Tsukino Usagi

When Usagi wakes the morning after the Kingdom of Diamonds' party, there's a single text on her civilian phone that she knows can only be from one person.

Osaka Naru 05:40
You'll never guess what happened last night! Wanna meet for lunch 12?

A quick check of the clock above her bed tells her she's got barely an hour to reply with her answer before Osaka wants to meet.

You 11:08
Sure. Same place?

After sending the text she flops back on her bed, still utterly exhausted, but she knows she can't not go. She saw them dancing herself last night. She has to know what happened between them, if anything, and the best way to hear it is from Naru herself. From the looks of it, the girl must've been either too tired or too depressed to sleep. Usagi hopes it's the latter, for the sake of her sanity.

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Naru's beaten her again to the café, and she's practically bouncing in her seat once she notices Usagi's approach. At the very least, she waits until Usagi prompts her before she starts rapidly talking about her night with Sanjoin Masato.

"I was right, Usagi-san!" she gushes. "He was there! Sanjoin-sama. Oh, we danced, and it was the best thing ever! He said he was so happy to see me there, and he wanted to dance, and he even said I looked beautiful in my dress." She finally paused for breath, looking expectantly at Usagi and that was when the blonde realized she expected a reaction from her.

"U, well, it sounds like you had a great time last night," she says.

"I did! It was the best night of my life!"

"And, uh…" Usagi hedges, "did anything else happen last night?" They know undoubtedly that Nephrite possessed the princess, so maybe Naru had been around or noticed something suspicious when he left.

The way she flushes a bright red, though, makes Usagi wonder otherwise. "N-No, of course not!" Naru stammers out. "He would never – I'm only 14!"

Usagi blinks, thrown by her last statement – because what would her age have to do with him acting suspicious? – and she realizes something must've gotten mixed up in the subtext of their conversation. She thinks about it for a moment to try and understand Naru's comment, and when she finally does she flushes too. "No – that's not what I meant!" 'Just, eww,' she thinks. 'Who even knows how old Nephrite is anyways.'

"Ah," Naru says, calming down. "What do you mean then?"

Usagi's gaze shifts nervously to the side. "Did Ne-Sanjoin stay with you the whole time, or did he go off somewhere?"

A thoughtful look appears on Naru's face. "I'm…not sure," she answers haltingly. "We danced for a bit, and after that we went to the balcony. We talked, but after that…I don't remember. I don't even recall getting home. I didn't think about it until you brought it up, but isn't that weird?"

"Yes. Very weird," Usagi immediately agrees. Nephrite must've done something to her, but what, she can't imagine. She doesn't sense any lingering darkness around her friend, so whatever it was hopefully isn't still affecting her.

"Usagi!" a familiar voice calls out, drawing both girls' attention. Usagi looks towards the door of the café and is surprised to see Ami heading over. Even more surprising, though, is the bright smile on her face. "Don't tell me you forgot. We're supposed to be at the movie theater in an hour. If I hadn't seen you we could've missed it."

Usagi has to take a moment to figure exactly what the genius is up to, but then she catches on. "Right, sorry. We were talking and lost track of time. Oh, Ami, this is Osaka Naru, a classmate of mine," she says, remembering to introduce them.

"A pleasure," Ami says genially, false smile still plastered.

"Yeah," Naru replies, looking a little overwhelmed. "You're Mizuno Ami, the genius from Class 5. I didn't know you two were friends," she adds with a look at Usagi.

She grimaces. "I'm not really sure how I managed that either." She starts to stand. "Sorry to bail on you, but we should be going."

"Of course," Naru easily agrees. "I'll see you around, Usagi-san."

"Yeah!" If this whole mess with Nephrite continues Usagi doesn't doubt it. She follows Ami out of the shop and down the street, waiting until they've walked a couple blocks before asking, "So what was that about?"

"That girl was the victim Nephrite used to infect Princess D with that shadow. Rei-chan and I watched it," she explains without preamble.

Usagi stops walking at the news, suddenly incensed. "Dammit! That bastard."

Ami turns her head to give Usagi a curious look. "Why are you so upset? She's not his first victim, and she likely won't be the last."

"Nephrite's always used the others for their energy," Usagi remarks, walking to catch up to the other girl. "He's only using Naru because she's obsessed with him. 'In love,' she says. I don't know how."

"Do you think Nephrite knows of her affections?"

"I don't doubt it. She was there that night when Nephrite pretended to be Tuxedo Mask. She confessed her love to him then."

A considering look crosses Ami's face. "And now he's taking advantage of that. It's possible he might try it again."

"So…?" Usagi prompts when the genius says nothing more. She knows that look on her face, and it worries her what the other may be planning.

"Well, we could use her as a bait of sorts. Keep an eye on her, wait to see if Nephrite appears again. Or maybe use her as an informant, to tell us whenever she sees him. Ask her to get closer to him. Though I suppose if he's just using her that might not be effective; he won't really care, after all. But she could be useful."

"No."

Ami pauses, turning to her blonde companion. "What?"

Usagi shakes her head. "No, we won't use her like that. We'd be just as bad as Nephrite."

"So?" Ami parrots with a cocked brow. "We're at war with the Dark Kingdom, and we're currently at a disadvantage. We can barely keep up with these new monsters, so if we can find an edge against Nephrite we should take it. You're letting sentiment cloud your judgement."

"We're not so desperate that we need to resort to underhanded tactics like that," Usagi argues, her expression turned stony. "It's not sentiment. I'm just trying to keep a civilian out of our business. We don't need to make her a bigger target than she already is." She meets Ami's equally cold expression, prepared to argue further over the matter. But surprisingly, Ami just shrugs it off.

"Fine, O Wise Leader, we'll do it your way," she says, just a touch sarcastic enough to grate on Usagi's nerves. "But she's involved whether you like it or not, and I'm not going to risk my life to save hers." She turns to head off down another street and Usagi doesn't follow. "I'll let you know if anything shows up."

Usagi heaves a sigh full of exasperation and annoyance at her teammate. She should've expected something like this from the cold genius girl. Maybe she is being a bit sentimental, but she can't help it. She doesn't have many friends, but Naru is one of them now and she'll do her damnedest to keep her safe. With that in mind she pulls out her cell phone, dialing the one number that isn't part of her household.

Naru answers almost immediately. "Usagi-san? I thought you were at the movies with Mizuno."

"It hasn't start yet. Just – listen, Naru-san. You need to forget about Sanjoin Masato, alright? He's not a good guy, and he's involved in some dangerous stuff and I don't want you to get involved," she says quickly. "Okay?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Naru asks, sounding confused.

"Just trust me, Naru. He's bad news and you need to forget about him. Forget about loving him."

"How do you know?"

Her voice is small, almost timid, and it makes Usagi think she may have a chance of convincing her. Except she can't exactly tell Naru the man she loves is actually a powerful Commander from the Dark Kingdom trying to steal peoples' energy. "I-it's complicated. My instincts are telling me there's something off about him. He's dangerous, and for your sake –"

"Thanks for the advice, Tsukino-san," Naru interrupts, her tone hard and Usagi immediately knows she's lost her. "But my instincts tell me otherwise. I thought you understood me. I thought you were on my side. I'll see you when break ends, yeah?" She hangs up without waiting for Usagi to reply.

Usagi grits her teeth, barely resisting the urge to throw her phone. "Shit!" That had gone the exact opposite way she had expected it to, and now she's lost her easiest means of keeping track of Nephrite's involvement with Naru. And not only that, it feels like she's lost her friend, too. The disappointment in her tone felt like a hand crushing her heart in its firm grip. "Dammit, Naru." She'll have to keep her distance now, but like hell is she going to leave the girl alone to that bastard's machinations.

Since Ami's abandoned her she heads to the Crown Game Center since she's already out and she needs something to take her mind off this mess of a day. But when she walks inside she sees Motoki bent over beside some other girl and her jealousy flares, though it's not as poignant as it once had been. The voice that speaks up behind her, though, that gets her heart skipping a beat and she immediately hates herself for it.

"Hey, Motoki!" Someone's getting jealous you're not giving them your attention," he calls out teasingly.

Usagi feels herself flush as she turns around to snap at Mamoru. "I am not!" Then she turns back to Motoki who, to her embarrassment, has definitely heard and is looking over, clearly amused. "I am not!" she reiterates more indignantly to him. "I was just leaving; you look busy. I'll stop by another time." Without looking at either of them she quickly books it back out of the arcade despite Motoki's protest of, "But you just arrived!" She doesn't go far, though, and can clearly hear when Motoki scolds Mamoru.

"You don't have to be so mean," he says disapprovingly.

"I was just teasing," is the other teen's response.

She scowls and stomps off. Teasing is the last thing she needs right now. Some advice would actually be good because this isn't a situation she's ever been in before, but who could she really ask? She already knows how Ami feels, and she doubts Rei-chan would know what to do either considering the other girl isn't much of a people-person. Motoki might've been able to help, but Usagi isn't in the mood to listen to Mamoru's remarks and she doesn't doubt the teen would be quick to offer some. That's everyone she knows – or would be willing to ask. 'Maybe I'll just take a nap instead, and something will come to me later,' she decides, already heading back home. 'Yeah, that sounds good.'

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Nephrite

He feels the summons from Queen Beryl – the fifth one this morning – and though it's tainted with her ire he has no desire to listen to it. He's well aware of why she's displeased with him, and he won't give her an easy opportunity to…retire him like she did with Jadeite. He has to do something, quickly, and he's been racking his brain for the past day and night. Now, he thinks he may finally have a solution.

A laugh startles him from his thoughts, and without turning he already knows who's intruding in his privacy. "What do you want?" he snaps.

"I would check my tone if I were you," Zoisite replies. "Queen Beryl is furious with you, you know. She's looking for you."

"And let me guess, Kunzite told you to spy on me?" he retorts, finally turning to look at his fellow Commander with a wicked gleam in his eye. "Is it really Queen Beryl you serve, or Kunzite? What am I saying, the whole Dark Kingdom knows how you serve Kunzite."

Zoisite's expression twitches, his eyes narrowing in a glare. "Keep up your failures and you won't have anyone to serve!"

"Careful, or I'll start to think you're concerned for me."

"Hardly." Zoisite sniffs daintily, twirling a lock of hair around his finger. "When you're turned to stone just as Jadeite was I'm sure I'll be laughing along with the rest of the Dark Kingdom." He chuckles darkly. "I can't wait."

"You'll be waiting for quite a while. I'm going to obtain the Legendary Silver Crystal. Then we'll see who's laughing."

"What?" Zoisite snaps, his voice cracking sharply around the nearly empty room. "Finding the crystal is my job!"

"I don't give a shit," Nephrite proclaims, ignoring the turbulent energy rolling off the other man. "This will be my chance to redeem myself," he says, more to himself than the other Commander. Zoisite disappears in a flurry of flowers after spitting out one last remark that he promptly ignores.

He takes a deep breath to calm himself, letting his anger melt away. 'Shameful that I'd let the likes of him get to me,' he thinks. Now, without any interruptions, he can concentrate. With the sun at the perfect angle between the planets, he can create an object that will aid in his search.

He takes another deep breath and concentrates on gathering his energy, amplified by his connection to the planets, at a single point between his hands. Energy starts to crackle wildly, emanating from his hand though it quickly spreads to encompass the whole room. It tingles where it grazes his skin, though he pays it no mind. He can feel the power coalescing as the pressure builds until it's almost too much. At the very last moment he flings his arms wide open, the dark energy rapidly expanding before condensing into a small object that falls to the ground with a sharp clink. Energy briefly snaps around it for a moment before dissipating, finally inert.

Nephrite picks up the object with a slight apprehension. 'The Dark Crystal…This is what will guide me to the Legendary Silver Crystal.'

Suddenly the object starts to glow, an image appearing above the crystal's point. It's a figure he definitely recognizes, and he looks upon it with confusion. "Don't tell me she has the Legendary Silver Crystal," he says to no one in particular. 'Perhaps Osaka Naru will be useful once again.'

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Tsukino Usagi

After she wakes from her nap Usagi kills time catching up on her manga, even playing some video games. Anything to distract her from Naru and Nephrite. But when Luna finally makes her way home that evening and notices Usagi's odd behavior she demands to know what's happened and Usagi spills. Now the cat sits contemplatively on Usagi's table while the girl in question watches nervously.

"You have the right idea, Usagi-chan," Luna eventually says. "You just needs to convince her."

"But how, Luna? She doesn't want to talk to me." Usagi flops dramatically back on her bed.

"Don't give her a choice. Go to her and make her understand."

"You think?" She lifts her head enough to give the cat an incredulous look.

Luna nods. "I do. And I'll even go with you, if you want."

Usagi considers it for several moments. "Okay," she finally agrees. She gets up, and after a quick check to the Moon's database for Naru's address – Usagi doesn't want to think of why Luna or Ami thought that important to note, but she's grateful right now – they head off. They don't talk on the way over, partly because Luna can't in public but mostly because Usagi is lost in her thoughts, mulling over earlier that afternoon the first time she'd talked to Naru.

She doesn't even notice the woman walking toward her until she calls Usagi's name. "Tsukino-san?"

Usagi stops. "Yes?" The woman looks vaguely familiar, though Usagi can't place where she's seen her.

"I'm Naru's mother. She told me about you."

'Ah, that explains it,' Usagi thinks, now recognizing the family resemblance. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so," her mother's expression twists with worry. "Have you seen Naru-chan? She ran out a little while ago with one of my most expensive gems and I'm worried she's in trouble."

Usagi's brow furrows with her concern. "Why would she do that?"

"I don't know. Before that she got a call from someone named Sanjoin Masato. Maybe he's involved." At hearing that dreaded name Usagi's expression turns cold and Naru's mother seems to recognize the seriousness of the situation. "Is my little girl in trouble, Tsukino-san?" she gasps fearfully.

"Don't worry, Osaka-san. I'll find her and fix this," Usagi tells her. "Keep looking, and if you find her let me know. I'll tell my friends to help as well." She turns and starts walking the other way, ducking down the first alley she sees and pulling out her communicator. She group calls the others and they pick up almost immediately. "We have an urgent problem. Naru's run off with Nephrite and we need to find her quickly. Ami, is there any way you can track her or Nephrite?"

"Hmm," Ami's voice sounds thoughtful. "I can try, but no guarantees."

"Do your best then. Rei-chan and I will transform and patrol on foot with Luna. Anyone finds out anything call it in, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, Usagi-chan."

Usagi hangs up and transforms. "Moon Prism Power Make Up!" Then she takes to the rooftops.

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She's searching for maybe ten minutes when her communicator beeps with a message.

Sailor Mercury 21:50
Found minute spike of dark energy. May be worth checking out.

The second text is a set of coordinates accompanying a small screenshot of a map.

Sailor Moon 21:51
Everyone go!

Without a moment to lose Usagi takes off, Luna at her heels. As she gets closer she recognizes the location as Sankaku Park. It's practically dead this late at night, save for two figures she instantly knows. Nephrite's hand is resting across Naru's shoulders and it almost makes Usagi see red. "Get your hands off her!" she demands, landing several feet behind them. It probably would've been better for her to wait for Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars for backup, but she can't stand the idea of leaving Naru with Nephrite any longer than necessary. "As the Guardian who fights for Love and Justice, I won't stand for you manipulating a girl's feelings for evil things. I am Sailor Moon, and in the name of the Moon, I'll punish you!"

"Sailor Moon…what are you doing here?" Naru asks, confused.

"Naru-san, don't be tricked by this man. He only cares for your usefulness in his schemes! His real name is Nephrite, and he works with the Dark Kingdom stealing the energy of innocent people."

"No way! You're lying," she immediately denies. Usagi grits her teeth in frustration. "He's not a bad person, I'm sure." She turns to Nephrite, a pleading look on her face. He isn't paying her any attention, his gaze focused solely and intently on Usagi. "Sanjoin-sama?"

Usagi can feel when he starts to gather dark energy, the atmosphere turning heavy around them though Naru seems entirely unbothered. Then, with a sudden shout, Nephrite's arm raises to fling a bright ball of energy at Usagi. She barely has time to brace herself before it hits her dead center, the energy moving quickly through her and flinging her back several feet into the fountain behind her. It knocks the breath from her lungs, and when she coughs she's horrified to find some blood speckling the ground before her. When she looks up again Nephrite is smirking at her. She didn't feel anything break, but that blast of his could've done anything to her.

He holds his hand up before him as if he's praying. Usagi gets up as quickly as she can, just as an onslaught of smaller energy balls rains down from the sky above her. She dodges to the best of her ability, but it's hard to watch where you're going and watch numerous glowing balls of light showering down around you. More than a couple hit, and while they don't leave physical marks on her body – in fact, they seem to slip right through her – Usagi feels searing pain in her body, almost as if they're penetrating right to her bone.

Eventually she stumbles, falling to the ground with a pained cry and another splatter of blood. Her limbs feel weak, and one of her arms won't stop shaking uncontrollably. The storm of energy stops moments later, but when she lifts her head again she can see Nephrite preparing for another attack. Usagi knows she probably isn't going to be able to dodge, and the petty part of her hopes Naru is still watching – watching the man she loves beat up a Guardian of Love and Justice, the one who's already saved her several times before. 'If this doesn't convince her, I don't know what else will?' Usagi thinks wryly as she watches the energy visibly gather in front of Nephrite's crossed arms.

The torrent of energy speeds toward her and she's helpless to get out of the way. It strikes Usagi full on, the energy exploding within her without leaving a trace, flinging her back with enough force she crumbles bits of the pavement as she skids. She can't help but cry out as pain overwhelms her; she feels as if every one of her nerves is on fire.

"Sailor Moon!" she distantly hears Luna cry out, abandoning her hiding spot behind the fountain. The cat is far more panicked than Usagi's ever seen her.

Usagi rapidly feels her energy and strength slipping away. 'My transformation,' she thinks, 'Nephrite will see and he'll know who I am!' She tries to convey this just through a glance, but the cat gives nothing away.

"You may have survived my last attack, Sailor Moon, but I'll be sure to send you to hell with the next!" Nephrite shouts across the park. She can practically feel him gearing up for another attack, her raw nerves sensitive to the dark energy in the air as the burning sensation grows again.

It becomes too much for Usagi, but the last thing she hears before passing out entirely is a familiar voice shouting, "Mercury Bubble Spray!" and she has a moment to feel relieved before she feels nothing at all.

.

Mizuno Ami

Usagi's rapidly fading energy signature on her goggles has Ami moving even quicker over the rooftops, Rei easily matching her pace. By the time they reach the park Usagi's tracker is barely visible and she knows they'll have to act quickly. She doesn't hesitate to cast her Bubble Spray, hiding them all from view as she lands next to Usagi's prone body. Her transformation drops almost as soon as she does and Ami has to restrain the curse that wants to escape so she doesn't give away their position.

"Distract him!" she hisses under her breath to Sailor Mars as she grabs their unconscious comrade under her arms. Usagi makes a noise of protest – or pain, Ami isn't too familiar with her subconscious noises – and drags her around the other side of the fountain from Nephrite. It's not much, but it's the best she can do given the situation.

The heat from Mars' Fire Soul dissipates her fog, and Ami is displeased – but not surprised – to see Nephrite managed to dodge it. "So all three of you have arrived now," he sneers, watching Ami and Rei standing together. "Well, one of you is hiding now, but I'm sure she won't be hard to find once I'm through with you two. You should be grateful; not many get the chance to die with their friends." He crosses his arms again and his eyes close as he concentrates on gathering power, and Ami rapidly tries to come up with a plan.

But then something quickly flies at Nephrite, slashing at his wrist before impaling itself in the concrete beside him. It's a red rose. In the next moment a tall and dark figure is landing before them, facing off against their enemy. "Tuxedo Mask…" Sailor Mars wonders aloud.

'Why is he here?' Ami thinks. 'We have a connection!' Usagi's words from before come to mind unbidden. Before she had doubted the legitimacy of the girl's words, but perhaps they were right after all. Otherwise how would Tuxedo Mask have known they – or rather, Sailor Moon – needed his help. Either way, though she may still have her reservations about the man she wasn't going to turn down his help. Especially when it seemed he could actually keep up with the Commander.

The two were engaged in an intense hand-to-hand battle that Ami never would've been able to keep up with. Even Osaka seemed stunned by the ferocity of the two men, standing behind Nephrite with a horrified expression and both of her hands tightly clutching at her skirt.

"Should we try and help him?" Sailor Mars asks her, a furrowed expression on her face. She seems a little confused by Tuxedo Mask's presence as well.

"If you think you can get a shot at Nephrite go for it," Ami replies, never once taking her eyes off the two. She activates her goggles just so she can better study them. She highly doubts they'll be able to take down Nephrite tonight, so the extra information about how he fights could be useful for them later on. They seem to be evenly matched, though Ami wouldn't consider herself an expert by any means, but Nephrite doesn't seem to be landing any more hits than Tuxedo Mask. She can't quite see their masked defender, but Nephrite has a bloody nose and is greatly favoring his left side – possibly due to a rib injury. 'We might just have a chance,' she thinks, a little amazed.

She's so entranced by their battle of fists that she nearly cheers out when Tuxedo Mask manages to swipe at Nephrite's legs with his cane, knocking the evil man to the ground with a heavy thump. He steps back and doesn't even need to say a thing before Sailor Mars is moving to attack the fallen man. "Mars Fire Soul!"

But she's not the only one who moves.

"I won't let you hurt Sanjoin-sama!" Osaka shouts, flinging her arms wide to cover Nephrite's body with her own. Despite the strength in her voice her expression is one of pure fear at facing down a stream of flames head on.

Ami's eyes widen in horror and she reacts instinctively, flinging her hand out as she wills the flames to just freeze. The pillar of flames, now encased in ice, clatter to the concrete mere inches from where Osaka stands. There's an audible sigh of relief from more than just Ami as they realize the crisis has been averted. One of them, at least.

"Get out of the way!" Ami snaps. "You would defend that man who's done horrible things?"

"We won't forgive him for what he's done," Sailor Mars interjects as well.

"I don't care!" The girl seems adamant. "I won't move out of the way even if you have to kill me as well."

"Don't think we won't," Ami growls, her patience growing thin. Then the girl has the audacity to throw her a defiant look.

"You stopped that attack before. You could have let it burn me."

Ami's eye twitches as she growls, "Next time I won't. That was your last chance. Why do you insist on defending this man?"

"Because I love him," she admits, so softly Ami almost misses her heartfelt words. Tears start to stream down her face as her emotions overwhelm her. "I love him so much! I'll protect him even if it costs me my life."

Suddenly a blue glow starts to emanate from behind Osaka, drawing their attention though the girl doesn't seem to notice. Nephrite holds up a small crystal, and it's emitting a bright blue light for no discernible reason, though the man is looking at it in amazement. She can see him speaking, though she can't make out what. Her goggles can't even tell what the crystal is reacting to, and she definitely doesn't like it, but they aren't given long to wonder.

"So that's the Silver Crystal?" a voice calls out from the bushes. All five of them turn towards the newcomer, a woman – probably – wearing a face mask and traditional clothing who's lunging towards Nephrite. He rolls back from Osaka, pushing himself to his feet in the same movement as the woman completely bypasses the girl, directly attacking him. He manages to deflect her first few strikes, though Ami doesn't miss the way he drops the crystal in his hand.

But Nephrite must not be the monster's true target, for when Osaka bends down to pick it up it immediately redirects its attention to her. Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mars both make to move towards Osaka to defend her, though Ami knows they'll never reach her in time. They're not the only ones though. Nephrite's hand is outstretched, another of his energy blasts winding its way towards the monster and the girl, cleaving the monster's mask clean in half.

As it clatters to the floor Osaka stands and backs away in shock, though Ami is sure the expression is mirrored on their faces as well. 'He…protected her,' she thinks incredulously. Even Nephrite seems surprised about what he did. That must be the final straw for Osaka, who almost immediately passes out where she stands. Tuxedo Mask, who'd already been moving her way, catches her and gently lays her on the ground.

"Curse you, Nephrite!" the monster shrieks, having transformed while they were all distracted. She charges the man again, her head bent low to impale him with her horns.

Ami almost considers leaving while he's distracted – clearly there's some sort of rivalry going on in the Dark Kingdom that they probably shouldn't get in between – though Rei seems to have other ideas. While the monster is hovering in the air – her horns have transformed, again – a jet of flame bursts through the sky to strike it dead on, burning it to a crisp. It falls to the concrete, twitching with its last life, and Tuxedo Mask finishes it off by stabbing his cane through its head once and for all. The monster crumbles to dust in seconds.

In the aftermath of the quick battle, things are tense as the three warily watch Nephrite. He stands across from them, and though he outwardly projects a calm exterior Ami can see he's trying to hide his pain from the fight earlier. Under their watchful gaze he starts to approach Osaka, though as soon as he gets within range Tuxedo Mask has his cane out and pointed at the other man.

"Don't touch her!" Sailor Mars snaps, stepping forward herself.

"Relax," he sneers, pulling his hand from his pocket. There's a smooth round object between his fingers – a crystal of some sort. He moves slowly as he bends towards Osaka to place it in her palm, picking up the crystal he dropped in return.

"What do you want with Osaka-san?" Ami asks. It's one of the few moments they have with Nephrite that isn't full of fighting and she's going to use this opportunity while it lasts.

"Nothing, really. I thought she could be of use, but she's too obsessed with me to be helpful," he replies, standing. "You won't be able to play the hero much longer. When I find the Legendary Silver Crystal, the Dark Kingdom will use it to rule the world and you girls will be turned to dust. Keep preaching about your love and justice while you can. Farewell," he says, stepping back and daring to toss them a wave goodbye.

Sailor Mars almost makes to follow, though Ami is quick to stop her with a hand on her arm. She shakes her head once and the unusually spirited girl takes a deep breath to calm herself. "We need to get Osaka back, and…" she trails off, resisting the urge to look back at the fountain though she hopes Rei catches her drift. She doesn't want to alert Tuxedo Mask to the fact their illustrious leader is lying unconscious in her civilian form with barely a fountain to hide her. "You should go," she tells Tuxedo Mask. "We can handle it from here."

The man hesitates, and behind the mask she can see him spare a quick glance around. "Did something…happen to Sailor Moon?" he hesitantly asks.

"She's fine," Ami interjects as coldly as she can. "Leave, unless you'd rather be questioned some more." Tuxedo Mask's lips press together, showing just how annoyed he is, but he doesn't stick around any longer which is exactly what Ami had been hoping for. As soon as he's gone she darts back over to where Usagi lays.

"What's wrong with her?" she asks Luna, who's been sitting with the blonde since they arrived. Ami quickly scans their fallen comrade, though there are no injuries that she can see, at least externally. Her goggles pick up nothing except the lingering dark energy used in the attack, and though it's certainly abnormal she doesn't think it should be a reason to worry. Maybe.

"It's the dark energy Nephrite attacked her with," Luna answers worriedly. "It acts as a poison to celestial beings such as yourself, and until it works itself out of her system I'm afraid she'll remain unconscious. At the very least, there shouldn't be any lasting effects."

"Is there anything we can do?" Sailor Mars asks, just as worried as their companion. She's looking down at their friend with her brows furrowed from her concern.

"How haven't we figured this out before?" Ami asks the cat as well. "We've been around dark energy and this has never happened to any of us."

Luna shakes her head. "You've been around it, but never directly interacted with it like this before. Though I'm sure if you'd spent long enough in an area corrupted with it you'd start to show signs as well. As for how we can help her…" Luna trails off. "Normally I'd say we take her someplace with pure energy to counteract the dark energy, but I don't know of any places. They just aren't as naturally occurring here on Earth."

'As opposed to where?' Ami can't help but wonder, but that's a question for another time.

"We can take her back to the shrine, at least," Rei suggests. "It might be difficult to explain to her parents what happened. We have some spare rooms, and my grandfather probably won't even notice, let alone ask questions."

Ami stands. "Right. You and Luna take her back to the Hikawa Shrine, then, and I'll take Osaka back to her mother. Can you manage that?" she asks, glancing between the two. Rei is almost the same size as Usagi, so carrying her might be a bit of an ordeal. Maybe they should've had Tuxedo Mask help after all – no, she discards the thought almost as immediately as it occurs. Revealing Usagi's civilian identity isn't worth the minor inconvenience.

"Will you head to the shrine once you're done with her?" Luna asks while Rei starts attempting to pick up Usagi. Ami moves to help her drape the girl across her back to carry her as she ponders her answer.

"No," she eventually replies. "Unless you think my presence might help Usagi at all."

Luna shakes her head. "Between the two of you, I doubt it'd make much of a difference."

"Then I'll just head back to my place. But I'll stop by tomorrow to see how she's doing," she tells Rei, just as a heads up. She'll also have to take a look at what her goggles recorded, see if she can get anything from the fight earlier that might be helpful. She goes to grab Osaka, draping the girl's arm around her own, and after one last look at Rei and her own burden the girls head off to their respective destinations.

Author's Note: Sorry about the lack of update last week. I've started working on another (old) story of mine so I'm going to be updating on a bi-weekly basis from now until that's finished (or I decide to stop working on it).