Note: this story is the sequel to Eternal Love, and picks up from there. Read it and the story to which it is a sequel to understand what is going on in this story. The Real Threat by: Prince Darien Prologue: Serena awoke to find herself in her school uniform, but she was not in school. Instead, she was in her very own house. She looked at her clock. It was one o’clock in the morning. She had no idea how she got in her house, or why she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was being is history class, and then this. Serena rose from her bed, and walked to her window. She was shocked to see a different neighborhood that was not hers. She then looked around, and found that the house she was in was not the one she thought it was. She had never seen this house before. It was weird, she was in a totally strange place, yet she felt no fear. "Serena," called a low voice from somewhere in the house. The voice was unidentifiable. It sounded like a whisper, but from where? "Who are you?" Serena asked. "……I’m not you," replied the voice. "Where are you?" "……I’m everywhere. Look around." Serena was more frightened than she ever thought possible. She looked around, and tried to find the voice’s origin. This was futile, because it came from a different direction every time. "What do you want?" "Only one thing." The voice now seemed to come from everywhere, and had an echo to it. "Guess what it is?" A shadow appeared in front of her, and then everything was black for a second… Serena shot up in her bed. She was relieved to find out that she had only been dreaming. But there was something different about this dream, aside from the fact that it scared the crap out of her. Somehow, it seemed more real than any other dream she had ever had. Serena got out of bed, and walked over to her window. This bothered Luna, as the act made the sleepy cat move. Serena looked out her window, and saw the beautiful night sky, complete with full moon and shining stars. This made her at peace. "Serena," said the little black cat known as Luna. "Is something the matter?" Serena looked at the brilliant night sky a little while before answering. The time span was about ten or fifteen seconds. "No. I just…had a bad dream. That’s all." "Do you want to talk about it?" "No. There’s nothing to talk about." Luna’s only thought was "uh-oh, Serena’s keeping something inside, and it’s gonna blow up sooner or later". Serena just kept staring out into the night sky, not knowing what to think. Darien Shields walked along the sidewalk, wearing a black shirt, blue jeans, and a black overcoat. He was taking a walk for one reason: he had to get out of his apartment. It was being fumigated, and he really didn’t want a bunch of toxins getting in the way of oxygen, and other essentials of life. The bad thing was, he had to find a place to stay for the night. He had thought about Serena’s house, but then he thought of her father. Darien started receiving images of…something. He darted into an alleyway, so he wouldn’t look stupid by standing on a sidewalk with his eyes closed. He stood there, in the alleyway, trying to make the images go away. But they would not. He kept seeing fog, a shadow, and a dead Serena in front of him. He tried to keep his eyes open, but they seemed to close by themselves, as if some other force was controlling him. A lone figure stood, at a full height of eight feet and seven inches. The figure was that of a male, but not a human. It was the thing that was sending the messages to Serena and Darien. "First, Katarina, then Lord Perro. Well, now they must answer to me." The thing’s eyes began glowing white. "Death to the Sailor Soldiers, and to Tuxedo Mask!" To Be Continued…… Chapter 1 The creature that was at dismay over the recent defeat of his minions was looking at a picture of Serena and Darien. The creature was that of a blood-stealing parasite that dwelled in the dark. The creature was that of pure evil, and would stab anyone’s back, given the proper opportunity. The creature was none other than a vampire. But, not just any vampire. He was the kind that would make Dracula keel over. He was the grossest creature imaginable. He was also the most conniving creature in the world. His name: Antrosis. However, when in a human form (used when out at night), he went by the name of Antonio, because in human form, he looked like he was from Mexican descent. Antrosis knew how to bring any human to his/her knees. He also how to win them over, or kill them, for that matter. His followers were completely under his spell, and would do anything for him. As Antrosis stared at the picture of Serena and Darien, he beckoned one of his followers to come forth. "Anton. Come here." A smaller vampire stepped out of the shadows. "Yes, master?" "Anton, where did you get this picture?" "I obtained it from a human who is under my spell, master." "Which human is this?" "Her name is Laura Payne. She is a new student at Crossroads High School. She is a new friend of Sailor Moon, a.k.a. Serena. Laura saw her transform in a battle…"I know who she is, and I don’t want you to repeat it. Right now my only goal is to kill her." "You could always bite her on the neck." "Anton, when I want a suggestion from you, I’ll give it to you." "Of course, master." Antrosis walked into the shadows. "Anton, I want you to bring Laura here. I would like to meet her." "She will be here shortly, master." Anton disappeared in a puff of smoke. - Serena and Amy were sitting in world history class. They were listening to some boring lecture, but Amy found it interesting. Amy could find anything interesting, though, as long as it had an educational value. Serena, however, was thinking of everything that had happened over the past year. She had seen Darien kill himself, and come back from the dead (again). She had also battled the son of Satan. She had also battled two demons who were on a mission, which raised another problem. The thing that had sent the two demons was still out there. But what was it? "And that concludes today’s notes," said the professor. "Take this time to study for next week’s final exam. Remember, It will be worth forty percent of your grade." At this time, the bell rang. And, as that was the last class of the day, Serena was thrilled. One less day of school left. "Hey, Amy," Serena said once the two girls walked out of the school. "Whatcha wanna do today?" "I’ve got to study for the final. If I don’t I won’t get a good grade." ‘Oh, yeah, you might have to settle for a 90,’ Serena thought. "Well, OK. I’ll see-ya later." "See-ya." Amy and Serena went their separate ways. Antrosis was pleased to see his minion Anton appear with the human called Laura Payne. He walked closer to her, but not as himself. Antrosis had taken his human form. He was a vampire, true enough, but he did not want to scare the crap out of a potential ally. "So, you say you know the true identity of Sailor Moon?" Antrosis asked Laura. "Yes, I do. She is really Serena, a high school senior. Her friends are the Sailor Soldiers. I am trying to discover their identities." "Well then, you should follow them closely." Antrosis stepped back into the shadows. "Come, Laura," Anton said. The two of them disappeared. Serena was happy to see Darien. He came up to her from an alleyway. This was the same alleyway where he had seen the visions. "Darien!" Serena nearly shouted. "Hey, Serena! Have a good day at school?" "Yeah, sure." Darien put his arms around Serena, and she reciprocated. "Darien?" "Yes?" "What were you doing in that alleyway?" Darien beaked away from Serena, so he could look directly into her eyes. He did not want to tell her of the visions, in case they were bogus. What was the point of worrying her over nothing? "Just waiting for you," he said with a sweet smile. Somehow, Serena knew he was not telling the complete truth. After being around him for so long, it was easy to spot things like that. "Are you sure?" Darien looked surprised. "Well, of course. Why else would I be standing here?" "I…don’t really know." Serena smiled as she and Darien walked down the street, toward Raye’s temple. Darien realized this would make a grand total of three meetings that he would have attended. Laura Payne, a girl that was of medium height, with blond hair that flowed down to the middle of her back, stood by the high school. Since she was from the United States of America, she knew very little about Tokyo. She had to wait on her new friend, also from the United States, Molly Baker, so she could find her way around. Molly was currently meeting with one of her teachers. Laura was waiting impatiently, as she wanted to get home. She had a ton of homework to do. This involved spying on Serena. Since she was her next-door neighbor, this task would be easy. The hard part was getting home in a strange land. The only thing that was bad about her "job" was that she had to report to her boss, who lived in Sunnydale, California, USA. "Come ON, already," Laura said in disgust. She was really impatient. Finally, after about ten minutes, Molly came out of the building. "Sorry I’m late," she said in her New York Accent. "C’mon. Let’s go." The two girls headed toward their houses. Since they lived in the same neighborhood, Laura could find her house from Molly’s apartment building. Darien walked Serena to Raye’s temple on Cherry Hill. They were early. Raye was surprised bug time. Not only was Serena early for something, but Darien was coming to a Sailor Soldier Meeting! "Hey, meat-ball head!" Raye called out. "What’re you doin’ here? It’s not time to meet yet." She looked at Darien, and directed the next comment at him. "And you! Why did you come?" "Because I felt like it," Darien said. "And I wanted to come early, so you wouldn’t pick on me. And DON’T CALL ME MEAT-BALL HEAD!!" "OK, fine. Sheesh!" Raye was glad that she still had the ability to get on Serena’s nerves. Life just would not be the same without Serena to pick on. She smiled. "So, any way, what’s goin’ on? I thought we toasted those Nega-creeps." "I dunno," Serena replied. "I thought you wanted the meeting." "No, I got a call from someone who said there was an emergency, and we needed to meet as soon as possible. It sounded like Amy." The trio of people did not notice the shadowy figure standing by a tree, only 50 feet away. This shadowy figure was Anton. He knew that Laura had to gain Serena’s trust before any heavy spying, so he decided to take this night. He had now discovered the identity of one of the other Sailor Soldiers, but which one was it? Anton listened to the rest of the conversation. "So, Serena, you glad school’s almost out?" "What kind of a question is that?" replied Serena. "OF COURSE!!" "I thought so," Raye said. At that time, Amy came walking up. "Hey, guys. Glad you could make it." "Amy, what’s this all about?" Raye asked. "Well, I was running something through my mini-computer, when I got a strange signal. Some kind of portal." "What’s so strange about that?" Serena asked. "That happens practically every single day." That brought a chuckle from Raye and Darien "Well," Amy said, "not this kind of portal. This one seems to be a portal that the Negaverse could never open. It registers as a hell-mouth." "Wait a second," Darien said. "What’s a hell-mouth." "Basically," Amy said, "it’s a portal that leads to the nether-realm. The nether-realm is just a nice term for hell." "Well, this is interesting," Raye said. "I wonder why I didn’t sense it." "Because it’s out of your range. The portal is located just outside of town." "I say we investigate," Raye said. The others agreed. "Wait, where’s Mina and Lita?" Darien asked. "They couldn’t make it," Amy said. "They were going on a field trip, and won’t be back until tomorrow." "OK. Well, let’s do it!" Raye said. "OK, OK. Moon Cosmic Power!" "Mars Star Power!" "Mercury Star Power!" Within seconds, they were in their Sailor Soldier uniforms. Darien transformed into Tuxedo Mask. "Lead the way, Sailor Mercury." The quartet left. Back in the shadows, Anton smiled. He had just learned three more secret identities. Antrosis walked around his lair, waiting on Anton’s return. He was always impatient. He was pleased to see Anton walk up to him, after waiting for nearly ten minutes. "Master, I have discovered the true identities of Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury, as well as Tuxedo Mask. Mars is really Raye Hino, and Mercury is Amy Anderson. I recognized them from roaming the neighborhood." "Good work. When I’m done in Sunnydale, I’ll start invading Tokyo, and taking all of their lives." Willow Rosenburg, a pleasant, witty, smart girl, was glad the day was over. She was having a rough time with one of her students. A football player, no less. She sat down at her desk. It wasn’t fair that she had to sub for Miss Calendar under these circumstances. Within three minutes, she received a visit from one of her closest friends, Buffy Summers. "Hey, Buffy, what’s up?" "Hey, Will. Havin’ a rough day?" "Yeah. How could you tell?" "Oh, being a slayer doesn’t mean that all I do is kill vampires and demons, and save the world over and over. I can tell when one of my friends is down. So, what’s up?" "Well, our star football and basketball and swimmer handed in a blank test. And if I do the right thing, Mr. Snyder will expel me for failing him. And if I do the wrong thing, then there’s no problem with Mr.Snyder. But that’ll be a problem with me," Willow said, making her voice quieter as she spoke. "Hmm, well. This is interesting. So what’re ya gonna do?" "Oh well, here’s the thing. I haven’t exactly decided yet. An "F" on this paper might still let him pass for the year. But if not, I could give him a low "D", I guess." "OK. I gotta go. I hafta meet Giles." "Well, See ya." Buffy smiled slightly, and walked out the room. To Be Continued… ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Send comments to cowboys@wwd.net A whole bunch of thanks to Gabino Lopez, for encouraging me all this time. !Muchas Gracias! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Hey, here’s my disclaimer, in case I forget later on. Sailor Moon is not mine. It is the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Dic, Bandai, and other companies that can probably sue the hell out of me. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as far as I know, belongs to Joss Whedon. Chapter 2 The night sky was completely void of light, as dark clouds covered the moon and the stars. The town of Sunnydale, California seemed to be asleep. Except for two girls, two guys, and the demons of hell. The two girls were Buffy Summers, and Willow Rosenburg. The two guys were Alexander Harris, close and personal friend of Buffy and Willow, and Rupert Giles. Rupert was the watcher, and everyone in the group called him Giles. Alexander went by Xander (pronounced Zander) to his friends. "Giles." "Yeah." "I don’t think any vampires are here tonight." "Sure they are, Buffy. Just…be patient." At that time, a grotesque figure jumped out from the bushes, and tackled Xander. The figure slapped him with its claws, cutting Xander’s face. "Ow, crap!" "Hang on!" Buffy rushed over, and kicked the figure. It rolled over onto its back, and snarled. Buffy saw its face. It was a vampire, no doubt. The vampire jumped up, and slashed at Buffy. It missed, and Buffy kicked it. She cut the vampire’s face with her high-heeled shoe. She took out her steak, and stabbed the vampire in the heart. It turned into a pile of dust, and Buffy stared at it a second. "Nobody messes with my friends, especially a vamp." Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and Tuxedo Mask arrived at the portal about an hour before sunrise. It was unlike anything they had ever seen. It was a brilliant array of yellow, red, blue, and black. The portal swirled around at a rapid rate. Since it was located outside of Tokyo, nobody had seen it yet. It was miles from town, and far off the road. The three girls, and the one man, looked on in awe. It was so mesmerizing. They just stared at it, not knowing what to do. "Wow…" Sailor Moon said. "Hey, Amy, how about scanning that thing?" Tuxedo Mask asked. "OK." Amy tried scanning it with her VR visor. "I can’t. It’s jamming everything up!" "Well, there’s only one way to see exactly where this thing leads now!" Tuxedo Mask said. He took a breath, and leaped into the portal. "Darien!" Sailor Moon followed in a hurry. "Oh, brother!" Raye said. "Well, duty calls." Raye jumped in, and Amy followed her into the unknown…… Antrosis was surprised when three girls and a man fell in front of him. He knew who they were. "Welcome, Sailor Soldiers, and Tuxedo Mask. I must say this…is an honor. It’s not every day that heroes come to me to meet their destruction. Usually I have to go to them to kill them." "So, are we gonna fight, or are you gonna bore us to death?" Sailor Mars asked. "Ooh, a smart-ass. I like that in a victim." "Well, let’s see how like this!" Sailor Mars used her Celestial Fire Surround attack, and it hit Antrosis. He only laughed, as it did not harm him at all. What the hell?" "You are such a fool. Using fire on a creature from HELL! Ha ha! This is going to be fun." "Mercury Ice Storm Blast!!" The attack hit Antrosis with full intensity. It made him fly into a wall, and he was hurt. He slowly stood. "Well, it’s nice to see that there’s ONE smart person in that group. I like that, I really do. But, I have this annoying habit of destroying something I like. Sorry." Antrosis leaped at Sailor Mercury, grabbed her by the throat, and slung her to the ground. This knocked all the air out of her lungs, and she struggled to get air back in. "Sailor Mercury! No!" Sailor Mars rushed over to her. "Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to play favorites," Antrosis said mockingly. He then grabbed Sailor Mars by her hair, and tossed her aside like a rag-doll. "Did that hurt?" "Uunnnnhhh…" Sailor Mars said as she tried to get back up. "I’ll take that as a ‘sort of’" Antrosis said. "OK, who’s next?" Tuxedo Mask saw him looking at Sailor Moon. Just as Antrosis was about to attack, Tuxedo Mask jumped in the way. He received the full force of the blow, and was injured badly. "Darien, NO!" Sailor Moon shouted. "All right, buster! Now I’m mad! In the name of the moon, I will punish you!!" Antrosis smirked. "I think not." Sailor Moon took out her wand. "Ooh, that looks scary," Antrosis said sarcastically. "Moon Scepter Elimination!" The attack hit Antrosis, but had no effect. "Come now. Did you really expect that to kill an undead creature such as myself?" Antrosis moved closer to Sailor Moon. "Now, become a vampire, as I am. Be eternally damned; be condemned to roam the earth searching for blood night after night!" Sailor Moon was scared stiff. She was too scared to even cry. Tuxedo Mask, knowing only that he must protect his love, mustered up enough strength to throw a rose at Antrosis. It hit him, and stunned him. Sailor Moon escaped, and rushed over to Tuxedo Mask. She looked at him with grateful eyes. "Come on, we have to get out of here!" Sailor Moon shouted. Sailors Mercury and Mars managed to limp towards Sailor Moon. The three supported Tuxedo Mask, and managed to get to a portal. They went through it, not knowing that it was not the same one they had entered with… Buffy was making sure that Xander was okay, when a portal opened, and four people poured out. They were all injured, except one, who seemed to be fine. "What the hell?" Buffy nearly shouted. "PLEASE don’t mention hell," Sailor Mars said. "We just came from there." "I find that very unlikely," Rupert Giles said. "You can’t leave hell once you’re there. You might have come from the cross-dimension." "Well, whatever, we need help. Who are you people?" Sailor Mercury asked. "I was going to ask you the same thing," Buffy said, leery of the Girls in mini-skirts, and the man in the tuxedo. "Now is not the time to get to know each other. We’ll help you," Giles said. "Thank you," Sailor Moon said. After all the wounds had been tended to, and introductions made, the eight people sat down at a table in the Sunnydale High Library. They got into a discussion about what was going on. "Well, this is very, uh, simple…to explain," Giles said. "Yeah, and since Giles here usually speaks in big words, I’m gonna tell it," Buffy said. "This is Sunnydale, home the vampires, and all that is undead. I am the chosen one, meaning I have to kill ‘em all. I have help from my friends here. And that about sums it up. So, what are you?" "Well, this is hard to explain, but…we are Sailor Soldiers, sworn defenders of the Earth against all evil. We’re stationed in Tokyo, and we fight evil beings from a place called the Negaverse. Well, that, and pretty much anything else that wants to take over the world, destroy it, etc.," Sailor Moon said. "Well, that’s…unusual," Willow said. "Has anyone ever told you that those skirts don’t exactly make you look like fighters?" Xander asked. All he received were stares from everyone in the room. "I’ll shut up now." "So," Buffy said, "you fight evil. How can we be sure? How do I know that you don’t want to kill me?" "If we wanted you dead, we would have killed you by now," Tuxedo Mask said. "Besides, do we look like vampires to you?" "No. But neither did Angel." "Angel?" Sailor Mercury asked. "Long story," Giles said. "Any way, I believe you. Actually, I’ve read quite a deal about the Negaverse, and the legendary Sailor Soldiers. I thought that’s all it was, though. A legend." "How did you read about us?" "We get newspapers. We have to find out what’s going on in the rest of the world. Sunnydale could use a warning sometimes," Giles said. "Well," Tuxedo Mask said. "Will you help us? We need to find out what’s going on in Tokyo. Maybe you could go back with us." "Oh sure. I’ll just skip school, tell my mom I’m going to Tokyo for a while, and nobody’ll care." "Sounds like a plan to me," Xander said. Again, he got silentstares. "I’ll be leaving now, so I don’t say anything else that’s stupid." "No, stay," Amy said. "You’re a part of this, and we need your help." "I should warn you, I wet my pants when I get really scared." "Xander, shut up," Buffy said. "I didn’t need to know that." "I didn’t say I got scared easily." "Well, I suggest that we find out what’s going on, and act fast. Buffy, you remember when the whole world almost got sucked into hell?" "Yeah, Giles. Why?" "Well, if there’s activity in the cross-dimension, it is very likely that this world is about to go to hell in a hand-basket. We have to act fast." "OK, when do we make our move?" Buffy asked. "We should wait for our friends," Sailor Moon said. "Right. I’ll call them and tell them where we are. They can meet us here using their teleport," Sailor Mercury said. "Whatever, just get them here. I want pay-back for what that ass-hole did," Sailor Mars said. Sailor Moon called Lita and Mina on her communicator. "We have a short time left," Giles said. Antrosis looked at Laura Payne with inquisitive eyes. He was disappointed that she had not been more useful. Still, with the correcttreatment, she could be. "Laura, come here." She did so. "Laura, you have not been very useful. Now, you must be punished." To Be Continued… ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ What will Laura’s fate be? How will Antrosis be beat, if he is beat at all? Where is the cheese-whiz? Answers to these pressing (and not-so-pressing)questions in future episodes! Stay tuned! Chapter 3 Lita and Mina appeared right out of thin air, right in front of Buffy and everyone else. Buffy, Giles, Xander, and Willow were surprised. "Where's Luna and Artemis?" Sailor Mars immediately asked. "They stayed behind," Mina said. "She said this was out of our league,and we should let the proper people take care of it." "I say let's bash 'em!" Lita exclaimed. Buffy's eyes widened. "Wow! Somebody who thinks like me! That's a first." "Well, what do we do now? Wait for 'em to show their ugly butts, or go after 'em?" Lita said. "We?" Buffy asked. "WE don't do anything. I do." "What?!" Sailor Mars asked. "Sorry, but you teleport here, we don't know you, and we can't trust you," Buffy replied. "She has a point. This is the USA. Paranoia runs rampant. She has to do this herself. Besides, she's the only one with the correct weapons." Before anyone could say anything, the door to the library burst open, and a vampire came running in. This vampire was female, and looked oddly familiar to Sailor Moon. The vampire ran at Sailor Moon, and knocked her down before anyone could do anything. The vampire scratched Sailor Moon's face. "Hey!" Buffy yelled. "Why don't you pick on somebody that can fight you?" "This one must come with me!" Tuxedo Mask threw a rose at the vampire. It hit the vampire in the right shoulder "Let her go!" "Never!" snarled the vampire. It was unable to move. Buffy took a stake out, and stabbed the vampire in the heart. It turned to dust almost instantly. The rose fell to the ground. Buffy picked it up, while Sailor Moon tried to get a hold of herself. Buffy studied the rose for a minute, before asking "So, what's in this thing?" "...Just a little something I made," Tuxedo Mask replied. This was not a lie, as he made positive energy by choosing to fight for the forces of good. "Do you believe us now?" _____________________________________________________________________ Antrosis watched Laura through a portal. He was displeased to see her turn to dust. So much for plan A. He decided to go ahead with plan B. "Anton, I want you to capture Sailor Moon. Bring her here. They will be forced to come, and I will kill them all!" "Yes, master." Anton stepped through the portal. _____________________________________________________________________ Anton came out of the portal just outside of the school. He decided to use his human form. In that form, he was a handsome, black-haired man. He was somewhat tall. His eyes were blue, and cold. Anton looked around to make sure no one had seen him. If someone had, they would most likely still be staring at him. That was the problem with a lot of people; they always stared at what would kill them, rather than run like hell. This time, no one had seen him. Either that, or they had been part of a very small population of smart humans. Either way, he did not care. Anton walked into the school building, looking for the way to the library. He had to capture Sailor Moon. It was the perfect plan. He used his powers to pick up on Sailor Moon's energy. He would easily locate her, and execute his master's plan. Within minutes, he was standing outside the school library. He opened the door, and walked in. "Hey, what are you doin' here?" Buffy asked. "I...I got lost. The door was open, and I came in. I've been searching for someone to..." "To...what?" Buffy asked, not feeling right about this guy. Sailor Mars picked up on the evil vibes, too. "To...take with me!" Anton changed into his true form. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll just get what I came here for." Anton grabbed at Sailor Moon. She dodged. Tuxedo Mask took out a rose, and threw it at Anton. It hit him in the face, right between the eyes. He picked it out. "First of all, that's not where my heart is. And secondly, that's not a stake." Anton jumped at Tuxedo Mask, and scratched at him. Tuxedo Mask's cheek became red with blood, and his mask went flying off his face. Buffy leaped into action. She started kicking Anton with her high heeled shoe, leaving marks all over him. She backed him to a wall. "Let's get one thing straight. You don't ever come in here, unless you're invited. Which brings me to my question. How the hell did you get in?" "The sign outside. I believe it said 'Enter all ye who seek knowledge'. What can I say? I'm a knowledge seeker." Anton gave an evil grin. "I want to know if Sailor Moon will come with me." "No, she won't," Buffy replied matter-of-factly. "Well, I guess you'll just have to do." Anton grabbed Buffy at the throat before she could do anything. Lita and Mina, now transformed into Sailors Jupiter and Venus, attacked. "Jupiter Thunder Crash Zap!" "Venus Love Chain!" The attacks went toward Anton at thundering speeds, but it was too late. He had already disappeared, transported to the portal. (Since Anton was a powerful vampire, he could transport to different places within a dimension, but still needed a portal to cross into other dimensions.) "Damn!" _____________________________________________________________________ Anton stepped through the portal, still holding Buffy by the throat. She was gasping for air, but was unable to take anything in. She felt light-headed, and as she went through the portal, everything went to black on her. Her eyes closed, and she was unconscious. Antrosis was the first to greet Anton when he entered the cross-dimension. He was surprised that Anton returned without Sailor Moon, but it did not matter. He had managed to get Buffy. "So, I take it that the Sailor Bitch was too hard for you," Antrosis said. "I could have taken her, but --" "But, you didn't. No matter. This is even better. Now her friends will come, and the Sailor Soldiers will come to help!" Antrosis laughed maniacally. "Yes, and then we will crush them!" "Of course. After all, we can't take over the world with those brats running around, now can we? Now, chain this one up. We have work to do." "Yes, master." _____________________________________________________________________ Giles was applying first-aid on Tuxedo Mask's face. It was evident that he would have a scar for quite a while, but it had a 15% chance of healing. "Well, you'll live," Giles said. "That's good," Xander said. "At least this won't be a crime scene. Plus it would really suck if you did die," he said at Tuxedo Mask. Tuxedo Mask thought. "Anyway, I say we go after that guy. He's got Buffy, and I don't know about you guys, but I haven't killed a vampire recently." "Why, ya chicken?" Sailor Jupiter asked. "Hey, you don't know me, so shut up!" "Guys! Stop it!" Willow yelled. This surprised Giles and Xander; Willow NEVER yelled. "We need to think rationally." "OK, two options. One, we wait, and let the whole world go to hell, or two, we go after her, and possibly save this planet," Tuxedo Mask said. "You're not strong enough to go," Giles said. "Trust me, I'll be fine." "No. You almost got yourself killed, and I don't want to see good guys killed. And right now I am convinced that you are good guys." Sailor Mars jumped in the conversation. "He'll be fine." "No, he won't. He has never faced an evil like this, and I don't care WHAT he fought in Tokyo, he can't fight a vampire in his weakened condition!" "I think he can do it," Sailor Mercury said. "After all, he's fought worse." "Name one thing he fought that was worse than this." "OK," Sailor Moon said. "Let's see... he's been possessed countless times, and always gotten out of it. He's even been possessed by the son of Satan, and he managed to kill him. He's saved me many times, and he was weaker than he is now. So, if you think he can't do it, fine. But at least give him a chance!" There was an eerie silence for a moment. "Okay. But I am not responsible if he dies. I did not force him to go." "OK. But he won't die," Sailor Moon said. "...I hope you're right." To Be Continued... Thanks to Gabino Lopez, FernieK86, Rei Hino, GoldenClaw, and any one else who's name I have forgotten ^_^. Thanks for all your support! It means a lot to me. Chapter 4 Antrosis stared at Buffy for many minutes. She was chained to a wall, and even in her present state, a beautiful lady. Lady. The thought that the Slayer was called a lady by some made Antrosis laugh. After all, how could someone be so violent, and cause so much trouble, be a lady? "Unnnhh..." Buffy moaned, starting to come to. "Ah, good. You're coming to." Buffy opened her eyes slowly, and saw Antrosis. "My God, you're an ugly bastard." "Thank you. I am glad that you are awake. Now, you can be witness to me obtaining the one weapon that can destroy the world." Antrosis walked to an altar, adorned with many candles. He raised his arms. "Dark forces of realm of hell, bring to me the ultimate weapon of destruction. Bring to me the sword forged with the black fire, bring me the Sword of Darkness!" A brilliant array of pinks and blues, accompanied with reds and blacks, began swirling above the altar. The colors began to merge, to form one giant cloud, storming with electricity. A lightning bolt struck Antrosis with great intensity. It channeled through his body, and went to his right hand. Then, it emerged, and took the shape of a sword. It was about five feet long. Soon, it solidified into a sword that was as black as the night sky, and came to a very sharp point. It's blade was sharp enough to cut through five sheets of hardened steel with one swipe. Antrosis held the sword, which had a small black ball on the end of the handle. He looked at it for a moment, then turned to Buffy. "As you can see, I am the sword's master. It is controlled by me, and by me alone. This sword has the greatest magical powers in the cosmos. I could kill you right now." "Then why don't you?" Buffy asked. "Because...live bait is always more appealing to the prey." Antrosis gave an evil grin. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some preparations to make." Antrosis disappeared in a cloud of gray smoke. Buffy tried to break the chains, but to no avail. She became frustrated, and tried again. Still no luck. _____________________________________________________________________ All the Sailor Soldiers, Tuxedo Mask, and friends of Buffy were standing outside the school, looking for the portal. They did not find it. "He must've closed it," Giles said. "Now, there's no telling what he'll do to Buffy." "Sailor Mercury, how about your VR visor?" Sailor Mars asked. "Well, it's worth a try." Sailor Mercury touched her earring, and her visor materialized across her face. She scanned the area thoroughly, and after it seemed that there was no sign of a portal, something came up. She saw it! "Over there!" she shouted, pointing in the right direction. "I don't see anything," Xander said. "That's because it's invisible to the naked eye. Now, follow me." Sailor Mercury walked over to the invisible portal, and disappeared. Everyone else followed; they did not want her to face what was on the other side alone. _____________________________________________________________________ Anton watched as the humans spilled out of the portal. He smiled as each one saw him, after getting up from their falls. "Welcome to the cross-dimension. I have been expecting you. We have a real treat in store for you." "Where is Buffy?" Giles asked. "That's what I always liked about you. Right to the point. No beating around the bush." "Where is she?" "I like you. Unfortunately, I have this nasty habit of killing people that I like." Before anyone could do or say anything, a vortex opened. It was like a black hole, with brilliant colors all around it. A lone figure flew out of the vortex, and landed on it's feet. The vortex closed. "You..." Willow murmured. "Willow...what's going on? Where am I?" asked the person. Well, he looked like a normal person, anyway. "Come on, let's get out of here!" Xander shouted. "Noooo!" shouted Anton. But it was too late. All of them jumped through the portal. Antrosis appeared behind Anton. "You let them escape. I am less than pleased." Anton clenched his fist, and scorned Antrosis mentally. "It will not happen again." "See that it does not." _____________________________________________________________________ All of the Sailor Soldiers had powered down into their everyday-people look. After all, Xander kept looking at them in those mini-skirts. They were waiting for an explanation as to how their new friends knew the man who came out of the vortex. "Boy, Buffy will be glad to see you," Willow said. "Where is she?" asked the man. "Well, we're...not exactly sure. But, we think we're close to finding her." "Wait a second!" Serena yelled. "How do you all know him?" The man looked at Serena. "Who are you?" "We're friends." The man looked at Willow and Giles, to make sure. They nodded. "Well, let me see if I can explain. It's been a while, and now I'm pretty sure I remember everything. A long time ago, I was bitten by a vampire. This made me a vampire. I was one of the worst vampires in history. Then, one day, all that changed. "I was cursed by a family, for taking their daughter and turning her into a vampire. This curse gave me back my soul, and after a while, I remembered everything I had done. All the torment I caused. And I was to live with that for eternity. Then, along came Buffy. The slayer. "I wanted to help, to try to make up for everything evil I had done. So I did. But, one night, we did something that was not right. And I experienced true happiness. But pert of the curse was that if I ever experienced true happiness, my soul would be taken from me. And it was. I was then nothing more than a vampire that wanted to destroy the entire world. "I came very close to doing that. I managed to open a vortex to hell, and the entire world was going to be sucked into hell. Buffy and I fought each other hard. I nearly killed her, but she managed to turn the tables on me. She was about to kill me, but just then my soul returned to me." Willow jumped in. "I re-did the curse." "And," the man continued. "I looked up at Buffy. She was holding a sword, and about to kill me. I did not know what was going on, but she understood, somehow, that my soul was returned. We embraced each other, and kissed. But the vortex to hell was already open. She told me to close my eyes. So I did. Then, a sharp pain went through me, and I looked down. The sword was in my chest, no doubt protruding out my back. I looked at Buffy; her eyes were full of tears. She said she was sorry. Then, the next thing I know, I get sucked into the vortex, right before it closed. I was in hell. "Then after what seemed like ten years, Satan just gave up. I still had my soul, and only pure happiness could drive it from my body. Satan couldn't give me pure happiness, because I knew that whatever he made me see was an illusion. So, I got kicked out of hell." "You got KICKED OUT OF HELL?" "Yeah," said the man. "By the way, you can call me Angel." "Angel? What kind of sissy name is that for a guy?" Lita asked. "I said you can call me Angel. It's not my real name. I hate my real name." "Fine, what matters is your here," Giles said. "Now, what do you suggest we do?" "I'm going to need some information first. Like, what are we dealing with" "You remember the Master?" "Yeah." "Ten times worse, and a hundred times more ugly. His servant is about two times worse, and three times more ugly." "Sounds like fun." To Be Continued... Chapter 5 Antrosis watched as Anton prepared to destroy all of the Sailor Soldiers. He was very displeased over the last incident. Anton was not in favor with his master by any means. Now, Anton had to destroy the Sailor Soldiers, and Buffy's friends, or be destroyed. One thing was for sure, it would be a lot less painless to die in battle. Anton meditated, trying to find a way to destroy the Sailors once and for all. If he could just kill them, or Buffy's friends, he might be able to by some time with his master. Then he could finish the rest of them off, and be in favor of his master once more. _____________________________________________________________________ Serena, Amy, Lita, Raye, Mina, and Darien were having a hushed conversation with each other. "I don't like it," Serena said. "His story just seems a little far-fetched to me." "He could be telling the truth, though," Darien said. "I mean, look at me. My life story is so twisted that I don't even believe it sometimes, but it is true. I've been resurrected so many times, I've lost count." "Darien has a point," Amy said. "Still, we don't know him. He could be a spy. What bugs me is the way that he wasn't even attacked." "Everything WAS happening pretty fast," Raye added. "I know. But it's just odd, that's all." "Well," Mina said. "I say we keep an eye on him. We can't be too careful." Angel walked over to the group. "Hey, what're you guys talkin' about?" The Soldiers immediately thought that he had heard them. Darien quickly responded. "Nothing major. Just what might be happening to Tokyo right now." The Soldiers gave him a look that clearly meant "WHAT?!". "I thought your accents were from that area. I've been there." "Really? When?" were the two questions asked by Lita. "Oh, around 1850. I did a lot of damage there." Angel looked down at the ground, disgusted at the thought. "Anyway," he said as he looked back up, "that was a long time ago. I've changed since then. I understand if you don't trust me. Most vampires will stab anyone in the back, even each other." "I'll bet you're an expert on that," Lita muttered, not intending for Angel to hear. But he did. "Yes, I am. I was on the receiving end. I'd rather not go into it." Darien walked over to Giles. "Are you sure about him?" Darien asked, making an ever-so-slight gesture to Angel. "Oh, uh, sure. He's definitely one of the good guys. You can trusthim." "How do you really know? It could be a big illusion." "Trust me. Vampires do not use illusions, with the exception of a few. The only ones that do that come from the family that put the curse on Angel. They're long gone now." "...OK. I'll take your word for it." _____________________________________________________________________ Buffy looked on as Antrosis picked up the Sword of Darkness. He stared at it for a minute, feeling it's absolute power flow through his body. "Your friends will come, Buffy. And they will die." Buffy said nothing. she thought. _____________________________________________________________________ Anton rose from his meditation. He knew how to defeat the Sailor Soldiers. He knew each of their weaknesses. If they were to fail to protect their leader, they would lose all hope. Anton knew what to do. "I must kill Sailor Moon." He opened a portal to Earth. It was time to get the show on the road. _____________________________________________________________________ A portal opened outside the Sunnydale High School. Anton stepped out from it. He looked around to find that he was in the back lawn of the school. No one had seen him. It was the perfect time to strike. He knew that the library was on the top floor of the school, and he also knew that it was directly above him, just on the other side of a window. He jumped up, and landed on the outside window sill. He looked through the window, only to find that the library was empty. _____________________________________________________________________ Willow, Xander, Giles, Angel, and the Soldiers (in street clothes) walked down the hall, toward the front entrance/exit. They knew that they were not safe in the school, as the new vampires knew where to find them. "Where are we going?" Darien asked. "To a secret place," Angel said. "Don't worry. You'll be fine." Darien thought. _____________________________________________________________________ "Damn it to hell!!" Anton shouted. "Where are they?" He looked around, seeing no one. Then, he noticed a slight change in the atmosphere. Then, he saw it. "Oh shit!" The sun was coming up. Anton jumped down from the window sill, and landed on his back. "Ow!!" He got up, and made a mad dash toward the portal, which was visible only to his kind. He leaped through it, but not before the sun's rays hit his foot. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~ Hey, I know this part was short, sorry. In case you couldn't tell, Darien does not really like Angel. Is Angel luring them into a trap? Who knows? (besides me). Also, Anton is not on the greatest of terms with Antrosis. Will there be a fight between the two? Will Buffy escape? Only time will tell. ~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~ Much thanks goes to the following people, in no particular order: Gabino Lopez Sanchez, Hino Rei, FernieK86, and any others whose name I have either forgotten or never knew >^_^<. Thanks for all your support, guys (and gals)!! Chapter 6 Antrosis smirked at Anton, as the minion tended to his wounded foot. Despite the fact that the Sun had only burned Anton for a second, the burn was a deep one. "You know," Antrosis said. "There's a REASON we are called creatures of the night." Antrosis slightly smiled. "Shut up," Anton said with a growl. Antrosis grabbed Anton by the head. "What?!" Fear now consumed Anton. "What did you say?" "Uh, nothing. It just hurts." Antrosis let go of Anton's head with a jerk. "I feel I should tell you, I am the new master of the Sword of Darkness. And I know how to use it. If I were you, I would not tick me off." Antrosis disappeared. Anton clenched his fist, and snarled. _____________________________________________________________________ Angel opened a door to an old, abandoned warehouse. He let everyone else in, but did not enter. "Well?" Darien asked, looking at him suspiciously. "I can't enter unless I'm invited. Part of being a vampire." "Come on in," Darien said. Angel walked in. "Thank you." Darien looked at Angel, still not trusting him. "Now,"Angel began, "we need a plan. We gotta get Buffy out of there. Any suggestions?" "We could go in full force," Raye said. "Too dangerous," Amy said. "I agree," Angel said. "We need to be careful. We don't need to waste energy fighting if we don't have to." "Well," Mina said. "A few of us could go, and the rest stay here. After all, the less in number, the less the chances of being seen." "That's no good," Giles said. "I could stay, because I'm not that great of a fighter. But the rest of you could go. If you are attacked, you're gonna need all the help you can get." "Well," Serena said. "We could go in full force, like Raye said. There's only two of them." "And we nearly got killed by ONE of them!" Lita said. "We weren't prepared then," Darien said. "We had no idea what we were up against." "Well, I think I should tell you," Giles said. "If you DO plan on going in all-out, there's a good chance that they have the Sword of Darkness." "Uhh...what is that?" Darien asked. "It's a powerful sword, forged in the fires of hell. It possesses all of the dark magic on Earth and in hell. A single blow could tear you apart atom by atom." "I've seen it," Angel said. "Yeah, I'll bet," Darien said. "Let me guess, you wielded it, and killed an entire town?" "No. I saw it pointed at me, ready to tear me apart, when my buddy hit the sword's master from behind. When he was killed, the sword went back to hell. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get this party started." "Where's your buddy?" "He's around, somewhere. I think." Darien stared into Angel's eyes. "Now, shall we go?" "Yeah. Just hang on a second." Darien looked at Serena. "You sure you wanna do this?" Serena nodded. "OK." "Moon Crystal Power!" "Mars Star Power!" "Mercury Star Power!" "Jupiter Star Power!" "Venus Star Power!" In a flash of brilliant light, all of the girls transformed into their respective alter-egos. Darien transformed into Tuxedo Mask. "Now we can go," Tuxedo Mask said. _____________________________________________________________________ Buffy moved her head around, trying to keep from acquiring stiff-neck. She opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred. Her stomach rumbled, as she had not been fed anything since she was taken captive. She managed to make out a shadow heading towards her. She squinted. The shadow started to look like a recognizable figure. She saw...Angel? "Angel...?" "Shh.." The figure moved closer, and more appeared behind him. She could not make any of the others out, as her vision was still a bit hazy. But the lead figure was definitely recognizable. "Buffy...oh God, what have they done to you?" Suddenly, a beam of pure darkness slammed into the wall, right beside Buffy's head. "Hold it right there," a sinister voice snarled. He stepped forward. It was Antrosis. "I knew you all would come. Now, all I need to do is kill you. I'll start with the one you came here to save. I don't know all of your true identities, and quite frankly, I don't care. 'Cause I'm gonna kill all of you, right after you watch Buffy die a slow, painful death." He pointed the Sword of Darkness at Buffy. She closed her eyes. Angel began running toward Antrosis, screaming. He tackled him, and the Sword of Darkness fell to the ground. Angel and Antrosis were locked in combat. It was clear to Tuxedo Mask that Angel was an ally. Xander and Willow rushed to Buffy, and untied her. She fell forward, and they caught her. "Get her out of here, NOW!!" Angel yelled. Right after he said that, he was thrown back, and slammed into a wall. Darien took out a rose, and threw it at Antrosis. It hit him in the back. It only served to anger him. "That's it!" Antrosis turned around, and rushed toward Darien, hitting him at full speed. Tuxedo Mask landed on his back. Sailor Mercury used her Ice Storm Blast, and covered Antrosis with ice. He was unable to move. "Quick, get the sword!" shouted Mars. But it was too late. "I don't think so," Anton said. He had the Sword of Darkness. And he was ready to use it. To Be Continued... ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ -~-~-~- ~-~-~ Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! I'll bet you wish I didn't leave off there, don't ya! Well, this way, if you want to know what happened next, you've gotta check back. Besides, a little mystery and suspense of waiting never killed any one (though it is annoying :) ) I'm gonna give another disclaimer (can't be too careful). Sailor Moon does not belong to me (sob), it belongs to Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation LTD., Dic (BOO! :) ), and probably several other companies that could sue the living daylights out of me! To all of those companies, please don't sue. I have about 5 cents, and besides, I get no profit from this at all. Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Series is produced (and probably owned by) Joss Whedon. Actually, so are the characters Xander, Willow, Giles, and Angel. ANTROSIS, ANTON, LAURA PAYNE ARE ALL MINE!! Actually, Laura Payne is a real life friend of mine (you know, that character that made a short appearance early on, giving Sailor Moon's identity to Antrosis). Finally, I want to thank the following people for encouragement and/or being a friend (by friend, I mean someone who I actually talk to, not just communicate with via e-mail): Gabino Lopez Sanchez, Laura Payne, Beth Ison, Eric Near, Derek Parsons, Kenzie Cooper, Andrea Faulkner, Tiffany Mowery, Tiffany Gregory, Leigh-Ann Gregory (no relation (I think)), Bethany Lambert, Elizabeth Pancake, Stacy Hieronimus, J.D. Reed III, and last but not least, Ginger Lockwood. Thanks, guys (and gals)!!!! You all have been really supportive, and I thought I'd mention your names with a big THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! If I left any names out, sorry, I'll do better next time. Chapter 7 Anton moved forward slightly, still holding the Sword of Darkness towards Sailor Moon. He limped, and Tuxedo Mask saw it. He did not let Anton know that he had seen it; a surprise attack would really help. "You all will die, by MY hand!" Anton did not notice the fact that Buffy had escaped, with the help of Xander and Willow. He only saw the Sailor Soldiers, Tuxedo Mask, and his master frozen. Tuxedo Mask stepped forward. Anton pointed the sword at him. "Stay back!" Tuxedo Mask positioned himself so that he was between the end of the Sword, and Antrosis. Anton kept the sword pointed at Tuxedo Mask. "Let this be a lesson to you. Never mess with a vampire." Anton unleashed the magic, and a beam of pure fire emitted from the sword, and headed straight for Tuxedo Mask. The Soldiers gasped, as they thought for sure that he was about to bite the dust. Just as the beam was about to reach Tuxedo Mask, he leaped to the side, and rolled when he landed. The fire beam hit Antrosis' frozen form, and seared right through his chest. The ice shattered into a million pieces, and flew everywhere. Antrosis let out a blood-curdling scream, and his heart was burning, thus slowly killing him. Before anyone could do or say anything, Antrosis' eyes, open mouth, and ears started to spew fire. He slowly started to disintegrate, and everyone watched in horror. Antrosis' last screams echoed through the dingy cave, and a pile of dust occupied the spot where he had once stood. Anton looked at the pile of dust, and realized that he was now free to do things HIS way. Anton looked at Tuxedo Mask, who was now standing on his feet. "Well done. You managed to make me kill my master. Now I will have to kill you." Tuxedo Mask took out a rose, threw it, and hit Anton's hurt ankle with it. "Ow!" The positive energy managed to stun Anton for a moment. Sailor Mercury used her Ice Storm Blast to cover Anton with ice, making him immobile. Tuxedo Mask jumped up, spun around, and kicked Anton's head off. "Let's go," he said. "Wait," Sailor Moon said. She walked over to the frozen head of Anton, and kneeled down beside it. She picked an icecicle from it. She walked over to the still standing frozen body of Anton, and plunged the icecicle into the chest. She then turned to the others. "Now, we can go." She walked over to the portal, and stepped through. Tuxedo Mask was the first to follow, then Sailor Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and lastly, Mercury. _____________________________________________________________________ The Sailors stepped out of the portal, along with Tuxedo Mask. They were in the back yard of the Sunnydale High School. They saw a light on the top floor. It was coming from the library. The Soldiers powered down to their regular form. They ran to the back door, and ran all the way to the library. When they entered, they saw Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Giles. "You guys okay?" Raye asked. "Yeah," Buffy said. "Aside from the bandaged forehead, I'm as good as new." "We're all fine," Giles said. He looked at the group of new friends, and noticed something. "Uh, where's Angel?" No one had an answer. _____________________________________________________________________ Angel stared at the half-frozen body of Anton, slowly thawing. He wanted to see the entire process of Anton's death. It would give him a little pleasure to see Anton turn to dust. As the body continued to thaw, so did the head. Soon, the body fell, so that the top pointed toward the head. The icecicle that had been rammed through the chest had not thawed much. Angel watched, and watched. Then, the unthinkable happened. Lightning flew between the head and the body, and within an instant, the two were connected again. Anton got up, as Angel hid behind a large rock. Anton looked down, and saw the icecicle. He pulled it out. "Looks like somebody missed my heart." The icecicle had been jabbed into the left side of his chest. "I thought everyone knew that the heart was located in the center of the chest. Oh well." Anton threw the icecicle down, and picked up the Sword of Darkness, which had been laying beside him. Anton walked back into the deepest recess of the cave. Angel started to edge his way toward the portal that lead to Sunnydale. He was cautious, and made no sound. He found his way to the portal, and stepped through. He did not notice that Anton had been watching him. < Let him warn his friends, > thought Anton. < It will do them no good. They will all die. > _____________________________________________________________________ Serena and Raye were the only two sitting in the library. They had been entrusted with the task of keeping an eye on the place while the others were away. The others were looking for Angel, hoping that he had only been a little behind stepping through the portal. _____________________________________________________________________ Darien, Mina, Lita, Amy, Xander, Willow, Buffy, and Giles were outside the school building. They looked around, looking for Angel. They did not see him. < I don't like this, > Darien thought. Suddenly, he heard a noise. It came from the back. He darted around the building, and saw what he was looking for. "Angel! Where were you?" "In the cross-dimension. I saw Anton. He's not dead." Darien's eyes grew wide, first with surprise, then with fear. "He didn't see me. At least, I don't think so. Look, we have to do something." Darien looked at Angel for a second, eyes narrowing. "All right. Let's tell the others." _____________________________________________________________________ "Well, that sucks," Buffy said as she heard the news about Anton. "Does he still have the Sword of Darkness?" Giles asked. Angel looked at him with an expression that clearly meant: What do you think? "Oh," Giles said, understanding the expression. They all headed back to the school library, and told Serena and Raye. "We need to do something, and do it now," Serena said. "I say we kill him," Buffy said. "That's our Buffy," Xander said. "Always the one to say 'Kill, kill, kill." He received strange looks from everybody. "I'm shutting up now. You all can have a normal conversation," he said with a slight smile. "We need to get that sword," Lita said. "But how?" Mina asked. "It shouldn't be too hard. All we need is a distraction, and somebody could grab the sword," Darien said. "Like I said, I'll kill him. That oughtta distract him." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Be Continued.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Whoa! Are you all following this? I hope so. I really do. If you're confused about anything, email me at cowboys@wwd.net, and I'll be happy to explain things. Just don't ask for any spoilers, cause then you won't have to read any further ^_^ And, I doesn't look like I'm gonna be able to finish this series up any time soon. What I mean is that there will probably be many more parts. If that happens, then this will be my longest running series ever! Being a die-hard fan of both Sailor Moon, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Series, I found I could write a lot more with this story. Also, if you have the WB (WB11, I think), tune in every Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. central. And, HANG ON!! I DON'T HAVE MY THANK YOU LIST UP YET! Well, here it is. Thank you all who have supported me. It really means a lot. I would go through and name you all individually, but I simply can not remember everyone's names. So, if you have encouraged me, I thank you. If you have not encouraged me, you can start any time you want ^_^ If you have been mean to me, flamed me, then shame on you (tisk, tisk). Chapter 8 Anton stared at the ring of fire he had created with the Sword of Darkness. This ring of fire was surrounding a pentagram, drawn on the dirt floor of the cave. Anton's eyes beamed. "Forces of hell, I call upon thee. Bring forth your worst demon, and make him serve me! I command you!" Anton plunged the Sword of Darkness into the center of the pentagram. Bolts of black lightning shot up from the pentagram, and the floor opened with a rumble. A monster floated up, with lightning swirling around it's shadowy mass. The floor closed, and the monster was standing on the pentagram. The lightning subsided, and the Sword of Darkness returned to Anton's hand. "Master..." The monster was about eight feet tall. It had no apparent surface, as it was all one big shadow. It stood there, waiting for a command. < *THIS* is the worst demon from hell? > Anton thought. < Must be having a slow millennium. > "So, your the worst, huh? What do you specialize in?" "Mimicry an possession. I can be inside of anyone's body at anytime, making them do whatever I want, or I can take the form of anything that I touch." < This guy may come in handy after all. > "Well, that is interesting. I have a job for you." Anton grinned evilly. _____________________________________________________________________ "You guys stay here. I have to do this alone." "No way Buffy," Willow said. "If all of us can barely escape, what chance does any ONE of us have? At least let a couple of us go." "No! This is MY fight! And I'm not gonna let you all get yourselves killed in this!" "Buffy, please. Take a few people," Angel said. "You can take me." "You saw what that sword did to a vampire with nearly unlimited power. Imagine what it could do to you. I don't want that to happen to you." "Well, we're going with you," Amy said. "At least...*I* am going with you. You saw what my ice can do." "Actually, no I didn't. I wasn't there. I was already back here." "Well, my ice can freeze them in their tracks. They can't move when they're frozen." "You would both be smart to NOT go," Giles said. "There is only one weapon that can stand against the Sword of Darkness, and we don't have the slightest clue as to where it is." "Nice of you tell me," Buffy said in a raised voice. "I almost went to certain death!" "What is this weapon?" Willow asked. "Well, it's called the Sword of Light. It has magical properties that can neutralize those of the Sword of Darkness. It is supposed to be made entirely of white magic, and stored in a small, compact space. It can be called upon by only one person, who is supposedly immortal. This person is supposed to be a man of mystery." Serena took out her locket. She just wanted to hear its beautiful melody one more time. She was shaking, as she was scared of what might happen. She dropped her locket. "Allow me," Darien said. He bent down, and picked up the locket. As he held it, it began to glow. The light burst from the locket, and flowed through Darien. He became a mass of white light, and soon was dressed in body armor that was just like his Prince Darien armor. The only difference was that it was white. A swirling mass of white light shot out from his hand, and solidified in the form of a sword. A sheath appeared at his side. "Oh...my...God..." was all anyone could mutter. It was clear now. Darien was the immortal one...the chosen one. Darien was the White Knight. _____________________________________________________________________ The shadowy demon moved around the halls of Sunnydale High. He touched everything, so he could quickly take shape of something, if need be. He soon found his way to the library. He saw all the people in there, and he saw Darien turn into the White Knight. The demon had heard enough stories to know what was about to happen. He hurried out of the school, and down to the portal. He jumped through. _____________________________________________________________________ The shadow demon appeared before Anton. He bowed his head slightly. "What do you have to report?" Anton asked hastily. "The White Knight has returned. He has the Sword of Light." Anton moved forward slightly. "Are you sure?" "Absolutely. It is definitely the Sword of Light." Anton grinned. "Well...now I can have a real fight." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Be Continued.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OK, OK, I know...a really short part. But I just wanted to make slight (erm..) revelation in this chapter. I just HAD to do it! As if Darien didn't have enough of an identity crisis all ready... Anyway, hope you liked it, and if you didn't sorry ^_~ Are you all geared up for the big fight? Good. And, if you thought Buffy was the one who was going to have to kill Anton, I have one thing to say..."Ha! Fooled you!" Well, I gotta go! Thanks so much to everyone who has emailed me with their compliments and words of encouragement. It really means a lot to me. Princess Serena, if you read this, thanks for everything! Your emails to me really help! Sorry my one email almost melted your motherboard... hehe... OK, I'm gonna put my notes up here, so you're gonna have to read it. I'm sorry for such a short part last time, but I was WAY overdue in working on my novel. Yes, that's right, I am working on a novel!! Yea!! I'm not gonna say any more. Well, enjoy! PS -- The shadow demon will now be referred to simply as Shadow. Also, this part is rated PG-13, for violence Chapter 9 "Shadow, I want you to assume my identity." "What?" Shadow asked, slightly confused. "You heard me. Assume my identity." "Anton, what do you mean, assume your identity?" Anton smirked at that comment. "Not real bright, are you?" Anton muttered under his breath. "What I mean, is for you to look like me. I want the White Knight to think that you are me. You will battle him, and weaken him. Then, I will finish him off, and use the magic of the Sword of Darkness to destroy the Sword of Light. Understand?" Anton narrowed his eyes, and raised his eyebrows. "Yes, master," Shadow said as he bowed slightly. _____________________________________________________________________ "D...Darien?" Serena asked, wide eyed. "Darien does not exist now," said the form that looked like Prince Darien, dressed in white body armor. "Only the White Knight exists." The voice was deeper, more dark. "I am the defender of Earth. I am the wielder of the Sword of Light. I take only the side of the carrier of the Love Star, which is where I and the Sword of Light are kept." The White Knight looked at Serena. "You are the owner of the Love Star, correct?" "Y...Yes..." "Then my mission is what you tell me it is." Serena tried to think of what to say. She just couldn't get over that Darien was the White Knight, more or less. "W--Well, um..." "Serena, can I see you for a minute?" Buffy asked. Serena walked over to Buffy. "What is it?" "What the hell is going on?" "I--I wish...I knew..." "Well, I just thought you'd like to know something. The really, really ugly one's name is Antrosis, and the other one is called Anton." "The really, really ugly one has been killed." "Then you're dealing with Anton." "H--How do you know their names?" "Well when you're a captive, you hear things. Like conversations." Buffy grinned. Serena turned to the White Knight. She told him his mission. _____________________________________________________________________ The White Knight appeared from the portal as Anton stepped forward. They looked at each other for a brief moment. "Ah, White Knight. We meet at last. Welcome to my humble abode. I trust you had a pleasant trip." "Cut the chat. I'm here on a mission." "So it would seem. Tell me, what is your mission?" "To destroy the holder of the Sword of Darkness, and all who side with him." "Well, you've come to the right place. Enguard!" Anton drew out a sword, and got into a battle position. Anton leaped forward, slashing at the White Knight. Their swords, met, and the two were locked in combat. Anton spun around, and brought his sword down, and the White Knight defended with his own sword. The White Knight spun around, and slashed Anton's stomach. "Touché!" Anton quickly stabbed at the White Knight, who dodged easily. The White Knight then stabbed Anton in the chest. Anton quickly transformed, and revealed that he was not Anton, but rather, Shadow. "Gotcha!" "No. I got you." A brilliant light came from the Sword of Light, and Shadow started to disintegrate. He was gone in an instant. He had been sent back to hell. Then, the real Anton stepped out from the shadows. "He was always a bit of an underachiever. He never reached his potential." "Who are you?" "My name is Anton, and I am the holder of the Sword of Darkness. But enough about me. Who are you?" "I am the White Knight. And I am the wielder of the Sword of Light." Anton smiled. "So good of you to come. I hope you're prepared to die, because I am gonna kill you." Anton spun around, and slashed at the White Knight, who dodged effortlessly. "You're going to have to better than that." "I'm just getting warmed up." Anton jabbed twice, the first time being a fake, and the second being the real one. The White Knight was hit in the stomach. It did not seem to matter. The White Knight slashed at Anton, hitting him across the face. Blood started to flow. "Really, you are pathetic," the White Knight said. Anton responded by using the magic of the Sword of Darkness. A beam of pure dark energy blasted the White Knight, smashing him against a wall. The White Knight's head bashed into the wall, and then he fell to the floor. "Unnhh..." "Now who's the pathetic one?" Anton moved closer to the groaning mass. "No friends, no hope, and no way out. Is there anything you have?" The White Knight felt a sudden adrenaline rush surge through him. "Yes," he said. "Myself." The White Knight flipped up, and kicked the Sword of Darkness out of Anton's hand. It flew across the cavern, and lodged into the ground. The White Knight kicked Anton in the stomach, then the head, sending him to the ground. Anton quickly got back up, and ran at the White Knight, tackling him. The Sword of Light flew across the cavern. Anton and the White Knight were locked in true hand-to-hand combat. Anton punched the White Knight across the face, and the White Knight retaliated by grabbing Anton's head, and shoving it downward to his rising knee. Anton's head started bleeding more. Blood was now all over both combatants. They rolled around the floor, hitting each other over and over. _____________________________________________________________________ "That's it!" Buffy shouted. "I can't wait anymore!" She ran out the door, and headed down the hall. "Where's she going?" Serena asked. "I think I know," Angel said as he headed after Buffy. _____________________________________________________________________ Anton and the White Knight stood, facing each other's bleeding forms. Hatred was in Anton's eyes. No emotion could be seen in the eyes of the White Knight. "Give it up!" Anton said. "You'll never win." "Then I guess I'll have to make sure we tie." Anton and the White Knight both ran to their swords, and grabbed them. They started fighting again. Neither one noticed Buffy and Angel emerge from the portal. Their swords met over and over, each time a spark of lightning shooting out as the energies countered each other. The White Knight found himself on the defensive more than once, as Anton slashed away at him. "I've got to do something," Buffy whispered. "No," Angel whispered back. "Stay here. They have to finish this fight on their own." Angel had heard the prophecy more times than he could count. He knew how accurate those prophecies were, especially in Sunnydale. He already knew the outcome of this battle... Anton raised the Sword of Darkness over his head, drawing negative energy into the sword. He then thrust at the White Knight, letting the energy fly at him at a rocketing speed. The White Knight thrust back, sending purepositive energy at Anton. They two energies met, and exploded in an array of bright colors, sending shock-waves all throughout the cavern. When the dust settled, Buffy and Angel stood from their hiding place. They looked around. Anton was no more, just a pile of dust on the ground. The Sword of Darkness had been shattered, and disintegrated into nothingness. "He did it!" Buffy exclaimed. "He won!" Angel looked over at the White Knight, and walked out of the cavern, into the portal. Buffy then saw what he saw. A limp body, lying on the ground. It was Darien, no longer in the form of the White Knight. Only a blood-deprived Darien. "Oh my God..." Buffy rushed over to him, and picked him up. She then walked into the portal. It closed behind her, and the cavern began to collapse... _____________________________________________________________________ Angel walked into the library, with the look of depression on his face. Serena immediately jumped up. "What is it?" Her eyes were starting to water; she had a gut feeling that something terrible had happened. "Well..." Angel did not get to finish. Buffy burst in the library,holding Darien. His blood was on her clothes. "I-I'm sorry. He's..." "No!" Serena cried. "He can't be!" Serena rushed over to Buffy, and took Darien from her. She laid him down, his head on her lap. She was sobbing uncontrollably. "Dar...i...en... You...can't...die..." Serena choked. "You...just...can't..." She started sobbing more and more. Her tears were streaming down her wet cheeks, and falling onto Darien. "Don't...leave...me..." Her sobs were more audible now. All of the Soldiers found themselves crying, too. Slowly, the Silver Crystal began to glow. It's soft light grew and grew, until it faded back. Darien coughed. His eyes opened. "D...Darien...?" Serena asked. He smiled slightly. He raised his blood stained hand up to Serena's face, and wiped some tears away, to make room for her tears of joy. She hugged him, and kissed his head. He raised himself up, still in pain. A bright light suddenly appeared, with Queen Serenity in the middle. She floated down. "Princess Serena, you have used the power of the Silver Crystal to heal Darien. You're love for him, and desire to heal him, was detected by it, and so he is healed. He will still have a few bruises, and some pain, as the power of the Silver Crystal has limitations. But he is healed. I am so proud of you. You have true feelings of love for him, as he does for you." Queen Serenity smiled. "Mother... Is it...is it over?" "It will never be over. You must continue to fight evil whenever it threatens you, or the ones you love. But I believe you can do it. I have faith in you. Goodbye, Serena." Queen Serenity faded into the light, as it faded away. "Come on," Serena said. "Let's go home." All of the Soldiers, including Darien, joined hands. They used the power of the planets to teleport back home. Buffy took a deep breath. "Now I've seen everything." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The End ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hey, it's over! No more story! I'd like to take a moment and clear my mind...that didn't take long! :) Well, a thousand thank-yous to... Gabino Lopez Sanches, Princess Serenity, Phillip Scott, Tiga Shadow (for being such a great writer, and inspiring me to write), FernieK86, Mars4rei, and anybody else whose name I may have forgotten. You're all wonderful!! I would like to give a big special thanks to Hino Rei and Jupiter Knight for posting my stories. You guys are the best! Anyone who read this, email me at cowboys@wwd.net with all your praises, comments, flames, anything else, etc. etc.