head. "Yes, I'm fine."

"GRRRRR!"

Everyone turned to see the youma stand up and glare at the intruders. The glare though would have been scarier if the youma didn't have a bloody nose, missing teeth and two clear impressions of boot prints on her face.

"You're going to pay for that."

Usagi stepped forward as she prepared to fight. "Not as much as you're going to pay for kidnapping all those girls. Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!" And Usagi made her transformation into Sailor Moon. Rei looked on in surprise to see the woman turn into the rumored sailor senshi while said senshi went into her introductory poses.

"I am Sailor Moon, the Champion of Justice."

Lunar Knight walked up and stood beside her.

"And I am Lunar Knight, the Protector of the Innocent."

"And in the name of the Moon we will right wrongs and triumph over evil."

"And that means you, ugly!"

"So, you think you're a bunch of tough cookies, aye? Well, so how you like this?"

Kigaan then spread her arms, the sandy ground around her exploded, and several forms rose up to reveal sand clones of the youma who then started to advance on the group. Lunar Knight responded in his own fashion by making the familiar cross seal.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The air around Lunar Knight popped and several of his own clones appeared who charged into the fray. Blows were mercilessly dealt as the Lunar Knight clones punched, kicked and stabbed the sand clones, which caused them to crumble back into sand. However, every time one clone fell, another would take its place. And Kigaan herself didn't stay idle as she two advanced towards the fight. Lunar Knight saw her coming but couldn't do much since he had to deal with the sand clones. He looked back towards Sailor Moon and shouted.

"Sailor Moon, see if you can do something about that youma."

Said girl kicked a sand clone, which disintegrated as she spotted the approaching threat.

"Alright." The senshi then reached up and pulled off her tiara.

"Moon Tiara Action!"

She threw the tiara at Kigaan, who saw it coming and jumped over it. She was about to lung but was stopped when a couple of unexpected allies came swooping in. Phobos and Daimios started to peck and claw at the youma who tried to bat them away. Sailor Moon used the distraction to redirect her tiara back towards the youma in an effort to finish her. But the youma caught the disk and turned to look at the senshi.

"Is that the best you got?"

"Hardly. Tiara, trap her!"

The youma was shocked when the disk suddenly expanded and wrapped itself around her. Kigaan struggled to break herself from the binding. Lunar Knight noticed the youma was incapacitated but lacked the ability to finish it since he was busy using his energy on the Kage Bunshin and Sailor Moon's weapon was unavailable since it was being used to bind the youma. This left only one person. He turned to Luna and shouted.

"Luna, Rei is Sailor Mars, I saw the symbol. She has the pen."

Luna heard the senshi and nodded. She quickly ran over to the miko who was nervously watching the fight and she was understandably shocked when she heard a voice speak to her from below.

"Rei."

The miko looked down and her eyes widened at the cat who was speaking to her.

"Did you just talk?" Rei asked in shock.

Luna nodded. "Yes, but I don't have time to explain. Do you have the pen that Naruto gave you?"

The girl reached into her robes and pulled the item out.

"That is your own transformation pen. Hold it up and shout 'Mars Power, Make-up.' And hurry."

Kigaan grunted as she was finally able to break free. The tiara then clattered down on the ground and returned to its original form. Rei saw this and spoke.

"I've just about had enough of this monster." She then raised the pen into the air.

"Mars Power, Make-up!"

The pen went to work as Rei's shrine clothes vanished and streams of flame erupted from the pen. Rei whipped the pen around as the streams wrapped around her body until her form was surrounded by several halos of flame. The halos then converged on her and when they made contact, they transformed into her senshi outfit. Her out matched the others except that her accents, skirt and tiara jewel were red, her bow on the front was purple, she had two star shaped earrings, and instead of boots she wore a pair of high heal shoes that showed off her long legs.

'Whoa, talk about mile high.' Lunar Knight thought as he smashed another sand clone, his cheeks were dusted a slight pink under the mask.

Sailor Moon gasped in surprise from witnessing the transformation. "Wow, Rei is a Sailor Scout, too?"

The newly awoken Sailor Mars looked herself over as she took in her new form.

"Unbelievable."

Kigaan growled as she saw the new threat and launched herself at her to try to take her out. Mars saw her and growled.

"I've just about had it with this ugly, slimy creep."

The girl then flared her powers as she brought her hands together and wrapped her fingers together except for her two index fingers, which she kept straight but together. She then concentrated as she turned her fingers up where small bits of electricity leapt up from them before the air atop them ignited into fire.

"Fire Soul."

The fire suddenly shot forward and grew as it barreled towards the youma. Kigaan had no time to react as the fire collided with her and she was engulfed in a pillar of flame.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

As the youma gave her death cry, her body disintegrated in the fire, leaving no remains.

Back in the temple, Jadeite felt the energy flow reverse itself as the energy ball he had in his hand popped.

"Hey!"

Meanwhile, the sand clones that Kigaan had created stooped moving and crumbled to the ground. Lunar Knight let out a sigh as his clones puffed out of existence.

"Phew, glad that is over."

"Oh no, look!"

Everyone turned to where Luna shouted to and were shocked to see the black hole that they had come through was slowly closing.

"The black hole is closing, if we don't get through we'll be stuck her forever."

Panic started to set in as everyone looked for a way to get through.

"Lunar Knight, any ideas?"

"Uh, I'm thinking, I'm thinking."

"It's closing up!"

- Streets of Juuban - Bus Stop -

Ami knelt down on the ground as she held her transformation pen in her hands and prayed with all her heart. She prayed for the people who were taken by the Dark Kingdom. She prayed for her allies who were fighting. But most off all, she prayed for the boy who was so close to her heart.

'Please get my friends back safely. In the name of Mercury, please.'

The tip of her pen started to glow and a speck of light rose off and flew into the sky.

- Dimensional Sub-Space -

Things were looking grim for the senshi when suddenly from out of the blackness came a flicker of light.

"Look!"

Everyone watched as the speck came down before it turned into a ray of light that widened and force the black hole to open wider. Luna recognized the power and spoke in glee.

"That's Mercury's power! Ami is using it to keep the black hole from closing!"

"Atta girl, Ami." Lunar Knight said as he smiled under his mask.

"But, how do we get out of here?" Sailor Moon asked. She did have a point, the hole may not be closing, but the still needed a way to reach it. It was then that they heard a horn behind them and turned to see an amazing sight. The buses were all tied together and moving towards the black hole, and the one driving the lead bus was-

"Tuxedo Kamen!"

The top hat wearing hero smiled down at the group as he opened the door for them. Lunar Knight was wondering just where in the hell the guy came from but wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"You guys need a lift?" Tuxedo Kamen called out as he neared the group.

"How far you going?" Lunar Knight replied as everyone jumped on the bus. The convoy then continued as it enter the black hole.

- Streets of Juuban – Bus Stop -

Ami continued to prey as the air above her started to twist and a black hole formed. She looked up and was surprised to see a bus appearing from the hole. Her surprise turned to blissful relief as she saw who was in the lead bus. It was her friends.

"Look, it's Ami." Sailor Moon said as they saw the bluennete down below as she stood up and waved at her approaching friends.

Meanwhile, on a nearby rooftop, Jadeite watched as the buses came to a stop on the street and he glared down at the senshi as they exited the bus.

"The senshi have ruined my plans again, and now there is one more with them! No matter, I will deal with them all next time."

With a parting growl, the dark general vanished.

Down below, the Sailor Moon ran up to her blue haired friend and gave her a big hug.

"Ami, you saved us!"

"I'm so glad you guys are alright."

Tuxedo Kamen watched the scene with a smile on his face before he snuck off. Sailor Moon perked up when she suddenly noticed the absence of the masked hero and spoke up.

"Where is Tuxedo Kamen?"

While everyone looked to see where the hero had run off to, Lunar Knight used his senses to locate the man and turned to find him standing on a rooftop above, he gave the man a respectful nod who returned it with one of his own before the man turned and walked out of sight. It was then that the sound of sirens filled the air and everyone realized that the police were on their way. Luna figured that it was a good time to make themselves scarce.

"I believe we should make our getaway."

Lunar Knight nodded and turned to the group.

"Time to go, everyone. We meet up at the temple; it's time to get our newest senshi up to speed."

Everyone nodded and ran off. Lunar Knight was the last and was about to leave when he had a thought. He quickly fished out a kunai as well as a blank seal tag, he then pulled out a pen and started writing a note on the paper before he attached it to the kunai and stabbed the blade into the side of the bus. With his message in place, he vanished into the night.

- Twenty Minutes Later -

Inspector Zenigata pulled up the scene and stepped out of the cruiser. He had been working in his office going over the few witness statements he was able to gather when his phone rang and he was told that the missing buses had somehow miraculously reappeared. He wasted no time in grabbing his hat and coat and rushed to the scene. He arrived to find several police, fire department and ambulance personnel on scene as they helped the unconscious girls off the bus and onto awaiting ambulances to be taken to the hospital. Zenigata walked up to a nearby officer and spoke.

"So what's the story here? How did the buses just reappear like this?"

The officer turned and addressed his superior. "Were not sure, sir. We got calls from witnesses that said that the buses just appeared out of thin air. We did get information that their were several strangely dressed individuals on the scene that disappeared shortly after the buses appeared but no one was able to identify any of them. But there is something that you might want to look at." The officer said as he led the inspector over to one of the buses. Zenigata looked and saw what looked like a white kunai sticking out of the side of the bus with a slip of paper attached to it. The inspector walked up, took the paper off the kunai, and looked at it. On the paper was a single sentence.

'We are here to help.'

Under the sentence was the drawing of a crescent moon facing upwards. The inspector gazed at the message as the officer spoke up.

"What does it mean, sir?"

Zenigata hummed as he looked up into the night sky, the crescent moon shining brightly.

"It would seem that we have some heroes running around."

- To Be Continued -

[Author's Notes]

This one had to be one of my toughest chapters to write. I had to go over the planning so many times until I found the way I wanted this thing to go down. Rei has been introduced and we start to see how here abilities can contribute to the team. She has her priestess powers of divination and exorcism that can help to deal with the Dark Kingdom but she also has another talent that will come in handy later. Can you guys guess what that talent is?

The two characters that have been introduced are ones who have and will help Naruto and the others develop as the story progresses. Akisame Sho is the man responsible for developing Naruto's fighting ability; he is also an original character. He will help Naruto with words of wisdom and continue to hone the boy's skills in the martial arts. He might also help the girls as well.

Now, I had always noticed a distinguished lack of police presence in the series and I had to think that if this occurred in real life that the cops would be all over this. Zenigata Koichi is the primary police presence I am introducing into the story to give it that element. He will be playing a distinguished roll in the story as it progresses. For those who recognize the name, you might realize that I modeled him after a certain INTERPOL inspector who spends his entire career chasing down a master thief and his group of mismatched companions.

I'll probably be trying to switch back and forth between this story and Rosario to Devilman in my updates so read one and then expect the other.

Next Chapter – Rei settles into her new role as a senshi, and the group finds trouble at a new amusement park when people start disappearing. Deciding to investigate, the senshi find a princess whose sweet personality draws people into her dreamland. But both Naruto and Rei sense something if off with this character. Will they discover the dark side of this perfect fantasy world? Read for yourself next chapter – Nightmare in Dreamland, a Trap for the Senshi.

Peace.