In the middle of the night at the arcade, Luna spoke to the mysterious soundwave once again.
"This is Luna. Codename Zero-Zero-Nine-One. Passphrase: The rabbit on the moon is pounding rice cakes."
"The Moon's rice cakes are sticky," the soundwave replied.
"And they puff up when you toast them as well," finished Luna.
"So Luna, how are things going with the Guardians?" asked the soundwave. "Well, I hope?"
"Well, one of them still has issues responsibility, but others are doing very well," said Luna.
"That's good because I have news for you," the soundwave said. "The day when all six of the guardians come together is drawing near."
Luna gasped with surprise. "Are you sure?! I mean, do you mean that?!"
"Indeed," the soundwave said. "Which is why I think that this is the right time to tell the other guardians the truth."
"And... you're sure about that?" Luna asked tentatively.
"Yes. The Dark Kingdom is growing more and more restless," the soundwave spoke. "To prepare the guardians for battle, they need to know what they're fighting for, so make sure you tell them."
"I understand," Luna acknowledged.
Then the screen went black as it turned off.
"So the time has finally come to tell them," she thought as she left the arcade.
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At the Hikawa Shrine, Usagi and the other guardians had gathered at the front waiting for Luna to arrive after calling them to meet her there.
Usagi let out a small yawn as she waited along with the others. "I wonder why Luna would meet with us so late at night?"
"Who knows," said Harusuke. "But I'm sure Luna will tell us the reason when she gets here."
Then Luna arrived. "I'm glad that you're all here," she said.
"So what's up, Luna?" asked Usagi. "Has another monster appeared?"
Luna looked up at Usagi and stared at her for about a few seconds or so. Then she spoke once more.
"Listen very carefully for what I'm about to tell you," said Luna. "It's imperative that you all pay attention."
Seeing how serious Luna was, the teens didn't say a word and waited to listen for what Luna had to say.
"You see... what I wanted to tell you is... that I'm not just an ordinary cat," Luna spoke. "I'm... what you might call an alien originally from the Moon sent here to guide you all."
Everyone stared at Luna, deeply shocked. Of course, Luna was a talking cat, but they never expected something like this.
"So... why did you come to Earth if you were an alien?" asked Rei.
"Yeah. And how do we know if what you're saying isn't true?" asked Makoto. "I mean, it sounds hard to believe if you ask me."
"I doubt Luna would lie to us," said Harusuke. "I mean, she's been telling the truth so far, so why would she lie now?"
"Yeah. I agree," said Ami. "If Luna says that she's from the Moon, then I believe her."
"Thank you, Ami. Thank you, Harusuke," smiled Luna. "And there's more. The princess you're searching for carries the royal bloodline from the place where I am from, The Moon Kingdom."
"So... there's a kingdom somewhere on the Moon?" wondered Makoto as she looked up at the moon in the sky. "It sounds like a fairytale..."
"It's your four girls' destiny to meet that princess," went on Luna. "And very soon, you'll take on the important duty of protecting her."
"Wait... what about me, Luna?" asked Harusuke. "I mean, I'm a guardian too. Aren't I destined to protect the princess too?"
"Yes, It is, Harusuke," said Luna. "But you also have another duty, one given to you by the Queen of the Royal Family herself. However, I don't know what that duty is, to be honest."
There was a long silence as everyone tried to comprehend what Luna had just said. Then, at last, Usagi spoke, breaking the silence.
"Hey Luna, I just have one question," she said. "Is there a rabbit on the Moon that pounds rice cakes?"
Everyone stared at Usagi and then sighed.
"Leave it to Usagi to break the tension with a weird question," said Harusuke. "Then again, that's my sister for you."
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Zoisite and Kunzite were alone in their castle observing their collection of the four Rainbow Crystals Zoisite obtained in the Dark Kingdom.
"Look at them, my love," said Zoisite sweetly. "Aren't they beautiful?
"Yes. Truly lovely," agreed Kunzite. "But unless all seven are here, their beauty will never show. Don't you agree?"
"I'll get those last three crystals," Zoisite spoke lovingly. "Then we'll see their true beauty shine. Won't we, Kunzite?"
"We certainly will," said Kunzite. "And once we collect all seven of them, the Legendary Silver Crystal will be in our grasp. Queen Beryl will surely be pleased. I can almost imagine how happy she'll be."
Zoisite couldn't help but feel a little jealous. "What about me?!" he thought angrily. "I'm far better than her!"
Just then, they heard Queen Beryl's voice.
"Zoisite. Kunzite. Come to the throne room immediately."
The two immediately teleported themselves to the throne room where Queen Beryl stood before her staff scowling.
"You summoned us, Queen Beryl?" the two spoke, bowing politely.
"Yes. As you're all well aware, the seven Rainbow Crystals have all revealed themselves," said Queen Beryl. "So far, we own four of them; however, Tuxedo Mask has two, and Sailor Moon and her band of friends have one; this does not please me. I want the other crystals to obtain the Legendary Silver Crystal. I trust that you two have a plan to retrieve them?"
"I have one, my Queen," spoke Zoisite. "However, I wish to show you something first."
Zoisite then held up the Dark Crystal, making it float into the air. It shined as it showed a projection. Unlike before, it showed past battles between certain monsters killed or defeated by the Guardians. Every time Sailor Moon or any other guardian would find themselves in trouble, one person would show up at the last minute to save them. Tuxedo Mask. And then, after that, Sailor Moon and the guardians would manage to save the day by destroying the monster.
"Enough!"
Queen Beryl, having enough, immediately flared her magic power, destroying the projection, making Zoisite and even Kunzite a bit unnerved. The Dark Queen then glared at Zoisite.
"What's the meaning of this, Zoisite?" she demanded. "I do not wish to see such images!"
Zoisite then calmly explained. "Well, my queen, in the scenes that I just showed you, every time that we have Sailor Moon within our grasp, a certain someone comes to her rescue, and it's always the same person."
"You mean Tuxedo Mask," Queen Beryl. "Just who is that man anyway? Have you found out his true identity?"
"Unfortunately, I do not know just yet," went on Zoisite. "However, one thing is certain; he always appears whenever any of the guardians are in danger. Most especially, Sailor Moon. So why don't we use this to our advantage and use that to lure out Tuxedo Mask? All we need to do is place Sailor Moon in peril, and he'll come straight to us."
Queen Beryl's eyes narrowed in curiosity yet showing interest. "It's a good plan, but if he does appear, are you sure that you can retrieve the Rainbow Crystals he has stolen alone? And what about the one that Sailor Moon and the guardians have in their possession? You do realize that this might be the last chance you'll have to succeed?"
"Yes, my queen," said Zoisite. "And I promise I will not fail you."
Then Kunzite stepped forth. "Hold on a minute, Zoisite. If you plan to lure Tuxedo out in the open to deal with him and take the crystal from him as well as the one the Guardians have, then you first need a plan to separate him from the guardians." He then looked at Queen Beryl. "With your permission, Queen Beryl, I'd be happy to take on that part of the plan."
Queen Beryl agreed. "Very well, then. Bring me all seven of the Rainbow Crystals, and do not fail me."
Queen Beryl agreed. "Very well, then. Bring me all seven of the Rainbow Crystals, and do not fail me."
"Yes, my queen," said the two generals as they bowed before her.
Zoisite then glanced sideways towards Kunzite. "My dear Kunzite..." he thought. "Though I may have sworn allegiance to Queen Beryl, I am doing this for no one but you. I would give my life for you, and I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy."
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Later that morning, Harusuke was eating breakfast while Luna was sleeping on the couch in the living room. As he ate breakfast, Harusuke thought about the current situation regarding the Rainbow Crystals. He also had the yellow Rainbow Crystal in his hand as he looked at it.
"All seven of the Rainbow Crystals holders got found," he thought. "The Dark Kingdom has four, Tuxedo Mask as two, and we have one. So now it's just a matter of time before someone gathers all seven of them to get the Legendary Silver Crystal."
He then sat down on the couch where Luna lounged, finishing his breakfast. As soon as he saw her, he thought about what she had told him the other night.
"Luna sure dropped a bomb on us the other night. Even though I kinda expected it, but... there's something that confuses me. If what Luna said was true about our duty as guardians protecting the Royal Bloodline, then what is my other duty?"
Harusuke then remembered his visions when Ami, Rei, and Makoto awakened as guardians, which gave him an idea.
"Wait... could my visions have something to do with what Luna was telling me? Maybe those visions were trying to tell me something about my other duty."
He then looked at Luna, who was sleeping peacefully. He reached out to her about to wake up to ask some questions when suddenly the sound of music from the TV show was heard, causing Harusuke to jump and look. A news broadcast was going on on the TV, and a news reporter appeared on the screen.
"This just in, another arrest was made by the mysterious hero who calls herself the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon."
The news showed a video clip of the bank somewhere in town, and coming out of the bank was a scruffy-looking man who was handcuffed and restrained by the police, and just behind them was a familiar guardian. Harusuke's eyes widened.
"No way! It can't be!" he cried.
Luna opened a sleepy eye. "Harusuke, keep it down. I'm trying to sleep," she mumbled.
"Luna! Wake up! You have to see this!" Harusuke spoke as he absently tapped Luna to wake her up.
Luna was now awake as she looked at the TV. As soon as she saw the broadcast, she wasn't sleepy anymore.
"According to witnesses, a man armed with a rifle entered the Tozai Bank's Juban branch around two p.m," went on the reporter. "The suspect fired several rounds demanding money, but Sailor Moon soon arrived and apprehended the suspect turning him over to the police."
Luna's jaw dropped in disbelief. "No way! Usagi did that?! It couldn't be her!"
"It's not her!" Harusuke spoke indignantly. "My sister may be a superhero, but even I believe she's not that brave to do something like that!"
Luna then looked at Harusuke, a bit surprised. "Wow, Harusuke. Didn't think you'd think that high of your sister."
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Meanwhile, the girl in question was out and about in the city with Makoto eating crepes. She swallowed one crepe after another, savoring the taste delightedly.
"Now, this is how a schoolgirl should spend her day off!" Usagi said. "Eating every dessert she wants!"
"Yeah, well, you're gonna need a bigger school uniform if you keep that up," chuckled Makoto.
"But I wanna try them all!" spoke Usagi as she bit into her crepe. "I can't help myself!"
As they walked around some more, high above them on a department store building, was a pair of window washers on top of a platform. They busily went about their work cleaning the many windows on the building, making sure they were sparkling. Then suddenly unknown to anyone, two arrow-like crystals shot from out of nowhere, piercing the rope. As quickly as they came, they disappeared and the ropes holding the platform on one side suddenly snapped. Before the workers could react, the platform suddenly leaned to the side. The workers managed to hang on to the ropes snapped, but they were all in grave danger. Usagi and Makoto saw what was going on and were horrified.
"Someone help!" cried a worker. "I can't hold on much longer!"
The rope holding up one of the workers couldn't hold him much longer. It suddenly snapped, and the worker plummeted to the ground. Then suddenly, from out of nowhere, someone came swinging on a rope, swooped down, and caught the worker by the hand rode it until they both landed safely on a store's canopy. That, someone, was Sailor Moon. The crowd of people who saw everything cheered as Sailor Moon jumped and disappeared. Usagi was now upset. So much so that she started to cry.
"Why?! Why in the world does she have to dress up as Sailor Moon?!" she sobbed. "Now everyone thinks she's a huge hero, and I'm not even getting the credit for it!"
"Usagi, calm down! Right now, we have to tell Luna and the others about this," said Makoto. "We gotta find this Sailor Moon wannabe and catch her!"
Usagi could only nod miserably in agreement.
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Unknown to them, another girl watched the three with a white cat next to her. She was about Usagi's age and even had matching blond hair, but unlike Usagi, her hair was kept undone and went as far as her legs with a big red bow on top of it. She looked at the white cat, and the white cat nodded. Then they both disappeared into the crowd.
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Meanwhile, high on top of a crane in the dock's industrial area, Kunzite gazed at the town below.
"The only ones who are capable of catching the fake Sailor Moon are the guardians and Tuxedo Mask," he said to himself. "And once he shows up, that will be that. The end of Tuxedo Mask!"
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Usagi and the others soon met up and arrived in the industrial area, carefully making their way around.
"I can't believe that there's a Sailor Moon imposter," spoke Ami.
"Yeah, I saw her on the news when she caught that bank robber," said Rei. "That's when I knew it couldn't have been the real Usagi."
"You got that right," smirked Makoto. "If the real Sailor Moon worked that hard, there'd be no work left for us to do around here."
Usagi scowled crossly. "Very funny."
"But what I wanna know is, what this imposter wants," said Ami. "Is she friend or enemy?"
"That's a pretty good question, Ami," said Rei thoughtfully. She turned to Luna. "Hey Luna, do you think that she could be the fifth guardian?"
Luna gulped as she scratched her head awkwardly. "Well... um... let me think about this for a second..." she spoke.
"She's not the fifth guardian," said Harusuke immediately. "That much is certain."
"How do you know that, Harusuke?" wondered Makoto. "You seem so certain."
"Let's just say my gut's telling me that this Sailor Moon wannabe is a fake and is most definitely not one of us," said Harusuke grimly. "I just know. That's all."
"I don't care who this wannabe is," grumped Usagi. "How dare she use my name without permission! I'm about to call a lawyer and sue her for stealing my act!"
"Get it together, Usagi!" Makoto snapped. "You're missing the point here!"
Suddenly, there was a scream of terror that made everyone jump. Everyone immediately took off running, heading straight to the source of the sound. When they arrived, they saw a worrying sight. Hanging by a rope from a crane, her hands tied, was the Sailor Moon counterpart, and not too far away standing on a building was Kunzite.
"It's her!" gasped Makoto. "And that guy up there with her. Is he from the Dark Kingdom?!"
"Come on, guys! We have to help her!" cried Sailor Moon.
She was just about to take off running when Harusuke stopped her by grabbing her wrist.
"Wait a minute, Usagi!" he said. "It's way too risky! For all we know, this could all be a trap!"
"He's right!" said Luna. "You can't just go rushing in without knowing what's going on!"
"I don't care!" Usagi cried stubbornly. "Trap or not, I can't ignore someone who's in danger, even if she is my imposter!"
Everyone stared at Usagi. Then they smiled in understanding, also nodding in agreement.
"You're right," spoke Rei. "I say we go and rescue her."
Harusuke then sighed. "Oh, brother. It seems that Usagi's stubbornness has rubbed off on us," he said. But he smiled too. "Alright then. Let's save her. But on the off chance that this is a trap, I'm going to hang back to be safe. You never know when it comes to the Dark Kingdom."
Usagi then smiled with determination. "Alright, everyone! Let's transform!"
Then the teens transformed.
"MOON PRISM POWER MAKE UP!"
"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"
"MERCURY POWER MAKE UP!"
"MARS POWER MAKE UP!"
"JUPITER POWER MAKE UP!"
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Transformation Sequence: Usagi
Usagi's body shone with rainbow-colored light as she seemed to spin around. Then from her brooch, it flashed pink and pink ribbons shot out, wrapping her upper torso and midsection and became a white leotard with a red bow in the center and a collar that was blue with white stripes. Next, Usagi crosses her arms, and more pink ribbons wrap around them, turning into long white gloves. The pink ribbon then wraps around Usagi's legs and turns into a pair of red thigh-high boots. Then a blue skirt appears around Usagi's waist with a red bow in the back. Then a tiny gem starts glowing in the middle of Usagi's forehead, and a gold tiara with a red gem, a pair of dangling crescent moon earrings, a red choker with a moon on it appear along with red circular accents in her hair buns. Usagi then strikes her signature pose as the moon shines behind her in the background.
Transformation sequence: Harusuke.
Harusuke's bracelet begins to glow as Harusuke holds it into the air. Next, the symbol of the sun starts to shine on Harusuke's head as golden yellow and silver light envelop his body. First, the sun appears above him, shining its light upon him. Then, while Harusuke bathed in its light, a silver jumpsuit with gold lines on his hips materializes around his body. After that, the light shone on his legs, and long golden metal boots that went up to his knees appeared on his legs with silver hexagon knee pads. Next, the light shone on his arms, and then golden gauntlets appeared on his hands going up to wrists. Then a yellow symbol of the sun materializes in front of him, and it crashes into his chest, making a golden chest piece of armor appear with silver shoulder guards. Finally, a silver helmet covers his head, exposing his hair and making it stand up with a mouth guard covering his mouth and nose. Finally, Harusuke's eyes open, and he strikes his signature pose the symbol of the sun appears behind him.
Transformation Sequence: Ami
The symbol on Ami's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of blue as she holds up her transformation pen. It begins to spin around as it shines and envelopes Ami in blue light. Then, she sweeps it over her head while a stream of blue water shoots out, wrapping her body and forming her leotard, boots, and gloves. A sparkling ripple expands over her body, creating a slight mist of water that forms the rest of her uniform the same as Sailor Moon's but the center bow, boots, and rims on the gloves are blue and bright blue. Finally, she turns around and then strikes her signature pose.
Transformation Sequence: Rei
The symbol on Rei's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of red as she holds up her transformation pen. Then, it begins to spin around as it shines and envelopes Rei in red light. As she held up her pen while turning around, long tongues of flame erupted from it, forming several rings around her body. They tighten around her form, and in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit forms having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing red pumps along with a pair of red star-shaped earrings, the center bow is purple, and the rims of her gloves, her skirt, her choker, and collar are red. After that, Mars finishes with her signature pose.
Transformation Sequence: Makoto
The symbol on Makoto's pen begins to glow in a bright shade of green as she holds up her transformation pen. Then, it begins to spin around as it shines its enveloping Makoto in green light. As she held up her pen while turning, long whips of lightning erupted from it, forming several rings around her body. They swirl around her like an atom. Then in a brilliant flash of light, her outfit is formed, having to look just like Sailor Moon's, but she is wearing green boots along with her pair of roses earrings, the center bow is pink, and the rims of her gloves green as is her skirt, her choker, and collar. After that, she finishes with her signature pose.
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As Kunzite continued to watch over the Sailor Moon clone, he couldn't help but look towards the town whose colored lights were shining brightly.
"This world has too much light," he thought. "How pointless. True beauty is the glow of darkness, and the shadow of the Dark Kingdom will soon cover this world."
"You up there! Let my imposter go!"
Kunzite then looked down and saw Sailor Moon and Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter.
"You're one sick puppy to tie up and hang a girl like that!" the Moon guardian glared crossly, pointing. "I am Pretty Guardian who fights love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon!"
"And I'm Sailor Mercury!" she proclaimed.
"And don't forget Sailor Mars!" she called out.
"And, lastly, I'm Sailor Jupiter!" she decreed.
"And in the name of the Moon, we'll all punish you!" they all finished together.
"I've been expecting you, Sailor Guardians," Kunzite smirked. "I am Kunzite, one of the Four Kings of Heaven. It's a pleasure to meet all of you, but now it's time to meet your end!"
He waved his hands, holding them out in front of him, and before the Sailors knew what was happening, a black dome made of Kunzite's power surrounded them. Not too far away, Solaris hid behind the corner of a building and saw what had happened along with Luna.
"Oh no! It was a trap!" gasped Luna.
"Now, what do we do?" Solaris wondered worriedly. "I've got to try and help them!"
"No, Solaris. Wait," said Luna. "As much as I hate to say it, you need to stay focused. You need to go rescue that doppelganger."
"But what about the girls?!" demanded Solaris. "They need help!"
"They can handle themselves," said Luna. "Besides, you'll end up getting caught too if you help them. Just go. I'll watch them!"
Solaris was still worried, but he knew Luna was right, so he stealthily ran off to save the Sailor Moon faker.
"How do you like the beauty of darkness?" he cackled triumphantly. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"It is pretty impressive," spoke Sailor Mars as she put her hands together with her fingers pointing. "MARS FIRE SOUL!"
A powerful fireball blasted forth from her fingers and hit the barrier, but only for it to dissipate in seconds.
"What was that, Mars?!" cried Sailor Moon. "That attack was lame!"
Sailor Mars was too stunned to respond. Then a mirage of Kunzite appeared in the dome and blasted the sailors with several energy balls. The Sailors dodged them one after another, avoiding them as best they could with the limited space. Then Kunzite disappeared and reappeared in front of Sailor Jupiter.
"What's wrong? Is that all you got?" mocked Kunzite.
"JUPITER SUPREME THUNDER!"
Sailor Jupiter immediately fired her signature attack at the projection, but like before with Mars' Fire Soul; the barrier also dissipated Jupiter's lightning.
"This is useless!" cried Sailor Mercury. "The darkness is just absorbing our attacks!"
Kunzite then jumped from the building landing on the ground smirking with triumph.
"If that's all the power you Guardians have, then I guess it's time to end this charade," he spoke.
He then held out his hands once again as they sparked with power. Then to the guardian's worry, the dome of darkness began to shrink, growing smaller and smaller.
"What'll we do now?! We're trapped in here!" wailed Sailor Moon.
Sailor Jupiter then fired another Supreme Thunder attack, only to be met with the same result.
"It's no use!" she spoke, clenching her fists. "That thing keeps absorbing our attacks!"
The barrier was now so small that the roof was only a few inches away from Makoto's head.
"Give it up," Kunzite smirked. "You can't break my barrier so easily."
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Meanwhile, Solaris was carefully making his way to where the doppelganger Sailor Moon was until he could finally see her. He was just about to climb up and get her down when suddenly he saw someone jump up and cut the ropes that bound Sailor Moon and carry her to safety. That, someone, was Tuxedo Mask.
"That fool!" he thought while cursing. "What does he think he's doing?!"
He then ran until he reached the crane and then heard a loud cry of pain, which came from a room not too far away. Solaris then ran into the room and saw a terrible sight. Tuxedo Mask held his shoulder in pain as fresh blood oozed from it while the Sailor Moon doppelganger cackled in evil delight.
"Tuxedo Mask!" he cried as he immediately rushed over to him. Then he glared at the faker. "You're not the real, Sailor Moon! Who are you?!"
The faker then jumped up, taking off her disguise to reveal her true face, a familiar enemy who was laughing with glee.
"Zoisite!" growled Tuxedo Mask wincing in agony.
"Oh, you poor thing. That really must have hurt," Zoisite mocked. "But don't worry, in just a few minutes, you won't feel anything."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" roared Solaris as he leaped at him unleashing his signature attack. "SUNSHINE METEOR!"
Seeing the blast coming, Zoisite leaped out of the way just as it destroyed the crates behind him. Zoisite then unleashed a flurry of petals. Solaris was at first planning to dodge, but then he remembered Tuxedo Mask.
"No way! Not this time!" he thought.
He immediately grabbed Tuxedo Mask by wrapping his arm around his shoulders and jumped out of the way dodging the blast. Then he dashed away, taking Tuxedo Mask with him disappearing into the cargo.
Zoisite smirked, his eyes gleaming like a predator as he conjured up a sword made of crystal. "Run if you want, but neither one of you is getting those Rainbow Crystals, Tuxedo Mask! Solaris!"
Solaris carried Tuxedo, running as fast as he could until they managed to find a safe spot to hide behind a load of flour.
"We should be safe here for the time being," said Solaris.
Tuxedo Mask's only reply was a grunt of pain. Solaris could see the blood on his glove as he tried to apply pressure.
"That looks pretty bad," spoke Solaris worriedly. "We need to take care of that wound right away."
He reached out to help Tuxedo Mask, but Tuxedo Mask knocked his hands away.
"No. You need to leave me and get out of here, Solaris," the masked man spoke. "Go before Zoisite catches up!"
"And what about you?!" demanded Solaris. "You're hurt! And I can't just leave you behind!"
"It doesn't matter," Tuxedo Mask insisted. "You must go! If Zoisite gets his hands on both of us, he'll take the Rainbow Crystal's we have, and the Dark Kingdom wins. But if one of us gets away, then we'll at least buy some time. I appreciate your concern, but please go! I'll be fine!"
Then suddenly, there was a loud crashing noise and a swiping of a sword. Then the sacks of flour that were hiding them began to topple. Solaris immediately picked up Tuxedo Mask and started running again. But then Zoisite pounced from the darkness and went on the attack swiping his crystal sword. Solaris pushed Tuxedo Mask out of the way and dodged, but while he was in the air, Zoisite blasted with his signature flower petal blast again, sending Solaris flying into some cargo with a crash. Zoisite then glanced at Tuxedo Mask lying on the ground and gunned straight for him.
"DIE!"
He swung his sword going for the kill, but at the last second, using his left arm, took out his cane and stopped the blade before it killed him. The two struggled as they tried to overpower each other. Then Zoisite blasted Tuxedo Mask in the face using his flower petals. Tuxedo Mask wasn't hurt, but then force knocked away his glasses in the process, revealing his face.
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Queen Beryl had seen the entire fight between the three using the orb on her staff in the Dark Kingdom. So far, she had seen everything up to when Zoisite knocked off Tuxedo Mask's mask. When she saw who Tuxedo Mask was, her eyes widened in utter disbelief and shock.
"It can't be!" she gasped. "I know that face! That man is..."
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"My, my. What a handsome face you've been hiding," mused Zoisite venomously as he pushed his sword. "But it still won't save your life! Prepare to die!"
Then suddenly -.
"CRESENT BEAM!"
A beam of light shot out from above, and his Zoisite square on his arm, forcing him to back away while holding his hand in pain. Zoisite yelped as he held his hand in agony as; he looked up above and saw the shadow of a Sailor Guardian standing on a window.
"Who's there!?" he demanded. "Who are you?!"
Then suddenly he heard a scream which came in front of him. He turned in time to see a mighty fist connect him square in the face sending him flying into some cargo with a crash. That punch came from Solaris, who took advantage of Zoisite being distracted. He then picked up Tuxedo Mask and ran away, escaping.
Zoisite pulled himself out of the rubble and held his cheek in red and swollen agony. Thanks to Solaris and his mysterious enemy, he was also bleeding from his hand and mouth. Seeing that he was now all by himself, Zoisite grew livid.
"Damn it! I don't know who you are, but you'll pay for making a fool of me!" he yelled. "I'll tear you into pieces, you hear me?! And that goes for you too, Solaris! You especially will pay for scarring my precious face, you bastard!"
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Solaris ran as fast as he could, making sure that they were as far away from Zoisite as possible. It was now nightfall, the moon basking the area with its glow. Soon enough, Solaris stopped to rest, setting down Tuxedo Mask.
"You OK?" he asked. "Sorry for pushing you around like that-"
Then he saw Tuxedo Mask's face, and his eyes widened in shock. For he knew who Tuxedo Mask was. It was none other than Mamoru Chiba. Tuxedo Mask then gasped and kept his head down, hiding his face as he put his mask back on.
"You saw it didn't you?" he spoke quietly. "My true identity."
"M-Mamoru?" murmured Solaris. "It... it can't be... You're Tuxedo Mask?!"
"Keep it down!" shushed Tuxedo Mask. "Someone else could hear you."
"But... how long... when... why..." Solaris stammered, now feeling very confused.
Tuxedo Mask quickly interrupted. "Listen, Solaris. Pull yourself together!" he said. "If you're going to act this way, you should have left me. I would have handled Zoisite myself."
"Yeah, right," scoffed Solaris. "If I didn't knock that jerk out, we never would have gotten away, and you'd be dead. So the least you could do is say thank you."
Tuxedo Mask then sighed. "You're right. I apologize," he said. "I am grateful that you saved me. I just feel like such a fool for falling for such a foolish trap and for letting him see my true identity." He then looked at Solaris pleadingly. "And please... keep my identity a secret. I don't want anyone else finding out about it."
Solaris was still feeling confused, but he agreed.
"Don't worry about it. Your identity is safe with me," said Solaris. "Besides, it happens to all of us. But who was that anyway? That one person who knocked Zoisite's sword away? A Guardian, perhaps?"
"I don't know," said Tuxedo Mask. "I thought that she was someone you knew."
"She's news to me," replied Solaris.
Then he peeked around the corner and gasped. Wanting to know what was going on, Tuxedo Mask peered too and was as shocked. There stood Kunzite, who was still holding up the dome around the Sailors. At this point, the Sailors grew weaker due to lack of oxygen and were close to suffocating.
"We're... running out of air..." gasped Sailor Mars.
"Can't... breathe..." choked Sailor Mercury.
"How do you like the taste of my darkness?" purred Kunzite. "Does it feel pleasing?"
Then Zoisite appeared still holding his bludgeoned cheek. "Kunzite, we may have a problem!" he spoke.
Kunzite glanced at Zoisite as he then explained.
"You see... I had Tuxedo Mask, but then Solaris interfered and helped him get away," explained Zoisite. "And there's also another enemy as well."
Kunzite's eyes narrowed. "You had one job, and you let them both get away?" he growled.
"I'm sorry, Kunzite," Zoisite whimpered. "But don't worry! It's not yet!" Then he yelled out loud enough for Tuxedo Mask and Solaris to hear them. "Tuxedo Mask! Solaris! I know that you two are out there, somewhere! Come on out! I know that you two care about your precious comrades, the Sailor Guardians! If you want to save them, give yourselves up and hand over the Rainbow Crystals!"
"No... don't come out, you two!" gasped Sailor Moon. "You both have to stay away! Don't give up the crystals!"
"Sailor Moon!" cried Luna, who was watching helplessly.
The Sailor Guardians were now on the brink of collapsing. If they didn't take action, they would all die. Solaris growled as he looked at Tuxedo Mask. There was no way he could fight in this condition, which meant it was up to him to save them. Solaris then looked at Tuxedo Mask.
"Tuxedo Mask, listen to me," he said. "I need you to stay here out of the way."
"What are you planning to do?" asked Tuxedo Mask.
Solaris dug into his armor and pulled out the yellow Rainbow Crystal.
Tuxedo Mask then gasped. "No, Solaris! You wouldn't!"
"I have no choice," Solaris spoke firmly. "You're injured, and my friends are in danger. I could take them on by myself, but there's no guarantee that the guardians would last much longer. So I have to do this; otherwise, they could die."
Tuxedo Mask stared at Solaris; then, he stood up.
"Then I'm coming with you," he said.
"But what about your injury?" asked Solaris. "Plus, you'd be putting the Rainbow Crystals you own at risk too."
"It doesn't matter," said Tuxedo Mask. "I may want the Rainbow Crystals, but not if it meant letting innocent people die."
Solaris now stared at Tuxedo Mask. Then they heard Zoisite call out.
"Come on, you two! Your Guardian friends don't have much time left! Or do you both not care and want them to die?"
The two boys looked at each other and gave each other a nod. Then the two of them stepped out into the open.
"Wait, Zoisite!" cried Tuxedo Mask.
"We're the ones you want," Solaris cried.
Kunzite and Zoisite immediately saw them and were pleased.
"Well, well, well. Look who's decided to join us," Zoisite smirked smugly. "You see, Kunzite? I knew we would defeat these losers in the end."
"So they're Solaris and Tuxedo Mask," Kunzite spoke, looking at the man up and down. "I was wondering when you two would pop up."
"We came as you said Zoisite," Solaris growled. "Now, let the girls go!"
"First, give up the Rainbow Crystals you two have," said Zoisite.
Solaris then stepped forward and then held out the Rainbow Crystal he had. Zoisite eagerly took the crystal from him and cackled in triumph as the guardians whimpered and groaned in agony as the barrier that held them prisoner shrunk more.
"Struggle all you want, but it'll only make the pain worse," laughed Kunzite. "You should just give up now!"
"Don't listen to him!" shouted a voice. "No matter how hopeless things may seem, you must never give up!"
Everyone looked around in surprise.
"That voice again!" growled Zoisite. "Who are you?! Show yourself!"
"Wait! I know that voice!" gasped Luna. "Could it be...?!"
Then suddenly, from above, the same beam of light shot forth and hit right on top of Kunzite's hands, forcing him to hold his hand in pain and at the same time breaking the barrier that surrounded the other guardians. Zoisite quickly rushed over, worried about his comrade. Then they, along with everyone else in the area, looked up and saw where the blast originated. There stood a young girl with long blonde hair with a red bow on top and wore the same outfit as the Sailor Guardians, only the colors were orange, and the bow in the center was blue with a yellow gem. Not only that, but she also had a yellow crescent moon mark in the center of her forehead and sported red glasses. Everyone immediately knew what this girl was.
"No way! A fifth sailor guardian?!" exclaimed Kunzite.
At that moment, Solaris felt another sharp pain going through his mind making him yell as he held his head in agony as he saw the vision once again. Like before, he saw the castle under the stars, but now he could see it more clearly. He also saw the young man kneeling before a woman, but now he could see the woman's hair color was silver and just like Usagi's. He also saw the young man let out a cry of battle as he charged toward the same evil-looking woman wielding a staff; only her face was in full view. She had long red hair, a black tiara on her forehead, and gleaming red eyes. The young warrior also had tears trickling down his face as he swung his blade in anger. The vision then stopped.
Solaris breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. "Not again..." he panted. "That same vision..."
The unknown Sailor then leaped down and stood before them.
"I am the fifth and final, Pretty Guardian who fights for justice," she said as she took off her red glasses. "I am Sailor Venus!"
Sailor Moon and the other guardians continued to stare at her, not believing what they saw or heard. Sailor Moon stared intently at Venus, feeling she was someone she knew. Then she realized.
"Hold on... you're - you're Sailor V, aren't you?!" she asked.
Then a white cat appeared next to Sailor Venus, having a crescent moon mark just like her and Luna.
"That's right," the white cat spoke. "This girl is known as Sailor V, the guardian of justice! But her true identity is known by two names! One is the Pretty Guardian, Sailor Venus! And the other is the princess of the Moon Kingdom, the royal successor of the Imperium Silver Cyrstal, Princess Serenity!"
Everyone eyes widened in shock as they stared at Sailor Venu
Luna gasped upon seeing the white cat, knowing who it was."Artemis! Is that you?"
The white cat smiled. "Long time, no see, Luna! Sorry, we're late!"
Zoisite and Kunzite slowly began backing away now that there were six guardians to handle. While Kunzite was still reeling in pain, Zoisite stood in front, acting as his shield.
"Stay back, you pests!" he hissed. "I'll make you all of you all pay for hurting Kunzite!"
The guardians glared at the two Kings of Heaven, not wanting to back down. Zoisite prepared himself for a fight, but then, Queen Beryl's voice echoed in their minds.
"Zoisite! Kunzite! Cease all operations and retreat! There's been a change of plans!"
Kunzite and Zoisite were surprised.
"But why my queen?!" demanded Zoisite. "We were-."
"Silence! You will do as ordered!" Queen Beryl boomed.
Zoisite and Kunzite were still reluctant, but they had no other choice but to obey. They then turned to the guardians.
"So, it seems like you win this battle, for now, guardians," growled Kunzite. "But we shall return!"
"And make no mistake, you will all pay for what you did!" Zoisite spoke coldly. "Especially you, Sailor Venus and Solaris!"
Then the two vanished, retreating into the Dark Kingdom. At the same time, unknown to anyone, Tuxedo Mask slipped away into the night, not wanting to be seen.
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The guardians and the two cats all regrouped close by the lighthouse a few minutes afterward, with Sailor Venus and Artemis their newest additions.
"The team is now complete," Artemis spoke proudly. "The six guardians and the both of the cats are finally back together!"
"Yeah. And we welcome you to the team, Sailor Venus," said Sailor Jupiter.
Sailor Venus smiled. "Looking forward to working with you guys," she said. "I'm happy to be here."
The guardians were pleased that Sailor Venus was now a part of their team. But Solaris, however, remained silent. He was still feeling a bit overwhelmed due to his vision, but he felt perplexed. Not because of what Sailor V said about being a sailor guardian, but what she said afterward.
"Um... excuse me, Sailor Venus," he spoke. "Pardon for being so forward and everything, but... is it true? Are you the Moon Princess?"
Sailor Venus looked at Solaris and smiled.