"SUNSHINE METEOR!"
"TAKE THIS!"
"SOLARIS NOVA FLARE!"
"DOWN YOU GO!"
Solaris took down enemy after enemy using his attacks and his fighting moves. Then suddenly, just as he had finished another enemy, he heard a voice crying, one that was all too familiar to him. He then turned around to see Usagi and Mamoru not too far away from him, Usagi in tears, and Mamoru cold and expressionless.
"Mamoru! Why?! Why don't you love me anymore?!" Usagi wailed.
"Because I don't like weak women," Mamoru spoke coldly. "Farewell."
And he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Usagi to sink to her knees as she began to cry. Solaris seeing this, rushed over to try and help her, but as quick as she was there, Usagi seemed to fade away into the darkness. Then, as he looked around, trying to figure out where Usagi could have gone, his bracelet suddenly began to glow bright with light until it slowly began to fade away until it went completely dark.
At that moment, Solaris' armor began to disappear piece by piece. First his boots, then his gloves, after that, his chest piece, and finally his helmet. Even the spandex of his armor disappeared. Soon enough, Solaris was now Harusuke as he looked at his bracelet in shock.
"No! What's happened?! My bracelet's not working!" Harusuke cried.
At that moment, he saw something that made his eyes go wide with disbelief. He could see Usagi once again, but instead of her being her civilian self, she was now wearing her attire as Princess Serenity, who was staring wistfully into space. She looked towards Harusuke and smiled kindly at him.
"U-Usagi? I-I mean, Serenity? What are you doing here?" wondered Harusuke. "Do you know why-"
Then suddenly, at that moment, Princess Serenity looked away as a massive explosion ripped through the area, swallowing her up inside its fires and rubble. Harusuke was horrified but didn't have time to cry out for his beloved sister, as the explosion took him too. As he screamed in agony from it, he then heard a voice that seemed to ring throughout his mind.
"For every star that dies, a new one is born, and that star will shine the way to the path of light that will illuminate the world..."
Harusuke opened his eyes and could see himself falling. He failed his arms around, trying to grab hold of something to stop himself, but he just kept on falling until the darkness swallowed him.
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Harusuke woke up with a start shooting up from his bed. He looked around, wondering if he was still in his room. When he realized he was, he wiped the sweat from his brow and sat up, sitting on the edge of his bed.
"Damn it, not another freaky dream," Harusuke sighed. "Can't I just have a normal one like everybody else?"
He then looked next to his desk. On top of it was his bracelet, which still had a large crack on it. He picked it up with his hand and stared at it while remembering what Luna and Artemis told him the other day. The thought alone made sadness well up in his heart as he thought back.
"No... it wasn't a dream," Harusuke said to himself. "I... can't transform anymore. If I do - I'll most likely die. So, I can't be a guardian anymore."
At that moment, Harusuke heard a voice call out from outside of his room.
"Harusuke! It's time for breakfast!"
It was, of course, Ikuko, so Harusuke got up from his bed and got ready to go about his day, but not before placing his damaged bracelet on his desk once again. He still had some lingering sentimentality, but he decided to leave it there as he left his room.
After all, he wasn't a guardian anymore.
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After getting dressed and freshening up, Harusuke came down the stairs and joined his family in the dining room a little while later. Kenji had already left, and Shingo had gone with some friends, leaving himself and the girls in his family. As he sat at the table, between Chibiusa and Usagi, he couldn't help but still feel depressed. Ikuko was quick to notice.
"Harusuke, is something the matter, son?" asked Ikuko. "You look a bit down."
Harusuke looked up and put on a fake smile. "Oh, it's nothing, Mom. I didn't sleep well last night, is all," he lied. "So, it's natural that I look a little gloomy."
"Maybe some breakfast ought to perk you up," said Ikuko, as she placed breakfast on the table. "After all, you can't start your day on an empty stomach."
"Thanks a bunch, Mom," thanked Harusuke. "I appreciate it."
As Harusuke began to eat, Usagi couldn't help but feel worried about her brother, about yesterday. She knew that he was feeling a bit depressed, but she had no idea how to cheer him up or help him. Then she looked across to Luna and spoke quietly to her.
"Luna, isn't there something we can do to help, Harusuke?" wondered Usagi. "He looks so down."
"Unfortunately, there isn't," Luna whispered back. "Artemis and I tried to take a look at it, but unfortunately, there's nothing we can do."
"Hey, Usagi? What are you muttering about over there?" asked Chibiusa. "Are you talking to your cat or something?"
Usagi and Luna flinched, and Usagi quickly sat up and saw Chibiusa staring curiously at her with a raised brow. Usagi immediately thought up a lie.
"Oh, don't mind me! I was, uh, thinking of something while talking to myself," Usagi lied.
"Oh, good grief. I thought that you were weird enough before, but now I'm starting to think that you're just plain crazy," Chibiusa said snootily.
Usagi then scowled. "You better watch yourself, Chibiusa! It's none of your business anyway!"
Chibiusa responded by making an akanbe face at Usagi, which made her even more annoyed at Chibiusa. As the two gazed grimly at each other, Harusuke then got up, half his breakfast eaten.
"I'll excuse myself now," Harusuke said. "Thank you for the food. I'll be in my room."
Ikuko, Usagi, and Chibiusa watched as Harusuke left the room and went up upstairs.
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At the Hikawa Shrine, the girls all met up, per Usagi's request.
"So, Harusuke's been feeling a little depressed?" wondered Makoto.
"Yeah, I think the whole issue with his bracelet's got him shaken up," said Usagi. "For the moment, he's been staying in his room back at home."
"Poor guy. I can't blame him," said Ami. "Since he's not a Guardian anymore, we'll be losing a pretty strong ally. It's honestly a shame."
"No kidding," agreed Usagi. "Harusuke's always strived to protect us and always took his duty as a Guardian seriously. However, now that he isn't a Guardian anymore, I'm starting to wonder if he's starting to feel useless now."
"Maybe this is a good thing for him," suggested Rei. "After all, while it is admirable that he's willing to do everything to protect us and everyone else in Juuban, he's been pushing himself way too hard lately. Especially after what happened between you and Mamoru, Usagi."
Usagi looked across to Rei. "Rei, you're not saying that Harusuke should just quit being a Guardian completely, do you?!"
"I'm only saying that maybe it's time for Harusuke to take a break," said Rei. "You know, take some time off from being a Guardian."
"Yeah, that's a good idea, Rei," said Minako. "Harusuke deserves to have a break, especially after that ordeal he went through with that monster thing a while back, so maybe it's time he has a day of relaxation."
"I agree," said Ami. "Maybe we could do something for him to help him relax. Does anyone have any ideas?"
Everyone then took a few seconds to think about what they could do for Harusuke. Then Usagi had an idea.
"Hey, wait! I may have an idea to help, Harusuke!" Usagi said as she began to explain her plan.
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In the UFO above Juuban, Rubeus was gazing at the projection of the Crystal Tokyo, trying to locate another crystal point to corrupt. At that moment, it suddenly disappeared and was replaced by one of the Wise Man.
"Great Wizard Wiseman," said Rubeus.
"Rubeus, have you killed the Rabbit and located the Silver Crystal yet?" asked the Wiseman.
"Not yet. For some reason, both have been very elusive from our sights," replied Rubeus. "And to add to that, we've been having some difficulty corrupting the crystal points ."
"And why is that?" wondered the Wiseman.
"Based on the reports from Koan and Berthier, the ones responsible for this are two beings known as Sailor Moon and Solaris," said Rubeus. "So far, they've been able to not only stop us from taking the crystal points, but they also seem to be protecting the Rabbit."
The Wiseman hummed in a very low growl. "This is most unfortunate," he said. "I predict that those two will cause great trouble for the Black Moon Clan. Therefore, you must make sure to dispose of them as quickly as possible. Otherwise, they will continue to interfere."
"Don't worry, Great Wise Man," reassured Rubeus. "I'm already taking measures to handle them, so leave it to the Spectre Sisters and me. We won't fail you."
"Make sure that you don't," said the Wise Man. "However, I foresee that in the future, something will appear that will hinder our plans even further. If you don't stop it, the light of the stars shall bring the Black Moon to ruin."
The projection of the Wise Man then disappeared. Rubeus then turned looked towards the window that gave him a good view of the town of Juuban below.
"Calaveras? Are you here?" Rubeus called out.
At that moment, the girl with brown hair in a bun appeared just behind Rubeus.
"You summoned me, Rubeus?" Calaveras asked.
"I want you to summon a droid and search for the Rabbit and the Silver Crystal," said Rubeus. "If you encounter Sailor Moon and Solaris, I want you to do whatever it takes to kill them. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Master Rubeus," acknowledged Calaveras. "But must I? I was just about to start doing my hair and makeup."
"You will do as told," Rubeus spoke coldly. "Or else."
Calaveras sighed. "Oh, alright. I'll do it, but it's going to be a total drag."
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Harusuke was sitting in his room, staring up at the ceiling, trying his best to keep his mind off of things. He tried to do his homework but ended up completing it all. He tried to study, but he practically knew what he learned by heart. He tried to think about anything other than his damaged bracelet, but it didn't work. His damaged bracelet kept popping back into his mind keeping him in low spirits.
"Geez, I just can't seem to get it out of my mind," sighed Harusuke. "No matter what I do, I can't seem to get it out of my mind."
"Sounds like you're still feeling a bit depressed," said a voice.
Harusuke looked up and, standing on the window sill, was Luna.
"Oh, it's you, Luna," Harusuke spoke.
Luna jumped off the window, walked on the floor, and hopped onto Harusuke's bed. "You're still thinking about not being a Guardian anymore, are you?"
"How could I not be, Luna?" Harusuke said. "I've never even considered not being a Guardian anymore."
He then picked up his bracelet and stared at it as he continued.
"Ever since I became a Guardian in the first place, I've always thought that, well, it'd be natural. Something I was born to do," Harusuke went on. "I mean, I've always looked out for Usagi and protected her whenever she needed me. So naturally, I took my responsibility as a Guardian seriously, vowing to do whatever it took to protect her and everyone else when they came. However, I'm not sure if I can protect her or anyone else anymore. As I am now, I can't do anything. Without my powers as Solaris, what good am I? A liability?"
Luna then went to Harusuke's side and nuzzled against his hip, purring affectionately.
"Harusuke, a Guardian's true strength doesn't come from his or her powers or abilities," Luna spoke quietly. "It's the size of his heart and courage, and out of all the Guardians I've seen, you by far have the most courage and the most heart, befitting someone from the royal family of the Moon. Granted, you always have a habit of jumping the gun at times, but you always have good intentions."
Harusuke looked down at Luna. "Do you honestly think that?" he asked.
"Of course I do," smiled Luna. "Yes, you may have lost your powers, but that doesn't make you useless. Sure, you can't fight as a Guardian, so that would make you a liability, but you can help out Usagi and the Guardians in other ways. You need to think of ways is all. Until then, you could use this time to relax for a while. Live a normal life, you know."
Harusuke looked back at the bracelet in his hand for a few seconds, then he placed it on his desk and scratched Luna behind her ears, smiling.
"How is it that you always know just what to say to make me feel better?" Harusuke chuckled. "I swear, you're like my second Mom, Luna."
Luna purred from Harusuke's scratches as she lightly chuckled. "Well, someone's got to pick you back up when you're down."
Then at that moment, there was a knock on the door, which caught Harusuke's attention. The door suddenly opened, and Usagi appeared in the doorway.
"Hey there, Harusuke. Are you busy at the moment?" Usagi asked.
"No. Not really," replied Harusuke. "What's up, Sis?"
"Well, I was wondering if you'd do me a favor as a good brother should," said Usagi.
Harusuke raised a brow, feeling a bit puzzled, but he decided to humor her as he got up from his bed.
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Meanwhile, in another part of Juuban, Calaveras was in casual wear, a long sleeve black shirt with black pants, searching the Rabbit and the Silver Crystal. But all she could see so far were the many people walking around. Then she came to a stop just in front of an open alleyway.
"The Rabbit doesn't seem to be anywhere around here," Calaveras said to herself. "Oh, well. I suppose I'll have to have a droid search for her."
She then looked up ahead of her in the darkness of the alley.
"Now, Droid, come forth."
A shadow then appeared just behind her. "You summoned, Calaveras?"
"Yes, I want you to search for the Rabbit around this town," Calaveras said. "And if you see Sailor Moon and Solaris, make sure to kill them. I'm not too thrilled about this lousy mission anyway. So instead, I'm going to go try what these humans call a salon."
"As you command," the shadow said. "I will not fail you."
The shadow then set to work fulfilling her mission, not wanting to fail her master as she disappeared.
At the same time, Harusuke happened to be walking in town with someone that he last expected to be with, Chibiusa. Harusuke honestly didn't know why, but for some reason, Usagi wanted him to take Chibiusa around town and have some fun with her. Harusuke didn't expect something like this, and at first, was going to decline, but Usagi insisted, telling him that this was an excellent opportunity to get to know her, as did Luna. Harusuke still wasn't sure, but then Ikuko overheard and thought that this was a good idea and insisted he'd go with her, despite him not being sure if he was up for the task. Harusuke couldn't help but still feel a little worried as they walked around.
"I'm still a bit worried about Chibiusa," Harusuke thought to himself. "If she does, I don't know if I'm going to be able to protect her."
He then reached into his pocket and felt a familiar item inside it. The communicator that all of the Sailor Guardians used.
"It's a good thing Luna gave me one of these communicators just in case," Harusuke continued to think. "Well, I can use it in case of an emergency, but I feel so naked without my bracelet."
On the other hand, Chibiusa was looking forward to getting out of the house for a bit, but she had other things on her mind. Particularly the Silver Crystal.
"This guy's supposed to be Usagi's older brother," Chibiusa thought to herself. "Unlike Usagi, he seems to be more responsible than she is, so this could be a good opportunity for me to find out if he knows where the Silver Crystal could be."
"So, Harusuke, where are we going?" asked Chibiusa. "Anywhere fun?"
Harusuke flinched. "O-Oh. Let's see; nothing comes to mind," Harusuke said. "Give me a second to think about it."
He crossed his arms and thought, what would a kid like Chibiusa like to do for fun. Then he took notice of the Game Center arcade, which was not too far away from them. Then he walked towards the arcade with Chibiusa following and went inside. There were many people inside, playing various arcade games and prize games. When they walked in, Harusuke wasn't exactly sure if this was the best place for Chibiusa to hang out, but that soon changed when he looked at her. Chibiusa's eyes sparkled with wonder and amazement, and her eyes were brimming with curiosity.
"Harusuke, what is this place?" wondered Chibiusa. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Seriously? That's a surprise," said Harusuke. "This is the Game Center Crown arcade. You can play games and do all sorts of stuff in here. I know that this isn't the best place to have fun, but..."
Chibiusa's eyes continued to sparkle with wonder as she gazed at all the games that lay before her eyes, but then she quickly recollected herself, pretending not to be interested.
"O-Oh. I see," Chibiusa said, turning away. "Well, I suppose that's interesting. I guess."
Harusuke then smiled. "Do you want to play these games, Chibiusa? They're a lot of fun."
"N-No, thank you," Chibiusa said, turning away huffily. "I'm not a little kid, you know. I wouldn't be interested in something as childish as these dumb things."
Harusuke then chuckled. "Really? That's such a shame," he said, pretending to be disappointed. "I happen to love these games very much, and here I was hoping to help you win at some of them. I was even going to show you how to win at a particular one, the one that gives a lot of candy.
Chibiusa's hair practically perked up when she heard Harusuke mention the word candy. Her face seemed to scrunch up as if she was trying hard to resist, but in the end, she caved in.
"O-OK. I suppose I could play some of these games, but don't expect me to enjoy them," Chibiusa conceded. "After all, I-I'm not a kid, you know."
"You don't have to be a kid to enjoy a game, Chibiusa," chuckled Harusuke. "Now then, how's about I show you the ropes and have a little fun?"
As the two went over to the games, they were unaware that a familiar white cat was watching over the two, making sure that the two would be safe.
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Back with Usagi and the others, they were all Downtown Juuban, shopping and browsing around per Usagi's plan. They were planning a surprise for Harusuke.
"This was a great idea, Usagi," said Rei. "I never would have thought you of all people would have a good idea for once."
"Can it, Rei! I always have good ideas!" Usagi lightly snapped.
"Either way, it's sweet of you to think of something like this for Harusuke," said Ami. "Although, do you have any idea what we should give him?"
Usagi then paused, at a loss for words. "Well, I honestly didn't think that far ahead, to be honest," she conceded awkwardly.
The other girls sighed.
"So much for your great idea, Usagi," Rei spoke, shaking her head.
"Well, we could give him something like cologne or something," suggested Minako. "Then again, Harusuke doesn't seem to be the type of guy that would want something like that."
"Say, Usagi? Do you know anything specific that Harusuke would like?" asked Makoto.
Usagi hummed thoughtfully. "Well, let's see. He likes studying and cooking, he likes video games, but not as much as I do, he reads books and likes to soak in the bath. Oh! And he likes sushi!"
"Maybe we can make him a little care package," suggested Makoto. "You know, give him one big present with a little something from each of us as a way of saying thanks."
"Well, that would be ideal if it was his birthday," said Rei. "But we should probably save that for later. We're trying to get him something to cheer him up."
"I'm sure that we'll find something for him eventually," said Ami. "We'll just have to look around the stores until we can find something that's perfect for him."
"Yeah, so let's go window browsing!" cheered Usagi. "Let's keep looking until we can find the perfect gift for Harusuke!"
The girls were taken aback by Usagi's enthusiasm but cheered along with her, albeit a little awkwardly.
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Harusuke and Chibiusa were having a good time playing arcade games. They played fighting games, racing games, and even some prize games. Harusuke gave Chibiusa some pointers on winning at those games; sometimes they would win, sometimes they would lose, but they had lots of fun whatever the game.
At the moment, Chibiusa was playing the Sailor V video game, concentrating hard on winning, while Harusuke watched her from afar. Harusuke couldn't help but enjoy watching Chibiusa as she continued to play. Then Motoki came up.
"Hey there, Harusuke," Motoki greeted. "Never imagined you of all people would be hanging around in here."
"Oh, hi, Motoki," Harusuke greeted back.
Motoki then saw Chibiusa playing the Sailor V video game. "Who's that kid?" he wondered. "She a sister of yours?"
"Kind of, that's Chibiusa," said Harusuke. "She's... a relative of ours, and she's staying at our place for a bit."
"Ah, I figured as much," said Motoki. "Now that I think about it, she does bear some resemblance to Usagi."
Motoki then went over to where Chibiusa was playing, and suddenly his eyes went wide with disbelief.
"N-No way, this is crazy!" Motoki cried. "This girl's already getting close to the high score!"
Harusuke then came over and peered over and saw that Motoki was right. Chibiusa's high score was close to breaking the record and going up against the final boss. Chibiusa pressed the buttons and joggled the joystick, controlling Sailor V as best she could while trying to destroy the boss. Unfortunately, Sailor V's life got lower and lower as she took hit after hit, and Chibiusa began to panic.
"Darn it! I'm almost dead!" Chibiusa cried.
"Stay calm, Chibiusa," Harusuke instructed calmly. "Stay calm, and read your opponent's moves. When you see an opening, attack!"
Chibiusa nodded and did just that. She controlled Sailor V to avoid the boss' attack and fired when she saw an opening. Soon enough, she landed the final blow and defeated the boss.
"Harusuke, I did it!" Chibiusa cheered. "I beat the game!"
"Yeah! I saw!" Harusuke smiled happily. "Nicely done, Kiddo!"
"Way to go, Chibiusa! You just got the highest score ever!" Motoki said with wide eyes. "I don't think anyone made it that far, not even Usagi!"
"I want to play some more!" Chibiusa laughed. "Let's see if there are any more games for me to beat!"
She then came to a prize machine with lots of candy inside it and started to play that game. As she did, Harusuke watched, feeling a sense of pride as well as enjoyment.
"Say, Harusuke. You and Chibiusa were in perfect sync just now," said Motoki. "You two really must be close if you two could beat the big boss."
"Well, it kind of just happened," Harusuke said. "I mean, it was just instinct, you know."
"Guess all those times playing with Usagi paid off," smiled Motoki. "Not only that, but you seem a little bit happier lately."
"You think so?" puzzled Harusuke. "Truth be told, something recent happened, and it's making me second guess myself a bit. I can't say what it is, but it's got me worried on the inside."
"I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle, Harusuke," soothed Motoki patting Harusuke on the shoulder. "Because whatever happens to Usagi, I know that you're going to be there to pick her back up because you're her brother and her hero. Just have a little more faith in yourself."
Harusuke then smiled. "Thanks, Motoki."
Chibiusa then came running up Harusuke, her arms filled with candy.
"Hey, Harusuke! Look at all the sweets I won!" Chibiusa grinned proudly. "Bet you've never seen so much, huh?"
"No, I haven't," Harusuke chuckled. "You got yourself quite the booty there, Kiddo."
"Hey, Chibiusa. What do you say I put all of that in a bag for you?" asked Motoki. "That way, it'll be easier to carry."
"OK," said Chibiusa as she followed Motoki.
As soon as Harusuke was alone, he sat down on a bench to wait for Chibiusa to return. As he waited, he couldn't help but smile a little after hearing Motoki's words.
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After a while, Chibiusa and Harusuke were walking home after Chibiusa had her candy bagged up. Chibiusa was humming a merry little tune as they walked, feeling pleased that she had so much fun. Then she suddenly remembered.
"What the heck am I doing?! I let myself get distracted by playing those games!" Chibiusa scolded herself. "I should be checking to see if Harusuke's the one who has the Silver Crystal!"
Harusuke then spoke to her. "Say, Chibiusa? How are things going for you lately?" he asked. "You adjusting to everything around here?"
Chibiusa flinched a little. "O-Oh! Well, um, yes. Things have been going great," she said, trying to sound neutral. "Thanks for asking."
Harusuke then looked at Chibiusa and smiled. "That's good," he said. "I was worried that since you had Usagi on your butt because of you hypnotizing our family, considering that she spanked you silly."
Chibiusa shivered upon remembering that day, but Harusuke gave her a reassuring pat on her head.
"Don't worry, if she ever tries to do that again, I'll try to hold her back," said Harusuke. "Although, it's going to be hard considering she gets angrier than a bull."
Chibiusa's cheeks tinged pink as she felt a little embarrassed, then she looked up at Harusuke. "Say, Harusuke? How come you're so nice to me?" she asked. "You planning something?"
Harusuke then stopped. "No, but I can see why you would think that," he said. "I mean, you did hypnotize my family and are even causing trouble for Usagi sometimes by fighting with her, but I'm willing to let that slide. You are a kid, after all. Besides, seeing Usagi get angry and spank you like that scared even me, and I'm not usually the one who gets scared."
"Yeah, no kidding," Chibiusa said, instinctively touching her bum. "My butt's still aching just thinking about it."
Harusuke then chuckled, getting onto his haunches. "Then how about you make a promise for me? Promise me that you won't do anything to hurt or, in this case, drug the others, and in exchange, I'll protect you from anything that will cause you harm, including Usagi. OK?"
He then held up a pinky expecting Chibiusa to take it. The little girl hesitated, but after a few seconds, she held up her pinky and linked it with Harusuke's.
"OK then, since you insist," Chibiusa said, looking away. "But I expect you to keep that promise. Those spanks hurt."
Harusuke laughed softly as he, along with Chibiusa, resumed their walk. However, unknown to them, they were being watched. The Droid that Calaveras sent was watching in the shadows from behind the two. When she saw Chibiusa, her eyes glinted with glee as she melted back into the shadows, continuing to follow.
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Eventually, Harusuke and Chibiusa walked until they got close to their house. Chibiusa was still feeling in good spirits as she merrily skipped with her Luna Ball in her hands while Harusuke carried the candy she had won. Soon enough, they arrived at the front door and were just about to enter the house when Harusuke sensed something. Something was following them, and they weren't too far away from where they were. Thinking that it was an enemy, Harusuke then turned to Chibiusa.
"Hey, Kiddo. Why don't you go find a place to hide the candy you won?" Harusuked asked. "I got something I need to do today. I'll catch up with you later."
"Oh. OK then, Harusuke," said Chibiusa. "And thanks for taking me to the arcade today. Let's go over there again sometime."
"Sure thing, Kiddo," Harusuke grinned. "It's a date."
Chibiusa then went inside the house, and Harusuke looked back to where they were walking and carefully made his way down that direction. Whatever was following them was just around the corner, and he was ready to fight whatever was around it.
"Hey, Harusuke."
Harusuke immediately jumped and swung his fist toward wherever the voice was, only to stop inches from hitting a very startled Artemis' as he jumped.
Harusuke then sighed. "Artemis' what's the big idea?! You nearly scared me half to death!"
"Sorry, Harusuke. I didn't mean to startle you," apologized Artemis. "I was just keeping an eye on you and Chibiusa."
"By the way, do you know where Usagi and the others could have gone?" asked Harusuke. "I've noticed that they haven't seen them all day."
"I think they went somewhere downtown for some reason," said Artemis. "I tried asking Minako about it, but she left before I could even ask."
Harusuke sighed. "Oh well. The girls are probably going on a shopping spree or something. Maybe it'd be best to leave them-"
Then suddenly, Harusuke stopped talking as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end as he suddenly looked to his right down the street. Artemis' fur began to stand up on end too.
"Artemis, do you feel that?" asked Harusuke.
"Yeah, I do," said Artemis. "Something's here, and it's not friendly."
"Do you have any idea where it could be?" wondered Harusuke.
"I don't know," said Artemis. "But stay alert. Without our bracelet, you're pretty much a normal human, so there's no chance of you stopping the enemy."
"I know that, Artemis," Harusuke spoke as he looked around. "But we have no idea where the enemy is, so it's not like I-."
At that moment, the shadow crept up just behind Harusuke, coming out from the ground like a blob of darkness, before reforming into a humanoid being that seemed to tower over Harusuke. As its shadow cast over Harusuke, the boy immediately felt his blood run cold as he slowly turned around to face the creature in time for the monster to swipe her claw at him. Reacting quickly, Harusuke immediately jumped out of the way, managing to avoid getting hit.
"Damn it! It looks like the enemy found us!" Harusuke complained.
"Human, tell me where the Rabbit is!" the shadow droid hissed. "I know that you were with her, so tell me now, or I'll kill you!"
"Like I'll ever tell you, Monster!" Harusuke spoke bravely. "You ain't getting a single word out of me!"
"Then I'll just have to kill you!" the shadow droid said, brandishing her claws. "After I do that, I'll just keep searching this area until I find the Rabbit and kill her!"
Harusuke took a stance and was about to raise his hand to transform, but he was quick to realize that he didn't have his bracelet on him.
"Damn it! Guess there's only one thing I can do at the moment," Harusuke thought. "I'm going to have to lead this thing away from the house. That way, Chibiusa and the others won't be in danger." He looked down at the white cat and spoke quietly to the white cat. "Artemis, listen to me. I'm going to lead the Droid away from the house. Tell Luna what's going on and contact the others."
"No, Harusuke! It's too risky!" Artemis whispered back. "There's no way you'll be able to hold out against that thing!"
"Don't argue with me!" Harusuke whispered harshly. "Just do it!" He then addressed the shadow Droid. "Hey! Miss Dark and Gruesome! You want me to lead you to the Rabbit?! Then you're going to have to catch me first!"
Harusuke then bolted, running as fast as his legs could carry him, with the Droid following him in hot pursuit. Artemis was worried, but he didn't have time to worry as he raced off to the house to warn Luna. Harusuke continued to run as the Droid relentlessly pursued him, attacking him with her claws. As he ran, Harusuke took out his communicator and pressed the button. The screen on the communicator was blank for a few seconds, then Usagi's face popped into view.
"Harusuke? What's wrong?" asked Usagi.
"Usagi! I'm in big trouble!" Harusuke panted as he ran. "Another Droid's popped up and is chasing me as we speak!"
Usagi was alarmed. "What?! Another Droid?! Where are you?!"
"We were close to our house after I just dropped off Chibiusa," Harusuke explained as he ran. "I'm leading it away so that it won't attack our family, but I don't know how much longer I can run! So you and the Guardians meet me at - ."
Harusuke was about to tell where he would lead the Droid, but the Droid's claw shot towards him again. As Harusuke dodged the blow, it narrowly shot past him, grazing his hand, making him drop his communicator. Not having enough time to pick it up, Harusuke ran while the Droid chased and attacked him.
Then came more trouble. As Harusuke turned around the corner, he found himself staring at a dead end with no means of escaping. The shadow droid now had him cornered.
"Well, well, well. It looks like someone's a cornered mouse," the shadow droid purred. "Now, you will tell me where the Rabbit is, or die!"
Harusuke slowly backed away as the Droid slowly crept closer like a predator with its prey. He looked around, trying to see if there was some way for him to escape or a weapon to fight back. But, unfortunately, there was nothing that would be of any use to him. He couldn't run, nor could he hide, so there was only one option for him left.
Fight.
He clenched his fists and reached into his pocket, about to pull out something, but then the Droid shot out her arm and then grabbed Harusuke by the throat, squeezing tightly. Harusuke let out a yell in agony, sounding more like a groan as he choked.
"Now, tell me where the Rabbit is, and I'll spare your life!" the shadow droid growled as she squeezed. "Otherwise, I'll squeeze the life out of you."
Harusuke clawed at the Droid's arm while kicking, trying desperately to get her to let go, but the Droid held him tight as she squeezed even more. Then suddenly, something shot down from above, piercing through the Droid's arm, causing her to let go of Harusuke as she howled in pain. As Harusuke fell to the ground, coughing a fit as he gasped for breath, he looked up and saw his rescuer, which was, of course, the man in a tuxedo wearing a white mask.
"T-Tuxedo Mask!" Harusuke gasped.
"You lowly shadow that walks in darkness, how dare you attack this boy?!" Tuxedo Mask spoke as he landed next to Harusuke. "I will not allow you to have your way with him any longer." He then looked back at Harusuke. "Why aren't you transformed?" he asked. "You sure picked a lousy time to stay normal."
"Don't you think I could have done that if I could?" Harusuke snapped lowly. "My bracelet's broken, and now I can't transform. Otherwise, I'll die."
Tuxedo Mask looked back at Harusuke, looking surprised and concerned for a fraction of a second, but he didn't have time to ask anything further as the Droid went on the attack using her limbs to attack. Tuxedo Mask immediately took out his can and, using it as a sword, countered with a few swipes of his own.
"You need to get out of here!" Tuxedo Mask yelled to Harusuke. "If you can't transform, you'll only get in the way!"
Harusuke glared at Tuxedo Mask feeling a bit frustrated, but he knew he was right as he took off running. Tuxedo Mask then continued to fight the Droid using his cane and his roses to fight back. The attacks proved to be effective, but they weren't enough to take down the Droid as she continued to attack the masked man relentlessly until she attacked Tuxedo Mask again with a mighty swipe of her claw.
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Harusuke continued to run until he was far enough away from the area. At that moment, he heard a pair of voices.
"Harusuke!"
"There you are! We were worried about you!"
Luna and Artemis then came running up to him as Harusuke stopped running.
"Don't worry, I'm fine, but I wish I could say the same for Tuxedo Mask!" Harusuke cried. "He's fighting that Droid all by himself, but I don't know how long he'll hold out! Where are the girls?!"
"They're on their way!" said Luna. "We just have to sit tight until they get here!"
There was a loud cry of pain that made everyone jump at that moment. Harusuke knew who the cry belonged to, which made his blood run cold. As he looked back down the way he left Mamoru, Harusuke couldn't help but feel horrified, despite everything the boy did in the past and his current situation, but at the same time, he couldn't do anything without putting his life at risk.
Or could he?
He then dug into his pocket and pulled out something that made Luna and Artemis's eyes widen. In his hand was his cracked bracelet.
"Harusuke! You're not going to do what I think you're going to do?!" Luna cried.
"We told you it's too big of a risk!" Artemis also cried. "You could die if you transform with your bracelet like that!"
"But Mamoru's in trouble!" Harusuke spoke grimly. "Believe me, I want to play it safe, and I'm still angry at him for what he did to Usagi, but... I can't just sit here and do nothing while he's in danger! I have to help him!"
And before Luna and Artemis could dissuade him any further, Harusuke took off running, heading back to the dead-end as he strapped the cracked bracelet to his wrist. His heart was hammering in his chest with fright as he prepared himself mentally for what he was about to do, but he remembered Luna's words about his real courage and Motoki's words about being a hero.
"I know that I could die from doing this, but I have to!" Harusuke thought. "There's no way I'm going to stand idly by while someone's in trouble when I could have done something to prevent it! I'm a Guardian, and if I'm going to die, I might as well go out with a bang!"
"Harusuke! Stop! You can't do this!"
"We're begging you! Don't do it!"
Harusuke could hear Luna and Artemis just behind him, no doubt chasing him to stop him from transforming, but Harusuke shut out their voices as he clenched his fist, bracing himself while saying a silent prayer. Then he raised his fist high into the air and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"SOLAR GUARDIAN POWER FLARE UP!"
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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.
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Tuxedo Mask was trying his best to fend off the Droid, but the Droid proved too strong and quick for him as she landed a couple of blows on him. And considering that he was only human, those blows did some damage. Now Tuxedo Mask was cornered. The shadow droid closed in for the kill, preparing to strike.
"Now, you die!" the shadow droid yelled as she raised her claw.
"SUNSHINE METEOR!"
At that moment, a golden blast of light shot out and hit the Droid, sending her to the ground reeling in pain. Tuxedo Mask looked up, his eyes going wide, for up above standing just behind him was Solaris.
"Hey, Shadowy and gruesome! I'm not going to stand by while you hurt that man!" Solaris proclaimed while striking a pose. "Who knows where in the depths of darkness you came from, but you're not welcome here! I am the knight, the brilliance of the sun, and the courage of a warrior who fights for love and justice! I am Solaris! And in the name of the sun with my blinding rays, I'll scorch you!"
The Droid then got up and glared at Solaris. "So, you're Solaris! I should have known you'd shown up! However, it works for me because now I can kill you for the Black Moon Clan!"
The Droid pounced, only for Solaris to jump out of the way over her head landed behind her. Then with a loud yell, he punched the Droid square on her back, sending her flat on her face. Solaris then looked back.
"Tuxedo Mask! I'll need your help to take down this thing!" Solaris said.
"But didn't you say that you'll die if you transformed?!" Tuxedo Mask spoke.
Solaris was about to say that he'd be fine, but then his bracelet began to spark like before. He felt the same pain wrack his body as his armor began to wane and warp, showing parts of his human self, but he gritted his teeth and stayed strong.
"D-Don't worry! I'll be fine!" Solaris spoke, trying not to cry out. "Besides, we got bigger things to worry about! I don't know how long I can keep this up, so we have to be fast!"
Solaris then felt another wave of pain hit his body, and his armor began to wane and warp even more as he cried out in agony, but he clenched his fist and focused desperately, trying not to pass out.
"Come on! Keep it together!" Solaris told himself. "Just ignore the pain!"
"Tuxedo Mask! I'm going to use whatever strength I have to take this thing down!" Solaris said. "I'll need you to keep it busy so that I can concentrate!"
"But, Solaris, it's too risky!" Tuxedo Mask said. "If you stay as Solaris any longer, you'll die!"
"I don't care!" Solaris snapped. "The only thing that matters to me is protecting Juuban and its people! Especially you and Chibiusa! Now hurry and get going! Now hurry up!"
Solaris then clenched his fist and began charging up his energy making his fist glow in bright light. At the same time, the Droid got back up on her feet and looked back at the two glaring daggers. Tuxedo Mask then shot forward, rapidly piercing the Droid right in the midsection with his cane.
Solaris ' armor was crackling and sparking along with his bracelet as he continued to charge up his attack. His armor began to fluctuate again, going back to his civilian form before returning to normal, and the pain intensified, but he didn't stop.
"Damn it; this is worse than any other pain I've felt before! I feel like I'm going to pass out!" Solaris thought. "But... I've got to do this! For Chibiusa's sake as well as my family! I promised to protect her, and I'm not going to break it! Even if I have to die!"
With a mighty yell despite the pain, Solaris charged even more power into his fist until he was ready to attack. "Tuxedo Mask! Get out of the way!" he yelled.
Tuxedo Mask immediately jumped out of the way as Solaris unleashed a powerful blast of light from his hand.
"SOLARIS NOVA FLARE!"
The Droid looked up in time to see the blast shooting straight for her, and before she could react, the attack incinerated her, reducing her to a pile of ashes with a blackened gem in the middle. At the same time, Sailor Moon and the other Guardians arrived on the scene, hearing all the commotion.
"Solaris!" Sailor Moon gasped. "You're...!"
Solaris then looked at Sailor Moon and weakly gave her a thumbs up. Then he fell to his knees, and his armor dissipated as he dropped to his fours, still feeling the shocks of pain. At that same time, the bracelet gave one more crackle and spark and snapped in two. The Guardians and the cats then rushed over to the boy.
"Harusuke! Are you alright?!" asked Sailor Jupiter.
"My body feels like it's on fire, I've got a pounding headache, and I feel like I'm going to pass out," replied Harusuke, wincing. "But other than that... meh."
"What on earth were you thinking?!" Sailor Moon scolded. "You knew that you've could have been killed by transforming!"
"I... didn't have a choice... nor did I have time," Harusuke panted. "The Droid almost found out where we lived, and Tuxedo Mask was risking his neck to save me. So I had to do something."
Sailor Mars then picked up the bracelet. "Well, if there was any chance to fix this bracelet, there's no chance now."
"I'm afraid Sailor Mars is right," said Luna. "Now, Harusuke's completely out of the fight now."
"It's alright, Luna. I was well aware of the risk, but it was worth it," Harusuke spoke. "I mean, I wasn't going to be a Guardian anymore anyway, so I guess I went out with a bang, right?"
"Indeed you have," Artemis said. "Now, you deserve a well-earned rest."
Wearily, Harusuke agreed with the white cat.
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It was already evening by the time Harusuke and the others made it back to the Tsukino residence. Harusuke was holding the broken pieces of the bracelet in his hand, feeling a slight hint of remorse.
"It is over for me now, isn't it?" Harusuke asked quietly. "I'm no longer a Guardian."
"Harusuke, you did what you had to do to save Chibiusa and your family," said Makoto squeezing his shoulder. "If it weren't for you, things would have been worse."
"Makoto's right," said Ami. "And what's more, you also saved Mamoru, too. You might not think so, but what you did was very admirable."
"I feel like this was my fault," Usagi said, feeling a little guilty. "If we had shown up just a bit earlier, you never would have lost your powers like this."
Harusuke looked at his bracelet for a few seconds longer and then looked at his friends and his sister with a smile and hugged Usagi. "It's alright. I don't blame you at all, Usagi. I decided to take the risk, and I'm glad that everyone came out alright. Which reminds me, where did you guys go, anyway?"
Usagi and the other girls looked at each other; then, Rei spoke up.
"Well, we were trying to find a way to cheer you up," she said. "So we were window browsing downtown."
"We hated seeing you look so down, so we all tried to find something to give you," said Minako. "But in the end, we end up getting something that was pretty cheap."
Usagi then presented Harusuke with a small bag. Harusuke took the bag and opened it. Inside was another bracelet, colored gold, had small silver squares that ran along the length, and a small clip held it together. Harusuke was surprised as he looked at Usagi and his friends.
"It doesn't have any powers or anything, but we figured that since you'd feel awkward without wearing one, you'd want to wear one still," said Usagi. "It was the cheapest we could find. Do you like it?"
Harusuke looked at the bracelet; then, he looked at Usagi and the others frowning.
"No. I don't like it," Harusuke spoke.
The girls were disappointed, but then Harusuke's frown turned into a big smile as he went over to his friends and wrapped his arms around them, trying to hug them all at once.
"I love it!" Harusuke cried. "This is the sweetest thing you girls ever did for me!"
"Really?! You like it?!" Usagi asked eagerly.
"Of course, I do!" Harusuke said. "Granted, I'm going to miss the first one, but this one is a lot more meaningful because it's from all of you."
The girls' faces lit up, and they all returned the hug in earnest. Harusuke then put the bracelet on his right wrist and showed it to them.
"It fits perfectly," smiled Minako. "Not to mention that it looks good on you."
As Harusuke and the other girls kept admiring Harusuke's bracelet, Luna and Artemis watched on from afar, feeling happy, but we were also feeling a bit worried.
"I'm grateful that Harusuke didn't die, but now he's out of the fight for good now," Artemis spoke to Luna.
"Yeah, which means that Usagi and the others are going to have to handle the enemy by themselves," said Luna. "Not to mention that they now have to protect Harusuke as well." She then smiled. "But I don't think we should be worried, right? After all, as long as we have Usagi and the guardians protecting him, everything will be OK."
"I suppose so, but the new enemy is stronger than anything we've faced before," said Artemis. "Which mean Usagi and the others have to get stronger too."
As Usagi's group continued to talk and chat, Harusuke's new bracelet glistened with the sunset making the gold shine and the silver twinkle.