VOLUME 5

Sailor Moon Cyber - Volume Five - Rings Around the Sun

Leti stared at her two attackers, shock and disbelief in her eyes. She looked towards Sailor Saturn, hoping to be let in on the joke, or whatever it was that was going on.

"Sailor Saturn? CyberWarlock? I don't suppose that is Tuxedo Kamen in disguise and this is some weird Sailor Senshi initiation ritual I don't know about?"

Saturn growled in response and rushed toward her, swinging her Glaive.

"I will take that as a no then." said Leti as she looked around for cover. Finding none, she jumped the side of the steps to the school, rolling back to her feet in the grass of the schoolyard, giving herself more room to move.

"Really, Saturn, hun, you look stressed. Maybe we could talk about this?" Leti got her answer as she ducked under yet another swing of the deadly Silence Glaive. "Ok, analyzing the situation is not working. Time for plan B!" Leti flipped backward, doing several handsprings and landed back on her feet several meters away.

"SUNFIRE COSMIC POWER... MAKE UP!!!"

Flames erupted from the ground around her as Leti called on her powers, transforming into her Senshi form of Sailor SunFire. She swung her Ankh Staff around experimentally and stood in a battle stance.

"Since reasoning with you doesn't look like it's going to work, this should even the odds a bit! SOLAR FLARE!!"

"SILENT WALL!!! You will need to do better than that SunFire!" hissed Saturn from behind her force field wall. "I am going to make you pay for what you have done!"

"What I have done? Girl I haven't been around here long enough to do anything yet!"

"LIAR!!" screamed Saturn as she lunged again, Glaive whistling through the air. SunFire planted her feet and brought her Ankh Staff up to block. The energies released as the two weapons met, sent both Senshi flying backwards. SunFire shook her head and got back up to her knees.

"Note to me," she mumbled. "Don't do that again!"

"You won't have the chance!" growled Saturn. "SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE!"

"No way, I've seen this film before!" SunFire responded as she tucked down and jumped straight up into the tree above her. Tossing her staff into the air, she swung around the tree branch, launching herself away from the impending explosion and grabbing her staff in her hand again as she flipped over and landed behind Saturn. SunFire shielded her eyes as the silence settled over the area and the tree and ground where she had been standing exploded into fragments of wood and dirt.

"Looks like we have to revoke your Friends of the Environment card!" SunFire chuckled as Saturn spun around and stared at her, hatred in her eyes.

"Your luck will run out eventually Sunshine!" Saturn said, as she stepped back and planned her next attack.

"This is pointless Hotaru! We are supposed to be friends!"

"Friends don't try to steal other friend's boyfriends!"

"What??? You mean Nick? I've hardly ever spoken to him! I don't know who told you I was interested, but I am not."

"I saw you with my own eyes!! Trying to save face now is not going to help your situation."

"Saw me? Saw me doing what?"

"Don't act stupid! You were flirting with him, and telling how you were so much better than me! Well, if you think you are better, let's put it to the test."

"Oooh.. I hate tests!" a voice from behind Saturn exclaimed. The two quarreling Senshi turned to see Sailor Moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter standing on the front steps of the school. "But I hate seeing my friends fighting even more!"

"Sailor Moon!" SunFire sighed with relief. "Maybe you can talk some sense into Sailor Saturn. She thinks I was after her boyfriend."

"You are after Nick?" Sailor Moon's eyes grew round.

"No I was not!!" exclaimed SunFire. "That is what I have been trying to tell her!"

"Why should I believe any of you?" asked Saturn. "You are all on her side anyway, what difference would it make. And now you show up all together. The odds are slightly stacked in your favor."

"Not necessarily!" said CyberWarlock as he stepped up beside Saturn. "Between you and I, we can destroy them all."

"You again!" said Sailor Moon. "I don't know what evil powers you are using to control my friend but you had better let her go! I am Sailor Moon and I stand for love and friendship too. In the name of the moon I will punish you!"

"Spare me the dramatics you pathetic Barbie doll wanna-be!" Nhicodima glared at Usagi and stretched his arms around in a battle stance, calling his Sword to him. "It ends, and it ends here! TAMASHI NO KEN!!!"

Black light erupted from his hands as his Plasma Sword appeared. CyberWarlock shouted in rage and dove towards Sailor Moon, blade swinging.

"And this time, Sailor Saturn is not going to be coming to your rescue!"

"Maybe not, but I will!" shouted Jupiter as she ducked in front of Usagi and blocked CyberWarlock's downward slice with her arms across his wrists. She held her hands tightly around his wrists and stared into his eyes. "There is something I have always wanted to try."

Without letting go of his wrists Jupiter shouted, "SUPREME VITAL PRESSURE!"

Electricity shot from her hands and up his arms. CyberWarlock shouted in pain and surprise, the electrical interference already playing havoc with his cybernetic implants.

"Let... me... GO!!" he shouted and kicked his foot out, knocking Jupiter back into Sailor Moon and they both fell to the ground. The other three Senshi quickly moved into a guard position around them. CyberWarlock stepped back slightly, dazed a bit by the attack and attempting to run self repair programs in the android part of his brain.

"How dare you!" screamed Saturn as she lunged towards the Inner Senshi, Glaive held high. Mars jumped up to meet her, attempting to grab her in a judo throw. Saturn saw the move coming and managed to adjust her position just enough to reverse the attack and using her Glaive as leverage, tossed Sailor Mars over her shoulder to the ground.

"CRESCENT BEAM!!" Shouted Venus as her power shot out towards Hotaru. Saturn moved her Glaive in a downward arc and deflected the attack back at Minako, knocking her back against the wall of the school.

"SHINE AQUA..." Mercury didn't have the chance to finish as CyberWarlock suddenly leapt forward and knocked her to the ground.

"That's enough of that." he sneered, glaring down at the Inner Senshi who lay sprawled about the front of the school. "This game gets old, I think it's time we finished... Sailor Saturn?"

Hotaru nodded and spun her glaive in her hands, finishing its spiral motion by pointing it at the Sailor Soldiers. CyberWarlock stepped back as she closed her eyes and prepared to destroy the Senshi.

"DEATH REBORN..."

"WORLD SHAKING!!"

Sailor Saturn, caught completely off guard, was thrown from her feet and knocked into semi-consciousness against the steps. In all the confusion, neither she nor CyberWarlock had noticed Sailor SunFire run off to get the Outer Senshi. Nhicodima spun around and glared at the new arrivals.

"Why are there always more of you? You multiply like cockroaches!"

"And like those insects," proclaimed Pluto, "We will still be around when you are dust!"

"Brave words girl. But can you back them up?" inquired CyberWarlock as he planted his feet and brought his Sword up before him.

"With Authority!" Pluto nodded to the others and they attacked en masse.

"DEAD SCREAM! WORLD SHAKING! DEEP SUBMERGE! WRATH OF RAH!"

cw_sun_jef2_sm.gif (9247 bytes)Nhicodima tried to deflect the attack with his blade, but the combined force of the Senshi overwhelmed him and he found himself in a position that had grown far to common for his enjoyment. On his back, looking up at Sailor Soldiers. SunFire stepped forward and pressed her Ankh Staff against his throat.

"Release Saturn from whatever spell you have over her. Or else!"

CyberWarlock looked up into SunFire's eyes. Her eyes that reminded him so much of what he once had, and what he lost. Closing his own eyes, he pulled back the dark energies that he had given to Hotaru, draining the evil from her, and erasing her memory of the events of the past week. He opened his eyes and looked up at SunFire.

"So... what now? Destroy me and get it over with. I can see how much you want to."

"No Nhicodima." Sailor Moon shook her head as she walked over and put her arm around the slowly waking Sailor Saturn. "We will let you go, this time. You have alot to think about, and alot to learn about human emotions, and love. Knowing how to love, means knowing how to forgive. If you have learned nothing else this day, remember this. These are my friends, my family. You harm one, you face the wrath of us all. If you would stop long enough to look around you, you would find that not everyone is filled with the same bitterness and hatred that you are. Some of us will always care for others, no matter how cruel they may seem at first."

CyberWarlock stared at Usagi in stunned silence for a few moments, trying to decide what trick the girl was playing. He slowly stood up and looked around at the assembled Sailor Soldiers, waiting to see where the attack was going to come from. But it never came. He slowly backed away from them, looking over each one in puzzlement and wonder. He stopped and looked back at Sailor Moon for a moment.

"I will think on what you have said. Though I have never known the things you talk about, I sense some measure of truth in what you say. But do not expect miracles. The next time we meet, we will not be friends. Of that you can be assured."

And with that, he disappeared into a shadowy blackness.

Sailor Moon held her arms around Sailor Saturn and smiled as she opened her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" asked Usagi.

"I have a really bad headache. Uhm... what happened here? Why are you all standing around me? Was there a fight?"

"It's a long story." Usagi smiled and kissed Hotaru on the forehead. "One that we can talk about over a nice chocolate milk shake at the mall!"

Hotaru grinned and Rae stepped forward to help her to her feet. The Senshi crowded around her, hugging her and chatting.

The next day at school. Nick met Hotaru at her locker.

"What's new?" he asked as she took her books out and prepared for class.

"Well, " began Hotaru. "I don't quite know how to say this... I was in an accident yesterday, and well... my friends say that you and I had become close, but I don't remember anything about it?"

"You what?" exclaimed Nick, pretending surprise. "Hotaru, if you didn't want to see me anymore all you had to do was say so! I don't deserve some made up story do I?"

"It's not made up! It really happened, you can ask Usagi or Leti or Ami or anyone!"

"I see." said Nick slowly. "So you told all your friends to tell me the same story then. That's fine. I thought we could be friends, but I guess you don't want to be after all." He turned to leave.

"Nick wait!" said Hotaru, as she lightly touched his hand. "I would still like to be your friend, if I can? It will just take me time to remember, if I ever do at all. I know you don't have many friends, and I would like to think I can be one of them."

Nick's eyes widened in true surprise this time. He had not expected this reaction at all. He had thought to confront Hotaru and then they would walk away and no one would be the wiser for what he had tried to do. He wasn't sure what to do now.

"Uhm... sure!" stammered Nick. "I guess... we can be friends. It will take me some time to get used to it though."

Hotaru nodded and smiled.

"I'm glad. Oooh, I'm late for class, gotta run. See you later?"

"Most definitely!" said Nick as he waved to her down the hall. Hotaru rounded a corner and went in the door to her classroom. Nick stood in the empty hallway for a few moments. "One way or another... you will see me later!"

Sticking his hands in his pockets, he walked back the way he came, and sauntered into his classroom. Taking his seat as the teacher glared at him, he shrugged and looked out the window. He had alot to think about.

The End of Part Five

SERIES ONE

SERIES TWO